WHILE Pangasinan was imagining the worst about the situation in Marawi City, the laity received a first hand report from the bishop of the Prelature of St. Mary in Marawi, no less.

Bishop Edwin dela Peña, spoke to Catholic faithful in Pangasinan on June 29 for the first ever Solidarity Congress for Persecuted Christians at the Lay Formation Center in Bonuan Gueset, Dagupan City organized by the Aid for the Church in Need.

As Dela Peña appealed for continued prayers, he described the precarious situation of Christians living in Marawi especially the day the Maute terror group started the siege on May 23.

He said the terror group in Marawi was obviously able to stock on supplies, ammunition and high-powered weapons over the past months.

 “Sabi nila hindi daw failure of intelligence pero sa amin na may konting intelligence, it’s a failure,” Dela Peña said.

Dela Peña tagged as ridiculous the prisoner swap proposed by the Maute group, exchanging the release of Father Teresito “Chito” Suganob, for their detained parents.

He also lamented the insensitivity of people who relentlessly posted fake news about the conditions of residents in captivity.

Dela Peña said the military’s claim the siege is a connivance of the extremists and the drug lords is long known by residents.

He said they knew all along those identified as supporters of Maute terror group.

“Drug money is so big that it can support that operation plus they have had relationship in terms of blood relationships,” he added.

Dela Peña said in the beginning the Maranaos who were armed as well were prepared to expel the Maute group but when martial law was declared, they thought it prudent to keep their arms and allow the military to take on the group.

“By and large as things got on, as this war dragged on, more and more people are saying the martial law is the good of Marawi and for the good of Mindanao.”

Dela Peña said the prelature has never been not afraid of being engaged because it has many friends among the Maranaos and many of their children are are being educated in the catholic schools.

“And most of the influential people in the community came from our schools,” he said.

Meanwhile, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop and Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines President Socrates Villegas, said they were holding the conference in order to remember the people of Marawi and to tell them, even if they are not able to meet now, that they are in solidarity with them.

The event, organized by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) Philippines, aims to make Filipino Catholics become more aware of the experience of persecuted and suffering Christians worldwide. ACN Philippines believes that awareness of the situation of persecuted Christians is necessary before Filipinos can begin to express their solidarity with their suffering fellow Christians. (Tita Roces)

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