•A3 Pope considers lesson on •B1 ‘Paul Wants to Speak With Us Today’ •C1

John Paul II’s Passion Homily of Pope Benedict XVI at the The CROSS
inaugural ceremony of the Pauline Jubilee Year Knights of Columbus Supplement

www.cbcponline.net/cbcpmonitor cbcpmonitor@cbcpworld.net

NAMFREL takes role to NCCP: Cha-cha won’t bring

reduce corruption
THE accredited Citizen arm of the Commis-
sion on Elections, the National Movement for
Free Elections (NAMFREL) has again effec-
tively performed its watchdog role not in the
recent elections, but in monitoring the pro-
curement system of government agencies.
“Though NAMFREL was not as actively in-
volved in the just concluded August 11 ARMM
Elections, [it] continues to advocate concretely
NAMFREL / A6
peace to Mindanao
A CONCILIAR body of various Christian
churches said extending the term of President
Arroyo through Charter change is “not that the
way to lasting peace” in Mindanao.
In a statement, the National Council of
Churches in the Philippines said such move will
Protagonist of Truth, Promoter of Peace only exacerbate the crisis the country is facing at
present.
The organization claimed amending the Con-
August 18 - 31, 2008 Vol. 12 No. 17 Php 20.00
NCCP / A6

Visiting Timor Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta is greeted by Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo upon his arrival at the Manila Cathedral on August 11 to pay tribute to a person he admired “over the years”, the late Jaime Cardinal Sin, whose tomb is located at the
crypt below the Cathedral’s altar.

Resume peace talks, Mindanao

bishops urge gov’t, MILF
By Santosh Digal Davao City Archbishop Fernando R. Capalla,
Iligan City Bishop Elenito R. Galido and Marawi
RETURN to the negotiating table. Bishop Edwin A. de la Peña, urged the government
and the MILF, a rebel group, to maintain sobriety
This was the call given by amidst clashes that have erupted in the aftermath
Mindanao-based Catholic bishops to of the Supreme Court’s order to temporarily halt
the government and the Moro Islamic the signing of Memorandum of Agreement on An-
cestral Domain (MoA-AD) and thereby create the
Liberation Front (MILF) as violence es- Bangsamoro Juridical Entity, which was enshrined
calates in Lanao del Sur. in the scuttled accord between the government and
the separatist rebel group early this month.
The Bangsamoro Juridical Entity would have
meant an expanded Moro homeland. The Supreme
Court is closely scrutinizing the controversial (MoA-
AD) issue before it deliberates its stand on it.
“We appeal for sobriety and ask for ceasefire on
both sides. They should go back to the negotiating
table and extend the people help. We are willing to
help,” Capalla said over the Church-run Radio
Veritas on August 18.
On August 13, Capalla, former president of the
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines,
held a forum convened by Bishop-Ulama Confer-
ence (BUC) and members of the MILF to discuss the
peace pact and its implications to the country.
Capalla said BUC is interested to mediate for
the resumption of talks between the government
and the MILF in designing a peace pact that would
benefit both sides.
Earlier President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo also
tapped BUC in view of resuming the peace talks.
However, MILF has not shown much interest on
Peace Talks / A6

Bishops to Arroyo: Don’t dare cross the line Timor Leste president
ROMAN Catholic bishops have a message
for Charter change proponents with only self-
The religious leader then called on Mrs.
Arroyo to just go ahead with her projects and
sparked talks that the shift to federalism
through ConAss will allow Mrs. Arroyo to
pays tribute to Sin
ish political ambitions. And their message is programs for the people and the country. stay in power beyond June 2010.
this: Do it, and you will pay. And if possible, Dela Cruz said, “she should Palace officials, however, dismissed the
Kidapawan Bishop Romulo Dela Cruz, in not meddle in politics because her term is speculations, saying the Senate resolution
a radio interview, warned the Church’s lead- only until 2010.” does not allow for an extension of the term
ership will be leading the opposition against “She should instead use the rest of her time of the president.
those who only want President Gloria Ar- (in the presidency) by making good deeds from Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Phil-
royo to stay in power. hereon until she finishes her term,” he said. ippines president Archbishop Angel
“If that will happen, President Arroyo will Malacañang has expressed support for a Lagdameo earlier said changing the Consti-
have to contend with the Catholic Church Senate resolution calling for a shift from a tution now—barely a year and a half before
and because many of her promises still re- unitary to a federal form of government, cit- the next presidential elections—is improper.
main unfulfilled,” Dela Cruz said in an inter- ing the vulnerable peace situation in “The CBCP’s opinion, even in the past, is
view over Church-run Radyo Veritas. Mindanao. to have a Constitutional Convention, whose
He said the Church will never let the shift to a Under the resolution, one of the 11 compo- members are elected by the people. Secondly,
federal form of government to be used in ex- nent federal states will be the Bangsa Moro should there be a Charter change, then it
tending Mrs. Arroyo’s tenure in the presidency. Federal state. should be done after 2010. The new adminis-
“That’s not right,” the prelate lamented. The resolution dovetails with the plan of tration should handle it,” Lagdameo said. TIMOR Leste President Jose litia gangs.”
Dela Cruz said he is still hoping the ru- the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Lagdameo then called on for public vigi- Ramos Horta paid tribute to the “I spoke to him on the phone
mors about prolonging of Mrs. Arroyo’s Front to give Muslims in the south wide eco- lance on another Arroyo administration’s bid late Manila Archbishop Jaime and I asked him to pray for us and
power will just remain as what it is. nomic and political powers starting with the to amend the Constitution. Cardinal Sin, whom he called a to offer his outspoken support and
“But we have to be vigilant,” he added. “Even Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral He underscored the need for the people to “great man.” he did,” he added.
if we love the President if remaining in power is Domain (MoA-AD). examine the “real motive” behind the Palace’s Accompanied by Manila Aux- The visiting President arrived
only her main agenda, that’s definitely wrong.” The support of the Malacañang, however, renewed Cha-cha drive. (Roy Lagarde) iliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo, in the Philippines August 11 for a
Mr. Horta offered flowers and four-day visit, six months after
prayers at the tomb of Cardinal surviving an assassination at-
Assumption College Davao vows to campaign vs junk food Sin located at the crypt below the tempt on his life.
altar of the cathedral. Mr. Horta, who was instru-
THE Assumption “We want to intro- The school decided part of the school’s “I’m here to pay tribute to such mental in his country’s campaign
College of Davao duce in the minds of that its main dis- campaign against a great man and a great priest. He for independence from Indone-
(ACD) has vowed to our students the sig- agreement with junk all foods high in was a man I have always admired sia, was awarded the Nobel Prize
continue their advo- nificance of patron- food rested on the fol- sugar, salt and fat over many years,” Mr. Horta told in 1996 along with Bishop Carlos
cacy on “anti-junk izing our local prod- lowing grounds: content and low in Church reporters. Belo, the leader of East Timor’s
food campaign” ucts as well as eating One, the nutritional nutritional value. He said it’s always been a rou- Catholic population.
which started in the our native delica- value of its alterna- Soft drinks like tine for him to visit Sin’s grave When East Timor achieved in-
mid 1980’s, as part of cies,” Banayo told tive; two, the politi- Coca-cola and Pepsi every time he visits the Philip- dependence in 2002, Horta was
the school’s height- CBCPNews in an in- cal and economic im- products started pines. appointed as the country’s first
ened health con- terview. plications of patron- getting barred “We don’t (leave) the Philip- foreign minister. He held the po-
sciousness program. “ACD is likely the izing foreign prod- from entering pines without paying respect and sition until his resignation in 2006,
ACD President Sr. only campus in ucts; and three, the the gates of the pray for him and to seek for his and was subsequently sworn in
Marietta Banayo said Mindanao and it is ecological hazards of campus and so blessing,” Horta also said. as the second prime minister, fol-
the school will con- certainly the only synthetic packaging. were food prod- Mr. Horta said he met Cardi- lowing Mari Alkatiri, by then
tinue its campaign one in Davao and It was in 1993 that ucts like potato nal Sin several times, adding that President Xanana Gusmão.
against junk food and maybe one of a very the total pullout of chips, juice in the prelate “was a great supporter In May 2007, he was elected
other multinational few in the entire coun- all multi-national tetra packs of the Timor Leste in 1999 during president of East Timor.
products from get- try that is junk food products was imple- and the like. the worst violence caused by mi- (CBCPNews)
ting into the campus. free,” added Banayo. mented. This was (Mark S.Ventura)
 CBCP Monitor
A2 World News Vol. 12 No. 17
August 18 - 31, 2008

Pope calls for peace and Caritas Georgia and

Caritas Russia
humanitarian relief in Georgia working together for
VATICAN CITY, Au-
gust 17, 2008—In re-
marks following his
“While I raise a spe-
cial prayer for the
dead, I express my
victims of conflict
recitation of the An- sincere condolences ROME, August 15, 2008—Caritas had first aid supplies and food
gelus at Castel to all those who Georgia and Caritas Russia are which it already began to distrib-
Gandolfo on Sunday, mourn, and I ask that working together to provide as- ute to the different camps taking
Pope Benedict XVI the severe hardships sistance to the thousands of vic- in those who lost their homes.”
made a strong appeal of refugees, espe- tims who are suffering due to the He further explained that the re-
for peace in Georgia, cially those of conflict between the two coun- lief effort is being carried out with
asking that the truce women and children tries. “the collaboration of the patri-
declared in the re- who might have dif- According to the L’Osservatore archate.”
gion be allowed to ficulty in obtaining Romano, the Apostolic Admin- L’Osservatore Romano also
strengthen and trans- necessities, be re- istrator of Caucaso, Bishop reports that Caritas Russia has
© Alessandro di Meo/ANSA/epa/Corbis

form into a stable lieved with generos- Giuseppe Pasotto, said, “There is visited the camps together with
peace. Offering his ity,” the Holy Father great fear and disillusionment leaders of the Orthodox Church
prayers for all vic- said. among Georgians because they to determine how to initiate as-
tims of the conflict, Pope Benedict also think that the bombings will re- sistance from Catholics for those
the Holy Father en- called for the open- sume at any moment.” impacted by the conflict. Accord-
couraged the deliv- ing of humanitarian In response to the current cri- ing to statistics, some 40,000
ery of relief aid to corridors between sis, the bishop explained, “Caritas people in Georgia have become
affected populations the region of South Georgia has begun helping fami- refugees during the conflict with
and called for hu- Ossetia and the rest lies in difficulties. Fortunately it Russia. (CNA)
manitarian corridors of Georgia in order
for refugees. that “the still aban-
“I am following
with attention and
concern the situation
doned dead can re-
ceive dignified
burial and the
loved ones.”
In addition, he
asked for the guaran-
flict, saying their
rights can never be
violated.
through the contri-
butions of the Euro-
pean Union, “trans-
tional community to
“continue offering Christian group refuses to leave
China airport until Bibles are
their support to
in Georgia and I feel wounded can be tee of the security Finally, the Holy form into a consoli- achieve a lasting so-
particularly close to properly cared for and fundamental Father asked that the dated and stable lution through dia-
the victims of the and allowed to re-
returned
rights of ethnic mi- current truce, which peace.” He then in- logue and mutual
conflict,” he said. unite with their norities in the con- he said was achieved vited the interna- goodwill.” (CNA)

BEIJING, China, Au- The Bibles they were prohibits bringing

Vatican authority gust 18, 2008—Four

members of a Chris-
tian group from the
carrying were confis-
cated after customs
officials discovered
printed religious
material into the
country exceeding

announces international United States are re-

fusing to leave a
Chinese airport un-
til authorities re-
them during an X-ray
scan of their luggage,
CNN reports.
Pat Klein, direc-
the amount needed
for personal use.
Chinese officials
told the group mem-

conference on pastoral turn the 300 Bibles

confiscated from
them.
tor of Vision Be-
yond Borders, said
the group distrib-
bers they had broken
the law and repeat-
edly asked them to
The four members utes the Bibles leave the airport, but
“we must be conscious that there is a war on accidents, the contribution of the Christian of the Wyoming- through a local the group spent the
the roadways of the entire world, where ev- community is necessary. But in addition to based group Vision shop owner in night there, Klein
eryday, hundreds of people die for many dif- the Church; schools, families and institutions Beyond Borders, Kunming. Klein said, adding that the
ferent reasons. Immediate intervention is must also work to further this cause and work which supplies said he has been customs agents have
needed to reduce the number of victims, be- to create respect for applicable laws.” Bibles and other bringing Bibles into not been antagonistic.
cause it is becoming a real destruction. It will The archbishop continued by denouncing Christian material to China for 21 years Klein said the Vi-
not be easy, but it is a challenge that should “the scary statistics we hear on the television people in China and but did not know he sion Beyond Borders
be faced with great determination.” and read in the daily newspapers that dem- other countries, ar- was breaking Chi- members would not
At the meeting, the Vatican prelate ex- onstrate a lack of respect for life. That is why rived in the south- nese law. leave until their
plained that at the conference, “one day will we have called this summit in October in western city of According to Bibles are returned.
be devoted to each of the four sub-sectors for Bogotá: to look for a way to confront the prob-
Kunming on Sunday. CNN, Chinese law (CNA)
Msgr. Agostino Marchetto which guidance is needed. The first day will lem. It will begin with the Continental Con-
be dedicated to road users, truckers, automo- ference and will later focus on the parish and
VATICAN CITY, August 14, 2008—The Sec- bile drivers, those who travel by train, and diocesan environments. Another important
retary of the Pontifical Council for the Pasto-
ral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People,
Msgr. Agostino Marchetto, announced plans
all who work in transportation-related ser-
vices; the second to women on the streets;
the third to children on the streets, and the
topic tied to the street is that of children be-
ing forced to beg or rummage through gar-
bage.”
Carmelite priest
for a Continental Conference in October, in fourth to the homeless.” Finally, the archbishop commented that
Bogotá, Colombia, to discuss the pastoral care
for roadways; faced with the incessant in-
crease of danger and traffic accidents.
In Msgr. Marchetto’s opinion, “the most
important thing to keep in mind is that the
Church is committed to raising awareness
following the summit, a document will be
released to help increase people’s awareness
of traffic accidents, provide pastoral guidance
slain in India
The prelate spoke with the Italian News- and helping people who use the road to gain for roadway safety, and promote the respect En route to celebrate Sunday Mass
paper L’Osservatore Romano, explaining that a sense of responsibility. To decrease traffic of life. (CNA)
HYDERABAD, India, August 18, Hyderabad. “But he did not die
2008—A 37-year-old Carmelite in vain, because his body and

Chinese bishop explains reasons priest was tortured and killed

on Saturday night as he traveled
to the site where he was to cel-
ebrate Sunday Mass.
his blood enrich the Church in
India, particularly the Church in
Andhra Pradesh %%the south-
eastern state where he died.”

for participating in Olympic The body of Carmelite of

Mary Immaculate Father Tho-
mas Pandippallyil was found by
religious sisters headed to the
“The Church in India is
shocked and deeply saddened
by this barbarous killing, the re-
sult of a growing climate of in-

opening ceremonies Mass he was to celebrate at the

ROME, August 8, 2008—Coadju-
tor Bishop John Tong Hon of
Hong Kong explained this week
why he decided to accept “with
ambivalent sentiments” the invi-
tation of the Chinese govern-
ment to participate in the open-
ing ceremonies of the Olympic
Games in Beijing. From the
bishop’s perspective, the perse-
cution of Catholics by the gov-
ernment is mixed with the joy of
having the country host the
event.
In an article published by the
L’Osservatore Romano, Bishop
Tong Hon said that as soon as he
received the invitation from the
government, “I understood I
should consult with my superi-
ors. The Holy See did not voice
any objections, and Cardinal Jo-
seph Zen of Hong Kong encour-
aged me to go. Therefore I de-
cided to accept.”
He recalled that Pope Benedict
XVI expressed his own desire that
the Olympic Games in China
“would be a great success.”
“However, while the leaders of
the six largest religions in Hong
Kong were invited to Beijing,
only in the case of the Catholic
Church was an invitation not sent
to the highest authority. I am
embarrassed because our gov-
ernment ignored Cardinal Zen
and invited me instead,” Bishop
Tong Hon said.
He expressed his concern as
well that “a number of Catholic
leaders are still in jail or under
house arrest,” and he men-
tioned the case of six bishops
and many priests and faithful,
who “suffer for our Catholic
faith and for their fidelity to the
Holy Father.”
The bishop said that he hopes
someday the Chinese govern-
ment will give “the same impor-
tance to greater religious and so-
cial freedom” that they have to
cleaning up the pollution in
Beijing in anticipation of the
Games.
Chinese officials still seem to
have a distrust of Chinese Catho-
lics and “feel threatened when we
practice our faith,” according to
Bishop Tong Hon. One example
he cited was the May 24 Day of
Prayer for China, at which police
prevented the faithful from en-
tering the Shrine of Sheshan on
the outskirts of Shanghai.
But not everything is negative,
he said, pointing to some signs
of openness on the part of the
Bishop John Tong Hon
government after the recent
earthquake that struck the coun-
try. The entire country “was mo-
bilized like one big family to
help the victims,” he said.
“The five Olympic rings are
known throughout the world,”
Bishop Tong Hon said. “I wish
China would give the same im-
portance to the five intercon-
nected aspects of democracy, hu-
man rights, the rule of law, jus-
tice and peace.”
“The Olympic Games show the
progress of China,” he continued.
“We Christians underscore the
spiritual development more.
With St. Paul, we like to compare
our spiritual journey with a race
towards the goal ‘in order to
reach the prize that God has pre-
pared for us in Christ Jesus’.”
(CNA)
center in Yellareddy, where he
was director.
The Carmelite had joined the
tolerance and violence against
Christians in this country,” the
65-year-old archbishop added.
Archbishop Joji contended
Chanda mission of his order in that the crime is the result of
1987. He was ordained a priest “jealousy of the Catholic
in 2002. Church.”
He was last seen alive by “Priests and nuns,” he said,
those same nuns who offered “have for decades been at the
him dinner Saturday after he service of the least fortunate in
had celebrated Mass for them. India, and this makes them tar-
“Father Thomas is a martyr: gets of forces of evil who do not
He sacrificed his life for the poor want the marginalized and im-
and marginalized,” said Arch- poverished to become empow-
bishop Marampudi Joji of ered.” (Zenit)
Guatemalan lawmakers sign
‘Book of Life’ despite harassment
from abortion supporters
GUATEMALA people “to preserve and organizers hope
CITY, August 15, life, a divine gift the document will
2008—Led by the from God.” Evan- be signed in every
president of the gelical leaders and country in Central

Bishops encourage Nicaraguans to participate in Congress, 71 Guate-

malan lawmakers
signed the “Book of
the Congressional
Board of Directors
were also in atten-
America. The next
stop for the Book
will be Costa Rica,

‘public life’ Life,” a document in

which they commit
to defend life from
dance.
Congressman
Roberto Alejos said
with Panama and
Mexico possibly be-
ing next in line.
conception to natu- the signing of the Regina Cardenal,
MANAGUA, Nicaragua, August 19, 2008— ing of one’s opponent to the point of cal- of the electoral process.” Therefore, they con- ral death despite document was in president of the Sal-
The Bishops’ Conference of Nicaragua has umny.” tinued, “we appeal to the sense of responsi- pressure from abor- keeping with the vadoran foundation
published a statement in light of the upcom- “These shadows demand an explanation bility of the laity to be present in public life.” tion supporters who country’s Constitu- Yes to Life, said that
ing local elections warning the citizens of from us and we want to offer our reflection “Participation in elections is not only a right protested outside tion, which grants the signing of the
“shadows” falling upon the society and also on history from the standpoint of believ- that we as Nicaraguan citizens have, it is also the Congressional protection to human Book is aimed at
encouraging Catholics to responsibly par- ers,” the bishops said. “We call for open- an obligation to our local community and building. life from the mo- “creating aware-
ticipate in public life. ness to sincere dialogue that has, as its the nation,” the bishops stated. “Not to vote The ceremony ment of conception. ness” among the
In their statement, the bishops acknowl- shared objective, the confrontation of the is to already elect someone; it is conforming was attended by The “Book of legislative bodies of
edge the “clear indifference” of voters dem- crisis that is hurting us more than others,” one’s self with those who are opposed to us. Archbishop Victor Life” was already Central America of
onstrated by the lack of interest in the elec- they added. To evade the responsibility of voting is to Hugo Palma, who signed by 84 law- the importance of
tions. The prelates lamented the “low level The bishops called on citizens “to persist renounce the possibility of participating in reminded lawmak- makers in El Salva- protecting life, espe-
of ethics in public discourse, which has be- with their vote,” even though “there can the development of our local municipalities,” ers that they have dor. The initiative cially the life of the
come deceitful, full of insults and discredit- sometimes be doubts about the transparency the bishops said. (CNA) been elected by the began in Honduras unborn. (CNA)
 CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 17
August 18 - 31, 2008 News Features A3

