March 3 - 16, 2008

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Southeast Asia Women tackle women’s issues

Change must start from within—Bishop Soc

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A YOUNG Roman Catholic bishop said that whatever the political system is today is only a reflection of the kind of people the country has.

Now if you are seeking a genuine political reform and an end to corruption in the government: start first from within yourself.

While he agrees that the “the President must change or be changed; so with senators and congressmen,” Balanga bishop Socrates Villegas Change / A6

UGNAYAN Couples for Christ Supplement

Protagonist of Truth, Promoter of Peace March 3 - 16, 2008

Vol. 12 No. 5

Php 20.00

Social action centers rush aid to disaster victims AS continuous rains affect thousands of residents in Bicol and Eastern Visayas provinces, various Social Action Centers of the Catholic Church have begun to extend direct relief assistance to disaster victims.

CBCP Episcopal Commission on Social Action, Justice and Peace Executive Secretary Sr.

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Call for Arroyo’s resignation is people’s job — Cardinal Vidal

By Santosh Digal

Manila Archbishop Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales talks to Sumilao farmers as he gives them blessing to do a “Jericho March” around Malacañang. The farmers want the President to make good her promise made during their dialogue last December 17, 2007 to return the 144-hectare land in Sumilao, Bukidnon they have long been claiming.

CEAP: Gov’t corruption cannot be tolerated CORRUPTION in the government cannot to be tolerated, said the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP).

“We shall not tolerate corruption in our lives, in our government, in our nation,” said Fr. Roderick C. Salazar, SVD, CEAP national president.

In a statement titled, “Conscience Calls, Actions Personal and Communal: CEAP Position on Various Positions of the Day” he said, “the events of our time call for speaking truth, seeking justice, setting things right.”

The CEAP is the biggest national association of Catholic educational institutions in the country, with about 1,252 members, which include 29 universities, 98 graduate schools, 236 colleges, 1,070 high schools, 629 elementary and 591 pre-elementary schools, instituted in 1941.

“We must pray, heed what our conscience tells us, act with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and all other men and women of good will, seek to discover the educative moment in the happenings of the day, fight corruption in ourselves and others, work to set things right—as we see things, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, following Jesus, seeking to dispel darkness by our light, melting hatred by our love,” Salazar said.

In its last National Convention, CEAP scored under the theme “Beyond Borders, Within Worlds: Catholic Schools and Corporate Social Responsibility.” It stressed that in the world of Catholic education, it needs to go beyond the borders that separate one school from another, one sector in society from the next—”when the love of God urges us to do so.”

“Any particular moves flowing from our individual and communal reading of the times and our response to what our conscience prompts” is need of the hour in the wake of NBN scam, he said.

The individual and communal call of conscience should be promoted by every CEAP member school which is ready to march to decry corruption, the priest added.

The CEAP is commissioned to advance and promote the teaching function of the Catholic Church.

It contributes towards the attainment of the objective, “the total development of the human person” through a Catholic orientation in accordance with the norms of the Church, constituent with national development goals as expressed in the Philippine Constitution.

The CEAP also promotes religious instruction as a key element of Catholic education, thereby contributing towards character formation and citizenship building. (CBCPNews)

Photo by Noli Yamsuan / RCAM

CALLING for President Gloria Arroyo’s resignation is a prerogative of “a political decision and action,” and it is not the stand of the Catholic bishops, said Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal.

“Calling for the resignation of is not our aim. I don’t know why they are always asking us to do that because we are bishops. The opposition can do that. I am not in the opposition, nor am I pro.

I am here as a shepherd for those who are here. I do not know why they like us to do that when we cannot do it. It is a political decision and action,” Cardinal told media after he celebrated Sunday Mass at the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Cebu City last March 2.

Cardinal Vidal reiterated the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ (CBCP) position that bishops are not calling for Arroyo’s resignation, instead they called to crusade for truth relentlessly and fight corruption at all levels.

The CBCP stressed in its Feb 26 statement calling for “circles of discernment” at the grassroots level, in the parishes, and schools, among others. Avoiding calls for the

President’s resignation or any other direct reference to the political firestorm, the bishops stressed the significance of “internal conversion through communal and prayerful discernment.”

There has been great clamor from civil society groups, individuals and other different sectors urging CBCP to issue call for Arroyo’s resignation, which CBCP has cautiously avoided, after the NBN scam, in which many top government officials are implicated.

In her seven years in presidency, Arroyo has survived four attempted power grabs and three opposition impeachment bids over alleged corruption and vote rigging, which she has repeatedly denied.

Cardinal Vidal issued a pastoral statement sometime ago appealing Catholics for “personal and communal conversion and collective action based on the Gospel values and social teachings of the Church.”

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Mining, logging blamed for killer floods WEATHER was the main target for blame in killer flashfloods that hit Eastern Samar, but a Catholic bishop is also pointing to environment destruction as a contributing factor.

The island of Samar and adjacent areas have been hit by days of heavy torrential rains causing landslides and overflowing rivers.

The disaster that struck the poor province has placed many people in a disadvantaged condition leaving more than P500M in infrastructure damage and P126M in agriculture loss.

The worst, at least 14 people were killed and displaced tens of thousands of families in the towns of Dolores, Taft, Gen. MacArthur, Jipapad Maslog and Borongan City.

Borongan Bishop Crispin Varquez said he is grateful ordinary citizens as well as government and non-government groups immediately responded to initial relief operations.

But Varquez said the tragedy that they have “never experienced before” spurred them to “look more deeply into our circumstances.”

“These could indicate ominous conditions in the

future,” he said.

The bishop claimed the flashfloods that caused heavy landslides are apparently just the negative results triggered by reckless mining and logging operations.

At times, he said, everything they have lost is beyond recovery.

“From what we see, it is without a doubt that these floods have also been exacerbated by many of our depleted forests, damaged mountains and natural landscapes due to irresponsible logging and mining,” he said.

Landslides anywhere in the country are often blamed by experts and environmentalists on logging and mining.

This is because forest cover helps maintain land stability—both by absorbing the rain that can cause it to slip, and by securing soil and vegetation to the bedrock with tree roots.

Varquez said the recent disaster should compel the people to do their part in the urgent task to save the environment.

“This means that we must decide for the restora-

Cardinal urges farmers to hang on A RANKING Roman Catholic prelate has asked the Sumilao farmers to remain strong in their faith as he assured continued support to their cause.

Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales made the call after a meeting with the farmers at the Arzobispado in Intramuros, March 4.

Rosales vowed that he will continue to monitor developments in the case of the Sumilao farmers until they get 144-hectare property being claimed by the farmers.

He said the Church’s support on the cause of the poor farmers is anchored on realities that the farmers were the aggrieved party in the contested property.

Rosales also led the farmers in praying so that they would finally achieve justice, which the farmers have long been seeking.

Sumilao farmers are back again in Manila to retrace their “walk for justice” to recover the land they claimed as theirs in Bukidnon province.

Twelve of the 55 farmers who marched 1,700 kilometers last year returned to Manila last January 17.

But on March 1, more farmers arrived to the capital bringing their numbers to 144 to strengthen their cause and pressure the government to accelerate their demand.

Elgine Merida, spokesman of San Miguel Landless Farmers Association (SALFA), said the presence of 144 farmers marks the size of land they have been asking.

She said it also represents the number of days to demand an accounting of Malacañang’s promise to return their ancestral land to them.

The Sumilao farmers are currently taking refuge at the Caritas Manila Center in Pandacan, Manila. (CBCPNews)

tion, preservation and protection of our forests, mountains and what remains of our natural wealth,” he said.

The bishop also called his flocks to help identify the sources of damage and abuse of the environment, “no matter how the truth may hurt.”

“By necessity we must point to loggers, miners (small-scale or large-scale) and irresponsible citizens among us who prefer personal profit to common benefit,” he also said.

Varquez said it is the locals who suffer much when commercial logging and mining “depletes” natural forest resources.

“It is the locals, therefore, who must find ways and means to conserve their natural resources for their common benefit and those of future generations,” he added.

Borongan and nearby towns were isolated since Feb. 15 after a bridge in MacArthur collapsed due to floodwater.

Various roads in the municipalities of Quinapondan and Taft also remain impassable due to flooding and landslides. (Roy Lagarde)

Davao archdiocese accepts 2 new groups of CFC FOLLOWING the division of the Couples for Christ (CFC), Archbishop Fernando Capalla issued a circular letter giving his episcopal blessing and acceptance of the two CFC groups in the archdiocese of Davao.

Archbishop Capalla in his letter addressed to the parish priests, diocesan agencies and the Archdiocesan Council of the Lay Apostolate and Integrated Movements (ACLAIM), officially announced that he has decided to accept both CFC groups, namely: Couples for Christ-Global Mission Foundation Incorporated (CFCGMFI) and Couples for Christ-Foundation for Family and Life (CFC-FFL) as recognized lay associations within the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Davao.

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World News

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$ 1.8 million ransom demanded for release of Iraqi archbishop MADRID, Spain, March 3, 2008—The Mensajeros de la Paz (Messengers of Peace) foundation is reporting that the captors of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of Mosul are demanding $1.8 million in ransom money to free the Iraqi prelate who was kidnapped last Friday.

In comments to Italian Bishops’ news service Servizio Informazione Religiosa (SIR), Bishop Louis Sako of Kirkuk said that, “The kidnappers have called more than once asking for ransom.”

The president and founder of Mensajeros de la Paz, Father Angel Garcia, expressed his hope that the captors would relent and “for humanitarian reasons release the Archbishop of Mosul, who is man of faith and not politics and is also ill.”

He also said he called on the “governments, religious institutions and episcopal conferences of the world to follow the lead of Pope Benedict XVI and call for the immediate release of Archbishop Rahho.”

According to the foundation, Father Garcia is working to get the archbishop released, and in the coming days he will travel to Spain with five sick Iraqi children who need treatment.

Father Garcia has spent time as well with the families of the three young people killed during the kidnapping of Archbishop Rahho,

Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho

who is also his personal friend. In March of 2005, the archbishop visited Spain at Father Garcia’s invitation to call for peace and rec-

onciliation in Iraq. During his visit he was treated for heart difficulties he had been experiencing. (CNA)

Muslim leaders also call for the release of the bishop of Mosul MOSUL, Iraq, March 3, 2008—Negotiations for the release of the Chaldean bishop of Mosul who was seized last Friday as he came out of Holy Spirit Church are at a standstill.

But more and more Muslim leaders are expressing their solidarity towards the Christian community. For his part Msgr.

Louis Sako, Chaldean archbishop of Kirkuk, appealed for an end to “the Iraqi people’s tragedy.”

Sources in the Mosul diocese confirmed to AsiaNews that there have been no new contacts with the prelate’s abductors. But “we believe Msgr. Paulos Faraj Rahho is still alive even though we have no concrete evidence to prove it,” the sources said.

Nothing is known yet about the abductors’ identity. When they seized the prel-

ate last Friday they killed three people who were in a car with him, but more and more people believe they are a criminal gang out for money. In fact a ransom for Monsignor Rahho’s release has been asked but no deadline has been set.

Iraqi police has set up a special task force to investigate the clergyman’s disappearance. Their operations are centred in Mosul’s al-Nour neighborhood where the kidnapping took place.

More voices are coming together in an appeal for the bishop’s release. The European Union joined the Pope, the Bishops’ Council of Nineveh and the Chaldean National Council in making an appeal. The EU’s Slovenian presidency has called for the prelate’s unconditional release, urging Iraqi authorities to do their utmost to solve the case in a positive way.

Iraq’s Chaldean community has made its own pained appeal. “From Iraq’s tragedy and the suffering of an entire people, we say: Enough with the war! Enough with abductions! Enough with killing the innocent! Let us learn to live together in our diversity as our religions teach us. Despite its suffering, Iraq’s Christian community has for a minute not lost hope and a desire for dialogue to show that Christians and Muslims can be friends.”

Archbishop Sako told AsiaNews that “in such moments the two communities are as one voice calling for Monsignor Faraj’s release.”

In Mosul Sunni leaders have slammed the abduction, whilst in Kirkuk a representative of the al-Sadr’s Shia movement has raised a banner that says that “Such actions are bad for Iraq.” (AsiaNews)

Pope repeats appeal for Iraqi prelate’s release VATICAN CITY, March 2, 2008— Benedict XVI is appealing again for the release of the Chaldean archbishop of Mosul, Iraq, kidnapped Friday.

After leading the midday Angelus in St. Peter’s Square today, the Pope repeated his appeal for the release of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho. The prelate was taken captive as he was leaving Mosul’s Church of the Holy Spirit after participating in the Way of the Cross.

Three men who accompanied him, including his driver, were killed. Their funerals were held Saturday.

The Holy Father affirmed he is following this “dramatic event” with “profound sadness.” He joined with “the call of the patriarch, Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, and his co-workers, for the dear prelate¯who is also in very poor health—to be released immediately.”

“I also elevate my prayer of supplication for the souls of the three young people who were with him and were killed at the time of the kidnapping,” the Pontiff said. “I express, moreover, my closeness to the entire Church in Iraq and in particular to the Chaldean Church, that have once again been dealt a serious blow, while I encourage all of the pastors and faithful to be strong and firm in hope.

“May the efforts of those who control the fate of the Iraqi people be multiplied so that, thanks to the commitment and wisdom of all, this people may again find peace and security, and the future to which it has a right not to be destroyed.”

Previously threatened In statements made to the Missionary International Service News Agency, Monsignor Philip

Najim, apostolic visitor for Chaldean Catholics in Europe, said that he was not “surprised” by the news of Archbishop Rahho’s kidnapping: “Indeed, I can say that in a certain sense I expected it.”

“Only a few months ago some men came up to him on the street, pointing a pistol at his chest,” Monsignor Najim said. “[Archbishop Rahho] himself told me about it on his last visit to Rome.”

For his part, Cardinal Delly, in an interview with L’Osservatore Romano, said that this kidnapping “will not prejudice the good relations between Christians and Muslims.”

“Our friendship exists for centuries and it will continue,” he added. “Those who kidnap do not have any religion of reference,” but only “a clear message: create confusion in the country.”

“The situation in Iraq, especially in Baghdad, Kirkuk and

Mosul,” the cardinal continued, “is not at all tranquil. There is a lot of tension among the people: Iraqis fear Iraqis. It is not a confrontation between Christians and Muslims. Certainly, Christians experience a difficult situation because we are a minority, but this should not cause us fear.”

“For the moment,” the Chaldean patriarch said, “we have no news and no claims of responsibility from the captors.

We only have a lot of fear, the people leave and go elsewhere.

Prayer is our only consolation.”

In January there was a series of attacks aimed at churches and convents in Kirkuk, Baghdad and in Mosul itself, which wounded four people and seriously damaged buildings.

Father Ragheed Ganni, a priest of the patriarchate of Babylon, and three subdeacons were killed outside Mosul’s Church of the Holy Spirit last June 3. (Zenit)

Bishop recounts how Chavez supporters occupied Archdiocese of Caracas chancery

Bishop Jesus Gonzalez de Zarate

CARACAS, Venezuela, February 28, 2008—In statements to the Catholic News Agency, Auxiliary Bishop Jesus Gonzalez de Zarate of Caracas recounted how a group of young people led by a wellknown Chavez activist, occupied

CBCP Monitor

the archdiocesan chancery on Wednesday in order to get the attention of the media and demand that the TV station Globovision be shut down.

According to the bishop, “shortly before 9am, a group of young people who identified themselves as students stormed into the chancery and went into all of the offices, saying they were going to peacefully occupy the chancery and warning employees to leave.”

The activists gathered together all of the employees “near the

door, blocking the entrance, and at one point they tried to disconnect the telephone system, insisting that their ‘peaceful’ occupation was intended to publicly present a statement of their positions on different issues facing the country, including some related to the Church,” Bishop Gonzalez said.

The group of activists said they planned to occupy the chancery for two hours. “I began to talk with them to try to get them to drop that idea,” the bishop continued, saying he offered them the chance to discuss their grievances. They refused to talk with him and instead continued to occupy the chancery until the media showed up and they were able to voice their positions. After-

wards, they left the building.

“Even though I invited them to talk, to discuss, to exchange opinions about matters of the Church, they were not receptive.

What they wanted was to do it in public. They used the windows of the second floor of the chancery to shout slogans and show signs displaying their positions,” the bishop added.

Bishop Gonzalez stressed that violence is not the way to overcome the “climate of tension” that has enveloped the country. He called on everyone to understand “the need to exhaust all means of dialogue,” and he reiterated the call for national reconciliation repeatedly made by the bishops’ conference. (CNA)

Vol. 12 No. 5 March 3 - 16, 2008

Mexican bishops call for constitutional reform to guarantee religious freedom MEXICO CITY, March 3, 2008— The president of the Bishops’ Conference of Mexico, Bishop Carlos Aguiar Retes, said the Mexican bishops have formally called for the reform of article 24 of the constitution to replace the phrase “freedom of worship and beliefs” with the basic concept of “religious freedom.”

During the presentation of the book, “15 Years of Relations Between The Holy See and Mexico,” at the conference’s headquarters, Bishop Aguiar said the request is intended to obtain guarantees of a fundamental right, that of religious freedom, which right now is ambiguously interpreted, often against the Church, because of the imprecise phrasing in the constitution.

“We are not saying that a bishop is going to be president of the country in the 21st century.

What we are seeking is that the State continues to be secular, but that we move forward,” Bishop Aguiar said.

For the Catholic Church, he explained, the concept of religious freedom means freedom for all Mexicans, including the clergy, to “live their faith in public and private, individually or collectively, in every activity and sector, without any other limit besides that of

respect for the rights of others.”

Bishop Aguiar emphasized that religious freedom is the greatest pillar for ensuring the secular State, which is not supposed to just “tolerate” the religious beliefs of its citizens, but rather defend, guarantee and promote them, because it recognizes that faith in a supreme being strengthens the ethical and moral conduct of citizens.”

He also explained that the concept of the secular state is one of respect and freedom for any religion and its members to contribute to society. On the other hand, secularism discriminates and marginalizes those with religious convictions and constitutes “a sort of creed that is imposed on others, nullifying in practice the real human right to freedom of belief.”

According to Bishop Aguiar, the concept of “freedom of worship” is very limited and outdated. “It’s from the 19th century, and therefore we need to update it and change the concept as other countries have done,” he added.

The bishop stressed that while the Church is patient and will “wait for the opportune moment,” “we will continue insisting as long as we have not obtained what we are seeking: religious freedom.” (CNA)

Padre Pio exhumed, body is ‘well preserved’ ROME, March 3, 2008—In the most discrete manner possible, the body of St. Padre Pio was exhumed at 12:30 a.m.

Monday morning by a group of medical experts, while Church representatives observed.

Padre Pio was buried September 27, St. Padre Pio 1968 at the San Giovanni Rotondo shrine, just four days after he died.

“The body is well preserved” said Bishop Domenico D’Ambrosio of San Giovanni Rotondo-Manfredonia-Vieste, who observed the removal of the saint’s remains.

“From the very beginning (of the exhumation) you could clearly see his beard. The upper part of his skull is visible, but his chin is perfect and the rest of the body is well preserved. You can clearly see his knees, his hands, his mittens and his fingernails,” Bishop D’Ambrosio recalled.

The Italian bishop commented on the state of Padre Pio’s body by saying, “If Fr. Pio allows me to say, it is as if he was manicured.”

The Bishop also said that besides the upper skull, which shows some signs of the process of mummification, the rest of his remains are in surprisingly good condition, including his joints – which are all attached, and his feet.

D’Ambrosio confirmed that neither his feet nor hands showed any trace of the stigmata, since “as we know, they disappeared at the moment of his death.” (CNA)

Catholics to receive four new saints in October VATICAN CITY, March 3, 2008— On Saturday, Benedict XVI declared that four people will be recognized as saints in a ceremony to be held on Sunday October 12. The blesseds who will be canonized are: Gaetano Errico, Maria Bernarda Butler (nee Verena), Alfonsa of the Immaculate Conception (nee Anna Muttathupandathu), and Narcisa de Jesus Martillo Moran.

Gaetano Errico was an Italian teacher, born in 1791, who showed immense dedication to his students. He not only educated his students but formed them spiritually with Christian doctrine and moral values.

He experienced a life-changing event in 1818 while praying at a retreat. St. Alphonsus Liguori appeared to him in a vision and told him that God wanted him to found a new religious congregation and to build a church in Secondigliano in honor of Our Lady of Sorrows.

Fr. Errico died in 1860 at the age of 69.

Maria Bernarda Butler will be the first modern Swiss woman to be canonized.

Born in 1848 in Auw, eastern Switzerland, Maria entered the Capuchin Maria-Hilf convent at the age of 19. She was named the mother superior only four years later.

She later traveled to South

America to establish a convent to teach and care for children in Ecuador, and later performed healing miracles in Colombia where she died at the age of 76.

The third Blessed is Anna Muttathupandathu born in Kerala, southern India, in 1910. She was a professed sister of the Congregation of Poor Clares of the Third Order of St. Francis. Also known as Alfonsa of the Immaculate Conception, she died in 1946 and will become India’s first female saint.

Blessed Narcisa was born on October 29, 1832 in the city of Nobol, Ecuador. Her parents were farmers and devout Christians.

During her youth she was a seamstress and showed a great love for prayer.

She dedicated her early life to the service of her family, caring for the home and creating an atmosphere of charity, joy, and peace between her eight brothers and sisters. After the death of her mother, she also devoted herself to the education of her younger siblings.

Later she went to Guayaquil where she devoted herself to caring for abandoned children and young people. She lived in Cuenca and later moved to Lima, Peru, where she was renowned for her qualities as a catechist of children and young people, until her death on December 8, 1869. (CNA)

CBCP Monitor

News Features

Vol. 12 No. 5 March 3 - 16, 2008

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Holy See urges rewarding women’s roles in homes, says education lies at heart of empowerment THE Holy See is calling for “courageous policies” to reward the work of women within the home.

Archbishop Celestino Migliore, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, made this suggestion today to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women.

The issue under discussion was follow-up to the 4th World Conference on Women, and U.N. initiatives on gender equality and the empowerment of women, including financing measures leading to those goals.

“The last decade has seen greater involvement of women in all aspects of decision making, espe-

cially in economic development,” Archbishop Migliore noted.

The prelate particularly focused on the need for equal access to education at all levels, saying this “lies at the heart of the efforts to empower women.”

He noted the work of the Church in this regard, explaining that “Catholic institutions of learning continue to have enrollments which are predominantly female and work to empower women within society.”

More than teaching Still, Archbishop Migliore affirmed, the empowerment of

Dominican Nuns build lepers’ future through education ROSARIO was a teenager when she was afflicted with leprosy.

She was abandoned by her parents and relatives. She was hopeless and her life was miserable that she wanted to end her life.

But thanks to late Fr. Anthony Leo Hofstee, O.P., a retired American air force chaplain belonging to the Holy Name Province, Western Dominicans, USA. He gave the child a ray of hope and reason to live by educating her. After her completing graduate school, she became the dean of the Holy Rosary College (HRC) Fr Hofstee founded in Tala, Caloocan City.

Rosario is one of such students who have benefited from the education ministry being carried on by the Dominican Sisters of Our Lady of Remedies who continue the legacy of Fr. Hotstee.

The priest founded the congregation in 1965.

“We are building the future of Filipino lepers and their children through education, after the death of Fr. Hofstee,” said Sr. Rosita M. Yaya, Directress of the HRC. Fr. Hofstee came to the Philippines to minister to the Hansen patients confined at the Central Luzon Sanitarium in Tala. In the course of his work with the patients, he saw the problems of the Hansenites.

Leprosy patients were deprived of education. So, Fr. Hofstee responded to their needs by establishing the Holy Rosary Vocational School with an initial enrolment of 53 Hansenite students in July 1951. Classes were held at the Rehabilitation Center of the Leprosarium.

Its main goal is to provide free vocational education for the young boys and girls who are victims of Hansen disease and to

equip them with skills and knowledge to make them productive and self reliant. Young people soon realized the value of education, Sr. Yaya, told CBCPNews.

“The mission of uplifting the life of the poor lepers is through education,” said Sr. Yaya, who is also Co-director of Asia-Pacific Formation Center of their congregation.

In 1955, the Hansenites realized the value of education. A complete collegiate course leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Education Major in English was offered by the institution which was renamed HRC. There were 32 men and 11 women among the first batch of college students.

In 1976, when the families of Hansenites were allowed to live with them, the administrators recognized the need for basic education for the patient’s children, a complete elementary course was offered.

Throughout the years, the school administrators with the able support of its committed faculty and non-academic personnel have managed to maintain quality of education geared towards the total development of its students in the physical, intellectual, moral and spiritual aspects.

At present there are 791 students from pre-school to college, majority (85 %) of whom are children of Hansens and/or Hansenites. The rest 15% are poor but deserving students who come from neighboring villages.

This apostolate is being sustained by the collaborative efforts of the Dominican Sisters of Our Lady of Remedies and the Dominican Family in the Philippines. (Santosh Digal)

women through education “cannot work in isolation.”

“Disenfranchisement of women and discriminatory practices must be addressed and eliminated,” he said. “Women must be guaranteed equality of opportunity, equal pay for equal work, fairness in career advancement, equal access to health care and legal structures and equality in property and family rights.

“Policies and initiatives which foster women’s ability to participate fully in the workplace have resulted in an ever increasing presence of women in the formal work sector. However, this reality has created new challenges for

women, such as exploitation in sweatshops and trafficking of women and girls for economic and sexual purposes. Thus, the increasing number of women working outside the home challenges governments to enact laws, implement programs and enforce measures to protect women from unscrupulous predators, subhuman working conditions and dehumanizing work.”

Unrecognized The archbishop also gave attention to the contribution of women in households and families, in their role as wives and

public expenditure from which oftentimes and in many places they do not get their fair share or are even excluded. Obviously, men must assume their responsibility within the home and family.”

“Finally,” the archbishop concluded, “governments, civil society and faith-based organizations would do well to work together to find creative ways of promoting full access of women to development programs and financing schemes. Initiatives such as microfinance programs for women demonstrate that human ingenuity has the ability to create new and innovative solutions in this area.” (Zenit)

Southeast Asia Women tackle women’s issues

Boac Bishop Reynaldo Evangelista (standing, 5th from left), Fenny Tatad (standing, 6th from right), and Dr. Zenaida Rotea (standing, extreme right) represented the Philippines at the 2nd South East Asia Meeting on Women (SEAMOW 2) in Johor, Malaysia from January 27-February 1, 2008.

THE Office of the Laity of the the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conference (FABC) organized the 2nd Southeast Asia Meeting on Women (SEAMOW 2) at Johor, Malaysia from January 27-February 1 to discuss issues and concerns facing women in the 21st century.

Thirty-one women, three bishops and one priest representing Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Mongolia participated in the 4-day gathering, and deliberated on the theme “Challenges to Women in the Family in the 21st Century.”

Bishop Reynaldo Evangelista, Bishop of Boac, Dr. Zenaida Rotea, executive secretary of the Office on Women of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), and Fenny Tatad, CBCP Office on Women, represented the country.

Delegates discussed the prevailing conditions in their respective countries concerning poverty, migration, violence against women, and other issues affecting women and family.

Rotea noted that the problems of all participating countries are rooted in poverty.

“The way I see it, population is not an issue as much as poverty, violence against women and the effects of migration in the family,” said Rotea.

“Patriarchy is still present but of varying degrees, less in the Philippines than in [countries where Islam is practiced], where women are affected by laws that govern them,” she added.

The participants presented some plans of action to address the problems facing women

Zambo residents launch signature campaign to protect watersheds A SIGNATURE campaign to protect the Ayala watersheds in Zamboanga City has awakened a growing interest and vigilance among residents to safeguard the watersheds of Ayala and Manicahan in Zamboanga.

