"BISHOP PABLO VIRGILIO DAVID'S STATEMENT ON JEMBOY'S DEATH"
"OOPS, SORRY, WRONG GUY…"
That's it? That's all you can say after killing ( August 2) a 17-year old boy who is just about to go fishing with his friends? Even granting that the identity of the suspect is correctly established, should a police officer simply fire his gun at a suspect if he is unarmed and not resisting arrest?
This is an obvious remnant of the kind of impunity that characterized the behavior of our police during those dark years of the infamous "war against illegal drugs" waged by the previous regime. Is it correct to fight criminality using criminal means? Deliberately killing people in cold blood—even if they might be suspected of engaging in drugs or criminal activities—is already plain murder, not just homicide. It is not just immoral; it is plainly illegal. How much more with the case of Jemboy (Baltazar)?
Who would not be horrified by a policeman if he points his gun at you and actually fires it? Would you not, by instinct, take shield or jump into the water, as Jemboy did? Good heavens, this boy was just a child as far as our laws are concerned. Can we just allow the police to literally "get away with murder"?
As bishop of Kalookan, whose jurisdiction includes Navotas city, I denounce this murder in the strongest terms possible. I call on our parishes, mission stations, and BECs in Navotas city to express their solidarity with the bereaved family and band together to express a strong message to the Navotas Police: "Jemboy's life matters."
I am reminded of that part of John Donne's poem "For whom the bell tolls" that says, "Each man's death diminishes me, For I am involved in mankind. Therefore, send not to know For whom the bell tolls, It tolls for thee."
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