Pope considers lesson Bishop affirms Church

support for dev’t programs
on John Paul II’s Passion on indigenous peoples
BRESSANONE, men and then, in
Italy, August 19, the second part, he MANILA, August 7, 2008 -- CBCP and fears of all the people are
2008—Benedict XVI is immersed in the Episcopal Commission on Indig- also the hopes and fears and am-
says that the pon- Passion until his enous People Chairman and bition of the Church’ so wherever
tificate of Pope last cry from the Laoag (Ilocos Norte) Bishop there is injustice, there is dis-
John Paul II can be cross,” the Holy Fa- Sergio L. Utleg said the Catholic crimination which is against hu-
divided into two ther explained. “In Church will always be support- man dignity, the church is there.”
equally important this very way he ing programs geared towards to- ILO Sub-Regional Office for
parts: the years taught us who God tal human development. Asia and the Pacific Director
when he took the is, that God is love Speaking extemporaneously Linda Wirth said her agency
Gospel to the world and that, in identi- before a forum sponsored by the seeks to promote social justice
and the years of his fying with our suf- International Labour Organiza- and internationally-recognized
“passion.” fering as human be- tion celebrating the International human and labour rights. In her
The Pope af- ings, he takes us in Day of the World’s Indigenous welcome remarks, the ILO execu-
firmed this Aug. 6 his arms and im- Peoples at the Carlos P. Romulo tive said the country’s Indigenous
when he met with merses us in his Hall at RCBC Plaza, Utleg said Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) Re-
priests, deacons love and this love the ECIP which he chairs is public Act 8371 enacted in 1997
and seminarians of alone bathes us in present in more than 40 archdio- reflects the spirit and intent of
the Diocese of redemption, purifi- ceses and dioceses in the country Convention No. 169.
B o l z a n o - cation and rebirth.” where there are indigenous “At the international level, we
Bressanone and an- The Pontiff said peoples. have another significant land-

swered in German
six questions they
asked him. The
Holy Father was on
vacation in the Do-
lomites, where he
stayed at the major Pope John Paul II
seminary of
Bressanone.
A question was offered by a 42-year-old
priest who was diagnosed with multiple
sclerosis the same year he was ordained,
Father Willi Fusaro. Father Fusaro asked
Benedict XVI to draw from the example of
John Paul II and offer advice to elderly or
sick priests on how to make their
presbyterate fruitful and to live it well.
The German Pope responded by saying
that, for him, “both parts of Pope John Paul
II’s pontificate were equally important. In
the first part, in which we saw him as a
giant of faith, with incredible courage, ex-
traordinary force, a true joy of faith and
great lucidity, he took the Gospel message
to the ends of the earth. […]
“However, I must say that because of
the humble testimony of his ‘passion,’ to
my mind these last years of his pontificate
were no less important; just as he carried
the Lord’s cross before us and put into prac-
tice the words of the Lord.”
With his growing weaknes s, John Paul
II, “who had been a master of words, thus
showed us visibly—it seems to me—the
profound truth that the Lord redeemed us
with his cross, with the passion, as an ex-
treme act of his love,” Benedict XVI said.
“He showed us that suffering is not only a
‘no,’ something negative, the lack of some-
thing, but a positive reality.
“He showed us that suffering accepted
for love of Christ, for love of God and of
others is a redeeming force, a force of love
and no less powerful than the great deeds
he accomplished in the first part of his
pontificate.”
Like the Lord
The Pope said that Jesus’ life also had
these two aspects.
“In the first part [Christ] teaches the joy
of the Kingdom of God, brings his gifts to
© Bettmann/CORBIS
that in a world “that “The Church is committed to mark in the recognition and pro-
thrives on activism,
on youth, on being
young, strong and
beautiful, on suc-
ceeding in doing
great things,”
people must “learn
the truth of love
which becomes a ‘passion’ and thereby re-
deems man and unites him with God who
is love.”
Still, Benedict XVI acknowledged, ac-
cepting suffering is no easy task, and those
who suffer need prayers and signs of grati-
tude.
“Let us therefore pray for all who are
suffering and do our utmost to help them,
to show our gratitude for their suffering
and be present to them as much as we can,
to the very end,” he encouraged. “This is a
fundamental message of Christianity that
stems from the theology of the cross: The
fact that suffering and passion are present
in Christ’s love is the challenge for us to
unite ourselves with his passion.
“We must love those who suffer not only
with words but with all our actions and Bishop Sergio L. Utleg, DD
our commitment. I think that only in this
way are we truly Christian.” (Zenit)
the self-determination of indig- tection of the rights of indigenous
enous peoples as in a declaration peoples with the adoption of the

MILF-GRP pact may lead to peace, if

from the Second Nation al Ple-
nary Council of the Philippines
which says ‘our concern must be
to actively support, promote and
accelerate the process of law on
Declaration on the Rights of In-
digenous Peoples by the General
Assembly of the United Nations
last September 2007,” Director
Wirth said. She added the Decla-

studied in a broader sense, says archbishop

COTABATO CITY, August 8, ippine history, written perhaps Bangsamoro aspirations for self-
2008—The Memorandum of by ‘victors.’ Bangsamoro history determination and national sov-
Agreement on Ancestral Domain has largely been one of oral tra- ereignty may be seen in the con-
(MOA-AD) initiated by the peace dition and only in the last 400 cepts on governance, concretized
panels of the Moro Islamic Lib- years do we see that history writ- in such terms as “associative rela-
eration Front (MILF) and the Phil- ten, but not from their point of tionships,” “shared authority,” the
ippine Government can lead to view, Quevedo said. idea of “central government,” and
lasting peace, if studied in a But it is from the largely unfa- its responsibility for external de-
broader sense, said Cotabato miliar side of Philippine history fense. For the GRP the balancing
Archbishop Orlando B. Quevedo, that is also true and indisputable continues with two fundamental
OMI. that the concepts of ancestral do- democratic safety valves – acts of
The Supreme Court stopped main and a Bangsamoro home- Congress and referendum.
the signing of the agreement, land should be understood. The “Perhaps, concepts need to be
which was to happen in Kuala MOA-AD document returns to clearer. They can be made so in
Lumpur on Aug. 5. that concept as a basis for lasting future steps of the peace process
For probably most Christians, peace, said Quevedo, General as both parties move towards a
the document could be unpatri- Secretary of the Federation of Comprehensive Pact. But the
otic, a betrayal of the nation, a Asian Bishops’ Conferences. MOA-AD need not be the docu-
surrender of national sover- On the other hand, the docu-
eignty over huge swaths of ment is also remarkable from the
Mindanao, Sulu Archipelago and view point of what Mindanao is
Palawan,
a selling
today.
Through
Mindanao peace advocates support
of Chris- succes-
t i a n s
“down
s i v e
waves of Bangsamoro’s right to self-determination
t h e migra-
river”, a tion and DAVAO CITY, August 11, 2008—
docu- public Various Mindanao peace advo-
ment to laws, the cate groups here have expressed
be re- face of the their full support to the
jected. popula- Bangsamoro’s quest to right to
F o r tion as self-determination and appealed
s o m e well as of to the national government to
M u s - territo- put an end to the decade old prob-
lims, the ries has lem of rebellion in Mindanao.
docu- changed. In a statement issued by the
ment is a In less peace advocates to CBCPNews,
betrayal than 50 they said, “we dare to speak be-
Archbishop Orlando B. Quevedo, OMI
of their years be- cause of dire survival. For many
hopes and aspirations for self-de- ginning with the 1930s Christians decades now, our lives depict
termination and freedom, a sur- now outnumber Muslims in the the curse of the so-called “col-
render of territories that once land once under the sway and in- lateral damage” in this long
belonged to them by right of an- fluence of Muslim Sultans, he internecine armed conflict. We
cestral domain and native title, said. want to finally put an end to the
Quevedo said in his blog dated “The document recognizes this war in Mindanao. We cannot al-
August 7. fact. And it is to the credit of the low this cycle of violence to fur-
“But the MOA-AD, no matter MILF, a rebel group, that its vi- ther victimize our children and
how one looks at it, is a remark- sion today carries on the vision of the next generation.”
able document. It is a serious at- its late Chairman, Hashim “We beg everyone, especially
tempt to balance national sover- Salamat. He had said that his vi- politicians and media, to let it
eignty and Bangsamoro aspira- sion for the Bangsamoro people proceed without resorting to de-
tions for self-determination and is framed in consideration of monizing the Muslims in this
freedom. For this reason, I be- present realities. For this reason, country. This is a very danger-
lieve that the MOA-AD can bring the document speaks about the ous practice that is reemerging
lasting peace,” the prelate said. ARMM territory as the core of the and is one that can only fuel cen-
“The document should be read Bangsamoro Juridical Entity. Al- turies–old biases and prejudices.”
in the light of Bangsamoro his- together, the territory is much “Let us not be afraid to change.
tory. This history is not one that less than the original Bangsamoro We definitely need to reverse
our Spanish and Filipino Chris- homeland. The MOA-AD makes the situation of violence, hatred,
tian historians have developed. use of present realities as a basis anger and trauma among the
Our history is a history written for lasting peace,” Quevedo said. people in the conflict–affected
by one party to the complex hu- According to Cotabato prelate, areas. This we have to do as we
man encounter that we call Phil- the balancing act between also need to correct the histori-
ment that should contain all the
details that would resolve all
questions and doubts. The peace
process will continue even after
it is signed. With good will, pa-
tience and wisdom—and consul-
tation—such further steps will
surely resolve substantive ques-
tions,” Quevedo said.
But if the document is seen
from two perspectives, that of
the Bangsamoro historical past
and of Mindanao-Sulu-Palawan
present-day realities, and these
two perspectives are somehow
respected, then the MOA-AD can
lead to lasting peace,” said
Quevedo. (Santosh Digal)
cal injustice committed against
the Bangsamoro and indigenous
peoples of Mindanao and in
other regions in the country,”
they added.
The peace advocates also ex-
pressed their full support to the
right to self-determination of the
Bangsamoro people as a funda-
mental right recognized under
international laws, saying:
“A clear scrutiny of the
Memorandum of Agreement
(MOA) will perhaps start the
change that we need to do as we
turn hatred to love, violence to
peace and anger to forgiveness
and recollection.”
The peace advocates also ap-
pealed to the Supreme Court
“not to allow itself to become a
stumbling block in resolving a
political conflict that requires a
political solution. We have a
complete trust in the collective
wisdom of the Supreme Court
and by God’s will, Insha Allah,
the Government Peace Panel
will eventually be allowed to
proceed with the signing of the
MOA soonest possible.”
“We also need to take into
consideration some concerns of
kindred organizations in Manila
that the peace process could be
used to initiate the Charter
Change as this is admittedly re-
their (indigenous peoples) behalf
so that the indigenous people’s
ancestral domains, culture, rights
and integrity of their environ-
ment defended, preserved and
promoted,’” the prelate said.
He said that Pope Paul VI’s en-
cyclical Populorum Progressio says
the church will always pay atten-
tion to the plight of people in the
state of hunger, misery and ig-
norance of those in need of a
wider share from the benefits of
civilization and more active im-
provement of their qualities.
“One of the most marginalized
people is our indigenous
peoples,” he added.
The prelate further said that “it
is part of the mission of the
Church to pursue total human
development and you know,
Gaudium et Spes says ‘the hopes
quired under the MOA. Let it be
clear, however, that based on the
timeframe of the MOA, this will
only proceed not earlier than
2010 and therefore could not any-
more be used to promote what-
ever political interest that there
may be, rightly or wrongly,”
they further said.
The peace advocates stressed
that what is clear at this point is
that the interests of the peace
process and those who are
against charter change, are not
diametrically opposed. “We,
ourselves will not allow any po-
litical interest to tarnish the le-
gitimacy and primacy of the on-
going peace process.”
The peace advocates also com-
mitted themselves in working
for more consultations, dia-
logues and information dissemi-
nation so that people can come
up with a well-informed posi-
tion on the MOA on Ancestral
Domain (AD).
“We will proceed to educate
our people on the contents of the
MOA. Let the debate however
proceed in the spirit of dialogue
and utmost respect. This is an
appeal that we pose to everyone
especially our politicians who in
the past few days became will-
ing mouthpiece in fuelling ha-
tred and communal violence,”
ration is compatible and mutu-
ally reinforces the provisions of
Convention No. 169 and covers a
number of subjects that are not
covered by the Convention. She
further said the Declaration does
not have legally binding status
as the Convention and is not sub-
ject to ratification of States.
Other Philippine government
officials through their represen-
tatives including Senator Francis
Joseph G. Escudero, Labor Secre-
tary Marianito Roque and For-
eign Affairs Secretary Alberto
Romulo said it is significant for
the country’s indigenous peoples
that ILO Convention 169 be rati-
fied for the protection and pro-
motion of IPs rights, the allevia-
tion of poverty and the promo-
tion of the country’s decent work
agenda. (Melo Acuna)
they said.
The peace advocates also ap-
pealed to the media to be re-
sponsible enough to tackle the
issue of MOA-AD in an intelli-
gent and dispassionate manner,
bearing in mind that we are all
brothers and sisters, and Mus-
lims in this country deserve to
be treated with respect, honor
and dignity.
The group who signed in the
statement were: The Immaculate
Conception Parish, Mindanao
Peoples Caucus, Peace Advo-
cates Zamboanga/Katilingban,
Mindanao Solidarity Network,
Consortium of Bangsamoro
Civil Society, Initiatives for In-
ternational Dialogue,
Peacebuilders Community,
Bangsamoro Women Solidarity
Forum, Generation Peace
(GenPeace), Flor Santos of
Sanlakas, Ian Rivera of
Kalayaan, Waging Peace Philip-
pines, Sr. Arnold Maria Noel,
Bangsamoro Youth Leaders Fo-
rum, Bangsamoro Youth Assem-
bly, Tulung Lupah Sug, IQRAA,
Mindanao Migrant Center for
Empowering Actions, Inc., Inter-
religious Solidarity Movement
for Peace, Afrim, Center for Just
Peace in the Philippines and
United Youth for Peace and De-
velopment. (Mark S. Ventura)
 CBCP Monitor
A4 Opinion Vol. 12 No. 17
August 18 - 31, 2008

EDITORIAL

Can the MOA-AD bring

lasting peace?
THE Memo of Agreement on Ancestral Domain initiated by the
peace panels of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Gov-
ernment of the Republic of the Philippines is a sign of contradic-
tion. For probably most Christians, it is a document that is un-
patriotic, a betrayal of the nation, a surrender of national sover-
eignty over huge swaths of Mindanao, Sulu Archipelago and
Palawan, a selling of Christians “down the river”, a document
to be rejected. For some Muslims, the document is not enough.
It is a betrayal of their hopes and aspirations for self-determina-
tion and freedom, a surrender of territories that once belonged
to them by right of ancestral domain and native title.
But the MOA-AD, no matter how one looks at it, is a remark-
able document. It is a very serious attempt to balance national
sovereignty and Bangsamoro aspirations for self-determina-
tion and freedom. For this reason, I believe that the MOA-AD
can bring lasting peace. Let me elaborate.
The document should be read in the light of Bangsamoro
history. This history is not one that our Spanish and Filipino
Christian historians have developed. Our history is a history
written by one party to the complex human encounter that we
call Philippine history, written perhaps by “victors.”
Bangsamoro history has largely been one of oral tradition and
only in the last 400 years do we see that history written, but
not from their point of view.
But it is from the largely unfamiliar side of Philippine his-
tory that is also true and indisputable that the concepts of an-
cestral domain and a Bangsamoro homeland should be under-
stood. The MOA-AD document returns to that concept as a
basis for lasting peace.
On the other hand, the document is also remarkable from
the angle of what Mindanao is today. Through successive waves
of migration and public laws, the face of the population as
well as of territories has changed. In less than 50 years begin-
ning with the 1930s Christians now outnumber Muslims in the
land once under the sway and influence of Muslim Sultans.
The document recognizes this fact. And it is to the credit of the Sr. Mary Pilar Verzosa, RGS
MILF that its vision today carries on the vision of its late Chair-
man, Hashim Salamat. He had said that his vision for the
The end of the future
Bangsamoro people is framed in consideration of present re-
alities. For this reason, the document speaks about the ARMM
Love Life of Nations
territory as the core of the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity. Alto-
gether, the territory is much less than the original Bangsamoro
homeland. The MOA-Ad makes use of present realities as a THE culture of death that started out in the Family planning and responsible parent- led to unwanted pregnancies that, in turn,
basis for lasting peace. West many decades ago is now affecting us hood then turned out to mean that having led to the second stage of the development of
The balancing act between Bangsamoro aspirations for self- in the East. China with its one-child policy one or two children only is the way to plan a Culture of death; the increased incidence of
determination and national sovereignty may be seen in the and India with its two-child law have seen family and to be responsible parents. If a abortion so as not to create undue strains on
concepts on governance, concretized in such terms as “associa- the ever-increasing incidence of forced-abor- couple has three or more children, they are their earning capacities and ruin their pros-
tive relationships,” “shared authority,” the idea of “central tion and infanticides. In the process, baby deemed unplanned and, therefore, un- pects for good quality of life.
government,” and its responsibility for external defense, etc. girls in the womb are the greater victims be- wanted. And the best way for a couple to This baby-in-the-womb killing spree cre-
For the GRP the balancing continues with two fundamental cause of the preference of many for sons. plan the number of their children is to use ated a generation of youth that is injured to
democratic safety valves—acts of Congress and referendum. Many other countries of the region are also artificial contraceptive and sterilization (li- the dignity and value of life. But the story will
Perhaps, concepts need to be clearer. They can be made so in on the verge of introducing laws patterned gation or vasectomy). Artificial contracep- not end there. The dependent youth of today
future steps of the peace process as both parties move towards after that of China and India. For one, some tion is also promoted as rights of women to are sure to become the parents of tomorrow.
a Comprehensive Pact. But the MOA-AD need not be the docu- of our misguided Congressmen and Senators sex and to health and limiting children is a And the parents of today are also sure to be-
ment that should contain all the details that would resolve all are determined to push for the enactment of woman’s exercise of her reproductive rights. come dependent elderly when today’s youths
questions and doubts. The peace process will continue even the Reproductive Health Care Act which has As events turned out, however, this is not become parents. What will happen then? Oh,
after it is signed. With good will, patience and wisdom—and provision for a two-child policy that is now the end of the story. The use of contraceptives we see unmistakable glimpses of what will
consultation—such further steps will surely resolve substan- consolidated into the “Responsible Parent- was not confined to married couples. The un- transpire in the coming years. We will see the
tive questions. hood and Population Management Bill”. Bud- married and the faithful turned out to be the rampant killing of old people. And many coun-
Therefore, if seen from the perspective of history as we usu- get of P2 billion pesos was approved by 19 more numerous users. These resulted to wide- tries are now in the process of legalizing eu-
ally know it from our own Christian writers (Spanish, Ameri- congressmen during the Appropriations spread teen-age promiscuity and marital infi- thanasia deodorized as mercy killing or doc-
can, Filipino), with no consideration to the enduring aspira- Committee Hearing last week, with Rep. delity. Society is now going to the dogs with tor-assisted suicide.
tions of the Bangsamoro for self-determination in their home- Edcel Lagman as the Chairman of that com- rampant immoral acts. The sacredness of sex I hope people will see how Satan works.
land, the MOA-AD will not lead to peace. mittee. Our 11 pro-life congressmen tried to and marriage has been violated. Very sly. He is very convincing because he
But if the document is seen from two perspectives, that of stop its approval but they were out-num- Let us remember that the great empires uses innocent sounding names. Population
the Bangsamoro historical past and of Mindanao-Sulu-Palawan bered. and civilizations of old destroyed not by control is termed family planning and respon-
present day realities, and these two perspectives are somehow Even very conservative Islamic countries stronger external enemies but by the destruc- sible parenthood. Killing of babies in the
respected, then the MOA-AD can lead to lasting peace. of the Middle East and Near East I understand tion of the moral fiber of these societies. womb is called Reproductive Health. And
have not been spared the dire consequences The Roman Empire collapsed not because killing of old and infirm people is referred
+Orlando B. Quevedo, O.M.I. of the Culture of death. So it is that Culture of the attacks of the Germanic and Anglo- to as euthanasia or mercy killing, as if the
Archbishop of Cotabato that is now the worldwide universal culture. Saxon tribes as history books tell us. No! victim should be thankful for ending his or
And yet, this culture of death started out They were destroyed because of immoral acts. her life.
very innocuously as a family planning and In those times, wife swapping and gluttony You see how Satan works in his diabolical
responsible parenting scheme which was was rampant. So too, is the Babylonian em- quest to bring about death and life? Very

The path to peace packaged cosmetically as a program designed

THE task of waging peace is formidable. We see it as a moral
struggle. We must not delude ourselves into thinking that peri-
odic bursts of enthusiasm will conquer evil. The task of waging
peace is slow, painful, demanding, and crucifying. It will re-
quire a holy endurance and relentless effort. It is not simply the
work of one leader or of one government but it is the enterprise
of a whole nation.
Peace is the work and fruit of solidarity (Sollicitudo Rei Socialis
, #39). Solidarity as “a firm and persevering determination to
commit oneself to the common good; that is to say, to the good
of all and of each individual because we are all really respon-
sible for all,” (Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, #38) is, in essence, rooted
in the Gospel imperative of loving God and neighbor.
Solidarity calls us to be ready “to lose” ourselves for the sake
of others, to share with them out of justice and love, and to see
the face of Christ himself in the needy and the poor. Solidarity
calls us to tear down walls that divide our communities. It calls
us to communion with God and among ourselves.
“Seek Peace, Pursue It”, A CBCP Pastoral Letter, January 1990
ISSN 1908-2940
to enable couple to plan their families and
become responsible parents to their children.
pire and the great cities of Sodom and
Gomorrah.
Still, the story did not end with teen-age
smooth and very savvy operator. Indeed he
is a Marketing Specialist par excellence. And
we Asians fell like Adam and Eve because
Many innocents have fallen to the sly ways promiscuity and marital infidelity. Since con- we have fallen prey to Western consumerist
of Satan. traceptives have a high rate of failure, this and materialistic values.
Nicolo F. Bernardo
Rights or Roe Lifeguard
HERE and in the United States, the debate on the so-called “reproduc- of the mother. In its opinion, life begins at viability or survivability
tive right” and “right to choose” regarding pregnancy rages once of the child in the incubator (isn’t that infanticide already?).
more—whether such rights are absolute over and above the right to The problem here, and why the issue crops again, is that modern
life, children’s protection, and the marital or parental right to secure incubators now allow babies from the second trimester to survive
the partner’s or guardian’s consent on reproductive decisions. and the justices did not foresee this forthcoming. In the future, sur-
The story of this supposed right goes back to the landmark US case vivability from the moment of conception could be possible with the
of Roe vs. Wade that legalized abortion in the US and in many coun- available technology from assisted reproduction.
tries that followed its jurisprudence. The least Roe justices could have done is to grant as mitigating
Although non-binding, US Supreme Court decisions are consid- circumstance, not exempting or justifying, the termination of preg-
ered persuasive in Philippine law. It was, however, a decision that nancy resulting from sexual violence. There is no justification to
the framers of our Constitution sought to prevent via a provision on speak of when the baby is not the unlawful aggressor. Further,
“equal protection of the life of the mother and the unborn.” There is abortion’s effects harm the woman more; that was why abortion in
a proposal to move this clause from the articles of the Declaration of some US States then (like in ours) was a crime against the person of
State Principles and Policies to the Bill of Rights, and I agree. Consid- the mother, if not the baby.

