The families of people killed in the so-called Pamplona massacre are still awaiting justice one year on, a Catholic bishop said.
Bishop Julito Cortes of Dumaguete said that while some suspects may have been arrested and cases filed, “the resolution is not yet in sight”.
“And what have been done so far are not enough to quench our thirst for lasting peace,” Cortes said in a statement .
The massacre refers to the killing of 10 people including the former Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo a year ago today.
Degamo was distributing aid inside his home in Pamplona town when armed men entered and shot him and nine others.
“Where are we now in our pursuit of justice and peace for our beloved province?” Cortes asked.
He said that, as far as the victims’ families are concerned, they “continue to cry for true justice’ and ‘are troubled by fear, division, and confusion.”
The bishop also exhorted the faithful to pray for the strength of the bereaved families, for the healing of other victims, and for the conversion of hearts of perpetrators and masterminds.
“Let us renew our support for and appeal to local and national government authorities to continue working for the full resolution of this case, that truth, justice, and genuine peace may reign again this year in Negros Oriental,” he said.
