CBCP Monitor - CBCP Media Office

•B1 Agrarian Reform
calls
•A3 forPontiff
solution to
unemployment crisis
Widening rich-poor gap
‘regrettable’
THE country’s wealth being controlled by a
few greedy, rich families is a situation that is
definitely “regrettable,” a church leader said.
In a phone interview, Kalookan Bishop
Deogracias Iñiguez reacted on the pronouncement given earlier by the Moral Force Movement.
“If this is indeed true, as being manifested
by the several surveys showing the growing
number of poor Filipinos, this is really a very
regrettable situation we are in,” he said.
What is more disappointing, the bishop
Regrettable / A6
•C1
UGNAYAN
The News Supplement
of Couples for Christ
A measure for social justice
and social transformation
cbcpmonitor@cbcpworld.net
www.cbcpnews.com
Protagonist of Truth, Promoter of Peace
May 25 - June 7, 2009
Vol. 13 No. 11
Php 20.00
© Dondi Tawatao
Police hoses down bishop, nuns at CARP rally
CBCP National Secretariat for Social Action-Justice and Peace chairman and
Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo along with some farmers run from police
water cannon as they are being hosed down while holding rally outside Congress
gate in Quezon City.
POLICE fired water cannons
on protesters led by a local
bishop as they marched outside
Batasan Pambansa in Quezon
City on May 25 to press for the
passage of an agrarian reform
bill.
About 2,000 held a prayer service at a nearby Catholic church
and were headed to the gate of
the Congress when a phalanx
of anti-riot police pushed them
back with shields before turning
on the water jets.
The protesters wanted to get
inside the plenary for the deliberations on House Bill 4077,
which seeks to extend the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform
Program (CARP).
The water hit Manila Auxiliary
Bishop Broderick Pabillo, priests
and several nuns who were with
the farmers.
“We didn’t expect this. We just
wanted to listen to the plenary
debates,” Pabillo said.
Pabillo was later allowed inside the Complex to attend the
plenary session, but he opted
to stay with the farmers for fear
that they will be hosed down
again.
The head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) immediately condemned the use of force against
the demonstrators.
“I condemn such an actuation
on the part of the police because
they are not the ones supposed
to respond to the advocacy of
the farmers but the congressmen,” said Archbishop Angel
Lagdameo.
The CBCP head also called on
the lawmakers to start a dialogue
with the farmers “who are just
fighting for their rights.”
Instead of dispersing the protesters, he said, the lawmakers
should have instead discourse
with the farmers and work on
their demands.
Bishop Pabillo said he did not
see any reason for them to be
treated that way.
He said they were just holding
a “peaceful assembly” to press
the lawmakers to approve a
measure that would ensure the
farmers’ rights over the lands
they till.
The prelate also joined farmers
in a hunger strike last year when
CARP was about to expire. It
was extended for six months but
without the compulsory land acquisition component. This upset
the farmers’ groups.
The House of Representatives
has started its marathon session on May 25 to pass priority
bills before Congress goes on
mandatory recess on June 5.
(CBCPNews)
RH bill: A choice between
‘angels and demons’
By Roy Lagarde
Deliberation
The bill on maternal health care,
now pending in Congress, requires the
government to promote artificial family
planning if it becomes a law.
The measure also will include sex
education for students and advice on artificial contraception, which the church
considers immoral.
The church is set firmly against
the health measure but independent
surveys show that over 80 percent of
Filipinos, mostly Catholics, support
artificial family planning.
Some bishops have said they will refuse communion and other sacraments
to politicians who support the bill, set to
Choice / A6
NO TO OIL DEPOT. Catholics held placards during a protest march from Santa Cruz Parish Church to Bonifacio Shrine in Manila on May 27. They took part in the church-organized demonstration
highlighting the potential risk to public health posed by the retention of the controversial Pandacan Oil Depot.
Group dismayed over Comelec’s failure to meet deadline
A LOCAL policy group is disappointed over the Commission on Election’s failure to meet the deadline earlier set for the full automation of the 2010 elections.
In the weekly church-organized forum, the Center
for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPeg)
said the Comelec must blame no one but itself in the
problem their group seen as early as February.
CenPeg Director Prof. Bobby Tuazon, said the problem
should have been avoided had the poll body listened to
calls for a wider consultation on what system should be
used in automating the country’s electorate.
“Democratic consultations with a wider and broader
constituency, not only among a few experts and advocates, as well as feasibility and comparative studies
on election technologies most suited to Philippine
conditions should have been done much earlier to
avoid invoking time constraint and lapses in knowledge as it prepares for the complexities of its chosen
Contributed photo
Fr. Melvin Castro, Episcopal Commission on Family and Life (ECFL)
executive secretary of the Catholic
Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
(CBCP) called on the legislators to back
up their call with optimum support
and action.
He said lawmakers must make a decision: either they are with the good or
evil. “It’s like a choice between angels
and demons,” Castro said.
The RH bill is both a moral and ethical issue, he said, and its backers make
a mistake when they consider it solely
a matter freedom of choice especially
among women.
The priest stressed that the church has
always insisted that the struggle to defend family and life is “part and parcel of
the spiritual warfare that we are into”.
Clearly, Castro also said, defending
family and life is to be in the side of
light.
Anything that weakens it becomes
part the forces of darkness. We beg our
legislators to be in the side of light, of
family and life,” he added.
© Roy Lagarde / CBCP Media
A CONSERVATIVE Catholic
Church leader said there is no
room for neutrality in the fight
against a measure promoting
birth control.
PPCRV head Henrietta de Villa is flanked by officials of the
Philippine Computer Society (PCS) during the 13th Information
and Communications Technology Professionals Congress in
Makati City on May 21, 2009. The group of about 5, 000 ICT
professionals has teamed up with the PPCRV for the accurate
monitoring of the planned 2010 automated elections.
technology,” he said
Comelec Special Bids and Awards Committee
(SBAC) chairman Atty. Ferdinand Rafanan earlier
admitted that they are already behind the original
timeline the poll body had set for the adoption of the
Precinct Counting Optical Scan (PCOS) system.
The bidding for the automated elections system
(AES) project was set to end by May 21 when the
awarding of the P11.3 billion contract will be made
but is now seen to come by the middle of June.
Tuazon said the choice of PCOS as the system to
be used in automation was not approved by the local information technology (IT) community and the
computer academe.
He added that had the Comelec consulted the local
IT community, they would have suggested a different system.
Comelec / A7
Speaker’s wife frowns on irresponsible Church leads rally vs Pandacan oil depot Cardinal urges
media ad
waste-free polls
AS the Church commemorated the World Communication Day, the wife of
House Speaker Prospero
Nograles also made a timely
appeal for responsible usage of
mass media and reporting.
Mrs. Rhodora B. Nograles, wife
of Congressman Nograles said
that men and women working in
media should be keen in promoting responsible reporting, advertisements and programming.
Mrs. Nograles, also the chair of
the Congressional Spouses Founsi
er U
dation, Inc., in a statement sent to
ladim
by B
n
CBCPNews criticized what she
tratio
Illus
termed as “an irresponsible advertisement” promoted by Optical Media Board
Chair Edu Manzano for LBC.
“…the advertisement irresponsibly confuses, particularly the school children,
about the concept of right and wrong,” said Nograles, adding:
“The ad, which used the spelling bee concept, directly conveyed that LBC is the
correct spelling of the word “remittance.” To say [that] what is wrong is “tumpak”
(correct) is fundamentally wrong and it is worse to propagate it using the mass
media.”
The speaker’s wife already sent a letter of complaint to the Advertising Board
Media Ad / A6
HUNDREDS of people joined a silent rally in Manila on May 27 to raise their
strong objection to the Pandacan oil depot’s continued operation.
The prayer rally was held as they await the final decision of Manila Mayor
Alfredo Lim whether or not to approve an ordinance reversing a 2001 rezoning order.
The final approval would allow all existing heavy industries in the area,
including the oil depot, to continue operating.
Catholic believers from various parishes in Manila were mobilized to participate in the church-led movement.
Fr. Benito Tuazon, Ecology Desk director of Manila archdiocese, said the
prayer rally was intended to pressure Lim to veto the ordinance.
The Mayor has until May 28 only to sign the proposed measure into law
or veto it.
“...But his recent commissioned team to inspect the oil depot facilities appeared to have very positive result,” Tuazon lamented.
“Unfortunately, the team is composed of purely local government agencies,” he added.
Lim earlier said the “Big 3” oil players—Petron, Pilipinas Shell., and Chevron Philippines, have provided safety measure to address the concerns for
accidents.
The rally started with a Mass presided by Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick
Pabillo at the Sta. Cruz Parish Church. It was followed with a march towards
the Bonifacio Shrine, near the Manila City Hall.
Signature drive
Rosales, along with other bishops, priests, and the religious, are currently
leading a signature campaign to pressure Lim to veto the retention of the
Pandacan oil depot.
He urged Lim to fulfill his promise to reject the continued stay of oil depots
Pandacan / A7
A RANKING church leader has joined a
crusade for waste-free elections to avert
the anticipated avalanche of campaign
trash that will likely end up in the horrendous dumps scattered all over the
country.
Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales called on the electorate to
take proactive measures that will check
and curb waste in campaign activities.
“As the countdown to the May 2010
elections begins, I urge Filipinos to be
vigilant in minimizing the adverse impacts to the environment and climate
that the election campaign and the actual voting day can bring,” he said.
“Our exercise of democracy should
not inflict harm on Mother Earth and
her capacity to feed, house and sustain
all creation. Genuine democracy upholds the sanctity of life and promotes
environmental health and justice at all
times,” Rosales said.
He also urged all poll stakeholders,
including the Commission on Elections
and related government offices, political
parties and candidates to “commit to a
Polls / A6
World News
A2
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 13 No. 11
May 25 - June 7, 2009
World Jewish Congress
lauds Pope’s Holy Land visit
sensitive issue of the Holocaust had to
be made with great care."
The communiqué reported Cardinal Bertone's response to the Jewish
leaders, affirming that the Church
recognizes the "unique nature" of the
Holocaust.
He also stated clearly that there is "no
place in the institutions of the church
for Holocaust deniers such as Bishop
Williamson," the congress noted.
Benedict XVI was criticized last January after the lifting of excommunication
of four bishops of the Society of St. Pius
X, including Bishop Richard Williamson, who was seen in an interview for
Swedish television denying the gassing of six million Jews at about the
same time that his excommunication
was lifted.
The cardinal invited the congress
leaders to cooperate in examining
the archives of Pope Pius XII, and he
assured them that the Vatican is progressing in the aim to make Pontiff's
papers from 1939-1945 available to
historians. The Vatican is cataloguing
the documents from the pontificate,
which number about 16 million.
Cardinal Bertone assured congress
members of the Holy See's desire to
strengthen ties with Judaism, while
Lauder affirmed the need for interfaith
dialogue.
The president stated, "We must strive
together to ensure that freedom of religion is respected everywhere in the
world and religion not used to justify
extremism and terror."
The World Jewish Congress was
founded in 1936 to unite the Jewish
people and address their needs, and
represents communities in more than
80 countries. (Zenit)
© www.abc.net.au
ROME, May 22, 2009—The executive
representatives of the World Jewish
Congress visited the Vatican today to
thank Benedict XVI for his Holy Land
pilgrimage last week.
Ronald Lauder, president of the
international organization, which
represents 100 Jewish communities
worldwide, expressed his appreciation for the Pope's May 8-15 trip in an
audience with the Pontiff's secretary of
state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.
A statement from the congress explained, "Despite being a complicated
trip, its outcome had been positive and
was a milestone for strengthening mutual understanding between Christians
and Jews."
In the face of criticism that the Holy
Father did not adequately denounce the
Shoah during his trip, Lauder affirmed
that any statement "touching upon the
Cardinal George sees bit of hope in Obama speech
CHICAGO, May 22, 2009—The
president of the U.S. episcopal
conference welcomed one of the
statements made by President
Barack Obama in his controversial speech at Notre Dame last
Sunday.
In a statement today, Cardinal
Francis George, archbishop of
Chicago, expressed gratitude
for the president’s statement
that “we should all ‘honor the
conscience of those who disagree
with abortion,’ and his support
for conscience clauses advancing
this goal.”
The cardinal noted that “Catholic providers, in particular,
make a large and essential contribution to health care in our
society. Essential steps to protect these conscience rights will
strengthen our health care system and enhance many patients’
access to necessary life-affirming
care.”
Cardinal George added: “A
government that wants to reduce
the tragic number of abortions
in our society will also work to
ensure that no one is forced to
support or participate in abortion, whether through directly
providing or referring for abortions or being forced to subsidize
them with their tax dollars.”
The University of Notre
Dame’s honored President
Obama at last Sunday’s commencement ceremony.
To date, 83 prelates have publicly denounced the decision as
going against 2004 guidelines
set by the U.S. bishops’ confer-
© www.boston.com
Welcomes president’s reference to conscience protection
ence for Catholic institutions of
higher education, which state
that schools should not bestow
honors on individuals who “act
in defiance” of the Church’s fundamental teachings. (Zenit)
Vatican newspaper finally reports on U.S.
bishops’ criticism of Obama, Notre Dame
© www.repubblica.it
VATICAN CITY, May 22, 2009─The Vatican daily newspaper
L’Osservatore Romano, which has faced criticism from many prolife U.S. Catholics for its positive assessment of Barack Obama’s
presidency, finally reported today on the objection of U.S. bishops
to both Obama’s pro-abortion record as well as to Notre Dame’s
decision to invite him to its commencement speech.
In the article titled “U.S. Bishops and ethical questions,”
L’Osservatore quotes the strongly-worded statement from the Archbishop of Denver, Charles J. Chaput which comments on Father John
Jenkins’ commencement speech that justified his decision to invite
the President of the U.S. to Notre Dame.
The Vatican newspaper does not mention that Chaput’s words
were addressed to Fr. Jenkins, but quotes the Denver Archbishop
saying that “the most vital thing faithful Catholics can do now is to
insist – by their words, actions and financial support – that institutions claiming to be ‘Catholic’ actually live the faith with courage
and consistency.”
L’Osservatore then explains that Archbishop Chaput “criticized
the decision of the University of Notre Dame to honor someone who
has demonstrated the willingness” to uphold Roe v. Wade.
“Other U.S. bishops recently,” the Vatican newspaper continues,
“have recalled the non-negotiable terms in which (Catholics) must
confront ethical issues such as abortion, embryonic stem cell research
and the right to conscientious objection of health workers.”
L’Osservatore still seemed to defend Obama by saying that the
President promised during the commencement speech at Notre
Dame that “such a right must be defended,” but concluded with
the article quoting the Bishop of Kansas City - St. Joseph, Robert W.
Finn, saying that “Obama has closed any door to dialogue, affirming
that he will not change his position on abortion.” (CNA)
Bible and Mel Gibson’s
‘The Passion of the
Christ’ banned in Uzbek
region of Karakalpakstan
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, May 22, 2009—Officials in Karakalpakstan (north-western Uzbekistan) announced that religious
materials that include a hymn book, a Bible Encyclopaedia, a
Bible dictionary, and a children’s Bible, are “banned for import,
distribution or use in teaching.”
Uzbekistan’s secret police has been after religious literature
for quite some time, whether in private homes or just for personal use.
Nurulla Zhamolov, the senior religious affairs official in Karakalpakstan Region, issued the ban after “expert analyses” were
filed at a court hearing, the Forum 18 agency reported. But no
explanation was given for the decision.
Mel Gibson’s 2004 ‘The Passion of the Christ’ was also included
in the list of banned materials, a decision especially odd since
the feature film was shown throughout the country attracting
large crowds.
Karakalpakstan covers a third of Uzbek territory but is home
to only five per cent of the population. Only Islam is allowed in
the region; only exception is Russian Orthodoxy which is allowed
in the regional capital of Nukus.
All other religious groups are outlawed. Even religious gatherings in private homes are not allowed without prior authorization. If caught, violators can be fined or even jailed.
On 16 April, a court in Takhiatash fined a Protestant, Valeri
Adamia, 560,800 Sums (US$ 380), which is twenty times the
minimum monthly wage, after he was convicted of having in
his possession Bibles and other religious books. He claimed that
they were for his personal use only. (AsiaNews)
Pope plans to reach youth with
Facebook profile and website
© www.pope2you.net
Aide notes danger of wasting time with technology
Discusses pope’s message for World Day of Social Communication
VATICAN CITY, May 24, 2009—The
Church’s challenge in the era of Facebook
and Twitter consists in presenting the profound message of Jesus without being sidetracked by technology’s superficial aspects,
says the Vatican spokesperson.
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director
of the Vatican press office, affirmed this today on the most recent episode of his weekly
television program “Octava Dies.”
In his remarks the priest referred to the
“very beautiful message of the Pope for the
World Day of Social Communications this
year” that “touches a strategic and crucial
point in the reality of the world of communication in rapid development: ‘New technologies, new relationships: Promoting a culture
of respect, of dialogue, of friendship.’”
“Benedict XVI—or better, BXVI, as he is
often called in this particular world—is first
of all addressing young people, the so-called
‘digital generation,’” Father Lombardi explained, “challenging them to live their human and spiritual growth and commitment
also in the communicative dimension of the
new technologies, which has such a big place
Vatican debates genetically modified veggies
VATICAN CITY, May 21, 2009—The Pontifical Academy of Sciences hosted a week
of study to consider the various issues related to the debate surrounding genetically
modified organisms.
The May 15-19 event in the Vatican brought together 41 scientists from some 15 nations, including China, Mexico, Australia, Kenya and Great Britain.
The experts discussed a range of themes, including elements of social doctrine, economics and international relations.
For example, they considered if the use of genetically modified organisms only benefits multinational organizations while penalizing small farmers, or if these organisms
could be the secret to bringing Africa to a green revolution, or if the seeds of these plants
could become part of aid programs assisting in development.
In the final session, the experts debated how to improve international regulations on
this issue and how to ensure that the poor benefit from the innovations in vegetable
biotechnology. (Zenit)
in the course of their days.”
He added, “Here too, in fact, the Christian faith must be ‘inculturated,’ present
as a proclamation and lifestyle and style of
relationships.”
“But it is not easy,” the spokesperson
added. “The dangers of limiting oneself to
play, of wasting time, of flight from reality
and remaining on the surface of things, are
there.”
He continued: “For his part BXVI, when
he speaks to young people, for example at
the World Youth Days, insists on wanting
to communicate solid, consistent and articulated content to them, which demands a
commitment to be assimilated before it can
be translated into life.
“So transmitting the substantial through
the virtual is a wonderful challenge. Will
we succeed with our young people? Will
we succeed in accompanying them in this
adventure?”
“Let us hope so,” the priest affirmed.
He added, “But we must not be victims
of the fascination with the extraordinary
technological successes, we must continue
to distinguish possibilities and limits, and at
the same time continue to seek in profundity
that solid soil of the vital relationship with
God and others, [a place] to really build a
culture of respect, of dialogue and of friendship.” (Zenit)
ROME, Italy, May 20, 2009─The president of the Pontifical
Council for Social Communications, Archbishop Claudio Maria
Celli, announced on Thursday the launching of a new website,
pope2you.net, to reach out to young people and bring them into
contact with Pope Benedict XVI.
The archbishop told L’Osservatore Romano that the initiative
is part of the activities surrounding World Communications Day,
which will be celebrated on Sunday, May 24 under the theme,
“New Technologies, New Relationships.”
The idea behind this website, the archbishop said, “is that in
order to be able to enter into a fruitful, rich dialogue characterized by respect and friendship, we wanted to use the digital
world, that is, the instrument most friendly to young people,
through which they encounter each other daily and often without meeting each other in person.”
Commenting on Pope Benedict XVI's call to young people to
use the internet to evangelize, Archbishop Celli said the Holy
Father was encouraging them to participate in online social networks and “bear witness to the love of God for all mankind.”
The archbishop also said the new site would be directly linked
to Facebook from which users will be able to send pictures of the
Pontiff and excerpts from his discourses to their friends.
“The presence of the Pope on Facebook is limited to this, to
the possibility of sending a picture of him with an excerpt from
his teaching,” Archbishop Celli noted.
The new website will be in five languages: Italian, Spanish,
English, French and German. Young people will be able to access “not only all news referring to the Pope and his activities,
but also they will be able to enter into contact with the person
of Benedict XVI through his words,” he said. (CNA)
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 13 No. 11
May 25 - June 7, 2009
News Features
A3
CASSINO, Italy, MAY 24, 2009—Benedict XVI is calling for solutions to the
unemployment crisis, for the creation of
jobs to help and protect families who are
facing critical economic situations.
The Pope stated this May 24 in his
homily during a Mass celebrated in
Cassino's Miranda Plaza, the square that
will be renamed after him, in the town
east of the Monte Cassino Abbey.
The Holy Father explained the purpose of his visit, to "encourage you
constantly to build, found and rebuild"
the diocesan community on Christ,
following the example of St. Benedict,
who recommended in his Rule to "put
nothing before Christ."
He underlined the saint's call to "keep
our hearts fixed on Christ and put
nothing before him," by the evangelical program found in the Benedictine
motto: "ora et labora et lege"—"prayer,
work, culture."
"Prayer," the Pope said, "to which
grave peals of the bell of St. Benedict
calls the monks every morning, is the
silent path that leads us directly to the
heart of God; it is the breath of the soul
that gives us peace again in the storms
of life."
Critical situation
Speaking next about work, he noted
that "humanizing the world of work is
typical of the soul of monasticism."
Benedict XVI continued: "I know how
critical the situation of many workers is.
I express my solidarity with those who
live in a troubling precariousness, with
those workers who are on unemployment assistance and those who have
been laid off."
He called on "the entrepreneurs
and those who are able, to seek, with
everyone's help, valid solutions to the
employment crisis, creating new places
of work to safeguard families."
The Pontiff added: "In this respect,
how can we not recall that today the
family has an urgent need to be better
protected, since it is gravely threatened
in its very institutional roots?
"I think also of the young people who
have difficulty finding a dignified job
that allows them to build a family.
"To them I would like to say: Do
not be discouraged, dear friends, the
Church will not abandon you!"
He recalled the more than 25 young
people from the diocese who participated in World Youth Day in Sydney,
and urged them to use that "extraordinary spiritual experience" to be leaven
among their friends, and to "be the
new missionaries in this land of St.
Benedict!"
Addressing the world of culture, the
third part of Benedictine spirituality,
the Holy Father noted the testimony
archived by the Monte Cassino monastery, that "European culture has been
constituted by the search for God and
availability to listen to him."
"In today's cultural effort aimed at
creating a new humanism," he said,
"faithful to the Benedictine tradition you
rightly intend to stress attention to the
fragility, weakness of man, to disabled
persons and immigrants."
Benedict XVI expressed his gratitude
for the possibility of "inaugurating the
'House of Charity,'" for homeless im-
© www.trabahophilippines.com
Pontiff calls for solution
to unemployment crisis
migrants, "where a culture attentive to
life will be built with deeds." The project
is being carried out in a former hospital
under the sponsorship of the abbot of
Monte Cassino.
He encouraged his listeners to live the
spirit of St. Benedict, to "proclaim that
in your life no one and nothing must
Official: No easy way to stop human trafficking
ROME, May 22, 2009─Though trafficking in human beings is a "tremendous offense to dignity,"
there is no easy solution to this multifaceted and
international problem, says a Vatican official.
Archbishop Agostino Marchetto, secretary of
the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travelers, considered the gravity of human trafficking
during an address Wednesday at a conference
organized by the Association of the Pope John
XXIII Community.
The prelate called trafficking "one of the most
shameful [phenomena] of our epoch." He recognized that "poverty and the lack of opportunities
and social cohesion" are at the root of this tragedy,
since these causes "bring people to seek a better
future despite risks."
And trafficking in human beings continues to
spread, in part because of "an absence of specific
norms in some countries, victims' ignorance of
their rights, the sociocultural structure and armed Archbishop Agostino Marchetto
conflicts," Archbishop Marchetto contended.
He also mentioned the "current restrictions that emigrants find in legally going
to developed countries."
What to do
Archbishop Marchetto lamented that "there are no easy solutions," and affirmed
that a "coherent and integral approach" is needed to stop this particular form of
abuse.
"Not only the need of the victims [should be considered]," he said, "but also the
just punishment for those who benefit from this activity and the implementation
of preventive measures, in the first place to increase awareness and sensitivity,
and also to take on the causes of this phenomenon."
© www.catholicnewsagency.com
Archbishop considers roots of problem
The prelate affirmed that this effort should also
promote victims' integration in their new societies,
"especially those who collaborate with authorities
against traffickers."
At the same time, the Vatican official suggested
that a possible return to the nations of origin should
be considered, a return that "can be accompanied
with the proposal of a microcredit or loans, thereby
ensuring that victims do not return to the same
environment of dangers without resources."
He further proposed a system of reimbursement to be financed with assets confiscated from
the traffickers.
into heeding the cries of the rural poor,
in accordance to the dictates of moral
and social justice,” he said.
The CBCP head made the statement
amid fears that “some killer amendments” are being pushed by some
lawmakers owning vast agricultural
lands into a bill seeking for CARP extension.
“As our legislators go about the very
important task of passing an agrarian
reform law, I pray that they draw inspiration from St. Isidore, who, despite
being very poor himself, gave up what
little he had to those who were poorer,”
said Lagdameo.
“May his generosity reminds our
elected officials that life is not to be a
selfish quest for profit, but an opportuFarmers / A6
Mindoro / A7
Pope calls for Internet evangelists
communication, especially the young, to utilize them
in a positive way and to realize the great potential
of these means to build up bonds of friendship and
solidarity that can contribute to a better world.
"Young people in particular, I appeal to you: bear
witness to your faith through the digital world!" the
Pope urged.
"Employ these new technologies to make the Gospel
known, so that the Good News of God’s infinite love
for all people will resound in new ways across our
increasingly technological world!"
The World Day for Social Communications was held
on Sunday, May 24 this year. (CNA)
© Photo courtesy of Gemma Rita Marin
CBCP chief prays for lawmakers’ compassion for farmers
MANILA, May 14, 2009—A top church
leader said he is praying that all lawmakers will strive to work for the welfare of the farmers, one of the country’s
most vulnerable sectors.
In his Farmers’ Day message, Catholic
Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
president Archbishop Angel Lagdameo
said farmers must be rewarded for their
efforts to provide the people’s basic
needs.
Lagdameo is hoping that legislators
will dedicate themselves to provide
the needs of the farmers, like the desired extension of the Comprehensive
Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) with
reforms.
“Instead of working for their own
interests, I pray that the Holy Spirit will
move our Senators and Congressmen
Multi-sectoral
rally stops mining
project in Mindoro
MANILA, May 16, 2009─In a display
of solidarity with local government
officials, environmentalists and clergy
joined hands and led thousands of
rallyists from Oriental and Occidental
Mindoro against a mining company on
March 14.
A public hearing on the proposed
mining project of Intex Resources
Philippines, Inc. was aborted in Pola,
Oriental Mindoro when thousands of
people showed up to protest.
Police estimated a caravan of about
200 vehicles and 7,000 people in attendance.
Fr. Edwin Gariguez of Oriental Mindoro’s Mangyan Mission assailed Intex
Resources for pushing with the mining
project despite a provincial ordinance
disallowing mining activities in the
province for 25 years.
“The corporate irresponsibility of
Intex Resources is clearly obvious. They
wanted to push their project with our
fragile forest ecosystem, our critical
watershed, and ancestral domain of the
Mangyan indigenous peoples despite
the strong opposition of the people,”
Gariguez said.
Local officials led by Vice Governor
Estela Aceron, Provincial Legal Officer
Atty. Lorebelle Tanyag, and Mayors
Alfredo Ortega of Victoria, Oriental
Mindoro, and Godofredo Mintu of
Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro, served
a Cease and Desist Order (CDO) implementing the mining moratorium of the
province.
“We are ready to go at all cause to
implement and enforce our moratorium ordinance against mining,”
Vice-Governor Aceron was quoted as
saying.
Both Mindoro provinces have ordinances that ban large-scale mining
operations in the island.
Meanwhile, anti-mining advocates
praised the strong solidarity and sense
of community of the people from Oriental and Occidental Mindoro in their
opposition to the mining project.
“Today, 7,000 strong Mindoreños
erased the line that separates Oriental
and Occidental Mindoro as they displayed solidarity and a strong sense of
community against Intex Resources’
almost ten years of attempts to sway
local communities in their favor,” Jaybee Garganera, Coordinator of Alyansa
Tigil Mina, an anti-mining advocacy
group, said in a statement.
He praised the courage of the local officials in asserting their local autonomy
and in protecting the ‘general welfare’
of the people.
“With the poor track record of largescale mining companies in the country
and a weak national policy on environmental and social safeguards, we need
the initiatives of local government and
communities to come together and fight
Multifaceted
Trafficking in human persons, Archbishop
Marchetto stated, is a "multifaceted problem,
often linked to immigration, which goes beyond
the sex industry and also includes the forced labor
of men, women and children in various industrial
sectors, including construction, renovation and tourism, agriculture and domestic
services."
"Even if a part of forced labor is linked to discrimination and poverty, to local
customs, to the victims' lack of a home and illiteracy, another part is related to the
flexible and cheap labor, that often facilitates low prices for the consumer, which
makes it attractive for the employers," he explained.
And the prelate lamented that victims are often only protected during the course
of investigations against traffickers; they are then repatriated, with or without a
"packet" of support to help them restart their lives.
"Only in a few countries are their measures to guarantee the protection of these
victims," he said, "offering them the possibility of staying in the society that received
them and integrating themselves, at least with certain conditions." (Zenit)
VATICAN CITY, May 20, 2009—Pope Benedict XVI
is calling upon young people to evangelize using the
Internet as the Church prepares to celebrate the World
Day for Social Communications.
