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We, the Ecumencal Bishops forum, have come together, along with our friends and partners from other parts
of the world, for the 22nd National Assembly, gathering 41 bishops,pastors, priests and church workers from
the Episcopal Church in the Philippines, Iglesia Evangelica Metodista En Las Islas Filipinas, Iglesia Filipina
Independiente (Philippine Independent Church).
Ang Iglesia Metodista Pilipinas (Methodist Church in the Philippines), United Church of Christ in the Philippines, United
Methodist Church, Roman Catholic Church- Okinawa, Japan Methodist Church Nigeria, KARIBU Foundation-Norway on
October 16 to 18, 2012, at the St Ezekiel Moreno Spirituality and Development Center, Puerto Princesa City.
Guided by the theme of our assembly “GOD, HELP US SAFEGUARD HUMAN LIFE, RIGHTS AND DIGNITY: END THE
CULTURE OF IMPUNITY”, we faithfully prayed to God, the Lord of life and history, as the Psalmist did: “O Lord, you will
hear the desire of the meek; you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear to do justice for the orphan and the
oppressed, so that those from earth may strike terror no more” (Ps.10:17-18)
We firmly believe that human beings are created in the image of God, and that image is reflected in human life and in the
community of all people. We strongly assert that every person is precious and entitled to live with dignity because they are
God’s children, and that each person’s life and rights need to be protected.
We affirm that God has appointed people as stewards of creation, for the benefit of the earth and humanity itself. This task
includes the responsibility to ensure the health and well-being of present and future generations. The well-being of the
environment is directly related to human well-being, therefore social, political, and economic arrangements should reflect
the dignity and worth of human beings and respect of the earth.
We continue to do our Lord’ prophetic mission of liberation as we promote justice and peace, and bravely speak out
against the many evils that violate human rights and dignity, and eventually destroy life and God’s creation: the continuing/
increasing U.S. intervention in the social, economic, political, and cultural life of our nation, resulting to widespread suffering
to our people. the desecration of natural resources due to destructive activities by large mining companies, both local and
foreign as empowered by the Philippine Mining Act of 1995; and the prevailing militarization in the countryside.
We continue to realize that human rights violations are committed by government armed forces, and these violations
are inevitable under neo-liberal globalization. We recognize that our government has become a guarantor and protector
of capitalist investments, instead of being guarantor and protector of people’s rights. the government’s Public-Private
Partnership economic scheme is a local manifestation of globalization.
Above all, we decry the fact that extra-judicial killings (EKJs) and enforced disappearances (EDs) continue to happen under
the present administration. The dreadful culture of impunity has also intensified with the killings of foreign missionaries like
Italian priest Fr. Pops Tentorio and Dutch social worker Wilhelm Geertman, and by the government’s failure to resolve a
single case of the thousands of cases of EJKs and EDs since the previous administration.
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The Philippine EPISCOPALIAN