Concerned residents and other sectors are opposing the application of a mining company to do mineral exploration in the areas of Baluno, La Paz and Ayala which are within the protected watershed area.

Reports of the presence of the mining company in the area has surprised and concerned residents.

A letter of protest has been sent to OIC Regional Director Jessica Lucero of the Bureau of Mines and GeoSciences IX. A manifesto was attached to the letter of opposition inviting residents to be aware of the encroachment of the mining company on the protected areas.

Monsignor David Alonzo, Parish Priest of San Jose, Fr. Adriano Ruiz, Archdiocesan Social Action Director and head of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Desk, and DENR Forestry Specialist Ben Acana shed light on the issue in an interview aired on local television. Ben Acana presented a document during the interview showing the agreement signed by the City of Zamboanga and DENR to comanage the Ayala and Manicahan Watersheds with the aim of preserving the areas.

Other groups like Movement for Better Zamboanga, the Social Action arm of Ateneo de Zamboanga (SACSI) and the Community

mothers, something that “often goes unrecognized and unrewarded.”

“Women face the challenge of simultaneously raising children and trying to achieve economic security,” he acknowledged.

Archbishop Migliore then called for “greater resources” and “more courageous policies” to reward the socio-economic contribution of women within the home.

“Rewarding it in some way particularly helps poor women and those who are less able to enter the labor market,” he said. “It would also be a concrete way to enable women to benefit from

Development students of WMSU have shown their solidarity and have made commitments to do advocacy activities.

According to a joint press release of the City Information Office, the DENR and the Philippine EcoGov Project, the Management Council has designated a technical working group (TWG) from the City Planning and Development Office, the City Engineer’s Office, the City Environment and Natural Resources Office, the DENR-CENRO East and West Offices, the DENR Regional Office Forest Management Office, and the Western Mindanao State University’s College of Forestry.

They were designated to prepare a Watershed Management and Development Plan (WMDP) for approval of the Sangguniang Panglungsod within six months after the signing of the Co-Management Agreement with appropriate support and technical assistance of the EcoGov Project covered by an earlier Agreement dated November 15, 2005 to include the following components: 1) Protection and management of the remaining forest cover while aiming to increase vegetative cover through plantations, reforestation, agro-forestry and assisted natural regeneration for the benefit of the present and future generations; 2) Promotion, monitoring and enforcement of environmentally-sound and sustainable upland agriculture practices and development in suitable areas; 3) Inventory and management

of forest occupants and their corresponding claims and other stakeholders within the watershed areas; 4) Provisions for incentives, penalties, support systems and other self-regulating mechanisms to encourage ‘day to day’ users (e.g. upland farmers and settlers) to become responsible stewards of the forestland and other natural resources presently existing and to exist thereafter in the area; 5) Generate income for the LGU to help sustain the costs of area management through local taxation, appropriate environmental fees and other income-generating projects to include joint venture agreements for forest-based enterprises and businesses, i.e. ecotourism, tree plantations, etc); 6) Promotion of various alternative livelihood consistent with sustainable forest management.

The technical working group is headed by Ms. Ofelia Despalo of the City Planning Office with members Foresters Pilarito Montebon, Expedito Villaflores, Romel Candido, Dennis Catalan, Ben Acana, Dean Dino Sabellina, Juliet Bayawa, Dennis Mallari, Alex Torralba, Roberto Legarde, Roger Flores, Engr. Marino de Guzman, among others.

Zamboanga City is one of the over 90 local government units granted with technical assistance by the Philippine Environmental Governance Project of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). (Silsilah Dialogue Movement)

today.

They recommended that women should recognize their worth and acquire a spirituality that upholds their potential as persons to enable them to respond to challenges in the 21st century.

Likewise, it was also proposed that both men and women equally share responsibility within the family; formation programs should be given to young boys and girls; advocacies should be pursued to protect the dignity of women; empowerment of women through spiritual formation, education and skills training; pre-marriage courses that enhance relationship, shared responsibility and decision-making; and a means to address women’s issues at the diocesan and parish levels. (Pinky Barrientos, FSP)

OFW chaplain: As migration rises, broken families surge DUE to growing migration, the number of broken Filipino families is on the rise, says a Filipino OFW chaplain based in Seoul, Korea.

Speaking to CBCPNews, Fr Glenn Ginanni Jaron of the Mission Society of the Philippines (MSP) said providing pastoral needs to OFWs in Korea is a challenging task.

He has been a spiritual guide, councilor, and a kind of liaison officer for OFWs in order to help address various issues and problems including marriage related matters that affect Filipino migrants in Korea.

Fr. Jaron, who has been a chaplain for nine years, said he observed that many OFWs are staying as live-in partners in Korea. Some of those who are co-habiting as OFWs are married and have families in the Philippines.

This poses a greater challenge for him to guide and help them spiritually and pastorally.

Being away from their families and loved ones, and pressure of work in a foreign land also contribute to their distress, the priest said.

Fr. Jaron said OFWs should not stay longer than three to five years as migrant workers, and should return to the homeland and invest wisely their earnings. This would reduce the growing number of broken families due to migration.

More then 46,000 Filipinos OFWs are working in Korea.

He regularly conducts Bible study classes, formation trainings, personality growth seminars, counseling programs, and other skill enhancement workshops for Filipino working abroad. (CBCPNews)

CBCP Monitor

Opinion

A4

Vol. 12 No. 5 March 3 - 16, 2008

EDITORIAL

‘Thou Shalt Not Steal’ GRAFT and corruption—in the plainest of language, stealing from the public through the misuse of influence or position—has become, to our shame as a people, an ordinary fixture of our nation’s public life.

Such stealing, in and out of government, is, to be sure, nothing new. But we are dismayed that it has become so widespread and has largely gone unpunished. In fact, many who steal seem to no longer care to hide the illicit fruits of their stealing.

What makes us even more sad is this: acts of graft and corruption or toleration and connivance with them are no longer ordinarily viewed as sin, but often considered as acts of cleverness (when uncaught) or mistakes (when caught). But they are no longer considered as sin or offenses against the Lord who has commanded us not to steal, sees everything we do, and is revolted by these acts of graft and corruption. This sin is today especially hateful before God because it steals money from the already poor.

Stealing from public funds is so much food plucked from the mouths of the starving, so many more chains binding us, plunging us deeper into the enslaving spiral of poverty from which we are begging to extricate with outside help. Under the present circumstances, it becomes a sin of the blackest hue, a sin that cries to heaven for vengeance. (James 5:4).

Sins of graft and corruption cannot be condemned enough. For they destroy or obscure the image of God in those who perpetrate them, and harm the dignity of the children of God in those who are their victims. Acts of graft and corruption can be deathdealing and are always oppressive of God’s children.

For the way to life is in keeping the commandment, among which is “Thou shalt not steal,” and in loving our neighbor as ourselves (Mt 19:16-19).

Abp. Antonio J. Ledesma, SJ, DD

Pastoral Companion DURING the general assembly of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines last month, we reported that Phase One of the National Rural Congress is ongoing. During the first quarter of this year, local-level consultations on the role of Basic Ecclesial Communities in rural development are being conducted in about 80 dioceses. These are being coordinated by the National Secretariat for Social Action (NASSA), the Episcopal Commission for Indigenous People (ECID), and the BEC Desk of CBCP. At the same time, another secretariat representing the Philippine–Misereor Partnership (PMP), the Association of Major Religious Superior, (AMRSP), and the Rural Poor Solidarity (RPS) are holding consultations in 14 sub-regions of the country on rural issues. Included in these consultations are representatives from the basic rural sectors of small farmers, indigenous people, small fishermen, etc. as well as non-government organizations and social action centers. These consultations have been scheduled in the five sub-regions of Mindanao (ZAMBASULI, KIDMACO, DOPIM, CABUSTAM, and DADITAMA); Central Visayas, Samar, Eastern Visayas, PanayRomblon, and Negros; Southern Tagalog, Northern Luzon, Central Luzon, and Bicol.

As foreseen, there is more diversity of views being presented in these subregional consultations. To enable all views to be adequately expressed, the NRC Central Committee is asking each organization to submit written statements during or after the consultations. This will also facilitate the consolidation of these various perspectives—e.g., on the causes of rural poverty, the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) the

Those who act otherwise endanger their eternal salvation, and expose themselves “to death, the wages of sin” (Rm 6:23), even as they deprive others of the opportunity for a more abundant life. Hence, we, your bishops who have received from Christ the mandate to teach all men to carry out everything that the Lord has commanded (Mt 28:20), condemn graft and corruption in our society as a life-destroying plague.

-”Thou Shalt Not Steal”, a CBCP Pastoral Letter, 1989

God’s Call to Mission in Politics ANY serious believer in God cannot allow the state of our national politics to persist. And in fact there is a duty for the Christian Catholic to transform politics by the Gospel. The Church, God’s people, must evangelize politics. God’s call to the Church is to preach the integral Gospel, the Gospel with all its social dimensions. The Gospel must influence every phase of life, every stratum of society, and “restore all things under Christ” (Eph. 1:10).

Strangely, there are not a few people, even within the Church, who do not believe that to renew politics is part of the Church’s mission. When Church officials praise government policies, government officials welcome such support warmly and are only too happy. But when Church officials criticize and denounce government policies, the same people immediately cry out: “Violation of the separation of Church and State! Church meddling in politics! Let the Church stick to religion!”

How wrongly they interpret Scriptures and the doctrine of separation of Church and State! Quite unjustly they selectively level this charge of interference in politics against the Catholic Church, even while some other sects may be loudly intervening in the political process especially during elections.

-CBCP Pastoral Exhortation on Philippine Politics, 1997

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Pinky Barrientos, FSP

Indigenous People’s Rights’ Act (IPRA), etc., and calls for action.

The NRC Central Committee and Secretariats have also issued three guidelines as a framework for the conduct of the NRC process. First we subscribe to the moral principles enunciated in the Social Teaching of the Church in judging the situation. Thus, we are mindful of the dignity of the rural poor, the common good, protection of the environment, and the demands of social justice in terms of labor and property rights.

Secondly, we abide by the Philippines Constitution, particularly its social justice provisions.

These enunciate the spirit of social legislation that enhances the rights of all basic sectors to their human dignity, reduce social and economic inequalities, and diffuse wealth and political power.

Thirdly, we adhere to non-violent and democratic means in our engagement with government and the various sectors of society. We condemn the extra-judicial killings of peasant leaders in particular, and we join the call for transparency, accountability and good governance in the conduct of public affairs.

The month of April will be set aside for the consolidation of the reports coming from the diocesan and sub-regional consultations. Research centers like the Asian Social Institute (ASI) and the School of Labor and Industrial Relations (SOLAIR) of the University of the Philippines have signified their readiness to help synthesize the subregional proceedings.

Phase Two of the NRC process will take place in island–wide or regional congresses, involving representatives from the BECs, peasant sectors, NGOs and social action centers. In their regional meetings last January, the bishops expressed their readiness to help organize these

Amoris Officium—My experience

They cite the words of Christ: “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Mt. 22:21). They say that the Church should have nothing to do with politics because Christ said to Pilate: “My kingdom is not of this earth!” (Jn. 18:36). They therefore conclude that the Church should not say anything about politics and politicians.

I WISH to share with you my intervention, as Consultor of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, during its XXVII Plenary Assembly held at the Vatican last February 28 to March 1, 2008: I have to express the exuberance of my heart at being here—being part of the COR UNUM family. Since October of last year I have been thanking God for this singular grace. And I thank God too for our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI and His Eminence Cardinal Paul Cordes. I ask the Lord to always be with them, and with all of you, all of us in this amoris officium that is COR UNUM. With regard to my own experience of engagement in favor of the needy, may I cite two apostolates: The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV)—a nationwide lay movement using the infrastructure of the Church (the Parish Pastoral Council) which was organized immediately after the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines convoked by our Episcopal Conference in 1991, and considered as its first fruit.

In that Council, it was stated that “in the Philippines given the perception that politics has become an obstacle to integral human development, the urgent necessity is for the lay faithful to participate more actively in political affairs.”

PPCRV has a two-fold mission: a) voters’ education focused on the formation of conscience; b) responsible voting focused on good governance aimed at getting persons of singular integrity and competence elected to public office, as well as monitoring the conduct of elections so that these be experienced as clean, honest, accurate, meaningful and peaceful.

Its overarching truth is: love for God and love for Country (which in essence is love for neighbor) are inseparable. Communal action on behalf of good governance based on human and Christian values is a constitutive part of proclaiming Christ – God with us, God who is love.

Update on the National Rural Congress congresses. The Western Visayas region will hold its congress on May 20-21 in Jaro, while Central and Eastern Visayas will have theirs on May 21-22 in Cebu. The Mindanao bishops have agreed to hold their congress on June 1820 in Cagayan de Oro. Luzon North and Luzon South regions will still have to determine the dates and venues for their congresses.

Instead of one national congress, the regional congresses have been agreed upon to enable more active and widespread participation by language groups, as well as to minimize transportation costs for delegates. The deliberation and action planning could also zero in on localized issues. These would then be the substantive part of the NRC process.

Phase Three of the NRC process will comprise the reporting of the five regional congresses to the general assembly of bishops. This will take place on July 7-8, after the regular biannual CBCP meeting. The two-day gathering of bishops and an equal number of delegates will be the culminating activity of NRC, as well as the commencement of the action plans for the post-NRC period.

But even as the NRC process unfolds, small farmer organizations and NGOs, with the help of several bishops, have already been engaging government agencies in pending rural issues— notably, the need to extend the agrarian reform program beyond June 2008, and the resolution of urgent land issues involving farmer-beneficiaries in Sumilao, Canlubang, etc.

A second bishops-legislators’ caucus is being organized on February 27, and a summit with government agencies on rural poverty issues is being planned in April. The see-judgeact approach may actually be taking place already in a spiraling and reinforcing direction.

Ambassador Henrietta T. de Villa

It also becomes what Deus Caritas Est refers to as the Church’s organized practice of love… an ordered service to the community. This lay movement has participated in 17 national and local elections to date and gathers, for every electoral exercise, from 350,000 to 500,000 volunteers, serving from 2 to 4 months before, during and after elections in 3000 parishes nationwide, pro bono, with Christ as the only prize of their engagement, and moved by the hope that social transformation will occasion for our people fullness of life.

Direct organized engagement in the life of poor squatter families which began in my season as servant-leader of the Council of the Philippines in 1986. We initiated relationship with some 30 poor homeless families in a squatter colony in the heart of the city of Manila. This relationship, mutually nurtured through the years, enabled an actual, on the spot immersion on what compassion means: entering into the suffering and pain of the other, offering presence as the symbol of solidarity which must translate into concrete action that helps remove the pain and suffering of the other. This organized service of love is as St. Augustine says: Sit hoc officium pascere dominicum gregem (Let this be the task of love to feed the flock of the Lord)—a task of love that transforms both the recipient and the doer. Involvement in this direct work for the poor is purely on a volunteer basis. From experience the pay we receive surpasses any monetary remuneration: encountering Christ—O, how often this has happened—in the poor we serve, and in some palpable moments of joy and hope, pain and anguish when Jesus comes alive in our midst… and we go back again and again to these faith events to help us keep on hoping and loving and believing.

Some practical obstacles encountered are: lack of resources, both human and financial—volunteers have also to make a living so that

Faith and Fire sustainability of total long-lasting engagement becomes difficult; working with and for the poor needs continuous funding; lack of a dedicated curriculum specifically focused on formation of the heart that provides spaces for intimacy with the Lord and familiarity with the story of Jesus, as well as a grounding on the spirituality for ministry; a growing environment that distances charitable activities from God, treating these as purely human interventions or social outreaches; economic condition of volunteers themselves which put to test, often severely, their motivation and commitment; the low priority the Church herself gives to ongoing formation of volunteers, even paid workers of charitable programs/projects/agencies; too many agencies/organizations/associations that work for poverty alleviation or for justice and peace causes, whose activities and programs are often uncoordinated, with coverage usually concentrated in highly urbanized areas, and as such compete against one another for the needed logistics; hostile government agencies that view work for the poor as fronts for left-leaning ideologies; unfavorable peace and order situation, including unstable political climate Some essential similarities and differences between employed and volunteer collaborators: for the employed, service is done in freedom but done for pay; for the volunteer, service is done freely, but not for pay; for the employed, service is an employment; for the volunteer, service is a ministry; for the employed, service is a job; for the volunteer, service is a vocation.

Being involved in charitable activities or any form of organized charity can be full of fearful crises and conflicts. But it can also gift us with wonderful opportunities to become communities of believers sharing time, talent and treasure in solving problems and coping with differences, and realizing in amazement and utter happiness that always IT IS THE LORD!

CBCP Monitor

Opinion

Vol. 12 No. 5 March 3 - 16, 2008

Sr. Mary Pilar Verzosa, RGS

Love Life ONE of the neglected sectors of society, the unborn children, finally was recognized three years ago when Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo declared March 25 each year as the “Day of the Unborn in the Philippines”. This was through Proclamation 586, signed last March 24, 2004.

March 25 is the Feast of the Annunciation, also recognized by the Catholic Church as the day of the Incarnation or Conception of Jesus in the womb of Mary when she said her “Yes” to the Angel Gabriel. This year, however, the Church has postponed the Feast of the Annunciation to March 31 because March 25 falls within Easter Week, which takes priority in our liturgical calendar. Prolife groups are now busy preparing to celebrate the Day of the Unborn on March 31.

Here is how the Proclamation is worded— based of course on the drafts submitted by pro-life advocates who submitted it for the President’s signature in 2004: “Whereas, pregnancy is a physiologic process that has certain risks because not all pregnancies lead to the birth of a live and healthy child, Whereas, almost three percent (3%) of total fetal deaths have been registered due to the effect of maternal health and nutrition and socio-behavioral factors on the eventual outcome of pregnancy; Whereas, to prevent and effectively manage complications of pregnancy and childbirth, it is necessary that quality and timely

National Day of the Unborn

interventions before, during and after pregnancy be developed through comprehensive health services; Whereas, in many countries, the “Day of the Unborn” is being observed on March 25, Feast of the Annunciation, in favor of life and human dignity; Whereas the “Day of the Unborn” will promote a culture of life and defense of life from the moment of conception; NOW, THEREFORE, I, GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby declare March 25 of every year as the “Day of the Unborn”. Signed by both Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo and President Gloria M. Arroyo.

How can parishes and concerned groups join the celebration? Here are some ideas: Organize a Mass for the Unborn Babies either on Sunday March 30 or on Monday, March 31.

Announce this a few days or weeks before the event so more people will be aware. Invite especially the pregnant and breastfeeding women for a special blessing. To make it even extra special, solicit maternal or baby products (no infant formula, please) to be given to the mothers, or invite them for simple breakfast after the Mass. We have done this many times and the mothers are thrilled that they have been recognized. This is one way of dispelling the growing anti-natal, contraceptive mentality in society today.

Women who suffer loss of their baby also need to be recognized—those who had miscarriages, abortion, or still-born babies. The day can be an occasion for their healing and reconciliation, not condemnation. Do remember that the baby is not the only victim in an abortion. Women are hurt, often for life, if no intervention is offered to them. And lately, research has shown that the fathers of aborted babies also suffer much emotional, moral and spiritual trauma, living a life of frustration, violence, and addictions. Unknown to many, brothers and sisters of aborted babies suffer from existential angst—deep-seated questions on should I not have been born like my aborted or contracepted sibling?

You can also hold a Pro-life Orientation Forum or Seminar—for the youth, for the couples in the depressed communities, or for members of parish organizations.

Lastly you can set up a photo exhibit on Fetal Development outside the parish doorways. Lovely full-color posters are available from the Pro-life office—for sale and for borrowing. You can also call up the office for copies of the Prayers for the Unborn and for Safe and Healthy Programs for Healing and Reconciliation of Post-aborted Women, Men and Children. Volunteer speakers will be happy to go to your place to give the Pro-life Seminar or Forum.

Pro-life office Tel: 911-2911, 422-8877, Tel/ fax 421-7147; life@prolife.org.ph, www.prolife.org.ph 0919-233-7783.

Oscar V. Cruz, DD

Support for a cost IT has to be not simply conceded but accordingly admitted that the present Malacañang occupant still has a good number of followers and supporters. By and large, they come from the House of Representatives and the Local Government officials—not to mention those simple people who are beneficiaries of her beneficial attention. This reality should not be automatically disdained much less condemned. Reason: It is a political reality that beneficiaries cannot but be grateful to their benefactor such as precisely in terms of being counted among the latter’s loyal followers and avid supporters.

Such reality has a special relevance to the Filipino culture of the famous or infamous norm of “Utang ng Loob”—for the right or wrong reasons, in the area of reality and sincerity or in the realm of falsity and hypocrisy. With the ever growing disapproval rating of the ruling administration on account of its already known and still unrevealed flagrant graft and corrupt practices, it has become more and more trying and exasperating to count on its honesty and integrity. And

this precisely brings to fore the living reality that the loyalty to and support for the incumbent holder of the highest office in the land, are in fact for a big cost—definitely not for a cause.

This explains rather well the following socio-political phenomenon. One, the incumbent national leader needs and seeks more and more funds to buy or pay for its continuing affirmation and defense by a good number of local and national officials in the country. Two, the same otherwise noble and honorable key public official in fact exploits the many poor people in the country to count on their gratitude and adulation by giving them groceries, certificates of one kind or another, and other forms of largesse. Three, exactly the same discredited and despised administration head drops anyone and everyone who is no longer subservient or useful.

Time may be shortly coming when the sad and ominous shout of “Abandon ship!” might be heard, loud and clear. At times, the cry for such a terminal move may not be even made, but simply done and openly wit-

Jose B. Lugay

Laiko Lampstand IT was on the same day the interfaith rally was being held in Makati last February 29, when member organizations of Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas met with their National Director, Bishop Gabriel V. Reyes. Despite the traffic congestion, the Presidents of the member organizations and/or their delegates braved the discomfort of motoring to Intramuros to hear direct from the Chairman of the Episcopal Commission on the Lay Apostolate what is the stand of the organized laity within CBCP-LAIKO regarding “communal action”. By meeting with Bishop Reyes at 11:30 AM to 4 PM, LAIKO members were sure that “communal action” will be clarified..

The two pastoral statements of January 27, “Reform Yourselves and Believe in the Gospel” and of February 26, “Seeking the Truth, Restoring Integrity” were read word for word at the start of the meeting. The direction of Bishop Reyes was straightforward. “As member lay organizations of the Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas (defined as a public association by Canon Law), you are expected to follow the CBCP’s pastoral statement which is to pray, discern, reflect and act in seeking for the truth.

However, in your personal capacity as a lay person you may choose to join the rally to convince the President to resign.” Political action is the laity’s role.

This was followed by an Open Forum. The Diocesan Council of the Laity of Novaliches, presented her “Call to Action” program which started on Feb. 21 and will end on March 15. A consultation process on Communion and Corruption using the SEE, JUDGE, ACT methodology complied with the CBCP’s call to pray, reflect, discern and act. A session on the state of corruption in the Philippines conducted by EHEM–PLO was the SEE or OBSERVE portion of the program. All members of the parish pastoral councils of the 9 vicariates of the Diocese of Novaliches are scheduled to attend the 2-hour session at different dates in their own parish. The final communal action will be decided and announced after the concluding Lenten Recollection to be held on March 15.

We congratulate, Ms. Estelita A. Macalaguim, President of the Diocesan Coun-

Views and Points nessed. This has no deliberate reference to the cruel phenomenon that rats instinctively abandon a sinking ship. Instead, it is merely stating that support for a cost—for the right price—only remains when the due payments keep coming in due time. Otherwise, the props and buttresses for the payer go crumbling down. On the other hand, support for a cause is selfless, firm and lasting—even without any payment of any kind.

The on-going SUPPORT FOR A COST in favor of the Malacañang occupant is well understandable—given the following pretty long scandal and corruption list: Philippine Communications Clearing House. APC Wireless Interface Network. JocJoc Bolante. Gen. Garcia. Jose Pidal. D.M. Boulevard. Fiatco.

North and South Railways. DepEd Textbooks, DND Helicopters. BOC XRay Machines.

Comelec Megapacific Computers. Hello Garci. NBN ZTE. The “commissions” made were much. The continuous cover-up payments given are enormous. The desired loyalty and coveted support are indeed very costly.

A national campaign against corruption, the communal action of Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas

cil of the Laity of Novaliches, also LAIKO’s Vice-President for Manila to be the first one to answer the call of the Pastoral Statement of CBCP. When my turn came, I presented LAIKO’s 4-year work on the Advocacy for Good Governance and recommended to Bishop G. Reyes to adopt this nationwide in answer to the call of the pastoral statements of February 26 which we quote below: “For the long term we reiterate our call for ‘circles of discernment’ at the grassroots level, in our parishes, Basic Ecclesial Communities, recognized lay organizations and movements, religious institutions, schools, seminaries and universities. It is through internal conversion into the maturity of Christ through communal and prayerful discernment and action that the roots of corruption are discovered and destroyed. We believe that such communal action will perpetuate at the grassroots level the spirit of People Power... We instruct our CBCP Commissions to take active role including networking for this purpose.

Archbishop Angel N. Lagdameo, in his recent column at the CBCP Monitor, “Discovering a New Brand of People Power” gave this concluding remark: “We must pray. Yes. There is a suggested Prayer of the Faithful for the nation in crisis. But we must also sacrifice for the highest national common good, inspired by ‘political charity’ for the country, honesty and justice, guided by the truth, like participating in a National Campaign Against Corruption in Government.

This call to fight graft and corruption was preceded by CBCP’s pastoral letter of July 2003 entitled “Let Integrity Flow Like a Stream”. We quote: “We recognize the important steps that government has been taking in recent months. We challenge new groups to organize themselves and address this problem (of corruption) in their respective sectors and localities. In particular we urge all our Catholic Institutions, schools, parishes, religious organizations and movements and Basic Ecclesial Communities to emphasize value formation, especially in the family, and to

throw themselves vigorously in this campaign.”

“As we bishops commit ourselves to this cause, we assign NASSA, our social action arm, and the Council of the Laity of the Philippines to lead in implementing Church initiatives against graft and corruption.”

Soon after that, Bishop G. Reyes was invited by Government Procurement Policy Board in the person of Mr. Martin Syquia to support the new procurement law, R.A. 9184, by sending Observers from CBCP for training. Five Laiko members of the Board were sent and that was the start of the Laiko’s Advocacy for Good Governance. A committee was organized and in no time it established this rationale—that graft and corruption may be curtailed by Good Governance. For handson work to support the CBCP pronouncements the committee identified the improvement areas toward achieving good governance where LAIKO volunteers are to be trained: As Observers in the Bids and Awards Committees for Government Procurement in: a) Infrastructure, b) Goods and services, c) Consultancy services; As monitoring groups for project implementation, that is, whether the agreed contract is followed; As watchdogs for the delivery of goods and services; As vigilant whistleblowers for violations in the Payment of Taxes, as well as in the issuance of Business Permits and Licenses; As groups to give inputs to delegates to the Constitutional Convention to establish Reforms in the Government System including the institutions of Commission on Audit, Civil Service Commission and COMELEC LAIKO, through GPPB and Procurement Watch, Inc. is linked with all non-government organizations presently involved in the advocacy for good governance. The specific area of our involvement today is in the training of lay leaders who can select their specific advocacy from the list outlined above.

While LAIKO started ten years ago in the training of Lay Leaders to include values formation and the social doctrines of the Church, only a few dioceses accepted the invitation to train their lay leaders. This time, we again offer our services to the dioceses to train their

A5 Fr. Melvin P. Castro

Speaking of Mary Knowing our Blessed Mother PUEBLO Amante de Maria, that is how we have described ourselves to be, a people in love with Mary.