At the end of his Wednesday general audience,
the Holy Father launched an appeal asking that
cyberspace be a place that promotes a "culture of
respect, dialogue and authentic friendship where
the values of truth, harmony and understanding
can flourish."
Speaking in English, the Holy Father recalled how
in his message for this year's celebrations, "I am inviting all those who make use of the new technologies of
take Jesus away from the first place; the
mission to build, in Christ's name, a new
humanity to teach hospitality and help
of the weakest." (Zenit)
Opinion
A4
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 13 No. 11
May 25 - June 7, 2009
EDITORIAL
Suffer the farmers
THE farmers have been generally peaceful. They walk for hundreds
of kilometers, as what those from Sumilao did, and even go as far
as do hunger strikes, like what happened in December last year, to
peacefully press for the land that justifiably belongs to them.
But the police, and, by command responsibility, this administration
have been intolerant and narrow-minded whenever there are rallies
conducted by farmers. Last May 25 about two thousand farmers
together with Manila auxiliary bishop Broderick Pabillo in tow,
were hosed down violently with water cannons while holding a
peaceful rally outside the gates of Batasang Pambansa in Quezon
City with no other purpose but to ask lawmakers to legislate
the extension of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program
(CARP) which, anyway, is mandated by the Constitution.
Section 4, Art. XIII of the 1987 Constitution requires the State
to “undertake an agrarian reform program founded on the right
of farmers and regular farmworkers who are landless, to own
directly or collectively the lands they till or, in the case of other
farmworkers, to receive a just share of the fruits thereof.”
As if it were not enough, Art II, Sec 21 of the same Constitution
explicitly identifies agrarian reform as a State policy that must be
given flesh by promulgating enabling laws to make it work and
beneficial not only to the farmers but to the whole country that
till now, albeit unwillingly, is still agricultural.
But seemingly the country’s lawmakers are so much keen neither
about the law nor morals. What weigh down really are the
landowners that in this country are, more or less, equated with
legislators. That equation was the fundamental cause of the failure
of the CARP the first 20 years it was around. The same forebodes
for the upcoming 5 years should it be extended with reforms.
Disputably, though, such reforms will come as deceptively as
the “perfecting amendments” being inserted into the extended
agrarian reform law, but in fact are realistically called “killer
amendments” in that they will emasculate and, therefore, doom
it to failure—like it was in the original CARP of 1988 that was
systematically riddled with loopholes and financially constrained.
While landowners dominated the Congress that passed the original
CARP, the same landowners still exercise dominion today.
But suffer the little farmers to come unto our midst, because
such is the path to real social transformation—if to paraphrase
the good Book.
Exploitation of Children
THE abuse of children is a grave and serious concern for all, but
most especially for us in the Church. Our voices cannot be loud
enough, our words strong enough to condemn this evil among us.
The cries of abused children reach up to the God of justice in a
call for vengeance. We know that their lament invokes compassion
from the God of love. In an invitation of love, our Lord Jesus says
“whoever welcomes a child for my sake welcomes me” (Mt. 18:5).
And to those who inflict pain and wound the innocent, our Lord
has harsh words: “It would be better for anyone who leads astray
one of these little ones who believe in me, to be drowned by a
millstone around his neck in the depths of the sea” (Mt. 18:6).
Children are so precious in the eyes of Jesus that for him, they and
those like them comprise the Kingdom of God. Whoever serves
as a stumbling block to them deserves reproach and equally just
punishment.
Clearly the exploitation of children is a morally deplorable
and criminal act because of the immense damage, oftentimes
irreparable, it brings to children. Exploitation robs children the
dignity of life, the enjoyment of life that is their inherent right
It deprives them of education that could secure for them a stable
future. Children who have been sexually abused suffer the pain and
trauma of their experience throughout their lives and are vulnerable
to more abusive behavior and relationships later on in life.
As a social phenomenon, the exploitation of children in the
Philippine context can be traced mainly to poverty. In the film
documentary “Minsan Lang Sila Bata” which was co-produced by
the Archdiocese of Manila Labor Center, this poverty was starkly
portrayed: squalid homes, meager food, sickness. In this film, we
see children as young as seven to 10 years old doing strenuous
manual work in abattoirs, cargo boats and sugar cane fields. The
children in the film spoke poignantly of how they wished to be
in school. They expressed their desire to help their families and
bring them out of the cycle of poverty.
This condition of poverty has emboldened unprincipled employers
and moneyed foreign pedophiles to use children. Incest and rape,
on the other hand, have been known to breed most in environments
marked by unemployment, alcohol and drug abuse, and the lack
of proper and decent housing. These pressing concerns demand
immediate attention and concerted response from all sectors, if
the problem of sexual abuse of children is to be addressed in a
comprehensive manner.
-- “Welcoming the Children for my sake”,
Pastoral Letter on the Exploitation of Children, 1988
www.cbcpmonitor.com
cbcpmonitor@cbcpworld.net
Illustration by Bladimer Usi
Yet, more than the law of the land dictates, agrarian reform is
an instrument of social justice and an act of political wisdom, or
so says the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace (1997). The
social teachings of the Church condemn the concentration and
misappropriation of land as intrinsically immoral.
Oscar V. Cruz, DD
Views and Points
THERE are really some people who are rather unkind for a reason,
who are cruel for a cause. When they are convinced, for example,
that there is someone whom they may no longer trust, in whom
they have altogether lost their confidence, they speak their mind—
saying what mean and meaning what they say. In this particular
situation, more than those who simply voice out the painful truth
they are certain about someone, it is the latter who really is the
loser although definitely not a victim—but in reality, the victimizer.
This is exactly the case when lately there were reports validated
by official sources that the holder of the highest office in the land,
now has no less than six spokespersons!
In other words, the public official concerned felt it either necessary
or convenient or both, that the impressive number of six mouthpieces
is in order—in the assumption that there is so much to say about
the person, competence and achievements, concerning the plans,
programs and actions of the office holder concerned. When this
supposedly great news reached some no nonsense individuals, their
being “unkind” and even “cruel” came to fore—especially through
radio talk programs accepting call-in listeners.
The reactions to the unexpected news about the unexpected number of Malacañang spokesperson can be thus summarized by way
of conclusions: There must be too many criticisms to counteract, too
much popular ill-will to neutralize. There must be much propaganda
Editor-in-Chief
Pinky Barrientos, FSP
Kris P. Bayos
Melo M. Acuña
Laarni Bergado
Roy Q. Lagarde
Ernani M. Ramos
Associate Editor
Managing Editor
News Editor
Feature Editor
Marketing Supervisor
Circulation Manager
Laurence John R. Morales Marcelita Dominguez
Layout Artist and Online Editor
Comptroller
The CBCP Monitor is published fortnightly by the CBCP Communications Development Foundation, Inc., with editorial and
business offices at 470 Gen. Luna St., Intramuros, Manila.
P.O. Box 3601, 1076 MCPO.
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ISSN 1908-2940
to make and few little achievements to magnify. There must be more
lies to defend as well as more realities to deny. There must be much
public funds to spend for the promotion of the personal desires and
designs of the public figure concerned—meantime, let the poor, the
hungry and the sick fend for themselves.
Needless to say, a little study could be made to find out who are
those great, illustrious and distinguished national leaders in the
whole wide world who in these particular times, amazingly have
six official spokespersons! The immediate thought comes to mind
that these six formal mouthpieces can be compared to gatekeepers.
They are many probably because there are so many gates to keep
and so many gatecrashers to drive away.
If the truth and the whole truth has to be said and duly noted,
the basic problem of Malacañang has been and still is its distinctly
poor if not practically zero credibility before the general public.
And who is really to blame for this lamentable popular conviction
if not Malacañang itself. This is pursuant to the maxim “What you
sow is what you reap.” It all began with the expressed and formal
commitment that someone was not running for office—only for the
same to claim that God spoke to the opposite. And such incredible
allegation was thereafter followed by a litany of consonant gross
misdeeds. And Philippine History is still in the making—specially
so as 2010 fast approaches.
Sr. Mary Pilar Verzosa, RGS
Into her Golden Years
WHEN people ask me how I started the
pro-life movement in the Philippines, my
memory goes back to 1974 when a group
of us nuns from different congregations involved in the Technical Committee on Health
of the AMWRSP, invited Fr. Paul Marx, OSB
and founder of Human Life International, to
talk to various audiences in our country. We
were all nurses belonging to that committee
and we did have lots of significant experiences together ─ organizing conferences on
community-based health programs, herbal
medicine, care of the dying, and bioethics.
Eventually, we moved on to our primary
interests and congregation assignments. I
pursued the pro-life mission and developed
it to what it is today: Pro-life Philippines
Foundation - a SEC-registered, education
and advocacy NGO.
Among those who remained very supportive of the pro-life cause is Sr. Cornelie
Sarmiento, SPC. I had the opportunity to
visit her last week while I was in Cagayan
de Oro giving workshops on setting up
women’s crisis centers. I was so happy to
see that Sr. Cornelie, now 77 years old and
will be celebrating her Golden Jubilee in
July, is still very active in counseling and
teaching Natural Family Planning as well
Love Life
as organizing pro-life seminars in Maria
Reina Hospital which is run by the St. Paul
de Chartres Sisters.
She relates how she encourages the
married hospital staff, both the male and
female to be responsible parents and plan
their families accordingly. She now has
20 employees successfully practicing the
Billings Ovulation Method or the Standard
Days Method, depending on their choice or
whatever is appropriated for their natural
cycles. These “practitioners” are now teaching the other employees, their neighbors
or relatives. She said the Standard Days
Method, which is approved in the Diocese
of Cagayan de Oro, is easy to teach and
is learned easily by the couples. But she
claims that she makes sure they strictly
follow the guidelines, gives them enough
information so they do not use condoms
or other contraceptives, and she does not
teach them the methods without first giving
value-formation sessions on the meaning of
marriage, sexuality, fertility, and value of
human life. She wants to make sure they
remove any contraceptive mentality in their
mind and life-style before she even teaches
them any of the Natural Family Planning
Methods.
The nurses and midwives assigned to the
OB Wards happily include among their tasks
the teaching of breastfeeding and the NFP
LAM or Lactational Amenorrheaic Method.
Researches have shown that fully breastfeeding mothers delay the onset of their fertility
to eight months or even up to a year, thus
they can space the next pregnancy to two or
three years before the next baby is born.
It is with mixed feelings that Sr. Cornelie
informed me that she will be assigned to
their retirement home in Iloilo by June. She
said she will surely miss her mission here in
Mindanao, the fourteen years in CdO which
was preceded by ten years in their hospital
in Maramag, Bukidnon.
And to think that Sr. Cornelie is living a
second lease on life. She has fully recovered
from four months of coma after a tragic
car accident in Quezon City in 1989. She
bravely and persistently struggled through
her physical and speech therapies. A few
months after the accident, I visited her. She
was sitting then and able to take care of her
daily needs. “My memory… my memory.
…that is all that I beg God to restore to me”,
she cried. Her prayer has been answered a
million times over. Congratulations on your
Golden Anniversary, Sister!
Fr. Francis B. Ongkingco
Whatever
Pedro C. Quitorio
Credibility
NOTHING is more beautiful, consoling and uplifting than our Christian faith and life. This is not because it contains a body of humanly
reasonable and dynamic ideals, but because it is continuously vivified
by the living person of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit. Christianity’s hidden attraction is the authentic invitation to an encounter
of love and communion with Someone divine who can be embraced
in and through His humanity.
This closeness of God is made possible when Jesus took upon our
nature. This doesn’t only establish some sort of emotional bridge, but a
true and firm way to understand the richness of our human condition
that God has chosen to truly ‘live’ in order to reveal how we ought
to live our lives as men. St. Augustine wonderfully summarizes this
when he said, “The Son of God became man, so that man may be a
son of God.”
Our Lord became man not to only redeem us from sin. Jesus, for
some mysterious reason, loved our human nature. He took the risk of
love by assuming our humanity in order to reveal our dignity of being
God’s image and likeness. Our Lord’s humanity thus becomes a vital
template of the truth about every man and woman. It is a clear way
that leads to eternal life. When one sincerely opens his life to our Lord’s
humanity which vibrantly portrayed in the Gospels, he cannot help but
‘Jesus’ defects’
be filled with faith and love for Jesus’ teachings and examples.
In the Gospels we relive His birth, the hidden and intense years of
common life, we walk with Him through the hills and plains of Palestine, wiping the sweat from our brows and washing the dust and
dirt from our faces and feet. Through this, we share His thirst, hunger,
tears and sorrow. There is nothing, with the exception of sin, that our
Lord has not experienced about our nature.
Despite this proximity of Jesus to every person’s life, there are still
some who feel that God is still a distant figure. Our Lord’s life, they say,
is too difficult to imitate and the experience of their personal defects
prevent them from relating with our Lord’s “perfect life.”
Valid as their arguments are, the person of our Lord cannot allow
the slightest stain of defect because He is both Perfect God and Perfect
Man. Moreover, our ability to relate with someone based on his defects
or limitations may not be the best of possible ways to solve our problems. Such an attitude may also be a form of seeking ourselves and
thus prevent us from acquiring an authentic conversion.
We could, however, point out some of our Lord’s “defects” as the
late Bishop Francis Xavier Nguyên Van Thuân referred to in a retreat
he once preached to the Great John Paul II and the Roman Curia. He
Whatever / A6
Opinion
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 13 No. 11
May 25 - June 7, 2009
Francisco F. Claver, SJ
Church people in
politics I
Afterthoughts
THE Alagad (lay ministers) program of the
diocese of Malaybalay is as old as the diocese itself, starting as it did forty years ago
shortly after the province of Bukidnon was
carved out of the Archdiocese of Cagayan
and made an independent Prelature Nullius.
Their training process was for the work they
would be doing as leaders of basic ecclesial
communities (BECs) in their respective barrios, centering mainly on their conducting of
the Sunday (priest-less) worshiping of the
community, bible sharing and pastoral planning especially. But there were other areas
covered too, like Christian family life, the
Church’s social doctrine, community organizing, spirituality, etc.
But starting this year, the program may
well have to include a crash course on how to
be a Christian public servant. A politician, in
other words. For up to now, the one condition
imposed on men wanting to serve as Alagads
was that if ever they ran for public office, they
would have to stop acting as Church ministers. The reason behind the prohibition was to
forestall the entry of people who would take
advantage of their position in the religious
community to build themselves up for a
political career later. Wrongly or rightly, that
was what we judged best for our fledgling
program from our understanding of Philippine political culture. Recently however, the
diocese decided to lift that long-standing
prohibition and allow Alagads to remain in
their ministry even as elected government
officials if they ran and won.
The reason for the change is the admission that the nation’s politics has sunk
down to terribly low levels. Good men and
women, principled public servants—these
are clearly the desperate need of our times
and not harnessing such potential good
leaders for the good of the country does
not seem to be the right way to go. It’s a
prudential judgment of a Church that seeks
to be relevant to its people’s life as it is being lived now, in the same way that the
previous prohibition was also a prudential
judgment that was deemed to be fitted to
conditions then.
A proviso for the change has been made
and accepted, namely, that Alagads-turnedpoliticians must religiously attend the usual
Alagad meetings and continuing education
seminars. They are also asked to be open to
fraternal correction by their peers should
they stray from the straight and narrow and
behave like ordinary “trapos”, conscious
that their reputation as a body rises or falls
with the probity or lack of it of their politician members.
One other factor of relevance to the contemplated change is the sense—something
Faith and Fire
the BEIs for familiarization (ARMM barely had two months), with
certification by an internationally accredited entity, as well as more
opportunities for Comelec to upgrade its risk management of the
AES, all these plus factors can now move fear of automation to fervor
(or enthusiasm) for this new method that could free our elections
from the bondage of corruption.
AES is not a 100 percent guarantee to do so. In the end, machines
or technology no matter how high tech cannot give us fraud-free
elections. There could be other systems, like the OES, that might
have worthwhile features. But whatever system we consider must
conform to the requirements of R.A. 9369. The technology the
Comelec Advisory Council recommended for the 2010 elections—
PCOS or Precinct Count Optical Scan—conforms to the requirements
of R.A. 9369 and the Terms of Reference (TOR) inputs the learnings
in the ARMM plus other features reinforcing security, acceptability
and election management.
AES could be a path to political maturity of our people, like Japan
or some European countries where manual elections can be trusted
to count the vote correctly, swiftly, and where there is the mature
acceptance of the electorate that in any contest there is a winner
and a loser.
It would still be values, mindsets and attitude of each and all
Filipinos that will spell success of any system for our elections. To
continue fomenting divides and distrust, or to expand ourselves
and go beyond borders of the I, ME, MINE, Is our choice. This is
not to say that we go by blind faith and be reduced to resigned or
indifferent acceptance. No, AES should be a dynamic for participation, for enlightened engagement. AES for 2010 is what the law has
mandated. But more than this, we could make it a common project
of the citizenry—wherein we pool our talents, our time and our
vigilance together—vigilance is always necessary for any system.
So that fears about hacking, about systems failure, about election
failure and all sorts of fear of the unknown, we may overcome, and
overcome together. It could also be a chance for the Filipinos to once
more show to the world, and to ourselves the marvelous things we
can accomplish when we live our faith.
Fr. Russell Bantiles
Proclaim the
Gospel of Life
Cogito
JESUS and Amparo, a Spanish couple from
Alicante, were like our parents during our
seminary days in BIDASOA. When we were
still deacons in 2005, Fr. Eugene Hechanova
and I stayed in their house for three days,
before going back to the Philippines. It was
a gesture of deep gratitude towards this
generous couple for the support – not only
economic but especially spiritual – that they
have extended – not only to us both, but to
the entire BIDASOA International Seminary
– even until the present.
Just recently, they attended the ordination
of 14 new deacons (only one from the Philippines) of BIDASOA last April 25. During their
stay in Pamplona, Fr. Eugene and I had the
opportunity to accompany them and relive
the old times together. Both are pharmacists,
who used to own and manage a pharmacy
in Alicante.
We’ve learned that a few years ago, they
have decided to close the pharmacy. The
motive? Every year, they receive complaints
from clients and suffer a lot from court battles.
The reason? Quite easy to understand: the clients complain simply because the pharmacy does
not sell contraceptives (like condoms, “morningafter” pills, etc.). And the law requires that
pharmacies should include these products
in their list.
As good Catholics, trying to live coherently
their faith, Jesús and Amparo decided to follow their conscience, a clear echo of what St.
Peter said to the Sanhedrin: “It is better for
us to follow God than to obey men.” And in
doing so, they simply fulfill Jesus’ exhortation
in this Sunday’s Gospel: “Go to the whole
world and proclaim the Gospel.” In other
words, they become living witnesses of the
Gospel of life.
***
How many Jesuses and Amparos could we
find in our neighborhood right now? In our
parish, in our archdiocese, in our beloved
City of Davao, can we still find Christians and
Afterthoughts / A7
Ambassador Henrietta T. de Villa
Outlook and challenges
for automated elections
WHY are we automating our elections in the first place? Why the
need as far back as 1997 for R.A. 8436, the Election Law authorizing Comelec to implement the automation of the 2001 elections?
But this didn’t happen. Again in 2006 R.A. 9369 amending R.A.
8436, authorized Comelec to implement the AES (Automated
Election System) “using appropriate technology which has been
demonstrated in the voting, counting, consolidating, canvassing,
and transmission of election results, and other electoral processes”
(Sec.2.1), and that “the system procured must have demonstrated
capability and been successfully used in a prior electoral exercise
here or abroad.” (Sec.12).
Because elections done manually as far back as I can remember
spawned progressive cheating, invented so many anomalies like
dagdag-bawas, and definitely reduced the value and the dignity of
Philippine elections as a numbers game, worse inculcated in our
culture that election is a business transaction – vote buying and
vote selling. Now vote buying and vote selling are no longer just by
hundreds of pesos, or thousands, but hundreds of thousands, even
in six digit amounts, especially on the national level.
But then we are a people of faith ...believing there is always the
possibility of change. For me personally, since I covered the 2008
election in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao or ARMM
which was fully automated—using even two technologies: the DRE
Direct Recording Electronic system and the OMR Optical Mark
Reader, the possibility of changing our electoral process from bad to
good is now at hand. I don’t say that the AES suddenly transformed
the ARMM from being the cheating capital of elections in the Philippines into an exemplar of clean and credible elections.
What was good about the 2008 ARMM AES experience was that
the system worked. And it showed the key areas needing improvements. The time for the public to know the election results was
dramatically shortened. Hence, the space for manipulating election
results was diminished, and election related violence and nuisance
pre-proclamation protests did not take on gargantuan proportions.
So that with tighter security measures, longer space for voters’
education and exposing the machines to the voting public and
that has grown in our consciousness with our
experience of BECs—that perhaps it is time
now to look for the reform of our political
culture not from the top but from the bottom
of our highly stratified society. What the Left
kept hammering away at in martial law times
to get us to support their armed struggle option was that people in power do not easily,
if ever, give up power: they had to be eliminated, by violent force if necessary. And at the
time they were unrelenting in saying it was
necessary. We accept their negative reading
of people in power but not their suggested
method of change! Our rural folk who are
always at the short end of the stick in the
nation’s evils are helpless before the corruption of the big people up there in the highest
reaches of Philippine society. But down there
at their level, they see they have a handle on
the corruption of their barrio officials. If they
cannot get at the sophisticated thieves at the
top, they can at the petty ones at the bottom,
and they understand all too clearly the intertwined web of corruption of one level with
another, barrio with municipal, municipal
in turn with provincial and national and so
on in our marvelous system of patronage
and kick-backs. It is at the barrio level they
can come to grips with that system. And if
it is true that the larger problem is our easy
Catholics who would prefer to have their
pharmacies closed rather than help propagate an anti-life mentality by selling antilife products? (Effectively, “contraception”
is a contraction of two words: “contra”—
against—and “conception”—engender life;
hence, against life).
Speaking of anti-life mentality, one day,
a Spanish friend of mine, nicknamed “Ksus” (real name is Jesús), asked me candidly
why the natural method of family planning
that involves doing the marital act during
infertile periods if the couple does not want
to have a baby, could not be considered an
anti-life mentality. Simple, I said.
It cannot involve an anti-life mentality,
although the couple does not want a baby,
because, in the first place, it’s the natural law
itself (as expressed in the fertility cycle of the
woman) that does not grant the possibility
of engendering life. Since God’s will is made
manifest in the natural law, we can say that
during infertile periods, it is God’s will that
no life yet could bloom. And the couple’s
desire not to have a baby is only secondary
to God’s will. They simply cooperate in
God’s design, so to speak.
***
In the use of contraceptives, this cooperation in the will of God cannot be found. Why?
Because there’s no decisive consideration of
the natural law (the woman’s fertility cycle).
What is decisive, instead, is not reason but
the sexual appetite that tends to dominate
the couple, robbing them of the opportunity
to exercise their will through self-control. In
the use of natural method, a person exercises
his reason and will. In doing so, he becomes
truly human and rises above and has dominion over his animal instincts. In the use of
artificial method, a person is dominated by
his lower appetites; thus, is more likened to
animals than to humans. What makes man
truly human is the exercise of his higher
faculties (reason and will).
It does not mean suppression of the lower
faculties (like sexual appetites) but dominion
over them, thereby integrating them into
the person’s own good. The irrational exercise of man’s sexual appetites, for instance,
contributes to his dehumanisation. When I
say “irrational exercise”, I mean, the use of
sexual faculties for mere pleasure, without
considering its two inseparable objectives—
expression of love (unitive) and procreation
(procreative), and its fundamental context:
marriage. All sexual acts done outside these
parameters are simply “irrational exercise”
of one’s sexual faculties, hence, degrading
to the person.
***
My friend, K-sus, once again insisted with
his question: “Are we not separating the unitive and procreative dimensions, in the case
of a couple who does not want a baby yet,
and performs the marital act during infertile
periods?” Of course not, for a very simple
reason: they don’t have an anti-life mentality.
As we can see, what the Catholic Church
teaches is not simply a set of prohibitions—a
list of DO’s and DON’T’s—but a pro-life
mentality. I cannot understand why some
people—especially those who promote contraception to curb the population, those who
support the RH bill and even those who want
to establish RH clinics in Davao—would
prefer an anti-life than a pro-life mentality.
I cannot understand WHY THESE PEOPLE
PREFER DEATH TO LIFE.
“Choose life and not death”, Moses said to
the Israelites before they set out to the promise land. The Church is now exhorting us
in the same manner: She is proclaiming the
Gospel of salvation, promoting a “culture of
life”, and condemning an “anti-life mentality”. She does this to fulfill the command of
Jesus: “Go to the whole world and proclaim
the Gospel.” Catholics and non-Catholics
alike—if we prefer life to death—why not
join Her voice?
A5
Jose B. Lugay
Laiko Lampstand
Getting involved
in change—for the
country of the future
MEDIA today has been on 24 hours/7days blaring the sensational sex video scandal of Dr. Hayden Kho and Katrina Halili,
also dragging the famous beauty expert, Dr. Vicky Belo in the
investigation. Days without end before that, the exchange of
heated arguments occurred between two presidentiables, Senator Panfilo Lacson and former Senator Manny Villar. Senator
Jamby Madrigal charged Senator Villar of double insertion
of P200 million in the 2009 budget for the road that will pass
through his Las Piñas and Sta. Rosa real estate projects. Senator
Villar is convinced that the charge against him is a counter-move
to his announcement that he would run for president in the 2010
elections. The Senate Ethics Committee even without Senator
Villar’s presence, voted for the formal investigation of his case
by the Senate, considering that the data furnished them need
further verification. These are two media exposures representing degradation of morals—negative values that the Filipino
nation has sunk into!
In between these two affairs, was media’s exploitation of the
popularity of Manny Paquiao’s mother, Aling Dionisia, who
celebrated a debut during her 60th birthday and attended by
400 guests, capped with ballroom dancing. This was a gift from
his loving son. Now a celebrity, every move of hers is newsworthy. Aling Dionisia was offered to have her life story made into
a movie and for her to model for a product commercial. This
is an indication of extreme interest by the majority of the poor
Filipinos who can relate with the Cinderella change of their
ka-baro. And the media feasted on it for several days together
with Manny’s plan to run in the local Saranggani elections. This
two reported incidents focused on the Filipino’s never-ending
hope for a better life. There are 40 million poor voters who
could identify themselves with the Pacquiao mother and son—a
dream situation to be in. The crux is, so long as our nation is not
governed by honest, cultured and learned politicians, this will
remain just that—wishful thinking to millions of Filipinos! Yes,
we need change. Foremost of all is change in those governing
this country.
There is much hope for this change in media’s daily reporting
of the progress of the bidding of the automation equipment of
COMELEC. All are hopeful that once the 2010 results come in using the automated election system, the era of dagdag bawas will
have gone away forever. Wait until you hear the recent March
2009 report that Germany has just declared unconstitutional, the
further use of automated election for the simple reason that it is
not transparent to the voters each step of the election process.
That the source code to compare the program actually used is
kept secret by the manufacturer of the electronic equipment for
the simple reason that it is an Intellectual Property Right that
can not be shared publicly. We will wait for the completion of
COMELEC’s bidding outcome since they have alternative plans
if the present bidding fails.
Timed during the Pacquio fight, the showing of the AKO MISMO advertisement, created a sensation as if a miracle happened.
Deep patriotic sentiments from the viewing public triggered an
advocacy movement. During the sensational Pacquiao-Hatton
fight, all Filipinos here and abroad rooted for Manny to win.
All viewers were emotionally charged and in six minutes it was
over. Our countrymen, hearts bursting with pride, realized that
the Filipino and the Philippines could be world class, thanks to
Manny. If Manny could do something for our country, why can’t
every Filipino viewer do something for the country himself?
Thus the DDB Group serendipitously timed the showing of the
AKO MISMO advertisement during the Pacquiao-Hatton fight.
A conglomerate of prominent and ordinary citizens showing the
simple AKO MISMO tag conceptualized by the DDB Group,
supported by several organizations and funded by PLDT/Smart
Foundation the advertisement advocated change ─ first within
the person himself. A gem of well-timed triggering mechanism,
the AKO MISMO advertisement brought in, in six days time
about 73,000 commitments, 1.l million page views, and 700,000
search results, with numbers growing by the minute. There was
also a rush to buy the AKO MISMO tags. The first objective
of change is inculcating in the Filipino his love of country ─ a
change that must start from within one’s self.
Will this initial Filipino enthusiasm, that is the love to support
our country’s change for the better, be sustained? Although
there are those who derisively predict that the Ako Mismo advertisement is PLDT Chairman Manny Pangilinan’s entry into
the political arena, in spite of his immediate denial, there were
still doubting Thomases who say—ano na naman ito? Ganito
na lang ba tayo? Good in planning and gimmicks? NATO pa
rin? (NO ACTION TALK ONLY)? This continuing disbelief and
negative note must stop. Those who follow the moves of Advocacy Groups believe that change for the future is coming. The
coming election has triggered the activation of many movements
and advocacy groups. To name a few—
a) Silent Society Group calling on voters not to reveal the
candidates of their choice for the coming election—to reflect in
silence. The rationale is to thwart survey results that are used
by politicians to pour in more money to buy votes.
b) Education Nation, a business group that advocates for
the election of leaders who can improve the educational system which they have identified as the first line of attack for the
country to move forward towards first world category.
c) Youth Vote Philippines, the youth group mainly from
schools and universities, searching for leaders, honest and
knowledgeable in good governance, who can support their
dream of a better Philippines;
d) Change Politics Movement—a 2000-member group led
by former DSWD Secretary, Dinky Soliman, for the eradication
of graft and corruption in government resulting from defective
systems of governance;
e) Kaya Natin Movement—A group of successful governors
and local leaders giving sessions in different schools that there is
still hope for this country to move forward – as shown by their
success in governance as elected politicians.
f) Dilaab Foundation, Inc.—Cebu’s leading agent of change
in the Diocese – exposing graft and corruption; establishing
circles of discernment to select prospective candidates who have
unblemished record of service to the community especially those
now serving parish communities. And many more—the BEC’s,
Parish Pastoral Council Social, Action Units, Lay Apostolates
and Movements.
