The tagging of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines by some quarters as a “front” of the Communist Party of the Philippines, was again denied by top officials of the church, during their 62nd general assembly and 9th quadrennial celebration in Dumaguete City.

Secretary-general Bishop Eliezer Pascua of the UCCP said yesterday it (tagging) probably comes into the nature of the UCCP, which is actively engaged in the total salvation of the people.

He said the UCCP is not located only in the urban centers, but vast majority of its churches are in the hinterlands, close to the community and in the ranks of fishermen, farmers, and the poor people who have been struggling for a better life.

Pascua stressed that tagging renders them easily vulnerable to suspicion from many other people, especially by the police and the military as being fronts of the NPA.

Pascua disclosed that during a dialog with the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the UCCP had asked them to correct allegations that church is an enemy of the state.

This tagging was qualified, though, because the UCCP is a good target of the communist and other insurgent groups sicne it espouses almost the same, if not similar, to the advocacies of the NPA, that is, for the improvement and upliftment of the lives of people.

Silliman University president Dr. Ben Malayang III said the UCCP is a church that has a wide range of democratic space in both its liturgy and doctrines, and one cannot just look at the church for only its one part, he said.

In his personal view as member of the church, Malayang said the UCCP is a “singing,” an “arguing”, an “acting”, a “praying”, and a “uniting” church.

“If you look at members of the church as suspects of being communists, look at also at other members of the church who are singing in the choir during Sundays,” Malayang said.*JG

back to top