Alberto Baldovino Ramento (August 9, 1936, in Guimba, Nueva Ecija – October 3, 2006, in

Tarlac City Tarlac City, officially the City of Tarlac (; ; ; ), is a component city and capital of the Provinces of the Philippines, province of Tarlac, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 385,398 people, making it the most p ...

) was the ninth

supreme bishop The Supreme Bishop (), abbreviated O.M., is the leader or primate of the autocephalous nationalist Independent Catholic denomination ''Iglesia Filipina Independiente'' (Philippine Independent Church) or IFI, known informally as the "Aglipayan Chu ...

(''Obispo Máximo'') and a former chairperson of the Supreme Council of Bishops of the

Philippine Independent Church The Philippine Independent Church (; ), officially referred to by its Philippine Spanish name (IFI) and colloquially called the Aglipayan Church, is an independent catholic Christian denomination, in the form of a nationalist church, in the ...

or ''Iglesia Filipina Independiente'' (IFI). He was known by the moniker, "''The Bishop of the Poor Peasants and Workers''". A known vocal critic against

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

abuses in the Philippines, he was murdered by unknown assailants in 2006, with his case currently remains unsolved.

Life

Ramento was born in an affluent family to Felipe Ramento y Curpoz and Margarita Baldovino y Bermudez. His grandfather Don Felix Ramento was

Guimba Guimba, officially the Municipality of Guimba (; ), is a municipality in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 127,653 people. It was incorporated by the King of Spain by virtue of a roya ...

's town mayor from 1922 to 1925 and Alberto had three uncles who were pioneer priests in the

Iglesia Filipina Independiente The Philippine Independent Church (; ), officially referred to by its Philippine Spanish name (IFI) and colloquially called the Aglipayan Church, is an Independent Catholic, independent catholic Christian denomination, in the form of a Religi ...

. His father Felipe was also the chief of police in Guimba. The Ramento family owned several large plots of land inherited from the Baldovino clan, Alberto's mother's side. Ramento was a

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

. He was married to Celerina Mendoza of

Hermosa, Bataan Hermosa, officially the Municipality of Hermosa (, kapampangan language, Kapampangan: ''Balen ning Hermosa''; ), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Bataan, Philippines. According to the 2 ...

and had children namely: Alberto II (Aldos), Aleli, Alberto III (Altres), and Liezel. Prior to his election as Supreme Bishop, Ramento was the Diocesan Bishop of

Cavite Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite (; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region. On the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest of Manila, i ...

from 1970 to 1993. He was co-chair of the Ecumenical Bishops' Forum, chaired the Promotion of Church People's Response–

Central Luzon Central Luzon (; ; ; ; ), designated as Region III, is an administrative region in the Philippines. The region comprises seven provinces: Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga (with its capital, San Fernando City serving as the re ...

and human rights group Karapatan–

Tarlac Tarlac, officially the Province of Tarlac (; ; ; ; ), is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region. It had a population of 1,503,456 people according to ...

, and chaired other various church and cause-oriented organizations. He was an ardent supporter of the

Hacienda Luisita Hacienda Luisita is a 6,453-hectare sugar plantation located in the province of Tarlac. The hacienda spans 11 barangays in three towns of Tarlac. Most of the original farmworkers reside in 10 villages – Barangays Balete, Cutcut (or Sta. Catali ...

strikers. As the chairman of the Workers Assistance Center, Inc. (WAC), he also supported the struggle of the workers in

, Philippines. He was also a vocal and influential critic of the

Gloria Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal-Arroyo (; born April 5, 1947), often referred to as PGMA or GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician who served as the 14th president of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010. She is the longest-serving president ...

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal: the process of dealing with or controlling things or people. ** Administrative assistant, traditionally known as a se ...