In answer to the query, Quo Vadis Philippines? I answer.
There is hope for my grandchildren to see the Philippines as the
“Land of the morning, child of the sun returning, With fervor
burning, Thee do our souls adore!— the first two lines of the
lyrics of the Pambasang Awit by Camilo Osias. School children
sang this during Monday flag ceremonies during the 1940s when
Lupang Hinirang was not yet written. Paging Martin Nievera—
You’re OK. Never mind what they say about your singing. It is
what you felt about our country when you sang that during the
celebrated Pacquiao victory over Hatton that matters.
Local News
A6
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 13 No. 11
May 25 - June 7, 2009
Gov’t job generation effort
not enough—Eiler
THE government’s job-generating efforts
are not enough to accommodate thousands
of Filipinos going out of work.
This was the observation of the labor
think-tank, Ecumenical Institute for Labor
Education and Research (Eiler), Inc. as 84
companies in Central Luzon get rid of their
15,000 workers.
Eiler Deputy Executive Director Anna
Leah Escresa-Colina said in a statement the
emergency employment opportunities, as
stated in a Communiqué released by the Palace last February 9, is not enough to solve the
problem of joblessness and massive layoffs
in the country.
The said Communiqué directs all agencies concerned to create 824,555 emergency
jobs, including the 506,082 jobs from the
Department of Public Works and Highways,
100,000 from the repair of classrooms of public schools and 27,000 for the Out of School
Youth Serving Towards Economic Recovery
(OYSTER) program.
“Apart from being short-term, the number of jobs created is not enough to provide
employment to jobless individuals, even if
we add up the 100,000 jobs in the business
process outsourcing industry and the 400,000
job offerings overseas for the number of jobless adults in the Philippines now reach 14
million,” she said.
Based on the First Quarter 2009 survey of
the Social Weather Station (SWS), unemployment rate rose to 34.2 percent this year.
In addition, 12 percent of the unemployed
were reportedly retrenched from work while
13 percent “voluntarily” left their jobs.
The labor expert assailed Malacañang’s
Choice / A1
deliberated on the floor anytime before they adjourn on June 5.
Others warn that the church’s crucial backing in the 2010 national
elections will only be given to those who oppose the bill.
Reports said lawmakers will want to vote on the RH bill too before
they go on their mandatory recess.
The bill will then go to the Senate and will be sent to President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo if passed by both houses.
Foreign backers
International agencies and economists have called for the enactment of RH bill in the Philippines where population now stands at
around 90 million, with an annual growth rate of 2.04 percent, one
of the highest in Asia.
But the CBCP is taking offense over foreign intervention and accused them of unethical behavior for supporting the passage of RH
bill in Congress.
ECFL chairman Archbishop Paciano Aniceto earlier said international funding agencies such as US-AID, the European Commission, Australia’s Agency for International Development and
even Agencia Espańola de Cooperacion Internacional of Spain
are pressuring lawmakers to pass the RH bill by linking increased
aid to its passage.
The funding goes to the maternal health and population management program, a multilateral-funded program in several decades
pronouncement about the latest independent
labor survey, saying it’s a “mere perception”. She also assailed legislators who call
the survey, “less scientific” compared to
government data.
The Labor Department, through the Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics,
registered an unemployment figure pegged
at 7.7 percent, 26 percent short of the figure
from the SWS survey
“The extent of joblessness in the country
has been sugarcoated since the government,
in April 2005, decided to revise the definition
of unemployment through Resolution No.
15 of the National Statistical Coordination
Board signed in October 2004,” explained
Escresa-Colina.
“Through the said resolution, the NSO
used the International Labor Organization
(ILO) concept of unemployment as those
without work, seeking work and available
for work. Prior to this, the National Statistics Office defined the unemployed as those
without work and seeking work, as well as
those without work and “not looking for
work because of the belief that no work was
available, or because of temporary illness/
disability, bad weather, pending job application or waiting for job interview,” she said.
She added, even if the government set
new parameters to define unemployment,
it cannot be denied that more Filipinos have
lost their jobs as an offshoot of the financial
crisis.
“As the financial crisis set in early this
year, unemployment figures shot up notches
higher from the same period last year,
with layoffs mostly coming from sectors
severely affected such as electronics and
semiconductors,” she further said. (Noel
Sales Barcelona)
after the government’s suspension of more active population control
programs due the pressure of the Catholic Church.
Aniceto said billions of pesos have been committed and earmarked
for release in the coming months, whereby funds will continue to
be channeled to local government units and NGOs.
‘Intermediate level fertility’
At a UN meeting on population decline, the Philippines was listed
among 74 countries as “intermediate-level fertility.” The meeting
noted that if current trends persisted, those countries were expected
to reach below replacement fertility levels.
The prelate said developments will threaten economic security in
such countries with the first impact being felt in health and welfare
systems.
He lamented that hefty funding which should be spent for authentic maternal, infant and child care, basic hygienic systems and
measures are instead poured into contraceptives and birth control
devices. “Is this good for economic development?” asked Aniceto.
Foreign funding agencies claimed they are concerned with the
fast growth rate of the Philippine population.
With this scenario, funding agencies believe it will be difficult
for the government to address poverty and achieve sustainable
economic growth unless an effective population management program is implemented.
Media Ad / A1
of the Philippines (AdBoard) and the Movie
and Television Review and Classification
Board (MTRCB) regarding the new television advertisement of “LBC Remittance
Service” which presented Manzano as the
featured host.
While she recognizes the business sector’s
need to market its products and employ
strategies to increase sales and patronage,
Mrs. Nograles said, “there are other responsible and more creative ways of achieving
such objectives than using educational scenario in an advertisement which conveys a
message that is contrary to the educational
essence of teaching what is right.”
Mrs. Nograles also wanted the AdBoard,
the agency primarily concerned with the
development of the ad industry through
self-regulation, to raise the matter to the
advertiser, and remind other advertisers as
well, on everyone’s responsibility especially
to the youth.
Meanwhile, on the same statement sent
to CBCPNews, MTRCB chair Ma. Consoliza P. Laguardia asked the Ad Standards Council, Inc., to investigate the LBC
advertisement.
“The advertisement is a distortion of
truth on the proper spelling of the word
‘remittance.” To the young minds, without
the guidance of an adult, such distortion of
truth presents an instructional digression,”
said Laguardia.
“The average child may not have the
adult’s grasp of figures of speech, and may
lack the understanding that language may be
colorful and words may convey more than
the literal meaning,” Laguardia said.
Laguardia also urged the Kapisanan ng
mga Broadkaster ng Pilipinas to immediately
issue a cease and desist order against the advertiser or order the immediate withdrawal
or recall from public exhibition of the advertisement until its propriety or compliance
with the Broadcast Code of the Philippines
and P.D. 1986 is resolved.
Laguardia cited a Supreme Court decision
(Soriano vs. Laguardia) which authoritatively declared that “the welfare of children
and the State’s mandate to protect and care
for them, as parens patria, constitute a substantial and compelling government interest
in regulating petitioner’s utterances in TV
broadcast.” (Mark S. Ventura w/PR)
left everything for him, he does not guarantee
food or lodging, but only a share in his own
way of life. (…) The Gospel passage of the
Beatitudes, the true “self-por¬trait” of Jesus
the risk-taker for the love of the Father and of
humanity, is a paradox from beginning to end,
even for us who have become used to hearing
it: Blessed are the poor in spirit.... Blessed are
the afflicted.... Blessed those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.... Blessed are
you when people revile you and persecute you
and utter all kinds of evil against you on my
account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward
is great in heaven.
e) Jesus doesn’t understand finances or
economics: Recall the parable of the workers
in the vineyard. (…) How can anyone pay
someone who began work¬ing at 5:00 p.m.
the very same wage paid to the person who
has been working since early morning? Is
this merely an oversight? Is Jesus’ accounting wrong? No! He does it on purpose, as
he explains, “Can I not do what I want with
what is mine? Or are you jealous because I
am generous?”
f) Jesus is a bad teacher: As a teacher, Jesus
would certainly be dismissed by the Department of Education for already revealing
the content of the final exam that should be
kept secret. More than that, he describes the
unfolding of the exam. “But when the Son of
man comes in His glory…all the nations will
be gathered before Him, and He will separate
them from each other, the way a shepherd
separates the sheep from the goats.”
These six “defects” of Jesus, more than
highlighting what God lacks in fact show
what man is incapable of giving and sacrificing because of his selfishness and calculating
attitude towards God and neighbor. Our Lord
is only more than willing to carrying with on
these “defects” so that we may be humbled
and converted as we return to His unfailing
mercy and love.
Whatever / A4
used this as a catechetical tool to explain to his
communist captors “why he left everything to
follow Jesus because of His defects.”[1]
a) Jesus has a terrible memory: On the cross,
during his agony, Jesus heard the voice of the
thief crucified on his right, “Jesus, remember
me when you come into your kingdom”. If
I had been Jesus, I would have told him, “I
certainly will not forget you, but your crimes
have to be expiated with at least twenty years
of purgatory.” Instead, Jesus tells him, “Today
you will be with me in paradise”. He forgets
all the man’s sins. (…) Jesus does not have a
memory like mine. He not only pardons, and
pardons every person, he even forgets that he
has pardoned.
b) Jesus doesn’t know math: If Jesus would
have had to take a mathematics exam, he
might have failed. He indicates this in the
parable of the lost sheep. A shepherd has one
hundred sheep. (…) For Jesus, one is equal to
ninety-nine—and perhaps more! Who could
ever accept this? But his mercy reaches from
generation to generation....
c) Jesus isn’t logical: A woman who has ten
silver pieces loses one of them and she lights a
lamp to search for it. This is truly illogical—to
disturb your friends over one silver piece and
then to plan a feast to celebrate the find! Even
more, by inviting her friends, she is bound to
spend more than the one silver piece. Not even
ten silver pieces would be enough to cover all
the expenses.
d) Jesus takes unreasonable risks: Jesus
promises trials and persecutions for those
who fol¬low him. To his disciples who have
Note:
[1] Taken from “Testimony of Hope”, Bishop Francis
Xavier Nguyên Van Thuân, pp. 14-18.
Polls / A1
low carbon and low waste campaign.”
“Let us bring to bear God’s gift of democracy and respond to the call for ecological
stewardship and citizenship so that nothing
is wasted,” the acclaimed environmental
champion said.
The EcoWaste Coalition and the Miss
Earth Foundation recently launched their
year-long campaign to green the polls.
The groups vowed to reach out to concerned members of the society to curb wastefulness in the 2010 polls and promote respect
and compliance to the country’s electoral and
environmental laws.
They particularly exhorted likeminded
citizens’ movements at the national and local
levels to include campaign waste prevention
and reduction in their advocacies to reform
the electoral processes.
“Let us all strive to safeguard not only the
sanctity of the ballot, but also the integrity of
the environment and the triumph of the common good,” the groups said. (CBCPNews)
AN official of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines
(CBCP) said that bishops are firm on their position not to favor
the amendment of the Constitution.
Changing the Charter is not necessary in order to institute
reforms in the country today.
“I am just reiterating the stand of the bishops on this issue, that
ChaCha is not needed to bring about changes in the country and
people,” said Msgr. Pedro Quitorio, Media Director of CBCP.
Quitorio added that if amending the Constitution is really
necessary it must not be through the Constituent Assembly (ConAss) but through Constitutional Convention (Con-Con).
“Amending the Constitution should be done by those who are
chosen by people, those whom they trust, that is why a constitutional convention is more favorable,” he said.
Meanwhile, Quitorio explained that pursuing the constitutional change must be timely.
“Amending the Constitution at this time can really fuel all
kinds of speculations from the people,” he declared.
He added that people cannot but speculate about some questionable motives by those who is presently holding power if
changing the constitution is done at this point in time.
The Constitution presents three forms of amending the Constitution which is through the organization of a Constituent
Assembly, formation of a Constitutional Convention and the
People’s Initiative. (Kate Laceda)
Panlilio, Padaca to announce
2010 plans soon
© Kate Laceda / CBCP Media
© www.pia.gov.ph
CBCP reiterates stand on Chacha
Governor Grace Padaca of Isabela assured the media during a weekly forum that
hers and Gov. Panlilio’s political plans will be made known to the public soon.
GOVERNORS Ed Panlilio of Pampanga and Grace Padaca of
Isabela will announce their political plans for 2010 this month.
At “The Forum,” a church-organized media discussion, Padaca
said she and Panlilio will meet to discuss whether or not to heed
the clamor for them to join in the national elections.
He said there is pressure from various groups for them to
make a public answer to many questions along that line. So the
decision, she said, could be public not later than May.
“We will have a very important meeting tonight so that we
could assess the situation and we have to make our final decision,” said Padaca.
Those attending the meeting, she said, are Naga Mayor Jessie
Robredo and members of the Kaya Natin Movement.
Padaca, however, refused to reveal where their meeting will
take place.
A group strongly supporting the candidacy of Panlilio, a suspended Catholic priest, and Padaca in the 2010 presidential race
was launched last March.
Panlilio-Padaca para sa Pagbabago Movement (PPP Movement) claimed that only Panlilio and Padaca, if elected president
and vice-president, respectively, can deliver the needed change
in the country.
PPP Movement is led by various organizations namely Kaya
Natin! Movement, Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang
Magsasaka and the Philippine Alliance of Ex-Seminarians. (Roy
Lagarde)
Regrettable / A1
claimed, is the government’s failure to do its job for the common
welfare.
“We certainly hope that our government will realize what the real
essence of being public servants is and do what is really needed by
the people and not of selfish interests,” Iñiguez said.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno, on May 15, lamented
the continued control of “oligarchs” over the country and that it
appears that the government is beholden to the rich and the powerful.
The said predicament, according to the movement pushing for the
nation’s moral recovery, further increases the problem of unequal
distribution of wealth and widening gap between the rich and the
poor.
According to Iñiguez, oligarchy, by itself, is not a bad form of governance but only if it leads to the well-being of the whole country.
This, however, does not pose the same result in the country because
of the increasing poverty rate, the bishop noted. (CBCPNews)
Farmers / A3
nity for service,” he added.
Five key issues
In his statement, the Jaro archbishop pressed the legislators on five
key issues that need to be incorporated in the CARP law.
These are: 1) Five-year implementation period including Compulsory Acquisition, and without the proposed phasing of distribution; 2) Collateral free credit and increased support services to
farmers; 3) Creation of an oversight committee with the inclusion
of private sector representatives to monitor the implementation of
agrarian reform; 4) Recognition of the farmers’ legal standing and
non-cancellation of Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA)
on lands already distributed to and developed by the farmers; 5)
Increased penalty for obstruction of CARP implementation.
Farmers’ day
May 15 is a national day of celebration and homage of the Philippine Catholic Church to the farmers that started in 2002. This day
is also the feast of St. Isidore the Worker, the patron saint of the
farmers.
Local celebrations were usually held simultaneously in various
dioceses across the country spearheaded by their respective social
action centers.
While honoring the farmers for their contribution to national
development, the CBCP’s National Secretariat for Social Action
deplores the conditions confronting them.
“The feast of St. Isidore, the Farmers’ Day on May 15 is an occasion
for us Filipinos to recall and acknowledge the important roles our
own farmers play in nation-building,” Lagdameo said.
“They are the co-creators of God; the representatives of society
entrusted with the noble task of making the earth fruitful,” he added.
(Roy Lagarde)
Diocesan News
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 13 No. 11
May 25 - June 7, 2009
News Briefs
People first before politics, says civil group
DAVAO CITY—A civil society group urged political leaders
to stop too much politicking and focus first on fulfilling their
promises to the Filipino people. Leonor Briones of Social Watch
Philippines said it would be great if political leaders would fast
track the improvement of the lives of the Filipino people who are
suffering in dire poverty instead of making early campaigning.
(Mark S. Ventura)
Cagayan urges speedy passage of CARPER
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—The Archdiocesan Center of Concern, Empowerment and Social Services of the Archdiocese of
Cagayan de Oro has urged the various church ministries and
communities to exert all efforts in pushing Congress to pass
the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program with extension
and reform (CARPER). It said that abandoning the agricultural
sector will not only threaten farmers but imperil food security
itself. (Bong D. Fabe)
‘Wedding capital’ of Legazpi marks 10th year
LEGAZPI CITY—Our Lady of Fatima Church known as Nuestra
Señora de la Fatima, has etched a unique moniker “The Wedding
Capital” in the diocese, following its decade of foundation where
Thanksgiving Mass was offered May 14, after a novenario and
procession of the Blessed Virgin Mother held at Tahao Road,
here. Msgr. Noe Thomas, the mass presider and once a parish
priest of the ten-year old church, has inspired the parishioners in
his homily by reflecting of the events that took place which according to him “the fan-shaped structure of the church is unique
and conducive to community participation”. (Elmer Bandol)
Health dep’t recommends ban of aerial spray
DAVAO CITY—The Department of Health in the region has issued a stern warning for the complete ban of aerial spray practices
following the result of their study, “Health and Environmental
Assessment of Sitio Camocaan in Hagonoy, Davao del Sur.” “The
aerial spraying of pesticides should be stopped and a shift to
organic farming techniques should be considered,” the health department pointed out in a commissioned study conducted in 2006
but was only presented to public recently. (Mark S. Ventura)
Prelate notes significance of Marian devotion
DAVAO CITY—Archbishop Fernando Capalla said that the filial
devotion of Filipinos to the Blessed Virgin is the reason why the
country has afforded Mary very special dates for celebrations
like Flores de Mayo. He added that part of this beautiful filial
attachment to Mary is the orders, congregations, societies of men
and women who devote themselves to live a life inspired by
Mary, like the Marists, Marianists, Oblates of Mary, Religious of
the Virgin Mary, Teresian Daughters of Mary (TDM), and many
others. (Mark Ventura)
Speaker assures Church of 2010 polls
DAVAO CITY—Speaker Prospero Nograles has assured Church
leaders, concerned groups and other no election (No-el) believers
that the election in 2010 will push through. He even challenged
those who are peddling this intrigue to publicly declare that they
would reject any government position or withdraw from running
in any elective post if the election will proceed as scheduled next
year. (Mark Ventura)
Seamen’s group to church: Tackle MLC in parishes,
dioceses
QUEZON CITY—The International Seafarers’ Action Center
Philippines Foundation, Inc. appealed to the Catholic Church
to include on their socio-pastoral dialogues the issue of the
2006 Maritime Labor Convention (MLC ’06) ratification for it
is instrumental in the advancement, development and protection of seafarers’ rights and welfare. The appeal was made
after the first ever migrant workers’ summit in Mindanao was
held recently. Mindanao is one of the major senders of Filipino
migrant workers, seconded by Visayas and then Luzon. (Noel
Sales Barcelona)
A7
Prelate urges media
to promote
positive values
Archbishop Antonio J. Ledesma, SJ
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—Archbishop
Antonio Ledesma, SJ, urged members of the
communications media to always promote
positive values to help steer people towards
God.
In his homily during the mass at the Daughters of St. Paul‘s Fatima Chapel in celebration
of the 43rd World Communications Day,
Ledesma summarized Pope Benedict XVI’s
message on the theme “New Technologies,
New Relationships, Promoting a Culture of
Respect, Dialogue and Friendship.”
“Media persons are also called to promote
the culture of respect, dialogue and friendship,” he said.
“To promote the culture of respect is to
respect the dignity of every human person…
especially in how they are portrayed through
the mass media,” the 66-year-old Jesuit
archbishop said.
Ledesma, who also maintains a blog in
cyberspace, called on media persons to
always side with the light and truth and promote positive values to counter the work of
darkness in using modern communications
media in the promotion of pornographic
values and falsifying what is actually happening in the world.
Respect for the human dignity of every
person is a “value that we will always protect
in the mass media,” he said.
Ledesma also urged media persons to promote the culture of dialogue, which he said
means “to promote the interchange of ideas
especially of people of different cultures and
different faith.”
Using as example his beloved Mindanao,
the Iloilo City-born prelate encouraged all
persons using modern communications
media to always foster dialogue and respect
for one another, especially in regard to “our
Muslim brothers and sisters.”
He said the promotion of the culture of
dialogue is best translated in how we treat
one another, especially people of different
cultures and religions. And the way we treat
one another shows our love of God, he said.
“It is also heartwarming to appreciate that
our Muslim brothers and sisters actually
have the same values as we have of love of
God and love of neighbors,” he added.
Ledesma, the 4th archbishop of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro also exhorted
media persons to also promote the culture
of friendship.
“To promote the culture of friendship also
means that we are not only able to listen
carefully to each other but also we respect
the human dignity of each other and enter
into dialogue, into solidarity, into oneness
despite our cultural and religious differences,” he stressed.
He acknowledged that given our propensity for evil, this is not an easy task to
do, which is why he recommended that
we always think of the fact that “we share
a common humanity, we share a common
vocation to be sons and daughters of God”
to make this task easier.
“And it is where the advocacy for peace
and justice, the advocacy for human rights is
also an advocacy of people in media to help
promote justice and peace in our community,
in our country and throughout the world,”
Ledesma said.
Meanwhile, Fr. Albert “Abet” Uy, professor on bioethics at the St. John Vianney Theological Seminary here, advised the media
to always be on the “light” side in the use
and promotion of modern communications
equipment and gadgets.
According to Uy modern technological
advancements especially in the communications media has two sides—light and
shadow—and that media persons must learn
to navigate away from the “shadow” into the
“light” in their work.
Uy advised media persons to always put
their tasks in the crucible of the following two
questions: “Will our action be good for the
totality of the wellbeing of the human person?
Will our action be for the common good?”
In this way, Uy said, “we become true
Christians in our work.” (Bong D. Fabe)
Muslims to have Shari’a Courts in
ARMM, urban areas, if approved
DAVAO CITY–To help Filipino Muslims resolve their legal conflicts
in relation to their distinct personal and family laws, a lawmaker
from the 1st District of Sultan Kudarat is urging for the passage of a
measure seeking to create shari’a courts in the Autonomous Region
in Muslims Mindanao (ARMM) and areas outside of it.
Cong. Datu Pax S. Mangudadatu, author of House Bill 6337 said
that the bill aims to strengthen the shari’a district court system by
establishing shari’a courts in areas where there are countless Filipino
Muslims.
Mangudadatu added that establishing shari’a courts in the
country is mandated under Presidential Decree 1083, although at
present shari’a courts are only in limited areas of Mindanao and
the ARMM.
He added that due to the limited access of Muslims to shari’a courts
the situation also becomes inconvenient and difficult especially in
solving personal legal problems.
“There are Muslims’ communities all over the country especially
in urban centers. That is why the limited access to shari’a courts
make it more difficult for them to avail,” he said.
Under the proposed bill, five judicial districts with one shari’a
district court and one judge each shall be created in the provinces of
Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Basilan and Isabela City in Lanao del Sur, Marawi
City in Maguindanao and Cotabato City.
Apart from that, six special judicial districts, each to have one
shari’a district court, shall be established in the provinces of Lanao
del Norte, Iligan City, North Cotabato, South Cotabato and General
Santos City and the ninth shari’a district in Metro Manila among
others.
The measure also provides that permanent stations or offices of
shari’a district courts shall be created in the ARMM particularly in
the first district of Jolo, Bongao, Isabela City, Marawi and Cotabato
City. Those permanent offices outside the ARMM shall be put up
in Zamboanga City, General Santos City, Metro Manila and Cebu.
(Mark Ventura)
Church, grassroots support AMB passage
DAVAO CITY─ Church leaders and grassroots
communities in Southern and Central Mindanao
also signified their strong support for the passage
of the Alternative Mining Bill (AMB) or House
Bill 6342.
The bill which aims to scrap the old Mining Act
of 1995 takes into consideration the decades-long
issues, experiences and analyses of different individuals, organizations, and communities affected
by mining in the Philippines.
Fr. Romeo Catedral, the Social Action Director
of the Diocese of Marbel said that it is about time
to give more emphasis on environmental protection, respect to the indigenous communities and
the need for food security of the people.
“The alternative mining bill clearly acknowledges the importance of environmental protection as well as food security and shows authentic
respect to the communities. We hope our lawmakers will show real concern by supporting
the passage of the bill,” Catedral said in a statement sent to CBCPNews by the Legal Rights and
Natural Resources Center Kasama sa Kalikasan
-Friends of the Earth Philippines (LRC/KsK-FoE
Phils) group.
Catedral said the Catholic Church is not against
development and mineral utilization only if it
promotes authentic improvement in the Philippine
economy and lives of the people.
“Our diocese fully supports the Alternative Min-
ing Bill as we demand the immediate scrapping of
RA 7942. We believe that the alternative bill will
ensure that benefits from mining will go not only
to the community but will surely improve Philippine economy” Catedral said.
The proposed bill will raise government share
from mining to at least 10 percent apart from
the direct share of the Local Government Units
(LGUs).
Also, leaders of the Columbio Multi-Sectoral
Ecology Movement (CMEM), an alliance of
grassroots organizations in the Municipality of
Columbio, ultan Kudarat recently passed a resolution urging their district representative to support
the enactment of the bill.
“AMB reflects our position that the mining
industry should be “needs–based,” should bring
development to the local communities and does
not favor foreign interests” said Audie Itable,
chairperson of CMEM, adding:
“What is more promising in the bill is that it
ensures that the benefits from mining operations
should outweigh the anticipated impacts to the
community and the environment.”
Itable also reiterated their group’s call to scrap
RA 7942 otherwise known as the Mining Act of
1995.
The La Bugal-B’laaan Tribal Association,
through its chairperson Quentol Labuayan, was
present in the filing of the bill at the Office of the
Secretary General of the House of
Representatives. In 1997, La Bugal filed a petition in the Supreme
Court questioning the validity of
the Mining Act.
“Ang AMB naghatag ug
dakung respeto sa among katungod isip katawhang lumad ug
sa among yutang kabilin tungod
kay ginaila niini nga kami ang
nanag-iya bisan sa mga minerals nga anaa nasulod sa among
teritoryo” (The AMB greatly
respects our rights as Indigenous
Peoples and our ancestral domains because it acknowledges that we own even the minerals found
underneath our territories), Labuayan said.
On March 2009, leaders of Luwas Kinaiyahan,
a multi-sectoral environmental alliance in Davao
Oriental were also upbeat of the alternative mining bill.
The group committed to influence their district
representative to support the bill through the
signatures they will gather from their respective
communities.
“Hopefully, Mt. Hamiguitan and Pujada bay will
be finally spared from mining activities with the
passage of the AMB since these two are protected
areas” said Lilia Paglinawan, Luwas Kinaiyahan
convenor.
Afterthoughts / A5
condoning of political corruption as the perquisite of office of elected
officials, then it is one that has to do with a general over-hauling of
our values as a people. That radical change can take place when whole
communities band together as one, as in the BECs, to combat the evil
in a concerted manner. That banding together in common cause is
what we call people power, the moral force that, contrary to current
despair, is still very much alive in functioning BECs.
Will it work? A desperate measure from all appearances, a last
ditch effort, as it were, to break our slide as a Catholic people into
destructive despair. We have reason to hope it will if BECs follow
through as the vehicles of change and self-correction in the way they
have so far been proving themselves to be.
One misgiving, however, occurs to me at the change of directions
of the Alagads of Bukidnon: Will the about-face in their tradition
inevitably lead to the formation of Catholic political parties? Or at
least of a Catholic vote, the possibility even of block-voting similar
to the practice of the Iglesia ni Kristo?
I trust not. For that is not a consummation to be desired or aspired
for. Politicized religion is not what we should be ending up with in
our attempts to make our faith effective in the reform of our political
order and culture. If there is going to be an authentic Catholic vote,
it will be along the lines of voters exercising their suffrage franchise
in principled ways: not buying or selling votes, not cheating, not
destroying others by untruths and slanders, not doing what passes
“The final bill was a product of years of consultations with various sectors and even economic and
environmental experts to ensure that it reflects
the interest of the indigenous peoples and local
communities, their rights and the environment
are protected, food security is prioritized and that
the government will largely benefit from it” said
Atty. Rhia Muhi of the Legal Rights and Natural
Resources Center - Kasama sa Kalikasan/Friends
of the Earth Philippines (LRC/KsK-FoE Phils).
The bill was authored by Rep. Riza HontiverosBaraquel Rep. Walden Bello, Rep. Lorenzo “Erin”
Tanada III, Rep. Carlos Padilla and Rep. Rufus Rodriguez. The filing was attended by various sectors
including representatives from mining affected
communities in Mindanao. (Mark S. Ventura)
Pandacan / A1
as standard political practice in our nation today—as the bishops
have been repeating over and over each time election year comes
around. With little success. So it’s a tall order, yes, but necessary
and obligatory for all of us who profess to be men and women of
religion to try one more time.
Comelec / A1
“The poll body has a problem with time management... it reflects
its lack of an operations manual and unavailable internal IT infrastructure and expertise,” CenPEG said.
The group said it would have been better if the Comelec selected
to bid for an open election system (OES) since it would better fit the
logistical capabilities of the poll body.
CenPEG added that the OES would better promote the important policy of “secret voting and public counting” in the holding of
national elections.
Under the OES, only the canvassing and transmission would be
automated while the process of voting and counting would remain
manual.
The same system is being pushed by some members of the Catholic
Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
CenPEG is a public policy group that was established in early
2004 to advocate the democratic representation of the people in
governance. (CBCPNews)
and other major industries in the city.
