A House leader on Thursday urged authorities to address the rising spate of killings in the country, as he condemned the murder of respected pastor Rev. Dioscoro “Jet” Tan, Jr., who was gunned down in Samar just over a week after the ambush of Calabyog City Mayor Ronaldo Aquino.
House Deputy Speaker and Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido “Benny” Abante Jr. decried “the unabated waves of brutality, bullets, and bloodshed that have plagued the nation in recent months.”
“The senseless deaths by themselves are tragic; but another tragedy is how our people are possibly becoming inured and desensitized to all these killings.”
Abante revealed that Tan, a fellow pastor who was the Region 8 Chairman of the Conservative Baptist Association of the Philippines (CBAP), was gunned down by an unidentified individual while walking around the community of Tagapul-an, Samar on Thursday morning.
“Authorities must work to put an end to these killings dahi hindi pwede hayaan ang sunod-sunod na patayan; with so many of our countrymen already suffering, our call should be heal, heal, heal.”
According to the lawmaker, “authorities must work to put an end to these killings dahi hindi pwede hayaan ang sunod-sunod na patayan; with so many of our countrymen already suffering, our call should be heal, heal, heal.”
“And the first step to healing for the families of the slain is justice; those responsible for these murders must be caught, tried, and convicted.”
The solon pointed out that it appeared that the removal and reshuffling of Philippine National Police (PNP) officials “have not been sufficient to reverse this murderous trend.”
“Mukhang kailangan ng masinsinan na top-to-bottom assessment ng PNP at law enforcement infrastructure. Is it a leadership issue? A systemic issue? We need to find out so we can address these issues,” explained the veteran legislator.
The CBAP likewise issued a statement condemning the murder. On social media the CBAP said, “Pastor Jet was a faithful worker of the Lord; a man of the Lord serving as Head pastor of Forever Praise Evangelical Church in the Philippines. We, the CBAP, condemn the killing of innocent lives in the strongest terms.”
“The senseless deaths by themselves are tragic; but another tragedy is how our people are possibly becoming inured and desensitized to all these killings.”
“We call for justice for Pastor Jet Tan. We pray that the gunmen would be identified, arrested, and that they would come to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus who is righteous, just, and gracious. Please join us in praying for Pastor Jet’s family and the church community in Tagapul-an, Samar,” read the statement.