If there is something so characteristic of Catholicism, it is our deep love and devotion towards the Blessed Virgin Mary.

And for us Filipinos, our love for her has so permeated our being that Marian devotion has been very apparent in the EDSA Revolution of 1986. Wednesday Masses teeming with our faithful invoking Our Lady’s help as our Mother of Perpetual Help.

And any Marian Shrine in the country will most certainly be frequented by the people. And we even have our own Marian Apparition in Lipa Carmel for which we are humbly working for the Church’s official recognition.

Yet, on the other hand, Marian devotion may be so extensive but may not be necessarily deep and authentic even. Let me quote St. Louis-Marie Grignon de Montfort: Jesus, our Savior, true God and true man must be the ultimate end of all our other devotions; otherwise they would be false and misleading…If then we are establishing sound devotion to Our Blessed Mother, it is only in order to establish devotion to Our Lord more perfectly, by providing a smooth but certain way of reaching Jesus Christ (True Devotion to Mary, nos. 61-62).

With this column dedicated to Our Lady, my only dream is for all of us—devotees of Our Lady—will grow together in our love for Her; that our devotion be rooted deeper in Sacred Scripture, anchored firmly on the Magisterium, consistent with the Church’s Liturgy, and lived truly in our lives.

With the maiden series of this column, let us come to know Mary…

The Catechism of the Catholic Church places Mary in the context of the Credo, in that part that says: Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine, conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and Born of the Virgin Mary.

Hence, Mary is placed, as God has placed Her to be, in relation to Christ, Her Son. In fact all the Marian privileges—Immaculate Conception, Perpetual Virginity, Assumption—are rooted in Her being the Mother of Christ. We rightfully speak of the inseparable union of Christ and Mary. That Mary Herself was redeemed by Christ but whose redemption was applied, retroactively, at the moment of Her conception. Sounds too technical? To put it more simply, Our Blessed Mother would not have been so blessed if she were not chosen to be the Mother of Christ. And Her being the Mother of the Redeemer made Her the first to be redeemed by Christ.

Who is Mary? Sacred Scripture describes her very briefly: a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary (Luke 1, 27). The anterior verse adds that this young woman is from Nazareth.

Tradition tells us something more about the parents of Our Lady. We get the oldest story from a document called the Gospel of James (an apocryphal Gospel—which means not accepted to be part of the Bible—written around 150 AD). The legend told in this document says that after years of childlessness, an angel appeared to tell Anne and Joachim that they would have a child. Anne promised to dedicate this child to God (much the same way that Samuel was dedicated by his mother Hannah— Anne—in 1 Kings).

When was she born? Sacred Scripture does not give any indication. It is probable, she was born 14-16 years before the birth of Our Lord (cf. Fr. Gabriele Pellettieri’s book, Who is Mary? A Short Catechism on the Blessed Virgin Mary, p. 9).

How about the date of September 8, the Feast of the Nativity of Mary? Fr. Francis X. Weiser, SJ offers an explanation in his book, The Holyday Book: There is no historical evidence to indicate why the Nativity of Mary should fall precisely on September 8. As usual in such cases, legends of a later period supply the missing motivation by miraculous events.

There is a lovely medieval legend giving the reason for the date: The feast was made September 8 because in the fifth century a pious farmer at Angers in France one night had a vision of angels singing in Heaven.

When he inquired for the reason he was told that they were rejoicing because the Blessed Virgin was born that night. It happened to be September 8. So the good farmer went to the Bishop, Saint Maurilius (430), who, after convincing himself of the farmer’s sincerity, established a feast in honor of the birth of Mary to be celebrated annually on that day. Actually, of course, the festival did not originate in France but came from the Middle East. The real reason for the date is unknown. It is not improbable, though, that a genuine ancient tradition of the Church in Jerusalem provided the date, especially since the feast originated in Palestine; and all the Eastern Churches have celebrated Mary’s nativity either on September 8 or 9 from the earliest times. The Syrians observe on this day also the solemn memory of the parents of Mary, Saint Joachim and Saint Anne.

What is important is not the actual date of Our Lady’s birth but the actual salvific event that She was born since Her birth ushered the eventual coming of the Savior.

We’ll have more in our next column. In the meantime, let us not forget to turn to Our Lady especially during this time of yet another political turmoil in our country. To Her Immaculate Heart, let us constantly entrust and consecrate ourselves and our country. Ave Maria! Ad Jesum per Mariam. lay leaders for LAIKO’S program for communal action in the area of prevention of graft and corruption.

LAIKO-trained Volunteer Observers had been attending the Bids and Awards Committees of Government Institutions since 2004 and in certain cases, successfully prevented the loss of millions of pesos by reporting the over calculation of the bidding amount or the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) which the new law required to be published. The procurement law however, does not include the projects using Official Development Assistance (ODA) from foreign countries. This is the case of the NBN-ZTE corruption case exposed

by Chairman Romulo Neri and Jun Lozada.

LAIKO Observers which now total about 80 trained volunteers nationwide are monitoring the bidding process of the following institutions in Metro Manila (We await the go-signal to extend our work to the provinces. We already offered our services to the Diocese of San Fernando, Pampanga): Office of the President; Bureau of Treasury; Department of Budget and Management; Manila International Airport; Social Security System; Central Bank Security Complex; Development Academy of the Philippines; Duty Free Philippines; TESDA; Light Rail Transit Authority; National Commission on Indigenous People; Insurance Commission; Department of Finance – Privatization and Management Office; National Statistics Office; National Commission on Culture and Arts; Philippine Ports Authority: a) Central Office, b) Port District of Southern Luzon, c) Port District of Northern Luzon, d) Port District of Batangas; Land Transportation Office; Department of Health.

With a well-trained Observer we prove that our objective of the prevention of corruption rather than catching the thief works. A good example is the case of the Social Security System Bids and Awards Committee. The BAC Chairman saw the benefit of the presence of a well-trained observer. By his relevant questioning of details of the technical aspects of the project during the pre-procurement conferLaiko / A6

Local News

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Christian leaders, Ulama oppose combat exercises, but...

Peace signed by the convenors of the Bishop-Ulama Conference, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police Forum (BUC-AFPPNP), the Ulama sector, Christian sector, professional sector, 103rd Brigade, Kampo Ranao, Marawi City, PNP, Lanao del Sur, the Royal Houses of Ranao, the civil society, the league of municipalities of the Philippines– Lanao del Sur Chapter, the Mindanao State University System and the provincial government of Lanao del Sur committed to promote justice and peace based on the universally accepted principle of justice, equity and peace.

In relation to the Balikatan exercises, the groups also declared their united and unwavering stand to oppose any military destruction. Yet, they support peace and development efforts to counter terroristic acts.

The signatories of the statement were Bishop Edwin Dela Peña, MSP, prelate of Marawi; Alim Lucman T. Alawi, Ulama League of the Philippines Region III chairman; Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Adiong; Marawi City Mayor Fahad Salic, MSUS President Dr. Macapado A. Muslim, 103rd Brigade Commander BGen. Raynard Ronnie Y. Javier, Alim Ameroden S. Saranggani, chairman of the Ranao Advocates for Justice and Peace, PNP Lanao del Sur Provincial Director PS Supt Paniares Adap and Taraka Municipal Mayor Amenodin M. Sumagayan.

The signatories shall automatically be institutionalized into a council. They shall create and designate members to a secretariat which shall meet regularly at least once a month to discuss issues, plan and formulate programs on justice and peace in the province of Lanao del Sur and Islamic City of Marawi. (Mark S Ventura) © Patrick Durand/CORBIS SYGMA

CHRISTIAN leaders, as well as the Ulama and the civil society in Marawi City expressed opposition to any military or combat exercises but they welcome and support socio-economic assistance as a commitment for peace, harmony and development.

In a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) entered into by and between the Provincial Government of Lanao del Sur, the League of Municipalities of the Philippines, 103 Brigade of the 1st Division of the Philippine Army, the Philippine National Police and the different non-government organizations, it was agreed that all members of the US force participating in the said activity shall be composed only of forty seven personnel inclusive of doctors, nurses, medical

staffs, engineers and utility workers.

The MOU also contained provisions that movements of US forces concerned shall be limited only from their billeting areas in Kampo Ranao, Marawi City or Ayala Resort Hotel, MSU to MEDCAP and ENCAP sites based on the approved schedule of activities and they shall at all times be escorted by contingents of both army and police representatives.

The parties to the MOU also agreed that any movement of US forces concerned to places other than those stated in the approved schedule of activities shall be made only after prior consultations and/or permission from the provincial government through the monitoring committee.

Meanwhile, in support to the Covenant for

Moral integrity of Arroyo gov’t has eroded - Methodist bishop DUE to graft and corruption, the Arroyo administration is losing its credibility to govern as integrity of political leaders, and government officials is eroding, said Bishop Solito K. Toquero of the United Methodist Church, Manila Episcopal Area.

“The loss of respect for authority in almost all sectors of our society in politics, business or religion is very much prevalent these days not only in the Philippines but also in many other nations,” Toquero said in a statement.

The government is under pressure due to ZTE-NBN scam allegedly involving former Commission on Elections Chair, Benjamin Abalos and First Gentleman Mike Arroyo.

Both have denied the allegations.

“What has happened to our leaders and to the “only Christian country in Asia? Why can we not eliminate graft and corruption in government? Whatever regime is in power, the octopus of graft and corruption, strangling

and gripping tightly our people, agencies and institutions continue to choke us; our leaders seem powerless to extricate us from this stranglehold. Are we not a Christian country? Is this not an oxymoron, a corrupt “Christian” country, allegedly the most corrupt in Asia?” he asked.

Young people have lost respect for the country’s leaders because of corruption which has inched its way into the socio-economic, political and religious fabric of society; everyone is adversely affected, Toquero added.

So, “new brand of leaders who will lead us in fighting against corruption in all sectors of our society, both in government and nongovernment agencies and institutions should emerge with transparency and righteousness in all transactions. These new leaders will make it their priority to uplift the poor and needy with honesty and truthfulness,” the prelate said. (Santosh Digal)

The Catholic bishops’ hierarchy has called on President Gloria Arroyo to dismantle Executive Order 464 and allow her officials to attend any probe and tell the truth.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines issued the statement Tuesday night after a whole day consultative meeting in a bid to discuss current political issues.

In a 2-page pastoral statement, the bishops are convinced that letting her officials testify in investigations could somehow help bring back credibility to her administration.

The CBCP said Arroyo should take the move immediately especially now that questions about the moral ascendancy are being

United Methodist Bishop Solito K. Toquero

raised against the government.

Various groups described the EO 464 as a notorious gag, which Arroyo has clamped on the mouths of executive officers who are in a position to reveal incriminating truth.

“We strongly recommend the abolition of EO 464 so that those who might have knowledge of any corruption in branches of government may be free to testify before the appropriate investigating bodies,” the bishops said.

The prelates urged Arroyo to let her subordinates to reveal any corrupt acts, particularly about the ZTE-NBN mess, without being obstructed in their testimony, “no matter who is involved.”

The bishops noticed that, whenever government officials are called to testify in any probe, rarely do such officers claim the

lame excuse of executive privilege.

The law, the CBCP said, remains the biggest obstacle to the discovery of truth, which must be pursued.

Some Church leaders believe that the total abandonment of EO 464 can be the kick off of nursing somehow her ailing presidency.

Saying that the country is facing a “crisis of truth and the pervading cancer of corruption,” the prelates also urged Arroyo and other government agencies to lead in fighting corruption.

“We condemn the continuing culture of corruption from the top to the bottom of our social and political ladder,” the statement read.

The CBCP likewise appealed to senators and the Ombudsman to use their distinct and different powers of inquiry into alleged

corruption cases “not for their own interests but for the common good.”

They also asked the media to be a positive resource of seeking the truth and combating corruption by “objective reporting without bias and partiality.”

For the long term, the prelates renewed its call for “circles of discernment” at the grassroots level, recognized lay organizations, religious institutions and in the academe.

Such “communal action” at the grassroots level, the statement added, will perpetuate people power so brilliantly demonstrated to the world at EDSA 1.

“It is people power ... at the grassroots will find out the culture of truth and integrity we so deeply seek and build,” it said. (with reports from Roy Lagarde)

“People Power” revolts that unseated two presidents.

The cardinal’s radio broadcasts in support of the mutineers sparked the now legendary revolt that drove the dictator Ferdinand Marcos into exile and swept Cory Aquino to presidency in 1986.

President Gloria MacapagalArroyo also rose to the presidency in the second and peaceful mass protests that ousted Joseph Estrada in 2001.

Villegas issued the call Sunday in his message for the 22nd anniversary of the first “People Power” which will be marked by the government on Monday.

He said the “heaviest cross” weighing heavily on the shoulders of many people is corrup-

tion in public life.

Saying that it has reached scandalous proportions and mind boggling figures, he stressed, that government corruption has deprived the poor in the countryside of the basic services due to them.

The young prelate also bemoaned the growing public cynicism amid serious issues hounding the current administration.

“The worst among the scourges that our nation suffers from right now is the culture of indifference. Many of us want to resign as Filipinos,” the bishop said.

The revolts, he said, were just like “shots of opium” that give many people “temporary high and nothing more.”

Villegas said many people have grown tired of rallies to change public officials “because the changes have simply been from one corrupt official to another.”

But Villegas said that corruption is not only a crime of government officials, adding that “we who are below are all guilty as well.”

“The Edsa spirit is not just about political change. It is primarily about a change of heart and soul,” he also said.

“Let us not invoke the Edsa spirit for political change if we are not even open to moral and spiritual reform individually.

The change we seek must come from within,” he added. (Roy Lagarde)

Change / A1

said something very important must be done also.

He said the country does not just need a new breed of leaders but also enlightened people, thus change must start from within every Filipino.

“Each and everyone must be the reformed Filipino that we want our public officials to become. We must change ourselves so that society and government will change,” he said.

“We must not demand repentance and reform from our leaders if we are not even willing to repent of our personal sins as dishonest and uncaring ordinary citizens.”

Villegas had been a long-time protégé of the late Jaime Cardinal Sin, a driving force behind

Vol. 12 No. 5 March 3 - 16, 2008

CBCP position may still change - Archbishop

Archbishop Antonio Ledesma , SJ

A PRELATE said the Catholic bishops’ hierarchy position on the current socio-political crisis might still change if the situation calls for it.

Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma said the bishops could still issue another statement anew if alleged rampant corruption in the government will not be rightly addressed.

Ledesma made the statement amid attacks from various groups who were expecting the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines to finally call for President Arroyo’s resignation.

The CBCP held an “emergency” consultative meeting yesterday in the wake of alleged anomalies in the national broadband network government project with China’s ZTE Corp.

In the recent pastoral statement, the CBCP merely urged the Arroyo government to take the lead in combating corruption.

After the meeting that many had hoped would inject fresh energy into efforts to topple Arroyo on allegations of corruption, the CBCP merely urged Arroyo to lead in fighting corruption.

The bishops also called on Arroyo to revoke Executive Order 464 and allow her officials to attend any investigations and tell the truth.

The CBCP said the President should act immediately especially now that “questions about the

moral ascendancy are being raised” against her administration.

Arroyo critics tagged the EO 464 as a notorious gag, which the government has clamped on the mouths of executive officers who are in a position to reveal incriminating truth.

“At present this was really the reflection made by the bishops and I’m glad that there was a majority of the bishops that came and answer that call for a special meeting,” he said.

But “everything is open in that we have to judge the situation according to its own merits at the proper time,” said Ledesma, a former CBCP vice-president.

The prelate also clarified that calling for Arroyo’s resignation is a “political call,” and the bishops themselves are aware that they cannot make political options for the public to follow.

“What we can stress is the moral aspect and that’s why we were stressing the pursuit of truth to fight corruption at all levels,” he said.

Ledesma likewise added that the CBCP will closely monitor and will keep asking the government for “concrete compliance” with their recommendations.

“We will certainly be expecting that and in fact in earlier statements we were asking for a closure of many of these high profile cases of alleged graft and corruption,” he said. (Roy Lagarde)

Social / A1

Call / A1

But wants EO 464 scrapped

CBCP Monitor

Rosanne Malillin, SPC, said 365 barangays out of the total 597 barangays in the Diocese of Borongan, have been affected by floods. And there are over 33,000 families or 165,930 individuals affected by the heavy rains.

To date already eleven casualties have been reported. The Social Action Center of the Diocese of Borongan reported that relief goods have been concentrated in the towns of Maslog, Dolores, Can-Avid, Borongan, Balangkayan and Quinapondan.

A hundred sacks of rice have already been sent to the affected areas with the assistance of the local

NFA and various local government units. Alay Kapwa funds of the CBCP have also been utilized.

Ten parishes from the Prelature of Libmanan’s nine towns have been affected since February 18.

Over 10,000 families have been affected. Farms have been submerged in water for a number of days. The Prelature’s Social Action Center concentrated its relief efforts in the towns of Libmanan, Minalabac and Milaor.

Fifty sacks of rice have already been released. Some parishes conducted their own relief operations. (Melo M. Acuña)

Davao / A1

The acceptance of the archbishop came after a careful study by the Administrative Council of the history of the division of the Couples for Christ into two groups.

“This episcopal recognition entitles the said groups to be members of the ACLAIM and to participate in the implementation of the Vision-Mission-Goals of our Local Church especially in our diverse pastoral programs

for the laity under our episcopal guidance or through our official representatives,” read the letter.

The archbishop also asked the respective leaders (national and local) of the CFC-GMFI and CFCFFL to include in their formation program the correct study and understanding of ecclesiology or the nature of the Church for assurance of unity and better collaboration with the local clergy and bishops.

(Mark S Ventura)

Laiko / A5

ence, the people who determine the budget for the contract can be persuaded to review their calculations. Soon after that, it caught us by surprise when the BAC Vice-Chairman inquired if CBCP-LAIKO could conduct a holy retreat for the members of the Bids and Awards Committee including the Technical Working Group.

This was a request where the committee lost no time in designing the module. The retreat was held in Tagaytay, CBCP-NASSABEC Retreat House last October 22 –23, 2007. The resource persons were Bishop G. Reyes on The Moral Responsibility of Public Servants; Atty. Mia Zafra on Stewardship; Dr. Bella Dumas on Towards Building a Culture of Discipleship and Servant Leadership; Engr.

Jose B. Lugay on The Role of the Laity and Advocacy for Good Governance while Mr. Ed Tirona and Mr.

Ric Rivera shared their experiences in their work as Observers, Atty. Hilario Favila of the Office of the Ombudsman lectured on the Responsibility of Observers in dealing with Feedback and Complaint.

Confession and celebration of the Holy Eucharist by Rev. Fr. R. Dumas concluded the retreat.

We have a standing invitation to hold a retreat for the Department of Health Bids and Awards Committee.

CBCP, the Episcopal Commission on the Lay Apostolate in particular gave the mandate to LAIKO as early as 2004 to serve in the fight against graft and corruption. We are open to any Diocese or Lay Organization to train your leaders in this communal action. Contact LAIKO through Joseph Jesalva, landline 527 5388.

527-3124 or mobile phone 09219945-100 or email: laiko_phils@yahoo.com.ph

CBCP Monitor

Features

Vol. 12 No. 5 March 3 - 16, 2008

First Catholic Church in Arabic country to be dedicated to Mary DOHA, Qatar, February 29, 2008—The first Catholic Church in an Arab Muslim emirate will be dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, during a ceremony that will be celebrated by Cardinal Ivan Dias, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

On March 14, Cardinal Dias will officiate at the ceremony in Doha, the capital of Qatar. The Apostolic Vicar of Arabia, Archbishop Paul Hinder, will join the cardinal for the dedication of the new church.

The church was built on land donated by Emir Amir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who in recent years has become a supporter of inter-religious dialogue, despite keeping Islamic law in place which forbids Muslims to convert to other religions.

Qatar, which has 800,000 inhabitants, established diplomatic relations with the Holy See in 2003. The pastor of the new parish will be a priest from the Philippines, Father Tomasito Veneracion. (CNA)

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China considers abandoning its one-child policy

BRASILIA, Brazil, March 4, 2008—The National Conference of Bishops of Brazil has announced it will ask the country’s Supreme Court to declare part of a new law that allows research with human embryos to be unconstitutional.

The president of the Bishops’ Committee on Life and the Family, Bishop Orlando Brandes, noted that embryonic stem cells are not necessary for research, as adult stem cells have been already proven to be an effective alternative.

“The embryo is a human being, an individual who has the right to be born and has all of the necessary elements, accord-

ing to science, to be an adult. It is a seed that is going to develop,” the bishop said.

The announcement by the NCBB comes as former Attorney General Claudio Fonteles filed his own brief challenging the law’s constitutionality and warning that the use of embryos “damages the inviolability of the right to life” guaranteed by the Brazilian constitution.

However, in a move to pressure the court, the Brazilian version of “Catholics for a Free Choice” commissioned a poll which alleges that 75% of Brazilians support research with human embryos. (CNA)

Catholic hospital to allow transgender surgery after being sued

© Bohemian Nomad Picturemakers/CORBIS

Brazilian bishops request research with embryos be declared unconstitutional

BEIJING, China, March 2, 2008—China is considering the elimination of its controversial one-child policy in response to an aging population and a gender imbalance created by sex-selective abortion, Reuters reports.

The present policy usually limits families to one child, or two children if they live in the countryside.

“We want incrementally to have this change,” Vice Minister of the National Population and Family Planning Commission Zhao Baige told reporters in a Beijing talk about possible changes to the policy.

“I cannot answer at what time or how, but this has become a big issue among decision makers,” Zhao added. “The attitude is to do the studies, to consider it responsibly and to set it up systematically.”

China is the world’s most populous country. Its average fertility rate has dropped from 5.8 children per woman in the 1970s to 1.8 children per woman today, below the replacement rate of 2.1.

The Chinese government says its policies have prevented several hundred million births. However, experts have warned that its ageing population could cause severe social

problems as the elderly come to outnumber the working population. The policy has also caused gender disparity from the selective abortion of girls, as male children are preferred for traditional and economic reasons.

The gender ratio in China is still close to 120 boys for every 100 girls.

Increased mobility of the nation’s about 150 million migrant workers has weakened enforcement of the one-child policy. Wealthy citizens are also willing to pay the fines imposed by the policy when they have more children, though officials have pledged to increase fines on wealthy lawbreakers.

Enforcement of the policy has at times been draconian. According to human rights groups and the U.S. government, family planning officials have sometimes used forced abortion, coercive sterilization, and other abuses to ensure compliance with the policy.

Reggie Littlejohn, an American attorney who advises the Brussels-based non-governmental organization, Human Rights Without Frontiers, spoke with Cybercast News Service on Thursday, voicing her skepticism about the announcement.

“Right now, the one-child policy is often

implemented by forced abortion and forced sterilization,” she said. “Even if some couples in the future are allowed to have more than one child under the new policy, will the government still enforce that higher birth limit through coerced abortion and sterilization?”

“The timing of this announcement is no accident,” she said, noting the announcement’s proximity to the Beijing Olympic Games and recent concerns about China’s involvement in Darfur.

“For me, the real question is not, ‘Will the Chinese government abolish the one-child policy,’” Littlejohn said. “The real question is, ‘Will the Chinese government abolish its coercive birth-control practices?”

The Bush administration withholds funding from the United Nations Population Fund because of its association with Chinese population control programs. According to Cybercast News Service, U.S. law prohibits funding for any agency that “supports or participates in the management of a program of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization.”

China’s population could grow to 1.5 billion by 2033. (CNA)

DALY CITY, CA, March 4, 2008—A Catholic hospital that refused to allow its facilities to be used for breast implant surgery on a man that had undergone a sex-change operation will now allow the procedure, the California Catholic Daily reports.

In 2006 a doctor told Charlene Hastings, 57, that Seton Medical Center in Daly City would not allow him to perform breast-enhancement surgery on a transsexual. Hastings claimed that upon further inquiry a surgical coordinator at the hospital said to him, “It’s not God’s will” and “God made you a man.”

A 2006 memo sent by Seton Medical Center to physicians said, “transgender procedures or procedures that are part of the transgendering process may not be performed at Seton, as Seton is a Catholic Hospital.”

Hastings filed suit against the hospital in San Francisco Superior Court in December. The suit alleged that Seton violated state law, which allows religiouslybased hospitals to refuse to perform abortions but makes no exemption for denying elective surgery for transgender operations.

On February 27 the San Francisco television station CBS 5

News reported that the hospital had issued a written statement to CBS 5 that said, “We regret any confusion that may have come from this situation.

We want this patient and her physician to know that they are welcome at Seton Medical Center.”

The hospital still said that Catholic teaching prohibits the accommodation of sex-change operations.

The CBS 5 News station characterized the statement as a “veiled apology.” It said, “transgender Charlene Hastings has claimed moral victory against Catholics.”

According to the California Catholic Daily, Hasting’s attorney, Chris Dolan, said that a lawsuit seeking monetary damages would proceed.

“Like any good religious experience, first you need enlightenment and then you need atonement,” said Dolan. “And what we have here perhaps is a glimpse of enlightenment. Has it changed their heart? I don’t think so. Will it change their practice?”

Hastings will not undergo surgery at Seton, saying he would not be comfortable because he would feel the hospital would be “doing it under duress.” (CNA)

VATICAN CITY, March 3, 2008¯Benedict XVI prayed the rosary with university students from 10 European and American cities and then entrusted them the duty of being builders of peace and unity.

The Pope thus participated in the 6th European Day for Universities, held Saturday in Paul VI Hall and linked via satellite to Naples, Italy; Bucharest, Romania; Toledo, Spain; Avignon, France; Minsk, Belarus; Washington D.C.; Mexico City; Havana, Cuba; Aparecida, Brazil; and Loja, Ecuador.

The initiative is promoted by the Council of European Episcopal Conferences and the vicariate of Rome’s office for pastoral care in universities.

The theme was “Europe and the Americas Together to Build a Civilization of Love” and some 40,000 university students participated.

After a prayer vigil held for the youth, the Holy Father arrived to pray the rosary. He then extended greetings in various languages, both to the young people present in Paul VI Hall and to those following events from the European and American cities.

“Christianity,” he said, “is a profound and powerful link between the so-called old continent and what has been called the ‘New World.’”

Cultural foundations Benedict XVI affirmed “the fundamental position that Holy Scripture and Christian liturgy

© Alessandra Benedetti/Corbis

Pope and students pray together via satellite, Benedict XVI asks youth to be builders of unity

occupy in the culture and art of European and American peoples.”

“Unfortunately,” he added, “so-called western civilization has also partly betrayed its Gospel inspiration. What is needed, then, is an honest and sincere reflection, an examination of conscience. It is necessary to discern between what serves to build the ‘civilization of love’ according to the design that God revealed in Jesus Christ, and what runs counter to it.”

“God calls you to cooperate, alongside your peers all over the world, so that the lifeblood of the

Gospel may renew the civilization of these two continents and of humanity entire,” the Holy Father stated. “The great European and American cities are becoming more and more cosmopolitan, but they often lack this lifeblood, which is capable of ensuring that differences do not become the cause of division and conflict but of mutual enrichment.”

The Pope said the civilization of love would be characterized by “a respectful and peaceful coexistence that finds joy in its differences in the name of a shared vision which Blessed Pope John

XXIII founded on the four columns of love, truth, freedom and justice.”

He added: “This, dear friends, is the duty I consign to you today: Be disciples of and witnesses to the Gospel, because the Gospel is the good seed of the Kingdom of God, in other words the civilization of love! Be builders of peace and of unity!”

The Holy Father concluded his remarks by identifying one “sign of this Catholic unity” in the initiative of giving each of the students present a CD copy of his encyclical “Spe Salvi” in five languages. (Zenit).