CBCP Monitor
P r o ta g o n i s t of Tr u t h , Promoter of Peace
ering our political clime, the fatal lessons of the Roe story need to be
retold if to be avoided.
Jane Roe, purported to be pregnant from rape, filed a class suit
against a Texas law prohibiting abortion except to save the mother’s
life (the same exception in the Philippines).
The UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child says that children need
“adequate legal protection before as well as after birth.” This is a recognition
of the value of the unborn in international law, although it is for the
specific states to determine when the unborn’s life begins.
Sec. 12, Article 2 of our Constitution was a reaction to Roe, recognizing
Pedro C. Quitorio Roe’s lawyers argued that State intervention on what a woman the right to life when science says new life begins—at fertilization.
Editor-in-Chief should do to her body violates her “liberty” and “right to privacy” In the Records of the 1987 Constitutional Commission, Harvard
without due process. The State lawyer, on the other side, misfired alumnus Bernardo Villegas explains that from this moment, a new
Pinky Barrientos, FSP Kris P. Bayos from the start so there had to be a change of counsel. (It was an individual is conceived with determined genetic personality distinct
Associate Editor Feature Editor example of how unskilled lawyers can lose a good cause). from that of the mother or father (therefore, not part of the woman’s
Unsurprisingly, the Supreme Court favored Roe 7-2. The ratio was body and not subject to her choice). It is living, and is human (with 46
Melo M. Acuña Rosalynn Garcia that the State must have “compelling” interest before it can inter- chromosomes).
Managing Editor Marketing Supervisor vene on a pregnancy, and this interest only “grows” relative to the Incidentally, before our Constitution was enshrined, our civil laws
Dennis B. Dayao stage of the pregnancy. Otherwise is an unnecessary exercise of po- (and even international laws) offer child protection, legitimacy, inheritance
Ernani M. Ramos
On-Line Editor Circulation Manager lice power. rights, and citizenship to a child already conceived or born. Former Pres.
Accordingly, State interest is minimal or nil on the first trimester Ferdinand Marcos had some humanity in him in issuing a presiden-
Roy Q. Lagarde Marcelita Dominguez of the pregnancy. On the second trimester when abortion is risky, the tial decree known as the Child and Youth Welfare Code, providing
News Editor Comptroller State can intervene for the mother’s health. It is only on the third that civil personality commences from the time of conception (not
trimester when the State must protect the “potentiality” of viable anymore birth), for all purposes favorable to him. And lately in
The CBCP Monitor is published fortnightly by the CBCP human life. Oposa v. Factoran, our Court even gave legal standing to an environ-
Communications Development Foundation, Inc., with
Layout by Denz Dayao

editorial and business of fices at 470 Gen. Luna St., Roe, in the dissent of Justice Rehnquist, is a classic case of a judicial
Intramuros, Manila. P.O. Box 3601, 1076 MCPO. legislation where justices not only interpret, but in effect enact new
Editorial: (063) 404-2182. Business: (063)404-1612. laws which should be the legislature’s job. The abortion laws of 46 of
Email: cbcpmonitor@cbcpworld.net 50 US States were invalidated.
Website: www.cbcpworld.net/cbcpmonitor Anyone reading the decision will have the idea that human life in
the womb is treated as “potential” only, versus the actual condition
mental class suit representing “generations yet unborn” (as inclu-
sive as that may mean).
Malevolently, abortionists argue that the unborn, if unwelcome, is
in a state of unlawful trespassing. If only to satisfy their legalese, Art.
280 of our Revised Penal Code makes trespassing an absolutory cause
Lifeguard / A6
 CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 17
August 18 - 31, 2008 Opinion A5
Jose B. Lugay Fr. Melvin P. Castro

Laiko Lampstand NRC II and the Laity

THE recent Second National Rural Congress
(NRC II) Communique: “In the Philippines to-
day, God calls us most urgently to serve the poor
and the needy” is a call to the People of God,
the Church in the Philippines. Reading
through the message I see that this has to be
translated into “doable” action. Most of this,
of course falls on the LAITY. I mean not only
those members of lay organizations or those
who are active in church activities but the
Catholic Laity, the 82 percent of our popula-
tion, politicians included.
These are the issues culled from the sec-
tion of Emerging Proposals: Farmers issues:
Landlessness and land reform and the two
proposals: a) the extension of CARP with
major reforms (CARPER) and the enactment
of a new reform law (GARB).
Fisherfolk issues: loopholes on the imple-
mentation of the Fisheries Code (R.A. 8550),
landlessness, presence of destructive fishing
methods.
Indigenous peoples issues: recognition of
the customary laws and culture of IP com-
munities, the implementation of the IPRA,
and a specific advocacy on opposing the
transfer of NCIP to the DENR.
Rural Women Issues: uphold the welfare
and rights of women, more support to the
special needs of women such as issues of do-
mestic violence, access to basic social ser-
vices, livelihood, family planning and aware-
ness building of women’s rights.
Rural Youth Issues: strengthening their
moral and spiritual foundations – that the
Church and the Academe strengthen their
programs on spiritual and moral value for-
mation.
Other Sectors Issues: Labor related issues,
Mary Mediatrix of all
informal urban settlers, persons with disabili-
ties (PWDs), elderly, small rural traders, mi-
grant and their families and the informal sec-
tor.
We highlight the call to action of the Con-
gress which states: It is imperative that the
dreams and aspirations of NRC-II must be
fulfilled through action.
With the exception of the strengthening of
spiritual foundation and strengthening moral
values which are definitely within the pro-
phetic role of the Church, all other issues
problems of governance and implementa-
tion. Definitely the members of the LAITY
who are in the government, the NGOs, the
professions, civil society, and the private sec-
tor have to be involved since they play ma-
jor roles in governance, implementation,
monitoring and corrective action.
On governance, we have laws, implement-
ing rules and regulations which all the citi-
zenry should abide by and follow. When
there are violations, the courts are there to
mete justice. Integrity, transparency and de-
votion to duty and love of country are what
we expect of politicians who are elected by
our people. The problem starts when
people’s votes are bought by politicians and
in this exchange of money, no matter how
temporary on the poor voter’s economic
relief, this is considered a favor, an act of
the politician that deserves due respect by
the recipient poor—the cultural value of
“utang na loob” It is in this political arena—
the election process that the LAITY should
be actively involved and change the culture
of dependency on the dynasties of politi-
cians.
The six groups and corresponding issues
Bp. Guillermo V. Afable, DD
covered by NRC-II need the election of the
right people that would espouse bills to cor-
rect the present inadequacies in governance
highlighted by NRC-II. How do we get
people that are conversant with church doc-
trines get interested in politics? Since the ac-
tion area for improvement is in governance,
and the root cause of the problem is the elec-
tion of men who place their own personal
aggrandizement over and above those who
they serve, the involvement of the LAITY in
the coming 2010 election is a necessity. Lu-
men Gentium, Christifidelis Laici the papal en-
cyclicals on the lay faithful are clear that poli-
tics is part of the role of the laity.
Canon law prohibits the Hierarchy to be
involved in partisan politics. Hence all orga-
nizations that are public organizations, that
is, reporting directly to the Bishops are not
allowed to be involved in politics. Our “man-
dated” lay organizations whose members are
well evangelized, committed and dedicated
lay people, who can be the catalyst for change
of the present national malaise of graft and
corruption, are not getting involved. How-
ever, a priest has entered politics and is now
involved in governance%Governor Ed
Panlilio of Pampanga. The pressure for
change could not be contained and it seems
that some Lay people are also getting in to
add to the roster of models for good gover-
nance like Grace Padaca, the governor of
Isabela, Jesse Robredo, the mayor of Naga
City and Marides Fernando, mayor of
Marikina City. Unless we have more people
like them that Catholics can elect to repre-
sent our people in Congress, the NRC-II reso-
lutions will not proceed to action and imple-
mentation.
Speaking of Mary
The faithful and
obedient Queen and
Mother
AUGUST 22 marks the Feast of the Queenship of Mary, form-
ing an Octave with the Solemnity of the Assumption of the
Virgin Mary.
In the Jewish tradition, it is the mother of the King that
acts as Queen, owing to the fact that the kings then had so
many wives, it is the mother that consequentially regarded
as queen. But of course, with regard to Our Lord Jesus
Christ, he has no wife, and rightfully, therefore, Mary is the
Queen.
St. Alphonsus Maria Ligouri tells that Mary is Queen and
Mother, but she is to us more Mother than a Queen.
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 teem with
our faithful invoking Our Lady’s help as the Mother of Per-
petual 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 recogni-
tion.
Yet, on the other hand, Marian devotion may be so ex-
tensive but may not be necessarily deep and authentic
enough. 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 de-
votion 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).
The Catechism of the Catholic Church places Mary in
the context of the Credo (the Profession of Faith that starts
with the word, I believe) 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

Grace in Digos
FOR those of you who do not know it yet, Digos is the capital of the
province of Davao del Sur.
Three Mary Mediatrix Churches
On August 22, 2008 feast of the Queenship of Mary, the cathedral
parish in Digos celebrates its 57th Patronal Fiesta of Mary Mediatrix
of all Grace. This does not seem to be extraordinary until one realizes
that in the entire Philippines today, based on the Philippine Catholic
Directory, there are only three churches under the patronage of Mary
Mediatrix. All of them are in the island of Mindanao, namely, the
Cathedral in Kidapawan founded in 1950, North Cotabato, the Ca-
thedral in Digos, founded in 1951, Davao del Sur, and the church in
Zamboanguita, Bukidnon, founded in 1994.
Link to Lipa
When I became the coadjutor bishop of Digos in June 21, 2002 I
became the pastor of the Cathedral. Being a new comer, it was natu-
ral that I inquired about the history of the parish and the unique
titular it had. I slowly began to uncover an interesting little story of
Mary Mediatrix of all Grace in Digos. First, I found it quite a surprise
that according to an earlier research, “for reasons unknown, the pa-
tron of the church in Digos was changed to Mary Mediatrix”. True
enough, when I inquired around, nobody really knew quite well the
circumstances of the change of the patron.
With the help of some friends, we discovered later on that the
change had something to do with the strange and extraordinary hap-
penings in Lipa in 1948. The parish priest of the church in 1951, Fr.
Maurice Levelle, PME wrote, in response to my inquiry, that indeed,
the change was related to the Lipa events in 1948.
From San Isidro to Mary Mediatrix
In 1948, the church in Digos was built under the administration of
the French Canadian missionaries called the PME Fathers. Initially it
had San Isidro Labrador as its patron. When the parish, however, was
formally erected in August 22, 1951 the patron was changed to Our
Lady “Blessed Virgin Mary Mediatrix of all Graces” to the great dis-
pleasure of many inhabitants of Digos.
It became then and now, the one and only church in the entire
Davao area with that unique patron.
The negative judgment
In my further inquiry about the story of the Lipa events in 1948, I
came to find out about the ecclesiastical investigations done and the
final judgment handed down regarding these matters – that there
was no divine intervention connected with these. In the light of this
negative judgment, I understood immediately when Fr. Levelle PME,
the parish priest of the church in Digos in 1951, related in his letter,
that after the negative judgment of ecclesiastical officials on Our
Lady’s apparitions in Lipa, they changed the color of the Mary
DADITAMA
Mediatrix image in Digos. This would seem to explain that hardly
any reference to Lipa was subsequently made, if at all there was.
The Image of Mary Mediatrix of all Grace
According to one of the “cantoras”, at that time, Fr. Levelle came
from Manila one day, bringing with him the image of Mary Mediatrix.
At first, that image was nowhere to be found in the Cathedral. In-
stead, the sacristan led me to the bodega where we found the im-
age—dirty, covered with layers of paint and disfigured. It was no
longer recognizable.
I had this image restored. After it had been cleaned, it was
obviously the image of Our Lady Mediatrix of all Grace with very
close resemblance to the image in Lipa Carmel. It still had the name
plate with the artist’s name on it % Irineo M. Cristobal. Irineo
Cristobal was the same artist who was allegedly pointed out by the
lady in the apparition to make the image of our Lady of Lipa. Now,
that restored image is enshrined once more in the Cathedral in Digos.
The legacy of Msgr. Clovis Thibault, PME
Msgr. Clovis Thibault was then the Prelate of Davao in 1951. He
was the one who erected the new parish in Digos under a new titular.
At first his role would seem merely ministerial, being the Prelate at
the time. But according to a very reliable testimony, Msgr. Thibault
was a very close friend of Bishop Alfredo Obviar, the auxiliary bishop
of Lipa and chaplain of the Carmelite Monastery around the time of
the 1948 events. Even without clear evidence, it would not be diffi-
cult to conclude that Msgr. Thibault had a personal interest in the
choice of a new titular for the new parish in Digos. It is unfortunate
that he had not left any indication of this to anyone now still living
nor in any of his writings. I would like to believe, that it was his way
of somehow providing a memorial for something he might have
considered very significant. And if this were so, then he has suc-
ceeded. Notwithstanding the silence and obscurity through all these
years, Mary Mediatrix of all Grace still lingers on in the hearts and
minds of her devotees in Digos, in Kidapawan, in Zamboanguita,
and throughout the country wherever she is known.
From church to Cathedral
Twenty nine years since the time that Mary Mediatrix of all Grace
found a home in Digos, the Diocese of Digos was erected on Feb. 11,
1980, with the late Bishop Generoso Camiña as the first bishop. The
church in Digos became the Cathedral of the new diocese and has
kept the same title.
For 57 years, Mary Mediatrix of all Grace in Digos has kept the
memory alive, somehow. It has passed the test of time. The Cathe-
dral Parish is now called to bring the faithful to a renewed devotion
to Our Lady, as the Church teaches and encourages. She is called to
nurture among the faithful and all peoples, the kind of Marian devo-
tion % living authentic Faith in unity and love.
relation to Christ, her Son. In fact all the Marian privi-
leges—Immaculate Conception, Perpetual Virginity, As-
sumption—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 re-
deemed by Christ.
And this brings us to a basic truth: Mary was pre-des-
tined to be the Mother of Christ YET God needed her YES,
her FIAT, to effect His plan. God has in-stored for Mary
very wonderful things, so many wonderful things that later
she will proclaim in her Magnificat. But they were just plans
until Our Lady said yes and from then on, they became
realities. Could she have said no? Most certainly, she could
have. She has, as we all have, a free will. Free will is a gift
from God. So great a gift that God fully respects it. It is
what makes us human beings and children of God: we have
freedom! And Mary used that freedom to its fullest perfec-
tion, she perfected her free will by submitting it to God’s
Will.
It sounds paradoxical enough but that is the truth, we
do not lose our freedom when we freely submit it to God,
instead in such submission we discover its fullest mean-
ing. Freedom is not to do what we want, it is to do what is
right and good. The contrary will be the abuse of such
freedom.
And Our Lady, because she was predisposed by God’s
grace, was able to use that freedom well. She uttered her
YES to God’s holy will. She did not lose her freedom by
doing so, she perfected it instead. And she was not forced to
say YES. She freely and joyfully gave her YES. In fact, we
can affirm, it was precisely because of that YES that we can
rightfully call her, Causa Nostrae Laetitiae, Cause of Our Joy.
She caused the world to rejoice when she said her YES to be
the Mother of Christ.
God has wonderful plans for you and me, but He needs our
yes. He will never impose His will on us, He awaits our own fiat to
His will.
In the Blessed Mother, the Virgin Mary, we have not
only someone to extol but someone who is so close to us,
someone to imitate and, in fact, someone who is our co-
pilgrim here on earth: she needed as we do need FAITH
AND OBEDIENCE.
Interestingly, when we examine the etymology of the
word obedience, it reveals to us that it comes from the latin
word, ob-audire, the root word audire which means to listen.
Faith, on other hand, will mean trust and confidence in the
Unseen. The Tagalog translation for faith is rather very rich
and meaningful, pananampalataya which will mean literally
the sense of sight is ceased, pananaw-patay, to believe with-
out seeing.
If faith will mean sense of sight ceases; obedience will

Design for peace
equals war in fact
IT is strange but true that whatever
Malacañang says and does make the country
wonder, keep the public alert and cause fear
among the people. Even other Malacañang
allies and loyalists known or feel the same
but try their best however to keep quiet, less
they be thrown out of their privileged circle.
This popular perplexity, vigilance and appre-
hension are reasonable considering that time
and again, concordant surveys consistently
showed Malacañang to garner lowest in trust
rating and highest in corruption.
The more recent debacle orchestrated by
Malacañang is the much taunted Memoran-
dum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain
(MOA-AD) for peace in Mindanao that instead
brought a fierce war in the region. Reliable
reports not only show, that instead of peace,
tanks are roaring, canons are blazing plus
guns of all makes are spewing bullets. This is
the amazingly disgusting and depressing re-
ality of the incarnate self-contradiction of
Malacañang, viz., while promising peace and
Oscar V. Cruz, DD
harmony in Mindanao, it is instead reaping
the downright killing and wounding of
people, their big displacement and impover-
ishment.
It has now become an open and cruel se-
cret that the MOA-AD is eventually geared at
changing the Philippine Constitution be-
cause the agreement is patently contrary to
the Fundamental Law of the Land. But here it
does not end, there is also the surreptitious
desire and pursuant hideous intent to pro-
long the powerful and capricious Malacañang
reign after 2010—through a constitutional
amendment of one kind or another. This is
deviousness at its best on the part of a gov-
ernment devoid of moral ascendancy but satu-
rated with graft and corrupt practices.
If such is still possible under the ruling
administration: How many more lives have
to be killed? How many more families have
to be impoverished? How many more
barangays especially in Mindanao have to
be made no man’s lands? How many more—
mean the sense of hearing, better yet listening, is vital. And
Mary—by God’s grace—perfectly had both: believing in the
Word that she heard, and trusting in God whom she does
Views and Points not see. And with the eventual birth of Christ, she beheld
and touched whom she believed in and listened to. And
rightfully St. Luke describes for us her continuous reaction
to God’s mysterious plan unfolding: she treasured all things
in her heart. That is to say she trusted in and listened to what
only for Malacañang to hold on to power?
she saw: faith and obedience.
Meanwhile, the killing, the wounding and
Mary not only heard the announcement of the Angel to
displacement of people—all Filipinos—be-
her, she listened intently, and in listening she had her faith
come even more, as the violence and atrocity
and eventual conviction to say, Fiat mihi secundum verbum
in the place go on. When will such atrocities
tuum, Be it done unto me according to your word. And that
to men, women and children eventually end,
word was not a simple word, it is the Word made flesh,
no one can really tell.
Verbum caro factum est. The simple word of a woman was
In fact, the situation has even become
what God needed to give us salvation. Just one word, salva-
more ominous and very dangerous to the
tion and life re-entered the world.
people pf the Philippines—courtesy of om-
Mary, in her faith and obedience, fulfilled God’s plan
niscient Malacañang. There is the standing
for her to be the Mother of the Redeemer. But her fiat was
report that as the MILF is mad at the present
not limited to one single instance. It was one continuous
administration, the MNLF is now in opera-
YES in her entire lifetime. Constantly renewed and nour-
tive sympathy with MILF. Under such a big
ished in faith, in word, and indeed. We can even say, her
predicament, it might good for Malacañang
life itself was her FIAT to God’s Will.
to really know and actually count those in
Hence, in Mary we see the perfect exemplar of faith and
honest and sincere sympathy with it. This
obedience. We imitate her and we ask her as well in our
will not take long.
prayers that she may obtain for us the same faith and obedi-
It is not really downright folly to ask
ence that enabled her to perpetually utter: Fiat Mihi Secun-
Malacañang: What’s next? Emergency rule?
dum Verbum Tuum, Be it done unto me according to your
Martial law? Or is it something else that is
word. Ave Maria! Ad Jesum per Mariam.
neither here nor there? Who knows? What-
ever it be, it cannot be ingenious but gross.
 CBCP Monitor
A6 Local News Vol. 12 No. 17
August 18 - 31, 2008

Priest accuses gov’t using pact

Cardinal Santos hospital
under new management
A KNOWN Catholic Church-run
hospital will temporarily be put
under the control of another hos-
pital and remain open for the
time being, the Archdiocese of
Manila said.
The Cardinal Santos Medical
Center (CSMC) will be under the
management of the Makati Medi-
cal Center, according to Manila
Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal
Rosales in a circular issued for his
clergy.
The move came after the con-
tract of the hospital’s previous
ADMINISTRATORS, the Hospital
Managers, Inc., headed by the
late Hilario Murillo, Sr., expired
last July 31 after a 20-year “Joint
Apostolate Agreement” (JAA)
with the Archdiocese of Manila.
“I would like to inform you that
I have decided to place the care of
the Cardinal Santos Medical Cen-
ter into the courageous individu-
als of the Makati Medical Center,
headed by its Chairman, Mr.
Manuel V. Pangilinan, whom we
have chosen to take the reigns as
for Cha-cha
IT’S just another trick to stay in power. person Atty. Adel Tamano, a Mus-
A known Catholic priest-peace lim, also criticized the government
advocate accused the government for using the peace process for their
of using the land deal with the own political interests.
Moro Islamic Liberation Front for “What is the real purpose here? I
interim opera- served, as cal service to them despite the Charter Change. really believe its Charter change.
tor for a period much as pos- change of management. Fr. Jun Mercado claimed the That is so obvious. On a personal
of six (6) months sible, so as not “The free medical services, as- government has more important note, I’m outrage that they would
commencing on to disrupt the sistance and treatment to bishops, reason than just to attain peace in use something such as the peace pro-
15 August high level of priests, religious and lay person- Mindanao — “for them to remain cess as a way to stay in power. That
2008,” the circu- quality ser- nel duly-accredited by the Ro- in power”, that is. is the height of lack of integrity (of
lar read. vice that the man Catholic Archdiocese of “If you have a different motive this administration),” he said.
R o s a l e s hospital’s pa- Manila shall continue as previ- like constitutional change no mat- While he is for lasting peace in
added that it is tients have ously enjoyed under the Hospi- ter what is written there is okay. Mindanao, Tamano is
during the said grown accus- tal Managers, Inc (HMI),” Rosales You only need to put the provi- unconvinced the deal would be
interim period tomed to. said in his circular. sion there that anything will be ef- beneficial to the people citing the
that the formal “This in- Rosales then expressed his fective upon changing the Consti- lack of sincerity from the part of
selection pro- cludes the con- gratitude to the Murillo family tution,” he said. the government.
cess for the tinued em- and all the medical staff of HMI Mercado is a longtime peace ad- “Some Filipino Muslims are ac-
long-term op- ployment of not only for developing CSMC vocate and has been closely moni- tually angry that I’m speaking out
erator of CSMC all its existing into a world-class hospital but toring the peace process in the war- against the agreement. My posi-
will take place. medical staff, also for providing a place for torn Mindanao region. tion is I believe it won’t truly ben-
“Before the nurses, and comfort to the bishops and priests He said the government knows efit us because they are not negoti-
end of the in- support per- for the past two decades. very well that amending the Con- ating in good faith. They will not
terim period sonnel, with- “Through the years, and with stitution is the only way so that give to us whatever it is in the
the Archdiocese out diminish- the efforts of HMI and the medi- certain things in the agreement agreement because their purpose
shall have cho- Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales, DD ment of sala- cal staff, nurses and employees, will be implemented. is to change the charter,” he said.
sen the long- ries or ben- CSMC developed into a truly The priest, however, doubted He said even the timing of the
term operator efits, as re- world-class facility worthy of the the government’s sincerity as far signing of the memorandum of
that will manage the hospital for quired by law as contractual em- name “Cardinal Santos.” Indeed, as ending decades of rebellion by agreement is “questionable” given
the next 20 years,” said Rosales. ployees,” he said. CSMC has been a place of com- the Muslim separatist rebels is con- that President Gloria Arroyo only
In the meantime, he said, the Rosales also assured his fellow fort, refuge and healing, espe- cerned. has about 2 years left in office.
existing structures and opera- bishops and priests of the cially to our bishops and priests,” “I told some people in govern- “Why do it now in the last 2 min-
tions of the hospital shall be pre- hospital’s continued free medi- he said. (Roy Lagarde) ment that you know very well that utes of this government? If they re-
none of this is deliverable without ally want to come up with that kind
the act of Congress and without of agreement, they could have done

