CBCP Monitor - CBCP Media Office
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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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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. Editorial: (063) 404-2182. Business: (063)404-1612. 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: “§1. 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. “§3. 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: “§1.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 “§2. 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 CBCPMonitor SUBSCRIPTION RATES The CBCP Monitor is published fortnightly by the CBCP Media Office, with editorial and business offices at 470 Gen. Luna St., Intramuros, Manila. PO Box 3601, 1076 MCPO • Domestic 1 Year Php 500.00 2 Years Php 900.00 • Foreign: Asia 1 Year US$ 55.00 • All Other US$ 80.00 Name _________________________________________________ (Family Name) (Given Name) (Middle Name) Mailing Address _______________________________________________ _________________________________________________ Phone No.: ________ Fax No.: ________ E-mail: ___________ Mode of Payment Check/PMO enclosed Cash Payment (Payable to: CBCP Communications Development Foundation Inc.) _____________________________ Signature PLEASE SEND TO: CBCP Monitor, P.O. Box 3601, Manila, Philippines 470 Gen. Luna St., Intramuros, Manila, Philippines | Tel (632) 404-2182 • Telefax (632) 404-1612 Or e-mail this at [email protected] 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.