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People, Facts & Places

Manila archdiocese holds Bible lectures to celebrate Pauline year THE Biblical Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Manila is holding a series of Biblical lectures in celebration of the Pauline Jubilee Year.

The 12-part lecture series on the letters and writings of St. Paul and other New Testament books (except the Gospels) are given every Tuesday and Thursday at the Layforce Center at San Carlos Seminary in Makati City.

Classes started on February 26 and will go on until April 17.

Two respected biblical scholars, Fr. Gil Alinsangan, SSP and Sr. Bernardita Dianzon, FSP, will expound on the Pauline writings.

The lecture series is part of the regular bible programs of the biblical apostolate of the archdiocese of Manila.

Aside from the ongoing bible classes conducted at the Layforce Center, which earns students a Certificate on Biblical Studies, a basic bible seminar is also done quarterly by the vicariates of the archdiocese.

The archdiocese likewise co-hosts the Catholic Bible School on the Air, a biblical

program aired over Radio Veritas every Sunday evening, from 8-9:30 pm. (CBCPNews)

CBCP Monitor Vol. 12 No. 5 March 3 - 16, 2008

MAPSA’S outstanding school administrators honored MANILA Archbishop Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales paid tribute to the outstanding school administrators from the Manila Archdiocesan and Parochial Schools Association (MAPSA) under the leadership of Msgr. Gerardo O. Santos in fitting ceremonies at the Villa Immaculada, Intramuros Manila Thursday morning.

In his inspirational message, Cardinal Rosales said the awards extended to outstanding personnel is the “Church’s way of expressing its appreciation for the outstanding achievements and of love.” He added the awardees “served beyond what ordinary people could appreciate,” for the awardees “were more than mentors, teachers and Christ’s disciples in Catholic schools for being active participants in the ministry of Jesus.”

“You awardees have been teaching, accompanying, encouraging, understanding and not just delivering your knowledge because you show how you speak, how you teach and the way you conduct yourself as a teacher, person, citizen and as a Christian,” the prel-

ate said.

The awardees were Mrs. Virginia C. Cacanta, Miss Marilyn L. Cano, Mrs. Angelita A. Concepcion, Mrs. Carina G. Dacanay, Mr. Joel C. Javiniar, Dr. Evangeline M. Macase, Dr. Rosalinda C. Natividad, Dr. Evelyn B. Tallod and Mrs. Cresisanta A. Vallestero.

The Sedes Sapientiae (Seat of Wisdom) Award was given by the Archbishop Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales and MAPSA President Msgr. Gerardo O. Santos.

Mrs. Virginia C. Cacanata, a graduate of Pasig Catholic College in 1970 and immediately rose from the ranks to become its Executive Vice President for the past 38 years, delivered her response on behalf of the other winners.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was conferred on Miss Ofelia S. Meneses by His Eminence Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales, DD, assisted by Msgr. Roberto A. Espenilla, head of MAPSA Commission on Human Resource Management and Development. (Melo M. Acuña)

‘Family Rosary Varsitarian to kick Outstanding women in Crusade’ bags UST- off pro-life film fest media cited TV Students’ Choice Award “FAMILY Rosary Crusade” bagged the best 4th University of Santo Tomas-television (USTv) Students-Judges’ Choice Awards for best Catholic program.

Carrying the theme, “Education in Integrity: Channeling Honesty and the Truth through the TV,” the awards, organized by the Office of the UST Secretary General and student leaders of UST, covered television programs aired July and December 2007.

UST Rector, Fr. Rolando V. de la Rosa, OP handed out the awards at a glittering ceremony held at the UST Medicine Auditorium in Manila last February 20.

Criteria included originality and craftsmanship (40%), and

promotion of Christian values and the “Thomasian vision of truth in Charity” (60%).

Voters in the award were the 35,000-strong student body of the Pontifical and Royal University.

Their choices were confirmed by a student-dominated board of judges, which included media experts, UST administrators and academics.

Awards for the most popular drama mini-series, actor and actress in a drama mini-series, entertainment news show, gag show, Student-Judges Choice for the Television Station with the Most Youth-Responsible Programming and variety program were also handed out. (Santosh Digal)

TRUE to its pro-life advocacy, The Varsitarian, the 80-year-old student publication of the University of Santo Tomas, will host the Cinevita 2008 Film Festival from March 5 to 7 at the UST Thomas Aquinas Research Center.

Themed “Celebrating Life, Truth, and Faith,” the three-day film festival will showcase independent films, documentaries, and shorts movies produced by amateur to distinguished Filipino directors as it centralizes on the aim to uphold cinema as a tool for meaningful expressions of life.

Although all documentaries and local films are open to the public, foreign full-length films are exclusive to lecturers, film critics, and students due to public viewing rights restrictions.

Included in the roster of the featured films this year are Brillante Mendoza’s Foster Child and Tirador, Katsi Flores’ Still

Life, Jim Libiran’s Tribu, Jade Catro’s Endo, Ned Trespeces’ Trabaho, Joey Velasco’s Kambas ng Lipunan and a documentary from UST Nursing students.

The film roster also includes international films such as Lloyd Kramer’s Five People You Meet in Heaven, Vincent Ward’s What Dreams May Come, and Mimi Leder’s Pay it Forward.

Directors Jim Libiran, Brillante Mendoza and Manolito Sulit will grace the event as Philippine Daily Inquirer’s entertainment columnist Nestor Torre will deliver the keynote speech on the fest’s maiden day.

Now on its second year, the Cinevita Film Festival is a nonprofit and educational endeavor of the Varsitarian together with the UST Institute of Religion, UST Journalism Society, UST Literary Society, and Concilium Philososphiae. (Kris Bayos)

THREE distinguished women in the field of media and a womenoriented news agency received the St. Hildegard Awards for Outstanding Women in Media and Communication, in a simple ceremony held at St. Cecilia’s Hall of St. Scholastica College, Manila.

The awardees were cited for their exceptional involvement in the field of media and communication, and in various cause-oriented advocacies.

Rosa Rosal, an icon in the media industry, was awarded for her part in pioneering public service programs on television through Damayan and Kapwa Ko, Mahal Ko, and lifelong commitment in the Philippine Red Cross. Rosal who says retirement is not for her, had started as a volunteer of PRC in 1950 and continues to be at its service until now.

Professor Florangel Braid, a practicing journalist, educator and communication specialist; was cited for her contribution in the field of communication education.

Emily Abrera, president of McCann Erickson Philippines was named for her various advocacies which reflected in the choice and content of advertisements her company produced.

Another awardee, the Women’s Feature Service (WFS) represented by its Executive Director Olive Tripon, was cited for championing the cause of women in reporting and featuring gender-related issues like women’s rights, violence against women, reproductive health and women’s spirituality.

WFS is the first and the only women-oriented news agency in the country.

The Hildegard Awards, now on its second year, was conceptualized by St. Scholastica College’s Department of Mass Communication as a tribute to women who have contributed much in the field of media and communication through their “pioneering work and cause-oriented advocacies.”

The award was named after 16th century St. Hildegard Bingen, a German Benedictine nun.

Last year’s awardees include Professor Nora Quebral, a pioneer of Development Communication in the Philippines; Felicisima “Tita Feny” delos Angeles Bautista, executive producer of Batibot; Genoveva “Lola Bebang” Matute, a pioneering radio scriptwriter; and QTV Channel 11, cited for its women-centered programming.

(Pinky Barrientos, FSP)

Smokey mountain parish helps women find jobs through e-learning A PARISH near Smokey Mountain, Manila’s erstwhile garbage dump site, helps women to find employment through e-learning.

Women from Risen Christ Parish are given basic computer literacy program. After they graduate they try to find computer based jobs in different parts of the country, Fr. Benigno Beltran, SVD, parish priest, told CBCPNews.

This computer program helps hundreds of women irrespective of creed or social strata, the priest said.

One of the benefits that women have gained out of it is they learn how to do accounting and auditing with help of computers, and

that leads them to find jobs in some small companies or shops, the priest added.

The parish also runs E-Computer Center for young people aged 15-24 since 2006. APEC IT gave 30 new PCs to the Center.

At present the Center has 50 PCs. Since 1997, the parish computer center has been teaching young people to gain computer literacy.

The program has attracted hundreds of young people for whom computer is life, Fr. Beltran said.

Some time ago, the parish donated about 100 old PCs to Muslim and Christian students in Mindanao. (CBCPNews)

³ Officials of the Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association of the Philippines (KCFAPI) with Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams during a courtesy call at the Nunciature in Paco, Manila, March 3, 2008.

CELEBRATED. Fr. L u d g e r Feldkaemper, SVD, 45th anniversary of priestly ordination, February 2, 2008. A wellknown Bible scholar who worked for many years in the Philippines, Fr. F e l d k a e m p e r, founded the John Paul I Biblical Center in 1979 when he was assigned as Bible Professor at the Immaculate Conception School of Theology in Vigan City. He started the Basic Bible Seminar which is now well known all over the world. He became the executive secretary of the Catholic Biblical Federation for many years. He currently teaches Scriptures in one of the SVD seminaries in Germany.

CELEBRATED. Fr. Wim Wijtten, SVD, 49 th anniversary of sacerdotal ordination, February 1, 2008.

Another bible scholar who worked for many years in Northern Luzon, Fr. Wijtten took over as director of the Biblical Center in Vigan after Fr. Feldkaemper left. He became subregional coordinator of the CBF-SEA, the first Southeast Asia subregional coordinator of the Catholic Biblical Federation. From the Philippines he was assigned in Nemi, Rome as director of the Dei Verbum, the International Bible Institute on Biblical Pastoral Ministry of the SVD. He is currently residing in Holland in one of the SVD seminaries there.

CELEBRATED. Diocese of Kabankalan, 20th anniversary of creation as a diocese; February 11, 2008. Bishop Vicente M. Navarra, DD was appointed the first bishop of Kabankalan. In his fourteen years as bishop of the diocese, he introduced the formation of Diocesan synod; built the Bishop’s house; the seminary (Little Way College Seminary); a strong organization of lay leaders who are committed to the Diocesan program of Basic Ecclesial Communities. In 2003, Bishop Patricio Buzon, SDB became the 2nd bishop of Kabankalan when Bishop Navarra was appointed 5th bishop of Bacolod.

With his religious background and

Markings

affiliation, Bishop Buzon took interest in updating schools. He invited the Christian Brothers in Australia to help in the updating and formation of the Catholic schools in the diocese. He initiated a Pastoral Assembly and Pastoral Planning among the clergy to re-direct efforts for a more comprehensive approach to ongoing formation of the clergy. His pastoral visitations among the parishes help him know the real problem of the people and the real situation of the diocese.

ORDAINED. Rev. Moses Romy Namalata and Rev. Patrick Leody Cendeño of the Servants of the Risen Christ Monastic Community, March 1, 2008, at St. Therese of the Child Jesus Parish, Ramos, Tarlac; by Most Rev. Florentino Cinense, DD, bishop of Tarlac.

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Vol. 12 No. 5 March 3 - 16, 2008

B2 Updates

Rubrics in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist

B3 Diocese

Diocese of Kabankalan

B4 Commissions

B5 Statements

Power to unite with Elvira

Seeking the truth, restoring integrity

B6 Reflections

B7 Social Concerns

‘Untie him and let him go’

Teaching fishers how to fish through microfinance

Pastoral Concerns

B8 Entertainment Buhay Parokya

The full understanding of the Biblical Apostolate

By Bishop Arturo M. Bastes, SVD, DD Need for a full understanding of the Bible Apostolate There is an incomplete understanding of the bible apostolate prevailing among the Catholic faithful (priests, religious, laity). This apostolate is commonly understood as comprising activities that directly deal with the bible such as bible courses, bible seminars, bible sharing sessions, bible quizzes, bible drama, bible exhibits, bible Sundays, bible week, bible distributions etc. Often they are considered as “luxurious extras” that are nice things to do if time permits.

But a full understanding of the bible apostolate needs to be inculcated among our faithful. The bible is God’s word to His people. In the bible, “the Father who is heaven comes lovingly to meet His children, and talks with them” (Dei Verbum, art.21). Thus the aim of the bible

apostolate is to help people encounter God the Father in the Sacred Scriptures.

In DV art. 21 we read, “…such is the force and power of the word of God that can serve the Church as her support and vigor, and the children of the Church as strength for their faith, food for the soul, and a pure and lasting font of spiritual life.” This passage teaches that the Word of God must permeate and animate every dimension of the Church’s life: liturgical, catechetical, pastoral, moral and social. Seen in this way the biblical apostolate constitutes an integral part of the mission of the Church. Hence there can be no authentic ministry in the Church unless it is based on the word of God. The ministry of the Word made flesh Moreover God’s Word is not only expressed in human terms but is also made flesh. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the Word of God made flesh. He is the perfect revelation of the Father so that any-

one “who has seen Him has seen the Father” (Jn 14:9). His revelation of the Father came from the “truth” that he is: “I am the way, the truth and the life” (Jn 14:6). In the prologue of the Gospel of John we see the essence of Jesus’ mystery and ministry. His mystery is the Word of God made flesh. From his mystery stems His ministry, which the Father had given Him: To dwell in the midst of men and women to reveal the Father to all human beings. Jesus’ works and words constituted His entire ministry whereby He “glorified His Father on earth” (Jn 17, 4) and “manifested His Father’s name” (Jn 17, 6) When revealing His Father, Jesus exercised His ministry in a very concrete and tangible way. So concrete and tangible was His ministry that John in his first letter asserts “that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, that we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of

Life” (I John 1, 1). The climax of Jesus’ ministry is the paschal event, His death and resurrection, which shed light on the significance of Jesus’ entire mystery and ministry on earth.

The identity of the ministry of Jesus and His disciples The risen Christ entrusted His own ministry to His disciples. The identity of Jesus’ mission and that of His disciples is expressed in John 20, 21: “As the Father has sent me, even so I send you”. The mission of the disciples is but the continuation of Jesus’ ministry. He gave them the Spirit to empower them for this ministry. The apostles were sent forth to do the same thing as Jesus’ did: to reveal the Father and bring all human beings into friendship and unity. In His priestly prayer to the Father, Jesus asked: “that they may all be one even as Thou, Father, art in Me and I in Thee”. The object of Jesus’ prayer is KOINONIA, fellowship, that is, a filial relationship between God as Father and

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all human beings as His children, and the relationship between all men and women as brothers and sisters of the same Father. Consequently the apostles established communities in different places, which express this fellowship or Koinonia.

The Word of God is addressed to the Church The Church, as the community of believers, is the fellowship resulting from Christ’s mission and that of the apostles and their successors. She is the Word of God “enfleshed” in a community of men and women who consider themselves the children of God. It is to the Church as a Koinonia of believers that the Bible, the written Word of God is first of all addressed. For the bible is primarily a written result of the primitive community’s experiencing, living and celebrating the Word of God proclaimed by the Word made Flesh, reFull / B7

ORDAINED bishop in July 22, 2004, Most Rev. Emmanuel C. Trance was appointed second bishop of Catarman in March 11, 2005. In this issue of CBCP Monitor, Bishop Trance talks about the various concerns of the diocese: environmental degradation in the province; the effects of consumerist lifestyle on families; the thrust of family life apostolate to combat threats on family life; the BEC programs and participation of the laity in the life of the Church; and the ongoing formation of the clergy and the laity.

QUESTIONS

Most Rev. Emmanuel C. Trance, DD How does the diocese address the issues of environmental degradation in Samar province?

The Diocese of Catarman in Northern Samar looks at this problem from the perspective of the entire island of Samar of which Northern Samar is one of the three provinces. The three Dioceses of Calbayog, Borongan and Catarman are one in support and have lobbied with multi-sectoral groups in Congress for the enactment of Samar Island National Park to preserve the remaining Samar rainforest.

We have consistently opposed mining activities in the whole island and the return of logging concessions, particularly of San Jose Timber Co. In view of these environment-related concerns we have joined ranks with multi-sectoral groups of

NGOs, POs and LGUs to form the Samar Island Partnership for Peace and Development Forum.

What is your take on the threat of materialism creeping into our lifestyle brought about by such phenomenon as globalization?

This is inevitable because of mass media and mobility of people nowadays, especially our overseas workers. It becomes an added challenge to our evangelization efforts. Thank God in many ways our people are innately religious. So there is a need for us in the Church to address this issue in our catechetical and formation programs otherwise we shall wake up one day with our people dull and dead in spirit.

Would you say consumerism has affected our people’s sense of

values, especially the young?

Truly the young people have to be given much attention in regard to their education and training to the right sense of values, especially Christian values. Consumerism is one form of materialism affecting our economic life as well as human behavior individually and socially. It transcends ages, young and old or social groupings, families and communities. It can insert into the whole culture and attitude. It is not taught but caught in a matter of time and given a hospitable environment. Even the Church cannot be insulated from it but should not be a slave to it or condone it. Its wind can sweep us all if we are not wary. Here again our evangelization efforts should bring to the surface the attractiveness of our lived Christian values and virtues with the primacy of faith and spirit. The whole Church is strongly challenged for concrete witnessing in our respective surroundings and in the ongoing formation of the faithful.

How does the diocesan family and life apostolate respond to this challenge?

Before these macro-level concerns, we have to look into our concrete local situation and the immediate condition of every family in the Diocese. The phenomenon of migrant workers is causing a lot of strains to unity of the family. Moreover, there is the aggressive population control program of government that introduces artificial birth control options with anti-life and antifamily implications. The Diocese has articulated as one of our 10 pastoral priorities the family as focus of evangelization echoing the priorities of PCP II. There are active family life movements and apostolate in the parishes. We have established a Diocesan family life commission with clergy and lay involvement for pro-life apostolate. But it seems the work is daunting and we cannot do enough. There is a need of persistent effort as a Church and in partnership with different sectors of society. The endemic poverty

in the province brings havoc to families causing a host of related problems, namely street children, child labor, and human trafficking particularly of young girls. Rural poverty that spills over to urban poverty in urban centers does not indeed give an optimistic picture of family and human development in the diocese. Our evangelization of families has to consider this concrete backdrop for any effective effort or program that we want to come out for the Diocese. As of now our implementation of family life programs has to be combined with our building of Basic Ecclesial Communities in the parishes. There is a need further of coordinating all these efforts for the welfare of families.

How active are the basic ecclesial communities in your diocese?

PCP II calls BEC the new way of being Church. It also wants to institutionalize BEC in all the Philippine Dioceses. It is a way of giving flesh to the Church’s vision of becoming the Church

of the Poor and Community of Disciples. During the 1st Diocesan Pastoral Assembly in 1996 under our First Bishop, Bishop Angel Hobayan, BEC was declared the main pastoral thrust of the Diocese. During the 2nd Diocesan Pastoral Assembly and Diocesan Pentecost Vigil, last May 26, 2007 the clergy, the religious and lay faithful recommitted themselves to the same pastoral thrust in our ten pastoral priorities. Since last year I have also requested the Redemptorists BEC mission team to assist the parishes in building BEC after giving BEC reorientation to all the parish priests. They have been so far to two parishes and two mission centers after six months and still going. We are also among the Dioceses that participate in the NASSA assisted BEC program of which five of our parishes are included. I must note however that the growth of BECs 7 Questions / B2

CBCP Monitor

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By Fr. Jaime B. Achacoso, J.C.D.

A few years ago, a Statement of the 20th National Assembly of Diocesan Directors of Liturgy (Sept 12-16, 2005) was picked up by the local mass media and stirred up a controversy.

The Statement—entitled Rubrics in the Celebration of the Eucharist—called on the faithful to “carefully study and observe the

of the particular rite or liturgical ceremony. If even in public functions—from a simple flag-raising ceremony to the most elaborate presidential inauguration—there is normally a Master of Ceremonies to make sure the written script and proper protocol are followed, it stands to reason that in the acts of public worship of God (which is what the liturgy is) there be a proportionate concern that the script is followed.

of protection by the Law of the Church.

As an illustration, a private citizen cannot on his own initiative decide to decorate the street and sidewalk in front of his house with fancy tiles and elaborate grillwork. Since the street and sidewalk are public property, they are subject to the sole jurisdiction of lawfully constituted authority (which is mandated to care for the common good of the community). Only the City Government (or National Government if the road is a

Vol. 12 No. 5 March 3 - 16, 2008

thority.

The Code of Canon Law, reflecting the mind of Vatican Council II, has established the competent authority in the following terms: Can. 838 — §1. The supervision of the sacred liturgy depends solely on the authority of the Church which resides in the Apostolic See and, in accord with the law, the diocesan bishop.

— §2. It is for the Apostolic See to order the sacred liturgy of the universal

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (G.I.R.M.) and the Roman Missal On top of dozens of important documents regarding the Holy Eucharist that have come out after Vatican Council II, the most important single document regarding the celebration of the Holy Mass is the Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani—or General Instruction of the Roman Missal (G.I.R.M.)—, by the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship

Rubrics in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist on 26.III.1970, subsequently updated on 27.III.1975 (2nd Edition), and most recently by the Congregation on Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in 2002 (3rd Edition). Together with the Roman Missal itself (also referred to as the Novus Ordo or the Vatican II Mass and published almost simultaneously with the G.I.R.M.), this contains the complete script of the Holy Mass as revised by Vatican II, together with all the possible variations and—this is the bone of contention—the instructions (rubrics) regarding the bodily gestures of celebrant (s), other ministers and congregation and the disposition of the various material elements that go into the Eucharistic celebration.

rubrics of the Holy Mass…and eliminate in the assembly indecorous movements or bodily gestures…(exhorting) fidelity and loyalty to the liturgical reform of Vatican II.” But the local media subsequently focused on the specific question of holding hands during the praying of the Our Father at Mass. Questions of “inculturation” and “the need for a more cheerful and consoling Mass” were raised against what some called “rubricism” and rigid “legalism” in the liturgy. All these are a bit over my simple layman’s head. Can you please shed some light on what the bone of contention really is?

I WOULD like to clarify that liturgy goes farther than Canon Law. On the other hand, can. 2 of the Code of Canon Law states: For the most part the Code does not define the rites which are to be observed in celebrating liturgical actions. For this reason current liturgical norms retain their force unless a given liturgical norm is contrary to the canons of the Code.

Hence, I will limit my discussion to the strictly canonical aspect of the question and perhaps clarify the terms.

Lex orandi, lex credendi: The Importance of the Rubrics It has often been said that lex orandi, lex credendi—i.e., the rule of prayer is the rule of faith. A person and a community pray according to their belief such that private prayer and community worship manifest the faith of the individual and the community.

However, the external signs that a person is subjected to and which are prevalent in a community have a way of affecting the way a person and a community think or believe. The external signs of respect, reverence and love that a Catholic community gives to the Eucharist—for example—not only manifests its respect, reverence and love for the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ, but ultimately influence its faith in the Real Presence.

Hence, the rubrics. Rubrics are the indications—normally in red print, hence the term (from the Latin rubrum = red)— interspersed in the official liturgical texts that indicate the bodily gestures and postures of the celebrant(s), other ministers and congregation, as well as other material details regarding the conduct

Illustration by Bladimer Usi

The Juridic Dimension of Public Worship But why take away spontaneity and personal devotion—one might ask—in liturgical celebrations? There is indeed a danger of overdoing the attention to the rubrics—what some have called rubricism—such that the spirit of the liturgy is stifled by rigid observance of the printed procedure. Nevertheless, there is a minimum requirement of standard praxis in liturgy for the sake of public order.

The operative word is public. In the words of Vatican II, in the liturgy full public worship is performed by the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, that is, by the Head and his members (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, 4.XII.1963, n.7). It is not merely an act of private personal devotion or prayer, but rather the act of the whole Church—the Mystical Body of Christ, including Christ the Head and all the faithful as members of the body.

In the liturgy—and the Eucharistic celebration is the liturgical act par excellence—it is not just the sacred minister or just any individual faithful who acts, but the whole Church acts.

It is this public nature of the liturgy that gives it a juridic dimension. It forms part of the common good and is worthy

national road) can decree modifications on the road.

On the other hand, the Christian faithful have the right to worship God according to the prescriptions of their own rite approved by the legitimate pastors of the Church (c.214)—a right to which corresponds the obligation, on the part of the sacred ministers, to celebrate the liturgy according to the norms established by the legitimate pastors of the Church, as we shall see in c.846, §2 below.

Disposition and Supervision of the Sacred Liturgy Vatican Council II established the following General Norms for the disposition and supervision of the sacred liturgy (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, n.22): 1) Regulation of the sacred liturgy depends solely on the authority of the Church, that is, on the Apostolic See, and, as laws may determine, on the bishop.

2) In virtue of power conceded by law, the regulation of the liturgy within certain defined limits belongs also to various kinds of bishops’ conferences, legitimately established, with competence in given territories.

3) Therefore, no other person, not even a priest, may add, remove, or change anything in the liturgy on his own au-

Church, to publish the liturgical books, to review their translations into the vernacular languages and to see that liturgical ordinances are faithfully observed everywhere.

— §3. It pertains to the conferences of bishops to prepare translations of the liturgical books into the vernacular languages, with the appropriate adaptations within the limits defined in the liturgical books themselves, and to publish them with the prior review by the Holy See. — §4. It pertains to the diocesan bishop in the Church entrusted to him, within the limits of his competence, to issue liturgical norms by which all are bound.

Thus, actually very little is left to individual initiative in the matter of the liturgy, as the Code clearly states: Can. 846 — §1. The liturgical books approved by the competent authority are to be faithfully observed in the celebration of the sacraments; therefore no one on personal authority may add, remove or change anything in them.

— §2. The ministers are to celebrate the sacraments according to their own rite.

All these are applicable to each of the sacraments in particular and to sacred liturgy in general. What about the Holy Mass?

Conclusion There are many more details in the G.I.R.M. that need fine-tuning in the Philippines. To single out the holding of hands by the congregation at the Our Father, which is not even mentioned in the G.I.R.M., is to miss the woods for the trees. As to the questions posed at the start, perhaps we can conclude with the following: 1) There is a need to go back to the rubrics, since the conduct of the Mass is not a matter for the individual tastes of bishops and much less of priests.

2) While admitting the possibility for variations and adaptations to the local Filipino situation (inculturation), such variations cannot be introduced without prior review and approval by the Holy See. 3) Specifically, the points raised by the most recent Instruction from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Redemptionis Sacramentum, On certain matters to be observed or to be avoided regarding the Most Holy Eucharist (19.III.2004), can be given priority.

4) We end with n.18 of the aforementioned Instruction, which quotes John Paul II: Christ’s faithful have the right that the ecclesiastical authority should fully and efficaciously regulate the Sacred Liturgy lest it should ever seem to be “anyone’s private property, whether of the celebrant or of the community in which the mysteries are celebrated.”

7 Questions / B1

Marian Masses in Lent and Advent And crosses on the 14 stations

(Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university, answers the following questions:) Q: The Masses for the weekdays (including Saturdays) of Lent and Advent are assigned Masses. Yet there are Masses in the Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary for the Lenten season and for the Advent season. When is it permitted to use the liturgies from this Collection of Masses during Lent and Advent?¯J.M., Washington, D.C. A: As No. 21 of the Introduction to the Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary indicates, the collection is destined above all for use in Marian shrines.

These shrines frequently have permission from the Holy See to celebrate Masses of Our Lady on days that would otherwise not be permitted according to the norms of the General Roman Calendar, such as during Advent and Lent.

This concession is usually granted for all days except those indicated in Nos. 1-6 of the table of liturgical days found in most editions of the Roman Missal.

This faculty is usually reserved to priests on pilgrimage or for celebrations for groups of pilgrims and with the requirement to generally use the seasonal readings and not those of the Marian Lectionary (Introduction, No. 31).

For this reason the Masses assigned to Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter are usually not permitted in settings such as parishes, which do not enjoy any exemption from

the rules of the General Calendar. The calendar forbids most votive Masses during these seasons.