Bishop urges arrest of Islamic militants Charter change and you barely
have a year and a half. So why go
for a piece of paper that will not be
that a long time ago,” he said.
Both Mercado and Tamano,
however, are thankful that the Su-
A ROMAN Catholic bishop has called on the least 28 people, after a peace negotiation with tor Richard Gordon also branded the attack- delivered? What is your motive for preme Court issued a temporary
authorities to arrest Islamic militants respon- the government was stalled early August. ers as “nothing but terrorists” that deserves signing it? Why not leave it to the restraining order (TRO) in the sign-
sible for attacking five towns in Lanao del The largest Islamic rebel group has been punishment. next administration or president? ing of the said MoA.
Norte yesterday. battling for decades to gain freedom and in- “The law must be enforced severely. They Is their real intention is to change “The issues involved here are so
Marbel Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez said if dependence for Mindanao ’s Muslims. should be arrested at all cost,” Gordon said. the Constitution at all cost or for much higher that I think it’s but
the government could not guarantee the se- A series of violent encounters between the But he said the peace negotiation with the any price at the expense of the right that the SC issued its TRO. I
curity of its people, “the rule of law” was MILF and the government forces, however, MILF leadership must continue to achieve the whole peace process in think eventually the real agree-
worthless. raised doubts over peace prospects. long-desired peace in Mindanao . Mindanao?” he asked. ment will be brought to light,”
The bishop has expressed its regret over Philippine Red Cross chairman and Sena- (CBCPNews) United Opposition (UNO) spokes- said Tamano. (CBCPNews)
the incident. At “The Forum”, a Church-
based media discussion, Gutierrez said he is NCCP / A1
hoping the relevant authorities would hold stitution under the present admin- tions”.
a through investigation. istration is “wrought mainly with They said the issues on the
He said the government’s inability to deal the motive for political survival.” Bangsamoro struggle for self-de-
with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front will “Charter Change threatens se- termination are “complex” and the
bring further the ongoing conflict in the riously the remaining nationalist issue on ancestral domain is one
Mindanao region. provisions of the Constitution es- of them.
Gutierrez said the militant groups that at- pecially with respect to national The religious organization said
tacked the towns of Kolambugan, patrimony,” the statement read. the memorandum of agreement
Kauswagan, Linamon, Bacolod and Maigo “It will further liberalize the (MoA) between the two parties is
should be held liable for their unlawful acts. economy and exacerbate the plun- a positive step towards resolving
“They must be arrested and let them pay,” der of the remaining natural the conflict.
said Gutierrez, who is also the vice chairman wealth in Mindanao and else- “But the MoA has raised many
of the Episcopal Commission on Social Ac- where in the archipelago to ad- serious and legitimate questions
tion—Justice and Peace of the Catholic Bish- vance foreign business interests at and doubts are now cast on the sin-
ops’ Conference of the Philippines . the people’s expense,” it added. cerity of Malacañang in the light
“They are criminals and criminals are sup- President Arroyo recently said of the simultaneous resurgence of
posed to be arrested,” he added. she is supporting a shift to federal the moves for Charter Change,”
Monday’s violence was one of the biggest form of government to ensure last- the statement said.
offensives launched by the MILF, killing at Bishop Dinualdo D. Gutierrez, DD (center) speaking at a forum held last August 14. ing peace in Mindanao —a process “Principled negotiations start in
perceived by her critics as her way facing squarely the issues that gave
Peace Talks / A1
to stay in power beyond 2010. rise to the long festering conflict.
the role of non-organizations termediation of a third party to call to everyone that this is one that the peace pact would already The NCCP said they fully sup- Grounded on this, we must con-
that might help to accelerate the make sure that both sides are re- problem that we really have to be the answer to the much sought port the peace process between the tinue to push for genuine peace
peace process. ally sincere at [that they really deal with,” dela Peña said. peace in the war-stricken region. government and the Moro Islamic talks even as we pray that wars
Meanwhile, both Bishops de la fulfill the] agreement. The reli- The bishop said armed con- Dela Peña also called on the Liberation Front (MILF) provided may cease and all people will en-
Peña and Galido appealed to the gious groups from both sides are flicts have always been an im- Muslim insurgents to stop “send- such course should only be joy divine providence more abun-
government and MILF to restrain willing to show that these issues minent threat to many commu- ing their message through guns”, through a “principled negotia- dantly,” it added. (CBCPNews)
from armed conflict as civilian could be solved by consultation,” nities in Mindanao and “we saying it will only aggravate the
NAMFREL / A1
life is at danger causing fear and Ledesma said. should always aspire to move problem.
anxiety. The BUC is willing to partici- forward.” “They have already made their for good governance through our NAMFREL is there to make sure
MILF killed at least 28 civilians pate in the peace efforts, said Arch- “Maybe in a round table dis- point. They have made their volunteer’s efforts in assisting that they do,” said De Villa.
and three soldiers in a series of bishop Antonio Ledesma, former cussion it will be good if this will statement (heard). If this is their particularly the procurement and Through constant inspection
pre-dawn attacks on August 18 in CBCP vice-president. be resolved instead of letting the way to show their point, that’s delivery of textbooks by the and monitoring of textbooks
Mindanao, where the MILF has Religious leaders have the guns do the talking, so to speak,” enough. I hope they would be DepED and medicines by the from the warehouse until these
been waging a separatist rebel- competence to provide “the he said. willing to go back to the negoti- DOH,” NAMFREL Chairperson are delivered to school divi-
lion since 1978. moral and spiritual guidance” to On August 17, four soldiers and ating table and go forward, which Ambassador Henrietta De Villa sions, deficiencies that can bring
the peace process, he said. four militiamen died while 10 is the only way we should go,” said in a statement. losses on the government have
BUC willing to hasten peace ef- BUC, an interfaith group com- others were injured after the he added. NAMFREL sits as observer to been greatly reduced.
forts posed of bishops and Ulamas MILF ambushed a military con- Asked what would be his ad- monitor the procurement and de- The monitoring project dubbed
The Bishop-Ulama Conference (Muslim clergy) in Mindanao and voy in Mulondo, Lanao del Sur. vice to the peace negotiators es- livery of textbooks by the DepEd “Textbook Count” has contrib-
(BUC) of the Philippines is inter- led by Davao Archbishop The incident came at a time pecially from the government and medicines by the DOH. uted a lot in lowering the price of
ested to accelerate peace efforts Fernando Capalla, is now consult- when the peace negotiations be- panel, the prelate said they In a recent survey on perfor- books by 50 percent and reducing
in Mindanao, said Cagayan de ing members on whether they tween the government and the should consider solutions that are mance ratings of government flaws in deliveries by five per cent.
Oro Archbishop Antonio J. would take on the task. MILF got stalled via a temporary “out of the box”. agencies by Pulse Asia, DepEd got Another project that
Ledesma. restraining order issued by the “They should widen their per- an approval rating of 63 percent, NAMFREL coordinates with
Ledesma, head of the Episco- MILF attacks a wake up call Supreme Court. spectives. There should be a new while the DOH got 61 percent. DepEd is “Textbook Walk”,
pal Commission on Inter-Reli- Marawi Bishop Edwin Dela Dela Peña said this could be the paradigm. The framework of De Villa has lauded the posi- where volunteers and compa-
gious Dialogue of the Catholic Peña said the atrocity lodged by way of the MILF to state their constitutional legalities and oth- tive performance of both agen- nies bring textbooks and other
Bishops Conference of the Phil- the Moro separatist rebels at- desire for the need to have the ers should be widened because it cies saying that NAMFREL “con- instructional materials to el-
ippines (CBCP), was responding tacks on some provinces in memorandum of agreement does not work anymore,” he also tinue to advocate concretely for ementary schools.
to President Gloria Macapagal- Mindanao should serve as a signed. said. good governance” through the At the DOH, NAMFREL vol-
Arroyo’s call that BUC should fa- wakeup call to the public and “It’s like the MILF is dramatiz- “Maybe we should come up efforts of its volunteers. unteers are members of the anti-
cilitate peace efforts between the government. ing their sentiment… that they with some compromise because “NAMFREL will always con- corruption unit in the
government and Moro National He said the bloody incident is could use other means if they the old framework does not tinue to collaborate with the ef- department’s central office. The
Liberation Front (MILF), includ- a product of the stalled peace ne- can’t get their demands through work anymore. We should ex- forts of government agencies in team urges the use of stock cards
ing the controversial proposed gotiations and could go worse if the negotiation,” he said. plore and be open to face the their pursuit of removing graft for inventory and computeriza-
memorandum of agreement on apt measures are not immedi- He said the incident is very changes that might work,” dela and corruption as DepEd and tion of supply management both
ancestral domain. ately taken. unfortunate considering that Peña said. (With reports from DOH provide the most basic ser- at the national and regional hos-
“Maybe we should ask the in- “I think this is also a wake up there were already high hopes Roy Lagarde) vices to our people and pitals. (CBCPNews)

Lifeguard / A4

not applicable when the trespasser seeks to pre-
vent harm for himself. In People v. Apolinar, it was
also held that defense of property is not as impor-
tant as the right to life.
Still, to go around the law, there are these legal
counsels of the Reproductive Health Advocacy Net-
work who want to redefine “conception” as the
moment of implantation in the uterus ( bahay bata)
instead of fertilization. Because as you see, hor-
monal contraceptives (pills, injectables, implants)
and IUDs prevent both fertilization and implanta-
tion of an already fertilized egg.
Well, tell that to Henry Campbell Black! His au-
thoritative Black’s Law Dictionary defines conception
as “the fecundation of the female ovum by the male
spermatozoon resulting in human life.”
Obstetricians would also tell you that not all preg-
nancies begin from implantation, but all begin from
fertilization. There is no uterine implantation in
ectopic pregnancies, just like in the recent success-
ful ectopic pregnancy in Australia. The child was
delivered normal and the mother was healthy.
Would the proponents say that there was no preg-
nancy, or there was no baby, because there was no
implantation?
Now some are working for abortion exceptions
here like in Roe, for cases of rape or reasons of
health. But hard cases make bad laws. Rape now
includes “marital rape,” so any pregnant wife can
invoke it for cause. Besides, as Villegas presented
with complete statistics in the Commission, preg-
nancy from rape occurs less that one percent of the
time due to the woman’s decreased fertility under
stress and duress.
As regards the proposed health exception other
than life-threatening illnesses, it can cover just about
anything. Is it not that pregnancy is itself a health
risk? Just as pro-abortion Hillary Clinton said,
“mental health is health.” So if a woman is men-
tally depressed due to pregnancy, out goes the baby.
At the heart of this debate is the philosophy im-
ported from US policies which give value to “free-
dom” and property more than life. It is life, liberty
and property in reverse order. In the words of US
Justice Jackson: “Of the three fundamental prin-
ciples which underlie government…the protection
of life, liberty, and property, the chief of these is
PROPERTY.” Later Roe justices only have to ex-
tend this thinking to the pro-abortion mantra: “My
body, my property, my choice.”
The real Roe today (Norma McCorvey) already
had a change of heart and joined the pro-life move-
ment. In 2004, she filed a case with the US Supreme
Court that her story was all lie and she was used
by her feminist lawyers. She was not raped, nei-
ther did she abort. But the case was dropped as
moot. Now she is appearing in a TV commercial,
explaining what really happened, and hoping that
Americans would reverse a tragedy as they vote in
the elections.
Ironically, presidential hopeful Obama approve
of abortion when most babies being aborted in the
US are Blacks. Considering the pro-life persuasions
of the present US Supreme Court (their latest juris-
prudence in Gonzales v. Carhart prohibiting partial-
birth abortion refers to a fetus as an “unborn child”
and already a “baby,” labels the abortion provider
as “abortion doctor” instead of obstetrician, and
only assumes for the moment Roe’s holding), it is only
one pro-life appointee away before Roe could be
overturned.
Thus, the Democrats are swearing to appoint
justices who will uphold Roe and to use precious
taxpayers’ money to fund abortions globally, in
return for campaign funds they received from abor-
tion clinics. Since American presidents can be re-
elected and their judicial appointees rule for a life-
time, it would take decades to reverse things if
Obama, a.k.a. the Abortion President, wins. Take
it from his words: his first act as president would
not concern economics or the war but to push for
and approve a bill turning down all abortion re-
strictions in the US, then appoint pro-abortion jus-
tices.
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 17
August 18 - 31, 2008 Diocesan News A7

News Briefs Isabela clergy stages

hunger strike against
Ulamas, bishops to initiate peace efforts in Mindanao
CAGAYAN DE ORO City—An inter-faith group composed of Catho-
lic bishops and Muslim scholars expressed its willingness to acceler-
ate its peace efforts in Mindanao. Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, SJ
said that the Bishops-Ulama Conference is responding to the Palace’s
call that the group should facilitate peace dialogues between the

illegal logging
government and MILF. (Santosh Digal)

Bishop: Peace overture brings in war in Mindanao

DAGUPAN City—In a grim twist of irony, a controversial land deal
meant to broker peace has brought war on Mindanao, a senior Catho-
lic bishop lamented. Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz said
it was “strange but true” that amid the memorandum of agreement
on ancestral domain, war is breaking out in Mindanao. (CBCPNews) ILAGAN, Isabela, August 18,
2008—Seven Catholic priests in
Interfaith group for peace agenda Isabela province staged a hunger
MANILA—Amid controversies hounding a proposed territory pact strike as a protest against illegal
with Moro rebels, Malacañang announced it is considering an inter- logging on August 16.
faith group to spearhead peace efforts in Mindanao. “The Bishops- Seven priests led the daylong
Ulama Conference (BUC) an interfaith group composed of bishops hunger strike at the St. Thomas
and ulamas in Mindanao is being considered to lead civil society to de Aquinas Catholic parish in San
see through efforts to bring peace in Mindanao,” said Press Secretary Mariano to urge national govern-
Jesus Dureza. (CBCPNews) ment to act and stop the wide-
spread illegal logging in Isabela,
Bishop warns colleagues vs Arroyo ‘gift giving’ said Fr. John Couvreur, ecology
MANILA—Novaliches Auxiliary Bishop Teodoro Bacani warned his desk head of the social action cen-
colleagues against a possible attempt by President Arroyo to wine ter of Ilagan diocese.
and dine them as a form of “gift-giving” so they will turn a blind eye Illegal logging financiers and
to Charter change. He said bishops must instead sound the alarm their supporters in the govern-
against Malacañang’s drive for federalism, which he said is merely a ment have exploited tree cutters,
Trojan horse hiding Cha-Cha. (CBCPNews) locally known as bugadores, ac-
cording to Couvreur.
Quiapo’s Black Nazarene visits Capiz province In support of the cause for the
CAPIZ City—The image of the Black Nazarene of Quiapo starts a environment spearheaded by the
week-long visit in Sapian town in Capiz province. The image ar- priests, local residents (about 100
rived Aug.15 and will stay until Aug.22. Sapian Mayor Arturo Orosco of them) went to San Mariano
Sr. said the image arrived in Culasi and will be brought to Sapian via parish and skipped lunch to sym-
a motorcade. He said thousands of devotees from all over Western pathize with the clergy.
Visayas are expected to welcome the image, which is believed to While staging the hunger
have miraculous power. (CBCPNews) strike, the priests concelebrated
Mass attended by more than 200
Bishops, ulamas call for integrity in Mindanao peace lay leaders, residents and mem-
DAVAO City— Christian bishops and Muslim ulamas called for bers of various civic groups in Isabela initiated a movement to team as of now. We do not think Sierra Madre.
the province. support the government’s ongo- it will help fight illegal log- For years, the Church in the
“integrity of mind and heart” in resolving the conflict between gov-
ernment and the MILF in North Cotabato. The Bishops Ulama Con- Former American Vice Presi- ing crackdown against logging ging,” said Bishop Rolando Tria Philippines has been spearhead-
dent Al Gore’s documentary, “An activities in the forests of the Si- Tirona, head of the Prelature of ing its advocacy and strong op-
ference (BUC) said it is imperative that Christians, Muslims and
indigenous peoples bring about lasting peace in this way.” Convenors Inconvenient Truth” and a video erra Madre amid threats from il- Infanta, and Fr. Pete Montallana, position to illegal logging across
presentation on aerial surveys legal loggers, said Couvreur. chair of Task Force Sierra Madre, the country as illegal logging
included Davao Archbishop Fernando Capalla, United Church of
Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) Bishop Emeritus Hilario Gomez done by non government groups In a separate development, a in a letter to Environment Sec- causes environmental hazards,
and members of the Isabela anti- Church-based group in Lucena retary Joselito Atienza Jr. dated erratic climate change and dis-
and Ulama League of the Philippines (ULP) Chairman Dr. Hamid
Barra. (Mark Ventura) illegal logging task force on the City (Quezon Province) lashed at Aug. 13. places local inhabitants.
extent of destruction of forests in Department of Environment and The church officials said that The influential Catholic Bish-
Isabela was shown to the public. Natural Resources (DENR) offi- they (church people) are reluctant ops’ Conference of the Philip-
Priest refuses to say Mass unless killings are solved
Poster making, oratorical and cials who have alleged link with to work with DENR officials, as pines has also issued several pas-
DON VICTORIANO, Misamis Occidental— A priest here has sus-
drama competitions on environ- illegal logging criminals in the there is doubt that unscrupulous toral statements in the past on il-
pended masses in a chapel in his parish until justice is given for two mental protection were also held employees from the DENR local legal logging and environmen-
area.
lay leaders who were killed. Fr. Peter Hequielan, pastor of Our Lady
for students, Couvreur said. “We beg to withhold partici- office have been in partnership tal hazards that are prevalent in
of Lourdes Parish, refused to say mass in Sitio Ninang in Turno Earlier, Church groups in with illegal loggers operating in the country. (CBCPNews)
pation from such a monitoring
village in Don Victoriano town until the killers of Eupracia “Nang
Pacing” Aniscal and husband Lorito are brought to justice. “I de-
cided not to celebrate mass in their chapel until justice for the victims
[is obtained] because for me as parish priest it [is] valuable to em-
phasize the good service of Nang Pacing as an active chapel presi-
dent of Sitio Ninang,” he said. (Wendell Talibong)
Repro health bills unconstitutional,
Symposium underscores ill effects of media on family
values
NAGA City— A symposium focusing on the ill effects of media on
morally unacceptable, says Capiz diocese
ROXAS CITY, August 19, 2008—The contro- issue. of the spouses, especially, the wife, stated
family relationships and values was held last August 9 at the Holy
versial reproductive health bills pending in “This shameful railroading of a seriously the pastoral letter.
Rosary Minor Seminary, Naga City. Invited as speaker in the forum
Congress are unconstitutional and morally flawed bill by our elected and trusted law- The prelate denounced the stand of the
was Professor Bernard Cañaveral, a lecturer on media literacy and
unacceptable, according to a pastoral letter makers is, indeed, a manifestation of the sad government that linked responsible parent-
host of the popular radio program ‘Pamilya Muna’ over Radio Veritas.
released by the Archdiocese of Capiz. state of governance in our country,” said the hood to family size limitation in responding
Cañaveral is also the Executive Director of the Family Holy Rosary
“We strongly condemn this reproductive pastoral letter. to the pervasive problem of poverty.
Crusade in Metro Manila. (Elmer Abad)
health bill as an outright violation of the fun- The Church stressed that the bill’s defini- The main root of poverty was not popula-
damental rights of men, women, children and tion of reproductive health is patterned after tion growth, but the widespread corruption
Priest chides government on ‘over-population’
families enshrined in our Philippine Consti- the United Nation’s Program of Action in within the government and the “scandalous
mentality tution and a blatant opposition to our moral Cairo, Egypt, which advocated artificial con- selfishness of the wealthy,” said Capiz dio-
NAGA City—The director of Family Ministry in the archdiocese of principles as a Christian nation,” said Capiz traception and abortion of unwanted preg- cese.
Caceres criticized the national government for creating a mentality Archbishop Onesimo C. Gordoncillo in a nancies for the sake of the “physical, mental “Other ambiguous terms like family plan-
of “over population” which some lawmakers are too quick to sup- pastoral letter read in all churches. and social well-being” of both man and ning, reproductive health right, health edu-
port. Fr. William Santiago said the issue becomes a convenient “scape- The consolidated bills are House Bill 17 woman. cation and health care, gender quality and
goat to cover-up for the shortcomings of government when it comes (Responsible Parenthood and Population De- The pastoral letter differed from the way equity, among others, just heighten our sus-
to good governance.” (Elmer Abad) velopment), HB 812 (The Reproductive Care government interpreted responsible par- picions that the bill is primarily and truly
Act) and HB 2753 (The Women’s Right to enthood and how the Church defined it. For anti-life, anti-marriage, and anti-family,” the
Caritas Vigan sustains rice and other social action Know and Act), with Representative Edcel the Church, the term referred to the cre- pastoral letter stressed.
programs Lagman as the principal author. ation of conditions necessary for the hus- The reproductive health bills essentially
VIGAN City—The Social Action Commission or Caritas of the Arch- Gordoncillo said that the House of Repre- band and wife to procreate, such as the as- contradict the moral convictions and reli-
diocese of Nueva Segovia (ANS) continued its self-sustaining rice sentatives failed to hold a public consulta- surance of a dignified life for their future gious beliefs of Catholics, said Gordoncillo.
program dubbed Bigasan ng Parokya, which it initiated at the height of tion on the bills to listen to all sides of the child and health consideration on the part (Santosh Digal)
the national rice crisis in mid-May this year. From an initial 20 cavans
per week, Caritas-ANS in Vigan has increased its supply to locals of
up to 40 cavans per week of NFA rice. Thirteen other parishes have
since implemented similar Bigasan ng Parokya rice programs for their
ISABELA CITY, Basilan, August 12,
2008 -- Barely two hours after the
August 11 elections in the Autono-
PPCRV: harassments, ballot box snatching
mark Basilan elections
parishioners. (Fran Quitoriano)
mous Region in Muslim Mindanao
(ARMM) started, cases of harass-
‘Truth Fest’ set for August 22-23
ment and ballot box snatching had
MANILA—The Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Phil-
been recorded by a poll watchdog
ippines hopes to gather some 50,000 well-meaning Filipinos to the
in Basilan province. Chairman Darius Jannatul of of ARMM are using the Optical Still in Basilan, LENTE volunteers
first “Truth Fest” scheduled from 3:00 p.m. on August 22 to 6:00 a.m. Marks Reader as part of the auto- reported 67 per cent of the votes
Juan Clements Francisco, the Limbocandis said “armed men be-
on August 23, 2008. AMRSWP chairperson Sr. Mary John Mananzan,
pointperson for the Parish Pastoral lieved to be members of the Moro mation of the elections. The OMR were already counted as the pro-
OSB, said the festival will be held at Baywalk-Roxas Boulevard from is only for automated counting and vincial canvassing began at about
Council for Responsible Voting Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)
Pedro Gil to Quirino Avenue. (CBCPNews)
(PPCRV) in Basilan, said that “re- snatched one ballot box” some- canvassing, and voters still have to 10:00 a.m. Two municipalities have
ports coming from the poll volun- where between his area and fill out a ballot. not submitted their reports because
62 dioceses to join National Family Bible Quiz
teers indicate several cases of ha- Barangay Baiwas. The other provinces that utilize of an encounter between govern-
MANILA—Sixty-two archdioceses and dioceses have signified their rassments and ballot snatching” in The loss of the ballot box and its OMR are Shariff Kabungsuan, ment troopers and MILF rebels.
participation for the 3rd National Family Bible Quiz scheduled for at least four villages of the prov- documents disenfranchised at least Lanao del Sur, Sulu, and Tawi-tawi. LENTE volunteers, composed of
January 2009 according to National Chairperson Ms. Elvira Go. “I ince. 1,000 voters in the area. Only Maguindanao has fully lawyers and paralegal workers,
am happy because even the Military Ordinariate of the Philippines As early as 8:30 a.m. of August Jannatul also reported that “as of computerized the elections with the Church personnel and students re-
under Bishop Leopoldo Tumulak opted to join the contest,” Ms. Go 11, PPCRV volunteers in Barangay 10:54 a.m., undetermined number use of paperless direct recording ported difficulties with the count-
said. She said elimination rounds have been held in eight dioceses Upper Bañas of Lantawan town re- of armed men occupied a school in electronic machines. The system ing machine as ballots were ren-
across the country. (Melo Acuña) ported the election in the village Barangay Benembengan.” promises a quicker voting process dered invalid due to ink and smear
was “deemed completed” as ten- He said the armed men were be- and minimum chances of electoral marks on several ballots. (Antonio
Police arrests four other suspects in bishop’s mugging sions rose when village officials lieved to be MILF fighters, but this fraud. Manaytay/ CBCPNews)
OZAMIZ City—Four other people suspected to be involved in the interfered and stopped the voting, could not be confirmed.
mugging of Archbishop Jesus Dosado, CM, were arrested by police Francisco said. Two hours later, the MILF chief negotiator Mohagher
operatives here. The suspects were identified as Renante Perez, 26 voting resumed. Iqbal had not replied to a text mes-
years old; Ivo Lahaylahay, 29 years old; residents of Barangay Baybay In Barangay Parian Baunoh of the sage verifying the report.
Triumfo; Rolando Malubay, 33 years old and his brother Michael same town, no more voters went Senior Supt. Salik Macapantar,
Manubay 28 years old both living in Barangay Villa Consuelo, this to the precincts by 10 a.m. Basilan provincial police director,
city. Earlier, Crit Bardillas, a 22 year-old resident of Barangay Baybay “Our volunteers have also noted was also reached for comment
Triumfo was nabbed by police in connection with the robbery. the unusual thinness of people who through his mobile phone, but poor
(Wendell Talibong) lined up to vote,” Francisco re-
vealed.
signal cut short the conversation
with him.
Read the daily church news
Forum on rice crisis held in Ateneo
QUEZON City—Ateneo de Manila University held a forum on the
PPCRV fielded a total of 218 poll
volunteers in 567 clustered precincts
According to PPCRV, local offi-
cials of the Commission on Elec-
at www.cbcpnews.com or
rice crisis last August 6. Stephen Anderson, country director of the
United Nations World Food Program (UNWFP), led the forum at
in the province. tions decided to transfer the poll- cbcpnews.net.
A case of ballot box snatching ing centers of Barangays Luukbait,
the Escaler Hall, Ateneo Loyola Heights campus organized by the was reported in Sumisip, the south- Sukaten, Limbocandis, and Upper To receive free daily online dispatch of
Development Society, the Development Studies Program, UNWFP ernmost town of the province. Benembengan to Barangay Mangal CBCPNews, email request for a free subscrip-
and the Sanggunian ng mga Mag-Aaral ng Ateneo. (Santosh Digal) In his report to the PPCRV pro- of the same town. tion to cbcpnews@cbcpworld.net
vincial headquarters, Barangay Basilan and four other provinces
 CBCP Monitor
A8 People, Facts & Places Vol. 12 No. 17
August 18 - 31, 2008