“We trust that you will remain true to your word that will veto
ordinance 7177,” the petition read.
“Having been senator and secretary of the republic, we believe
that you will take the health and safety of the people as your number
one priority. Please don’t fail us,” it added.
Other bishops who signed the petition are Manila Auxiliary
Bishops Bernardino Cortez and Broderick Pabillo and Novaliches
Bishop-Emeritus Teodoro Bacani.
The Mayor earlier vowed to oppose the proposed ordinance, saying that health and public safety would be his primary concerns than
the fate of the city’s major industries. (Roy Lagarde)
Mindoro / A3
against a highly centralized government and flawed national policy
on mining that retards efforts to attain sustainable development,”
Garganera said.
In a related development, a public hearing in Victoria, Oriental
Mindoro was also cancelled on May 15 when a crowd of 3,000 people
gathered outside the Municipal hall to protest.
Opposition to the project of Intex Resources is led by the multisectoral movement called Alyansa Laban sa Mina (ALAMIN) and
the Apostolic Vicariate of Calapan together with other national and
international anti-mining advocates. (Pinky Barrientos, FSP)
People, Facts & Places
A8
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 13 No. 11
May 25 - June 7, 2009
THE Episcopal Commissions of the
Catholic Bishops Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP) have deepened
their knowledge on the Spirituality of
Stewardship during their recollection
held last May 14 at the CBCP-BEC
Training and Development Center in
Tagaytay City.
The recollection encouraged the
CBCP employees to reflect on their
roles as stewards of the creation of
God, as workers of the Church, and as
persons.
Resource speakers of the said recollection were Executive Secretaries from
two commissions.
Fr. Conegundo Garganta of the Episcopal Commission on Youth (ECY)
gave an extensive discussion on stewardship.
“Stewardship is a lifestyle which involves a deeper understanding of our
relationship to God, to ourselves, and to
others,” he defined stewardship.
Garganta also stressed the challenge to respond to God’s call as
Christian stewards through the use
and development of our time, talent
and treasure.
“Any talents we possess that will
allow us to achieve success are blessings from the Lord. Any treasure we
may reap as a result of those talents is
also considered a blessing from God,”
he said.
He also provided ways on how to
share the time, talent and treasure given
by God as a thanksgiving to the One
who made everything on earth.
Sr. Eleonora Otacan, DSA from the
Episcopal Commission on Mutual
Relations between Bishops and Religious (ECMR) expounded on the topic
“Living the Spirituality of Stewardship
in the Context of the CBCP Episcopal
Commissions.”
“The spirituality of Stewardship”
should permeate every work in the
Church and of the Church, therefore,
it should be exercise by every Church
worker, and particularly today, we,
the CBCP personnel and staff,” she
declared.
She discussed that as stewards one
must witness God’s love in the blessings
a person has received.
Otacan also stressed that a person
must live life with respect and gratitude
for the Lord.
Otacan, moreover, defined “Buhay
Katiwala” or stewardship as the way
of life of a steward, of the disciple of
Christ, of a Christian who dedicated to
live the principles and the standards
of God.
She also shared on the perspective of
Manila Auxiliary Broderick Pabillo on
stewardship.
“The life of a steward is an ongoing
process of integration as we relate our
whole person to the whole action of
God,” she said quoting Pabillo.
She also stressed that as stewards of
God’s creation, we are called to respect
His creation making the things we pos-
Photo courtesy of CBCP-ECMR
CBCP holds recollection
on stewardship
CBCP employees shared their insights with one another during a recollection on the spirituality of stewardship held in Tagaytay last May 14.
sessed on earth not our private possession but God’s.
Otacan explained that as children of
God, each of us is responsible for every
person on earth most especially to those
in need.
The aforementioned recollection was
facilitated by Dr. Linda Tacorda, Executive Secretary of the Episcopal Commission on the Laity (ECLA).
An excursion at the Vitug Resort, in
Nasugbu, Batangas last May 15 culmi-
nated day-long recollection.
The gathering intended not only to
learn and develop Christian values
but also to establish camaraderie
among other CBCP employees. (Kate
Laceda)
National assembly for indigenous doctors held
© Kate Laceda / CBCP Media
De Oro Archbishop Antonio
Ledesma.
Resource Speakers were
doctors who had knowledge
on Western and the so-called
“Complementary” medicines.
Dr. Jessica Cueto-De Leon
from the Department of
Health (DOH) gave a lecture
on “Indigenous Healers and
Community Health Workers
as Barefoot Doctors.”
De Leon reported that the
first barefoot doctors was institutionalized in the republic
of China in 1965 while the
Primary Health Care (PHC)
Batch 7 of the Barefoot Doctors demonstrated the different healing process through was first initiated on 1981 in
a skit. The doctor gave an herbal medicine to the patient experiencing chills.
the Philippines were Barefoot
THE 229 Tribal Barefoot Doctors in the Philippines health Workers (BHWs) were trained.
who graduated from the Indigenous Peoples ComThe talk on “Integrative Medicine: Ang Pinagmunity Health Workers (IP CHWs) Development sanib na Medisina at kalusugan” was contributed
Program gathered last May 20-21, 2009 at the SMX by Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan, Professor of UP College
Convention Center in Pasay City for the 1st Indig- of Medicine and the Head of the Traditional; and
enous Barefoot Doctors’ National Summit.
Integrative Medicine, UP-PGH.
The summit allowed the IP CHWs to share
Kalookan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez and the
their experiences and best practices with other CBCP’s Episcopal Commission on Health Care
participants.
(ECHC) attended the event.
It also promoted IP awareness and culture and
Various non-government organizations advocatestablished relationship with institutions to help ing the skills of the indigenous people on healing
the IPs with their needs and concerns.
also graced the summit.
A Eucharistic Celebration opened the naThe event culminated with an open forum and
tional gathering which was presided by Cagayan small group discussion on IPs’ needs and concerns
AKAP Bata–Anti-Child Pornography Alliance, composed of
different socio-civic and religious
groups will pursue its gains on
education and social mobilization
advocacy against child pornography and the commercial sexual
exploitation of children.
Ariane Brosas, Akap Bata executive director said the Anti-Child
Pornography Bill in the Senate has
been approved almost two years
ago while the congress version
is presently with the Committee
on Appropriations and up for
second reading before its recess
next month.
“To dramatize and underscore the urgency,” Brosas said
UNICEF has organized a 10-day
Rally from May 27 to June 3. A
launching dubbed as “Santacruzan for the Immediate Passage of
the Anti-Child Pornography at
the Lower House” is scheduled
from Sandiganbayan complex to
the House of Representatives followed by a program and a press
conference.
Other activities include a FunRun organized by Microsoft and
a Photo Exhibit launching on
June 2, Children’s Serenade and
Children’s Face and Body Painting with the Artists at the House
of Representatives.
Among the expected guest
speakers during the Photo Exhibit
launching are Representatives
Del De Guzman and Darlene
Antonino Custodio, Kalookan
Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez and
Ambassador Henrietta T. De
Villa, Chair of CBCP Ad-Hoc
Committee Against Child Pornography. (Melo M. Acuna)
and the victimized.
Meanwhile, Sr. Eva Fidela Maamo, SPC, MD,
President of the Our Lady of Peace Mission, conveyed her gratitude to all those who are helping
the mission.
“As they launch into their mission to care for
their sick brothers and sisters in their particular
tribes, we also turn the limelight of our appreciation and gratitude to the FOLPMI staff, our
benefactors and friends who have inspired us to
carry out God’s mission of healing to the most
deprived,” she said. (Kate Laceda)
Manila priests to teach catechism in public schools
IN the recent meeting of the Manila Archdiocese
Presbyteral Council, the Clergy of Manila were
asked to teach Catechesis at least once a week in
the public schools nearest to their parishes.
“It is a most fitting way to begin our celebration of the Year of Priests and to conclude the
Year of St. Paul,” Manila Archbishop Gaudencio
Cardinal Rosales stated in his letter given to the
Manila clergy.
June 2009-2010 has been announced by Pope
Benedict XVI as the Year of the Priests.
Rosales then quoted a statement from Pope
Benedict XVI that presented St. John Vianney
as a model of priests today.
“He was present to his people; he visited
them, taught them and reconciled them in the
CBCP holds farmers’ conference
FARMERS and program officers from all over the country finished their three-day training on May
20 at the CBCP-NASSA National Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Farm and Training Center
at Misereor Village, Barangay Balaring, General Natividad, Nueva Ecija.
Sr. Rosanne Mallillin, SPC, NASSA executive secretary, said the 65 participants were deeply involved
in sustainable agriculture practices across the country.
“There were eight Social Action Center directors who joined the training,” Sr. Rosanne said in an
interview with CBCPNews.
Among the resource persons were Department of Agriculture’s Social and Water Management
Director Silvino Tejada, R. U. Foundry President Ramon Uy, Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement President Isagani Serrano, SVD Missionary Pio Eugenio and Mapecon Green Charcoal Chief
Operations Officer Bianca Atienza.
There were lectures on sustainable agriculture and climate change, technical updates on organic
farming, and Korean technology on hog-raising as well as field demonstrations.
Highlight of the training program was their visit to Philippine Rice Research Institute at Muñoz,
Nueva Ecija. (Melo M. Acuna)
confessional.” Pope said. “(He is) a true example
of a pastor at the service of Christ’s flock.”
Rosales added that the Year of Priests may help
for a deeper reflection on the role of the priest in
the Church and how priesthood functions within
the whole community of the People of God.
“We affirm the great contribution of the
Clergy in the life and mission of the Church,
particularly in their threefold exercise of the
office of Jesus as prophet, priest and shepherd,”
said Rosales.
“The 2007 National Catechetical Directory
of the Philippines stated that catechesis is the
most basic area of renewal in the Philippines
and should receive first priority,” Rosales highlighted. (CBCPNews)
Markings
CELEBRATED. Sr. Regina “Inday” Bernad, SSC, 50 years anniversary
of religious profession, among the Sisters of St. Columban. Archbishop
Jesus Dosado led the concelebrated thanksgiving Mass held at San
Lorenzo Ruiz Church, in Ozamiz City last May 2, 2009. Bernad finished
her elementary education at Misamis Central School in 1932 graduating second in her class then went on to study at St. Paul’s College in
Dumaguete and graduated salutatorian. She took her BSE at Sto. Tomas
University in Manila and graduated cum laude in 1940. Bernad taught at
Misamis Occidental High School in Oroquieta City. Shortly after the war,
she went to teach in Immaculate Conception College, Ozamiz City which
is now is La Salle University. Following the steps of her younger sister
Teresita who entered the Columban Sisters congregation, she also entered
and took her novitiate in Massachussettes, USA. She later went on for
further studies in America and Rome. In 1975, she was appointed novice
mistress of the congregation’s first Philippine novitiate. In 1980, she was
tasked to take charge of the formation of lay leaders and Basic Ecclesial
Communities of the Diocese of Alaminos.
CELEBRATED. Sr. Ma. Elneliza Decaymat, first
profession of vows; Sr. Marissa Remojo and Sr.
Ma. Helen Zurbano, final profession of vows
among the Missionary Catechists of St. Therese
last May 10, 2009 at the Alfredo Ma. Obviar Hall,
MCST Compound, Tayabas, Quezon. Decaymat
hails from Cabanatuan City, while Remojo is
a native of Sariaya, Quezon and Zurbano of
Lopez, Quezon.
© Photo courtesy of CBCP-ECMR
Lobby for passage
of anti-child porn
bill slated
and a tribute presentation for the 93rd birthday of
Fr. James Reuter, Chairman of the FOLPMI Board
of Trustees.
The summit was launched through the efforts of
the Foundation of Our Lady of Peace Mission Inc.
(FOLPMI) and the Misereor Ihr Hilfswerk.
The FOLPMI is a non-stock organization committed to the improvement of the poor and underprivileged people in the Philippines.
Misereor Ihr Hilfswerk is a German Catholic
Bishops’ organization that advocates fighting
poverty globally and promotes unity with the poor
The staff of various Episcopal Commissions of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) took time
off on May 14 for a one-day recollection on the topic “Spirituality of Stewardship” at the CBCP-BEC Training Center,
Tagaytay City.
PROFESSED. Jaime C. Mallo,
Jr., Alvin Vicente C. Barretto
and Monimar F. Panizales
made their first profession of
religious vows as Oblates of
Mary Immaculate on May 9,
2009 at the De Mazenod Auditorium, Our Lady of Lourdes
Grotto, Tamontak, Datu Odin
Sinsuat, Maguindanao within
the Eucharistic celebration presided by Fr. Ramon Ma. G. Bernabe, OMI.
Mallo took his Philosophy at Christ the King Seminary in Quezon City
before proceeding to the Novitiate. Barretto had a degree on Business
Administration at Notre Dame University before entering the religious life
while Panizales obtained his Accountancy degree from the University of
San Agustin in Iloilo City also prior to his joining the OMI. Mallo will take
up his Theology at the Loyola School of Theology at the Ateneo de Manila
while Barretto and Panizales will go at Christ the King Seminary, Quezon
City to study Philosophy.
DIED. Fr. Pedro “Pete” Pacuribot, MSP, aged 77, April 27, 2009. Born on
June 2, 1931, Fr. Pacuribot was one of the pioneers of the Mission Society
of the Philippines (MSP). He joined the institute during its establishment in
1965. Pacuribot spent his last years in retirement in Tayud, Cebu.
DIED. Sr. Ma Luz del Mundo, RVM, aged 94, May 4, 2009; and Sr. Ma.
Carmelita Abiera, RVM, aged 82, May 7, 2009.
Vol. 13 No. 11
May 25 - June 7, 2009
Pastoral Concerns
Agrarian Reform
A measure for social justice and
social transformation
By Archbishop Antonio J. Ledesma, SJ
AT the Second National Rural Congress
convened by the Catholic Bishops’
Conference of the Philippines in 2007-08,
the small farmer sector voiced out their key
issues and concerns. These were expressed
through a year-long series of consultations
at the diocesan, subregional, regional and
national levels. Among these concerns were
the following1:
* Rural poverty and landlessness are
widespread.
* Small farmers and indigenous people
communities are displaced from their lands
because of land conversion, agribusiness
expansion as well as logging and mining
operations.
* Human rights abuses are rampant because
of militarization and the presence of armed
groups in the countryside.
* Many farmer leaders have been killed in
the process of their agrarian reform struggles
and justice is still to be served to their families
and communities.
* Local farmers’ products are being edged
out from the market by imports from other
countries.
* There is a lack of rural infrastructure and
government support for farm production
and marketing.
* There is corruption at various levels
of government agencies tasked with the
implementation of the agrarian reform
program.
* There are also positive experiences
in agrarian reform and agricultural
development, with several success stories
being documented.
In general, although the rural population has
declined from 75 percent to 52 percent since the
first National Rural Congress in 1967, poverty
continues to be pervasive in the countryside and
has merely spread to the cities in terms of ruralurban migration. As an answer to their plight,
many farmer delegates called for the extension
of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform
Program (CARP) with reforms. On the other
hand, another group called for the termination
of CARP and the passage instead of a Genuine
Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB). Both groups
converge on a common aspiration for an effective
and meaningful agrarian reform program based
on the land-to-the-tiller principle.
How then does the Church view the plight of
the rural poor? What is the message of the Bible
and the Church’s social teachings on ownership
of land and agricultural development?
Message of the Bible
The first book of the Bible gives an account of
God’s creation of the world and its culmination
in the creation of the first man and woman.
Solemn words accompany the task given to
them by Yahweh: “Be fruitful and multiply,
and fill the earth and subdue it; and have
dominion over the fish of the sea and over the
birds of the air and over every living thing that
moves upon the earth” (Genesis 1:28).
The terms, “subdue” and “have dominion,”
in biblical language refer to the rule of a
wise king who looks after the welfare of
his subjects. These words can also refer to
the administration of a wise steward who
has to give an accounting to his master, the
only absolute lord of the universe. The first
parents are also placed in a garden to become
stewards of a habitat meant for all. This vision
of God’s providence and man’s stewardship
role in caring for creation is a powerful
critique of the wanton destruction of the
environment that we are witnessing today
and the unregulated appropriation of land
resources as absolute private property.
The vision of God’s lordship is carried further
onto the social and economic plane by the ancient
Hebrew institution of the Jubilee year – i.e., the
year following the sabbath of Sabbath years, or
the 50th year. In observing the Jubilee year as
a holy year affirming God’s lordship over the
whole of creation, the Hebrews acknowledged
three kinds of liberation. Fields and houses
reverted back to their original owners; debts
were cancelled; and the land itself was allowed
to lie fallow. Thus, no one could own the land
in perpetuity; debt peonage was curtailed; and
only God was acknowledged as the master of
all creation and agricultural produce: “for the
land is mine; for you are strangers and sojourners
with me” (Leviticus 25:23).
Social Teachings of the Church
Following the lines of the Biblical message,
the Church’s social teachings have enunciated
as a key principle the universal destination of
goods: “God destined the earth and all it contains
for all men and all peoples so that all created
things would be shared fairly by all mankind
under the guidance of justice tempered by
charityii.” The right to the use of earthly goods
is a natural right, inherent in human nature,
and “has priority with regard to any human
intervention concerning goodsiii.”
As a secondary and complementary
principle, the Church also recognizes the
natural right to private property. This is based
on the special nature of human work and
provides a protection of human dignity, the
exercise of personal and family autonomy,
and a safeguard for civil liberty.
On the other hand, Christian tradition
has never recognized the right to private
property as absolute and unconditional: “On
the contrary, it has always understood the
right within the broader context of the right
common to all to use the goods of the whole
of creation: the right to private property is
subordinated to the right of common use, to the
fact that goods are meant for everyoneiv.”
In this light, agrarian reform is a measure
that calls not for the abolition, but for the
wider distribution of private property. The
Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace notes:
“Whatever concrete forms private property
may take as a result of varying institutional
and juridical approaches, it is basically an
instrument to implement the principle of the
universal destination of material goods, and
hence a means and not an endv.”
In the Philippine context, the
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program
has included within its scope various types
of peasant groups—e.g., share tenants
demanding their rightful percentage share
of the harvest; leaseholders subject to a
fixed rental; agricultural workers, regular or
seasonal, on feudal-type haciendas or capitalintensive plantations; and at the lowest rung
of the socio-economic ladder, landless rural
workers without regular employment nor
security of tenure.
While these various peasant groups are
deprived of the ownership of the lands they
till, another phenomenon persists—i.e., the
misappropriation of land by large landholders,
including multinational corporations, which
marginalizes small farmers as well as
indigenous people communities.
The resulting “perverse inequalities in the
distribution of common goods and in each
person’s opportunities for developmentvi” go
counter to another key principle of Catholic
social teaching: solidarity. As a social principle
and a moral virtue, “there exists an intimate
bond between solidarity and the common
good, between solidarity and the universal
destination of goods, between solidarity and
equality among men and peoples, between
solidarity and peace in the worldvii.” Sadly,
the persistence of rural poverty and agrarian
unrest in the Philippine countryside attests to
the “shameful lack of human solidarity, striking
the weakest and future generationsviii.”
If implemented with political will and with
the appropriate support services, agrarian
reform can indeed help restore and build
this solidarity among stakeholders, as it has
been done in neighboring Asian countries.
Agrarian reform is a measure for social
justice—and social transformation.
(Most Rev. Antonio J. Ledesma, SJ, is the
Archbishop of Cagayan de Oro. A former VicePresident of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of
the Philippines (CBCP), he is currently a member
of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace)
Notes:
1
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines,
Dialogue with the Rural Poor, Manila, CBCP, 2009,
pp. 39-43.
ii Vatican II Ecumenical Council, Pastoral Constitution
on the Church in the Modern World, 1965. No. 69.
iii Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, Vatican City,
Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2004. No. 172.
iv Pope John Paul II, Laborem Exercens, 1991. No.
14.
v Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Towards a
Better Distribution of Land: The Challenge of Agrarian Reform, Vatican City, Libreria Editrice Vaticana,
1997. No. 30.
vi Ibid, No. 27.
vii PCJP, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the
Church, op. cit. Nos. 193-194.
viii PCJP, Towards a Better Distribution of Land, op.
cit. No. 33.
B1
© CBCP Media
CBCP Monitor
Holding up
CARPER
By Gemma Rita R. Marin
It is disturbing to know that while billions of pesos have been
allotted for the implementation of the comprehensive agrarian
reform program (CARP) all these years, vast tracts of land that
are subject to CARP mostly privately-owned remain undistributed.
The exclusion of compulsory acquisition as a mode for distribution
under Joint Resolution no.19 issued by Congress last December
does not speak well of the government’s sincerity in meaningfully
implementing CARP. Those lands which have been awarded years
back are either bereft of the necessary support services to sustain
the productivity of the land or disputed to this day by the previous
landowners. We have been witness to endless rallies and mobilization activities, hunger strikes and long arduous walks by awarded
farmer-owners, if only to reclaim the lands that have already been
properly transferred to their name.
In a forum held for the DAR Budget Monitoring Project
(DARBM) last March, the Philippine Partnership for the Development
of Human Resources in the Rural Areas or PhilDHRRA shared its
preliminary findings on the utilization of the DAR budget in implementing CARP for the year 2007. The project’s goal is to make the
budget of the Department of Agrarian Reform more transparent
and open for monitoring by civil society organizations and people’s
organizations whose members are the primary beneficiaries of the
agrarian reform program. Similar monitoring efforts on budgets of
other government agencies have been conducted by assigned
institutions under a ten-month National Budget Monitoring Project
funded by USAID. CODE-NGO, for instance, was tasked to monitor
the budget of the Department of Agriculture; Partnership of Philippine
Support Services Agencies, Inc. or PhilSSA looked at the budget
of the housing agencies; and the Ateneo School of Government
examined the budget of the Commission on Elections.
There are three sources of the DAR budget: the General Fund
(Fund 101), Foreign-Assisted Project Funds (Fund 102) and the
Agrarian Reform Fund (Fund 158). Of the line agencies receiving
funds for CARP implementation, which include the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources, Land Bank of the Philippines
and DA-National Irrigation Authority, DAR (understandably) obtained
the lion’s share of the CARP budget in 2007 at PhP9.77 billion or
65 per cent of total budget. Its many activities span from land distribution to provision of support services while the other agencies
help out in capacity building and a few infrastructure projects. As
the disbursing agency for paying landowners, LBP was second at
PhP4.26 billion or 28 per cent.
In its review of the CARP allotment from 2000 to 2007,
PhilDHRRA found out that the allotment shot up by 139% from
PhP7.4 billion in 2003 to PhP17.7 billion in 2004, and another significant increase of 54% to PhP16.4 billion was registered in 2007.
Obligations were also higher in the same years at PhP13.3 billion
in 2004 and PhP14.1 billion in 2007. The allotment for 2004 and
2007 (which happened to be election years) particularly exceeded
obligation. For 2009, DAR continues to enjoy a sizable budget of
PhP13.1 billion apparently to enable the agency to render more assistance in support services and to support the department’s overall
operations. This amount, however, will not fund the acquisition of
new lands since DAR is first expected to settle all pending cases
and backlogs in distribution.
It was good that the Senate initiated talks with the Lower
House about resolving the issue on compulsory acquisition under
Joint Resolution no.19 pertaining to extending CARP with reforms
or CARPER. But the results of the said meeting of the Senate
and House leaders last March were not all that rosy with the killer
amendments continually being put forward by solons like Reps.
Pablo Garcia and Luis Villafuerte. Exemption from compulsory acquisition of sugar and coconut plantation lands, for instance, is still
being pushed. Allowing CARP lands as collateral for loans is also
supported. This provision can easily revert ownership of the land to
the landlord once the farmer is unable to settle his obligations.
If it were not for the conscientious stance and persistence
of legislators like Reps. Riza Hontiveros-Baraquel and Edcel Lagman, the CARPER bill is unlikely to see the light of day. The many
farmers and their families, advocates and supporters, including the
non-government and private sectors which are increasingly becoming aware and interested in extending help to the marginalized,
will remember these different personalities in Congress and their
respective positions on such pressing issues as agrarian reform
come Election Day.
Updates
Vol. 13 No. 11
May 25 - June 7, 2009
© www.immigrationsolution.net
B2
CBCP Monitor
A Survey of Current Institutions and Jurisdictional Structures for
the Pastoral Care of Filipino Migrant Workers1
Shepherding an
Itinerant Flock (Part II)
By Fr. Jaime B. Achacoso,
J.C.D.
IN the first part of this article, we
defined the problem we wish to
address—i.e., the pastoral care of
the 5 million OFWs—and made
a brief historical background
of the ecclesial response to the
phenomenon of migrants in
general. Now we shall focus
on the adequate pastoral care
of migrants. In the third and
final part of this article, we shall
focus on the possible structures
for the adequate pastoral care
of OFWs.
II. Principles that should inform
the Pastoral Care of Migrants
A. Ecclesiological Principles.
In order to arrive at an adequate
proposal for the pastoral care of
the OFWs, it is important to
begin with some ecclesiological
principles.
1. Principle of Equality. As
c.208 of the Code succinctly
states: In virtue of their rebirth in
Christ there exists among all the
Christian faithful a true equality
with regard to dignity and the
activity whereby all cooperate
in the building up of the Body of
Christ in accord with each one’s
own condition and function.
Without overly dwelling on
this well-known doctrine of
Vatican II, it is important to
point out its incidence on the
organization of the pastoral work
with migrants in general and
with the OFW in particular. In
effect, what this principle affirms
is that in the Church “there are no
inequalities by reason of race or
nationality2.” More particularly,
in relation to the universal call
to holiness, this doctrine would
require a maximalist approach
when determining the measure
or extent of the pastoral means
that must be offered to the
faithful.
More direct to the point, what
this principle implies is that the
OFW should not receive any
less pastoral care than either his
other Catholic countrymen in the
Philippines, or the other Catholic
faithful in the host Church where
he finds himself.
Furthermore, the principle of
equality also underscores that
all the faithful are called to take
an active part in the building
up of the Church. Applied to
the Catholic OFWs, this means
that they should not be viewed
as mere passive subjects for the
pastoral activity of the Church,
but rather as active agents of
evangelization. This implies that
they have the right to receive
not only the means of salvation
necessary for their own holiness,
but also those which capacitate
them to carry out an effective
apostolate in their peculiar
environment.
2. The Principle of Territoriality
vs. the Catholicity of the Particular
Church and the Universality of the
Priesthood. As previously stated,
the principle of territoriality
had always been a lynchpin in
the ecclesiastical organization,
even if Vatican II had introduced
personal criteria as a way of
determining ecclesiastical
circumscriptions, which had
later found their way into the
new Code of Canon Law.
As some canonists have pointed
out, the conceptual category of
territory cannot be understood in
an exclusive, hermetically-sealed
way. In fact, the Code does not
use this criterion in such a strict
manner. The reason for this is
not only due to the practicality
of admitting non-territorial—
i.e., personal—criteria for
determining ecclesiastical
circumscriptions, but also to
the need of understanding the
criterion of territoriality from
the point of view of communion.
The territorial delimitation
of the power of jurisdiction
should admit a wider vision of
pastoral responsibility, which
tends to benefit all the faithful
in need and which fosters
the collaboration between
the different ecclesiastical
circumscriptions.
Ultimately then, the criteria
for delimiting ecclesiastical
jurisdiction—whether territorial
or personal—should be
interpreted in the light of a higher
theological principle, which is the
universality of the episcopate3
and the priesthood4.
The application of this doctrine
to the specific case of the pastoral
care of migrants is far-reaching.
Among other consequences,
we can underscore the pastoral
responsibility of the Church of
origin. In effect, overemphasizing
territoriality would tend to
concentrate responsibility on
the host Church—which would
have to receive, accommodate
and attend to the immigrants—
without saying much of the
responsibility of the Church
of origin. In contrast, if one
starts with the principle of the
universality of the priesthood and
the catholicity of the Particular
Church, one immediately
realizes that the Church of
origin cannot be indifferent
towards the faithful who
emigrate, whether temporarily
or permanently. Again applying
this to our case, the Philippine
Catholic hierarchy—whether
individually or collectively—
cannot really disregard their
primary responsibility to provide
adequate pastoral care to the OFWs
wherever they are deployed.
3. The Juridic Obligatority of
the Pastoral Care for Migrants.
The Second Vatican Council
exhorted the bishops to have “a
special concern for those faithful,
who—due to their condition of
life—cannot adequately enjoy
the ordinary pastoral care of the
pastors or may be totally deprived
of it, like many emigrants, exiles
and refugees, seafarers and
flyers, nomads, etc. Let them
foster fitting pastoral methods
in order to help the spiritual
life of those who temporarily
transfer to other places during
vacations5.”
It is important to dwell a bit
more on this passage of Vatican
II, which constitutes the very
foundation and key towards
a correct understanding of the
pastoral organization for the
OFWs. In effect, the literal tenor
of the above-quoted text might
suggest that the so-called “special
concern” for migrants is due
to an obligation of charity but
not of justice. One might even
think, based on a superficial
understanding of the principle of
equality, that the migrants—as a
distinct group—should not have
any claim to a “special” pastoral
care, different from the other
faithful who are their equals.
Pius XII, in Exsul Familia,
already laid down the foundation
for the juridic obligation of
offering a peculiar pastoral
attention to the emigrants6. Now
Erga migrantes makes this more
explicit:
Ҥ1. To the right of the faithful
to receive the help that derives
from the spiritual wealth of the
Church, especially the Word of
God and the sacraments (CIC,
c.213; CCEO, c.16), there is a
corresponding duty on the part
of the pastors to provide such
help, in particular to migrants, in
view of their particular condition
of life.