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal, No. 376, does say, however: “On obligatory memorials, on the weekdays of Advent up to and including December 16, of the Christmas Season from January 2, and of the Easter Season after the Octave of Easter, Masses for Various Needs, Masses for Various Circumstances, and Votive Masses are as such forbidden. If, however, required by some real need or pastoral advantage, according to the judgment of the rector of the church or the priest celebrant himself, a Mass corresponding to such a need or advantage may be used in a celebration with a congregation.”

Thus, should such an authentic need for a Marian celebration arise during the above-mentioned times, the pastor could choose one of the corresponding Masses from either the Roman Missal or the collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

There are also exceptions which allow two of these formulas to be used outside of the assigned season during ordinary time. No. 28 of the Introduction says that the Christmas formula “Holy Mary of Nazareth (no 8)” may be used if a group of faithful desires to commemorate Mary’s exemplary conduct at Nazareth.

Likewise, the Lenten formula “Mary Virgin, Mother of Reconciliation (no 14)” may be used when Mass is celebrated in the context of seeking reconciliation and harmony.

Q: Are wooden crosses on top of depictions/paintings of each Station of the Cross required? These have been removed from our church.¯P.C., Laplace, Louisiana A: The principal document relating to the external form of the Via Crucis, or Way of the Cross, is the Enchiridion of Indulgences, No. 63.

The Church grants a plenary indulgence to a member of the faithful who practices the pious exercise of the Way of the Cross.

In order to obtain this indulgence the exercise must be fulfilled before legitimately erected stations.

For the legitimate erection of the Via Crucis, 14 crosses are needed, to which may be added images or sculptures that represent the station.

According to the most common custom, the pious exercise consists of 14 pious readings to which are added some vocal prayers. However, in order to fulfill the pious exercise all that is required is a meditation on the Lord’s passion and death without having to make a particular consideration of each station.

It is necessary to move from one station to the next. But if the stations are done in a large group where moving is difficult, it is sufficient for at least the guide to move from station to station.

The faithful who are legitimately impeded from making the stations may gain the same indulgence by dedicating about 15 minutes to meditating and spiritual reading on the Passion.

Therefore, to answer the specific question at hand: A legitimate Way of the Cross consists

of 14 crosses. These may be wooden, stone, metal or some other suitable material. The images are an optional, albeit very useful extra.

The crosses may be relatively small compared to the images or representations, but they should be visible. They may also be located at any suitable place near the images— above, below, beside or even incorporated within the frame.

Possibly the local parish church could be encouraged to restore the crosses to its Way of the Cross. It could also be a wonderful teaching moment to explain the Church’s doctrine on indulgences as well as foment the practice of the Via Crucis.

As No. 133 of the Directory of Popular Piety says: “The Via Crucis is a journey made in the Holy Spirit, that divine fire which burned in the heart of Jesus (cf. Lk 12, 49-50) and brought him to Calvary.

This is a journey well esteemed by the Church since it has retained a living memory of the words and gestures of the final earthly days of her Spouse and Lord.

“In the Via Crucis, various strands of Christian piety coalesce: the idea of life being a journey or pilgrimage; as a passage from earthly exile to our true home in Heaven; the deep desire to be conformed to the Passion of Christ; the demands of following Christ, which imply that his disciples must follow behind the Master, daily carrying their own crosses (cf. Lk 9, 23).” (Zenit)

are on various levels, a majority are on the Kapilya level where the priests could celebrate mass at least once a month, or they have Sunday liturgy without a priest and they have put up a barangay pastoral council, WESTY commissions and installed lay ministers.

Others would have already subdivided into small clusters for Bibliarasal groups, cooperatives, and feeding programs for malnourished children, and other communal activities.

PCP II has highlighted the active participation of the laity in the life of the Church. How does the diocese concretize this?

Again after PCP II and our 1st Diocesan Pastoral Assembly in 1996, the role of the laity became more visible. In the parishes this was seen in the rise of many lay organizations and movements. They are called upon in Pastoral Assemblies, in Pastoral Councils and in Pastoral Commissions and lately in the 2nd Diocesan Pastoral Assembly.

We organized the Diocesan Pastoral Council were lay representatives and religious are included; we recognize and encourage the lay charisms and involvement in the Church. Their participation is essential to the communitarian direction of the Church today.

The continuing formation for lay people should be embedded in the liturgy, in catechesis, and in devotions in the parishes and BEC level. Nonetheless an organized ongoing formation for community leadership, pastoral knowledge and skills are also needed in the Diocesan level and in the programs of our respective Diocesan pastoral commissions. We have to address this concern the soonest possible time and to look for resources to bring it about.

Does the diocese have a continuing formation program for the clergy?

When I was appointed as Coadjutor Bishop of Catarman in May 14, 2004, I would not forget what the then Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Franco told me: “Please give attention to the ongoing formation of the clergy.” When I became Bishop of Catarman in March 11, 2005, I have announced it as my priority. In fact, I appointed myself as head of the Commission on the clergy instead of appointing a Vicar. For the ongoing formation, the clergy are grouped according to age level and ordination batch: young clergy, first five years of ordination; junior clergy, six to 16 years; middle clergy, 17 to 24 years; senior clergy, 25 years to retirement; and retired clergy. We have our bimonthly gathering for presbyteral pastoral assembly and recollection, a quarterly gathering for ongoing formation groupings. We have a five-day annual retreat, annual ongoing formation seminar, renewal seminars for jubilarians, and sabbatical every six years per request. All of these are aimed to help the life and pastoral ministry of each priest to become one mind and one heart with Christ, the main goal of every ongoing formation.

I am pleased with my relationship with my clergy. I see them as my immediate and direct partners and coworkers in the pursuit of the pastoral welfare of all the faithful in the Diocese and in the continuing work of evangelization. I am connected to them in the sacramental bond which should be stronger than blood relations, the sacrament of ordination. They have welcomed me as their Bishop even though I came from a different region. I want to be father, brother and friend to them in the real sense. I am convinced that our mutual relationship will give a strong witness to our pastoral service in unifying our ecclesial communities and building up of the Church.

We can solve our problems together as brothers in the Church and for the greater welfare of our ecclesial communities. Any challenge ahead we can face as one if we keep this mutual bond in the Lord.

CBCP Monitor

Diocese

Vol. 12 No. 5 March 3 - 16, 2008

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ON BACKGROUND: St. Francis Xavier Cathedral of Kabankalan. BELOW: Most Rev. Patricio A. Buzon, SDB, DD

IMPORTANT FACTS Bishop …………………………….

Priests: Diocesan …………………………

Religious: Foreign ………………….………

Filipino ………………...………...

Loaned ………………….…………

Deacon ……………………....……..

Women Religious: Filipino ………………………….…

Foreign ……………….……………

Seminarians: In Theology ………………………..

Pre-College ……………………….

Philosophy .……………………….

1 47 4 1 1 4 21 3 14 13 27

Diocesan Divisions: Vicariates ………………………..... 5 Parishes …………….……………. 23 Entrusted to Diocesan Clergy .... 23 Chaplaincies ……………………..…. 6 Entrusted to Diocesan Clergy …..... 5 Entrusted to Religious Clergy ……. 1 Educational Centers: Colleges Diocesan ………………...……….. 1 Directed by Religious …….……... 2 High Schools Directed by Diocesan Clergy ....… 15 Directed by Religious ………….… 4 Elementary Schools Diocesan ………………………….. 5 Directed by Religious …..………… 2 Kindergartens Diocesan ………………….……… 28 Directed by Religious .………….. 1 Population …………………… 769,049

The Diocese of

Kabankalan

Compiled by Fr. Ludovico To-ong, Jr. THE entire Province of Negros Occidental once belonged to the Diocese of Bacolod, which was created in 1933, separating Negros from the Jurisdiction of Jaro. In 1987 Bacolod Diocese was divided into three ecclesiastical jurisdictions, San Carlos in the north, Bacolod in the center and Kabankalan in the south.

The Diocese of Kabankalan comprises a total land area of 3,924 square kilometers, geographically mountainous but mostly accessible. Most of the faithful have an average or below average income level and their main sources of income are employment, farming and fishing. It is grouped into 5 vicariate districts which encompass 3 cities and 8 municipalities of the southern part of Negros Occidental in the Philippines. The titular patron is St. Francis Xavier whose feast is celebrated on December 3.

The religious had been the pioneers in the task of evangelization in Kabankalan. The Recollects, the Jesuits and the Mill Hill Fathers had contributed to the spread of the Catholic Faith thereabout. In 1950, the then Bishop of Bacolod, Casimiro Lladoc, invited the Columbans to take over the area that now constitutes Kabankalan Diocese.

The Filipino clergy started to integrate with the Columbans in the 1970’s with the advent of the Spirituality of the Basic Ecclesial Communities or the Kristyanong Katilingban (KK) as it is locally known. The local Church suffered tremendous harassment and persecution during the Martial Law era. After the building in the compound of what is now the Kabankalan Cathedral was gutted by a fire in 1986, Kabankalan was erected as a diocese in March 30, 1987. Bishop Vicente M. Navarra, D.D., was installed as first bishop of Kabankalan in February 11, 1988.

During his term that spanned 13 years, Bishop Navarra facilitated the holding of the First Diocesan Synod of Kabankalan and its subsequent Pastoral Assembly for the renewal and strengthening of the local Church. The modified Tithing System was adopted, in accordance with the spirit of the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP II). The Diocesan Pastoral Council and the Diocesan Pastoral Team were formed for lay empowerment and animation of the BECs, which remain as the pastoral thrust of the Diocese. Its preferential option for the less fortunate was typified by the establishment of the deaf-mute apostolate which was

initiated by Bishop Navarra and is presently supervised by the Anawim Foundation. The synchronized reshuffling of the diocesan clergy was undertaken shortly before Bishop Navarra was transferred to Bacolod Diocese in July of 2001. But before that, he had realized the construction of the Little Way College Seminary, now on its seventh year of operation.

For almost two years, the diocese was entrusted to the care of the Diocesan Administrator, Msgr. Rogelio B. Cruz, V.G. until Fr. Patricio A. Buzon, then Provincial of the Salesians of Don Bosco, Philippine South Province was appointed bishop and subsequently ordained by His Eminence Ricardo Cardinal Vidal in February 19, 2003. He was installed as second bishop of Kabankalan in March 19, 2003.

The new bishop dutifully studied and contemplated the decrees of the First Synod and the resolutions of its subsequent pastoral assembly. Consequently, the bishop intensely proposed to conduct a diocesan-wide Strategic Planning in view of the diocese’s pastoral endeavors.

As an initial step, the clergy convened with selected BEC leaders in May 2004 for two days to look closely into the economic, political, socio-cultural and ecclesial situation of the local Church that gradually led to revisiting and revising the vision-mission statement of the diocese.

It was then agreed during the two-day convention to conduct a parish based assessment using SWOT (Strength-Weaknesses-Opportunities and Threats) Analysis Tool to really assess the strengths and weaknesses of the diocese in terms of human, communitarian and spiritual aspects. The said event was religiously conducted and was eagerly attended by more than 2,100 BEC leaders that lasted for 5 months in the later part of 2004. The Second Diocesan Pastoral Assembly (DPA II) was called by the Bishop in February 2005 to finally present the collated result of the diocesan-wide SWOT assessment and to make corresponding actions needed to resolve any ambiguities. Through this very important undertaking, the diocese has finally identified its top 7 priority objectives to be addressed in 3 to 6 years time and towards the attainment of the updated vision-mission of the diocese.

This was also the time when organizational set-up, structures and systems were formally established.

Actively spearheaded by the Bishop with the members of the Clergy both diocesan and religious, the diocese at the moment is in the implementation period of the plans and programs mandated

by DPA II. The administrative body of the diocese includes a Board of Consulters and the Presbyteral Council. On the pastoral section, there are 12 commissions with their respective directors who assist the bishop in the implementation of plans and programs. Serving the parishioners are 36 diocesan priests and 1 religious, while the others are serving full time in the seminary, schools, commissions, and other autonomous organizations of the diocese. They are continually strengthening and empowering the 702 Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs) and ecclesial organizations all over of the diocese.

Vision We, the local Church of the Diocese of Kabankalan, envision ourselves to be a Community of the Lord’s Disciples, sharing His own three-fold mission, as Priest, Prophet and King, working together as agents of integral renewal, nourished by the Word and the Eucharist so that we may all achieve the fullness of life in Christ, Who is “The Way, the Truth and the Life.” (John 14:6).

Mission Invoking the guidance of the Holy Spirit, with Mother Mary as our model, we, the Priests, the Religious and the Laity, in unity and solidarity with our Bishop, commit ourselves: · To strive for personal holiness through the daily contemplation of the Word and the reception of the sacraments and through the imitation of the Lord in His simplicity of life and preferential love for the poor; · To live and work together in communion and to promote the Basic Ecclesial Communities, known in the diocese as Kristyanong Katilingban, as a new way of being Church; · To work for integral faith formation that leads to social transformation through the active participation of the laity and the empowerment of the poor; · To promote the apostolate of the family as an evangelized and evangelizing agent for a just and pro-life society; · To journey with the young towards full maturity in Christ through an inculturated Catholic Education; · To foster and sustain the renewal of the clergy.

Historical highlights in the evangelization of Kabankalan Diocese (Adapted from the compilation of Dennis Madrigal in Handurawan: Visita Iglesia Negros Y Recoletos: 2006) 1566: The Christianization of the Island of Negros began with the foundation of the missions of Binalbagan (1575-78) Tanjay (1580-83) and Ilog (1584-86) by the Augustinian Missionaries. Unfortunately, they had to abandon these missions for lack of priests.

1622: At the request of Bishop Pedro de Arce of Cebu, the Recollects came to evangelize Negros. The spiritual administration of Binalbagan including Kabankalan was ceded to the Recollects.

1638: Recollect Missionaries left Negros in exchange for Romblon. The convent of Binalbagan was entrusted to the Jesuits who came earlier in 1630.

1769: After the expulsion of the Jesuits from the Philippines in 1767, The Dominican missionaries came to continue the spiritual administration of Negros with Fr. Manuel Diez assigned in Kabankalan (but died in 1774) and another one in Guihulngan (now a barrio of Cauayan). They left the Island in 1774 and never returned.

1848 June 20: Gov. Gen. Narciso Claveria approved the Request of Bishop Romualdo Jimeno of Cebu, “entrusting the spiritual administration of Negros to the Recollects.”

1848 June 26: The Recollects willingly accepted the administration of Negros “with sustained joy”. The parishes of Amlan, Siaton, Kabankalan and Himamaylan were the first four parishes in Negros turned over to the Recollects.

1898 November 5: The outbreak of the Philippine Revolution began in Central and Northwestern Negros. After negotiations and the agreement of surrender were discussed by revolutionary leaders and the Spanish government, the Spanish Alcalde Mayor and his military troops in Bacolod surrendered to the rebels led by Gen. Aniceto Lacson and Gen. Juan Araneta.

Thirty-five Recollects were arrested and jailed in Puerto San Juan (the original name of the provincial jail).

1932 July 15: Pope Pius XI issued a Papal Bull creating the Diocese of Bacolod, separating Negros from the Diocese of Jaro. The Parish of St. Sebastian in Bacolod became the Episcopal seat of the diocese.

1933 May 16: The Diocese of Bacolod was formally established with the parishes of the whole Negros Island and Siquijor as its territorial jurisdiction.

1933 October 24: Bishop Casimiro M. Lladoc was installed as the first Bishop of the Diocese of Bacolod. He served the diocese for 18 years (1933-51). He died on September 21, 1951 at the age of 58.

1950 May 11: At the request of the Apostolic Delegate to the Philippines, Bishop Casimiro Lladoc of Bacolod formally informed the Recollect Superior in San Carlos, Fr. Pedro Zunzarren, of his intention to transfer the spiritual administration of the southern Negros to the Columban missionaries.

1950 June 16: The Recollects ceded the parishes of Isabela, Kabankalan and La Castellana to the Irish Columban priests.

1951 May 29: Bishop Manuel Yap was installed as the second Bishop of the Diocese of Bacolod. He died on October 16, 1966.

1960 March 14-18: Bishop Manuel Yap convoked the First Bacolod Diocesan Synod which was attended by selected priests of the Diocese.

1967 February 24: Bishop Antonio Y. Fortich became the third Bishop of the Historical / B5

CBCP Monitor

Commissions

B4

Vol. 12 No. 5 March 3 - 16, 2008

‘Power to Unite’ with Elvira

By Paul J. Marquez, SSP THE National Catholic Family Bible Quiz is on its third year. At the helm of this biennial event is Elvira Yap Go, a petite-looking Papal Awardee Pro Ecclesiae Pontifice. She recalls how her ‘pet project’ started from something small. “I was very surprised when a priest gave me a children’s Bible with colorful illustrations. A friend explained to me that maybe the priest wanted me to donate bibles to poor children since he was organizing a family Bible quiz.

So I gave him several Bibles.”

Elvira has gone beyond donating copies of the Bible. After attending an International Catholic Family Bible Quiz in Rome, the bible quiz in the small parish kept flashing on her mind. “Maybe we can duplicate this and make it nationwide.”

She broached the idea to several bishops whom she knew personally and they encouraged her. Everything then fell into place, like God was blessing Elvira’s ‘pet project’. People from all walks of life came to volunteer their help and resources—old friends, ordinary people, professionals, priests, nuns and seminarians. In 2004, a secretariat was formed and they moved to an office. Invitations for families to join the contest were sent out to dioceses nationwide and families started joining in.

All beginnings are difficult, Elvira admits, but looking back at her experience during the contest’s first hour, she cannot but marvel and thank God for helping her team. “Year 2004 was the International Eucharistic Year and the Marian Year. We groped in the dark. We didn’t know exactly where to begin.

Along the way, we had many insights and discoveries from all the people involved, including ourselves, like how we could work with grace under pressure.” Elvira’s team is now registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and is known as Power to Unite Catholic Family Bible Group, Incorporated.

The second Bible quiz was in 2006.

Aside from having more participants, she considers the second quiz better organized owing to the experiences gained during the 1st Bible quiz and to the steady show of support from friends and strangers alike. The team received a first-hand experience on how individuals and families hungered for the Word of God. The experience also opened their eyes to realities happening on the parish level. “At the beginning we thought we had very good catechists but during the quiz we saw how many of them lacked knowl-

edge and skills. Some did not show enthusiasm, maybe because they also lacked encouragement and support from the priests. The bishops, however, were very supportive,” Elvira relates.

On the 3rd National Catholic Family Bible Quiz, the questions will revolve around family, mission and life. An “Onthe-Spot Painting Contest” will be held simultaneously with the contest.

After the first National Catholic Family Bible Quiz, Elvira’s team saw the need for a song to capture the wonderful experience. She wrote the lyrics of the song “Power to Unite” and Charo Unite composed the music. “It speaks of my observation on the current situation both in our country and in the world.

There is confusion, despair and heavy sense of helplessness. But not everything is hopeless. We also have a way out of our problems. And we found this in God’s Word.”

Elvira and her team simply felt the need to celebrate God’s power into their lives. Little did they realize that the song was meant for something bigger when the song was made for MTV. “We organized a dance contest that would interpret the song. The winners were featured in this MTV showcasing Filipino folk dances. We sought the help of noted director Louie Ignacio, arranger Roy del Valle and National Artist for Dance Ramon Obusan. The MTV turned out to be Mr. Obusan’s last legacy because he passed away a few weeks later,” Elvira says.

The “Power to Unite” MTV sent Elvira to New York recently to receive a very prestigious award. “The New York Festivals International Television Broadcasting Awards gave us the Gold World Medal not only for our excellent work. It was also their way of acknowledging the deeper longing for peace, harmony, justice, unity and love. In our humble way, our MTV has offered hope to the world,” Elvira ruminates.

She considers such an experience truly overwhelming considering that it was their first venture into MTV. “We keep getting several recognitions, like two awards from CMMA. One is for Best Music Video, the other one is Best Radio Ad Public Service. Then we received also the Anvil Award for Excellence, plus others from many award bodies. These serve as our encouragement, but the real push comes from the Holy Spirit.” In the midst of all the accolades and acclaim her group is getting, Elvira insists that she is a very simple person. “Maybe I am just an instrument,” she humbly admits.

Elvira is born to a Chinese family of

Elvira Go (2nd from left) holds the Gold World Medal won for MTV Power to Unite. Also in photo are Director Louie Ignacio and Bishop Antonieto Cabajog.

11 children. She’s in the middle—the “shock absorber” in the family. But although her features are 100% Chinese, Elvira’s heart can also be 100% Filipina.

“I did not grow to be like my siblings.

They kept only to fellow Chinese, but I was a ‘rebel’ in the sense that I mingled with Filipinos. We live here, I study here, so why can I not be with Filipinos? I am also a Filipino, and I find Filipinos warm, kind, gentle and loving.” She studied in a Chinese school then took up Bachelor of Science in UST because she thought of becoming a doctor, until she realized she did not want to kill herself with memorization. “I want more to analyze than to memorize. I am not an intellectual. I am just a simple person, very simple person.”

As Elvira scrutinizes the twists and turns in her life, she cannot but be thankful to God. “I have a full life and I am very thankful for God’s blessings. Our family was not wealthy, all of us had to work, even today. Even if I don’t have a husband and a family, I took care of my nephew who is now 19 years old. I guess the reason why the Church gave me the Papal Award in 2003 was the way I treated our workers in Columbia International Food Products, Inc. It is my vision that all their children would finish school and have a chance to improve in life.”

OFW Store

Teaching migrant families to invest money wisely

By Dyz Pumarada “PAGSUSUMIKAPAN naming palaguin ang negosyong ito na ipinagkatiwala nyo sa amin (We will do our best to make this business succeed),” said Nimfa Estareja, Parish Migration Desk (PMD) coordinator of San Lorenzo Ruiz Parish (SLRP) in Navotas.

Such was the happy and excited remark of Nimfa Estareja, when the project “OFW Store” was established at San Lorenzo Parish in December 2, 2007.

The project was conceptualized to encourage migrant families to invest their money in income generating ventures.

Three months after the store was opened selling only three basic products of rice, cooking oil, and sugar, it now carries a variety of items including candles, bottled mineral water, soft drinks, candies, biscuits, etc More products were added to respond to the growing needs of consumers, especially during weekends when churchgoers are ample. In fact, the group has to install a rotational system in operating the store among the members since they had decided to operate from 6:00 AM to 8:00PM. The group is currently working on the systematization of their business policies especially on the aspects of financial management, patronage refund and dividends to member’s share capital.

The Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People (ECMI) accompanied the group in pursuing the project that started from the seminar on entrepreneurship. After which, series of meetings have taken place to brainstorm ideas, until the writing of their business plan. The group under-

went leadership training, formation seminars, financial management, and the importance of savings and budgeting. In a short span of time, most of the members were able to pool their financial contribution reaching the amount of thirty thousand pesos as part of their initial capitalization of eighty thousand pesos. ECMI provided the capital augmentation as one of the program components of Comprehensive Reintegration Program (CORP).

The “OFW Store” project is a product of CORP for OFWs and their families left behind.

Composed of 25 migrant families at San Lorenzo Parish who organized themselves together, the PMD is in line with the program of the Kalookan Diocesan Desk of the Pastoral Care of Migrants and their Families (KADMI), headed by Rev. Fr. Ruben Maybuena.

The program promotes the holistic approach of returning the perspective of migrants from the preemployment stage to the time they are about to return home. One of its components is the enterprise development where migrant families are encouraged to use the remittances productively either saving for future investment or pooling of financial resources for group livelihood or enterprise.

It is being implemented in collaboration with the diocesan migration ministry, and the parish migration desk/ministry.

The “OFW Store” project was launched with a Eucharistic celebration officiated by Fr. Allan Lopez, OP. At the launching PMD members formally pledged their commitment to the group and to the project. The store, located inside the parish compound, was provided by the parish priest for the group’s use.

As a young student, Elvira also enrolled studied French, Russian and Spanish language. “I stayed in Madrid for almost a year. I also experienced how to dress up like a real lady and to be courted by foreigners. Sometimes people mistook me for an airline crew, an ambassador or a royalty. I made friends also with families and everywhere I went— Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia. I was surprised that people naturally opened up to me. It was there that I realized how difficult it is to live in a country without freedom,” Elvira points out.

Elvira has also transformed into a TV personality as host of the inspirational show “Power to Unite with Elvira”. The program is aired on NBN Channel 4 every Tuesday at 7:00-7:30 pm. Louie Ignacio directed 13 episodes in 2007 featuring archbishops and bishops with Elvira. “Imagine, when we guested Archbishop Capalla he was on his way to Manila but because of our taping, he detoured to Cebu. Another time, Archbishop Lagdameo went all the way to Pakil, Laguna for our 10-minute interview! I was telling myself, if all these bishops were making sacrifices, why should I complain?” Elvira opines. For the next episodes, the show will focus on education and will bring televiewers to different parochial schools.

Elvira claims she used to be painfully shy and was not the type of person to emcee a show, much less on national television. She does not even follow a script every time she is in front of the cameras. “For me it is more important to listen to the person I am interviewing. Maybe God trained me by listening. I was in a Ferragamo shop in the US, there was this salesclerk who made small talk with me. Later on, she was already confiding her personal problems. I told her, you have to decide on your own, but always your priority must be your family. Then she asked me, ‘Ma’m, are you a prophet?’ “ Elvira cringes at the suggestion that she is a prophet. “I am only God’s humble instrument, and I want to remain a very humble person. For me, success is not because you’re intelligent or you’re wealthy. Everywhere I go, I see the rich getting richer, the poor getting poorer. There is hopelessness and helplessness. What we offer is hope, that all is not yet lost.” Elvira shares.

Many things in Elvira’s life have changed and her hands are now filled with more things than she can handle, but Elvira is not complaining. Delighted with how God make things possible for her, she exclaims, “He has shown me his love in many unexpected ways!”

Fr. Luis Supan

Question Box Questions on politics What are the moral responsibilities that come with political power?

“Those with political responsibilities must not forget or underestimate the moral dimension of political representation, which consists in the commitment to share fully in the destiny of the people and to seek solutions to social problems. In this perspective, responsible authority also means authority exercised with those virtues that make it possible to put power into practice as service (patience, modesty, moderation, charity, efforts to share), an authority exercised by persons who are able to accept the common good, and not prestige or the gaining of personal advantages, as the true goal of their work.” (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2004, no. 410).

How should elected public officials carry out their mandate?

“In their specific areas (drafting laws, governing, setting up systems of checks and balances), elected officials must strive to seek and attain that which will contribute to making civil life proceed well in its overall course. Those who govern have the obligation to answer to those governed, but this does not in the least imply that representatives are merely passive agents of the electors. The control exercised by the citizens does not in fact exclude the freedom that elected officials must enjoy in order to fulfill their mandate with respect to the

objectives to be pursued. These do not depend exclusively on special interests, but in a much greater part on the function of synthesis and mediation that serve the common good, one of the essential and indispensable goals of political authority.”(Ibid. no. 409).

What harm does corruption of political power cause to the citizens?

“Among the deformities of the democratic system, political corruption is one of the most serious because it betrays at one and the same time both moral principles and the norms of social justice. It compromises the correct functioning of the State, having a negative influence on the relationship between those who govern and the governed. It causes a growing distrust with respect to public institutions, bringing about a progressive disaffection in the citizens with regard to politics and its representatives, with a resulting weakening of institutions. Corruption radically distorts the role of representative institutions, because they become an arena for political bartering between clients’ requests and governmental services. In this way, political choices favor the narrow objectives of those who possess the means to influence these choices and are an obstacle to bringing about the common good of all citizens.” (Ibid. no.

411).

How can every citizen contribute to the common good of society?

