Manila (UCAN): Eighty-year-old Sister Elenita Belardo of the Religious of the Good Shepherd congregation, whose arrest was ordered by a court in Quezon City, Metro Manila, the Philippines, for alleged perjury, posted bail on December 6, accompanied by human rights lawyers.
The nun, who used to head the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, had been charged with perjury for allegedly giving false testimony to the Supreme Court.
Also charged with Sister Belardo were leaders of human rights group Karapatan and the women’s organisation Gabriela. The charges against them were later dismissed but the nun’s “defense of good faith” was not accepted by the court.
The National Security adviser, Hermogenes Esperon Jr., had filed the charges against the activists and the nun after they filed petitions with the Supreme Court against alleged government harassment and intimidation.
The former military chief accused them of making false allegations about government officials in their petitions. He accused Sister Belardo of falsely claiming that the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The congregation supposedly failed to submit required general information sheets and financial statements from 1997 to 2003.
Esperon also accused the activist organisations of diverting funds to communist rebels.
“(Sister Belardo) is not a perjurer nor a criminal, unlike Esperon who has been military chief … and has been implicated in corruption charges and various rights violations,” Cristina Palabay, secretary-general of Karapatan, said.
The Rural Missionaries of the Philippines appealed “for prayers of support and words of encouragement in this time of trial and tribulation.”
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In a statement, the Church group said the perjury case against Sister Belardo aims “to stop us from speaking about widespread human rights violations.”
“Ultimately, we know that this is part of the efforts to discredit and vilify our organisation and to impede our missionary work and advocacy for land, justice and peace,” it added.