Ҥ3. Moreover, especially
when groups of immigrants are
numerous, the Churches of their
origin have the responsibility of
cooperating with the Churches of
arrival to facilitate efficacious and
suitable pastoral assistance7.”
In effect, all the faithful have
the right to receive spiritual
assistance from the sacred
Pastors to the extent that these
can reasonably administer them.
Hence, those who—through
no fault of theirs, or simply
because they exercise the Churchrecognized human right to
emigrate8—find themselves in
a situation such that, in order
to receive the same spiritual
help that the other faithful in
the territory receive, the Pastors
would need to act in a special
way, have a strict right that the
Hierarchy makes the necessary
arrangements, different from
what is ordinary, so as to provide
them the means of salvation that
befits them.
In brief, the OFWs enjoy the
same right as the other faithful to
the salvific means of the Church—
i.e., the Word of God and the
Sacraments. What is peculiar
is the way that these would be
delivered to them. Hence, the
special pastoral care due to the
OFWs does not constitute a
work of mercy corresponding
to a situation of need, but rather
constitutes a specific modality
of the fundamental right of the
baptized to receive the means
of salvation from the sacred
Pastors.
4. The Nature of Ecclesiastical
Pastoral Care. Before going into
the very core of this discussion,
we need to make one more
precision which might appear
superfluous but nevertheless
should not be taken for granted:
the nature of what we have been
referring to as pastoral care. We
cannot forget that the pastoral
function of the Church consists
essentially in the exercise of the
tria munera Christi—which in
practice is translated principally
in the delivery of the means of
salvation, especially the Word
of God and the Sacraments.
In effect, it would be a serious
impoverishment of the figure
of the priest and of the Church
itself were their mission to be
reduced to assuring the physical
well-being of the faithful.
This in no way denies either
the convenience or usefulness of
some works for the material wellbeing of OFWs and their families,
carried out by ecclesiastical
organizations with the support
of the Hierarchy. In some cases,
these may even be necessary
in order to make up for the
failure of the civil authorities.
However, there is a danger
that the urgency of the material
needs of the OFWs might lead
towards a tendency—already
observed, unfortunately—of
substituting on the one hand
the genuine pastoral care with
social works of beneficence, and
on the other hand confusing the
priestly mission of the clergy
with what is incumbent upon
the laity as such—e.g., works of
charity and mercy towards their
fellowmen.
B. Organizational Parameters
Keeping in mind the
aforementioned ecclesiological
principles, we can zero in on
the organization of the pastoral
care of the OFWs. But before
that, we can briefly discuss
the desired characteristics of
such a pastoral care. We can
follow the formula proposed
by Sanchís: (1) specialization,
(2) ministerial availability,
Gregorian
Masses
(Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina
Apostolorum university, answers the following query:)
Q: I understand a Gregorian Mass to consist of 30 Masses
said with unbroken succession. Recently an elderly priest told
me that if it is interrupted even for one day, one has to begin
the Masses all over. I have also met an elderly religious who
was catechizing the lay faithful in the same line. Here then
are my questions: 1) Has this Gregorian Mass (or Masses) any
liturgical or canonical foundation? 2) Does the effectiveness of
the Masses depend on celebrating them without interruption?
3) If this is so (as it is widely held), are we not coming close to
superstition or what St. John of the Cross referred to as lack of
simplicity of faith? According to him, “These people attribute
so much efficacy to methods of carrying out their devotions and
prayers and so trust in them that they believe that if one point
is missing or certain limits have been exceeded their prayer will
be profitless and go unanswered. As a result they put more trust
in these methods than they do in the living prayer, not without
great disrespect and offense toward God.”—P.C., Rome
A: The practice of Gregorian Masses goes back to a tradition
hailing from Pope St. Gregory the Great (540-604). According
to legend, a deceased monk appeared and requested 30 Masses
to be celebrated for the release of his soul from purgatory.
On completion of the stipulated days he appeared once more
radiant in heavenly glory.
From this legend the practice of celebrating 30 consecutive
Masses for one and the same person with the intention of
procuring release from purgatory became an established
custom which has been regulated in various ways over the
centuries.
Present regulation stems from a declaration published by the
Sacred Congregation of Divine Worship on Feb. 24, 1967, which
mitigated some of the restrictions mentioned by our reader and
of which the elderly priest is apparently unaware.
According to the aforementioned declaration, maintaining the
tradition that the Gregorian Mass is a series of 30 consecutive
celebrations, it is not required that the same priest celebrate all
the Masses nor that they be celebrated on the same altar. Thus,
if a priest who has accepted the obligation of celebrating the
series finds himself impeded on any particular day, he may
request another priest to take the intention for him.
Likewise, it could happen that the priest cannot find a
substitute and the series is interrupted because of an unforeseen
impediment (for example, an illness), or for a reasonable cause
(the celebration of a funeral or a wedding). In this case the
Church has disposed that the fruits of suffrage (which, until
that moment, Church practice and the piety of the faithful have
attributed to this series) are maintained. The priest retains the
obligation to complete the 30 Masses as soon as possible but
need not begin the series anew.
I do not believe that this pious custom induces superstition
or reflects a magical concept. It presumes that the soul is in
purgatory and thus recognizes the reality that few people are
immediately ready for heaven after death. It is also an act of
faith and confidence in the infinite intercessory power of the
Mass with respect to souls undergoing purgation. As such, the
request for such a series of Masses is a spiritual act of mercy akin
to obtaining plenary indulgences on behalf of the deceased.
The Just Judge is also infinitely merciful and can be as
generous to those who have toiled but an hour as he is toward
those who bore the brunt of labor all day long.
(3) personal jurisdiction, (4)
organizational elasticity, and
(5) service9. In fact, the different
measures provided for in the
Instruction Erga migrantes
respond to these principles.
Perhaps we can just add a novel
contribution of this Instruction to
the aforementioned formula: (6)
empowerment of the laity.
1. Specialization. It is common
in the magisterial and legislative
documents of the Church and
among canonist to qualify the
pastoral care for migrants as
specialized, to contrast it with the
ordinary pastoral care provided
by the secular jurisdictional
structures.
The need for specialization
is at the very foundation of
all the efforts to organize the
pastoral care of migrants. As
can be expected—as Exsul
Familia already pointed out and
various authors consequently
reiterated—the best pastoral
specialization consists in
entrusting groups of migrants to
priests of the same nationality10.
Applied to the OFWs, this
simply means entrusting them
to Filipino priests.
2. Ministerial Availability. The
aforementioned manifestation of
specialization implies another
desirable characteristic for the
organization of the pastoral care
of migrants—i.e., availability on
the part of the sacred ministers
for such pastoral assignments.
Shepherding / B4
Diocese
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 13 No. 11
May 25 - June 7, 2009
By Bishop Jose Rojas
A New Local Church Comes into
Being
Libmanan could have been just
another ordinary town in the province
of Camarines Sur as it has been that way
for a long, long time. Apart from being
known as the hometown of the second
Bicolano Bishop, Santiago Sancho, there
was nothing else of importance within
the purview of ecclesiastical history that
might be said about this otherwise quiet
town. But in 1989, something happened
that changed its image and its significance
to the Bicol Church.
On January 12, 1989, Leonardo Legaspi,
the Dominican Archbishop of Caceres
since 1984, sent a petition to the Holy
Father, Pope John Paul II, asking for
the creation of a prelature out of his
vast territory that covered the entire
province of Camarines Sur. His territory,
the Archdiocese of Caceres, at the time
the petition was made, had 1.30 million
inhabitants, out of which 1.13 million
were Catholics. Legaspi argued that such
a “large area of ecclesiastical territory”
with such a “great number of people to be
served” justified the creation of another
ecclesiastical territory. The situation
was aggravated by the perception
that, five years into Legaspi’s term, the
demand was growing for more efficient
administration. As Legaspi saw it, this
was made even much more difficult
to provide due to the lack of roads and
means of communication. He thereby
saw a strong case for the dismemberment
of Caceres to give way to the creation of
a new ecclesiastical jurisdiction.
After diligent study and upon
consultation with his suffragan bishops
in the Bicol Region, Legaspi designated
the northern part of his territory, that
is, all nine municipalities of the first
district, including one municipality in
the second district, all of Camarines
Sur, as the area most suited to constitute
the new ecclesiastical territory. He also
chose Libmanan, arguably the biggest
municipality in the area in terms of land
size and population, as the seat of the new
territory. It was to be called the Prelature
of Libmanan.
The Prelature of Libmanan
The Holy See, on December 9, 1989,
issued the Bull, Philippinis in insulis,
creating the Prelature of Libmanan,
making it the sixth suffragan territory
of the Metropolitan See of Caceres, and
the seventh ecclesiastical jurisdiction
in the Bicol Region. The new territory
covered all nine municipalities in the
first district of Camarines Sur that
included Del Gallego, Ragay, Lupi,
Sipocot, Cabusao, Libmanan, Pamplona,
Pasacao, San Fernando, Minalabac and
one municipality in the second district,
Milaor, just a little Southwest of Naga
City. Geographically, the Prelature
is bounded in the North by Basud,
Camarines Norte (Diocese of Daet), in
the East by San Miguel Bay, in the West
by Ragay Gulf and Quezon Province
(Diocese of Gumaca), and in the South by
Naga City (Archdiocese of Caceres).
In another Bull, on the same date,
the Holy See appointed Prospero Nale
Arellano of Bombon, Camarines Sur and
erstwhile Parish Priest of St. Raphael the
Archangel Parish (Pili, Camarines Sur),
as the First Bishop-Prelate of Libmanan.
The Bishop-Elect had been for a number
of years, Rector and Professor at both
the Holy Rosary Minor Seminary and
the Holy Rosary Major Seminary in the
mother Archdiocese of Caceres, and
Parish Priest of Our Lady of Fatima Parish
in San Isidro, Iriga City, before he moved
to St. Raphael Parish in Pili.
The Prelature was canonically erected
in solemn rites on March 19, 1990, taking
St. Joseph as its Principal Patron. At
the same time, Arellano was ordained
bishop by then Apostolic Nuncio Bruno
Torpigliani and installed as the First
Bishop-Prelate of the new local Church
and See of Libmanan.
The First Pastoral Assembly of Libmanan
(PAPL I)
Almost one year after its canonical
erection, the Prelature found a new source
of impetus for a new beginning, the
Second Plenary Council of the Philippines
(PCP II), held in Manila from January 20
to February 17, 1991, and convened by the
Archbishop of Caceres and then CBCP
President, Leonardo Legaspi.
The holding of the Plenary Council
gave the Prelature the occasion to conduct
its own consultations and conferences
in the parishes aimed at obtaining an
adequate picture of the situation of
the local Church, something that the
Prelature’s delegates needed to know
before proceeding to the Council.
Already at this point, both the clergy
and the lay faithful realized that a different
situation was evolving in the Prelature,
with its own peculiar needs and problems
that were quite distinct from those of the
metropolitan Church. This realization,
coupled with the fresh insights that the
Council would later on provide, would
help determine the future agenda in the
life and mission of the Prelature. Of
particular importance, for instance, was
how the council participants defined
what to them should be the image of
the Church in the Philippines, that is,
as a “Community of Disciples” and a
“Church of the Poor”, where leadership is
exercised in the context of servanthood—
thus, defining the identity of the priest
as “servant-leader” as well.
In any case, PCP II served as an
inspiration to many dioceses in the
Philippines. On September 6-10, 1992,
Bishop Arellano called for a “pastoral
consultation” that was convened around
the theme, “A Living Faith for a Renewed
Church”. This gathering of all priests
and lay representatives of the Prelature
held at Betania Retreat House in Iriga
City, evolved into what is now called the
“First Pastoral Assembly of the Prelature
of Libmanan” (PAPL I).
The discussions of PAPL I proceeded
in three stages. First, existing pastoral
programs and structures, both in the
Prelature as a whole and in the individual
parishes, were examined and evaluated.
The evaluation was done according
to different areas of concern that were
labeled in terms of such operational
concepts as kerygma (the proclamation
of the gospel), liturgia (the sacraments
and sacramentals), koinonia (the building
of the community of disciples), diakonia
(internal service), and martyria (external
service). The evaluation of these areas of
concern yielded results that were in turn
categorized qualitatively into either crisis
(limitations and difficulties) or kairos
(strengths, assets and potentials).
Thus, in the area of kerygma, it was
observed that many Catholics knew
of this, initiatives were also being taken
to empower the laity in lay movements,
organizations and in pastoral councils
(kairos).
The same pattern is noticeable in the
area of diaconia. Volunteers to carry on
the social apostolate were scarce and
funds were insufficient to sustain other
Church-related services. This situation
was exacerbated by pastoral programs
that were rather limited and lacking in
integration (crisis). Nonetheless, this
was offset by the efforts of some sectors
of society, mainly non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), to provide muchneeded social services especially to the
urban poor and to those in the rural areas
(kairos).
Finally, in the area of martyria, it was
observed that other religious sects and
denominations did not escape being
the object of Catholic bias and prejudice
(crisis). But this did not mean that steps
were not being taken, as indeed there
were continuous efforts, to engage in
ecumenical dialogue (kairos).
Besides having to deal with this
dialectical tension between crisis and
kairos, one other concern (problem) that
the local of Church had to confront was
the widespread dehumanizing poverty
of her people. There was difficulty in
B3
inspiration of Mary, our Ina and model in
faith, we commit ourselves to: wholistic,
integral and inculturated evangelization;
participative ministry to witnessing small
faith communities; and the responsible
stewardship of creation.
PAPL II: A Defining Moment
On March 15-18, 1994, barely a year and
a half after the First Pastoral Assembly,
Bishop Arellano convened the Second
Pastoral Assembly of the Prelature of
Libmanan (PAPL II), determined to
follow up the implementation of the
recommendations of the First Pastoral
Assembly of 1992.
The point of departure for the PAPL
II discussions was a review as it were of
the situation of the Prelature “then and
now” (situationer). This was an essential
step in moving the discussions to the
presentation of the general framework
and orientational principles that would
be followed in the assembly and meant to
serve as guide in the workshop sessions
that dwelt on three main agenda, namely,
a) Renewed Integral Evangelization
(RIE), b) Renewed Integral Social
Ministry and Ecology (RISME), and
c) Renewed Agents of Change (RAC).
Along these three main agenda and
based on the situationer and orientational
The journey that was
Prelature of Libmanan
1989-2008
Cathedral of St. Joseph the Patriarch
IMPORTANT FACTS
Bishop ………………………………....................……...
1
Priests:
Diocesan …………………………...................………. 47
Religious ……………………....................…………….
4
Sisters …………………………...................…………..
12
Seminarians:
Theology ……………………………...................…….
13
Philosophy ……………………......................……......
19
Pre-College ……………………......................……….
6
Diocesan Division:
District ………………………...................…….………
3
Parishes ………………………..................……...…...
27
Population …………………...................……..…
579,491
Catholics ……………...................………..……..
479,322
Area ……………………..................….... 1,862.28 sq.kms.
very little about their faith and therefore
also lacked proper understanding
thereof, mainly because of the scarcity of
evangelizers as the work of evangelization
was too priest-dependent (crisis). Yet the
situation was not completely without
hope since efforts were also being
expended to train catechists and lay
leaders on an ongoing basis (kairos).
Sadly, the kerygmatic crisis as it were
also had unfortunate consequences
in the area of liturgia, in that people’s
participation in the liturgy was generally
lukewarm, again because of the lack of
pre-sacramental catechesis, subsequently
preventing the faithful from internalizing
the meaning and value of the sacraments,
and leaving unchecked their beliefs
that bordered on superstition (crisis).
On the other hand, the intensification
of formation for the various liturgical
ministries was also undeniable, and
masses were becoming more available
to the faithful as these were now being
celebrated even in the villages (kairos).
Moving on further to the area of
koinonia, the social and political condition
prevailing in the Prelature, as it did in
the whole country, was one that bred
not fellowship and communion but
rather division and conflict among the
people, the ordinary citizens having to
live under constant threat to their peace,
security and well-being (crisis). In spite
Bishop Jose Rojas, DD
implementing some, if not most of the
existing pastoral programs because they
frequently had no bearing on this real
situation of poverty and accordingly did
not correspond to the needs of the people.
Irrelevant, therefore, as these programs
had become, there obviously was need
to redirect their goals and orientation
in a way that would make them more
responsive to the burdens that people
had to carry because of their situation.
All these insights provided the
backdrop from where the discussions
further moved into the second stage,
that is, the formulation of the Prelature’s
vision and mission. For the first time in
its existence, the Prelature was able to
define its own identity around a vision
of its being a local Church and sought to
fulfill this vision in its mission statement
as follows:
We, the local Church of the Prelature
of Libmanan, though young yet rich
in heritage, beset with diversified
conflicts, extreme poverty, countless
injustices and crisis in faith, aware of
our role as Sacrament of Salvation,
envision a renewed Church characterized
by an evangelized and evangelizing
Community of Disciples, after the
image of the Holy Trinity, journeying
with Christ in the Poor, for the total
transformation of creation.
To realize this vision, with the
principles, the assembly participants
produced 109 recommendations that
were subsequently promulgated into
decrees by the bishop at the conclusion
of the assembly on March 18, 1994.
Again, though short of being a
diocesan synod, PAPL II proved to be
another significant breakthrough in
the history of the Prelature. Its decrees
paved the way for the formulation of
the five-year Comprehensive Pastoral
Development Program (CPDP) in June
of 1994. Once again, the CPDP reflected
the eleven themes covered by the three
general headings (which may now be
conveniently called major thematic
programs of the CPDP) under which the
various decrees of PAPL II were listed
down, namely, the Renewed Integral
Evangelization (RIE), the Renewed
Integral Social Ministry and Ecology
(RISME), and the Renewed Agents of
Change (RAC).
As can be gleaned from these decrees,
it was the consensus of the assembly
participants that the Prelature must
always project the image of a Renewed
Church in its mission, and that all efforts
in this Renewed Church to provide service
to the people, especially the poor, should
be undertaken within the ambit of these
three major thematic programs. Most
significantly, the assembly participants
expressed the desire of having as end
product of all these efforts and the
implementation of these three major
programs, the formation of small
Christian communities in all the parishes
of the Prelature, what was going to
be called henceforth as the Saradit na
Kristianong Komunidad (SKK).
Clearly, the main contribution of PAPL
II was not only the fact that it provided
the basis for the formulation of the CPDP
in general, but more so for establishing
the ground and rationale for adopting as
a major pastoral strategy the building of
small Christian communities, the SKKs,
in all parishes of the Prelature. Slowly
and gradually, the SKK shall give “face”
to the Church in the Prelature. From
now on, the SKK shall give flesh to the
identity of a “Renewed Church” that
the Prelature had always been aspiring
to become. At last, the “Community of
Disciples” and the “Church of the Poor”
which PCP II had so frequently talked
about, were to find concrete expression
in the SKK. To such great measure then,
PAPL II had become a defining moment
in the life of the Prelature of Libmanan
as a local Church.
PAPL III: Renewing the Church in the
Third Millennium
Much has happened then since
PAPL II. Quite fittingly, within the
celebration of the Great Jubilee Year of
2000, on the 10th year of the Prelature’s
existence, and after five years since
the implementation of the CPDP, on
September 4-7, 2000, Bishop Arellano
convened another pastoral assembly, the
PAPL III. The theme of the convocation
was nothing but truly appropriate:
“Basic Ecclesial Communities: Life and
Hope for a Renewed Church in the
New Millennium”. Prior to the actual
convocation, consultation was made
on several points, like the alternative
financial system and the scenario in the
parish if it were to be an SKK-oriented
parish. But given the time-frame within
which the CPDP was designed to be
implemented, it was most logical that
the assembly’s discussions had for
their starting point the evaluation of
the CPDP’s implementation, to see if
progress has been made in realizing
its goals and pastoral objectives. Once
again, the bishop, priests and parish lay
representatives, together as a community
and in the spirit of prayer, gathered to
look back at the past five years since
1995 of pastoral initiatives, to see where
they have moved forward and where
they have not.
At the assembly, some participants
lamented that the 109 decrees of PAPL II
were not specific enough to suit the local
situation as they simply reflected the
general decrees of PCP II. While progress
has been made to some extent, the main
obstacles were the lack of commitment
on the part of the people involved,
notably that of the parish priest, and the
lack of congruence between the actual
situation in the parish and that which
was presupposed by the CPDP and the
PAPL II decrees.
The negative evaluation led the
assembly to draft a new set of 48 decrees
(articles) that are more realistic, feasible
andrelevanttothelocalsituation,which
a Special Commission formed
from among the assembly
participants, further refined
and which the bishop
finally promulgated on
December 3, 2000.
The 48 decrees
called for profound
conversion on the part
of all agents of renewal
in the local Church.
But one other thing
that these decrees had
tried to emphasize was
that the task of building
communities was the
work of all agents of
renewal. From the
bishop, to the priests
and lay leaders—all
are called in concerted
effort to build small
Christian communities (SKK)
to give face to the renewed Church
that the local of Church of Libmanan
was being called to become in the new
millennium.
PAPL III sparked renewed hope that
things would move forward towards
the realization of this vision of the
local Church of Libmanan of becoming
precisely a renewed Church. Several
training seminars were organized
within the span of three years. Those
who took part in them, members of the
Barangay Pastoral Councils and pastoral
workers, were chosen to constitute the
Parish Formators’ Team (PFT). The task
of the PFT was indispensable in SKKbuilding as it was charged in turn with
the responsibility of conducting and
facilitating a series of formation seminars
for SKK cluster leaders.
The implementation of the PAPL
III decrees and the renewed vigor in
building SKKs brought to the fore two
important realizations that changed the
face of the local Church of Libmanan.
First, SKK was to be “a new way of being
Church” as well as a way of renewing
the local Church of Libmanan. Second,
SKK was to be the raison d’être of the
Prelature of Libmanan precisely because
SKK-building was what was envisioned
in its vision-mission statement.
The whole process of SKK-building
had to follow a certain strategy and
framework, one that begins with
Libmanan / B6
Features
B4
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 13 No. 11
May 25 - June 7, 2009
Why the bleak prospects for extending the
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program
UNLESS a miracle happens, Congress
will be writing finis to an unfinished
reform program in less than ten working
session days this June. The unfinished
program is the Comprehensive Agrarian
Reform Program (CARP), which still has
1.3 million hectares of land, mostly big
estates, to be covered and distributed.
Also, CARP still has to fulfill the
triple mandates laid down by the l987
Constitution—as a weapon of social
justice (partly met), as an instrument
for balanced rural development (barely
met) and as a platform for rural-based
industrialization (hardly met).
Why then the bleak prospect for
the passage of the “CARP extension
with reforms” bill (house bill 4077)
which unanimously already passed the
committee level?
Despite its strong endorsement by
the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP), many in the House
of Representatives have openly been
seeking the termination of CARP, with
no less than the Congressman son of
the First Couple and the Congressman
Brother of the First Gentleman taking
the lead. Further, the Speaker of the
House and the well-known leaders
of the President’s political party,
KAMMPI, have also introduced “killer
amendments” whose objective effect
would not only reduce the scope of
CARP but would dangerously open
the possibility of reform reversal in
areas where land had already been
transferred to rightful farm beneficiaries.
For example, one killer amendment is
the exemption of “plantations which
are under labor administration and
cultivated and developed for exports”.
If approved, this amendment will
virtually bring the scope of CARP to the
original land reform target set in l972 by
President Ferdinand Marcos, as if the
country did not undergo EDSA I and
II. This amendment is also likely to fuel
more conflicts in the countryside as there
will be organized efforts by a powerful
Photo courtesy of Balaod Mindanaw
By Belinda Formanes
few to displace the banana, sugar and
other farmer-worker cooperatives from
the lands already covered by their
respective collective land ownership
awards or CLOAs.
As it is, the countryside is once again
restive, with the awakened peasantry,
from Cagayan Valley in the north
to the Davao provinces in the south,
anxious over the delays in CARP
implementation and the Congressional
dilly-dallying on the needed support
for CARP’s completion. Many farmers’
organizations cannot also understand
why the Department of Agriculture
(DA), Department of Environment and
Natural Resources (DENR) and the
Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR)
have been quick to make a commitment
to identify one million hectares of
public and private land, which Eduardo
Cojuangco and the Kuok family of
Singapore-Malaysia can develop as
agribusiness farms—when CARP itself
has not been completed and there is a
growing colony of landless rural poor
nationwide!
The bigger picture, of course, is
that the entire agricultural sector is in
shambles. The rice crisis which made
the headlines in March-June of this
year shows that the Philippines is now
a major agriculture-importing country,
with an annual net agricultural trade
deficit of over $1 billion. This is due to
falling investments associated with the
uncertainties generated by an unfinished
CARP and the failure of DAR to upgrade
the capacity of unlettered farmer
beneficiaries to become modern farmers,
on one hand, and to nudge former
landowners to invest on agricultural
processing and non-farm activities, on
the other. This is also due to the overall
neglect of the sector under the World
Bank’s “agricultural deregulation”
policy and the WTO’s “agricultural
trade liberalization”, which promoted
food importation (including smuggling)
instead of food sufficiency as the means
to meet the people’s food requirements.
There is also the absence of good
governance as illustrated by the multimillion fertilizer scandal under DA
Undersecretary Joc-Joc Bolante. And
lastly, there is policy incoherence
as reflected in the Administration’s
public declaration of support for
small farmer development even as
the government’s own Medium-Term
Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP
2004-2010) is targeting not less than
two million hectares for agribusiness
development by big corporate players
like Danding Cojuangco.
The bias of the Administration for
big agribusiness is also reflected in the
cha-cha proposal of Speaker Prospero
Nograles and the NEDA’s MTPDP.
The justification being used for chacha is primarily for the “Pandora’s
box” of the presidential term extension
maneuver and for more economic
liberalization, this time, the opening
up of land ownership to foreigners and
the easing of the equity requirements
before foreigners can manage businesses
related to mining, gas exploration, mass
media, advertising, education and
public utilities, including transport.
Such a cha-cha initiative is like a
proposal for the re-colonization of the
Philippines—except that the initiative is
coming from government officials bereft
of any sense of economic nationalism
and who have no faith on the capacity
of the Filipino to excel.
Verily, the counsel of Archbishop
Angel Lagdameo for bold communal
action to push for reforms is wise and
timely. Only the collective unity of
an awakened citizenry can eliminate
corruption and abuse in governance,
goad Congress to take CARP seriously,
pass HB 4077, stop the anti-people chacha locomotive on its tracks, and engage
Malacañang to serve the Filipino people,
not a favored few.
(Belinda Formanes is the Executive
Director of PARDDS)
Blessed Elena Guerra: Apostle of the Holy Spirit
Nuns mark jubilee of
foundress’ beatification
THE Sisters Oblates of the Holy Spirit in the Philippines
marked the 50th anniversary of Blessed Elena’s beatification
on April 26 through a solemn Eucharistic celebration presided
by Fr. Rene Manubag, Provincial Superior of the Claretians.
A life size statue of the foundress was unveiled at the main
lobby of Blessed Elena Academy in Pasay City for the occasion.
The event, which kicked off the year-long celebration was
attended by friends, benefactors and lay collaborators of the
institute. The Sisters have lined up the following activities
for the year in honor of their foundress:
* Vocation Camp held last May 1-3 at the Sisters Oblates
of the Holy Spirit Novitiate House in Tagaytay City with
the theme: “Pagsunod sa mga yapak ni Blessed Elena tungo
kay Kristo”
* Blessing of the 3 ft. tall statues of Blessed Elena on May 23,
liturgical feast of Blessed Elena. The statues were distributed
to the 13 houses of the OSS in the Philippines. A Mass was
also celebrated at the Cenacle House at Apo Street, Quezon
City.
* Pentecost Novena Mass at the National Shrine of Our
Lady of Lourdes Parish Church from May 22-30 at 5:15 p.m.
and Pentecost Novena Prayer at Sta. Teresita Parish Church
at 6:30 a.m.
* Holy Spirit Congress, which will be held on places of
apostolate of the OSS.
* Talk about Blessed Elena as a “Great Educator”, November
5, 2009 at Blessed Elena Academy Auditorium.
Elena Guerra was born on June 23, 1835,
in Lucca where she grew up in a family that
was profoundly religious.
During a long illness, she gave herself
to meditating the Word of God and to
studying the Fathers of the Church, which
led her on the path of the interior life and
of the apostolate: first, in the “Association
of Spiritual Friends”, which she founded
and organized to promote friendship in a
Christian sense among the young; and, later,
in the “Daughters of Mary.”
In April of 1870 Elena with her father
Antonio came to Rome on an Easter
pilgrimage. She visited, among other places,
the tombs of the Martyrs in the Catacombs,
which made her determine to embrace the
consecrated life. She assisted at St. Peter’s
on April 24, at the third public session of
the 1st Vatican Council, during which the
Constitution Dei Filius on the Faith was
promulgated. The sight of the Holy Father,
Pope Pius X, moved her so much that after
some weeks, on her return to Lucca, she
consecrated herself to God (June 23) as a
sacrificial victim for the Pope.
In 1871, after a long dark night followed
by mystic graces, Elena with a group of
“Spiritual Friends” and “Daughters of Mary”
began a new experience of religious life in a
community that led in 1882 to the foundation
of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Zita,
for the cultural and religious education of the
youth. It was in this period that St. Gemma
Galgani became her “beloved pupil.”
Towards the year 1886 Elena became
aware for the first time of an interior call
to strive, by some means or other, to
spread the devotion to the Holy
Spirit in the Church. For this
reason, she secretly wrote a
number of times to Pope
Leo XIII exhorting him to
invite “modern Christians”
to discover the “life
according to the Spirit.”
