Filipino Catholic priest goes into hiding, says life in danger for criticising President Rodrigo Duterte
The 63-year-old priest helped document alleged extrajudicial killings when Rodrigo Duterte was still mayor of southern Davao city
A Roman Catholic priest who was one of the earliest critics of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly crackdown on drugs has gone into hiding due to what he says were signs he’s being targeted by motorcycle-riding hitmen.
The Reverend Amado Picardal said Monday that he has gone into a “more secure location” and out of the public view after workers in a Catholic monastery that he visits in central Cebu city reported seeing motorcycle-riding men watching the compound, including a pair who asked for his whereabouts.
“I have left my hermitage in the mountain and transferred to a more secure location to continue my life as a hermit far away out of reach from the death squad,” he said.
The 63-year-old priest said that he helped document alleged extrajudicial killings under Duterte’s campaign when Duterte was still mayor of southern Davao city and that he would continue criticising the killings despite his safety concerns.
Picardal added that he is willing to testify if asked by the International Criminal Court, where a complaint against Duterte in relation to the drug killings is being examined.