Markings
ORDAINED. Most Rev. Joseph
Nacua as new bishop of Ilagan
by Tuguegarao Archbishop
Diosdado Talamayan, at the St.
Joseph the Worker Cathedral,
Zamboanga Sibugay, August 19,
2008. Apostolic nuncio in the Phil-
ippines Archbishop Edward Jo-
seph Edward Joseph Adams
served as homilist. The first Fili-
pino Capuchin to become bishop,
Nacua succeeded Bishop Sergio
Utleg who was appointed bishop of Laoag in November 2006.
Nacua was born in Mankayan, Benguet, on January 5, 1945. He
pursued his philosophical studies at the Capuchin House of
Studies in Kerala, India and his theological studies at the Capu-
chin Theology House in Pamplona, Navarra, Spain. Subse-
quently, he achieved a Master of Arts degree at the Asian Social
Institute of Manila, a Licentiate in Spirituality at the Pontifical
University Gregoriana in Rome and a Doctoral in Spirituality at
Bishop Honesto Ongtioco of Cubao leads the delegates of Luzon Jurisdiction to the 126th Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus, where they garnered numerous awards; St. Bonaventure University in New York. He professed his per-
in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, August 5-7, 2008; not in picture are the delegates from Visayas and Mindanao. petual vows in the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin on Septem-
ber 16, 1967, and was ordained a priest on June 26, 1971. From

Maasin holds first

1971 to 1974 he was Guardian and Rector of the Our Lady of
Lourdes Seminary in Lipa. Subsequently, he became a member
of the Provincial Council, Master of Novices, Director of Studies
and Vicar provincial. From 1994 to 2000, for two terms, he had
been Minister Provincial of the Philippine province. From 2000

Diocesan Synod
to 2006 he was a Definitor General for Asia at the General Curia
of the Capuchins in Rome.

CELEBRATED. Most Rev.

CROWNING the cel-
ebration of its 40th
Foundation Anniver-
sary, the Diocese of
Maasin, Southern
Leyte, held its first-
ever Diocesan Synod
Participated in by
291 participants—
the clergy, religious,
and laity from
Maasin’s 41 par-
ishes—the Synod
was declared closed
on August 16 by
Maasin prelate, Most
Rev. Precioso D.
Cantillas, SDB, DD.
“The population of
the diocese carries a
high percentage of
young people, and
we are blessed with
a good number of
enthusiastic and gen-
erous youth who
participate in all as-
Francisco C. San Diego, DD,
Bishop of the Diocese of Pasig,
pects of Church life Amiel Borneo, Docu- T. Ataviado, DD. 25th anniversary of Episcopal
and community mentations head of The Diocese of ordination; August 9, 2008.
building,” Cantillas the Synod, said. Maasin comprises Appointed Coadjutor bishop
said. Carrying the dis- the entire province of Palawan on June 6, 1983, he
The Synod was tinction of having of Southern Leyte, was ordained to the episcopacy
also blessed with the under its jurisdiction and the towns of on August 10, 1983. He was
visit of the Papal the island of Matalon, Bato, named Apostolic Vicar of
Nuncio to the Philip- Limasawa where the Hilongos, Hindang, Palawan by Pope John Paul II
pines, Archbishop first Mass in the Phil- Inopacan and Baybay on December 18, 1987, succeeding Most Rev. Gregorio Espiga,
Edward Joseph ippines was held on in the province of OAR. In 1995, he was appointed bishop of San Pablo and stayed
Adams, DD, who ar- March 31, 1521, the Leyte. as its ordinary until 2003. When the ecclesiastical district of
rived on August 14 at Diocese of Maasin From 1595 to 1910, Pasig was erected a diocese, he was appointed its bishop and
noon and served as chose to celebrate its the area which now was installed on August 21, 2003. He is currently a member of
main presider at the First Synod with the comprises the Dio- CBCP Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care, CBCP
40th Anniversary theme “Unite All cese of Maasin be- Pension Plan, Episcopal Commission on Canon Law and Pondo
Mass at 5:00 pm. Things in Christ” longed to the diocese ng Pinoy Finance Committee. He is also the Chairman of Caritas
“Bishop Cantillas (Eph. 1:10). of Cebu; then to the Manila Restorative Justice Committee and Board Member of
on August 14, last The Diocese of diocese of Calbayog PREIC Veritas, Pondo ng Pinoy and Caritas Manila.
year convoked the Maasin was canoni- from 1910 to 1937.
First Diocesan cally erected on Au- From 1937 to 1968 it CELEBRATED. Pontifical In-
Synod, and since gust 14, 1968, through came under the juris- stitute for Foreign Missions,
then we had been a Papal Decree issued diction of the Diocese (PIME) 40 years of presence in
preparing for it on March 23, 1968. In of Palo in Leyte. To- the Philippines, August 8,
through prayer and June 1968 Maasin re- day it is a suffragan 2008, with a Eucharistic cel-
participation in all ceived its first bishop of the Archdiocese of ebration presided by Most.
Papal Nuncio in the Philippines. Archbishop Edward
Chapel and Parish with the appointment Cebu. (Teresa R. Joseph Adams, DD led the celebration of the 40th Foun- Rev. Luis Antonio Tagle,
consultations,” Fr. of Most Rev. Vicente Tunay, OCDS) dation Anniversary Mass of Maasin Diocese last Aug. 14. bishop of Imus at the PIME
seminary in Tagaytay.

Iligan holds silver jubilee retreat

affair was part of their one year
Silver Jubilee celebration which
began November last year.
The prelate said the retreat was
an opportunity for the clergy, re-
ligious men and women and lay
people to discern concerns and is-
sues on how to work together to
enhance and strengthen the Basic
Ecclesial Community (BEC) in
their local church.
“This is our opportunity to un-
derstand the great call of
Gagmayng Simbahanong
Katilingban (Basic Ecclesial Com-
munity) to understand what the
Keynote speaker His Eminence Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales, Arch- community is especially if we
bishop of Manila explaining the role of the loving community of the Holy
Trinity as the source of strength to enhance BEC. base it to the community of God,”
Galido stressed.
THE Diocese of Iligan held its Silver Jubilee The participants included all members of
Retreat to further strengthen the faithful’s the clergy, religious men and women, dioc-
spiritual life and grow in holiness according esan representatives from mandated organi-
to the tenets of Basic Ecclesial Community. zations and movements, and 10 representa-
More than 400 participants have registered tives from each parish composed of the Par-
for the three-day Silver Jubilee Retreat which ish Pastoral Council President, BEC Coordi-
began August 6 at the Redemptorist Shrine, nator, Liturgical Ministers’ Coordinator,
Tibanga District, Iligan City. The theme was Youth Coordinator, Bible Apostolate Coor-
“Basic Ecclesial Community (BEC) Spiritual- dinator, FLA Coordinator, Social Action Co-
ity and Way of being Church. ordinator, Parish Fiscal and Catechists Coor-
In an interview with CBCPNews, Iligan dinators.
at 5:30 pm led by Iligan Vicar General Msgr.
Jemar L. Vera Cruz at the Redemptorist
Shrine, the retreat had Manila Archbishop
Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales as keynote
speaker.
Rosales explained the loving role of the
Holy Trinity as a community to strengthen
the Basic Ecclesial Community and the con-
solidated mission of BEC together with the
core values of family.
In a separate interview the Cardinal said
his talk centered on the love of God because
God’s love is the center of all communities.
“This love is communal just as God is a
community of the Father, Son and the Holy
Spirit that we call “Trinidad” and our mis-
sion is to continue and renew the love of
God,” Rosales said. (Wendell Talibong)
Participants of the Silver Jubilee Retreat attentively lis-
Œ³
Founded in Italy in 1850, PIME
is a Society of Apostolic Life
of priests and laymen who
dedicate their lives to the mis-
sion among non-Christians in the five continents. PIME first
arrived in Mindanao in 1969 to work mostly among the rural
population of Muslims and natives. The first mission post of
PIME in Mindanao was Siocon, pioneered by Fr. Egidio Biffi
who arrived there in July 1969, followed by Frs. Santo Di Guardo
(March 1970) and Angelo Biancat (April 1971). There are now 21
foreign PIME priests working in nine parishes/missions and
one seminary in the dioceses of San Jose de Antique, Dipolog,
Imus, Kidapawan, Paranaque, Zamboanga and Prelature of Ipil.
Currently PIME has one Filipino and two foreign deacons, and
16 scholastics. Four Filipino priests and two scholastics are in
mission abroad. The promotion of interreligious dialogue
through Silsilah Islam-Christian Dialogue Center in Zamboanga
is one of the exemplary contributions of PIME’s apostolic works
in the country.
CELEBRATED. Congregation
of the Missionary Catechists
of St. Therese (MCST), 50th an-
niversary of foundation, Au-
gust 12, 2008, St. Ferdinand Ca-
thedral, Lucena City. The con-
gregation was founded By
Bishop Alfredo Maria Aranda
Obviar, first bishop of Lucena,
who saw the need for cat-
echists who will teach Chris-
tian doctrine in public schools
in his diocese. The religious
institute founded on August 12, 1958 in San Narciso, Quezon,
now has 280 sisters with 52 mission houses throughout the coun-

Bishop Elenito De Los Reyes Galido said the Officially opened with a concelebrated mass tening to Cardinal Rosales try. It has also spread outside the Philippines with 12 mission
houses abroad – in Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, Papua New
Guinea, Africa, United States and Sint Maarten, Netherlands
Legazpi launches book in his PIME gets Ateneo special awards Antilles.

31st year as archbishop CELEBRATED. Sr. Marites Bacani

TO commemorate his 31st year
as archbishop of Caceres, Arch-
bishop Leonardo Z. Legazpi, OP,
launched a book he penned,
titled “The Caceres Experience on
August 8 at Naga Parochial
School, Naga City.
“This book will surely inspire
and will be of interest not only to
the faithful and the clergy in the
archdiocese but also to others out-
side of Caceres especially on the
initiatives and advocacies spear-
headed by Archbishop Legazpi,”
said Fr. Luisito Occiano, director
of Caceres Commission on Com-
munications.
Occiano said the book can be
made as useful models in these
challenging times when it comes
to effective evangelization work
which the church wishes to
achieve.
He said the book launch co-
incided with the 31st year anni-
versary of Archbishop Legazpi as
head of the Archdiocese of
Caceres.
Legazpi was appointed 31 years
ago by Pope Paul VI to succeed
then Archbishop Teopisto
Alberto, D.D. whose resignation
was accepted by the Holy Father
due to old age and health reasons.
The archbishop’s stint as head
of the archdiocese has been color-
ful and full of accomplishments
marked by the creation of new
parishes to address the ever-
growing needs of the faithful.
Considered as a landmark in his
administration was the creation of
the Prelature of Libmanan, con-
sisting mostly of the parishes and
municipalities in the first district
of Camarines Sur and the efforts
exerted by the archdiocese’s Social
Action Center which focuses on
poverty eradication initiatives.
(Elmer Abad)
A TRAILBLAZING missionary
group with Italian roots, the
Pontificio Instituto Missioni Estere or
Pontifical Institute for Foreign Mis-
sions (PIME) will receive the Arch-
bishop Luis V. Del Rosario SJ DD
Award, given to individuals and
groups that have shown “great
care for others especially in the
religious, spiritual, and social
spheres of activity.”
PIME priests have served the
poor and marginalized in
Mindanao, southern Philippines,
since they first came here in 1969.
Their missionary work is charac-
terized by a strong sense of dia-
logue with the local people.
“The Archbishop Luis V. Del
Rosario SJ, DD Award” is one of
Ateneo’s Special Awards given
annually by Ateneo de
Zamboanga University (ADZU)
the Jesuit University in Western
Mindanao, said its president Fr.
Antonio F. Moreno, SJ in a state-
ment.
The award is named after the
first Archbishop of Zamboanga, a
Jesuit.
The prestigious award is con-
ferred in order to “support groups
or persons who are in the forefront
of undertaking exemplary and out-
standing service to the commu-
nity,” according to the letter an-
nouncing the award sent by Fr.
Moreno to Fr. Giovanni Battista
Sandalo, PIME Regional Superior.
Fr. Moreno added that “PIME
has been in this part of the country
for 40 years now quietly under-
taking its mission even at the ex-
pense of the lives of its members.
With great pleasure and honor, we
gladly grant PIME this award.”
The award will be received on
behalf of the PIME missionaries
working in the Philippines by Fr.
Giulio Mariani, Director of the
Euntes Asian Center, representing
the Regional Superior who will
not be able to attend the ceremony.
(Santosh Digal)
Buensuceso, DC, first profession of vows,
August 15, 2008 at St. Louise de Marillac
Chapel, Parañaque. The Eucharistic cel-
ebration was presided by Fr. Randy Agner,
CM. Born in San Mariano, Isabela,
Buensuceso earned her degree in Social
Work at St. Paul University, in Tuguegarao,
Cagayan. In April 2000, she entered the
aspirancy program of the congregation of
the Daughters of Charity and became a
member on September 2, 2001. She is cur-
rently assigned at the social service at St. Peregrine Develop-
ment Center; a center for urban poor.
CELEBRATED. Sr. Ma. Gelin S. Cotiamco of Bañadero, Ozamiz
City; Sr. Ma. Denith H. Enguito, of Kauswagan, Tangub City; Sr.
Betsy B. España of Maranding, Lala, Lanao del Norte; Sr. Ma.
Rosita N. Nalagon of Iloilo City; Sr. Ma. Jocelyn A. Malangit of
Fuentes, Iligan City; Sr. Ma. Jarriet L. Signar of Maranding, Lala,
Lanao del Norte; and Sr. Ma. Sonia G. Yurong of Lugait, Misamis
Oriental, perpetual profession of vows among the Missionary
Sisters of Our Lady of Triumph of the Cross (MSOLTC); August
15, 2008. The Eucharistic celebration presided by Ozamiz Vicar
General Msgr. Emie O. Bienes was held at the Immaculate Con-
ception Cathedral, Ozamiz City.
 CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 17
August 18 - 31, 2008
B1

Pastoral Concerns

‘Paul Wants to Speak What is the MOA-AD in the

MILF-GRP Peace Process?
With Us Today’ By Archbishop Orlando B. Quevedo, O.M.I.

What is the MOA-AD?

(Homily of His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI at the vespers of the feast of Sts. Peter and It is the Memorandum of Agreement between the Moro
Paul held at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, the inaugural ceremony of the Islamic Liberation Front and the Government of the Republic
of the Philippines that consists of statements agreed upon by
Pauline Jubilee Year, June 30, 2008) consensus between the peace panels of both parties. It deals
with Concepts and Principles, Territory, Resources, Gover-
nance of the Ancestral Domain of the Bangsamoro.

WE are gathered before the tomb of St. Paul, ticipate in these moments of prayer and re- of Jesus Christ. What is the
© Roy Lagarde / CBCP Media

who was born 2,000 years ago in Tarsus of
Cilicia, in present-day Turkey. Who was this
Paul? In the temple of Jerusalem, before an
agitated crowd that wanted to kill him, he
introduced himself with these words: “I am
a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but educated
in this city, instructed at the feet of Gamaliel
in the exact observance of the Law of our
fathers; I was full of zeal for God.” At the end
of his journey he would say of himself: “I
have been made a herald and apostle, teacher
of the Gentiles in the faith and in the truth.
Teacher of the Gentiles, apostle and herald
of Jesus Christ, thus he characterized himself
in a retrospective look over his life. How-
ever, he did not look only to the past.
“Teacher of the Gentiles”—this word opens
to the future, which we recall with venera-
tion. He is, also for us,
our teacher, apostle and
herald of Jesus Christ. For many, Paul appears as a combative
Therefore, we have
come together not to man who knows how to use the sword
flection with him and all of us. I greet the For many, Paul appears as a combative Bangsamoro people?
fraternal delegates of the Churches that have man who knows how to use the sword of the According to the
a special bond with the Apostle Paul—Jerusa- word. Indeed, in his path as apostle, there MOA, the
lem, Antioch, Cyprus and Greece—that form was no lack of disputes. He did not seek a Bangsamoro people
part of the geographic environment of the superficial harmony. In his first letter dedi- “refers to those who
apostle’s life before his arrival in Rome. I cated to the Thessalonians, he himself says: are natives or original
cordially greet the brothers of the different “We had the courage in our God to declare to inhabitants of
Churches and ecclesial communities of the you the Gospel of God in face of great oppo- Mindanao and its ad-
East and West, together with all of you I have sition. …For we never used either words of jacent islands includ-
wished to take part in this solemn opening flattery, as you know, or a cloak for greed.” ing Palawan and the
of the year dedicated to the Apostles of the The truth was too great for him to be ready Sulu archipelago at
Gentiles. to sacrifice it in view of an external success. the time of conquest
We are gathered, therefore, to questions The truth he had experienced in his encoun- or colonization and
ourselves about the great apostle of the Gen- ter with the Risen One merited for him their descendants
tiles. Not only do we ask ourselves, “Who struggle, persecution, and suffering. How- whether mixed or of
was Paul?” Above all, we ask ourselves “Who ever, what motivated him in the depth of his full native blood.
is Paul?” “What is he saying to me?” At this being was being loved by Jesus Christ and Spouses and their de-
hour of the beginning of the Pauline year the desire to transmit this love to others. Paul scendants are classi-
was someone able to fied as Bangsamoro.
love, and all his work The freedom of choice
and suffering is ex- of the indigenous
plained from this center.
The concepts under-
people shall be respected.”

reflect on a past history, of the word. Indeed, in his path as
irrevocably surpassed.
Paul wants to speak with
apostle, there was no lack of disputes.
us today. That is why I He did not seek a superficial harmony.
wanted to convoke this
special “Pauline year”:
to listen to him and to drink from him, as
our teacher, in the faith and truth, in which
are rooted the reasons for unity among the
disciples of Christ. In this perspective, I
wished to light—for this bimillenary of the
apostle’s birth—a special “Pauline Flame,”
which will remain lit during the whole year,
in a special niche placed in the portico of the
basilica. To solemnize this event, I have also
opened the so-named Pauline Door, through
which I entered the basilica accompanied by
the patriarch of Constantinople, the cardinal
archpriest and other religious authorities.
For me it is a motive of profound joy that
the opening of the Pauline year assumes a
special ecumenical character, given the pres-
ence of numerous delegates and representa-
tives of other Churches and ecclesial com-
munities, which I welcome with an open
heart. I greet first of all His Holiness Patri-
arch Bartholomew I and the members of the
delegation accompanying him, as well as the
large group of laymen from several parts of
the world who have come to Rome to par-
that we are inaugurating, I would like to
choose three texts from the rich testimony of
the New Testament, in which [Paul’s] inner
physiognomy appears, that which is specific
about his character.
In the Letter to the Galatians, he has given
us a very personal profession of faith, in
which he opens his heart to the readers of all
times and reveals what is the most profound
source of his life: “I live in the faith of the Son
of God who loved me and gave himself up
for me.” All that Paul does starts from this
center. His faith is the experience of being
loved by Jesus Christ in a totally personal
way; it is awareness of the fact that Christ
faced death not for something anonymous,
but for love of him, of Paul, and that, risen,
Christ still loves him, has given himself for
him. His faith is having been captured by the
love of Jesus Christ, a love that affects him in
his innermost being and transforms him. His
faith is not a theory, an option about God or
the world. His faith is the impact of the love
of God on his heart. So, this faith itself is love
lying his proclamation
can only be understood
on the basis of this. Let
us take only one of his
key words: freedom.
The experience of being
loved to the end by Christ opened his eyes
about truth and the path of human existence;
that experience embraced everything. Paul
was free as a man loved by God that, in vir-
tue of God, was able to love together with
him. This love is now the “law” of his life
and, precisely thus, was the freedom of his
life. He speaks and acts, moved by the re-
sponsibility of love; he is free, and given that
he is one who loves, he lives totally in the
responsibility of this love and does not take
freedom as a pretext for pleasure and ego-
ism. He who loves Christ as Paul loved him,
can truly do what he wills, because his love
is united to the will of Christ and, therefore,
to the will of God, because his will is an-
chored in truth and because his will is no
longer simply his will, arbiter of his autono-
mous I, but is integrated in the freedom of
God and from it receives the path to follow.
In the search for St. Paul’s inner physiog-
nomy, I would like, in the second place, to
recall the word that the Risen Christ spoke to
Paul / B6
What is the Bangsamoro homeland?
Historically the Bangsamoro homeland consisted of the
territory under the control or influence of the Moro Sultan-
ates. But now as described by the MOA, the Bangsamoro an-
cestral domain would only include the present territorial ter-
ritory of the ARMM (Autonomous Region of Muslim
Mindanao) as its core and additional barangays in Region IX,
XII, and Palawan. More than 700 barangays outside ARMM
would be restored to the ancestral domain, subject to plebi-
scite within 12 months after the signing of the MOA. More
towns would be included, again subject to plebiscite after 25
years. Moreover, this Bangsamoro ancestral domain would
consist of land, waters, seas, air, and other resources.
What is the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE)?
The territory described above would have a juridical per-
sonality. It is a juridical entity that would have its own form
of government and would exercise authority and jurisdiction
over the Bangsamoro ancestral domain.
How will the BJE relate to the Republic of the Philippines?
The MOA is silent about the issue whether or not the BJE is
part and parcel of the Republic of the Philippines. Instead it
recognizes “the Central Government,” and establishes “asso-
ciative relationship and associative arrangements” between
BJE and GRP, as well as “shared authority over territory”
“shared responsibility” “sharing of resources,” etc., with a
period of transition specifying the relationship. But the MOA
MOA-AD/ B2
 CBCP Monitor
B2 Updates Vol. 12 No. 17
August 18 - 31, 2008

Religious freedom
And the possible setting up of
Islamic States within the
Republic of the Philippines
By Jaime B. Achacoso, J.C.D.

