Father Zacarias Agatep (September 6, 1936 – October 27 1982), also known by his nickname Apo Kari, was a
Roman Catholic
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parish priest
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
who was killed for speaking against foreign and local monopolies in
Ilocos Sur
Ilocos Sur, officially the Province of Ilocos Sur ( ilo, Probinsia ti Ilocos Sur; tl, Lalawigan ng Ilocos Sur), is a province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Located on the mouth of the Mestizo River is the capital o ...
's tobacco industry during the
dictatorship
A dictatorship is a form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, which holds governmental powers with few to no limitations on them. The leader of a dictatorship is called a dictator. Politics in a dictatorship are ...
of
President
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*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
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Automobiles
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Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...
. He has formally been honored as a hero of democracy who fought against the dictatorship, having had his name etched on the wall of remembrance of the Philippines'
Bantayog ng mga Bayani
The Bantayog ng mga Bayani (), sometimes simply referred to as the Bantayog, is a monument, museum, and historical research center in Quezon City, Philippines, which honors the martyrs and heroes of the struggle against the dictatorship of for ...
.
Advocacy work
As the
parish priest
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
of Our Lady of Hope Parish in
Caoayan, Ilocos Sur father Agatep helped organize cooperatives, taught interested farmers about land reform, and spoke against foreign and local monopolies in the tobacco industry, which formed the backbone of Ilocos Sur's economy at the time.
Arrest and release
He was arrested for supposed "subversion" in 1980 and was incarcerated for four months until he was released as part of Marcos public relations efforts in preparation for a visit by Pope John Paul II. Upon his release, he famously wrote a letter to the President, decrying what he described as a "frame-up" and lamenting the miscarriage of justice typical under the Marcos administration.
Death
Father Agatep kept speaking out against the abuses of the Marcos administration until he was shot four times in the back by unidentified gunmen in October 1982.
See also
*
Bantayog ng mga Bayani
The Bantayog ng mga Bayani (), sometimes simply referred to as the Bantayog, is a monument, museum, and historical research center in Quezon City, Philippines, which honors the martyrs and heroes of the struggle against the dictatorship of for ...
*
Religious sector resistance against the Marcos dictatorship
Religious sector opposition against the dictatorship of President Ferdinand Marcos included leaders and workers belonging to different beliefs and denominations.
Christian
Many of these leaders and workers belonged to the Catholic Church in the ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agatep, Zacarias
Individuals honored at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani
Religious workers honored at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani
20th-century Filipino Roman Catholic priests
Filipino activists
1936 births
1982 deaths