“Authentic social changes are effective and lasting only to the extent that they are based on resolute changes in personal conduct …It is obviously the task of people to develop those moral attitudes that are fundamental for

any society that truly wishes to be human (justice, honesty, truthfulness, etc.), and which in no way can simply be expected of others or delegated to institutions. It is the task of everyone, and in a special way of those who hold various forms of political, judicial or professional responsibility with regard to others, to be the watchful conscience of society and the first to bear witness to civil social conditions that are worthy of human beings.”

(Ibid. no. 134).

Why is it important that the “soul” of society be Christian charity?

“The profound meaning of civil and political life does not arise immediately from the list of personal rights and duties.

Life in society takes on all its significance when it is based on civil friendship and fraternity (St. Thomas Aquinas). The sphere of rights, in fact, is that of safeguarded interests, external respect, the protection of material goods and their distribution according to established rules. The sphere of friendship, on the other hand, is that of selflessness, detachment from material goods, giving freely, and inner acceptance of the needs of others.

Civil friendship understood in this way is the most genuine actualization of the principle of fraternity, which is inseparable from that of freedom and equality. In large part, this principle has not been put into practice in the concrete circumstances of modern political society, above all because of the influence of individualistic and collectivistic ideologies.” (Ibid. no. 390).

CBCP Monitor

Statements

Vol. 12 No. 5 March 3 - 16, 2008

B5 A call for emancipation from the bondage of corruption “For authority was given you by the Lord, your kingship is from the Most High…” (Wisdom 7:3)

Seeking the truth, restoring integrity (A CBCP Pastoral Statement) BELOVED People of God: Greetings in the peace of the Lord!

Today in the midst of restlessness and confusion, we come to you as pastors, for that is our precise role. We do not come as politicians whose vocation it is to order society towards the common good. Our message contributes to the flourishing of a democracy which must not be built only on political formulae.

We face today a crisis of truth and the pervading cancer of corruption. We must seek the truth and we must restore integrity.

These are moral values needing spiritual and moral insights.

Therefore, we address this pastoral statement to everyone particularly you our beloved people and in a special way to our political rulers and officials.

We are convinced that the search for truth in the midst of charges and allegations must be

determined and relentless, and that the way to truth and integrity must be untrammeled, especially at the present time when questions about the moral ascendancy of the present government are being raised.

For this reason, we strongly: 1. Condemn the continuing culture of corruption from the top to the bottom of our social and political ladder; 2. Urge the President and all the branches of government to take the lead in combating corruption wherever it is found; 3. Recommend the abolition of EO 464 so that those who might have knowledge of any corruption in branches of government may be free to testify before the appropriate investigating bodies; 4. Ask the President to allow her subordinates to reveal any corrupt acts, particularly about the ZTE-NBN deal, without being obstructed in their testimony

no matter who is involved; 5. Appeal to our senators and the ombudsman to use their distinct and different powers of inquiry into alleged corruption cases not for their own interests but for the common good; 6. Call on media to be a positive resource of seeking the truth and combating corruption by objective reporting without bias and partiality, selective and tendentious reporting of facts; For the long term we reiterate our call for “circles of discernment” at the grassroots level, in our parishes, Basic Ecclesial Communities, recognized lay organizations and movements, religious institutions, schools, seminaries and universities. It is through internal conversion into the maturity of Christ through communal and prayerful discernment and action that the roots of corruption are discovered and de-

Historical / B3

Diocese of Bacolod. At the age of 75, he tendered his resignation, ending his 22-year old episcopacy (1967-88).

1981 February 20: His Holiness Pope John Paul II officially visited the Diocese of Bacolod as part of his religious and pastoral visit to the Philippines (February 17-20) and his first historical journey to Asia. From Bacolod City Airport, the Pope proceeded to the Cathedral and the Bishop’s Residence.

Then, he moved in a motorcade to the Reclamation Area to deliver his message to the people of Negros.

1987 February: The Diocese of Bacolod was divided into three dioceses, namely: Bacolod, Kabankalan and San Carlos.

1987 March 30: Kabankalan was erected as a diocese.

1988 February 11: Bishop Vicente M. Navarra was installed as the First Bishop of Kabankalan.

1990 January: Second Plenary Council of the Philippines was convoked.

1997 February 11: Official announcement and convocation of the First Synod of Kabankalan by Bishop Vicente M. Navarra.

1997 October 20-25: The First Diocesan Synod of Kabankalan was held in Kabankalan Catholic College. DSK I produced a model of pastoral initiatives integrating, adapting, and following the pastoral endeavors of the Council Decrees of Vatican II and PCP II. Administrative Councils and Diocesan Commissions were formalized.

2000: The Great Jubilee Year Celebration.

September 2: Bishop Vicente M. Navarra was appointed Apostolic Administrator of The Diocese of Bacolod.

2001 February 12-13: The First Pastoral Assembly was held, presided by Bishop Navarra. Pastoral Program in the Ministries of Worship, Education, Service, Temporalities, Youth, Family

and Life, Clergy, Vocation and Mission (WESTYFAM-CLERVOM) was systematized. The Diocesan Pastoral Council (DPC) was created.

2001 May 24: Bishop Vicente Navarra was appointed as the Fifth Bishop of Bacolod. Msgr. Rogelio Cruz served as the Diocesan Administrator for Kabankalan.

2001 June 26: Recollects of St. Ezekiel Moreno Province in the Philippines extended assistance to the Diocese of Kabankalan as part of the Formation Team in the Diocesan Seminary, The Little Way College Seminary. The Memorandum of Agreement signed between Bishop Navarra for the Diocese of Kabankalan and Fr. Emeterio Buñao, OAR, Prior Provincial of the Province of St. Ezekiel Moreno stipulated that the Recollect priests will assist the diocese in the formation of seminarians and administer the seminary initially for one term (a threeyear period) subject to renewal thereafter. Pioneering Recollect formators who were loaned to the diocese were: Fr. Ronel P. Gealon, OAR, Fr. Arnel F. Diaz, OAR and Fr. Charlito Orobia, OAR. 2003 March 19: Bishop Patricio A. Buzon, S.D.B., D.D. was installed as the Second Bishop of Kabankalan.

2004 May: The clergy convened together with selected BEC leaders for two days to look closely into the economic, political, socio-cultural and ecclesial situation of the local church that gradually ushered to revisiting and revising the vision-mission statement of the diocese.

2005 February: The Second Diocesan Pastoral Assembly (DPA II) was called by Bishop Buzon to present the final collated result of the diocesan-wide SWOT (Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats) Assessment and to take the necessary corresponding action.

stroyed. We believe that such communal action will perpetuate at the grassroots level the spirit of People Power so brilliantly demonstrated to the world at EDSA I. It is People Power with a difference. From the grassroots will come out a culture of truth and integrity we so deeply seek and build. We instruct our CBCP Commissions to take active role including networking for this purpose.

May the Lord bless us in this sacred undertaking to build a new kind of Philippines and may our Blessed Mother be our companion and guide in this journey to truth and integrity.

For and on behalf of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines: + ANGEL N. LAGDAMEO, D.D. Archbishop of Jaro President, CBCP February 26, 2008

LENT is a season of reflection, penance, and self-renewal. Can it be providential that during this time of lent, we are hounded once again by deep and disturbing scandals affecting us individually as citizens and collectively as a nation?

The dismal state of corruption in government as revealed by recent revelations should now impel us to seek and pursue the truth. Actually, the truth is out. Corruption is rampant: in the use of public funds, among friends, in our dealings with foreigners, in public offices, among high and low officials.

The essential thing now is for us to reflect on what has become of us Filipinos. And by “us” we mean all, both in and out of government, private and public individuals. For there seems to be a presupposition that corruption is bred by government and government alone. Nothing can be farther from the truth.

Corruption exists even in the private sector which should likewise get its share of condemnation. Corruption is present even in churches and schools, among adults and youth. Moreover, like cancer it is not confined to just one part. It affects and pains from wherever it emanates. Rizal, a century ago, once alluded to a metaphor of the motherland as being sick. Did we ever reflect and ask ourselves why until this very day we have the same diagnosis?

On a brighter side however, we are grateful to God. With His grace, we still exist as a nation. Many times over, we have been given another lease on life as Filipinos, with our country–the Philippines. But our nation is still a work-in-progress. We’ve had numerous pre-colonial uprisings, modern day coup d’états, and people power revolts. We seem to be endlessly rolling the rock of Sisyphus up and down the hill of our destiny. But by the grace of God, we have survived.

And so we ask: Why are we corrupt? Why do we have this debilitating and enslaving sin? And this question we can only ask ourselves. Is it just our leaders? How about us? Do we put the blame on others only?

Are we indeed sovereign and responsible citizens? There is among us a cry of dismay over corruption. And there is a growing clamor for both immediate and long term actions. But before we leap, let us pause to reflect, to discern, to do penance, and pray for renewal done on a national level during this time of lent. Let us resolve to emerge from this period, discernment renewed at Easter time.

We respectfully request President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who is conscience bound as a symbol of our sovereignty, to pronounce herself on the allegations hurled against her administration and her very family. The allegations are very serious and even point to her as being the core of all the anomalies happening in her government. We ask her, devout Catholic as she is, to level with us her people, to take us into her confidence in the spirit of lent, with God as her witness—but spare us the legal/technical jargons of politicians. We ask her to share her innermost sentiments and reflections with the people. What has she to say about why our country has become so corrupt?

Let the blind eyes of justice prevail. If she’s still worth being our president, then let it be. But if she finds herself wanting, then in all humility, let her resign as an act of penance, and pave the way for national self-renewal eventually to evolve into a renewed nation embarked on high moral grounds and not just of power and self aggrandizement alone.

We pray that in this season of lent, we can reflect more on the causes of sin, do penance, and collectively renew our life as a nation by eradicating corruption around us in our personal life and in the life of the community. +ANTONIO J. LEDESMA, S.J. Archbishop of Cagayan de Oro

‘Mother Nature is speaking, are we listening?’

A Pastoral Letter on the flooding of Eastern Samar and other parts of Samar Island Beloved People of God: It is with sadness and deep compassion for our people, especially for all the flood victims in our communities, that we speak out. In the past few days heavy La Niña rains caused flooding in our rivers, streams and seas, claiming precious human lives, sweeping away houses, domesticated animals and bridges as well as inundating farms and making impassable a number of our roads and highways. We thank the generosity and sacrifices of ordinary citizens as well as government and non-government groups that have responded to our people’s most basic needs.

At the same time, this tragedy compels us to look more deeply into our circumstances.

1. We have suffered severe flooding in Eastern Samar but also in other parts of Samar and Leyte, the likes of which have never been seen or experienced before. These could indicate ominous conditions in the future. We must ask: Are we adequately and effectively preparing ourselves and our people to respond to emergencies such as this most recent calamity? Do we truly understand what we have been through and do we know what to do in response? If results are any indication, we still have a long way to go.

2. From what we see, it is without a doubt that these floods have also been exacerbated by many of our depleted forests, damaged mountains and natural landscapes due to irresponsible logging and mining. At times it seems ev-

erything we have lost is beyond recovery. But we must do our part in the urgent task of saving what we can. This means that we must decide for the restoration, preservation and protection of our forests, mountains and what remains of our natural wealth.

3. We also need to identify the sources of damage and abuse to our forests and mountains, no matter how the truth may hurt. By necessity we must point to loggers, miners (small-scale or large-scale) and irresponsible citizens among us who prefer personal profit to common benefit.

4. Apart from the evils wrought on our land, we note that environmental abuse for money, such as what we see from logging or mining, gives only minimal compensation and temporary employment to our poor. According to the Church document Economic Justice for All, “the Church has affirmed that misuse of the world’s resources or appropriation of them by a minority of the world’s population betrays the gift of creation since whatever belongs to God belongs to all” (EJA 34). Logging and mining, for example, only benefit a few, namely, the big-time loggers and miners themselves, together with some unscrupulous politicians and businessmen.

Worse, some concessions are granted under dubious circumstances at the expense of poor communities. Moreover, in the last one hundred years, responsible mining is virtually non-existent in Philippine history while the results of irresponsible mining are very visible and form permanent scars in our land-

scapes.

5. Finally, although we deeply appreciate outside help, we must see ourselves as primarily responsible for finding our own solutions. Pope John XXIII in Mater et Magistra aptly says that “the locals are in the best position to decide on development strategies that best respond to their needs and conditions” (MM 55). It is the locals who suffer when commercial logging depletes natural habitats, drain water and forest resources and flood lowland communities. It is the locals, therefore, who must find ways and means to conserve their natural resources for their common benefit and those of future generations.

When God “took man and placed him in the garden of Eden”, Genesis tells us that he did so for man “to cultivate and take care of it” (Gen 2:15). Cultivating and caring, then, are from God while abusing and destroying our environment must be pointed out as contrary to his will and plan for the earth. Mother Nature, in fact, is speaking the same message these days. If we care for her, she will care for us. If we abuse her, we reap destruction. We must make wise choices. As Moses reminded Israel to “choose life that you and your descendants may live” (Dt 30:20), so we your pastors urge you to choose life by protecting and preserving our land from the abuses of logging and mining. + CRISPIN B. VARQUEZ, DD Bishop of Borongan And clergy

CBCP Monitor

Reflections

B6

‘Untie him and let him go’ (5th Sunday of Lent, 9 March 2008 – Jn. 11:1-45)

Illustration by Bladimer Usi

By Paul Marquez, SSP IT is very interesting to follow the story of Jesus raising Lazarus back to life. This can very well be our own story—our personal stories and our story as a nation.

At the onset, when Lazarus was only ill and not yet dead, Jesus received word from Lazarus’ sisters regarding his illness. Rather than rush towards Bethany (Lazarus’ place), Jesus stayed put for two more days where he was at that time. When he finally got to Bethany, Lazarus was in the tomb for four days.

If we translate the gospel to our own experience, we can possibly see ourselves (whether as individuals or as a nation) as very ill, if not, in a crisis situation. We wish change to happen, and how we wish the change would come soon. We have our timetable and at times we can be very impatient with ourselves, our neighbors and possibly even with our God. How many times we want God to sing according to our tune or dance in our rhythms! Today’s gospel assures us, though, that God alone has the perfect timing. He cannot be rushed nor be delayed. God’s powerful intervention comes at the nick of time, even if at times we might have lost all hope, or when, humanly speaking, we don’t see light at the other end of the tunnel. Despite contrary appearances, God is still in charge, and he always cares for us.

“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died,” Martha tells Jesus. It is very difficult to determine if Martha was hurting when she said those words to Jesus. What is much

Vol. 12 No. 5 March 3 - 16, 2008

clearer is that Martha simply proclaims her faith in Jesus’ extraordinary power. We can be like Martha who puts faith in the power of Jesus, but our idea of God’s power always falls short to what God can actually do for us. God can always do something more than we can imagine.

Naturally, Martha’s deepest longing was for Lazarus to be healed of his illness and not to die. Jesus, however, always gives us something much greater than we can possibly think of or imagine. Lazarus is not only brought back to life; Martha herself receives new life as Jesus personally guides her to spiritual enlightenment. Resurrection, Martha learns eventually, is not limited to one’s final day on earth. She learns how resurrection can in fact be a daily experience. Jesus tells her: “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Despite her initial profession of faith in the resurrection, Martha still entertains misgivings when Jesus commanded that the stone in Lazarus’ tomb be taken away. She protested and starts to talk about the corpse full of stench and decay after the four days. We can be like Martha when we keep harping about the past and complain of everything rotten about us. We can be like Martha when our little learning about our faith turns into a dangerous thing, especially if we take pride of what we know but fail to put them into action. It is always much easier to put the blame on the past and on others rather than obey God and do the difficult task he is asking from us

today. “Take away the stone,” he commands us.

God can at times ask us to do difficult things not according to our liking. “Lazarus, come out!”

With these powerful words, Jesus is able to make Lazarus rise on his feet. The good news is that Jesus’ word is indeed powerful, and hearing his word can lead us to the beginning of something much bigger than ourselves.

Lazarus is finally restored to his family and his community only after his relatives took away his burial cloths. Earlier he could hardly move since he was still bound in burial cloth. God can always give us a fresh start.

Such image reminds us of ourselves, how despite having already heard Jesus’ teachings and commands, a part of our being still cry for redemption from human weakness and sin. We can continue to wallow in selfishness or despair, or receive the power of resurrection that Jesus brings to us. Most Filipinos nowadays live in a daily grind of suffering and insecurity. They look at life grimly and without hope. To some people, the recent mass actions do not make any sense because they look at all politicians as hopeless and corrupt, and that any change of leaders would not improve their lot. When a sinner starts to believe in his worst self and believes that he or she is beyond redemption and God’s care, the tomb will forever be shut.

Our task as children of the Resurrection is to find way by which we can help one another remove the stone from our tombs, untie one another so we can be set free in truly loving God and our neighbors. We can do this by listening keenly to the voice of our Shepherd: “Lazarus, come out!”

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Wisdom of the cross THIS is the kind of wisdom every believer and follower of Christ should have. It’s not enough to have the wisdom of this world, no matter how practical that may be, nor the wisdom of the flesh, no matter how mind-blowing, much less the wisdom of words, no matter how clever.

The wisdom of the cross is first a gift of the Holy Spirit to us before it becomes a virtue in us. Since it’s a gift, we have to pray for it constantly. Since it’s a gift that needs to be a virtue, we have to cultivate and develop it also.

The wisdom of the cross is the most perfect gift, embodying all the other spiritual gifts, since it completes charity by infusing light and love into our soul.

With it we are able to discern God and divine things in everything that we see and do. It gives us the appetite to relate everything to God, linking us to God through the things of this world.

It goes beyond understanding and knowledge which enable us to know divine and natural things in themselves and in their mutual relations, but without relating them to God, their ultimate cause.

These gifts and virtues do not automatically lead us to love, since they fall short of bringing us to God who is love, as St. John said so succinctly. It’s wisdom that does that. Wisdom makes us into contemplative souls, seeing and loving God in everything.

With this definition of wisdom, it can be said that it’s hardly seen around, since it is manifest that reference to God is scarcely done in the things we do. We think, reason out, speak, act and behave often by ourselves, without God. But it can reside deep in our hearts, not visible to our senses and our worldly ways. As the Book of Wisdom says: “In each generation wisdom passes into holy souls, she makes them friends of God and prophets.” (7, 27) Saints and holy men and women have it, except that they are not fond of showing it off. It is perceived only by those who have the spirit in the manner spoken of by St. Paul: “We have received not the spirit of this world, but the Spirit that is of God, that we may know the things that are given us by God. Which things also we speak, not in the learned words of human wisdom, but in the doctrine of the Spirit, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

“The sensual man perceives not these things…for it is foolishness to him, and he cannot understand, because it is spiritually examined.” (1 Cor 2, 12-14) In cultivating and developing wisdom as a virtue in us, we need to struggle against things like laziness, disorder, unhealthy attachments, pride and all forms of sin. In fact, everything can be a frontline in this struggle.

Thus, this wisdom has to be the wisdom of the cross, which is the wisdom of Christ, since Christ showed the ulti-

mate saving truth and love, and shares these things with us up to now, by dying on the cross.

We have to understand this supernatural truth with the grace of God, otherwise we succumb to what St. Paul once said about the crucified Christ: “To the Jews indeed a stumblingblock, and to the Gentiles foolishness. But to them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Cor 1, 23-24) It’s this wisdom that provides us with the proper furnace to forge our love for God and others, the acid test to probe the depth and range of our grasp of the truth in love. It’s the abiding conviction that everything gets resolved in the cross.

The wisdom of the cross goes much further than what our intelligence and will can penetrate. It gives life and vitality to our different human forms and structures, our cultural and personal ways.

As the late Pope John Paul II once said: “The wisdom of the Cross, therefore, breaks free of all cultural limitations which seek to contain it and insists upon openness to the universality of the truth which it bears.” (Fides et ratio, 23) Let’s learn this wisdom of the cross by conforming our thoughts and desires, our whole life, to Christ crucified, studying, praying, meditating on his words, and slowly and steadily assimilating his example into our life!

Bo Sanchez

Give your heart away and find it whole I NOW have six children.

One day, I had zero. The next day, I have six.

No, I don’t have six wives that gave birth on the same day.

Last June 1996, I took in six orphans in my little bamboo hut in ANAWIM. Varying in ages, they’re siblings whose parents died a few years back.

Taking them was a big mistake.

I ate with these kids, prayed with them, played with them, read them bedtime stories, and whenever I arrived home, they’d hang on to me like I was a Christmas tree.

When we’d finish dinner, I’d hear one of them say, “Kuya Bo, magbasa ka na tungkol kay Jesus...”

I recall sitting on the bamboo floor, and the two smallest kids scramble for my lap, and the older ones standing beside and behind me. I’d read slowly, pointing to the pages of a kid’s picture Bible. A thousand questions are asked. They’d laugh, share their simple experiences, and sometimes just listen quietly. In the meantime, the youngest girl would yawn, rest her head on one of my arms, and sleep beautifully. I’d look at her cuddled up on my lap, and I’d tell myself again, “this is really one big mistake.”

One night, I cried. But they were really tears of joy. I was realizing that my life was ridiculously changing, right before my eyes. Because whenever I left them to go back to my apartment in Manila, or

preach in different parts of the world, I cannot silence the persistent ache within me. It throbs like a hidden wound.

It just takes a sight of a parent carrying his child. Or a toy left on the floor. Or a store selling children’s clothes. Immediately, my heart travels a thousand miles away to my bamboo hut in ANAWIM. What are my kids doing now?

I miss them terribly.

I miss their noise, their laughter, their smell.

I miss holding that tiny, sleeping girl in my arms.

I must admit. My heart is no longer mine. It has been broken, and its shattered pieces now reside in tiny hearts. They do not know the power they have over me. In their utter helplessness, they now own me. I love them deeply. I’ve become their prisoner. And I hope I’ll never get released.

But ironically, in this shattered condition of my heart, I’ve never felt so whole. So alive. So free.

Yes, it was a big mistake adopting them.

Probably one of the most beautiful mistakes I’ve ever made in my life.

Atty. Jo Imbong

Behold: WOMAN WE can never fully understand man and woman and their relationship to each other outside the divine design. Any consideration outside of that will be an aberration, a departure from the original plan.

For it is a part of the Divine plan for the human race that there be a harmonious integration of what is masculine and what is feminine.

“Man and woman, he created them”, the Scriptures say. By this natural differentiation, the unique nature of a being is what determines its operation, which in turn determines its means of perfection.

Woman’s physiological and psychological nature orders her to nurturance. Herself being created out of love, she becomes a giver of love. Thus, woman’s dignity is closely connected with the love which she receives by the very reason of her femininity, and the love which she gives in return. This is Divine love coming full circle, igniting that “sincere gift of self”, her natural response to Him who loved first. This is the “feminine genius”, the same feminine soul whom Adam saw as he awakened from his deep sleep.

If she refuses (for she has free will) to be a vessel of love, there will be disorder in the run of things. Her feminine gifts wasted, life becomes difficult, or if there is life, it becomes a caricature of itself.

And so it is that woman was made differently as a complement to the man, as the man was made differently as a complement to the woman.

Herein lies their unity in the divine plan. Sadly, this differentiation has been misunderstood.

The view is held that if such differences occur, these are “culturally created roles made by men and imposed on women.” Thus was born the idea that the division of labor between man and woman in the family was the first “class struggle”; that “family is “the first oppressive society.” The rhetoric continues—that “if the family is the cause of all evil, then the family is what had to be eliminated; and since the differences between men and women are the cause of evil in the family, then society has to make men and women the same. Of course, they recognize that there are certain biological differences, but their choice is to as far as possible make these differences irrelevant—[these being] merely socially created gender roles.” (Dale O’Leary, The Gender Agenda, 1999).

Mother Teresa of Calcutta did say in Cairo, “Whether woman or man, all God’s gifts are good, but they are not all the same.” Which is saying that while some things are within the realm of choice, there are also things that are not a matter of choice. Such as one’s real nature. One’s DNA, after all, cannot lie. Man and woman are equal yes, but certainly different.

That she was made differently was deliberate, for what followed after God breathed life into her form, was her embodiment with a suffusion of the attributes of her womanly nature—gifts of empathy, sensitivity, inner strength, nurturance, a natural predilection for life.

Not that the man is incapable of these. It was given to the woman at creation—in plenitude. That is true empowerment!

“It is therefore necessary,” the encyclical Mulieris Dignitatem makes it clear, “that the man be fully aware that in his shared parenthood, he owes a special debt to the woman. No program of ‘equal rights’ between women and men is valid unless it takes this fact fully into account.”

This is the reason why, in the spiritual realm of parenthood to which a woman is called, the Church sees her specific precedence over the man.

For as it were, upon a child’s entry into the world, the sweetest face he will ever behold is that of his mother. And as he grows in her care, his young mind gets an inkling of a larger and looming Someone who loves without measure. Later in his life, it will be easy for that child to find God. She believes—or knows—that she has more power than kings or men of power because by her hand, her child (her wards, her workers, her religious community) can become saints or scoundrels, leaders or idlers, glowing successes or failures. She also knows that without her “sincere gift of self”, there wouldn’t be any inhabitants in this world, nor in heaven.

“And so it dawns on her that her glory is not limited to this world.”

No mean task for sure, but that is where her dignity lies. That is why any woman, whether a nurturer of life, a single surrogate mother to her nephews and nieces, a faithful steward of a business (her “baby”), simply by her presence of love in any activity where human life is valued— that woman deserves a hallowed place in the Kingdom where the Father who started it all—the Embodiment of Love—prepares the grandest welcome!

CBCP Monitor

Social Concerns

Vol. 12 No. 5 March 3 - 16, 2008

Teaching fishers how to fish through microfinance

By Gerald M. Nicolas “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” This popular Chinese adage sounds comically ironic when alluding to an actual fisherman who could be fishing his entire life. But when seen against a backdrop of constant threats in our marine resources and the palpable neglect of the government to the fisherfolk sector, the humor of the paradox wanes and reality poignantly bites: the poverty of the Filipino fishers is increasingly becoming severe. The fisher sure knows how to fish, but what he catches now barely feeds him and his family. How much more for a lifetime?

Our fishers are aware that the bounty of the sea is not infinite. In a sleepy coastal town of Mercedes, Camarines Norte, for example, around 600 fishers are pooling their efforts together to rescue whatever is left of the Lamon and San Miguel Bays, their major fishing grounds. Collectively known as the Inter-Island Management Council (IIMC), they protect the marine resources in collaboration with the local government of Mercedes and the Ateneo-based Institute of Social Order (ISO).

They are active in patrolling over the seas, looking after commercial fishers who illegally harvest from the municipal waters. A marine sanctuary has also been established.

It would, however, take some time for the bays to be completely replenished.

Even if the waters attain a level of productivity sufficient enough to sustain thousands of dependents coming not only from Mercedes but also from neighboring communities, life will still be tough for fishers. Income from fishing fluctuates as the seasons change. When the rainy season comes in usually by August, small-scale fishers have to content themselves with what they can catch near the shores than risk their lives braving the strong waves and violent rains. Their traditional—almost obsolete—and inadequate fishing gears like fish traps and hook and lines also yield very limited catch and profit.

Also, fishers are notoriously known (at least in Mercedes) as “one-day millionaires.” After a good catch, they usually spend for drinking sprees and petty gambling. Without enough money saved, fishers are forced to borrow from usurious moneylenders come the proverbial rainy days without realizing that this puts them in greater debt in the long run.

Microfinance for fishers All these factors prompted IIMC and ISO to introduce a microfinance project that will allow the poor fishers to augment their small incomes from fishing and save money at the same time. This project was cited in a recent research conducted by the John J. Carroll Institute on Church and Social Issues which documented schemes, processes and practices that fit (and do not fit) the intricacies of agriculture. The study sought to shed light on how to make

microfinance work for different agricultural sectors—rice farmers, sugar workers, coconut farmers and fishers—which are predominantly perceived as risky by formal lending institutions particularly in terms of cost effectiveness and loan recovery.