THANK you for enlightening your readers on the teaching office of

the episcopal conference. As a follow-up to that article, would you be
kind enough as to now explain the rights and duties of the ordinary
faithful as regards the Magisterium of the Church? Specifically, I
would like to be enlightened on the possible fate of the Catholic faithful
—who are a sizeable minority—in those areas of Mindanao which may
possibly be set up as Islamic States in the event of a Federal system of
government in the Philippines.

AT the outset, I would like to declare my incompetence to

write about the implications of the setting up of a Federal
system of government in the Philippines, as my expertise is
Canon Law, not Constitutional Law of the State. I shall limit
myself, therefore, to answering the first part of the question
enunciated above, leaving the finer points of the second part
to a possible article by a Constitutionalist.

Religious freedom
The Second Vatican Council dedicated a whole document to
the subject of religious freedom.1 The fundamental affirma-
tion of the Council is as follows:
The human person has the right to religious freedom. This freedom
consists in that all men, within due limits, should be free from all
coercion—whether from particular persons, social groups or what-
ever human power—in a manner such that in religious matters no
one should be obliged to act contrary to his conscience or to be impeded
Illustration by Bladimer Usi
from acting according to it, whether publicly or privately, alone or in
association with others... Freedom of religion is founded in the very
dignity of the human person, as known through the revealed Word of
God and through human reason (DH, 2).
This basic freedom has been formalized (elaborated) in the
Code into a set of rights and duties, which we can summarize
as follows.

A. Rights and duties of all persons with respect to the recep-

tion of the Word.
The first block of rights and duties positivized (expressed as

Precious Blood for

a juridic and not just an ethical reality) and formalized (articu-
lated in the legal system) in the Code of Canon Law as expres-
sions of religious freedom are applicable to all persons, and
not just to the Catholic faithful.
1) Right-duty to seek the true religion: All persons are bound
to seek the truth in matters concerning God and God’s Church (c.748,
§1 in principio). Without descending to casuistry, given the easy

young children
(Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university, answers the following questions:)
Q1 : I am a religion teacher at a primary
school in the United States. Right now we
are learning about the sacraments, particu-
larly about the Eucharist. My students (ages
10 to 11) have asked me many times why the
“wine” is not offered to children, even when
they are serving at the altar as acolytes. I as-
sume that the prohibition to drink alcohol in
the United States until you are an adult has
to do with it, but as my son once told a friend
who is a priest, it is not wine%it is the Blood
of Christ. Is there any rule or policy regard-
ing distributing the “wine” to children, other
than the same pastoral reason for which it is
not distributed to the whole congregation,
for the sake of time?—B.L., Key Biscayne,
Florida.
Q2 : In our own church, at busy Masses we
have the habit of having one Eucharistic min-
ister going down to the back of the church in
order to distribute Communion. Personally
I would much prefer to see Communion dis-
tributed from the step of the sanctuary. I was
wondering if the rubrics have any guidelines
on the matter. I find distribution at the rear
of the church leads to a big crowd of people
clustering around the minister and making
reception of Communion look a bit of a
mess.—J.McE., Dundalk, Ireland
A: Unless there are specific diocesan poli-
cies, I know of no general rule excluding chil-
dren from receiving the Precious Blood.
Certainly in most Eastern Churches, which
always administer Communion under both
species, even very small children receive the
Eucharist in this manner. Many of these
Churches distribute the two species together,
directly to the mouth, using a special spoon.
Although I am unaware if the question has
been legally tested in the United States, I doubt
that there are serious legal concerns regarding
distribution of the Precious Blood to children.
If the U.S. Supreme Court can justify ad-
mitting the use of an illegal hallucinogen to
a specific group in the name of religious free-
dom, then a few drops of what is apparently
an alcoholic beverage is unlikely to muster a
challenge.
Of more concern is the possibility of an
adverse reflex reaction to wine on the part of
young children unused to its strong taste,
especially when the most common form of
distribution is directly from the chalice. It is
also more likely that children could drop the
chalice.
This difficulty can be remedied by initiat-
ing children to Communion under both
kinds under the form of intinction in which a
corner of the host is dipped in the chalice and
placed directly upon the tongue. This allows
them to gradually become accustomed to the
taste as well as obtaining the spiritual ben-
efit of receiving both species.
It has the added advantage of introducing
them to the possibility of receiving the host
on the tongue in places where receiving on
the hand has not only been permitted but has
become the only option explained to young
children.
Regarding the manner of distributing
Communion, No. 160 of the General Instruc-
tion of the Roman Missal (U.S. version) says:
“The priest then takes the paten or ciborium
and goes to the communicants, who, as a rule,
approach in a procession.
“The faithful are not permitted to take the
consecrated bread or the sacred chalice by
themselves and, still less, to hand them from
one to another. The norm for reception of
Holy Communion in the dioceses of the
United States is standing. Communicants
should not be denied Holy Communion be-
cause they kneel. Rather, such instances should
be addressed pastorally, by providing the
faithful with proper catechesis on the reasons
for this norm.
“When receiving Holy Communion, the
communicant bows his or her head before
the Sacrament as a gesture of reverence and
receives the Body of the Lord from the min-
ister. The consecrated host may be received
either on the tongue or in the hand, at the
discretion of each communicant. When Holy
Communion is received under both kinds,
the sign of reverence is also made before re-
ceiving the Precious Blood.”
The expression “as a rule” means that this is
the best option. But it does not exclude other
possibilities if logistical difficulties make it
impractical for all to approach the presbytery
or sanctuary in a reasonable lapse of time.
However, other solutions should always
ensure a dignified approach to Communion
and the possibility of making a suitable act
of reverence including kneeling in those
countries where the bishops’ conferences
have not specified another habitual form of
reception (as is the case of Italy and most
other countries).
Going to the back of the church, as our
reader has noticed, can lead to disorganiza-
tion. This makes it easier for hosts to fall and
for people with evil intentions to steal a sa-
cred host.
Therefore, in conclusion, it is best that all
communicants approach the presbytery area
to receive Communion, even from several
ministers. If this is not practically possible,
then I would suggest using side altars as suit-
able distribution points. If there are no suit-
able side altars, then I suggest setting up tem-
porary fixed spots for distributing the Eu-
charist at which the minister of holy Com-
munion remains in place while the faithful
approach him or her.
If possible, this place could be slightly el-
evated above the floor so as to make admin-
istration easier for the minister and facilitate
the possibility of kneeling to those faithful
who choose to do so.
access to information in the modern world, we can venture to
affirm that hardly anybody in the civilized world should al-
lege invincible ignorance as regards the teachings of the Catho-
lic Church.
2) Right-duty to embrace the true religion: By divine law (all
persons) also are obliged and have the right to embrace and to observe
that truth which they have recognized (c.748, §1 in fine ). Since reli-
gion is a basic act of man—a spontaneous reaction to the natu-
ral knowledge of God—this canon is nothing but a
positivization of a norm of Natural Law, against any pretense
of atheism or agnosticism.
3) Freedom from coercion to embrace the Catholic faith:
Persons cannot ever be forced by anyone to embrace the Catholic faith
against their conscience (c.748, §2). This is really nothing else but
the application of the principle of freedom of religion to the
case of the Catholic religion.
It is interesting to note that the canon is careful to specify
that such freedom is premised on the existence of an acting
conscience, thereby excluding the case of the baptism of in-
fants—who are baptized without, though not against, their con-
sent but based on the faith of their parents or guardians.
B. Rights and duties of the faithful in the reception, conserva-
tion and transmission of the Word.
The next group of rights and duties articulated in the Code
are proper to the Catholic faithful as subjects of Canon Law.
1) Fundamental right to receive an integral catechesis. The
Christian faithful, since they are called by baptism to lead a life in
conformity with the teaching of the Gospel, have the right to a Chris-
tian education by which they will be properly instructed so as to
develop the maturity of a human person and at the same time come to
know and live the mystery of salvation (c.217). This canon, situated
under the title of Obligations and Rights of All Christian Faithful,
corresponds to the duty of the Church to evangelize.
2) Freedom of inquiry and expression. Those who are engaged in
the sacred disciplines enjoy a just freedom of inquiry and of prudently
expressing their opinions on matters in which they have expertise,
while observing a due respect for the magisterium of the Church (c.218).
This is a hotly debated subject, which we can only briefly men-
tion here. It includes basically two elements or dimensions:
1st Just freedom of inquiry—which means it is neither an un-
limited freedom (it is bound to the truth and not contrary to
Law) nor an abusive freedom (it is restricted to what is debat-
able, avoiding unjustifiable doctrinal deviations), but rather
one which respects the limits of the Word of God, is exercised
in communion with the Church and with the due obsequium
(religious respect) towards its magisterium.
2nd Freedom to express with prudence—which means the free-
dom to express what has been reached by the exercise of free-
dom of inquiry, but in such a way as not to mislead the faith-
ful. This precludes presenting personal opinions and hypoth-
esis as doctrines of the Church, but rather implies choosing the
Freedom / B7

MOA-AD / B1

also states that “The Parties shall faith-
fully comply with their commitment to
the associative arrangements upon en-
try into force of the Comprehensive
Compact.” Therefore, it may be under-
stood that the “relationship of associa-
tive arrangements” will continue even
after the BJE shall have been “fully en-
trenched and established in the basic law
of the BJE.”
Will private owners lose their proper-
ties in the BJE?
The MOA expressly enjoins that
“Vested proprietary rights upon the en-
trenchment of the BJE shall be recognized
and respected subject to paragraph 9 of
the strand on Resources.” Paragraph 9
of the strand of Resources refers to for-
est concessions, timber licenses, con-
tracts or agreements, mining conces-
sions, mineral production and Sharing
Agreements, Industrial Forest Manage-
ment Agreements, etc. By such reference,
privately owned farms and other prop-
erties would be respected by the BJE.
What changes took place through the years
in the Bangsamoro ancestral domain?
To answer the question and to have a
better understanding of the MOA-AD,
we need to have a quick recall of his-
tory. Islam arrived in the Philippines 200
years before Christianity arrived. Even-
tually and before the Spaniards came a
regime of sultans began. From that time
on the Bangsamoro people have asserted
and exercised self-determination and
sovereignty over their ancestral domain,
until the effective political power of the
sultanates faded away. The Bangsamoro
people came under the control of the
Americans. The ancestral domain of the
Bangsamoro people became public do-
main.
But even when the Americans gave
independence to the Philippines, many
of the Bangsamoro people continued to
assert their claim to self-determination
and sovereignty rather than be under the
authority of the Philippine government.
Successive waves of migrants from the
Visayas and Luzon in the 1900s, autho-
rized by a series of public laws, gained
land titles in the form of torrens titles as
against the native titles of the
Bangsamoro people.
The population pattern in Mindanao
significantly changed from the 1920s to
the 1960s. In the 1930s the great majority
of Mindanao people were Muslims and
Indigenous Peoples (IP), with a small
minority of Christians. By the time the
waves of migrations ended in the 1960s,
Christians constituted the great major-
ity of Mindanao people, with a minor-
ity of Muslim and IPs. In other words
the Bangsamoro became a minority in
their own ancestral domain. Difference
in concepts regarding land ownership
also contributed to these major changes
in the ancestral Bangsamoro ancestral
domain.
How does the MOA-AD respond to the
loss of ancestral domain?
The MOA-AD restores a certain self-
determination and sovereignty to the
Bangsamoro people in their own home-
land. Because of historical development
since the 1900s the Bangsamoro ances-
tral domain/homeland is no longer of
the same extent over which the sultan-
ates once held sway. It is now limited
territorially to what is described in #3
above. The MOA-AD also follows the
principle that the IPRA law grants to the
Indigenous Peoples, i.e., that their an-
cestral domain is not part of the public
domain. The many details regarding
concepts and principles, territory, re-
sources and governance remain subject
of negotiations in view of a Compre-
hensive Peace Pact. The concrete type of
governance that would be established
by and in the Bangsamoro Juridical En-
tity would be determined by a basic law.
Ultimately the changes regarding terri-
tory will depend on the Congress of the
Philippines and peoples’ referendum.
 CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 17
August 18 - 31, 2008
By Fr. Willie Jones Ducusin
THE existence of the Church in the Arch-
diocese of Nueva Segovia (ANS) spans
more than 400 years of Christianity. As
in other parts of the archipelago, Chris-
tianity in Nueva Segovia arrived with
colonization. It has been the journey of
a people shaped by varied historical,
political, socio-cultural and religious
factors.
Seed Sown and Grown
The Diocese of Nueva Segovia, with
those of Cebu and Nueva Caceres were
established by Pope Clement VIII on
August 14, 1595 by virtue of the Papal
Bull, Super Specula Militantis Ecclesia. Fray
Miguel de Benavidez, OP was the first
bishop of this ecclesiastical jurisdiction
which comprised the provinces of Ilocos
Norte, Ilocos Sur, Abra, La Union,
Pangasinan, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva
Vizcaya, Batanes, Mountain Province and
five northern towns of Tarlac.
Although Vigan was the oldest town
created by the Spaniards in the North, it
was not made the seat of the new dio-
cese created for Northern Luzon. Nueva
Segovia, a city at the mouth of the Ibanag
River in Cagayan was then a flourish-
ing Spanish settlement while Vigan was
only a pueblo , a town. Eventually, how-
ever, the city of Nueva Segovia was in-
undated by the floods of the Rio Grande
and the seat was provisionally trans-
ferred to the nearby town of Lal-lo,
Cagayan. On September 7, 1758,
the seat was permanently
transferred to Vigan
which was simul-
taneously el-
evated to
the
Diocese
Ilocano majority who speak the main seeds of faith. Those who followed in
dialect, Ilocano. Livelihood includes their footsteps took upon themselves the
farming, aqua culture, pottery and ce- task of watering and cultivating these.
ramics, weaving, bamboo craft, small- As a pastoral thrust, the Archdiocese
time fishing and retail business. Outside gathers its efforts and resources to build,
the rainy season, small farmlands are sustain and nourish Basic Ecclesial Com-
hardly arable for rice for lack of proper munities (BEC) locally called Simbaan
irrigation. Alternative crops for the dry Sangkakarrubaan (SISA), literally, Church
season include tobacco, corn, garlic, on- in the Neighborhood.
ions and vegetables.
The Archdiocese is subdivided into A Eucharistic Congress towards an
five vicariates comprised of 40 parishes, Archdiocesan Pastoral Thrust
all of which have resident pastors. Struc- It was in 1987 when the Archdiocese,
tures for participation and empower- led by then Archbishop Orlando
ment – Pastoral and Finance Councils – Quevedo banking on the pastoral gains
are in place in all the parishes. Collabo- of his predecessors, ventured into an
rating with the Archbishop in the Archdiocesan Eucharistic Congress.
growth of the Church are 74 priests, and Those who participated in the Congress
communities of religious women and the saw the real situation of the local Church
lay. particularly the disturbing dichotomy
Christian formation of the young is between faith and life. The need for com-
undertaken by two Catholic Colleges, munion, genuine concern for the poor, a
eight parochial schools and educational holistic faith with a strong social dimen-
institutions run by the Religious. The sion, holistic pastoral care with a special
Immaculate Conception Minor Semi- concern for the poor in the villages were
nary is a high school seminary nurtur- among the challenges identified. The
ing the priestly desire in young boys pastoral thrust was thus defined in the
while the Immaculate Conception Building of Ecclesial Communities
School of Theology, the Regional The- (BEC).
ology Seminary forms seminar- i a n s The BEC was specially tailored for the
not only for Nueva Segovia but Archdiocese: communities centered in
for the whole of Northern Christ, active in the defense and promo-
Luzon. tion of the dignity of every human per-
An AM radio son especially the poor and down-
station, trodden, ready and willing to
DZNS give themselves
eucharistically to others,
struggling with others
in the building of a
just, peaceful
and loving
society,
and
B3
Plan for the archdiocese was drawn up. At NSPA-I, the Pastoral Vision-Mis-
The point of departure was the general sion of ANS as articulated was a guiding
socio-economic, political, cultural and desideratum for pastoral initiatives, a
religious condition, a situation that de- summary of the resolve for renewal, for
manded conversion and renewal – re- “a new way of being Church”. The years
newed discipleship characterized by in- that followed saw attempts at imple-
tegral evangelization towards a mature menting the envisioned programs
and active faith, preferential option for through coordinated efforts of the vari-
the poor, people empowerment and ous commissions and apostolates.
participation, community orientation
and inculturation. NSPA-I resolutions Once more, “Into the deep”
for renewal included the areas of wor- In 2003, on the occasion of the 50th An-
ship and liturgy, formation and niversary of Nueva Segovia as an arch-
catechesis, social concerns, becoming a diocese, then Archbishop Edmundo
community of disciples, institutions and Abaya reiterated the need to “put out
temporalities. A time line for implemen- into the deep” and to consciously strive
tation, lead implementing agents and to realize the vision of NSPA-I. In 2005
structures for monitoring and evaluation his successor Archbishop Ernesto
were set. The point of arrival was NSPA- Salgado led the re-launching of the
I’s vision—the Archdiocese as a Com- Archdiocese’s pastoral thrust urging all
munion of SISA’s, a Community of Dis- priests, religious and lay faithful to col-
ciples, a Church of the Poor, a Participa- laborate in making Nueva Segovia a vi-
tory Church, an inculturated Church, a brant Local Church of Communion by
Church actively renewing society. trying new ways of being SISA.
Structures for the realization of the pas-
toral thrust were painstakingly set up – Conversion, Renewal, Evangelization
lay leadership, formation of the clergy, and Mission
accountability, alignment of parish and This year, 2008,
commission programs. Contrary struc- ANS celebrates
tures, on the other hand, were gradually 250 years of
but bravely dismantled.
A new breed of lay leaders from t h e
grassroots arose finding new
confidence in their ability to
lead their communities in
prayer and decision-making
through dialogue and partici-
pation.
A modified tithing
system and renewed fi-
nancial systems were
seen as a way of instill-
ing a sense of steward-
ship as well as a shar-
ing in the
church’s
work
o f