The Pope, amiably
urged by the mystic
of Lucca, addressed
to the Church
some documents
which can also be
considered as the
initiation of a “return
to the Holy Spirit” of
these times. These
documents are:
the Brief Provida
Matris Charitate in
1895; the Encyclical
Divinum illud
munus in 1897; the
Letter to the Bishops
Ad fovendum in
christiano populo
in 1902.
On October 18,
1897, Leo XIII, in
a special audience
granted to her,
encouraged her to
proceed with her
apostolate for the
Blessed / B7
Shepherding / B2
Definitely this does not imply a juridic
duty of the sacred minister (in the
sense that the priest can be obliged to
emigrate), but it rather implies a certain
attitude on the part of the ecclesiastical
authorities in the Church of origin (since
they share in the responsibility to care
for the emigrants) which fosters this
availability, together with the obligation
of facilitating matters for those priests
who are disposed to accompany the
emigrants.
Again, applying this to the OFWs,
this simply means that the different
dioceses in the Philippines should be
generous in allowing those members
of their respective clergy, who may feel
themselves so inclined, to minister to
the pastoral needs of the OFWs in their
respective places of deployment.
Definitely, the actual canonical norms
regarding the mobility of the clergy,
their freedom to opt for adscription in
a given ecclesiastical circumscription
(other than that of their incardination),
and even the possibility of changing their
incardination all facilitate the practical
application of this principle11.
3. Personal Jurisdiction. Closely
related to the need of fitting the
pastoral structures to the spiritual
needs of the migrants is the principle
of personality (vs. territoriality) in the
determination of jurisdiction. Aside from
the aforementioned need to properly
understand the territorial criterion,
we have to take into account as well
that it might be sometimes necessary
to delineate pastoral jurisdiction along
personal criteria—e.g., of tongue or
nationality. We shall deal with this
more later.
4. Organizational Elasticity. There are
no unique pastoral solutions or absolute
panaceas for the organization of the
pastoral care of emigrants. Everything
will depend on the concrete needs and
actual resources available. In this regard,
the principle of organizational elasticity
should be kept in mind. Perhaps it was
this that Paul VI alluded to when he
affirmed that to the present (human)
mobility should respond the pastoral
mobility of the Church12. In any case,
this principle in no way proposes a
specific solution; on the contrary what it
militates against is the exclusion of any
possibility, adjusting it to the pastoral
necessities.
5. Principle of Service. Underpinning
all the aforementioned principles is
of course the most basic of pastoral
principle, which gives the ministerial
priesthood its name: service. In effect,
the clear consciousness of this principle
by the Pastors—following the Good
Shepherd, who had declared non veni
ministrari sed ministrare—is what
should enable them to effectively put
into practice the other principles, in order
to fully satisfy the fundamental rights
of the emigrants. It is neither a matter
of mere moral value, nor much less of
pure rhetoric; on the contrary, stemming
from the foundational will of Christ,
this principle has important juridic
consequences. In fact, it can be said that
this principle constitutes a hermeneutic
key for the proper understanding of
all the other principles present in the
doctrinal and normative texts regarding
the pastoral care of migrants.
6. Empowerment of the Laity. Finally,
as a unique contribution of the recent
Erga migrantes, we can point out the
recognition of the active role that the
laity is called to take in the pastoral
care of migrants. Thus, in Art.2 of
Chapter 1: The Lay Faithful, it states:
Ҥ1.The faithful who decide to live
with another people should strive to
(…) contribute to its common good
and to spread the faith especially by
the example of Christian life.” Then
Ҥ2. The lay faithful who are culturally
better prepared and spiritually more
available should furthermore be urged
and trained to take on a specific service
as pastoral workers in close collaboration
with the chaplains/missionaries 13.”
This indeed is a novelty in the whole
doctrine and canonical regulation of this
phenomenon, in that for the first time,
there is a call to the real empowerment
of the lay migrants—to “be urged and
trained”—to take an active part in the
pastoral care of migrants.
The application of this principle to
the case of the OFWs can lead to quite
interesting consequences, especially
when we bear in mind the unique
situation of the Philippine Church where
quite a high percentage of the laity are
in fact involved in many lay movements
and covenanted communities (e.g.,
Couples for Christ, Christian Family
Movement and El Shaddai to name a
few).
Philippine Church, in Vigan City, 20-23 April
2009.
2
Vatican Council II, Dogmatic Const. Lumen
gentium, n.32.
3
Cf. Vatican Council II, Lumen Gentium, n. 23.
Cf. Vatican Council II, Decr. Presbyterorum
ordinis, n. 10.
4
Vatican Council II, Decr. Christus Dominus,
n.18.
5
“Ut alieniginis, sive advenis sive peregrinis,
spiritualem possit praebere adsistentiam necessitatibus haud imparem nec minorem, qua ceteri
fideles in sua dioecesi perfruuntur” (Pius XII,
Exsul Familia, Title I, III).
6
Erga migrantes, Juridical Pastoral Regulations,
Art.1.
7
“Man has the right to leave his country of origin
for different reasons—as well as to return to it—
and to seek better conditions of life in another
country” (John Paul II, Enc. Laborem excercens,
n.23).
8
Cf. J. Sanchis, La pastorale dovuta ai migranti
ed agli itineranti (aspetti giuridici fondamentali),
in Fidelium Iura, 3 (1993), pp.468-480.
9
Cf. Apost. Const. Exsul Familia, Title II, Chap.
IV, n.33.
10
11
NOTES
Based on a lecture given at the 17th National
Convention of the Canon Law Society of the
Philippines, on the theme The Filipino Migrant
Worker:A Canonico-Pastoral Challenge to the
1
Cf. CIC, cc.265-272.
Paul VI, Address to the European Congress on
the Pastoral Care of Emigrants, 17.X.1973, in AAS,
65 (1973), p.591.
12
13
Erga migrantes, Part II: Juridical Pastoral
Regulations.
Statements
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 13 No. 11
May 25 - June 7, 2009
B5
A Pastoral Statement on the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program
‘Agrarian Reform is an instrument of social
justice and an act of political wisdom’
(Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, 1997)
AGRARIAN Reform is the centerpiece program of the 1987 Constitution. It pronounces in definitive
terms that the law of the land upholds the protection of the rights of the poor in keeping with the
principles of social justice. Despite the trails of failures in its implementation and the rising agrarianrelated violations in the countryside, the farmers and the Church acknowledge that for the most
part, agrarian reform has had a positive impact on poverty reduction.
former landowners and could
defeat the purpose of the
program because it will allow
them to reacquire foreclosed
lands, thus reconsolidate their
landholdings.
* Allowing leaseback
arrangements of awarded
lands between farmers and
landowners/corporations. We
findthisproposaltobeinequitable
and contradictory to the ultimate
goal of agrarian reform, which is
to grant ownership and control
over the land and its resources
to the tillers. CARP does not
intend to protect whoever has
the capacity to buy and operate
big plantations, at the expense
of the small farmers.
* Institutionalization of
Commercial Farm Plantations
over agrarian cases from the
Department of Agrarian Reform
Adjudication Board (DARAB) to
the regular courts. We believe
that the resolution of agrarian
cases entails the expertise of
DAR on agrarian reform. This
is sufficient and more equitable
to the farmers because they
are allowed to participate and
represent themselves in the
process, which are not bound
by technical rules of procedure
and evidence. We fear that the
transfer of jurisdiction will
only serve to marginalize the
farmers, who could be subjected
to a more adversarial and costly
processes.
*
Legislating
the
disqualification of “habitual
squatters” from becoming CARP
Paul II’s dramatic address to
members of the government
and landowners in Mexico: “…
leaders of the people, powerful
classes which sometimes keep
unproductive lands that hide
the bread that so many families
lack, human conscience, the
conscience of the peoples, the
cry of the destitute, and above
all, the voice of God, the voice of
the Church, repeat to you with
me: It is not just, it is not human,
it is not Christian to continue
with certain situations that are
clearly unjust. It is necessary
to carry out real, effective
measures—at the local, national
and international levels… it
is clear that those who must
collaborate most in this are
those who can do the most.”
© Denvie Balidoy
Even before the funding for
the Comprehensive Agrarian
Reform Program (CARP)
expired last December 2008,
several well-meaning legislators
passed bills that extend and
reform the flawed provisions of
the old agrarian law. The Church
commends these initiatives and
we throw our full support to the
consolidated Senate and House
Bills, SB 2666 and HB 4077, now
up for Senate’s and Congress’
deliberation and approval.
Unfortunately, time is running
out as there are only nine session
days left for Congress to enact
this essential law.
Correspondingly, we oppose
in the strongest terms, the
threat of “killer amendments”
being inserted by some senators
and congressmen that will
effectively emasculate the
objectives and gains of the CARP
with Extension and Reform
(CARPER) Bill for the poor
farmers. These amendments are
called “perfecting” amendments
by their proponents, which
in reality would dilute, slow
down, and reverse the gains
of the program and reduce the
resources available for it.
Invoking guidance and
inspirations from both the
Philippine Constitution and the
social doctrines of the Church,
we find the proposals below to be
unacceptable and antithetical to
laws that govern the moral and
social structures of our society.
* The phasing of land
acquisition and distribution,
which targets first those
landholding measuring 50
hectares and above without
prejudice to the coverage of
lands below 50 hectares, after
an accomplishment trigger of
90% by the respective provinces.
This is unconstitutional in
that our Constitution does not
distinguish on whatever basis the
agricultural lands to be covered
under CARP. On the contrary,
it mandates the coverage of
all lands without qualification
on the basis of size or even
crop type. Allowing the State
to distinguish between lands
below 50 hectares and those
measuring 50 and above would
be discriminatory against, and
would disenfranchise a huge
percentage of potential farmerbeneficiaries, considering that
the bulk of undistributed private
agricultural lands is comprised
of lands less than 50 hectares.
Putting the 90% trigger as
condition for resumption for
coverage of smaller landholdings
may actually result in most of
the remaining landholdings
being left uncovered or
undistributed.
* Reconsolidation of
agricultural lands by previous
landowners after the 10year retention period, and/
or the reduction of the 10year prohibition on sale of
awarded land to three years.
These provisions clearly favor
in CARP. This proposal is
objectionable as it expressly
seeks the transfer of control of
lands from farmer-beneficiaries
to the landowner or any other
agribusiness venture “partner”.
It is contrary to studies which
show that small-scale rice
and corn farms by ownercultivators are more productive
than large scale farms. It is
also discriminatory against
rice and corn farmers. More
importantly, this amendment
is a contravention to the basic
principle of agrarian reform
which seeks to secure access,
ownership, and control over
beneficiaries and making them
criminally liable and punishable
with specific penalties under
the law. The Church, together
with the farmers’ groups,
registers strong opposition to
this provision and we are one
in calling for its deletion from
the final version of CARP.
There is an alarming likelihood
that this will be used as an
instrument to harass legitimate
farmer-beneficiaries, who are
typically branded as “squatters”
by landowners. Legislating this
provision will allow landowners
to threaten farmers with criminal
cases.
Even before the funding for the
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform
Program (CARP) expired last
December 2008, several well-meaning
legislators passed bills that extend
and reform the flawed provisions
of the old agrarian law. The Church
commends these initiatives and
we throw our full support to the
consolidated Senate and House Bills,
SB 2666 and HB 4077, now up for
Senate’s and Congress’ deliberation
and approval. Unfortunately, time is
running out as there are only nine
session days left for Congress to
enact this essential law.
land and its resources to the
poor farmers.
* Increasing the compensation
to landowners and increasing
the downpayment from the
present 25%-30% to 50%. This
proposal, which is based on
case-specific decisions of the
Supreme Court, would result in
a reduction of funds available for
land acquisition and distribution
and support services and
would effectively prevent the
program from being completed.
Increasing just compensation for
landowners is welcome as long
as the corresponding increase
will be matched by an increase
in the allotted P147 Billion
budget.
* Transfer of jurisdiction
The social teachings of
the church equally condemn
the concentration and
misappropriation of land as
intrinsically immoral. Gaudium
et Spes states that “God destined
the earth and all it contains for
all men and all peoples so that all
created things would be shared
fairly by all mankind under the
guidance of justice, tempered
by charity” (69). Similarly,
Vatican’s Pontifical Council for
Justice and Peace’s paper on
“Towards a better distribution
of land” quotes the prophet
Isaiah as saying, “Woe to those
who join house to house, who
add field to field!” (5:8)
The same document also
quotes the late Pope John
Thus, it is with great
sorrow and foreboding that
we, the Catholic Bishops of
the Philippines, witness some
legislators willfully neglecting
a vital sector that contributes to
the country’s economic growth.
Abandoning the agricultural
sector will not only threaten
farmers but imperil food security
itself. Conversely, distributing
lands to small farmers will
provide equitable economic
opportunities in the rural
areas and eventually reduce
poverty and unrests, which are
major deterrents to democratic
development.
Acquiescence to the evils
of self-interest has serious
negative effects in the social
and economic well-being of the
country and jeopardizes our
collective pursuit of the common
good. We appeal to our political
leaders to make a serious
examination of conscience and
focus their attention on the
swift resolution of the mounting
forms of injustice and violation
of fundamental human rights of
the rural poor.
The small farmers deserve our
attention and espousal of their
cause. They continue bringing
hope to society, and nurture
life from season to season. No
man of upright conscience much
more that of a principled leader,
can allow the Filipino farmer to
be laid bare and vulnerable to
the claws of globalization and
continuous hopelessness.
Let us all pray for justice and
peace to reign in our country,
through an authentic agrarian
reform, carried out in the
spirit of distributive justice and
solidarity with the rural poor.
We pray for the Holy Spirit to
lead us away from sin, enlighten
our minds, and purify our
intentions. And may the love of
Christ impel us in our quest for a
morally reformed society.
For the Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines,
+ANGEL N. LAGDAMEO, DD
Archbishop of Jaro
President, CBCP
18 May 2009
In Our Nation’s
Best Interest
A RESURGENT foreign donor working group of international
funding agencies recently touted support for the passage of
a reproductive health law in the country. These include the
US-AID, the European Commission, AustralianAID and even
Agencia Espańola de Cooperacion Internacional of Spain.
Unmindful of the already sharply decreasing rate of
population growth in the Philippines after 39 years of unrelenting
and well funded population control programmes, still these
international birth control groups foist upon our country their
agenda for population reduction to a level that courts national
peril. Billions in funding have been committed and earmarked
for release in the coming months, whereby funds will continue
to be channeled to 540 or more local government units and
their decision makers, to identified business groups, NGOs
and interest groups, including unsuspecting youth leaders and
their membership around the country.
How this can be freely done to a sovereign country like the
Philippines by foreign governments, foreign billionaire donors, and
alien interests in the face of a constitutional framework that places
national interest and self-determination as a primary paradigm in
public policy and legislation defies reasonable explanation.
At a UN meeting on population decline, the Philippines was
listed among 74 countries as “intermediate-level fertility.” The
meeting noted that if current trends persisted, those countries
were expected to reach below replacement fertility levels. Such
developments will threaten economic security in such countries
with the first impact being felt in health and welfare systems.
Tremendous funding which should be spent for authentic
maternal, infant and child care, basic hygienic systems and
measures are instead poured into contraceptives and birth
control devices. This is good for economic development?
Why would wealthy donors and a country’s own population
commission be suggesting population control when that
may hurt the country in the long term? Thirty nine years of
population control in the Philippines has not solved poverty.
Whereas the population programme launched in the 70’s was
meant to increase “the share of each Filipino in the fruits of
economic progress”, today, Filipino family size has significantly
and alarmingly decreased—and poverty remains a pandemic.
And there are insidious methods at work of trying to subvert
At a UN meeting on population
decline, the Philippines was
listed among 74 countries as
“intermediate-level fertility.” The
meeting noted that if current
trends persisted, those countries
were expected to reach below
replacement fertility levels.
Tremendous funding which should
be spent for authentic maternal,
infant and child care, basic
hygienic systems and measures are
instead poured into contraceptives
and birth control devices. This is
good for economic development?
our self-determination by using [population control] funds as
subtle leverage for assistance programmes. The 1974 National
Security Study Memorandum (NSSM200) encourages such
subtle coercion which today is still in use.
Apart from these unethical, unlawful, and unconscionable
interventions, incidents are rife of the extraordinary damage
inflicted upon the people especially women, and cultures
of developing countries by these funded population control
programmes. Today, a more subtle intervention is unleashed
in our midst with a veiled malevolence in so-called “IEC”
programmes—Information, Education and Communication—
tools meant to undermine the traditional values and cultural
norms in our strongly family-oriented society. After all, to the
targeted countries like the Philippines, the 1994 ICPD Programme
of Action declared that the goals of population control would
involve “changes in lifestyles [and] social norms or government
policies that can be largely brought about and sustained through
greater citizen action and political leadership.”
And while paying lip service to the Philippine Constitution’s
protection of the unborn from fertilization, and conceding
that international documents “do not explicitly assert a
woman’s right to abortion,” alien movements tell us that these
international documents can be “broadly interpreted and
skillfully argued” in order “to expand access to safe abortion.”
Speaking through influenced NGO’s, this powerful bloc has
openly rued what it describes as “outdated legal and regulatory
barriers” in Philippine law and the consistent opposition of
the Catholic hierarchy and organized groups of the Faithful,
as barriers and stumbling blocs to the institutionalization of
so-called ‘reproductive rights’ in the country.
The hype of “reproductive rights” and “choice” have
unleashed their folly. Unrelenting moves to change our
culture, our collective attitudes, and even our fundamental
rootings about life and family values have all but corrupted
us and has left in its wake a nation of disordered liberties and
broken communities.
Enough already. “Law is aspirational. It expresses something
about what kind of people we are and what kind of society
we are in the process of creating.”1 We know what we are,
and we know what we want to be—a great people journeying
together to our collective good as a nation. Our constitutional
heritage attests to our love for life, for family, for progeny. Our
basic law also thunders to the rest of the world our sovereign
power to determine for ourselves what will be in our best
interest as a nation.
+PACIANO B. ANICETO, DD
Archbishop of San Fernando
Chair, CBCP Commission on Family and Life
May 20, 2009
1
Former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, Prof. Mary Ann Glendon.
Ref lections
B6
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 13 No. 11
May 25 - June 7, 2009
The Church as Israel renewed
by the Holy Spirit
Pentecost Sunday - B (John 20:19-23); May 31, 2009
By Msgr. Lope C. Robredillo
© angel532008.wordpress.com
ORIGINALLY, Pentecost was an agricultural feast, during which the first fruits the land
produced were offered (Exod 34:22), and was later associated with the giving of the
Covenant, fifty days after the celebration of the Passover at the departure of Israel from
Egypt (Exod 19:1-16). In the Christian dispensation, however, it is not, strictly speaking, a
commemoration of the birthday of the Church, but rather celebrates the giving of the gift
of the Spirit to the renewed Israel, which is the Church, fifty days after the resurrection of
Jesus. It marks the giving of a new life—the life of the Spirit—to the community which
Jesus began to establish through his life, ministry, but especially his passion, death and
resurrection. That is why, in the Gospel read for this feast, we are given a Johannine
account of the giving of the Spirit: “Then he breathed on them and said: ‘Receive the
Holy Spirit.’” (John 20:22).
The giving of a new life has for its
background the Genesis account and
Ezekiel’s vision of the dry bones. The
action of Jesus first of all recalls the
story of God forming man out of the
clay of the ground and blowing into his
nostrils the breath of life, on account
of which man became a living being
(Gen 2:7). Under the influence of Greek
philosophy, this has been taken in the
past to mean the creation of the soul.
But to the Hebrew mind, this simply
means that it is Yahweh who gives
life, and on whom human life directly
depends. In Ezekiel’s vision of the dry
bones, God instructed the prophet to
prophesy to the dead bones so that
a new spirit would revive the bones
(Ezek 37:1-10). The vision is not really
about the individual resurrection of
the dead, but a visionary description
of the new life that was to begin for the
people of Israel. But what is important
for us is the point that both stories
emphasize—God gives a new life to
his people.
And Pentecost precisely has that
significance: the giving of a life—the
life of the Spirit—to the renewed
Israel, which is the Church. It may
be recalled that because of sin, of
turning away from God, misfortune
fell on Israel: “Lo, the hand of the
Lord is not too short to save, nor his
ear too dull to hear. Rather, it is your
crimes that separate you from your
Fr. Roy Cimagala
God. It is your sins that make him
hide his face so that he will not hear
you” (Isa 59:1-2). Because of sin, Israel
became a divided nation, was scattered
all over the world, and it became a
land of violence, evil judgment, lies,
adulteries, usury, disregards for rights
and other sins which created a social
disorder. Such social disorder is aptly
prefigured in the story of the tower
of Babel. Because of man’s proud
idolatry, of his arrogance in trying
to build a tower, God chastised him;
among others, he confused mankind.
For the biblical writer, the diversity of
languages was a consequence of sin,
and it conveys the message that our
The Church / B7
Bo Sanchez
Purpose of communication
POPE Benedict has just given
his message for this year’s
World Day of Communication,
celebrated on May 24. It is
titled, “New Technologies, New
Relationships—Promoting a
Culture of Respect, Dialogue and
Friendship.”
It’s a call for all of us to make
use of the advantages these new
technologies of communication—
the mobile phone, computers,
Internet, etc.—can give us. The
obvious alternate corollary is that
we avoid their dangers and other
disadvantages. They too can turn
traitors, if we are not careful.
Of course, it presumes that
we know well the peculiarities
of this new development. That’s
why, it’s good of the Pope to
remind us of basic realities that
rule our lifelong business of
communication.
They tend to be forgotten,
or at least taken for granted,
with obvious dismal effects and
consequences. In the frenzy and
excitement that often accompany
these new technologies, we can
easily forget the real and ultimate
purpose of communication.
Ironically, instead of
strengthening our unity with
everyone, they can become
clever tools of division that can
isolate people in the world of
their own making. Each one
becomes an island with no sense
of archipelagic solidarity.
I was struck when the Pope said
in one of his opening lines that
“this desire for communication
and friendship is rooted in
our very nature as human
beings and cannot be adequately
understood as a response to
technical innovations.”
That fine distinction is, I think,
worth reiterating. We tend to
be so captivated by the novelty
offered by these new technologies
that we forget that this need for
communication comes from our
nature that has objective laws and
requirements to be followed and
respected.
It’s easy for us to fly into
purely subjective ideas of why
we communicate. We tend to
make that task to serve narrow,
selfish ends. We do not make any
effort to attune it to serve God and
the common good. If the latter
are served, it often is a result of
accident, not by intention.
Quite clearly, the Pope spelled
out the nature and purpose of
communication. “In the light of
the biblical message,” he said,
“it should be seen primarily as a
reflection of our participation in
the communicative and unifying
Love of God who desires to make
of all humanity one family.”
Now I don’t know how many
people know this basic truth and
how much they are applying it in
their communications. What can
easily be gathered is that most
people communicate merely for
very personal reasons.
If not personal, then it’s done
more to pursue purely human
needs in the areas of professional,
social, cultural life. There’s
actually nothing wrong here as
long as everything is rooted and
focused on God’s will and design.
This basic truth is, sadly, often
set aside.
Often, we make our
communication a purely human
affair. It’s with this kind of
mentality that distorts our
communication, resulting in
discord and enmity among
ourselves. The Pope appeals
to all to see to it that our
communications promote
respect, dialogue and friendship
among ourselves.
In fact, our communications
should foster communion first
of all with God and then among
ourselves. It’s a communion that
welcomes diversity of opinions in
things precisely open to opinion,
without compromising the
absolute truths.
It’s not one to straitjacket
us. Rather it enhances, if not
perfects our freedom in all its
rich but unified possibilities.
It’s like a tapestry, containing
so many different threads, but
with a beautiful and harmonious
design.
Thus, we have to understand
that our communication, in
whatever form it takes, should
always be a way of participating
in the eternal communication
God has within himself and with
the rest of creation. It cannot be
any other way.
This is a tremendous challenge
for us to attain this abiding sense
of the nature and purpose of
our communication. It surely
would require the cooperation
of everyone, according to his
possibilities, and massive
resources.
Given our human condition,
with our need to be subjective, to
pass through several stages, not
to mention, our weaknesses and
limitations, and the temptations
around, we need to be patient and
focused in this task of educating
ourselves about communication.
We have to be quick to detect
and heal both the human and
devious tricks that can poison
the original nature of our
communication.
The Pope also encouraged all,
especially the young, to make use
of these new technologies for the
purpose of evangelization. In the
end, that’s what they are for.
Libmanan / B3
model building according to which a fully developed BEC model
that is responsive to the culture and situation of the local Church
is designed. Part of this step is the preparation of culturally rooted
activities as initial venues for gathering people and for sustaining the
same gatherings. Then the process continues on to capacity building.
That is, through trainings, the ability of the agents of renewal for
sustainable SKK implementation is developed and enhanced (human
resource development). Thus, not only are cluster leaders to be
obliged to undergo training in order to increase their capacity for SKK
implementation, but priests themselves as well have to undergo the
same experience. The final step of this process is institution building,
according to which policies on the environment, structures, systems
and strategies consistent with the vision-mission of the SKK are
well defined. An outcome in this stage of SKK-building is structural
reorganization and the parish clustering of families.
All these, one might say, were the accomplishment of PAPL III and
such was its impact on the local Church of Libmanan. Every parish
in the Prelature is now SKK-saturated, with clusters of communities
reaching 3,765 in 2007, and the numbers continue to grow to this day.
Finally, an SKK-culture is beginning to be felt everywhere. In fact, one
cannot talk about the Prelature of Libmanan without being drawn to
the SKK-atmosphere that now prevails in the whole Prelature.
The Dawning of a New Administration
After eighteen years in office, Bishop Arellano was relieved of his
responsibility as Ordinary of the Prelature after the Holy Father accepted
his resignation due to ill health. In his stead Bishop Jose Rojas, Auxiliary
bishop of Caceres has been appointed as Bishop-prelate of Libmanan.
On July 2, 2008, in solemn rites presided over by Archbishop
Leonardo Legaspi, Metropolitan Archbishop of Caceres, and witnessed
by the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, Archbishop Edward Joseph
Adams, and some bishops from Bicol and elsewhere in the country,
the new Bishop was installed and took canonical possession of the
Prelature of Libmanan.
As soon as he assumed office, the new bishop moved quickly to get things
going, making decisions that involved the health insurance of the clergy,
liturgical reform, administrative appointments, and the establishment of
St. Benedict Seminary in San Fernando, Camarines Sur.
Towards Becoming a Diocese
The Prelature of Libmanan has been in existence already for eighteen
years. In 2010, it shall celebrate the 20th anniversary of its canonical
erection. All these years, the Prelature had gone a long way. For sure,
there have been setbacks and these were many. For one thing, resources
remain scarce. For many years, in fact, this has been the Prelature’s
main predicament. It does not have adequate funds to support its
programs, much less the logistics to procure facilities for its apostolates
and to build infrastructure support. But in many ways more than one,
the Prelature has become truly rich in its own way.
Indeed, the Prelature of Libmanan is a poor Church. But as
envisioned by PCP II, it is not only a “poor Church”. It has also
become a Church “for” the Poor and more so a Church “of” the
Poor. Paradoxically, however, such poverty has also become its
fountain of wealth, giving concrete expression as it were to the Lord’s
discourse at the mount—“Blessed are the Poor”! For in many ways,
the Prelature has also become rich in faith, and it has been made
even much richer by the thriving and flourishing of small Christian
communities (SKKs), built around this faith. These communities are
the Prelature’s treasure, its pearl of great price. It is on account of
this “treasure” that the Prelature has quite progressed and is slowly
moving forward towards maturity as a local Church. Sheer numbers
for sure would not be enough to serve as indicators of this movement.
Time will tell if indeed the Prelature has moved in this direction of
growth, but recent developments must have already borne this out.
Indeed, the moment is not far, as it has become opportune, for the
local Church of Libmanan to obtain the crown it can now claim to
be its own, the status and the dignity befitting a diocese.
Ipsi gloria in saecula!
(Last March 25, 2009, Feast of the Annunciation, the Holy Father Pope
Benedict XVI elevated the Prelature of Libmanan to a Diocese)
Complicate your life
MY title sounds shocking, especially coming from someone
who’s known by everyone as Mr. Simple—a guy who doesn’t
even comb his hair and doesn’t wear a watch and who dons
a 70’s outfit not because its faddish but because he’s trapped
in that era.
But you see, I don’t believe that simplicity is the greatest
thing in the world.
Take my life for example. I’ve deliberately complicated it
these past few years.
I remember a few years back, I wrote these articles with nary
a distraction—except perhaps for the few stray mosquitoes
underneath my computer table.
Today, the mosquitoes don’t bother me at all. It’s the oneyear-old thief in diapers underneath my table, grabbing my
computer keyboard and typing in tongues.
When I was a single man some time ago, I didn’t even
know what “savings” meant. Today, I have to deal with
educational plans, health insurance, and sound investments.
And even if the thief-in-diapers is still toothless as of this
writing, I’m seriously saving for his teeth braces, which I
hear, costs more than my car.
During my single days, I recall sauntering off by myself to
a lonely mountain to pray for a day or two—whenever I so
desired. I’d bring a guitar, a bible, and a tiny picnic basket.
All by my quiet self.
That will never happen again in my present life. Because
now, I’d have to bring a guitar, a bible, a picnic basket, my
wife, my baby, his diaper bag, his toy bag, his food bag, his
clothes bag, his bottle bag, his carriage, his car seat…
And in that mountain, I can only pray as long as the thiefin-diapers is napping. And the moment I play the guitar,
he instantly wakes up and strums it for me—ushering the
end of my quiet prayer time, and signaling the start of my
distracted, noisy, harassed prayer time.
There are days when a thought crosses my mind: Why on
earth did I get married? What insanity came over me? Why
did I complicate my very simple, happy, single life?