Fishers, for example, have meager and seasonal incomes, are vulnerable to natural calamities, and are virtually isolated from the mainstream of development. Delivering financial services to them is hence an utter disincentive for lenders. But IIMC and ISO dared to give hope to these unbankable fishers as they are among the sectors in our society that experience the bleakest of poverty: a small fisher takes home a measly PhP3,000 every month based on estimates. And microfinance may just be the means to somehow help the fishers cope with their unfortunate situation.

With a funding assistance from the Ger-

tivities will hence contribute in the rehabilitation of the waters of Mercedes. Projects which will use marine products like corals, shells and mangroves are not approved to spare their already depleted resource base from further pressure.

Loans carry an interest rate of 1.5% per month. Most borrowers interviewed for the study cited this low interest as their main reason for applying for loans especially since it was way lower than the rates imposed by the informal lenders as well as other MFIs based in Daet, the province’s capital. Norma Viginia, 54, who borrowed to add to their capital for their fish smoking business, shared: “Sa microfinance ng IIMC, mababa ang patong kumpara sa 5-6 (a usurious money-lending scheme) na arawaraw ang singil kaya mabigat (In microfinance, the interest is low compared to 5-6 in which you have to pay everyday).”

As expected though, slight delays in repayment saddle the microfinance operations. This is mainly caused by uncontrollable weather changes and lack of customers particularly in the islands. It is not because the fishers are terrible borrowers, as formal creditors are made to believe.

One borrower strongly challenged this myth: “Dapat kong masunod ‘yung obligasyon ko. ‘Yung utang ko dapat kong bayaran (I should follow my obligation. I must pay my debt).”

In terms of empowerment, Mildred Loyola, IIMC’s finance officer, proudly shared that their microfinance project has somehow given the wives of fishermen a chance to show that they too can decide for their families specifically in terms of income generation and financial management.

They no longer need to depend on their husbands’ fishing. Their women members have learned to tap their skills and use it to engage in activities that will improve their families’ income. In some instances, a female client shared, the husband appreciates the initiative of the wife to look and consult one another for supplementary sources of income.

man Doctors, Inc., IIMC and ISO launched a microfinance project called the Small Enterprise Economic Development Project or SEED Project. There is an existing livelihood project where qualified members can engage in supplementary activities such as cattle dispersal, hog raising and fish culture. This time around, however, IIMC and ISO wanted to increase their outreach by extending small loans with affordable interest rates and which can be repaid in shorter intervals. The lending procedures are also streamlined—from requiring borrowers a simple project plan to delivering the loans right at their doorsteps.

Since July of last year, the project has disbursed around PhP350,000 benefiting almost 80 fishing households. The amount borrowed—ranging from PhP1,000 to PhP5,000—are used for fish smoking (pagtitinapa), fresh fish vending or buying a small, non-motorized boat. Borrowers also engage in non-fishing livelihood projects such as sari-sari stores, piggery and buy and sell. Devoting time to these ac-

Creating ripples of change The loan portfolio and outreach of the SEED project may pale in comparison to other established and well-known microfinance institutions (MFIs) in the country, but IIMC and ISO believe that big things start from small beginnings. And soon the ripples the project is creating will lead to waves of change as it continues to reach a greater number of poor fishing households as the months pass.

In the end, we are confronted by the fact that the marginalized fishers (or any sector) need not wait for mega-investments and multi-million development infrastructures for food to get into their tables and for them to be empowered. The impact of the SEED Project on its borrowers may only be a drop in the ocean, and its success still modest as of the moment. But by making credit available and more accessible to the poor fishers as well as to other sectors, it proves that it only takes a very small amount of credit—not dole-out—to help the rural poor improve their lot.

the Church cannot exist as Koinonia as intended by Christ and His disciples.

Word of God if it wishes to remain what Christ intends it to be, an authentic community or Koinonia of believers.

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Watch and pray THE involvement of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) in the WATCH & PRAY Movement transcends partisan politics in the light of our common crusade for TRUTH. PPCRV is never neutral when it comes to truth. It is always for Truth. It is never neutral when it comes to sin. It is always against sin. And corruption is sin. We must come together to pray, discuss, and decide what COMMUNAL ACTION we can do to free us from the captivity of corruption and lawlessness. This is the critical challenge before us as responsible citizens and followers of Christ. In response, PPCRV resolves to mobilize its parish units nationwide towards the formation of Truth and Prayer Centers, most especially in this time of LENT. Common Action

Thrust

Activities

Time Frame

SEE (To be aware)

To build awareness on current sociopolitical issues and controversies besieging our national life today. And to dispel the sense of INDIFFERENCE permeating our communities that blocks responsible citizenship from happening.

Every parish is encouraged to organize Truth and Prayer Centers for community dialogues through periodic “Kapihan sa Katotohanan” within the parish.

Issue based discussion points shall be distributed to parish communities for their Lenten recollection and formation programs.

February 6 – March 22, 2008 (Ash Wednesday to Black Saturday)

JUDGE (To Discern)

To internalize national issues and controversies through prayerful discernment and to dispel the sense of HOPELESSNESS which discourages people from participating in good governance

To designate a specific time of the day – 3pm Divine Mercy hour and/ or 12 noon/6pm Angelus hour – for praying special intentions for Truth to reign in us, and that God may dispel hopelessness, indifference, passivity which disempower us from an active and meaningful participation in social transformation

February 6 – March 22, 2008 (Ash Wednesday to Black Saturday)

ACT (To Mobilize)

To mobilize all parish communities in order to concretize their Faith Response through communal action.

Work for the removal of EO 464.

Launch the Nationwide POLITICAL EDUCATION INITIATIVE (2010) for parochial and school-based implementation Conduct Signature Campaign for Truth.

February 17 – March 23, 2008 (2nd Sunday of Lent to Easter Sunday)

Suggested questions for communal discussions in the parishes: What harm has corruption done to our country?

Since all corruption is a form of deceit and must be supported by lies, what are some current glaring cover-ups of truth that have rocked our society?

How far have lying and deceit pervaded our society, our culture? (Cite some situational instances) When I look at myself, how far have I been influenced by and how have I contributed to this culture of corruption?

Seeing the harm done by this culture of corruption, deceit and lying, how can I uproot this culture from myself?

How can I promote the uprooting of this culture of corruption, deceit and lying in my parish?

What actions can we together do so as to uproot this culture of corruption, deceit and lying from our country?

What concrete measures can we do to help our government officials remove from themselves this culture of corruption, deceit and lying?

Full / B1

vealing the Father, and continued to be proclaimed by the apostles and their successors. That living tradition as time went on had to be fixed permanently in written words, the Sacred Scriptures, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Thus if the Church wants to remain as a Koinonia of believers resulting Christ’s mission and that of the apostles and their successors, then she has to continue to hear this living Word as fixed in the Sacred Scriptures, inspired by the Spirit, to experience its message and to live by it in the present situation. Without the living connection of the Word made Flesh, proclaimed in Sacred Scriptures,

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Tradition precedes the written Word Sacred Oral Tradition though more primitive and broader than Sacred Scriptures, is contained in Sacred Scriptures.

In fact the main content of Sacred Scripture is Oral Tradition, which came first before the Word of God was put into writing and both together are fountains from which the Church today draws water for her living faith. Hence the bible occupies a fundamental place in the life of the Church. This being so, the Church has the duty to continuously hear the

The primacy of the ministry of the Word The primacy of the “Ministry of the Word” is clearly indicated in the Acts of the Apostles. As the primitive Church developed, many concerns came out from the growing communities, including the distribution of material goods collected for poor widows (Acts 6). So the disciples summoned the whole body of disciples and said, “It is not right that we should neglect the Word of God to serve at tables…As for us, we shall give ourselves

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to prayer and the ministry of the Word.”

(Acts 6, 2-4) In the beginning that Word was the Kerygma, whose kernel is the proclamation of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus. As evident from the emergence of the Gospels, that kerygma of the Paschal Mystery (Passion and Resurrection Narratives) expanded into the proclamation of what Jesus did and said while He was with His disciples (Jesus’ Ministry, the main body of the gospels), and even how Jesus came into the world as the son of God, the Son of David, the promised Messiah, born of the Virgin Mary as prophesied in the Old Covenant (Infancy Narratives). Since Jesus is fulfillment of the Old Covenant, the New Covenant cannot be fully understood without the Scriptures of Israel, God’s chosen people.

It is then very clear that evangelization or the proclamation of the good news of the Kingdom cannot be done without reading the complete bible, both the Old and the New Testaments, digesting it and being nourished by it. This ministry of the Word was such a central preoccupation of the apostles that no “activity” of the Church, be it liturgical, sacramental, social, moral, catechetical, pastoral can be done without basing it on their living experience of the Word of God. Thus one hears expressions like “the Sacred Scripture is the soul of all theology”, “the biblical apostolate is the umbrella of all other apostolates”. Indeed there can be no genuine ecclesial apostolate or ministry without rooting it in the Word of God, whose ministry is the heart of the Church’s mission. For this reason there can be no sacramental celebration without the liturgy of the

Word, which precedes it and gives it meaning. In the Eucharist we find only one table of the Lord with two complementing menus: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. In John chapter six we are made to understand that the Eucharistic Body and Blood of Jesus can be true food and true drink only if we accept the Word of Jesus, for it is only by eating His Body and drinking His Blood in faith, that is, accepting His Word can anyone receive life, which is life everlasting.

The Biblical Apostolate, integral part of the Church’s mission This then is the full meaning and impact of the “biblical apostolate or biblical pastoral ministry”. Being an integral part of the mission of the Church entrusted by Christ, it is not simply to be identified as a specific activity done in connection with the bible. The specific activities are by no means useless. They are very laudable projects that will help the people rediscover the Word of God. These activities provide pastoral workers an “easy access” to the Word of God among our people as desired by the Second Vatican Council. But they have to be understood in the proper perspective of the bible apostolate as composing the heart of the Church’s ministry for all men and women for all times and places. The bible apostolate, then, is not simply an optional but an obligatory task of the Church as the community of God’s Word.

(Talk delivered during the 17th National Biblical Workshop organized by the Episcopal Commission on Biblical Apostolate (ECBA) in Cagayan de Oro City, February 11-15, 2008)

CBCP Monitor

Entertainment

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Moral Assessment Abhorrent Disturbing Acceptable Wholesome Exemplary

Technical Assessment Poor Below average Average Above average Excellent

Title: The Flock Running Time: 105 min.

Cast: Richard Gere, Claire Danes, Avril Lavigne, KaDee Strickland, Ray Wise, Kristina Sisco Director: Andrew Lau Producers: Andrew Lau Screenwriters: Hans Bauer, Craig Mitchell Music: Guy Farley Editors: Tracy Adams, Martin Hunter Genre: Crime/ Suspense/ Thriller Cinematography: Enrique Chediak Distributor: BMS Films Location: North America Technical Assessment: ½ Moral Assessment: ½ CINEMA Rating: For mature viewers 18 and above

ERROL Babbage (Richard Gere) is a registrant administrator of the Department of Public Safety in a town far north handling various cases of sexual offenders.

After handling the post for some time, he has developed a sort of paranoia to the point of abusing his power towards the offenders. Thus, he is forced into retirement and newcomer Alison Lowry (Claire Danes) is taking his place. Errol spends his last eighteen days in the office training Alison. At about the same time, a seventeen-year-old Harriet Wells (Kristina Sisco) has been found missing and is believed to be abducted by unknown suspects. Errol is convinced that Harriet is kidnapped and in the custody of one of his paroled sex offenders. However, his superiors do not believe in his

MAC en COLET

guts so he asks Alison, as part of her training, to come with him as he uncovers the underground world of pornography and deviant sexual behavior of a flock of sex perverts. At the same time, Alison is asked by the department to investigate Errol’s suspicious activities.

The Flock’s premise of exploring the dark world of deviant sex offenders is interesting. However, the plotline and treatment drags in the first half of the film. There is too much unnecessary processing of emotions and analysis of minute details that do not contribute much to the flow of the story. The audience can only see the foreground but not the background story of the characters.

But then, Richard Gere as Errol Babbage delivers the nuances of the character very well. He is able to show depth of emotions, physical strength and wit that are all needed for the character. Claire Danes however, seems at a lost with her depiction of Alison’s character who is supposed to be as strong and as witty.

She becomes the exact opposite of Errol.

Although the crude and dark cinematography works very well for the entire effect of the film, it only contributed to the audiences’ feeling of boredom.

To kill a monster, one must be a monster himself or he simply becomes one.

The Flock has contemplated on this moral dilemma as Errol tries to put justice in his own hands. Such acts are justified by the clear-cut characterization of a person with paranoia and the retribu-

tion at the end. Errol is in continuous battle against himself. He is not a bad person so he experiences dissonance whenever he commits abuse of power over the sex offenders. The real trouble with The Flock is the treatment of the subject matter itself: sexual deviant behaviors and pornography. The story is dark as it is and it does not help that the root of the darkness in the movie is not clear. The evil that is unknown to the

Vol. 12 No. 5 March 3 - 16, 2008

characters has remained unknown to the audience even up to the end. Thus, the film leaves the audience with nothing but disturbing images of the dark world out there. Such visuals may cause nightmares and trauma for the young audiences so the movie is suited only to viewers 18 and above. Audiences should also be warned of the sensitive subject matter, acts of violence and vulgar language in the film.

Ni Bladimer Usi

Title: The Spiderwick Chronicles Running Time: 107 min.

Cast: Freddie Highmore, MaryLouise Parker, Nick Nolte, Sarah Bolger, Martin Short, David Strathairm Director: Mark Waters Producers: Mark Canton, Larry J. Franco, Ellen GoldsmithVein, Albie Hecht, Karey Kirkpatrick, Julia Pistor Screenwriters: Karey Kirkpatrick, David Berenbaum, John Sayles Music: James Horner Editor: Michael Khan Genre: Adventure/ Drama Cinematography: Caleb Deschanel Distributor: Paramount Pictures Location: Canada Technical Assessment: Moral Assessment: ½ CINEMA Rating: For viewers age 13 and below with parental guidance

Buhay Parokya

DIVORCEE Helen Grace (MaryLouise Parker) and her teen-aged children Mallory (Sarah Bolger) and twins Jared and Simon (Freddie Highmore in a dual role) move out of New York City into the countryside, to live in an old house inherited from an aunt, Lucinda (Joan Plowright), now in a home for the mentally challenged. The house has been abandoned for 80 years after the mysterious disappearance of Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn), Lucinda’s father. Not wanting to hurt her children, Helen conceals the fact that her husband has actually left them for another woman. Unaware of this, Jared cannot understand why his father cannot visit them as he promises; this makes him a problematic child, stubbornly keeping to himself and forever looking for trouble by poking into the nooks and crannies of the old house. He soon discovers Arthur

Look for the three missing items: Water jug, Doctor’s bag and Sunglasses (Illustration by Bladimer Usi)

Spiderwick’s “field guide” to the unseen world, and, defying all warnings not to open it, unleashes a chain of events that manifest the presence of evil powers surrounding the house.

Highmore as the identical twins Jared and Simon will be remembered for Finding Neverland, August Rush and The Golden Compass, films that have so far attested to his gifts as an actor. In The Spiderwick Chronicles, he outdoes himself by playing two very different characters: one rebellious, the other, not. Mary-Louise Parker delivers a solid performance as the strong mother with a secret.

The plausible plot and the cast’s performance put The Spiderwick Chronicles notches above the ordinary fantasy movie—for your own good it won’t carry you away to a make-believe world as it anchors you to down-to-earth realities that form the spine of the story. Even the elves and fairies project human qualities, and the ogres and goblins manage to look menacing without giving you a “digital feel” commonly

accompanying computer-generated monsters.

The Spiderwick Chronicles is not only good entertainment for the whole family—it even offers food for thought. What grounds it is the terrific interweaving of the unseen world and everyday, in-your-face realities, such as broken families, sibling squabbles, temper tantrums, pragmatic though well-meaning parents, etc. Even the things used to ward off evil are everyday household items: tomato sauce, salt, honey, etc. This movie is safe and wholesome enough to merit a PG-13 rating by CINEMA, but care should be taken in explaining things to younger children, differentiating for them between fact and fiction. Yes, there is definitely an “unseen world” (otherwise what for is faith?), thus guide the children to pay attention to what’s going on behind what they see. (Case in point: when a boy stabs his father after he declares his love for the former.) The Spiderwick Chronicles should give children a good exercise in discernment.

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Vol. 12 No. 5 March March 33 -- 16, 16, 2008 2008

Papal Nuncio dedicates CFC missionaries to look at the world and at our problems in the light of faith – by not following blindly the pagan ways of those who do not see.

The archbishop stressed that we Catholics have the responsibility not only to do what God wants us to do but also to help others do likewise. In closing, he asked each one to reflect on what he or she has done with the light of our faith. Can others who see and hear us see that we are people of the light and of faith? Do our lives reflect the good Christ?

Archbishop Adams noted that while his reflection on the Gospel ends with his homily, our reflection as Christians was only beginning. God used him as the humble instrument to bring His Word but the Lord calls each one of us to see Christ come not in the Word but in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, His gift designed to strengthen us as, we walk in faith.

In a stirring ceremony, the missionaries received the Apostolic Blessing and a necklace with a wooden cross, symbolic of the God they serve.

THE Apostolic Papal Nuncio to the Philippines, His Excellency Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams, was the main celebrant at the Holy Mass during the Mission Core Gathering of Couples for Christ on March 2, 2008 at the Ateneo de Manila Grade School Gym. During Mass, the Archbishop dedicated seventeen missionaries in what he called was an ancient rite of “sending off.”

In his brief homily, Archbishop Adams spoke on the theme of Light, taking off from the Gospel reading about the man born blind whom Jesus healed. He likened the blind man to all of us who, when he exclaimed, “I can see!” really meant “I believe!”

He explained that, in the same way we take natural light for granted, we also do not really appreciate the light of our baptism. Stressing that the Gos-

pel reading is all about baptism and faith, he spoke about the doubts that arise from the fact that we all received the light of baptism when we were too young to understand what it was all about. And so, although baptism brought us new life as babies, now that we are adults, it often feels as if that new life has nothing to do with what is within us now.

Light and darkness, according to the Archbishop, represent the choices we make everyday – for or against the Light, for or against Jesus. He also said faith is compared to light because it reveals things to us, it gives us the proper perspective in viewing the things around us and it changes the way we see things.

Jesus is our Light, and Archbishop Adams emphasized that Jesus provides the answers to our many questions. As Christians, we are supposed

The CFC international missionaries: Noli and Sam Catabas of Parañaque going to the Middle East Michael and Carel Ariola of Pasig going to South Africa Boy and Radel Guinto of Rizal going to Ghana Erika Ermino of Cagayan de Oro going to Africa Leni Equiron of Pasig going to Africa

Melissa Wong of Malaysia Kiesha Middleton of USA Trista Fleege of USA Dunn Estacio of USA Dexter Suban of Canada.

Jingjing Purugganan of Pasig going to Indonesia Alain Guerrero of Rizal going to Thailand Emman Esguerra of Cavite going to Africa Ace Lu of Cavite going to the Middle East

The origins of Couples for Christ (First of a series)

by Marivie Dalman and Tony Gimenez IN this issue, we begin a series on the history and charisms of Couples for Christ – its origins, its development, the struggles and challenges it faced as it spread not just in the Philippines but worldwide.

This is an honest attempt to finally write the definitive history of CFC, and to leave to future generations a legacy of a true, fair and complete assessment of a community that began as a small group, became a movement and finally a Vaticanrecognized international and private lay association of the faithful.

At an earlier time…

Charismatic, is an umbrella term used to describe Christians who believe that the manifestations of gifts of the Holy Spirit seen in the first century Christian Church are available to contemporary Christians and may be fully experienced and practiced today.

The Catholic Charismatic Renewal as it exists today is the outgrowth of a retreat held in February 1967 of several faculty members and students from Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, U. S. A. Many of the students experienced a movement of God’s Spirit called being “baptized in the Holy Spirit.” What happened quickly spread to graduate students and professors at the University of Notre Dame and others serving in campus ministry in Lansing, Michigan. The movement spread rapidly, so that, by 2003, the Catholic Charismatic Renewal was in over 230 countries worldwide, touching over 119 million members according to David Barret, head of Global Evangelization Movement in Richmond, VA.

The movement was given a major endorsement

by Leon Joseph Cardinal Suenens, a leading liberal cardinal in the Catholic Church. Three popes have acknowledged the movement: Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, and Pope Benedict XVI. In March 1992, Pope John Paul II stated: “At this moment in the Church’s history, the Charismatic Renewal can play a significant role in promoting the much-needed defense of Christian life in societies where secularism and materialism have weakened many people’s ability to respond to the Spiritand to discern God’s loving call. Your contribution to the re-evangelization of society will be made in the first place by personal witness to the indwelling Spirit and by showing forth His presence through works of holiness and solidarity.”

Laying the Foundation In the Philippines, the Ligaya ng Panginoon (LnP), founded in July 19, 1975 became the leading group in the charismatic renewal movement. It started as a simple prayer group held every Friday. Fr. Herb Schneider, S.J. who had just arrived from Innsbruck, Austria, was invited to join. By 1979, LnP was conducting two weekly charismatic prayer meetings – one in Assumption Convent in San Lorenzo Village, Makati, and another one in Christ the King Seminary in Quezon City. Around 800 people usually attended the Assumption prayer meeting every week, while Christ the King had an average weekly attendance of 400. These assemblies were arguably the biggest prayer groups in Metro Manila at that time. Interestingly, women comprised about 80% of those who attended. The

Nonoy and Marivie Dalman with Vic and Agnes Gutierrez

men stayed away from the prayer meetings, averse to the loud prayers and raising of arms in worship which characterized those meetings.

In one of his trips abroad, Fr. Herb – who had become head of the LnP coordinators —was invited to attend a breakfast forum for men. This inspired him to replicate the experience in the Philippines.

Together with some LnP members, he started a breakfast meeting for businessmen, which eventually led to what is known today as BCBP (Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professionals).

Among those who attended the prayer groups were faculty members from the UST College of Engineering. In time, this led to the first campus-based evangelization of students known today as the CYA (Christ’s Youth in Action).

In 1980, Fr. Herb and LnP directed one of its coordinators, Vic Gutierrez, to design an outreach program that could attract married couples toward a renewed Catholic life. They realized that to effectively renew society, a conversion to Christ of both spouses, and consequently their families, was necessary.

Vic formed a team and, after much prayer and discernment, decided to hold home-based Life in the Spirit Seminars (LSS). The team wanted to try a new evangelization method – one that could draw the men in. They invited married couples to a social evening in the home of Eli and Ophie Concepcion in Quezon City. Vic told his team: “Our strategy is to introduce these couples to a personal relationship with Jesus in a social setting.

We will invite them to a social activity, not a prayer meeting. There, we will share with them God’s invitation to a renewed life with Him.” Using a home of one of the members, the team arranged the living room to exude a friendly, relaxing atmosphere. They engaged the invited couples in small groups, discussing the challenges and joys of raising a family in the modern world.

Light snacks and drinks were served. Before the evening ended, Vic spoke to them about the strong need to support each other in caring for their families and for Divine Guidance in their role as parents. He closed the evening with an invitation for Origins / C4 them to come again.

CBCP Monitor

Ugnayan

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by Joe Tale, CFC Director

AS we enter fully into the spirit of the Lenten season, we see the fullness of the salvific love that Jesus our Lord has for us. More than 2,000 years ago, He came into the world to fulfill His mission — to proclaim the Good News, to minister to the poor, and to spread out His arms and die for us, so that humanity’s sins may be forgiven.

The fifth Sunday of Lent is known as the Sunday of Forgiveness, the day that is also the onset of Great Lent. The focus of this Sunday is the fall to sin of Adam and Eve, leading to our separation from God. This reminds us of our need for God’s forgiveness and guides our hearts, minds, and spiritual efforts in returning to Him in repentance. In the religious life, the fifth Sunday of Lent is the day when nuns and priests pray the Vespers service of forgiveness just before they go on what is called as Holy Fast, a period of intense fasting.

Let us remember what Lent is all about. Lent is

all about God’s infinite love for man. Lent is all about forgiveness which is a basic element of Love.

The very center of Christian faith and life is based on forgiveness. Christianity itself is, above all, the religion of forgiveness. God forgives us, and His forgiveness is in Christ, His Son, Whom He sends to us, so that by sharing in His humanity we may share in His love and be truly reconciled with God. Indeed, Christianity has no other content but love.

And it is primarily the renewal of that love, a return to it, a growth in it, that we seek in Great Lent, in fasting and prayer, in the entire spirit and the entire effort of that season. Thus, truly forgiveness is both the beginning of, and the proper condition for, the Lenten season for it is the very beginning of embracing God’s love.

It is significant that our community has chosen Love as our theme this year. In this season of Lent, how should we love?

The Lord has given us a path to follow – the path of forgiveness and the path of love. Jesus said, “If you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will forgive you.” He also said, “Love one another as I have loved you.”

In this season of Lent, we are reminded to forgive, for without forgiving there can be no love.

The past year’s events have given us many reasons to forgive and to seek forgiveness. Hurting words were said, friendships were broken, family ties were severed, commitments shattered. Forgiveness allows us to let go of all these bitter experiences. It

opens up our hearts to the grace of God so that we can let go all the hurts, all the bitterness and be healed.

Jesus gave us the perfect model when He said we are called to forgive our enemy not seven times but seventy times seven. What a wonderful admonition, but an extremely difficult one to obey. Can we reach out and bridge relationships with friends who have betrayed us? Can we reach out and ask forgiveness from those whom we hurt?

Forgiveness liberates. Forgiveness brings about the gift of healing. No matter how great the transgression, forgiveness is always greater. And in our Christian life, forgiveness allows us to truly love and become like Christ.

What about Love? We have spoken reams and volumes about Love, especially as to how we should relate to one another in community, in the wake of the conflict that still continues to rage. Our counsel remains the same: Be still and know that God is working to put things in order. Be still and know that He will not allow this community that He raised to be brought down. Be still and allow the love of Christ to flow into our hearts and out to others, especially to those who have wronged us.

In this year of Love, we continue to be faced with struggles that beset not just our personal lives and our community life, but our country. Today, there is once again a cacophony of voices clamoring for change in the face of the twin evils of graft and corruption. As a community we have made

The road to evangelization

A GATHERING OF LEADERS Clear on CFC’s mission and vision, the Provincial Area Councils and the Metro Manila Governance Team came together for the Annual Yearstart Meeting last January 13 at SEAMEO Center.

The Provincial and Regional Area Heads planning sessions followed the next day, January 14. Following the parameters defined by the broad consultative and interactive dynamics of the Pastoral Congress that was launched in August 2007, the Philippine Mission cascaded the outputs to the operational and leadership teams across the country.

In the same gathering, the respective roles of CFC Leaders were reiterated as follows: 1. SHEPHERDS- Chosen to lead and take care of the flock entrusted to them (household mem-

March 3 -16, 2008

Lent is love

Philippine Mission -

EVERY single year, CFC leadership declares the theme that will guide the community in its work.

In 2008, it is ‘Love one another as I have loved you (John13:34-35). This theme also helps provide focus for the three-pronged goals of the community – Evangelization and Formation, Family Life Renewal and Total Christian Liberation (Social Justice, respect for life and the work with the poor).

