File: Fr. Amado Picardal

MANILA - Malacañang on Tuesday said a priest, who had claimed that his life was in danger under President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, should seek legal remedy.

Rev. Amado Picardal, one of the first critics of the President, in a blog post last Sunday claimed he has gone into hiding to preserve his life.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Picardal should file a writ for amparo (protection) before the courts.

“So si Father, tama na po ‘yang pagdedeklara na ang buhay mo ay may banta sa buhay mo. Gamitin ninyo na po iyong mga remedyong legal na naririyan – writ of amparo po ‘yan. Napakadali pong makakuha niyan, mabibigyan kayo ng proteksiyon kung talagang may ebidensiya na may banta sa buhay ninyo,” Roque said in a Palace press briefing.

(To Father, declaring your life is in danger is a good move. It’s easy to secure one. It will be given to you if you have evidence that your life is in danger.)

Picardal said he has transferred to a “more secure location” after learning that motorcycle-riding men were looking for him in a Catholic monastery in Cebu.

“Since 2017, I was receiving information that the death squad was going to target priests and that I was on top of the list. When the three priests were killed, I was certain that I could be next,” Picardal said in his blog, referring to 3 slain priests under the Duterte administration.

“I am not out of danger yet. Some of our priests and staff noticed that men riding in tandem continue to keep watch outside the monastery for several days after that. So my superiors told me that it would be dangerous to go back to the hermitage and so I have to move to a more secure location and avoid public exposure. They are determined to complete their ‘project,’ otherwise, they won’t be paid.”

Picardal, 69, has published reports on the killings allegedly carried out by the Davao Death Squad, which was used to support the complaint against President Duterte in the International Criminal Court.