IN ACTION

Death as a political act. Aglipayan Bishop Alberto Ramento during the necrological services for Fr. William Tadena.

TARLAC CITY, Tarlac -- “Jesus Christ was crucified -- nailed to the cross instead of being stoned to death, making the harrying of His human body clearly a political act or a political persecution. Crucifixion at Jesus Christ’s time was introduced in Jerusalem by the Romans and widely used by them against those who were considered threats to their imperious rule and the pampered lives of their local puppets.”

Obispo Maximo IX Alberto Ramento of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) said during the necrological service for Father William P. Tadena in Tarlac City last March 29, 2005.

Fr. Tadena was assasinated last March 13, 2005. His death was widely regarded as related to the continuing strike at the Hacienda Lusita, and the 13th so far in Central Luzon this year. He was but 36 years old when he was gunned down, leaving behind, two children aged nine (9) years and seven (7) years, and a wife eight (8) months pregnant with their third offspring.

He just concluded a 7:00 AM mass last March 13, 2005 at the IFI mission chapel at Barangay Guevarra, Lapaz, Tarlac. At 8:00 AM he was already on his way to the Lapaz town proper for the next mass schedule. With him were Carlos Barsolazo the church guitarist, Charlie Gabriel, the church acolyte and Ervina Domingo, the parish secretary.

Along the national highway just 50 meters off the mission chapel two men wearing bonnets and helmets riding a motorcycle drove alongside his owner-type jeep and called his attention.

The men approached the jeep but Father Tadena already sensed danger and told Ervina “Ambush na ito!” (This is an ambush!). The assassins immediately shoot Father Tadena at the back three times, then turning on the people at the back of the jeep they shoot Carlos and Charlie. The perpetrators pumped another volley of shots to get Ervina but Father Tadena vainly parried the bullets which hit his nape and head.

Thereafter the killers boarded their motorcycle and drove towards the town of Victoria, Tarlac. His companions Carlos Barsola sustained gunshot wounds in the head and was critically confined at the Central Luzon Doctors’ Hospital in Tarlac City; Charlie Gabriel was hit in the right leg; and the Ervina Domingo was physically unharmed but was in a state of shock.

Several IFI parishioners rushed Fr. Tadena and the three other victims to the La Paz Medicare Center. Father Tadena was immediately transferred to the Central Luzon Doctors’ Hospital in Tarlac City where succumb to his death.

Fr. Tadena's family: Calling for justice!

A church-man of the people more than the institution

Fr. Tadena was of peasant-descent. He chose to become a priest of the IFI, or the Aglipayan church which took its name from its revolutionary founder Fr. Gregorio Aglipay. A most ardent advocate of issues of his flocks, Fr. Tadena served his parishioners well who were very supportive of him. On various occassions he had given life and meaning to his priestly vocation by coming to the defense of the homeless and the under privilege sectors.

During the 2004 campaign of the Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Gitnang Luson for the increase of the government palay support price to P15/kilo he was the only religious leader who prominently displayed streamers calling for the price increase in all the chapels within his parish assignment.

To whose interest would his death best serve?

Fr. Tadena was the Chairperson of Promotion of Church People’s Response Tarlac chapter, and of the Human Rights and Social Concerns Committee of the IFI Diocese of Tarlac.

A tireless advocate, he joined the Ecumenical Movement for Justice and Peace, and KARAPATAN-Central Luzon - the Alliance for the Advancement of Human Rights in the region. He was a clear voice in denouncing militarization not only in his parish but the province and even the whole of Central Luzon.

He promptly went to Sityo Umangan, Barangay Balete, Pura, Tarlac amidst the assault of more than a brigade of military men from the 69th Infantry Battalion led by a Col. Ricardo Bisaya against a small band of New Peoples’ Army (NPA) last October 11, 2004. The local leaders took to his heels in evacuating the members of the community hamletted by the military to ensure that no NPAs will escape the military cordon.

He was part of the Fact Finding Mission in Victoria, Tarlac who investigated the reported military harrassments which the residents were subjected to after another encounter between the military forces and the NPA last January 25, 2005.

He vigorously campaigned for the striking workers and peasants of Hacienda Luisita. He continuously solicited resources to help out the folks who remained steadfast in their picket lines despite the massacre perpetrated against them allegedly by the Cojuangco-Aquino family and their military last April 16. He was one of the church leaders who celebrated mass for the first eight (8) martyrs of the massacre in the hacienda.

“To preach, to guide, and to oppose . . .”

Still in the same homily by Bishop Ramento last March 29, he hastended, “every Aglipayan Priest has the duty to preach, to guide and to oppose.” Its not enough, he said, that one uses the pulpit to spread the good word, but one too must use the pulpit to oppose what is wrong.

“Who among us is willing to thrust on these three duties even in front of a barrel of a gun?”, he asked of every religious leaders present in the said necrological service.

Church calls. Slogans at the Aglipayan cathedral in Tarlac City.

“All these Fr. Tadena did,” he added.

Incidentally, the IFI had a generous share of harassment and mysterious threats of late. According to Fr. Mario B. Quince, IFI of Paniqui, Tarlac an information leak reached their community that at least five of their members were in the Northen Luzon Command (Nolcom) military order of battle (OB) before the massacre at Hacienda Luisita happened.

In a meeting with the local officials of province the Nolcom allegedly showed the local officials the OB list which included the names of Fr. Tadena, Fr. Gregorio Lacanaria, Fr. Marcial Bautista and Fr. Quince himself. The fifth on the list was supposed to be Bishop Alberto Ramento.

They were told their names were delisted from the OB through the intervention of some priest-friends. But they were listed back when the Hacienda Luisita strike erupted and they and whole KARAPATAN organization embraced the strikers’ cause.