During the well-attended Leaders Conference at the Araneta Coliseum last January 12, the expanded vision and mission statements were announced by the full seven-man council. Thus stated, CFC vision calls on “Families in the Holy Spirit renewing the Face of the Earth”. With added emphasis, it continues: “...Moved by the Holy Spirit, One with the Catholic Church, Blessed to Witness to Christ’s Love and Service; Couples for Christ is a united global community of Family Evangelizers, that sets the World on Fire with the Fullness of God’s transforming Love” CFC Mission of “Building the Church of the Home and the Church of the Poor” defines the broad areas across which leaders and members are to proceed in accomplishing the goals. With the road map reviewed and laid out, the ministries can now seamlessly align their plans and work activities.

Vol. 12 No. 5

bers, sectors, provinces and countries), they are to assure, train and form their members faithfully into strong and vibrant disciples.

2. SERVANT LEADERS- They are to be living witnesses to the Christian faith, walking their talk and modeling their life and service along the Christian ideals. They should understand that they are to lead their people to Christ and bring Christ to the people.

3.STEWARDS- They must make full, prudent and competent use of all the time, talents and resources raised for the furtherance of God’s Kingdom - their own and those of the people assigned under their pastoral care. They must serve with the attitude of being responsible, accountable and transparent in their actions and their works.

4. SOLDIERS- As part of God’s peaceful army, CFC leaders must always be ready, faithful and willing to win souls and territories for Christ. They are called to do battle against evil and injustice in the world.

THE HEARTBEAT OF THE MISSION Evangelization is at the very heart of the mission of Couples for Christ. When faithfully executed, people are transformed and their lives are permanently changed. Personal and family transformation is sustained in the households, formation teachings, services, conferences, retreats, and even in fellowships. As we experience community life, all of us mature in the immersion and learn to share the blessings of being in community to others.

Evangelization encompasses broad areas but can be simply grouped into two areas: PERSONAL AND FAMILY LIFE RENEWAL, and TOTAL CHRISTIAN LIBERATION. With the advent of the Social Ministries, the scope of interactions widened and CFC leaders and members discovered more opportunities for evangelization. Additional areas of service became available.

Total Christian Liberation represents a very crucial and dynamic aspect by which the CFC community has been called upon to make the differ-

our stand. We have aligned ourselves with our bishops in their call for communal action that is peaceful, that is just and most of all, that involves our individual commitment to do our share in healing this nation. (See Council Statement on page 3. Ed). In this Lenten season, it would be good if we could all reflect on how we can contribute to making this nation what God wants it to be.

Paul tells us not to lose hope and never to give up the effort and struggle to make our personal lives and our society always more human and more divine. We are assured that this is not only possible but that it is also guaranteed. Why? How? Because our God is always there beside us, always ready to help us along. But He requires three things from us: first, to follow His example and be tolerant with each other; second, and even better, that like Him we start dealing with each other in a conciliatory and friendly way and not as enemies; third, and perhaps the more demanding for us, that with Him and like Him, we humble ourselves and become servants of each other, as He showed us by the example of His washing His apostles’ feet.

Lent is a time of grace. It is our fervent prayer that we use this time to truly allow God’s grace to wash us, to heal us, to open up our hearts. The best thing about Lent is that it is the gateway to Easter, the time of rejoicing and of remembering that we have a God who died out of love for us, but who Himself was so beloved of the Father that He rose from the dead.

by Joe Yamamoto Member, CFC International Council and Philippine Missions Director

ence. It defines the whole dimension of human society and the diverse concerns that affect not only our country but the whole world i.e. in the areas of social justice, respect for life and work with the poor (Gawad Kalinga).

To emphasize, Total Christian Liberation (TCL) does not limit the scope of CFC work only to Catholics, or other Christians but broadly extends to every one, whatever their race, background or creed. TCL refers to the way, the attitude and the posture by which we have been called to serve as Christians, following the very example of Jesus. Furthermore, TCL is defined explicitly by the Vatican-approved statutes of CFC.

THE CHALLENGE For some time, the mission mantra of CFC was ‘massive, rapid, and global evangelization’. That was our battle cry for the late eighties and early nineties. It served the community well as can be gleaned from the rapid growth in numbers as well as geographic and territorial presence in the second decade of the life of CFC. When the Social Ministries were established, this was premised on CFC’s willingness to respond with more dynamism and boldness in evangelization. It was also CFC’s answer to the challenges posed by the deteriorating social conditions – poverty, lawlessness, apathy, injustice and breakup of families. During those formative times, we tried to fit the ministries to the many mission profiles by putting up structures, and assigning and arbitrarily allocating manpower down the line drawn by our pastoral organization. Instead of responding to the opportunities presented by and through the Social Ministries, it was sadly misunderstood by some as a venue to ‘rest’ from mainstream evangelization work and turn lax in their commitment.

The reality should have been that, beyond advocacy or services, the Social Ministries were integral to the definition of the totality of CFC work of evangelization.

CFC’s work with the poor is epitomized by the great and tremendous impact that Gawad Kalinga has in the life of the community, in the whole country and in many areas of the world. Gawad Kalinga, even as it simultaneously inspires and challenges, goes above and beyond the vibrant communities and the colorful homes it has built. Gawad Kalinga was created to fulfill the very mission of Christ of ‘bringing glad tidings to the poor’ - to transform lives according to God’s plan, to restore order and human dignity as befitting God’s children and to enable the poor to experience the providence and suffi-

ciency ordained by a loving God.

DIRECTIONS Because CFC is an evangelizing community, we are therefore not only believers in and followers of Christ but are called upon to make the Good News real and attainable.

The following guidelines on evangelization should help: 1. While rallies and inspirational activities are great for those in community, the one-on-one evangelization works best. By our daily witnessing through our very own transformed lives, by sharing the wonders of family and community life, or by telling stories of the happiness we experience, we are accorded many wonderful opportunities to show Christ’s love working in us.

2. Since everyone is an evangelizer, no one is exempted from the CLPs. It is nice to give talks, but it hardly counts. Every leader is tasked with the responsibility to mount and lead the CLP activities. The reminder is for everyone, including the International Council, the Governance teams, and the Provincial Councils and down the line.

Once a CFC, always an evangelizing CFC! 3. Evangelization is not just about CLPs, but the whole spectrum of plans, activities and initiatives that lead to the CLPs. So the work of the Family Ministries can be crafted creatively to address this expectation. Similarly, the various Social Ministries can creatively do likewise.

4. Every year end we submit reports on membership. While the evangelization reports will not necessarily reflect the numbers of persons who benefited from our activities, qualitative reporting is made more relevant by enumerating the many activities that are being done by community members for others.

5. Gawad Kalinga and the Social Ministries present many unique opportunities in support of Total Christian Liberation (TCL). Others may not be drawn to CFC community but by our work for the poor, we help others to become better believers and practitioners of their respective creeds and faiths, 6. We are all called upon to create and nurture a caring environment and atmosphere in the households and in the whole community.

7. Fostering closer relations with the Clergy by supporting parish and diocesan initiatives and looking for ways to help and support them is imperative. By recognizing that the Church is both the clergy and the laity, we become better partners in evangelization.

NEW AVENUES FOR EVANGELIZATION God truly rewards faithfulness to the mission by presenting avenues for evangelization. The first quarter of the year is not yet over but already the community is presented with many wonderful and exciting opportunities, such as the provision of values formation for our OFWs – those who are about to leave, those already in their work stations abroad, and those returning home for good.

Another opportunity is the work to evangelize the thousands of resettled families that the national government has relocated, such as those along the North and South Rail areas that have been transferred to Cavite, Laguna and Bulacan.

God has given CFC as a precious gift for evangelization, and each one of us is given our generous share of opportunities to share in the work.

How we choose to respond, will greatly define how we move forward as God’s community.

CBCP Monitor

Ugnayan

Vol. 12 No. 5 March 3 - 16, 2008

Bishop Claver speaks on good governance and responsible citizenship THE talk of Bishop Francisco F. Claver, S.J., D.D., former Vicar Apostolic of Bontoc, Mountain Province and Lagawe, Ifugao, during the STMA Planning Conference was very relevant to the issues being raised today by many quarters in our society. The conference was held on February 16, 2008 at the Bulwagan ng Karunungan Hall, Department of Education, Pasig City.

The bishop spoke on “Good Governance and Responsible Citizenship,” based on an earlier call made by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) for the faithful to consider “communal action” in the face of the twin is- Bishop-emeritus Francisco F. Claver, S.J only possible if people will act tosues of graft and corruption now facgether and decisively work for it. ing the government. CBCP, the good bishop explained, is urging the people • No man is completely evil that there is nothing we can do to change him. to join the moral-spiritual reform of our This is where evangelization for comnation by beginning with themselves. plete individual transformation The bishops noted that people tended comes in. to put the blame on others, particularly those in government, instead of asking • We are human beings who can be saved. This can be done through themselves what they can do to help prayer and the transforming power the country and eradicate evil in the buof the Holy Spirit. reaucracy.

To flesh out and explain the essence • Renewal should be for the whole community. Individual renewal is not of the CBCP’s message, Bishop Claver enough. stressed the following points: • Let’s not depend on government for everything. We should ask ourselves • You get good governance only if you what we can do to help ourselves, have responsible citizenship. apart from what the government can • The common good is being subordido to help us. Let us transform ournated to the private good. selves first according to gospel val• The common good should be our conues before we can transform others, cern. The problem is that the comincluding the government, through mon good is not most people’s conthe power of the Holy Spirit. cern.

• What we need as a Christian people • Corruption is our biggest problem, our greatest shame. While we are senis a social conscience and the spirit to sitive about issues on corruption, we fight for the common good, instead seem not to have done anything sigof just working for our selfish ends. nificant to eradicate it. Doing some• If you do not have the spirit to fight, thing about it even becomes more difdevelop it, individually or jointly ficult if people involved are our relawith others. tives and friends. Most people in this • We have always had a tendency to case prefer to look the other way. look at problems as always outside • Some people say that Filipinos are of us. poor because they are corrupt.

• Even in darkness, there is light. So, let us take advantage of the light.

The bishop, suggested some ways by There is always hope for achieving good governance and responsible citi- which we can face and overcome these zenship in this country. But this is seemingly insurmountable problems,

as follows: • Christians should seek the truth.

• They should seriously discuss the corruption issue and try to get to the truth of negative allegations.

• Once they have obtained the truth, the people must decide on the action to take, as a group.

• In all these activities, they should pray to God for discernment, protection, and guidance.

• They should ask for the promptings of the Holy Spirit and act accordingly.

After seriously reflecting on Bishop Claver’s message, we are tempted to ask ourselves the following questions: • Can we not, as a people of God, equipped with Christian teachings and endowed with spiritual maturity and discernment, effectively manage our society by our own moral compass and finally resolve the issues on good governance and responsible citizenship confronting our country today?

• Can we not, transform ourselves before even attempting the first step towards national transformation?

• Can we not elect and support leaders who are endowed with a vision, morality and integrity for a public office but who may not necessarily have the power and the wealth to insure their victory in election exercises?

• Can we not, start our complete transformation today?

(Nonoy Dalman)

Bishop shares insights on matrimony THE MCG Teaching Night held at Xavier School on February 19 focused on a topic perfect for the month of hearts: marriage.

His Excellency Bishop Francisco San Diego (Diocese of Pasig), who sat at the Marriage Tribunal for 15 years and taught matrimonial law for five years, was guest speaker.

The good bishop stressed that the basis and foundation of marriage is love.

According to him, unity and indissolubility are the salient qualities of marriage, which Jesus Christ elevated from a mere covenant or contract to a sacrament. As a sacrament, matrimony is holy in itself and bestows grace upon those

Bishop Francisco San Diego, DD

who receive it. It also makes the couple that receives it holy, provided the sacrament is received without impediment.

There are three elements needed to make a marriage valid: (1) there should be no impediments, such as age, a previous existing marriage, difference in worship or disparity of cult, consanguinity, etc.; (2) consent should be freely and willingly given by the contracting parties; and (3) canonical witnesses should be present during the ceremony.

Bishop San Diego made clear the fact that the groom and the bride are the ministers of the sacrament; the priest is merely a witness of the Church. He also

explained that the Church follows civil law regulations regarding the impediments. Unlike the state, however, the Church can grant a dispensation to lift an impediment. “Without the three elements,” he said, “the marriage is not valid, and therefore not holy and cannot sanctify.”

The Bishop was generous with his advice and admonition. Those who are still single, he cautioned, should not to be in a hurry to get married because it’s important to be financially, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually prepared for a lifetime commitment.

“Build on love that is already there,” he said, “not on the hope that your spouse will learn to love you someday”.

To married couples, he emphasized the need to practice honesty, sincerity, openness, and fidelity to make a marriage work. He also admonished parents to allow their married children to live on their own so that they, too, can apply the graces of marriage in their own married life.

According to the Bishop, CFC is meant to be a light to every couple in the world because of its global nature.

But each couple should start at home by fulfilling their obligations to their spouse, and caring for their children and raising them as Catholics. “Praying and going to mass together adds to the sanctity of marriage,” he added. He cited how Cardinal Newman, a former Protestant, was so touched by the faith of his neighbors – a Catholic family who went to mass together every Sunday – that he eventually converted to Catholicism.

“This,” the Bishop said, “is the fruit of the sanctity of marriage.”

C3

CFC COUNCIL STATEMENT February 19, 2008

Good governance begins with us DEAR CFC brethren in Christ, Our country is once again on the brink of a political upheaval.

Calls for the resignation of the President are increasing in tempo and crescendo. Charges and countercharges fill the airwaves, Senate hearing rooms and even the streets.

The search for truth is on everybody’s lips. Rightly so, for the truth needs to come out so we can move on as a nation on more solid foundation. “So Jesus said to those who believed in him, ‘If you obey my teaching, you are really my disciples, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32 We support the search for truth. There must be a sober effort to do so, with all those involved accorded due process and protection and given the opportunity to be heard freely without undue pressure or threat.

But we must also see beyond the clamor of the moment.

And realize that overcoming this monster, nay, the sins, of graft and corruption takes a sustained and all-out effort involving every Filipino’s participation and resolve.

Today, we invite attention to this aspect of our life and mission as CFC, on our response to the social dimension of the Gospel.

We thus support the call of our bishops to “pray together, reason together, decide together, act together towards a more vigorous work for good governance and a more active promotion of responsible citizenship in our society in the light of the Gospel and the social teachings of the Church”.

While certainly there are institutions tasked with dealing with the urgent concerns of the day, we too, even individually, have a role to play. Good governance is not only the concern of government or our public officials.

Good governance also includes our individual responsibility to help make our government institutions and public servants act in the manner that will best serve the common good. Good governance, indeed, begins with us, the citizenry.

The twin evils of poverty and graft and corruption are our greatest shame as a largely Christian nation. These twin evils are rampant in our land also because we as a people tolerate the same. Let us thus resolve to change and not continue to be part of the problem. Let us all be part of the solution.

Specifically, how do we respond to the current situation?

First, we ask all households to pray, reflect, and discuss the whole issue of good governance and responsible citizenship, including how to fight this menace that is graft and corruption, asking the Holy Spirit for guidance and strength. We suggest the following reflection question: “What can I do as an individual, and together with others, to help stop graft and corruption and encourage good governance in this country?”

We ask that you share your insights and reflections with us. You may send your emails to the St. Thomas More & Associates (STMA) at <stma_global@yahoo.com>.

Secondly, we ask every member of the CFC family, whether in government or the private sector, to commit to the following: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

I shall not to be a party to any bribery or other acts of graft and corruption.

I shall be a watchdog and help bring to light any and all forms of corruption in both government and private offices.

I shall exercise my right to vote by rejecting corrupt officials and helping bring to office deserving public servants.

I shall help increase awareness on good governance issues among other family members and my circle of friends.

I shall pray unceasingly for our government officials and our nation.

Thirdly, since in the meantime, the poor continue to suffer, and the poor will be the biggest victims in all political upheavals, we ask that we intensify our work for Total Christian Liberation.

Brothers and sisters, we have been given many chances to reform as a nation. But for the most part, we looked at this, as a government responsibility alone. It is time to truly do our part. The appointed time is now. The time to reform our country, beginning with ourselves, begins anew today.

CFC INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL

The Tekton Guild Foundation, a socio-economic ministry of CFC recently entered into an agreement with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to conduct Values Formation Seminar/ Program and provide counseling services for OFWs and their family members. The MOA was signed by Lito Tayag, member of the IC (International Council) and DOLE Sec. Arturo Brion.

(From left to right) Nolet Ladrido (Project Leader) Amb. Boy Parungao (Project Coordinator), Lito Tayag (Chairman, Tekton Guild / Foundation) and DOLE Sec. Arturo Brion.

(From left to right) Mila Ladrido, Nolet Ladrido (Project Leader) Amb. Boy Parungao (Project Coordinator), Lito Tayag (Chairman, Tekton Guild / Foundation) and DOLE Sec. Arturo Brion, Usec. Linda Padilla, Deputy Administrator Tess Manzala.

Ugnayan

C4

SFC comes home

By Rowena Pasimio THE weekend of February 15-17 saw close to 6,000 men and women Come Home to Christ in the 15th International Leaders’ Conference held at Clark Expo in Pampanga. This was the biggest attendance at the ILC for the Singles ever.

Entitled At Home, Singles in God’s Heart, the conference brought home not only the existing Singles for Christ members but also former SFC members – those who had moved on to CFC and the other ministries HOLD and SOLD. The talks were inspiring – “Home in God’s Love,” given by Melo Villaroman, Jr. (CFC International Council Member and the CFC Family Ministries Head); “Journeying Home” given by Sam Manuel (Missionary for the Middle East); “Home, (Bitter) Sweet, Home” given by Joy Katigbak (SFC International Council Head) and “Lead them Home” by Taffy Ledesma (SFC Intl. Council Member).

An innovative segment was the The “Disciples Institute”, which was com-

Bishop Pablo David, DD

Vol. 12 No. 5 March 3 - 16, 2008

CFC Bulacan: working together with the Clergy in spreading the call for discipleship

By Jun Dimarucot

CFC Provincial Area Head

prised of 20 workshops designed to impart essentials on varying topics covering the areas of Love for God, Love for Self, Love for Neighbor and Love for Family.

The organizers made sure there would be a lot of fun as well – thus, the Creative Competitions and Sports Competitions. And then there was the Lord’s Day, celebrated by SFC International Council Heads, Aldy and Joy Katigbak – a fitting way to continue paving the journey to God’s work. The Lord’s Day was capped by a Bounty Parade – a time for the various provinces to share with their brothers and sisters the fruit of the land. Food, delicacies and sweets were passed on, offered freely, shared lovingly with one another as SFC observed a tradition of community sharing that was truly reminiscent of the time of the early Apostles.

Sunday Mass was celebrated by His Excellency, Bishop Pablo David of Pampanga, and concelebrated by Father

Paul Uwemedimo. The bishop led the prayers for the new SFC International Council members: Aldy and Joy

Katigbak, Eloy Caluag, Bob Lasala, Michael Ariola, Lawrence Quintero, Kate Deiparine and Taffy Ledesma.

Origins / C1

In an interview, Vic recalls: “In the succeeding weeks, we held discussions and sharings following the topics of the LSS. The ambience in the host home was so unlike the atmosphere of a charismatic prayer meeting. This was a deliberate strategy because, in those days, charismatics were often regarded as oddballs. So, we didn’t raise our hands in worship. We didn’t close our eyes as we prayed. No loud clapping of hands nor of booming ‘praise the Lord’ clichés.

Because of this, the invited couples, including the husbands, were more relaxed and more open to listen. We succeeded in bringing them through seven weeks of the LSS. By November 1980, all six couples who finished this LSS joined the community.”

A second LSS was soon held, and 16 couples attended. These couples and an equal number of service team members could no longer fit in the living room of the Concepcions. So, the team sent the other half to the nearby house of Poy and Elvie Estrellado. They all completed the LSS but unlike the previous group of six couples, they could not become part of LnP because the coordinators decided to postpone the community weekend retreat – which serves as the entry point for LnP membership.

Vic and his team thought of offering a course that would sustain the interest of these 16 couples and guide them toward Christian maturity while they were waiting to come into the Ligaya.

They adapted a program used by The Word of God, a pioneer covenant community in Ann Arbor, Michigan. They modified the talks to suit the needs of the couples and added inputs of interest to the families. This became the first Christian Life Program (CLP).

But, Vic and his wife, Agnes, felt in

CBCP Monitor

their hearts that God had a greater plan.

They sensed that God wanted the 16 couples to be the seed for a new movement that would focus on renewing families. Consulting with their assistant couple, Ed and Flory Montalvan and the rest of the team, they held the first CLP. Before the course ended, they had a name for the group – Couples for Christ.

Vic recalls: “In May 1981, I was on my way home from a meeting in Rome of the first Council of the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services (earlier known as ICO) of which I was a member. I decided to pass by Jerusalem to pray for God’s direction in this new ministry. As I visited and prayed in the holy shrines, I felt in my heart that God was urging us to continue with what we had planned to do – to establish Couples for Christ. When I got home, I wrote the covenant of the CFC, which we would use at the closing of the CLP.” Thus in June 1981, Vic and Agnes along with Ed and Flory led the 16 couples in making their covenant to the Couples for Christ – a family life outreach of Ligaya ng Panginoon community. These are the 16 couples:

Fr. Herb Schneider, S.J. with Ditas and Manny Garcia

1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) 11) 12) 13) 14) 15)

Danny & Tess Aviado Romy & Irene Arguelles Chito & Shirley Borja Tito & Tuding Collantes Pete & Fely Cambel Tony & Cora Espiritu Manny & Ditas Garcia Danny and Eggie de Guzman Larry & Brenda de Guzman Frank & Gerry Padilla Monching & Baby Ramirez Rey & Diday Saavedra Boy & Elma Santillan Jimmy and Malou Tan Jun & Auring Tan

16)

Jojo & Hedy Villegas

Birth of CFC The 16 couples were divided into four cell groups called households where they would be formed in the life and spirituality of the new movement, Couples for Christ. Vic and Agnes trained four couples from the Ligaya to serve as the first household heads: Manny and Nida Sandoval, Manny and Josie Gaddi, Manny and Zeny Sy, Henry and Baby Hizon. Ed and Flory assisted Vic and Agnes until they were replaced

by Ely and Nena Lademora.

The Christian Life Program (CLP) became the Christian initiation course of CFC. The strategy of introducing people to a renewed personal relationship with Jesus in a relaxed and friendly social setting proved to be very effective. The CLPs continued to held in the living rooms of the homes of CFC members. The warmth of personal relationships was a key factor in this type of evangelization. Personal evangelization was encouraged. As charismatic renewal gained wider acceptance, CLPs became bolder in their charismatic expression.

Evangelization was brisk and, by the end of 1981, CFC had a total of 34 couples.

Two years later, the CFC had grown to 160 couples.

Other groups involved in family apostolate began to take notice of the enthusiasm and commitment of the Couples for Christ. Fr. Ruben Tanseco, S. J. was particularly keen on the followup program which was part of the pastoral formation tract. He then invited CFC to tie up with Marriage Encounter.

Couples for Christ started to conduct CLPs for their ME couples. This was not pursued however as there were some

concerns that could not be resolved. In the meantime, Fr. Mark Lesage of Las Piñas and Msgr. Mercado of United Paranaque invited the leaders to introduce CFC to their parish. Two CLP teams were formed to serve in these parishes.

Thirty couples in Las Piñas and 13 couples in United Paranaque graduated from the first parish-based CLP.

Malolos, Bulacan, February 9, 2008 - THE CFC Bulacan Area Council headed by its Provincial Area Director, Rey Francisco and wife Noli, along with Area Leaders, held a one-day recollection at the Santisima Trinidad Church of the town.

Rev. Fr. Efren Basco, parish priest of Malolos, started the morning session with a talk on “Called to See and to Live as a True Servant of Christ”. Taking off from Luke Chapter 24, Verses 13 – 35, Fr. Basco exhorted the CFC Bulacan leadership not to be disheartened over recent events as these are part and parcel of the challenges in our Christian life. He reminded the leaders of the two disciples in Emmaus and their experience with the “stranger” who talked, walked, and stayed with them – explaining to them in great detail why the recent events had to take place, and opening their eyes to understand Christ’s eternal sacrifice. It was only after he had left that they realized they had just encountered the Risen Lord!

In his talk on “Discipleship and Evangelization”, Rev. Fr. Manny Anastacio reminded the leaders that, as God’s disciples, they were called upon to sustain CFC’s effort to evangelize their respective families.

The session, attended by at least 500 leaders of CFC & its Ministries throughout the province, ended at about 5 p.m. with a mass celebrated

by Fr. Allan Antonio, the spiritual director of CFC Bulacan.

CFC’s early vision With the growth of CFC came many challenges. The rapid spread of the movement demanded a clearly shared vision. In 1983, Vic formed and trained a pastoral team to help him lead and manage the growing movement. The team was composed of Ely Lademora, Raul Sarceda, Frank Padilla, Bobby Pilar, Popoy del Rosario, Pio Acampado, Danny Aviado and Jojo Villegas. Danny Aviado was later replaced by Carlos Salinas when Danny migrated to the U. S. Vic brought his team to a weekend planning session. There he wrote CFC’s Statement of Mission while Raul Sarceda did the Statement of Philosophy.

By this time, CFC was beginning to receive many requests from all over the country to help in establishing family life apostolates. To address this need, Vic Gutierrez discussed with the pastoral team the idea of developing what he termed as “exportable packages” — a start up kit that would allow other provincial groups to establish new chapters with minimum help from CFC Manila.

Providentially, Ligaya member Raul Sarceda had resigned from his job to make himself more available to the work of Ligaya and its outreaches. Vic appointed him the first Executive Director of CFC and immediately put him to the task of developing the manuals of the CFC programs: CLP Manual, Household Heads’ Manual, the Marriage Enrichment Manual and the other teaching courses of CFC. These manuals, together with audio teaching tapes, comprised the “exportable packages”. A number of overseas CFC chapters tremendously benefited from these materials. Considering CFC’s limited resources, its overseas offices were set up and operated without much assistance from CFC leaders in Manila. These materials played a tremendous part in helping to bring about CFC’s vision and mission.

Attention at this point was focused on developing and training leaders and imbuing them with the vision of CFC. A number of dedicated and committed leaders — among them, Frank Padilla who was trained and appointed by Vic Gutierrez to replace Raul Sarceda as Executive Director when the latter moved his family to Malaybalay, Bukidnon in 1985 to help build a covenant community.

In 1983, upon the advice of the Ligaya Body of Coordinators, CFC was registered as a non-stock, non-profit corporation at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) under the name: Couples for Christ Foundation Inc. The incorporators and members of the first

Board of Trustees were: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Victorino B. Gutierez Raul G. Sarceda Francisco A. Padilla Francisco F. del Rosario Pio S. Acampado Jose T. Villegas Roberto Pilar Carlos C. Salinas Antonio O. Vasquez Victor U. Gamboa

Under Vic’s leadership, CFC spread out to other provinces and eventually to other countries. The succeeding leadership continued with as much passion in spreading the mission of CFC. In his exhortation at the CFC 9th anniversary, Vic challenged the CFC community: “Let us bring whoever we can into a personal relationship with Jesus just as we ourselves have experienced it. Let us populate this nation with people who shall live according to this new morality – the life of God. It is our duty to God. It is our duty to our nation. It is our duty to ourselves and to our children – the future generation.”

The members heeded Vic’s call. By 1992, CFC had grown, the Spirit was leading the community to greater heights. It would not be long before the community would feel the Spirit’s stirrings to include their children in their new-found life in the Lord.

It has been more than 26 years since that first group of Christians was introduced to Christ in a social setting.

Vic continues to be amazed at how CFC has grown. He said: “…Since 1981, Couples for Christ has grown beyond our wildest imagination. Today, I watch from the sidelines, amazed at what God has done and continues to do through Couples for Christ. I am grateful for the privilege of having been there in its beginnings.” (Marivie Dalman and Tony Gimenez) (In the next issue: The Split of 1993)