Press Release

Press Release
Zamboanga City
April 3, 2012

Statement of great concern of the Inter-religious Solidarity Movement for Peace on the ambush-slaying of Universidad de Zamboanga (UZ) President Arturo F. Eustaquio III on Sunday, April 1, 2012 in Zamboanga City.

When will the killings stop?

By one account, his ambush-slaying would have been to local government and police authorities just another statistic, the 61st since just January this year, just numbers that they always dismiss blithely, gloss over quickly as mere "isolated" incidents. Except that this 61st victim is not an ordinary citizen: Arturo F. Eustaquio III is the President of one of the oldest schools in the city, the Universidad de Zamboanga, a scion of a prominent Christian clan, a convert to Islam and one of a respected leaders, an education official known and loved for his liberal and compassionate policies towards his school's low income-class students. He was an honorary member of the Inter-religious Solidarity for Peace (IRSMP) and, therefore, a peace advocate. His violent death in the hands of the usual two motorcycle-riding-in-tandem assassins has shocked present and former city residents, hopefully the city's authorities from their smug complacency as well.

We condole with his good, grieving family and the men and women of the Universidad. Words cannot describe our sense of outrage and condemnation of this dastardly incident.

Eustaquio's death is but a climax to the long-rising sense of frustration mixed with dread of local residents over the series of violent killings in the city, mostly in public and always with the use of guns, for the past so many months. The people are greatly conncerned and fearful now: if an assassin can kill with impunity a man of stature like Eustaquio, who then in this city can be safe from a similar attack? Nobody - in this co-called Asia's Latin City in which the rule of law is now teetering on the brink of a total collapse if not already. Our peace and order situation has imploded, we cannot go on this way. And so with a deep sense of concern, we make this appeal:

-To President Benigno Aquino III, to utilize his extraordinary/special powers to order appropriate officials, agencies and sectors to restore and preserve peace and order and the rule of law in Zamboanga City;

-To Department of Interior and Local Government Secratary Jesse Robredo, to order the Philippine National Police (PNP) to swiftly investigate Eustaquio's killing and to bring to justice all those responsible for his death, and for those of others similarly killed in the past months/years, most of which are unresolved, thus emboldening further such crimes;

-To Mayor Celso lobregat to take seriously his job in regard to his constituents' safety, peace and sense of security, to utilize and properly his office's considerable resources, power and authority for that pre-eminent concern and need of city residents;

-To the local judiciary to be more efficient and proficient in the enforcement and disposition of cases before them so as desist aggrieved parties from taking the law into their hands;

-To law enforcement officers and their agencies: you know your peace and order job, so just do it because if you don't it is tantamount to not knowing at all or constitutes a neglect of duty;

-To other sectors and all citizens to do their share of civic responsibility to ensure the prevention of crimes .
and to help authorities to bring to justice anyone who committed a crime.

Life is sacred and any violent death diminishes all humanity, but especially among those who share a sense of local community and family. It is only by respecting life and one another that we can live and exist as a  civilized society, and so we tremble to perceive how our city is now going towards the opposite abyss! God forbid! Let us all act to save ourselves and our city!


SGD
FR. ANGEL C. CALVO, CMF                                      PROF. ALI T. YACUB
Convenor, R. Catholics                                                    Convenor, Muslims

REV. PAULINO ERSANDO                                         NULHAMDO CEGALES
Convenor, Evangelicals                                                    Convenor, Indigenous Community