“I am surprised to see that, in the Philippines, there is still an activity of high incidence of moral and political violence against those who profess different political ideologies, like the journalists, columnists and writers, among others," he said.

The Vatican representative to Manila pointed out that the violence and the political killings are not helping the people as well as the nation to be progressive because these upheavals serve as a stumbling block for Filipinos who want to move forward and achieve their goals.

“This incidence (of political killings) unduly delays the ability of society and the Filipino people in their lives when they encounter such violence," Filoni said.

International human rights organizations, journalists groups and other advocacy groups have said more than 700 persons were killed since Mrs. Arroyo assumed the presidency in 2001.

Having stayed in Iraq for five years, Filoni said he is not a stranger to any violence and particularly the rampant violations of human rights along religious lines.

“Coming from a country where I have just been for five years, I have witnessed the continued violations of the rights of the entire people, of the right of the poor to defend (themselves), of the rights of the religious communities to express their own sentiments and beliefs and the rights of the various organizations to upkeep individuals in the community," the newly installed representative of the Holy See to the Philippines added.

While he lauded the President’s decision in abolishing the death penalty, Filoni noted that the spate of killings is still raising many questions on the real motive of the government in junking capital punishment.

Filoni described the abolition of the death penalty as a “profound sense of humanity’ and a “pro-active (stand) and more elevated form of civility.”

He, however, pointed out that the series of murders was contradicting what the Philippine government wants to project to the world.

“Whether it be the political or the religious point of view, it will truly be a contradiction, if on the one hand, we practically abolished the death penalty and yet, on the other hand, we are not respecting or implementing the (protected) rights of the human race," the Papal Nuncio said.

Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, in the CBCP’s pastoral statement released last July 10, 2006, voiced stronger concern over extra-judicial killings.

“We join the outcry of groups that have denounced the increasing number of extra-judicial killings of journalists and social activists suspected as sympathizers of insurgents allegedly by some ultra-rightist elements in the military," Lagdameo said.

According to him, many dioceses have been receiving letters and lists of persons who had been victims of political killings.

Lagdameo said they “cannot close our eyes to the great number of extra-judicial killings that sometimes do not come to light in the newspapers but are known to us in our dioceses."

Meanwhile, Filoni said there is still hope for the Philippines if government leaders will show more concern for the plight of the poor and the marginalized sectors in the country.