. He was also very vocal about the murder of IFI priest and fellow human rights advocate William Tadena, believed to be murdered by the

Cojuangco The Cojuangco (; ; ; ) clan is a prominent Filipino family descended from Co Yu Hwan (), who migrated to the Philippines in 1861 from Hongjian Village, Jiaomei Township, Zhangzhou, Fujian. He was commonly called ''Khoân ko'' ("Brother Khuan") ...

family, for his support of the Hacienda Luisita farmers. In September 1998, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Negotiating Panel nominated him as an Independent Observer in the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL). He served as the Diocesan Bishop of

after his term as Supreme Bishop ended.

Death

Ramento was stabbed to death by unknown assailants. He was found dead with multiple stab wounds inside his rectory at the Church of Saint Sebastian in

in the early morning of October 3, 2006. His remains were cremated 10 days after his death and viewing. His ashes were interred at the Church of Saint Anthony of Padua in

Cavite City Cavite City, officially the City of Cavite ( and ) is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 100,674 people. The city was the capital of Cavite, ...

. Prior to his death, Ramento had been actively involved in various organizations and movements advocating

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

(especially for the working class), civil liberties, and genuine peace, to which he had received

death threat A death threat is a threat, often made anonymously, by one person or a group of people to kill another person or group of people. These threats are often designed to intimidate victims in order to manipulate their behaviour, in which case a d ...

s from. Initial police findings ruled his death as robbery with homicide, but IFI church officials, his family, followers and supporters were not convinced. A local court later dismissed the case against the then-robbery suspects because police failed to attend court hearings. His case remains unsolved. The Church of Saint Sebastian was once temporarily closed for a number of years after Ramento's death but has since re-opened. IFI created the "''Ramento Project for Rights Defenders''" (RPRD), the IFI's human rights advocacy and service arm, in his honor.

Veneration

File:9801Tarlac City Province 25.jpg, File:7315Nancamaliran West, Urdaneta, Pangasinan 39.jpg, On October 3, 2010, the Catholic Diocese of the Old Catholics in Germany of the

Union of Utrecht The Union of Utrecht () was an alliance based on an agreement concluded on 23 January 1579 between a number of Habsburg Netherlands, Dutch provinces and cities, to reach a joint commitment against the king, Philip II of Spain. By joining forces ...

canonized Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of sa ...

Ramento and commemorated him as a martyr in a liturgical service in

Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...

, as approved by the

International Old Catholic Bishops' Conference The International Old Catholic Bishops' Conference or simply International Bishops' Conference (IBC) is the synod of bishops of Union of Utrecht of the Old Catholic Churches (UU) member churches. Background The International Old Catholic Bishops' ...

. His commemoration/feast day is included in the

liturgical calendar The liturgical year, also called the church year, Christian year, ecclesiastical calendar, or kalendar, consists of the cycle of liturgical days and seasons that determines when feast days, including celebrations of saints, are to be obs ...

of the Union of Utrecht of the Old Catholic Churches. Ramento is

venerated Veneration (; ), or veneration of saints, is the act of honoring a saint, a person who has been identified as having a high degree of sanctity or holiness. Angels are shown similar veneration in many religions. Veneration of saints is practiced, ...

as a

venerable ''The Venerable'' often shortened to Venerable is a style, title, or epithet used in some Christianity, Christian churches. The title is often accorded to holy persons for their spiritual perfection and wisdom. Catholic In the Catholic Churc ...

and

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...

both in the

and the

. His commemoration/feast day is celebrated on October 3 every year.

References

External links

Official website of the Ramento Project for Rights Defenders
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramento, Alberto 1936 births 2006 deaths People from Tarlac City People from Cavite People from Nueva Ecija Filipino Christian religious leaders Filipino bishops Assassinated Filipino people People murdered in the Philippines Assassinated bishops Members of the Philippine Independent Church Bishops of Independent Catholic denominations Anglo-Catholic bishops Anglo-Catholic clergy Anglican saints Christian martyrs General Theological Seminary alumni 2006 murders in the Philippines Filipino Freemasons