Ar chdiocese of
Nueva Segovia
ON BACKGROUND: Metropolitan
Cathedral of S t. Paul the Apostle. RIGHT:
Archbishop Ernesto A. Salgado, DD

status of ciudad. The transfer was made
at the request of Bishop Juan de la Fuente
Yepes during the Pontificate of Benedict
XIV. This year, 2008, marks the 250 th year
of the transfer.
The Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia
Nueva Segovia was elevated to an
Archdiocese and separated from Manila
on June 29, 1951, by virtue of the Papal
Bull of Pope Pius XII, Quo in Philippina
Republica. As the other local churches
matured, they were eventually weaned
from the archdiocese. Presently, Nueva
Segovia covers the civil Province of
Ilocos Sur, with the Dioceses of Laoag,
Bangued and Baguio, and the Vicariate
of Bontoc-Lagawe as suffragans. The
Most Reverend Santiago C. Sancho was
named first archbishop of the newly el-
evated metropolitan church. After him
came five other Ordinaries of Nueva
Segovia: Archbishops Juan C. Sison, Jose
T. Sanchez, Orlando B. Quevedo,
Edmundo M. Abaya and currently,
Ernesto A. Salgado, its 36 th bishop and
6 th archbishop.
Ilocos Sur, the locus of the Archdio-
cese lies at the northwestern coast of
Luzon, bounded on the west by the
China Sea, on the east by the Cordillera
mountain ranges, on the north by the
Province of Ilocos Norte, and the south
by the Province of La Union. Vigan, capi-
tal of Ilocos Sur and approximately 408
kilometers south of Laoag, is seat of the
archdiocese. The province is 2,647 square
kilometers of sandy, rocky and relatively
fertile land. On the western side are
mountainous regions where traveling
and communication remain a challenge
as the roads are poor, few and far in be-
tween. The heavy and continuous rain-
fall during the wet season makes the
mountain roads almost impassable, iso-
lating eight towns on the eastern side
from the lowlands.
The people are mostly rural. Cultural
and ethnic groups include the Kankana-
ey, Bag-o, Itneg, Tingguian and the
(963 Khz) founded in 1968, a
weekly newspaper, Timek ti
Amianan, founded in 1983, and a
printing press, the Imprenta Nueva
Segovia founded in 1995 serve the
call to bring the Good News to a
greater number of people through
media.
Becoming a truly Local Church
The local Church of Nueva Segovia
exerts all its efforts towards becoming a
relevant servant of the Kingdom in her
particular milieu, the Province of Ilocos
Sur, and the ecclesial reality of Nueva
Segovia.
Family, religion and education remain
foremost values for the Ilocanos. These,
however, are constantly being chal-
lenged. Close family ties are valued but
parents are forced into leaving the prov-
Archbishop Salgado with the diocesan clergy of Nueva Segovia.
ince and the country as they seek better
employment opportunities. The locals
have remained relatively religious but
secularization has crept in contributing
to the dwindling attendance at Sunday
Mass and other key areas of Church life.
Many families send their children to
school hoping for a better life for them
but many of them drop out before they
even reach college due to meager re-
sources. A persistent bane of the prov-
ince is the political culture which per-
petuates poverty and underdevelop-
ment.
The missionaries of old sowed the
constantly striving to be a sign of the
Kingdom community to come, to be a
living memorial of Jesus and of the com-
munity that gave thanks to the Father
and broke bread with Him.
Difficult but necessary steps had to be
taken: renewal of the clergy, formation
of lay leaders, reorientation of pro-
grams, experimentation with a modified
tithing system and financial stewardship
and accountability on the archdiocesan
level.
NSPA-I: Towards New Life in Christ.
Five years after the Eucharistic Con-
gress, and two years after the Second
Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP-
II), the First Nueva Segovia Pastoral As-
sembly (NSPA-I) was convoked. Dur-
ing the Easter week of 1993, two hun-
dred delegates gathered at the Immacu-
late Conception School of Theology to
discern, resolve and move “Towards a
New Life in Christ” (Eph 4:17-24) seek-
ing to inculturate PCP-II.
NSPA-I was an exercise in commun-
ion, solidarity and empowerment. The
parish councils and renewed and em-
powered lay leaders found a new pasto-
ral role. NSPA-I was the real beginning
of lay participation in decision-making.
Some 80 per cent of the interventions at
the plenary assemblies were theirs and
consensus was achieved among the
clergy, religious and the lay.
A general framework for a Pastoral
evangelization among the
faithful.
Finances were entrusted IMPORTANT FACTS
into the hands of lay people.
The clergy took the radical Archbishop ………………………… 1
step realizing that “merce- Archbishop-Emeritus ...…………… 1
nary” and mundane pur- Priests:
suits run contrary to ser- Diocesan ………...……………….. 93
vant-leadership and soli- Religious
darity with the poor. The Filipino ………….………………. 3
Foreigner ……………………….. 1
priests’ monthly stipends Sisters:
were standardized—a cru- Filipino …….....…………………... 126
cial move. As Archbishop Seminaries:
Quevedo put it— ”In this High School …...…………………. 1
very important and delicate Theology …………………………. 1
area of finance, the laity has Diocesan Divisions:
been empowered and the Vicariates ...………………………. 5
priests have gained inner free- Parishes ….……………………… 40
dom to devote time to the pas- Population ….……………….. 639,467
toral care of parishioners.” Catholics ….……………….. 527,927
Area ……….………… 2,647 sq. kms.
NSPA-I called for yet an-
the transfer of its seat from Lal-lo in
Cagayan to Vigan in the Ilocos. The
Vigan Cathedral’s titular is the Conver-
sion of St. Paul. This year has been de-
clared Pauline Jubilee Year by the Holy
Father, Benedict XVI, a second great rea-
son for celebration among the faithful
of Nueva Segovia. This 15th year after
NSPA also marks the silver anniversary
year of three ANS ministries: Caritas
Nueva Segovia, Timek ti Amianan, the
Catholic weekly and the Integral Youth
Ministry.
In line with the universal Church’s
celebration of the bi-millenia of the birth
of the great apostle to the Gentiles St
Paul, Nueva Segovia has charted year-
long activities to promote conversion,
renewal, evangelization and mission.
Among them are the strengthening of
other difficult but necessary step for the the ministries, base-level formation, pil-
Church: to disengage itself from poli- grimages to the Cathedral and to the
tics and preserve the Church’s moral as- provisional seat of Lal-lo, Pauline
cendancy. Political education was insti- catechesis in the schools, circles of dis-
tutionalized as part of the Social Action cussion and reflection on being Church,
Commission’s Program for Responsible and ecumenical endeavors.
Citizenship (PRC). A desk for indig- After 413 years as a Diocese, 250 years
enous people, the Indigenous People’s since its transfer to a new seat in Vigan,
Apostolate of Nueva Segovia (IPANS) 57 years as an Archdiocese and 15 years
was set up which sought to foster after NSPA-I, the local church of Nueva
conscientization, advocacy and self-re- Segovia journeys on amidst lights and
liance for the indigenous people to shadows towards becoming a clear, un-
strengthen their self-respect and confi- mistakable and witnessing sign and in-
dence in their ability to rise above their strument of the Kingdom of God – the
poverty. only reason for its existence.
 CBCP Monitor
B4 Features Vol. 12 No. 17
August 18 - 31, 2008

Reproductive
Health
By Linda Valenzona
HISTORY now traces the origin
of the world-wide birth control
program to racists and eugeni-
cists who wanted to regulate the
fertility among the “fit” and the
“unfit.” The racist par excellence
was of course Hitler who exter-
minated the Jews in the Holo-
caust to glorify the Aryan race.
In the US the American Eugenics
Society promoted laws that ster-
ilized the unfit—retarded and
insane persons and the physically
unfit. As it turned out Racists and
Eugenicists (now called Social
Biologists) came to have the same
goal—to limit the fertility of
Third World Countries where
people of color (black, brown,
yellow) and poor people (unfit
to breed) are found. Rockefeller
and Ford Foundation funded the
first population control program
in India.
Understanding these ideologi-
cal roots helps one realize that
there is very little difference be-
tween Hitler’s holocaust and the
present day population control.
Hitler was exterminating adults
while population control kills the
baby in the womb. Hitler wanted
to exterminate the Jewish Race.
Population control is also a form
of genocide because a race that
does not give birth is doomed to
extinction. Regardless of what
individual human beings intend
Nature’s object in reproduction
is to ensure the survival of the
specie and when this is thwarted
specie survival becomes at risk.
When eugenics became closely
associated with the horrors of the
Holocaust “birth control” was
replaced with “family planning.”
Propaganda hyped this term to
persuade poor people that they
should stop making poor choices.
The ability to plan and be master
of all the surveys gives family
planning the appeal that now it
is possible to have some measure
of control over one’s life. Propa-
ganda made planned families
synonymous to smaller, more
beautiful families surrounded by
consumer goods and sometimes
explicitly promises of better
housing, health care and educa-
tion. Moreover, family planning
also conveyed a value that was
perfectly compatible with most
aspects of conventional morality
such as condemnation of abor-
tion, disapproval of pre-marital
intercourse, respect for religious
teachings and cultural taboos. But
in time the term family planning
became as jaded as it came to be
known for what it really is—dis-
tribution of contraceptives.
Like the phoenix of Greek my-
thology the birth control pro-
gram is now re-emerging as re-
productive health championing
the cause of women. Reproduc-
tion refers to the biological pro-
cess by which many living spe-
cies generate life. Catholics are
more familiar with the term pro-
creation since it implies that
something beyond the biologi-
cal plane is happening in human
conception—God infusing a soul
to the new human life that is cre-
ated when the sperm fertilizes the
ovum. The operative question is
how then did reproductive health
become so lethal to the baby in
the mother’s womb?
It all began with Margaret
Sanger, a key player in the popu-
lation control movement. She
was a radical feminist at heart.
She landed in jail while champi-
oning contraception as the key
to woman’s sexual freedom at the
turn of the century when the
Comstock Law outlawed contra-
ception. She eventually came to
realize that she could achieve the
same end by working closely
with racists and eugenicists who
were capitalizing on contracep-
tives for the population control
movement. It was in fact her or-
ganizational genius that set up
the International Planned Parent-
hood as a global federation of
NGOs representing the private
sector arm promoting family
planning. She also paid a pivotal
role in getting the population
control program entrenched in
the UN and through her the radi-
cal feminist came to be critically
positioned in the UN to promote
their feminist agenda.
Actually feminism, racism and
eugenists are strange bedfellows
in the population control move-
ment. Everyone is familiar with
the millions of women all over
the world victimized by the side
effects of the pill, infections
caused by the IUD, etc. If truly
the feminists are real champions
of the cause of women they
should spurn any involvement
with a movement that has been
and continues to perpetrate hu-
Reproductive / B7

Organizing the Vocation Ministry

By Fr. Joel Francis Victorino
WORKING for a particular ministry in
the Church is not an easy task. It entails
a lot of dedication not only to the work
assigned for the minister to accomplish,
but to the immensity of the call put upon
the shoulders of the minister. This can
be said with all the offices and minis-
tries—the social action, evangelization,
youth, etc. Working for the vocation
ministry is no different.
The ministry of vocation animation
and promotion is a specialized task.
Unfortunately, a number of those as-
signed to be vocation ministers were
never ready for such a task. Some were
assigned because no one else wanted the
job. Others didn’t simply think of this as
a “serious” ministry. There are voca-
tion directors who go through the mo-
tions of their role only out of obedience
to their bishops or local superiors, while
a good number take on their functions
without proper orientation and training.
But one can only enter into the reality
of being an honest-to-goodness vocation
minister if he/she engages and take a
deep plunge to where God has brought
the person. A vocation minister is a chan-
nel of God’s call. The minister cannot
just allow oneself to enter into vocation
ministry without having the heart for it.
This article is not about a step-by-step
module of ministry organization. It does
not even give a detailed map of how to
go about the intricacies of vocation ani-
mation. But it will try to give heart to
and challenge those assigned in voca-
tion promotion to see this ministry as
something crucial to the growth of the
Church and the formation of people, es-
pecially the young ones. It also hopes to
boost the morale of the people in this
field of work and encourage others
(priests, religious and laity alike) to
bring about a renewed “heart and soul”
to the task, that is continuing the work
of “the Lord of the Harvest”—the God of
Vocations…
(V) Vocation
It must be clear to you that the ministry
you are committing yourself into is one
that deals with “the Call.” So, you must be
the very first one to believe that in every
call, there must be a concrete response. If
you take on this challenge of being a voca-
tion minister, live each day by saying “yes”
with a joyful heart. Even if at first you don’t
like the appointment given to you by your
bishop or superior, grow in it. Sooner or
later, instead of having a rebellious heart
because you were given an appointment
you never wanted, you will find joy in this
ministry. You can thus say, “This is the min-
istry entrusted to me, thus I challenge myself to
help build the Church by providing Her with
more people willing to say “yes”!
(O) Organize
Get organized! Once you are ap-
pointed, meet with your bishop or su-
perior. You are already given the man-
date. Convince the clergy of the great
need to form the vocation ministry. Try
to see how you can make things work.
Perhaps you can organize the diocesan
vocation ministry by gathering people
already interested in vocation animation
and promotion. See the possibility of
forming a vocation team in every par-
ish of the diocese. Our lay people are
excited to help out in the promotion of
vocations since they have seen, first-
hand, the need for more priests and con-
secrated men and women in our times.
[C] Call on People
One cannot do it alone. Forming the
vocation ministry is a dauntless task. It
needs the support of as many people as
possible. In an age when we are com-
peting with media and other “disvalues”
brought about by current trends to get
the attention of the young people, we
need as many helps as possible. Meet
with vocation promoters from the dif-
ferent congregations and institutes. Call
on the people previously involved in
vocation activities (e.g. Association of
St. John Mary Vianney, Serra Club,
Knights of Columbus).
[A] Assess and Plan Your Activities
When you have formed your group,
start assessing. What parameters are you
working on? How will you move ahead
in your ministry? Will the diocese pro-
vide funds for your programs or activi-
ties? Perhaps you could conduct a needs
assessment workshop in order to be sure
that you are going in the proper direc-
tion. Then you can create a mission/vi-
sion of the ministry. Set goals and start
planning out activities for the whole
year. Remember that this is still an or-
ganization where structures need to be
built. Remember the Benedictine adage:
“ora et labora.” There is so much to do
and accomplish in this ministry.
[T] Teamwork(s)
You can be a success story if the voca-
tion ministry you are forming will have
the diocesan clergy, the religious and
laity as part of the team. They don’t all
have to be part of the team, but they must
all have the heart of a convinced voca-
tion promoter. A team in order to be
sure that you are going in the proper
direction works if there is teamwork!
You have perhaps met vocation promot-
ers from different congregations or dio-
ceses fighting among themselves be-
cause they make it a fierce competition
as to what is the best community to join
in, or who can get the most number of
candidates to their institute. We can work
hand in hand in promoting vocations.
Remember that although we have our
own charisms and local Churches to
help, it is only to Jesus that we are re-
sponding to. We have to do away as to
which is the best religious community
and work together as we share “the Call”
to all.
[I] Invest and Innovate (in programs and
activities)
As we have said, we compete with
many things that this world is offering
to get the attention of possible candi-
dates to the priestly and religious life.
We cannot just be content with what we
have. We must invest in new programs
and activities so that we can catch the
attention of the young people. Times are
hard and money is hard to find. But we
have to maximize our resources in or-
der to put forward our mission and min-
istry – even in the most unconventional
ways. We need to innovate. Sometimes,
we live in a too structured world that
any church activity is misconstrued to
be boring and lifeless. People, especially
the youth, thus get to be less attracted to
the real “call” from God since they are
shown a life that is closed to many things.
Let our programs and activities speak
about God’s call in a new and innova-
tive way.
[O] Open
The best thing in vocation animation
is that it is open to many things that may
come its way. Programs and activities
need not be relegated only to search-ins,
putting up of vocation posters, or giving
vocation talks and the likes. Open your-
self to all possibilities! Experiment and
enjoy the ministry even by “speaking the
language” of the young people! Our
Church has made it this far because it is
not an outmoded community. Jesus was,
in a sense, radical because he opened up
to people a “call” that was ever new.
Have you tried organizing a “gimik” night
for the young people by means of the
priests and religious brewing and serv-
ing coffee “Starbucks” style? They called
it “StarVocs.” By the way, the barista
priests and nuns were a hit – go and ask
those from the vocation ministries in
Cubao and Antipolo!
[N] Network
Although this word might sound so
consumerist, there is great need to net-
work. There must be as big as an in-
volvement as possible among all the
members of the Church. We need to tap
as many willing volunteers as we can.
In fact, it is a joy for many families to see
a family member joining the priesthood
or religious life. They see it as a blessing
from God. Involve the catechists in your
parish and the youth ministry in the vari-
ous activities that will help promote
vocations. Make good use of mass me-
dia in networking purposes. Set up a
web site for vocations or e-mail group-
ings (You can try going to the following
websites that can help in your vocation
ministry: www.dvp.com.ph /
www.vocationsonline.net /
www.vocations.com). Hey, we even
have priests and nuns on friendster (with
one sister telling me that just recently,
she was able to help one young lady dis-
cern her vocation to the religious life
because of her friendster account!) Now,
that is real networking!
[S] Shoot for it!
Some might find this ministry quite
boring and meant only for the religious
who wants to add more members to its
rooster. Thus, they don’t find it interest-
ing and worth their time and effort. As
opposed to the dynamism of those in
the youth ministry, there are those who
would even say that the vocation pro-
motion ministry can do with personnel
who are old, infirmed and have nothing
else to do (it’s as if these people are of no
use anymore to society!) And that’s what
we see in many parishes! But there is so
much energy to be found in this minis-
try! What can be more meaningful than
following the footsteps of Jesus in mak-
ing that effort “to call” others to follow
Him? Go for it! It is all worthwhile. I
have seen many vocation programs and
activities being promoted by both the
young and the old. So age doesn’t really
matter. It is the attitude and the convic-
tion that we give and share to others.
We cannot afford to dilly-dally and say,
“later na lang” (I’ll do it later) or “I have
more important things to do.” If we are not
attracted to this ministry that has been
entrusted to us, how can we attract oth-
ers to make the choice of God in their
lives? No one is too young or too old
for this ministry, so shoot for it!
In 1973, Pope Paul VI met with a large
group of vocation promoters. He said:
“Your task of promoting vocations is an ar-
duous one. There are many difficulties inher-
ent to it... (but) be confident, that Christ’s
invitation is still extended personally in the
hearts of young people... it is up to you to help
awaken a consciousness of this calling ...you
yourselves must radiate authentic Christian
joy. Go forward in your work – with determi-
nation and with the realization of cooperating
vitally in the mission of perpetuating Christ’s
ministerial priesthood and the entire salvific
plan of God the Father.”
(Fr. Joel Francis Victorino has been Vocation
Director of the Diocese of Antipolo since Sep-
tember 2002. He has served in various capaci-
ties in the regional and national level of the
Directors of Vocations in the Philippines, DVP)
 CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 17
August 18 - 31, 2008
Pastoral Letter
To our Clergy, Religious, and Lay Faithful on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee
of the Local Church in Davao – December 1949 to December 2009
Themes:
“Remembering the past
with gratitude;”
“Christ is the same
yesterday, today and
forever” (Heb. 13:8)
DEAR Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
Greetings of peace and joy in the Lord!
Our Local Church in Davao, a small por-
tion of the Mystical Body of Christ to which
we all belong and in which we are bound by
one faith and one baptism, will be sixty (60)
years old on 17 December 2009. It was sepa-
rated from its mother diocese, now the Arch-
diocese of Zamboanga, on 17 December 1949
and at the same time created as a Prelature of
Davao. Its first bishop-prelate was the Most
Rev. Clovis Thibault of the Society of the
Foreign Missions of Quebec (PME). Subse-
quently this ecclesiastical jurisdiction was
elevated to the rank of Diocese on 11 July
1966, and finally on 29 June 1970 it was pro-
moted to the metropolitan status of an arch-
diocese. Monsignor Thibault then was pro-
moted and became the first Metropolitan
Archbishop of Davao.
It is our custom to consider the span of time
between 60-75 as a diamond period or anni-
versary. In Church language it is called a ju-
bilee . This stage and period of the history and
life of our local Church certainly calls for a
grand celebration, one that brings about spiri-
tual, moral, and pastoral renewal. An in-
depth renewal of the local Church will surely
energize and strengthen the faith of its mem-
bers both in their interior and exterior life
and relationships.
Under the abiding inspiration and light of
the Holy Spirit whom we must invoke con-
stantly, and the gentle and motherly inter-
cession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the pa-
ternal protection of St. Peter, patron of the
Diocese, and the prayers of St. Paul, model of
all missionaries, we shall have a yearlong
celebration beginning on 17 December
2008—the launching day of the diamond ju-
bilee—to climax on 17 December 2009. Our
diocesan-wide activities, which hopefully
will involve everyone and every parish,
school, religious community, diocesan agency
and church lay association and movement,
shall be guided by the memorable words of
the late Pope John Paul II who had said that
the purpose of a jubilee is “to remember the
past with gratitude, to live the present with en-
thusiasm, and to look to the future with confidence”
(Novo Milennio Ineunte, n. 1). We shall see to it
that the focus of this remembering is Jesus
Christ who “is the same yesterday, today,
and forever” (Heb. 13:8).
By “everyone” I refer to all our priests, re-
ligious men and women, and our lay faith-
ful. Among these lay faithful or lay men and
women, I would like to mention in a special
way the children and grandchildren, who are
now young professionals, of those lay lead-
ers who were close and active collaborators
of our local Church and of Archbishop
Thibault and Archbishop Mabutas. Follow-
ing somehow the noble and edifying ex-
ample of their parents their involvement can
be a source of personal blessing and an op-
portunity to grow in the practice of the faith.
This noble heritage reminds us of that famous
French saying “ Noblesse Oblige,” which liter-
ally means, nobility obliges, which connotes
a moral obligation.
There are actually three ways of remem-
bering or three kinds of memory. The first
way in remembering is, when our memory
slides quickly back into the past and returns
to the present without learning anything. The
second way is, when remembering brings
back disturbing and depressing memories.
The third way, which is the right way, is to
remember the past in a prayerful and dis-
cerning manner. Prayerful discernment wor-
thy of the name allows us to recall and re-
member reflectively the providential and
mysterious moments when the Good Lord
was inspiring, leading, caring, and protect-
ing the local Church over the years, and over
time and space, amidst great difficulties and
trials, but also amidst joys and successes.
This prayerfully discerning way of remem-
bering provides the light and spiritual en-
ergy that makes us live the present with enthu-
siasm and guides us to look to the future with
confidence. We believe that this will certainly
happen because such kind of discernment
leads us to discover and experience what St.
Statements
Peter and St. Paul and other holy persons had
found out that Jesus Christ the Risen Lord
has been, is and will always be mysteriously
present among us and within us until the end
of time and space, for He is “the Way, the
Truth, and the Life” (John 4:6).
Church history tells us that the whole is-
land of Mindanao and Sulu was formerly part
of the Diocese of Jaro in Iloilo, my home prov-
ince and diocese. Later on the entire island
was created as a diocese with Zamboanga as
the seat of the new ecclesiastical jurisdiction.
Before this time, historians tell us, the Davao
areas were considered part of the Caraga re-
gion especially during the Spanish time. I
found this out personally when I checked the
baptismal records in San Pedro Cathedral
handwritten in Spanish language. But when
in December 1949 the Davao parishes and
mission outposts became a prelature, it in-
cluded only the provinces of Davao del Sur,
Davao del Norte, and Davao Oriental. The
reason was, because other new church juris-
dictions were being created and separated
from the mother diocese of Zamboanga.
These three provinces are now independent
dioceses with their respective bishops. These
are known in Church parlance as suffragan
dioceses of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of
Davao. They are the dioceses of Digos,
Tagum, and Mati.
Naturally, San Pedro parish and church,
being the first parish and containing histori-
cal records, liturgical materials and artifacts,
can be a formidable aid in remembering be-
cause as the seat of the Metropolitan Arch-
diocese all important activities and functions
of the Diamond Jubilee celebration will be
held there. For this reason and because of its
enduring historical value and symbolism, the
Cathedral structure and surroundings will be
renovated. New structures like a columbarium
and ossorium for the ashes and bones respec-
tively of our beloved dead shall be built. Here
the sight of their names to the churchgoers
will surely place in a prayerful perspective
the constant remembering in our prayers and
the eucharistic sacrifice of the Mass.
One historical fact worth remembering al-
ways and with discernment and perhaps re-
studied with utmost care are the lives and
evangelizing works of the early and later
missionaries – Spanish, Americans, Europe-
ans – who brought the Catholic faith into this
Land of Promise and nurtured it with their
prayers and sacrifices, their sweat and blood.
The earliest ones were the Spanish mission-
aries of the Augustinian Recollects (OAR) and
the Society of Jesus (SJ). After them came the
American and European missionaries from
the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) and
the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC).
Many other congregations and societies of
religious men and women as well as many
lay ecclesial movements and associations fol-
lowed and enriched the local churches in
Mindanao with their charisms and
apostolates. The particular churches in
Mindanao are vibrant and flourishing be-
cause of them.
The successive dismemberment of church
territories, demanded by the spread of the
faith, creation of new parishes, ordinations
of native priests and bishops, influx of new
religious communities, and rise in the num-
ber of church structures, institutions, and
agencies, was supposed to be only a matter
of numbers and territorial extension. But over
the years a new kind of dismemberment oc-
curred and had a negative effect on the Chris-
tian soul and spirit. A new wave of fragmen-
tation affected the minds and hearts of Catho-
lics worldwide especially in the area of mo-
rality and its relationship to the issues of
human life, human rights, population, de-
mography, and governance.
The main causes of this new fragmenta-
tion and its consequent confusion were the
changes in the people’s world views which
were so different, even contrary, to the bibli-
cal world view. Most important of these re-
cent causes were the industrial revolution
which started in England in the 19th century,
the rise of Marxism, Leninism and commu-
nism in Russia, the First and Second World
Wars, the new scientific discoveries, the space
age, and now the new information technol-
ogy. There were many other secondary causes
that affected the way people look at life and
society and the world. All these are still
prevalent today and are affecting our atti-
tudes and behavior. Our planned renewal
should take these into account and restore
the biblical world view, God’s revealed view,
and start the unification process.
In response to this fragmentation, there
emerged new counter movements of renewal
and restoration that unified and brought back
unity, integrity, communion, wholeness, and
true peace in the individual and community
in certain parts of the world. This new pro-
cess of unification is sometimes called total
human development. In the Church it has been
called aggiornamento or updating which cli-
maxed in the historic Second Vatican Coun-
cil. The Council was also called a New Pente-
cost.
In our country the updating process, also
seen as a unifying process, was carried out
with the use of the documents of Vatican II
which inspired the Second Plenary Council
of the Philippines (PCP II). In our local
Church both also inspired the decrees of the
First and Second Archdiocesan Pastoral As-
semblies (APAD I and APAD II). All these
new ways of being church were meant to
bring about the authentic remembering that
had the power to renew while preventing
dismemberment of the spirit and life, and
increased the momentum of the unification
process.
In view of the forgoing reflection I wish to
invite and enjoin everyone in the local
Church—clergy, religious and lay faithful—
to be personally involved in the preparation
and celebration of the Diamond Jubilee. Our
personal involvement and participation shall
be our way of living our baptismal consecra-
tion and thanking God for the gift of faith
and for the many blessings that have come to
us for belonging to the Church, the Mystical
Body of Christ. Inspired by the words of Pope
John Paul II, our jubilee activities shall focus
on the triple implications and challenges of
remembering with gratitude, living with enthusi-
asm, and confidently looking to the future.
The personal and sustained prayers and
voluntary sacrifices of everyone are needed
for the success of this celebration. I wish to
give special importance to the prayers of the
little children and to the prayers, pains and
suffering of our sick brothers and sisters in
hospitals and clinics offered to God together
with the pains and sacrifices of Jesus on the
Cross. The efforts and plans of those who will
constitute our various preparatory commit-
tees, I would like to entrust to the daily
prayers and sacrifices of our prayer groups
and communities, especially our contempla-
tive communities – the Carmelites,
Benedictines, Capuchin Sisters, and Sisters of
Perpetual Adoration.
May I also ask a special prayer for myself.
I will be 75 years old on 01 November 2009.
By law I have to tender my resignation to the
Holy Father as archbishop of Davao months
before November. I shall join my own
thanksgiving with everyone.
Let us pray that the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of the Church, Saint Peter, patron of
the Diocese, and Saint Paul, model and inspi-
ration of all missionaries, will surely help us
with their intercessory prayers. Together with
them we shall prayerfully remember with a
discerning heart the hand of God who guided
and cared through the years for our Local
Church, the Lord’s Vineyard in Davao. Let us
also pray to St. Mary Magdalene because she
was the first woman in the history of salva-
tion to see personally the Risen Lord. Her
prayers can help us experience the presence
of our Lord even now and be open to the
power of His resurrection which is the real
source of spiritual renewal.
Devotedly in Christ,
FERNANDO R. CAPALLA, DD
Archbishop of Davao
Feast of St. Mary Magdalene
22 July 2008, Davao City
B5
‘Integrity of Mind and
Heart:
A Way to Reconciliation
and Peace’
A Joint Statement of the Convenors of the
Bishops-Ulama Conference
6 August 2008, Sydney Hotel, General Santos City
OUR sacred scriptures, the Holy Bible and the Holy Qur’an,
reveal God’s/Allah’s eternal desire to unite His human crea-
tures in whose image they were created. As divinely created
beings, men and women mirror this godly image when there is
harmony within and outside their very selves.
This harmony is what is meant by integrity of mind and
heart. The Hebrew word shalom and the Arabic word salam,
peace in English, encapsulize this authentic and lasting founda-
tion of true peace that must reign within and among individu-
als, societies, and nations.
Since time immemorial the individual human self has expe-
rienced division and fragmentation. This was, and still being
caused, by ungodly and selfish desires/actions thereby causing
violence within the self and on fellow human beings. All these
were, and still are, the real causes of conflicts and wars. Cessa-
tion of hostilities, eirene in Greek for peace, and written accord,
pax in Latin for peace, were and are only steps to the divine gift
of shalom and salam.
It is therefore imperative on the Abrahamic, Ebrahimic, and
Indigenous communities of Christians, Muslims and Lumads,
led by their respective religious leaders, to bring about durable
and lasting peace through the integrity of mind and heart, hum-
bly expressed in the reconciling process of repentance and for-
giveness. Only this process, bolstered by socio-economic and
political projects, can heal the wide wounds of the spirit.
We urge all Mindanaoans, our fellow believers, to make this
reconciliation process a top priority among our activities dur-
ing the Mindanao Week of Peace 2008 which starts on Novem-
ber 27 until December 3 – and beyond.
May God/Allah/Magbabaya bless us all!
FERNANDO R. CAPALLA, DD
Archbishop of Davao
HILARIO M. GOMEZ, JR., PhD
UCCP Bishop Emeritus
DR. HAMID A. BARRA
‘The Church is certain that it
can count on you’
(This letter was sent by Cardinal Cláudio Hummes, prefect of the
Congregation for Clergy, to priests on the occasion of the Aug. 4 feast
of St. John Marie Vianney, the Curé of Ars.)
DEAR brother priests,
On the occasion of the August 4 feast of St. John Marie Vianney,
the Curé of Ars, I greet you cordially with all my heart, and I
fraternally send you this brief message.
The Church knows today that there is an urgent mission, not
only “ad gentes,” but also to those Christians living in areas and
regions where the Christian faith has been preached and estab-
lished for centuries and where ecclesial communities already
exist. Within this flock, the mission, or the missionary evangeli-
zation (Redemptoris Missio, 2), has as its target those who are
baptized but who, for different circumstances, have not been
evangelized sufficiently, or those who have lost their initial fer-
vor and fallen away. The postmodern culture of contemporary
society—a relativist, secular, and agnostic culture—exerts a strong
erosive action on the religious faith of many people.
The Church is missionary by its very nature. Jesus told us
that “the sower went out to sow” (Mt 13:3). The sower does not
limit himself to throwing the seed out of the window, but actu-
ally leaves the house. The Church knows that it cannot remain
inert or limit itself to receiving and evangelizing those who are
seeking the Faith in its churches and communities. It is also
necessary to rise up and go to where people and families dwell,
live and work. We must go to everyone: companies, organiza-
tions, institutions and different fields of human society. In this
mission, all members of the ecclesial community are called:
pastors, religious and laity.
Moreover, the Church recognizes that priests are the great
driving force behind daily life in local communities. When
priests move, the Church moves. If this were not so, it would be
very difficult to achieve the Church’s mission.
My dear brother priests, you are the great richness, the en-
ergy, the pastoral and missionary inspiration in the midst of
the Christian faithful, wherever they are found in community.
Without your crucial decision to “put out into the deep” for fish
(“Duc in altum”), as the Lord himself calls us, little or nothing
will happen in the urgent mission, either “ad gentes” or in the
territories that have previously been evangelized. But the
Church is certain that it can count on you, because it knows and
explicitly recognizes that the overwhelming majority of
priests—despite our weaknesses and human limitations—are
worthy priests, giving their life daily to the Kingdom of God
and loving Jesus Christ and the people entrusted to them. These
are the priests who are sanctifying themselves in their daily
ministry and who are persevering until the harvest of the Lord.
Only a small minority of priests have gravely deviated from
this mission, and the Church seeks to repair the harm that they
have done. On the other hand, it rejoices in and is proud of the
immense majority of its priests, who are good and exceedingly
worthy of praise.
During this Pauline Year, and pending the Synod of Bishops
on the Word of God to be held in Rome this October, we call
those who are receptive to this urgent mission. May the Holy
Spirit enlighten us, send us, and sustain us, so that we might go
forth and proclaim once again the person of Jesus Christ, cruci-
fied and resurrected, as well as His kingdom.
I greet you again, dear brothers, remaining always at your
disposal. I pray for you all, especially for those who suffer, for
the sick and for the elderly.
CLAUDIO CARDINAL HUMMES
Emeritus Archbishop of São Paolo
Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy
Vatican City State, 15 July 2008
 CBCP Monitor
B6 Reflections Vol. 12 No. 17
August 18 - 31, 2008

