Gordon wants case of slain priest solved

"Let us not bury the case of Fr. Rey Roda in the pool of unsolved cases," said Senator Richard Gordon,

Roda is the third Catholic missionary to be killed in Mindanao. His remains were brought to Cotabato City last Saturday and will be buried at the OMI cemetery in Shariff Kabunsuan province on Jan. 23. In 1997, Bishop Benjamin de Jesus was killed by unknown assassins in Sulu. Three years later, Fr. Benjie Inocencio was also killed in Sulu.

Gordon also called on the law enforcement agencies to run after the culprits of slain catholic priest Roda and put them behind the bars and safeguard peace and development in Mindanao.

"If we are serious about bringing peace and development in Mindanao, government must immediately address the killing of Fr. Roda. This barbaric act will definitely disrupt the full potential of Mindanao to reach its best economic maturity that will alleviate the suffering of people living in the areas." Gordon said.

Gordon condemned the brutal murder of Fr. Roda by suspected Abu Sayyaf extremist and emphasized that these criminals must be prosecuted

"We should all be reminded that development is not a reward but a vital pre-requisite for peace. If we allowed these criminals to go scot-free, government's commitment in bringing development in Mindanao will suffer." he explained.

Roda, of the Oblate of Mary Immaculate (OMI) congregation, was praying inside a chapel of Notre Dame school in Tabawan when gunmen barged in and tried to snatched the priest.

Gordon, as Chairman of Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC), recently initiated the Fruits of Hope program to help lighten the suffering of people living in areas of Mindanao.

"What the fruits of hope signify is our government's commitment to bringing development to areas in Mindanao. Masasayang ang ganitong mga programang nasimulan na natin kung patuloy na maghahari ang karahasan." Gordon said.

Gordon added that Fruits of Hope will initially tap the products of Sulu, Basilan and Cotabato. But eventually it will cover all areas of Mindanao that can benefit from direct links to the markets of Metro Manila.

After his visit to Sulu and Basilan at the height of hostilities between government forces and armed groups, Gordon convinced major supermarkets to buy fruits from farmers in Sulu and North Cotabato. A total of 16 tons of assorted fruits were hauled to Manila and delivered to major supermarket chains where they sold out in less than an hour.