But immediately, the answer comes forcefully when I see
my loving wife playing with our smiling baby in her arms.
Peace overflows my heart as I realize that I’ve exchanged
my very simple, happy single life for a very complicated,
happy married life.
Why have I complicated my life?
Because I have decided to love.
And here’s the lesson I’ve learned: As long as you complicate
your life because of love, then it’s glorious.
Congratulate yourself.
Because simplicity isn’t the greatest thing in the world,
but love.
Let me give you two other examples:
If you’re going to join a Catholic group, believe me when I
say this: your life will get complicated. (Take it from one who’s
been part of community for twenty years.) Why complicate
your life with weekly meetings, heavy responsibilities, tiring
ministries, and queer personalities? Why get into relationships
that will disillusion you in the end? Why follow leaders that
you know will disappoint you one day?
A more basic example:
Why will you commit your entire life to God? I mean, won’t
it be easier just to be a nominal Catholic? All you have to
do is go to Mass on Sundays and presto—you’re guilt-free.
You can do what you want to do the rest of the week. You
don’t have to think about pleasing Him every moment of
your life. You don’t have to love Him in your every word,
thought, and deed. That’s just too complicated!
Make your life simple.
Simply meaningless.
Social Concerns
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 13 No. 11
May 25 - June 7, 2009
Appeal to the senators for
the passage of CARPER sans
killer amendments
We know that the Law
is on the Farmer’s side
Photo courtesy of Balaod Mindanaw
WE, the farmers,
advocates of Agrarian
Reform, the bishops
and the religious,
appreciate the efforts
of the Senate in fasttracking the passage
of Senate Bill 2666.
We have witnessed
the interpellations by
Senators and were
also able to talk with
some members of the
Senate who generously
promised support for
this essential social
justice program.
We were assured time and
again of the early passage of the
CARP Extension with Reforms
bill. We would also like to express
gratitude to Senator Honasan who
gave us assurances that ‘killer’
amendments will not find their
way into the bill. This makes us
glad but we continuously plead
with the Honorable Senators to
ensure that amendments that
could water down the CARP
and would defeat the purpose
of the agrarian reform program
shall not be included in the final
version of the bill. In particular,
we are disturbed about the
possibility that there will be an
introduction of an inequitable
phasing of the Land Acquisition
and Distribution component of
the program.
U n d e r t h e m o s t r e ce n t
proposal on phasing, lands over
50 hectares and above will be
prioritized. The acquisition and
distribution will be done on a
province to province basis. And,
an accomplishment rate of 90%
per province will set as a trigger.
This tight and complicated
phasing of acquisition and
distribution almost ensures that
many provinces in the country
will end up not being covered
under the program.
We aim to find a just and
equitable meeting point. We
propose that that 90% trigger of
accomplishment for the 50 hectares
and above landholdings be
removed. Instead, landholdings of
all sizes should be simultaneously
targeted for acquisition and
distribution, with those bigger
landholdings as priority. The
Senate may also study and come
up with other equitable alternative
phasing or prioritization systems.
For instance, we appeal that
your committee give priority
for all lands over ten hectares.
That is an equitable compromise
for the legitimate small farmers
owning 5-10 hectares (covering
a total area of about 186,000 has).
Otherwise, we foresee stalling
of compulsory acquisition after
coverage of 136,000 hectares (of
lands measuring over 50 has.),
especially in contentious areas
like Negros which would render
CARP meaningless for thousands
of farmers.
There is also a proposal on the
reconsolidation of agricultural
lands after the expiration of the 10-
year moratorium on transfers of
awarded land. This is antithetical
to the objective of CARP because
this would result in nullifying
the gains of the program in the
past 20 years. In fact, 2.8 million
hectares of lands covered under
CARP for ten years will be
vulnerable to reconsolidation
under this proposal. This would
then take away lands already
rendered productive by the
farmer-beneficiaries whose rights
will be disregarded systematically
by legislation.
We are also concerned about
a proposal to remove agrarian
cases from the jurisdiction of
the Department of Agrarian
Reform Adjudication Board
(DARAB) and putting these
under the jurisdiction of the
regular courts. This proposal
disregards the unique nature of
agrarian cases and the particular
need for experience and expertise
of the administrative agency
mandated to implement agrarian
reform laws. This also poses the
danger of further oppression
to farmer beneficiaries whose
legal personality is usually not
recognized in regular courts and
poses the risk of further isolating
these indigent farmers from court
processes in the very likely event
that they will not be able to avail
of counsel’s services. We agree,
however, that the DARAB and the
DAR, in general, should address
loopholes in implementation
and arrest problems in Agrarian
Justice Delivery.
These are the provisions we
found objectionable among
the many proposals raised by
members of the Senate. We
remain vigilant and will continue
to watch Senate processes, and
call on our Senators to perform
their duty to the Filipino people
and to abide by the Constitutional
Mandate of undertaking an
effective and equitable agrarian
reform program. We appeal
to the moral principles and
conviction of our national leaders
and ask the Honorable Senators
to help us guard against any
proposal which will water down
the CARP, and take away from
the gains of this program which
is among the essential vehicles
for food security, peace in the
countryside, and social justice.
We remain confident that
the Honorable Senators will
be guided by discernment in
finalizing this legislation and
in protecting the rights of the
Filipino farmers.
“For I was hungry and
You gave me food.” (USCCB,
November 12, 2003)
“The Lord gave us mind and
conscience; we cannot hide from
ourselves.” (Proverbs 20.27)
(Sgd.) + BRODERICK S.
PABILLO, D.D.
Chair, Episcopal Commission
on
Social Action, Justice and Peace
Auxiliary Bishop of Manila
(Sgd.) ATTY. CHRISTIAN S.
MONSOD
PARFUND
May 12, 2009
Blessed / B4
cause of the Holy Spirit and also authorized
her to give to the Sisters of her congregation
the new name that describes better their
charism in the Church, “Oblates of the
Holy Spirit.”
Elena considered the exhortation of the
Pope to go on with the apostolate as an
order and so she dedicated herself with
greater diligence to the cause of the Holy
Spirit, thus deepening for herself and for
others the real sense of a “return to the
Spirit;” this would also be the mandate for
her Congregation in the world.
In her meditations on the World of God,
Elena was profoundly impressed and
moved by the historical event that happened
in the Cenacle of the early Church. In fact, it
was there that Jesus offered Himself to God
as the Victim of expiation for the salvation
of men; it was there that He instituted the
Sacrament of love, the Eucharist; and there
He repeatedly appeared to His disciples
after the resurrection. And, finally, it was
there, “seated at the right hand of the Father”,
that He sent the Holy Spirit on the newlyborn Church.
Now all this is the Paschal Mystery that
is continually taking place and at the same
time is always in the process of becoming,
but which the Church will bring to fulfillment
when the Christ will come.
The Church is tending towards the
fulfillment of the Mysteries of the Cenacle,
permanent mysteries, the Paschal Mystery. In
this sense, the Church is the prolongation of
the Cenacle and is analogous to the Spiritual
Permanent Cenacle.
It is in this Cenacle of the Paschal Mystery
that the priestly, kingly and prophetic
community gathers around the Risen
Christ. Everyone of us, every believer, by
the action of the Holy Spirit in Baptism and
Confirmation is grafted into the Mystical
Body and rendered capable of participating
actively in the Eucharistic Mass which is an
assembly of the confirmed, similar to the first
B7
community of the Cenacle after the descent
of the Holy Spirit. These considerations led
Elena Guerra to conceive and initiate the
“Universal Cenacle”, a movement of prayer
to the Holy Spirit.
Elena died on Holy Saturday of April 11,
1914, with the desire remaining in her heart
like an “unfinished symphony”, to see the
“modern Christians” become aware of the
presence and of the action of the Holy Spirit
in their souls, an indispensable condition for
a real “renewal of the face of the earth.”
Rightly therefore did Pope John XXIII,
raising Elena Guerra to the honors of the
altar (she was the first proclaimed Blessed
during his pontificate), defined her as the
“Apostle of the Holy Spirit” of modern
times just as St. Mary Magdalene was
the “Apostle of the Resurrection” and St.
Margaret Mary Alacoque the “Apostle of
the Sacred Heart.”
Elena Guerra was beatified on April
26, 1959.
JOINT Resolution No. 19, which extends the Comprehensive
Agrarian Reform Program but without providing for
compulsory acquisition, expires on June 30. On June 5, however,
the second regular session of Congress will end, resuming
only on the first week of July. This means that despite months
of campaigning and lobbying for a struggle that has spanned
decades, and because of the indifference or neglect of our
representatives in Congress, we are again in the eleventh hour,
with only nine session days left to pass a law that is not only
constitutionality mandated, but is required by basic notions of
equity and social justice.
The implementation of an agrarian reform program is a
Constitutional mandate which the State may not avoid by
legislative inaction. Section 4, Art. XIII of the 1987 Constitution
requires the State to “undertake an agrarian reform program
founded on the right of farmers and regular farmworkers
who are landless, to own directly or collectively the lands
they till or, in the case of other farmworkers, to receive a just
share of the fruits thereof.” As it is, Joint Resolution No. 19 is
unconstitutional for being contrary to the very spirit of agrarian
reform. If Congress again fails to pass an agrarian reform law
by June 5, it will be nothing short of a dereliction of a duty
reposed on the legislative body by our Constitution.
The CARP has been in existence for 20 years, but the fruits of
authentic agrarian reform in the country have yet to be reaped.
Eighty percent of privately-owned agricultural lands remain
undistributed. Eighteen percent of CARP beneficiaries have not
received titles to the lands that they till and should rightfully
own. Sixty-five percent of CARP beneficiaries have no access to
government support services that should be available in agrarian
reform areas. Rural poverty still accounts for seventy percent of
the country’s poor. If we are to attain social justice eloquently
defined by Justice Jose P. Laurel in Calalang vs. Williams as “…the
humanization of laws and the equalization of social and economic
forces by the State…” then agrarian reform is a measure that must
not only be continued, but must be among those prioritized.
The Philippine’s agrarian reform program needs to be given
more time to fully attain the goals it was created to accomplish.
Twenty years of unsatisfactory implementation clearly leaves
much room for improvement and reform. House Bill 4077 and
Senate Bill 2666, or the CARP Extension with Reforms Bill,
reflect the needed changes to address the shortcomings that have
prevented the law’s noble purpose from coming into fruition.
We, who study the law, know that laws are there for a reason.
Agrarian reform is explicitly identified as a fundamental State
policy in Art II Sec 21 of the Constitution. Thus, we ask that our
lawmakers breathe life into this policy by enacting laws that
set in motion and ensure actual and speedy results.
We, who study the law, know that while the actual provisions
are drafted by the members of Congress, laws are ultimately
articulations of the people’s will and expressions of the power
inherent in them as citizens of a free country. Thus, we remind
our lawmakers that their mandate emanates from the people,
and their duty is to address their constituents’ needs, even
if it means sacrificing their own interests. We reiterate that
by eliminating compulsory acquisition, the agrarian reform
program is reduced to no more than an empty promise. Without
it, there is no reform, only more of the same.
We, who study the law, are no strangers to policies that look
resolute on paper, but are torn apart and rendered useless by the
selfsame provisions, where motherhood statements mask gaps,
loopholes and false pretenses. Thus, we demand that Congress
deliver an agrarian reform program that is responsive, sincere
and faithful to the principles of social justice.
The second regular session of Congress ends in less than a
month. Too much has been lost, too much sacrificed and there is
too much at stake for our legislature to fail us now. We take up
this cause because we, who study the law, owe it to this country.
We owe it to the farmers who walked thousands of miles, and
spent weeks in hunger strikes, asking to be heard. We owe it to
the blood shed and lives lost. We owe it to the law that we study
and pledge to serve. Because if the law cannot be used to protect
those who need it the most, then it betrays its own purpose.
TIME IS RUNNING OUT! PASS THE CARPER BILLS (HB
4077 and SB 2666) NOW!
Student Council
Ateneo Law School
Makati City, Metro Manila
Supreme Law Council
College of Law
Silliman University
Dumaguete City, Oriental Negros
Student Council
College of Law
University of Baguio
Baguio City, Benguet
Civil Law Student Council
College of Law
University of Santo Tomas
Manila City, Metro Manila
Law Student Government
College of Law
University of the Philippines
Quezon City, Metro Manila
The Church / B6
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economic, political, religious and cultural divisions and quarrels,
our scrambling for power, intrigues, competition and envy result
from our arrogance and proud idolatry.
In depicting the Spirit as being poured out at Pentecost, Luke
wishes to affirm that the event overcame the division among men.
The Holy Spirit inaugurated the reconstitution of Israel, fulfilling
Ezekiel’s prophecy that God would gather again his people into
one (Ezek 37:23). Pentecost signifies that Israel is now renewed.
The people of the renewed Israel gather around the Lord who
makes his dwelling among them (Ezek 37:28). The confusion at
Babel (Gen 11:1-9) is replaced with unity at Pentecost (Acts 2:6).
The nature of that renewed community is echoed by Paul: “All of
you who have been baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves
with him. There does not exist among you Jew or Greek, slave or
freeman, male or female. All are one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:2628). Luke pictures the unity in this fashion: “The community of
believers were of one heart and one mind. None of them ever
claimed anything as his own; rather, everything was held in
common” (Acts 4:32). There may be diversity in the community,
but it remains as one body (cf 1 Cor 12:12-13). However, the
effect of Pentecost is not limited to the renewed Israel. Indeed,
tomorrow, all the nations of the earth will experience this unity.
This is why the Holy Spirit appears on the apostles in tongues of
fire so that the gospel will be understood in the language of all
the nations (Acts 2:6-12). The messianic community extends to all
peoples. This is concretely manifested in the so-called “Pentecost
of the pagans” (Acts 10:44-48).
Entertainment
B8
Moral Assessment
 Abhorrent
 Disturbing
 Acceptable
 Wholesome
Exemplary
Technical Assessment
 Poor
 Below average
 Average
 Above average
 E
xcellent
Title: Star Trek
Running Time: 126 min
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary
Quinto, Leonard Nimoy, Eric
Bana, Bruce Greenwood
Director: J.J. Abrams
Producers: J.J. Abrams, Damon
Lindelof
Screenwriters: Roberto Orci,
Alex Kurtzman
Music: Michael Giacchino
Editor: Maryann Brandon, Mary
Jo Markey
Cinematography: Daniel Mindel
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Location: Bakersfield, California, USA
Technical Assessment: 
Moral Assessment: 
CINEMA Rating: For viewers 14
and above
It’s the 23rd century. The
spaceship helmed by Capt.
Christopher Pike (Bruce
Greenwood) is under attack
by the formidable Narada
spaceship under Capt. Nero
(Eric Bana). Pike’s son, James
Tiberius Kirk (Chris Pine)
is about to be born as his
mother is being evacuated
from the besieged ship. As
a young boy, Kirk is shown
maniacally driving (without
license, of course) a car to the
Grand Canyon, outspeeding a
flying traffic cop and almost
plunging to his death. He
climbs up the ledge, hardly
unnerved. He is suspended by
MAC en COLET
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 13 No. 11
May 25 - June 7, 2009
the Academy for a few years
and in due time smuggled
into the starship Enterprise.
Here he continues to swagger
around, gets the hots for the
sultry but sensible Uhura
(Zoe Saldana), and soon after
appoints himself as Captain
after his nearly fatal encounter
with Spock (Zachary Quinto).
Kirk gets the ship, but Spock
wins his woman, so who’s
the real winner? That is not
resolved until Kirk and Spock
put their heads together to
save their ship from Nero the
destroyer.
This 27-year old Star Trek
series has many fans younger
than itself. That’s because its
producers have learned to
adapt so that Star Trek may
evolve and keep up with the
times. You’ll like this 11th
Start Trek movie, too, if you’re
young at heart, which means
even as a Senior Citizen card
holder you’re still open to such
things as warps, starships,
time travel and black hole
idiosyncracies. You’re also
young at heart if you think
movies are fun and do not
bleed yourself dry looking
for logic at every turn. Star
Trek tries to strike a balance
between then and now, old and
new, courtly and cool. Pine as
Kirk the hero is reminiscent
of the 50s’ James Dean, a
rabble-rouser without a cause;
Quinto as Spock the other hero
Ni Bladimer Usi
Buhay Parokya
The film opens in Title: Duplicity
slow motion as two Running Time: 125 min.
corporate honchos Cast: Clive Owen, Julia Roberts,
Tom Wilkinson, Paul Giamatti,
brawl in the tarmac
Dan Daily
after they descend from
Director: Tony Gilroy
their respective private Producers: Laura Bickford, Jennifer
jets with their staff
Fox, Kerry Orent
watching in horror. Screenwriter: Tony Gilroy
Then we return to 2003, Music: James Newton Howard
when smooth-talking Editor: John Gilroy
M15 agent charmer Genre: Drama/ Romance
R a y K o v a l ( C l i v e Cinematography: Robert Elswit
Owen) meets sassy Distributor: Universal Pictures
CIA operative Claire Location: several North America
and Europe
Stenwick (Julia Roberts)
Technical
Assessment:
in a consulate party
Moral
Assessment:

in Dubai. Instantly
CINEMA
Rating:
For
mature viewattracted, they begin
ers 18 and above
flirting with each other
until they share a passionate night. However, the next morning
Claire drugs Ray and steals the Egyptian documents they were
both assigned to look for. Fast forward 5 years after in the US,
the two, this time working for the same multinational company
as intelligence operatives, cross paths and are teamed together
for an assignment much to Claire’s disgust. Or is it so? After
a series of flashbacks and flash forwards, as the audience is
taken to a jet setting tour around the world, we realize that
Claire and Owen have been meeting for years and are now
planning a scheme to double cross their employers, steal the
secret formula and make a few millions before leaving the spy
game. But first, they have to overcome their trust issue before
learning to work together.
The biggest achievement of the movie is overcoming the
difficulty of non-linear story telling which is both confusing
and hard to follow while being clever and amusing. Duplicity
relies on cerebral work instead of muscle power. Needless to say,
the violence of the film is in the script and words rather than in
actual fighting and blood shedding. The cinematography and
production design are dramatic as they transform and gloss every
single scene regardless if it is in an Italian hotel suite or dingy spy
headquarters or the bland corporate office. Owen and Roberts
deliver powerful performances but do not quite achieve an intense
chemistry to make their long standing love affair believable. The
witty complicated plot is washed down by a pathetic and weak
ending. Over-all the movie is entertaining and worthwhile albeit
a little problematical with the story telling.
Duplicity raises the issue of trust and loyalty. Self-interest
and greed seem to be the main motivation of the characters that
it becomes hard to have faith in the very person they love.
Again, pre-marital sex is tolerated and glamorized.
But the most disturbing issue with Duplicity is the glorification
of crime and presentation of criminals as funny, charming, loveable
characters you root for. As it lessens the impact of the misdeed, it
may deliver the wrong message especially to young viewers.
resurrects the refined and
principled gentleman that girls
fall for. Star Trek supports its
story with a nifty script and
good character development,
and tries to inject a little
naughtiness and humor in
order to be more palatable at
the box office.
What lessons may be learned
from a movie with characters
evocative of Noah’s Ark but
using starships? One, Star
Trek science is not to be taken
as plausible—you’ll flunk
Science class if you believe
in it . Two, r ecog niz e t he
implausible and the impossible
as entertainment—for instance,
enjoy the sight of the spaceship
Narada emerging from the
Black Hole looking like a
mutated cockroach magnified
a quintillion times—harmless
in spite of its size. Three, to win
a woman, it’s better for a man
to have gentle manners than
cockiness and a strong libido.
Four, no matter where humans
find themselves in time and
space, man-woman love will
live on in the human heart, as
the song “As Time Goes By”
says, “You must remember
this, a kiss is still a kiss…”
Five, in times of danger,
even spacewalkers still call
on God—as when Capt. Pike
utters upon seeing the the
“giant cockroach” Narada
threatening his spaceship: “Oh
my God….!”
Look for the three items:
Images of the Holy Water,
Maria Magdalena and the Holy
Cross.(Illustration by Bladimer
Usi)
CBCP Monitor
C1
Vol. 13 No. 11
May 25 - June 7, 2009
The News Supplement of
Couples for Christ
KFC Dreams Big for a Big God
By Kirby Llaban
WEEPING with joy. These words seemed to exemplify God’s mood
just days leading up to the 12th International Kids’ Village (IKV).
And in a fashion befitting the King of the Universe, He cried up a
storm. Up till a day before the actual IKV, the sky was overcast and
the grounds at the Sta. Cruz Sports Complex in Laguna were not
just drenched but were starting to resemble rice paddies. Being the
true, heavenly Father that He is, He probably couldn’t help but get
all choked up by the thought of almost 10,400 of his children from
five countries gathering to show their love for Him. Kids from all
the provinces of the Philippines and from as far as Malaysia, China,
Brunei and the Middle East trooped to Laguna to be part of this
gathering of God’s most beloved ones -- to worship, dance, learn
and have fun!
True to form, once the event got underway, God gifted His children with amazing weather, from start to finish. The rain abruptly
stopped and the skies were just cloudy enough to shield the kids
from the harsh rays of the sun.
This year’s IKV urged the kids to “Dream Big” for God, by offering
the best of their service to Him and daring to do great things for His
kingdom. He showed everyone, in a very concrete manner, that to
‘Dream Big’ indeed honors Him because He is a Big God.
Aside from the Special Competitions, the kids got to explore the
different Dream Villages, each one focusing on a distinct manner of
dreaming big – by learning how to Love, Learn, and Lead. It was a
sight to see thousands of kids and yes, even parents and YFC ates and
kuyas, moving as one to Eagle’s Peak, the Dream Village that inspired
kids to be leaders, to Antopia, Annie the Ant’s territory, which showed
the KFCs different ways of showing love and to Elephantasia, where
kids got to choose from all sorts of workshops from music to arts.
The workshops and exhibits encouraged the kids to have a big
heart, to be grateful for the talents and treasures God has given
them, to love their family and their country, to love the poor and to
answer the call of becoming Christ-like leaders of the future.
Friday night featured the many talents of KFC with the Kids’
Praise Parade.
The highlight of the IKV was undoubtedly the remarkably original play about a Dream World and its main characters: the Dream
7 and of course, Dream Master who created Dream World. It was
a lively bonanza of colors and music that even the adults enjoyed.
The play expressed the essence of how it is to dream big for the
world by loving the earth. The play emphasized that we should all
be good stewards of God’s creation and that we should all strive to
be the best we can be through, in the case of the kids, their studies
and their relationships. By the end of the play, everyone was singing and dancing to the Dream World theme, “Dream Big! God is on
our side…Dream Big!”
This year’s IKV was also an undeniable ground-breaker in several
ways. Aside from being the first IKV to hold a Bayani Challenge: Kids
Edition, which was a Gawad Kalinga Build held a few days before
the actual IKV, the IKV also conducted the first ever Kids Ambassadors Global Summit on the afternoon of the first day, a meaningful
event of shared fun despite a diversity of cultures. It was also the
first IKV to pioneer a especially produced ‘Dream Big’ DVD about
the IKV highlights that was released on the last day.
The IKV held an unprecedented reunion of KFCs who have since
moved on to Youth for Christ or
even Singles for Christ. The KFC
Alumni Conference was held
on the last day, at the same time
that the parents also had their
Parents’ Conference. Jimmy Leomas of Family Life International
talked to the parents about “The
Effects of Media and Modern
Technology on Our Children.”
As if this wasn’t enough, the
surprise to end all surprises was
announced just before the IKV’s
closing – 2010 will be the year
that sees KFC having three separate Kids’ Villages for Luzon,
Visayas and Mindanao respectively and, get this, the first IKV
to be held abroad, in Singapore
in December!
The ‘Dream Big’ IKV was
definitely true to its name. It dreamed up and achieved the nearly
impossible for the kids – on a truly grand scale. And if God had
seemed to be weeping for joy before the IKV, He shone His full,
scorching smile through the summer-hot weather on the last day.
He really does have a soft spot for kids!
CFC Moves Forward and Lets Go
By Zeny Gimenez
I
n an unprecedented move, the Couples for
Christ International Council announced last
April 30, 2009 that it was relinquishing the
governance and corporate structure of Gawad
Kalinga, the flagship program for the poor that
it established more than a decade ago.
Citing GK’s need for greater freedom so it can
expand more rapidly and interact with more
people, Executive Director Joe Tale, speaking
for the entire International Council, called the
move a “letting go.” He also assuaged the apprehensions of some people by categorically
stating that CFC is not abandoning GK or the
work with the poor, but rather allowing both
CFC and GK to pursue the work according to
each other’s calling and charism.
He emphasized that CFC members who are
actively involved in GK projects and sites must
remain where they are and continue the good
work they are doing. He asked the CFC community to remember that the welfare of the poor
is the top priority and that nothing should stand
in the way of programs aimed to better the lives
of the least among us.
CFC often refers to GK as the “concrete
expression of our love for God and for our
neighbor,” and that it grew out of the then
growing desire of the community to respond
to God’s love by reaching out to those who
need love and care. Starting out as a program
for the youth in Bagong Silang, GK rapidly expanded into a community-building program.
It was not long before many sectors of society
took notice of the work of GK. Thus, from being
purely a CFC effort (with funds coming from
the pockets of the members themselves), GK
grew into an organization with local and foreign
partners eager to help in the work of community
development.
In 2003, GK was sufficiently expanded to venture into a heroic goal – GK777 – which aimed to
build 700,000 homes in 7,000 sites in 7 years. It was
also sufficiently well known such that it was one
of the first to be harnessed (in terms of donors and
personnel) in disaster relief and rehabilitation. GK
is also present in other countries in Asia – Papua
New Guinea, Cambodia and Indonesia.
ANCOP is CFC’s work with the poor
The announcement was met with general acceptance by CFC leaders and members, albeit with
some anxiety and some initial confusion as to how
CFC will now address or implement its own work
with the poor. The IC issued a set of Questions and
Answers and a set of basic guidelines to further
explain the decision.
At the Mission Core teaching night last May
19, Tuesday, Joe Tale made another announcement – CFC’s work with the poor will be known
as ANCOP. This acronym, which originally stood
CFC leaders listen as Joe Tale makes the announcement on CFC and GK at the Mission Core Gathering on
Sunday, May 3.
Executive Director Joe Tale and IC members Joey Arguelles, Lito Tayag, Ernie Maipid, and Rouquel Ponte during
the press conference on Friday, May 22.
for “A Network of the Church of the Poor,” was
the name given to the work with the poor of CFC
before GK was established. As Joe Tale explained
during a meeting with the provincial area heads
and the Metro Manila sectors heads last May 20,
ANCOP will be the umbrella under which all the
components of CFC’s work with the poor will
operate – the work of the Social Ministries which
includes prisons, education, livelihood, health,
migrant workers, and of course Gawad Kalinga
which, Joe Tale states, “continues to be the major
component of the work with the poor of CFC, now
known as ANCOP.”
At the same meeting with the area heads, Joe
Yamamoto, Philippine Missions Director, also
clarified that, contrary to what media has reported, there is no “split” between CFC and GK.
He explained that while CFC has “let go of the
corporate structure, the foundation, the organizational presence of the CFC IC in GK, as well as the
movement and the ministry, it is not really a split
because we are speaking only about independent,
distinct entities with separate governance, structures and functions..” He further explained that
the basic guidelines call for greater collaboration
and cooperation between the two groups, with
pastoral cover for CFC members working in GK
still coming from CFC.
IC holds press conference
In a press conference called last Friday, May
22, IC members Joe Tale, Joey Arguelles, Lito
Tayag, Ernie Maipid and Rouquel Ponte fielded
questions from media.
In response to a question on how CFC will
respond to the bishops’ concerns about how
GK in their respective dioceses will be handled
henceforth, Joe Tale explained that in keeping
with CFC’s being one with the Catholic Church,
CFC recognizes and respects the position adopted by the bishops in their respective dioceses.
However, CFC stands ready to clarify more
fully the implications of the announcement and
towards that end, the IC will dialogue with the
bishops, as appropriate.
The IC also clarified that the decision to let go
of GK’s governance and corporate structure was
arrived at after much discussion, consultation
and prayers.
Joe Tale announced that two members of the
IC, Ernie Maipid and Lito Tayag, have agreed to
remain in the GK Board in the interim, in order
to ensure that the GK Board can continue to
officially transact business, until such time that
the replacements for the IC on the GK Board
have been duly designated. (Please see related
stories on page 2 and 3.)
Ugnayan
C2
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 13 No. 11
May 25 - June 7, 2009
By Joe Tale, CFC Executive Director
When Letting Go
Means Letting Grow
So what does letting go really mean?
First, letting go does not mean limiting the scope of the work –
rather it is meant to expand it further. In making this decision, we
look beyond the needs of today to the greater mission ahead. GK is
a wonderful gift of God to CFC and we have shared it with others.
But we also believe it should be shared with many more.
As we allow GK greater freedom to do its work, CFC commits to
expanding our own work with the poor.
In a sense of déjà vu, we call this work
ANCOP, the name we gave to our initial
response to the work with the poor, even
before GK. This acronym originally
stood for “A Network of the Church of
the Poor.” With this name, we look forward to CFC doing what we believe the
Lord meant for us to do – a work with
the poor that will be grounded on faith,
with Christ proclaimed in word and action, and in oneness with the Church.
Second, letting go does not at all mean
letting be. CFC will continue to be involved in GK work, especially since we
believe that our own work with the poor,
which we shall now call ANCOP, should
include GK as a major component.
