The Catholic Church’s newly installed Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David visited political prisoners at Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan, Taguig City, and celebrated a mass on December 26. Families and friends from Kapatid, a group supporting political prisoners, joined the visit. Among those met by the cardinal were detained National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace consultants.

“We in Kapatid are overjoyed that Cardinal David accepted our invitation to again visit the political prisoners and other persons deprived of liberty at the Metro Manila District Jail Annex 4 (MMDJ-4),” Kapatid spokesperson Fides Lim said. Cardinal David, then still an archbishop, last visited MMDJ-4 in January.

The 10th cardinal of the Philippines shared the true meaning of perseverance in his homily. He also conveyed the need to break down the walls of division and separation that itself stunts people’s consciousness.

The mass was followed by a short program where Vicente Ladlad, a peace consultant of the NDFP, warmly greeted the cardinal. “You are truly deserving to be cardinal because you have deepened and strengthened the faith of the people you serve, and have fearlessly defended them from harm. You stood up for the victims of the Duterte regime’s bloody war on drugs, even facing legal charges and death threats yourself,” Ladlad said.

Ladlad added that when Cardinal David became a cardinal, he did not expect another prison visit due to the heavy responsibilities accompanying the new position in the Catholic Church. “But Kapatid was optimistic when its spokesperson, my partner Fides Lim, wrote to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and invited you to celebrate mass with the political prisoners again. I was gladly mistaken in thinking you would decline. You accepted the invitation of Kapatid swiftly and without hesitation,” he said.

Adelberto Silva, also a consultant of the NDFP, made a statement during the program. He reported the situation of prisoners in the Philippines and the issue of political prisoners. He described the overcrowded conditions, lack of nutritious food, poor quality medical services, and restrictions on prisoner visits in jails.

“We hope that, in various ways, with your help, Cardinal David, awareness can be spread about the many serious issues facing Filipino prisoners, so that we may gather strength to push for reforms in the prison and justice systems, as well as in our continuing pursuit of a just peace in our country,” Silva added.

Cardinal David expressed his support for the call to free political prisoners as an important step in preparing for the Pilgrimage to the Jubilee Year of Hope. He also expressed the desire to peacefully address the “longest insurgency in the world” and hopes that the peace talks between the NDFP and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines can resume.

At the end of the program and visit, the families of the political prisoners presented Cardinal David with a painting of Christ comforting a prisoner. It was painted by a political prisoner from the New Bilibid Prison.

The political prisoners expressed hope that with the help of the cardinal and the people, all political prisoners in the country will be freed. In the last count, there are 757 political prisoners in the Philippines.

Cardinal David, or Ambo to many, was appointed cardinal on December 8, 2024. He is among the 21 new cardinals appointed by Pope Francis in a ceremony held at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. He is currently the CBCP president and a known critic of the extrajudicial killings under Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.