Fr. Zacarias Agatep | |
|---|---|
 Detail of the Wall of Remembrance at theBantayog ng mga Bayani, showing names from the first batch of Bantayog Honorees, including that of Zacarias Agatep. | |
| Personal life | |
| Born | (1936-09-06)September 6, 1936 |
| Died | October 27, 1982(1982-10-27) (aged 46) Salcedo,Ilocos Sur, Philippines |
| Cause of death | Gunshot wounds |
| Known for | Activism against the tobacco industry in Ilocos Sur during theMartial law era. |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Church | Our Lady of Hope Parish (Caoayan,Ilocos Sur) |
FatherZacarias Guimmayen Agatep (September 6, 1936 – October 27, 1982),[1] also known by his nicknameApo Kari, was a FilipinoRoman Catholicparish priest who was killed for speaking against foreign and local monopolies inIlocos Sur's tobacco industry during thedictatorship ofPresidentFerdinand Marcos. 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.
As theparish priest of Our Lady of Hope Parish inCaoayan, 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.[2]
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.[3]
Father Agatep kept speaking out against the abuses of the Marcos administration, and came to be assisted by former Deacon Alfredo Cezar, who became a volunteer at Agatep's parish.[4]
During an early morning meeting in Barangay Baybayading, Salcedo, Ilocos Sur, on October 11, 1982, a group including Cezar and Agatep were ambushed by Marcos administration soldiers.[4] Agatep and Cezar were killed while helping the rest of the group to evade the gunfire. Father Agatep was shot four times in the back.[5][6]