MANILA – The Diocese of Butuan has proposed that the people behind the election-related massacre of more than 40 people in Maguindanao should not be allowed to run for any election position in government.

“We further recommend that those involved in the mass killings should be barred from running any elective or from holding any appointive positions in government,” Butuan Bishop Juan De Dios Pueblos said in a statement.

Bishop Pueblos also appealed to the perpetrators to immediately surrender to authorities.

“We appeal to the masterminds and the perpetrators of the crime to surrender immediately to the government authorities because crime does not pay and violence only begets violence and not peace,” Bishop Pueblos said.
 
The Diocese of Butaun joined the Filipino nation in mourning and condemning the “bastardly act and barbaric massacre of civilian people, mostly women, including lawyers, drivers, and journalists."

“We join with the government authorities and of all civilized and humane societies to uphold the majesty of the law and justice and the inviolable respect for human life at all times,” the Bishop said.

It can be recalled that Genalyn Tiamzon-Mangudadatu, wife of Buluan Vice-Mayor Ismael Mangudadatu, was on her way to file the certificate of candidacy on behalf of her husband on Monday. She was accompanied by some relatives, supporters, lawyers and journalists. The journalists were supposed to cover the event.

Their convoy was stopped by at least 100 armed men, allegedly led by the mayor of Datu Unsay, Andal Ampatuan Jr., a member of a rival clan.

“Whether it was politically motivated or not, the mass killings remain to be the sole but biggest heinous crime against life and an affront to democracy, against peace and order and a great security threat to Mindanao and the entire country,” Bishop Pueblos said.

The bishop said the government should apply the full force of the law and the "greatest penalties be meted out" to those who will be found guilty to stop the senseless killings and violence.

“Finally, as Bishop of Butuan, I pray for the abiding love of God for the full enlightenment of all brethren in Mindanao as we celebrate the Mindanao Week of Peace 2009,” he ended.

‘Crime against Allah and humanity’

On Tuesday, the National Ulama Conference of the Philippines (NUCP) described the massacre as “a crime against Allah and humanity”.

“The perpetrators, in deciding to curtail the lives of innocent civilians violated not only the law of the land but also the law of Allah,” the NUCP said in a statement sent to the CBCPNews (Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines).

It added, “Lawlessness should not only be condemned but should also come to a halt. In Islam, man is never permitted to take the life of another person unless such is within the bounds of Allah’s command. The act, indeed, was not a show of strength and power but a manifestation of cowardice and the absence, if not an outright denial, of the rule of law”.

The NUCP also called on government agencies to investigate the case and bring to justice the perpetrators of the crime and the mastermind behind it.

“We call for sobriety and peaceful disposition on the part of the families of the victims. We share your pain and anguish. Let us be one in asking and praying for justice not only for the victims but for the democratic process they were seeking to pursue until they fell prey to the inhumane and barbaric act of the perpetrators of the massacre,” said the NUCP.

The NUCP is a national network of Islamic organizations and Muslim religious scholars working for peace and development through exercise of moral and spiritual leadership and through encouragement of active participation of the community members in peace-building efforts.