Fr. Quince said the Nolcom allegedly admitted that some personalities directly supportting the NPAs were indeed in the OB list but denied there were any IFI priests on it.

Harassment intensify

But after Fr. Tadena’s death, Fr. Quince noticed at least three men tailing him and asking IFI community members questions about him: one taho (a soya bean paste) vendor; one driving a motorcycle; and another one riding a tricycle with no plate number. Last holy week two military-looking men in militay haircut, jackets and helmets inquired about him in the house fronting his church.

Last March 31, 2005, Fr. Quince made a long drive back to his parish at Barangay Balaoang in Paniqui from the Aglipay Central Theological Seminary in Urdaneta City in Pangasinan where he attended a Passover Seder Celebration.

It was already 10:00 PM when he made it. Finding his garrage gates locked he left his jeep on idle with the headlights on, made a quick entry to the parish through its high gates and the bell tower. Three men aboard a black motorcycle with the headlights off arrived.

One of them alighted and tried to draw something from his waist. Alarmed, Fr. Quince used the darkness of the bell tower to observe the men. They opened and shut the door of his jeep. He tried to make it inside the convent as noiselessly as possible and quickly switched the lights on. Three gunshots barked in the air followed by the speeding away of the motorcycle.

Thinking that the men had already left Fr. Quince went back to the bell tower for a final check. But the motocycling men only made a quick turn and halted this time right in front of the church still with their headlights still off. Fr.Quince made cover. The men paused for about five minutes scanned the bell tower and finally sped away and left.

Abril 5, 2005. Rev. Deacon Gilbert G. Garcia of IFI Parish in Sulipa, Sto. Domingo, Gerona, Tarlac received a cellphone call from Fr. Quince asking for his assistance as the latter’s jeep had an engine trouble and stopped at Barangay Caturay, Gerona. Deacon Garcia together with two mechanics and two young parishioners boarded a tricycle to assist Fr. Quince.

It was already 10:00 PM when they made it back to Sulipa. Everyone at the parish were already asleep, so they all went to call it a night.

But at 12:20 early morning, Darlyn Milla, one of the stay-in staff awoke and notice a man near the parish door. The man knocked three times, then she heard a sound of a long zipper of a jacket either being zipped down or being zipped up. The man then walked close to her room upsetting a monoblock chair in the process.

Thinking that it was but Deacon Garcia arriving late from helping Fr.Quince, she went to wake Lester another stay-in staff to tell him of it. But Lester told him that Deacon Garcia was already home and resting. Realizing that it must have been somebody with ill-intent Darlyn Milla started crying with fear prompting Lester to wake the Deacon to tell him what just occurred.

The following morning Deacon Garcia decided to report the incident to the Barangay Chairman. The Chairman in turn informed him of the arrival in Sulipa of 10 military men aboard a mobile patrol vehicle 6:00 AM of the same morning. They told the chairman that another squad of military men is to arrive in their barangay and they intend to set up a detachment there.

The Chairman noted the rude way the military talked to him and their accusations of him and some of his council members being NPAs.

Motorcycle riding men

Meanwhile, in the evening April 2, 2005, at Fr. Marcial Bautista’s parish in Pura, Tarlac, the acolytes were relaxing and singing to unwind for the day, two motorcycle riding burly men stopped by and peeped in one of the windows of the convent.

Fr. Bautista then was confined at the Central Luzon District Hospital due to asthma. Yet earlier in the day he received a text and business card which said “Gud morning padre, kung ayaw mong may mangyari sa iyo, pakita mo ang tapang mo.” (Good morning Fr. If you don’t want anything to happen to you, show your guts).

Fr. Greg Lacanaria of also noticed motorcycle riding men circling and closely observing his parish in Victoria, Tarlac this past Palm Sunday. Other incidents involved a man on board a stainless owner-type jeep who feigned fixing the jeep’s antena but hurriedly left when he realized Fr. Lacanaria already took notice of him. Another man peddling a bed cushion stayed practically a whole day in front of the church.

There were parking of mysterious cars, knockings on the convent doors and even stone throwing of their roofs as if drawing the people inside to go out in the middle of the night.

“There can only be one source of all these harrassments,” said Deacon Garcia. “The congregation is very supportive of the peoples’ issues,” he added.

The IFI community noted the sudden increase of the number of strangers circling their parishes particularly in Sulipa this past holy week peddling lighters, taho, tinapa (smoked fish) all hinting they were from the communities of Hacienda Luisita.

Fertile seed. Aglipayan priests bear Fr. William Tadena to rest.

Incidentally, one common factor which the Aglipayan priests being harrassed share besides being active human rights advocates is they are either members or active supporters of Bayan Muna and Anakpawis Partylists. They also openly supported the workers and peasants in their strike against Hacienda Luisita.

Flesh and blood should decay first before one can grow as a seedling

“Lets take Fr. Tadena not to where he will be laid to rest but to where we can sow him as he is a fertile seed,” with these words Bishop Ramonte closed his homily and capped days of solidarity acts in all Aglipayan communities all over the country.

Fr. Tadena’s coffin was rolled in a trolley flanked by men and women clergies of the Aglipayan congregation in cream habits with red collars. A good number of them came from as far as Batangas, Cavite, Laguna and Mindoro in Southern Tagalog; Aglipayan communities of National Capitol Region; Ilocos, Pangasinan and Baguio in Northern Luzon; Pampanga, Bataan, Bulacan and Zambales and of course Tarlac in Central Luzon; and even Iloilo, Cebu and Bohol in the Visayas.

Thousands of mourners and thousands of marchers, men and women, different religious congregations all trudged the blistering pavements of Tarlac City morning of March 28 to be in celebration of Fr. Tadena’s final pass.