A Catholic leader on Sunday urged Filipinos to exercise restraint in response to the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
In a statement, Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan warned that misinformation and division threaten to deepen the nation’s fractures amid heightened political tensions.
“As if we do not have an excess of reasons to be divided as a nation, here is fate giving us another explosive situation,” Villegas said. “Let us widen the space for sobriety.”
The archbishop stressed the need for truth as the foundation of public discourse, calling on Filipinos to verify their sources of information.
“With sobriety hopefully comes critical thinking,” he said. “So much misinformation, disinformation and mal-information are in cyberspace. The only basis for our words and actions must be the truth and nothing else.”
Villegas, the former president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, also warned against division, likening deception to the work of “Satan, the prince of lies and sower of division.”
His appeal for unity comes as Duterte’s arrest has sparked both condemnation and celebration among the public.
Without directly commenting on the case, he urged Filipinos to refrain from seeking vengeance or taking pleasure in others’ suffering.
“It does not help to gloat and rejoice in the sufferings of others,” according to him.
As the Church observes the Lenten season, he called for self-reflection and a renewed sense of patriotism rooted in faith rather than partisan politics.
“The path to heroism begins with contrition,” Villegas added.
Duterte, 79, appeared before the International Criminal Court on March 14 for the first time since his arrest for alleged crimes against humanity during his administration’s deadly war on drugs.
ICC judges allowed Duterte to join the initial hearing via videoconference, citing his recent long-haul flight from Manila.
Presiding Judge Iulia Antoanella Motoc scheduled a pre-trial hearing for Sept. 23 to determine whether the case will proceed to a full trial.
