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BY MAE SINGUAY
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Wednesday, April 5, 2017
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BACOLOD City – An official of St. John Institute (SJI) denied closing the Queen of Peace church on Saturday last week due to an altercation.
They did close the SJI main gate but kept the small gate for parishioners open, Board of Trustees president Cesar Villanueva clarified.
Villanueva and Queen of Peace Parish rector Father Ernie Larida had a spat over the hanging of a banner showing the schedule of the church’s Lenten masses.
SJI personnel removed the banner and asked Larida to wait for a confirmation from Bishop Patricio Buzon, something the priest did not like, Villanueva said.
Villanueva personally clarified with Larida if he has an authority to hang the banner at the SJI premises when he was on leave and the acting parish priest was the bishop, but the priest allegedly raised his voice.
According to the SJI official, Larida pushed him on the stomach and said, “Tapuson ta ni (Let’s end this),” referring to the long-standing feud between the school and the church.
“To avoid violence perpetuated by no less than a priest and a leader of their church organization, we deemed it best to close the main gates,” Villanueva said.
It was not the first time Larida engaged in a spat with SJI officials, the school official said.
Buzon was informed about the decision to close the school’s main gates while still letting churchgoers “enter the premises via the small gate,” the Board of Trustees said.
“Again, we reiterate that the church will remain open to the faithful, but we are also mindful about the security of our staff and the students who continue to use the facilities,” it said.
Buzon called and apologized for the “unfortunate incident,” Villanueva said.
For his part, Larida said he did not intend to harm Villanueva. While they were engaging in raised voices, the priest said he extended his hands as “an act of self-defense” when Villanueva tried to approach.
The Board of Trustees was against the hanging of the tarpaulin, but the church hanged it anyway, said Larida.
Larida and Villanueva met near the SJI around 10 a.m. on April 1 and a heated argument ensued between them, the priest said. “I didn’t like what happened, but I’m just a man. They provoked me.”
Around 2 p.m. the school detached the banner and closed the church’s gate, resulting in the cancellation of a mass, Larida claimed.
The incident was recorded in Police Station 2./PN
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