Third, letting go indeed means letting
grow. One insight that I have received
over these many weeks of discernment
and prayer and discussion, is that we
do not own the work with the poor. It
is the Lord who owns it. We are grateful
for the gift of GK to CFC and of being
allowed to govern it. But the deeper
gift of the Lord to CFC is the work with
the poor, which was originally ANCOP
when we first started this work, and
which eventually evolved into Gawad
Kalinga. We are now being led to looking at the work in the scope
and reach the Lord originally meant us to take – to include the other
components embodied in the Social Ministries that we established
before we even began GK.
I would like us to look deeper into this insight – no one among
us owns the work with the poor. And since we do not own it, we
must be open to share it with others, indeed with the world, as GK
can now freely do.
Thus we look to our Social Ministries as the engine which will
be re-fueled. We intend to revisit each of the Social Ministries to
make it more attuned to the greater work ahead. We will target a
wider scope of beneficiaries, especially those in prisons (the poorest of the poor indeed) and their families and migrant workers and
their families. More important, we do not intend to neglect the poor
among the CFC brethren who need our help the most.
In the matter of jobs and livelihood, Tekton has done a lot of initiatives in delivering easy credit to jumpstart livelihood opportunities
through its microfinance program, in encouraging the growth of
cooperatives through Coops for Christ, and in making job opportunities available through TekWork.
In education, our earlier work was focused on the pre-school and
on Sibol and Sagip programs and on Siga (the out-of-school youth)
in the GK sites. We will revisit our response in this area so that we
can make a greater impact in helping provide education and moral
values for the young generation.
In the area of health, CFC has made major inroads in the delivery
of health care, particularly to the poor. The Medical Mission Ministry has gone on countless medical and surgical missions to outlying
areas that are underserved by medical practitioners and has given
hope to many of our poor brethren who could not afford to seek help
for their ailments. But we feel that the greater benefit lies in early
detection and prevention, rather than in curing, diseases. We shall
therefore pursue a health program that is focused more on early
detection and prevention.
Feeding the hungry is a major work. We are grateful to Selecta
and particularly to Mr. John Concepcion who has made it his personal and corporate mission to help the poor put food on their tables
through the BayanAnihan program. We remain committed to the
BayanAnihan program, not just to help the poor in the GK sites but
those in non-GK areas as well.
CFC will be pursuing all of these
ministries with greater vigor and zeal
under the umbrella of ANCOP. Gawad
Kalinga remains a major activity of our
work with the poor and will be the major
component in ANCOP. I cannot repeat
this often enough – CFC is not abandoning GK! And so we urge all those in CFC
working in GK sites to continue to do so.
The poor need all the help they can get
and your heroic efforts on their behalf
need to be pursued with even greater
determination than ever.
There may now be two distinct
organizations and governance - CFC
and GK – but both are in solidarity in
working together and collaborating in
our common love for the least among
our brethren.
We rejoice that both CFC ANCOP and
GK are now free to expand in the work
of caring for the poor and of letting the
poor know of the goodness and mercy
of God. We rejoice that more people
will now benefit from our expanded
work. We pray that many more will be
called to serve and be moved to walk
along this journey of discovery and joy
in Building the Church of the Poor. To
God be the Glory!
by Joe Yamamoto, Philippine Missions Director, International Council Member
The Prize of God’s
Upward Call
JUST one thing: forgetting what lies behind
but straining forward to what lies ahead. I
continue my pursuit toward the goal, the
prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ
Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)
In the drudgery of our day to day
life, facing challenges and trials almost
on a regular basis, do we ask ourselves
the right questions? Do we challenge
ourselves with the basic questions that
we need to keep us on the right track,
with the same determined focus, moving towards the goals we have set for
ourselves? As Couples for Christ, do
we continually ask ourselves if we are
indeed pressing on with the mission
that has been entrusted to us?
What gives us the push to get up on
a Monday morning, especially when
we know that the week ahead promises
to be a particularly trying one? What
and where is the source of energy that
inspires and nurtures us to go on, regardless of the circumstances? What fuels our
life, our work, our career and service?
Earthly life is a marathon and a perennial race and unless we are firmly
grounded and rooted in the values Jesus
taught us, it is difficult to comprehend
how we can triumph and even be sustained.
St. Paul gave us many useful tips on
how to run this marathon of life:
1. He kept his eye on the prize (Phil
3:13-14)
2. He exercised himself into godliness
(1 Tim 4:7) vs. pride, poverty, and lack
of self-control
3. He ran the race with endurance
(Heb. 12:1)
According to Paul, why run a race
unless you’re running to win? No true
competitor wants to finish second. We
train hard for a race because of the
reward of winning. No one puts so
much effort on the preparations before
a race unless he has the motivation to
excel, and in thus excelling, winning
the race.
But there are many among us who
join races just for the fun of it – the so
called “fun runs” – where the objective
is simply to finish the race, even if we
come in last, taking our pleasure along
the way, stopping for many rests, for
coffee. But the real pleasure is in being
able to hold our hand up in victory!
Are we running the correct race? Are
we running the right race for the right reasons? Or are we indeed running intently
and with the motivation to win, and yet
we are in the wrong race? And with the
wrong company? Or worse, even as we
are excellently conditioned for the race,
are we running in circles – quick at the
start but with nowhere to go?
Many Christians, just like Paul,
started by fighting the wrong fight and
running the wrong race. Paul thought
that hauling Christians in chains to
Jerusalem was the correct expression
of his spirituality. Nowadays, many
Christians manifest split level Christian
life – Christians on Sundays and pagans
the rest of the week. There is a term for
that, if you are a soldier- WEEKEND
WARRIOR
For Paul, the highest calling is to prepare and run the race. His goal- eternity
with Christ in Heaven. His method of
preparation – to forget the burden of the
past and simply to strain toward one
goal and one prize.
The purpose of our life is to lead a
life that ultimately brings us to God.
Catechism teaches us “ to know, love
and serve God.” It is completed by adding the phrase “to finally be with God
in heaven.” We were created for that
Godly-purpose.
Knowing our purpose is important.
It will allow us to experience the following:
1. TO GIVE MEANING TO OUR
LIFE. Dr. Bernie Siegel, an eminent psychologist, who made an observational
study on the survival of cancer patients,
noted that those who responded positively to the question “Who wants to
live to be a hundred?” have higher
survival rates.
2. TO GIVE FOCUS TO OUR LIFE.
Phil 3:15 states: “... let us keep focused
on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us.”
Without focus, one is bound to drift
towards aimless distraction. This is a
situation very similar to a gyroscope
spinning rather quickly but without going anywhere. Or consider the mighty
warships of the Second World War
which were destroyed and sunk after
their rudders were hit by gunfire and
bombs. Having lost their rudders, they
were doomed to run only in circles,
making escape impossible.
The Bible gives us a good example
of aimless wandering – the Israelites
spent 40 years in the desert, so near
to their goal and yet unable to reach it
because of their rebellious nature and
their faithlessness.
As CFC, what is our focus? It is simple
and straightforward -- authentic life in
Christ in CFC is when we live out our
call to be Families in the Holy Spirit,
Renewing the Face of the Earth.
3. TO SIMPLIFY OUR LIFE. Simplifying things defines one’s priorities.
It likewise provides the foundational
basis of our decisions. As Proverbs 13:7
tellls us – “ A pretentious, showy life is
an empty life; a plain and simple life
is a full life. Once achieved, simplicity
brings with it peace of mind.”
4. TO MOTIVATE OUR LIFE. When
we know our life’s purpose, we are
motivated to reach for it with passion.
Once discovered, our life’s purpose has
the net effect of being an energizer.
5. TO PREPARE US FOR ETERNITY. People who start to live in the light
of eternity find that their values have
changed. “More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because of the
supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus
my Lord. For his sake I have accepted
the loss of all things and I consider
them so much rubbish, that I may gain
Christ.”(Phil 3:8)
What is it going to be like in eternity
with God? Unfortunately no one can
answer this question. Human brain cannot handle the wonder and greatness of
heaven, much less even closely fathom
its magnitude.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 says: “God has...
planted eternity in the human heart.”
One who accepts this reality also
reaches a conclusion that life on earth
is just a dress rehearsal before the real
production – our journey to Heaven.
Life on earth is a TEST, a TRUST, and
a TEMPORARY ASSIGNMENT. We
just need to realize this in order to see
that nothing we do or achieve here on
earth can ever compare to what awaits
us in heaven.
CFC to
emulate
Olympic
grandeur
in its 28th
anniversary
CFC’s 28th anniversary on June 27
at the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta will have an Olympic motif,
an appropriate representation of
this year’s “Forward in Christ”
theme.
The theme, taken from Philippians 3:13-14, speaks of running
towards the prize which is Jesus
Christ. Thus, this year’s anniversary celebration theme - “Forward
in Christ, Winning the Race” - will
see CFC Metro Manila’s big sectors and their counterpart provincial areas celebrating at the Luneta
in their race outfits.
Big North together with Mindanao will sport swimming outfits.
Big East, Eastern Vizayas and
Southern Tagalog will be wearing rowing outfits, all set to steer
their Dragon Boats while Big
West and North Luzon will be in
cycling attires. The group of Big
Central, Central Luzon and Central Vizayas will wear regatta/
sailboat race uniforms while Big
South, Western Visayas, Bicol and
CFC International will parade in
their Motocross outfits.
The different groups will also
design their own “villages” according to their assigned race
themes.
CFC’s 28th year anniversary
celebration will show how the
Lord accompanied CFC in moving
forward last year to winning the
race this year.
Last year’s anniversary celebration was awesome in its bigness
-- 50,000 coming together in love
and hope for the longest parade
in CFC history and the biggest
Lord’s Day celebration ever.
This year’s anniversary festivities
promises to be bigger and grander
still.
LAYOUT BY LAURENCE JOHN R. MORALES
THE International Council’s statement of April 30 – “Moving
Forward and Letting Go” – is another milestone in the history of
Couples for Christ.
In that statement, the International Council (IC) announced that we
have decided to “let go” of the governance and corporate structure
of Gawad Kalinga. This meant that the IC would no longer have
any institutional authority or supervision over GK, invested in it
by virtue of all seven members of the IC being members of the GK
Board. Thus, the IC members’ first action was to resign from the GK
Board, although in the interest of good order, to ensure that there is
still a quorum, Lito Tayag and Ernie Maipid have decided to stay in
the Board in the interim, until our replacements are named.
Ugnayan
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 13 No. 11
May 25 - June 7, 2009
C3
CFC-IC names CFC work for
the poor as ANCOP
By Fernando M. Academia Jr.
COUPLES for Christ International Council (CFC-IC) has announced
that the CFC work for the poor will be referred to as ANCOP. The
announcement was made last May 19, 2009 during the Mission Core
Teaching Night at Xavier School.
In making the announcement, CFC Executive Director Joe Tale
said that “...the totality of our work with the poor, in response to
our mission of building the church of the poor, will now be referred
to as ANCOP.” He also said that ANCOP, the first name given by
CFC to the work with the poor that was started more than a decade
earlier, will also be used to refer to the “umbrella” work with the
poor of CFC - its Social Ministries.
Joe Tale explained that Gawad Kalinga is a major component
of CFC’s work with the poor but that there are other components.
These include E-Pinoy, BayanAnihan, the Prison Ministry, and the
Migrant Workers Program, among others. He further emphasized
that while CFC’s work with the poor will now embrace a wider
area, this does not mean that CFC will be “withdrawing from the
blessed work of GK.”
He also clarified to the Mission Core that “kung community building
ang pag-uusapan, sa ating work with the poor, ‘yang component na ‘yan
ay GK,” and that “by continuing our involvement in GK, those who
are involved in GK should continue to be involved there...”
Another Transition
Joe Tale started his talk by reminiscing about the periods of transitions the community underwent through the past 27 years of its
existence.
He explained the evolution of CFC’s vision statement, from
“Families in the Holy Spirit Renewing the Face of the Earth” which
involved being “rapid, massive, urgent and global” and “Bringing
glad tidings to the poor” in the year 2000 to the expanded statement that we have now which involves
that twin mission of “Building the Church of the Home
and Building the Church of the Poor.”
Moreover, he announced some changes in the corporate life of CFC, namely: the setting of term limits
to three consecutive terms of two years each for those
who will serve in the International Council and the
change in the nomination process which means that
nominations will now come from the whole Elders
Assembly rather than from just the IC and the Board
of Elders.
In addition to cementing good relationships with
the clergy (largely because of the Bishop, Clergy and
Lay congresses that have been held in some parts of
the country) Joe Tale reminded everyone that CFC
can be proud of the fact that the community readily
solved its P20 million debt and that the community
is in a sound financial situation now. He thanked the
full-time workers for their continuous unwavering
service even if there has been no increase in salaries
for the past two years except for the legal mandatory
increase in the minimum wage law.
Letting Go
Joe Tale also dwelt on the IC statement dated April 30, which announced that CFC is letting go of the governance and organizational
structure of GK, allowing it to stand on its own, with its own GK
Board and detached from under the direction of the CFC-IC. Thus,
henceforth CFC and GK will be independent of each other in terms
of organizational and leadership structure and yet interdependent
in terms of helping each other alleviate poverty and care for the
poor.
Joe Tale expressed the hope that the letting go of GK would
encourage the CFC members to embark on other ministries the
community has for the poor, namely: the Prison Ministry and the
Migrant Workers Program.
“We praise God for the gift that is the work with the poor to us.
We are blessed simply by having the opportunity in very concrete
terms to observe and pursue the commandment of our God to be
able to care to the least of our brethren.” Joe Tale said.
CFC Rizal celebrates its 22nd Anniversary
By Jed Juntereal
THE CFC community in Rizal
province celebrated its 22nd anniversary last May 16-17, 2009,
with the theme “Forward and
Beyond 22.”
The weekend activity was
held in two venues: at the Angono Elementary School on
May 16 (Saturday) and at the
Binangonan, Rizal gymnasium
on May 17 (Sunday).
With a town fiesta as motif,
the clusters and ministries of
CFC Rizal constructed booths at
the Angono Elementary School,
showcasing games and other
forms of entertainment. Other
activities were held, such as a
medical/dental mission, two
film screenings, first aid workshop, and even a workshop
on milkfish (bangus) deboning.
Many Kids For Christ (KFC),
Youth For Christ (YFC), Singles
For Christ (SFC), and Handmaids
of the Lord (HOLD) members
participated in the elimination
round of the “CFC Got Talent”
contest, based on the popular
“Britain’s Got Talent” contest,
finishing with four finalists.
The culminating activity was
held on Sunday afternoon at the
Binangonan gymnasium starting
with a Eucharistic celebration by
Fr. Jun Tena, from the nearby
town of Taytay, Rizal. HOLD
members showcased glamor in
a glittering Santacruzan procession. CFC Northwestern Luzon
Region Head Willy Padida delivered the exhortation, speaking of
how CFC should move forward,
to strain toward what lies ahead
in seeking the glory and majesty
of God.
It was indeed a glittering
event, with the four finalists of
the “CFC Got Talents” contest
showing the talents that made
them win, and the Philippine
Festivals Presentation where
all leaders and members participated in three festival shows:
Panagbenga, Masskara, and
Kadyawan.
CFC Rizal’s 22nd anniver-
sary celebration was a joyful
manifestation of love as well
as a show of the community’s
continuing evangelization of
souls for God.
Amidst the
Financial Crisis
By Loiue Tecson, CFC Tennessee (Memphis), USA
CFC Quirino gets new spiritual director
By Cynthia Campos
CFC Quirino marked its 13th year anniversary last April 18, 2009
with good news -- th.ey now have a spiritual director in the person
of Fr. Quezon Juan, parish priest of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish,
Aglipay Quirino. His appointment covers CFC in the dioceses of
Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino.
The anniversary celebration commenced with a motorcade followed by the
celebration of
the Holy Mass
at the Capitol
Gymnasium,
Cabarroguis,
Quirino Province. Fr Quezon, in his
homily acknowledged
the work being
done by CFC
George Campos, PAH of Quirino with other area leaders
in the evangeand Fr. Quezon
lization thrust of the church as well as in its involvement in various
parish activities. He also committed to further his knowledge about
CFC so he could be more efficient in guiding and supporting the
community.
The celebration continued with team building activities, song and
dance presentations as well as volleyball games. The community
was honored by the presence of Joey Arguelles, the first IC member
to ever attend their anniversary. Inspirational messages were also
given by Ding Aguinaldo, Regional Head for North Eastern Luzon
as well as George and Cynthia Campos, Provincial Area Head for
the province.
The heavy downpour did not dampen the festive mood of the
crowd. A distinct trait of the community, which can be attributed
to the leaders and members of CFC Quirino, is their capacity to remain undeterred, honed after thirteen years of experiencing God’s
steadfast love. This community emerged from just three couples who
graduated from the first Christian life Program held in Cabarroguis
in 1996 to its present group numbering around 500.
Indeed, the work may sometimes seem daunting, but the brethren
realize with much certainty that each one walks along side Christ
whose grace keeps them moving forward, as they complete their
mission as families in the Holy Spirit renewing the face of the earth.
CFC Zamboanga City is 15
By Vic Lauro
COUPLES For Christ (CFC) Zamboanga City celebrated its 15th
anniversary last May 9-10, 2009 at Ateneo de Zamboanga Blebeuf
Gym, with the theme “Forward in Christ, CFC Zamboanga! One in
Christ!
The celebration began with a reflection on the community’s past 15
years, aided by song and dance presentations showing the transition
in the CFC Family Ministries. CFC Zamboanga City Provincial Area
Director, Vic Lauro, led the first session entitled “Reminiscing 15 years
of life and service in CFC.” Nonoy Dalman, CFC Zamboanga City
Area Head, delivered the second session entitled “Moving Forward
and Letting Go.”
A celebration of the Holy Eucharist opened the festive afternoon followed by a parade of mouthwatering local delicacies as a thanksgiving for the abundant blessings that the Lord has showered CFC Zamboanga City since they started in 1994. The first day ended with a
Praise Party and a showcase of God-given talents with performances from CFC sectors and Family Ministries.
The celebration continued the next day with a motorcade from the city proper to GK Tulungatung, the site which became one of the
two venues of the recently concluded GK Bayani Challenge 2009. The local CFC Area Council delivered their messages followed by an
anniversary message from Nonoy Dalman.
Sibol children welcomed everyone with their rendition of the GK song followed by a dance from the Kids for Christ members and a
native dance by one of the first batch who started CFC in the city, Bert Lim. The celebration ended on a high note, with high hopes for a
more fruitful and aggressive evangelization throughout the city and the region.
Ed’s Note: This sharing seems especially apt during these tough
times. No matter what trials we are all experiencing right now, the
insights this brother gained applies to all of us.
I REALIZED that I have a moral obligation to share with you
things that currently shake and test my faith in the Lord. Last
April 3, FedEx terminated over 500 salaried employees in the
Memphis corporate offices alone. Unfortunately, I was one of
the 500. The lay-off came as a big shock because I knew I was
doing a good job but somehow, I continued on, and in fact,
none of the members of our household noticed anything amiss
during our meeting that same night. The only thing that shook
me was when Jane, one of our members, told Bing, my wife,
that she had a strange dream on Thursday where she saw me
inexplicably begging for money. But I took that to mean that
all of us in CFC are connected through Him.
I would like to share with everyone my prayer reflection,
following this lay-off:
Dear Jesus,
I thank you for using me and my family as instruments for
preparing the way for your re-entry to the lives of our brothers
and sisters in the CFC. I welcome you to my heart with arms
wide open proclaiming you as my Savior. The day I professed
you as my Messiah, I knew that I had to pick up my own cross
to follow you. I knew that I will never get to Easter Sunday
without going through a Good Friday. Thank you so much,
dear Lord, for being there always. I may not understand now
the things going on in my life. But I know everything happens
for a reason. Whatever that reason may be, I feel safe knowing
that you will never abandon me.
As I journey with you in these tough times, please help me
remember that during those times when my burden seemed
light, it was because you helped me carry my cross. During
those times when I seemed to stand up quickly after stumbling,
it was because you were lifting me up each time I fell. Give me
the patience, Lord Jesus, to see each day pass in accordance to
your will and not to see things through my own eyes. Give
me the wisdom, Lord Jesus, to understand the purpose of carrying my cross and not to rely on my puny understanding of
things. Give me the strength, Lord Jesus, to follow you until
the end just as you endured walking the road of Calvary until
you breathed your last to save me from my sins.
Lastly, Lord Jesus, I thank you for sending me my brothers
and sisters in Couples for Christ. Just as you allowed Simon
of Cyrene to help you carry your cross, I believe that you’ve
sent CFC to help me weather this storm. Their life experiences,
personal struggles, good counsel and more importantly their
fervent prayers and their deep devotion to you have made
me become the person you want me to be. I will be forever
grateful for without this loving community, I would have
probably abandoned my cross and taken a different journey
without you.
Ugnayan
C4
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 13 No. 11
May 25 - June 7, 2009
CFC International News
1st CFC Youth Camp in Belize
By Francis “Kiko” Manlunas,
BELIZE was humbling, inspiring, and amazing
all at the same time. Fulltime worker Kiesha
Middleton and I were invited by Sonny Aguiling
and Mickey Santiago (CFC New Jersey) to go on a
mission trip to Belize City, Belize from April 13-21.
I was honored to say yes to the call.
Coming from Miami, we were used to warm
weather, yet the heat in Belize was even more
sweltering and more humid. From the time we
set foot in Belize, I knew this would be quite an
experience.
Keisha and I were met by CFC Belize Country
Coordinators Carlos and Veronica Serafina Ross.
We were treated to a meal at the restaurant owned
by Jason de Ocampo, the lone Filipino CFC member in Belize. Jason is a well-known chef in Belize
who has won numerous country awards for his
culinary talents. Later, at the fellowship with the
household of the Rosses, it was also a pleasure to
play guitar with CFC Music Ministry Head, former
country leader of the Solomon Islands AND Belize
Supreme Court Justice John Muria!
The youth camp was a wonderful experience.
The Ross family has an excellent relationship with
CFC Singapore
Moves on
By Iris Suministrado
536 CFC, SFC, HOLD and SOLD members all over Singapore and Johor Bahru,
Malaysia gathered inside the Spring Auditorium in Bukit Merah, Singapore
to reflect on CFC’s theme this year – Forward in Christ.
Ben Lam, CFC Singapore Family Ministries Head opened the event with a
worship. CFC Southeast Asia Regional Head Jun Uriarte gave the first session – ONE THING. CFC International Director Joe Tale gave the second and
fourth sessions – FORGETTING WHAT LIES BEHIND and FORWARD IN
HOPE. CFC International Missions Coordinator Clarke Nebrao led the third
and fifth sessions – STRAINING and PRIZE IN JESUS CHRIST. Members of
the community shared about how they experienced all these in the different
moments of their lives. It was a day of remembering experiences, celebrating
the Lord’s love and goodness and believing in the God who made everything
happen. The day ended with a powerful praisefest led by Jeff Yabut.
Truly it was a day that inspired the CFC Singapore community as they
got to know Paul and the God who gave him the grace to say – “Just one
thing- forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead,
I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling,
in Christ Jesus.”
the clergy throughout
the entire country and
they were able to gather
interest from youth all
throughout Belize. We
conducted an orientation,
a household leaders training, and a camp training
for the youth moderators
of the respective parishes
leading up to the youth
camp itself. The moderators consisted of young
professionals and a few
young married couples
who are very active with
the youth in their parishes and they were very
excited regarding our programs and formation
tracks. A few of the married couples are also interested in joining CFC in the near future! Kiesha
and I thought we would be doing the heavy stuff
ourselves but God blessed us with resources and
a service team via the youth moderators for this
camp. Praise God!
This was no ordinary camp venue, nor anything
like I was used to in the US. Electricity was run
solely on generators, so we only had access to
power for a few hours during the evening time,
putting a strain on our voices. While the girls had
cabins, the boys either slept in tents, or simply out
in the wild. 43 youth participants were able to
make it to this camp. The group discussions and
the one-on-one dialogues that I conducted were
some of the most fruitful discussions I’ve ever
had in the 10+ years I’ve spent in this community.
One More for Jesus....
By Pilar Dimaculangan
“ONE more for Jesus, Forward
in Christ” were the words that
echoed in the main hall of
Grand Baccus Banquet Centre
in Scarborough as Jun Clarito,
CFC Ontario Regional Head,
led an overflowing crowd of
more than 1,000 members of
Couples for Christ (CFC) and
its Family Ministries during the
2009 Evangelization Rally held
on Sunday, February 22, 2009.
Ed Hilario, CFC Flame Ministry Area Coordinator, opened
the rally through a spirit-filled
worship, followed by artistic
chants performed by the different family ministries.
This was followed by Jun
Clarito’s talk on Evangelization
where he emphasized the three
ways to evangelize, namely:
1. Focused/Strategic Evangelization
2. Integrated Evangelization
3. Pocket Evangelization
Joe and Babylou Tale (standing, 2nd and 3rd from left) and Jun Uriarte (extreme left,
standing) pose with Singapore leaders
Uganda News
BISHOP Paul Ssemogerere, Bishop of the Diocese of Kasana-Luwero in
Uganda, celebrates the final graduation mass of the 2nd CLP in his diocese
with 29 couples graduating last April 26. Bishop Paul encouraged everyone
to strengthen their marriages through fully living out their being Couples
for Christ He pledged to fully support the life and mission of Couples for
Christ in his diocese. As concrete proof of his support, the diocese is sending
Fr. Mathias Ssenyange, Head of the Family Life Desk of the Diocese, to the
upcoming CFC anniversary in Manila this June.
The level of faith shown by the youth in spite of
all the adversity they deal with was very inspiring
and humbling. Despite fighting a tough cough
throughout the weekend, God willed me through,
thanks to the prayers of the entire community. On
Saturday night we were even blessed to worship
with the youth Carribean style, as one of the youth
accompanied my guitar playing with a steel pan!
Before we left we were also able to conduct a
follow up meeting with the Ross family and the
newly appointed YFC couple coordinators, Kernel
and Nicolyn Parks. We left them all the follow up
resources necessary to build on the momentum
of this youth camp and they are very eager and
excited for the challenge. They’ve pushed the
envelope even further making it a goal to conduct
another youth camp before the end of 2009 with
hopefully over 100 participants
Several members delivered testimonies of their lives, among them Ricky
Cuenca, President of ANCOP USA and
CFC Country Coordinator for USA,
and Junnie Arreza, who shared about
focused/strategic evangelization.
Andrew and Rosalie Paz, CFC Brampton chapter leaders, shared about
integrated evangelization. They spoke
about using the play Prince of Egypt to
evangelize the parents of the YFCs and
parishioners in their area. They moved
the crowd with their message of hope
and perseverance, and concluded their
sharing with a powerful statement: “We
think as one. We work as one. We move
as one. Forgetting what lies behind, we
move forward in Christ.”
Nick Borja, CFC National Director,
shared about pocket evangelization and
the CFC work for the migrant workers
in Saskatchewan, British Columbia and
Alberta.
One of the highlights of the 2009
Evangelization Rally was the talk
given by His Grace, Archbishop Thomas
Christopher Collins of the Archdiocese of Toronto on the topic Families
as Evangelizers in the Archdiocese of
Toronto. He also gave the community
Seven Goals that can help CFC share the
Archbishop Thomas Christopher Collins
light of Christ with others namely:
• Develop a foundation of prayer;
• Be thankful for the gifts of God and
generously share it with our neighbors
(stewardship);
• Engage everyone to active discipleship in our parishes – involve all groups
(i.e., young, middle aged, old people)
for the glory of God through service;
• Pray for and encourage specific
vocations for consecrated service to the
church as we are all a parish family;
• Know more about our faith, including the Catechism of the Catholic church
(adult/faith formation);
• Support a deep and strengthened
family life;
• Evangelize through culture – reach
out to our society through music, dance,
creativity and art to praise the Lord.
The rally concluded with a concelebrated mass by His Grace, Archbishop
Collins and eight other priests and the
Deacon of St. Josephine Bakhita Parish,
Mr. Barry Wood. The priests were:Rev.
Xavier de Pinto of St. Norbert Parish;
Rev. Joseph Lourdusamy of St. Philip
Neri Parish; Rev. Luigi Accossato,
I.M.C.of St. Andrew Parish; Rev. Daniel Mentessana, I.V.E.of St. Augustine
of Canterbury Parish; Rev. Ben Ebcas
of Our Lady of Assumption (also the
Mission Director, Archdiocesan Filipino
Catholic Mission); Rev. Mark Villanueva of St. Josephine Bakhita Parish;
Rev. Roselle R. Azares of St. Boniface
Parish, (CFC Toronto Spiritual Adviser);
and Rev. Dominic Barber, Vice Rector,
St. Augustine’s Seminary.
Immediately after the mass, Efren
Baria, SFC Canada National Coordinator, led the crowd in a spirit-filled and
dynamic praise fest.
In the words of His Grace, Archbishop Collins, “Our life is like an arrow. As evangelizers, we have to live
our life fully engaged. We are richly
blessed with tradition to catch the fire
of Christ and to share the light of Christ
with others.”
CFC Paris
is Now a
Mission
Center
By Chastine Rodriguez
CFC Paris has become the new Mission Center of Couples for Christ
Europe. This was announced by
Joe Yamamoto, CFC European
Coordinator, on the occasion of
his visit to Geneva from 6-9 April
2009.
Paris has a vibrant and growing
CFC community. It was in this city
that CFC Europe started about 14
years ago, following the first Christian Life Program spearheaded by
Mon and Gandie Carpio, assisted
by Teddy and Evelyn San Juan and
Dandy and Susan Calvez. The harvest from that CLP was a total of
91 CFC pioneers, composed of 13
couples, 7 servants, 32 handmaids
and 26 singles.
CFC Paris joins the ranks of two
other mission centers, CFC Geneva
and CFC Vienna, which are tasked
with the important mission of
bringing Christ’s Good News message to Europe.