God’s will is our peace

Illustration by Bladimer Usi
By Fr. Isidro T. Marinay
IN whatever decision we may do, road
we may take, projects we may embark
on, career we may pursue, the most im-
portant consideration is the answer to
the question: Are you at peace?
Our Lord in today’s gospel got angry
with Peter who did not want the Lord to
suffer grievously in Jerusalem at the
hands of the elders and chief priests and
scribes. In getting across His point, our
Lord reproached Peter, saying: “Get be-
hind me Satan! You are an obstacle in
my path, because the way you think is
not God’s way but man’s.”
Doing the will of God is truly our
source of true peace and lasting joy.
God’s will is our shalom. It is a Hebrew
term which does not only mean peace. It
is really a blessing that we may have the
best of everything in life.
According to St. Irenaeus, “Our ser-
vice to God adds nothing to God, nor
does God need the service of man. The
reason why God requires service from
man is this: because he is good and mer-
22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Mt. 16:21-27, August 31, 2008
ciful He desires to confer benefits on
those who persevere in his service... This
is the glory of man: to persevere and
remain in the service of God.”
In our first reading, Jeremiah suffered
a lot of insult, derision all day long, be-
coming a laughing-stock, everybody’s
butt, for proclaiming the word of God
as God has commanded him. He tried to
refuse to talk about the word of God,
but “there seemed to be a fire burning
in his heart, imprisoned in his bones.”
The effort to restrain it wearied him and
he could not bear it. He would never be
at peace if he would not do the will of
God, that is, to proclaim his word.
The life of struggle of Jeremiah teaches
us the truth that when we serve the Lord
some people will be angry with us. When
we serve and do the will of the Lord, we
will experience persecution as Jesus did.
How do we know God’s will for us? It
is through our communion with Him in
prayer, in the sacraments, in the scrip-
tures, and in acts of charity that we will
be able to know His Will for us. Our
Lord teaches us to ask from the Father in
His name and we shall receive. Let us
ask for enlightenment that we may do
God’s will; that we may have a sense of
mission and purpose in life; that we may
not be like vagabonds under the sun;
that we may not become like a ping-
pong ball tossed to and fro without di-
rection. If we know in our hearts that we
have a mission to fulfill, our life shall be
purpose-driven. We could not afford to
waste our time as well as the time of
others. We won’t be bored with life.
In today’s Gospel, it is obvious that an
essential part of God’s will for Jesus is
salvific suffering. And Jesus knows it
quite well. Our identification with Jesus
is anchored on the cross. We cannot be
identified with him without the cross.
This is what He meant when he said, “If
you want to be my disciples you must
take up your cross and follow me.”
According to the late Jaime Cardinal
Sin, on the judgment day, Jesus will ap-
pear. But Satan shall also appear to mis-
lead the people. Satan is a great mimic.
Satan will appear very much like Jesus
Christ. It would be very difficult to make
a distinction. In that case, we need dis-
cernment so as not to be deceived and
misled. For Cardinal Sin to make a dis-
tinction, it would be easy. We just have
to look at the hands of Jesus. If the hands
were full of scars, having calluses like
those of a carpenter then He is the true
Jesus Christ.
Suffering with Jesus then is always
associated with doing the will of God.
Doing the will of God is always coupled
with persecution and pain.
It is in that sense that we cannot do the
will of God without Jesus in our hearts,
who is our model. To do the will of God
without Jesus is like going to heaven
without God. We cannot do it. That was
what the people in the Old Testament
wanted to do when they built the tower
of Babel. They wanted to go to heaven
on their own without God. And the
tower, the emblem of their pride, fell
flat on their faces. “The proud shall be
humbled and the humble shall be ex-
alted,” says the Lord.
For Christians, there is no such thing
as crossless Christ and Christless cross.
They always go together, Jesus and the
cross. With Jesus the cross shall be bear-
able. When we carry our cross, Jesus shall
be our source of comfort and consola-
tion, for He has promised us: “Come to
me all you who labor and are burdened
and I will give you rest for my yoke is
easy and my burden is light.” May we
be able to do the will of God by the grace
and merits of Jesus Christ, and may peace
reign in our hearts.

Fr. Roy Cimagala

Paul / B1

Marriage besieged him on the road to Damascus.

IT’S good that lately we are see-
ing some stars and celebrities,
both local and foreign, getting
pregnant and giving birth.
I suppose human nature can-
not be tricked for long. I often
wondered how these gifted, beau-
tiful women, with all their widely
publicized romances, managed
not to have children. Are they the
experts of the so-called ‘safe sex’?
Of course, common sense tells me
not to waste time on the topic. Go-
ing there would at best be indulg-
ing in gossip. But the thought some-
times flashes in my mind, as if
blinking some dangerous signals.
Now that they have babies, and
beautiful ones at that, worthy of
being photo-oped and gossiped
again in the press, there seems to
be a mad rush for getting preg-
nant. Motherhood suddenly has
become a vogue.
But while this development is
most welcome—babies are al-
ways a blessing—a terrible
spoiler escorts it. And that is that
some of these women are not
married. They even look down
on marriage and vow not to get
married while having a baby.
With this info, we have reason
to suspect that having babies is,
Bo Sanchez
for these publicity-obsessed stars
and celebrities, just a gimmick, a
stunt in their clever playbook for
gaining points in the public mind.
Of course, we have to be most
careful in tackling this phenom-
enon. There are other complicat-
ing circumstances that have to be
considered. And we should be
ready to be understanding and
merciful when we discover some
mistakes. We should not get
stuck with simply lamenting and
condemning.
But…
I think we also have to tackle a
problematic fallout or side-effect
this development presents us.
And that is that the example they
give, especially to our young
ones with all their wild explod-
ing hormones, can be disastrous.
The few times I got to know
about teen-aged pregnancies al-
most always indicate the big in-
fluence these erring stars and ce-
lebrities had on them. And since
their situations were not as ma-
terially favorable as those of the
stars, the consequences of their
mistakes had been far more pain-
ful.
In fact, these irregular situa-
tions often inflict unspeakable
pain and injury to the parties in-
volved and their families.
We have to make a clear stand
here. Especially these days when
the environment has become in-
creasingly complex and confus-
ing, I think all of us, again espe-
cially the young, need clear and
solid, not vacillating, guidance.
While we cannot avoid, and in
fact, it is also necessary that we
learn how to flow with the times,
bending and adapting with them,
we should never forget, much
less, go against the basic truths
of ethics and morality. That
would be the sure way to get lost.
In this particular issue, we
should reaffirm, re-echo and reso-
nate the natural, organic link
among human love, sexuality and
marriage. We have to show the
full picture of these three ele-
ments so their pristine wisdom
and beauty surface.
We should make everyone ap-
preciate better the natural prop-
erties of marriage, that is, its
unity (between one man and one
woman) and its indissolubility.
We have to explain these things
thoroughly, systematically, effec-
tively.
Especially now when we are
hearing of same-sex unions now
legalized in parts of US and in
other countries, we have to pa-
tiently and charitably explain
why it is wrong, why it is against
our own nature even if the par-
ties involved consent to it.
Let us also explain well why
the conjugal act, always in the
context of love and marriage, is
by nature both unitive and pro-
creative, not just unitive without
being procreative, or just procre-
ative without being unitive.
Most important, we have to
show how fidelity to these moral
principles can only take place
when one has a living relation-
ship with God. If we just rely on
our own cleverness, etc., we put
a limit to things, and sooner or
later, we start to distort the pro-
cess.
Many other things can be done.
Of course, our Church leaders
should take the lead in this con-
stant effort, but all other parties
in society should do their part.
The media especially has a cru-
cial role to play in this concern.
We have to find relief to the
institution of marriage that
seems to be under savage attacks
these days in many fronts.
Earlier the Lord asked him: “Saul,
Saul, why do you persecute me?”
He answered: “Who are you,
Lord?” And he received the re-
ply: “I am Jesus, whom you are
persecuting.” By persecuting the
Church, Paul was persecuting
Jesus himself. “You are persecut-
ing me.”
Jesus identifies himself with
the Church in a single subject. In
this exclamation of the Risen
One—which transformed Saul’s
life—is contained the whole doc-
trine of the Church as Body of
Christ. Christ did not return to
Heaven, leaving a handful of fol-
lowers to carry his cause forward.
The Church is not an association
that wishes to promote a certain
cause. It is not about a cause. It is
about the person of Jesus Christ,
who also as Risen remained
“flesh.” He has flesh and bones,”
affirms the Risen One in Luke, in
face of the disciples who thought
he was a ghost. He has a body.
He is personally present in the
Church. “Head and Body” form
a single subject, said Augustine.
“‘Know you not that your bodies
are members of Christ?’ wrote
Paul to the Corinthians, and he
adds: ‘That, according to the Book
of Genesis, man and woman be-
come one flesh?’”
So Christ becomes one spirit
with his own, one subject in the
new world of the resurrection. In
all this, the Eucharistic mystery
is visualized, in which Christ con-
stantly gives his Body and makes
of us one Body: “Is not the bread
we break communion with the
body of Christ? Because, though
sufferings for the Gospel,” said
the apostle to his disciple. This
sentence, which is at the end of
the roads traveled by the apostle
as a testament, leads us back to
the beginning of his mission.
While, after his encounter with
the Risen One, the blind Paul was
in his room in Damascus, Ananias
received the order to go where
the feared persecutor was and lay
his hands on him, so that he
would recover his sight.
To Ananias’ objection that this
Saul was a dangerous persecutor
of Christians, this answer was
given: “This man must take my
name to the Gentiles, to kings and
to the children of Israel. I will
show him all he will have to suf-
fer for my name.”
The task of proclamation and
the call to suffering for Christ are
inseparably together. The call to
be teacher of the Gentiles is at the
same time and intrinsically a call
to suffering in communion with
Christ, who has redeemed us
through his passion. In a world
in which lying is powerful, truth
is paid for with suffering. He who
wishes to avoid suffering, to
keep it far from himself, will have
pushed away life itself and its
grandeur; he cannot be a servant
of truth and thus a servant of faith.
There is no love without suffer-
ing, without the suffering of de-
nying ourselves, of the transfor-
mation and purification of the “I”
for true freedom.
Wherever there is nothing
worth suffering for, life itself also
loses its value. The Eucharist—
center of our Christian being—is
based on the sacrifice of Jesus for

Make enjoying life a master skill

I’M in Tagaytay now and life is glorious up
here.
I was able to borrow from a friend her
pretty house that sits right on the ridge—
with a porch overlooking the breathtaking
Taal lake and Taal Volcano.
It’s early morning, and the view is majes-
tic. I breathe this all in as I sit on a nice wooden
chair, in front of a tiny table—where my cof-
fee cup rests. Not a styropor or plastic cup,
mind you. But china. So that it makes nice
“clinging” sounds when you swirl your tea-
spoon around.
Actually, I’m not a coffee drinker.
But the entire scene “demanded” that I
drink one.
While I do this, I read a good, fat book.
Ahhh.
Why is life soooooo good?
Life is beautiful.
If there’s one thing that defines me, it’s this
line: I know how to get a kick out of life. Enjoying
life is my master skill. I’m able to squeeze
every drop of joy and blessing from the sim-
plest, most ordinary experiences of each day.
(Even the most painful ones! But that’s an-
other chapter…)
Actually, I don’t need the Taal lake to make
me happy.
I don’t need the wooden chair or the tiny
table or the coffee cup.
I don’t need the good, fat book.
I just need to be me—and I’m happy with
me! I actually like my company!
Some people are very “iffy” about their
happiness. “If I get a new job, then I’ll be
happy,” or “If I get married, then I’ll be
happy,” or “If I get a car, then I’ll be
happy,” or “If I buy a house, then I’ll be
happy.”
They’ve got one rude awakening coming
up real soon.
Because the truth is, if they’re not happy now,
where they are, they won’t be happy no matter
what happens to them.
Some people create elaborate, complicated,
sometimes impossible rules to experience hap-
piness in their lives. Like, “Unless everyone
loves me and accepts me, I’ll never be happy.”
Pretty insane, right?
Some have other types of complicated rules
to gaining happiness: “I will be happy only
if I’ll be able to buy a BMW, wear an Armani,
a Rolex watch…” Poor creatures!
Others are such demanding lovers that
they’re doomed to always be unhappy in their
relationships. They say, “I’ll be happy only if
my beloved will wait on me 24 hours a day,
think of me always, serve me attentively, and
eat, walk, talk, breathe for me!”
God have mercy on their loved ones.
My conditions to experiencing happiness
are pretty simple:
If I breathe normally, I’ll be happy.
If I feel my heart pumping in my chest, I’ll
be happy.
If the sun shines today, I’ll be happy—even
if the sun shines behind storm clouds!
If I’m able to smile, I’ll be happy.
If I’ll be able to love someone in whatever
small way, I’ll be happy.
And most of all, if God loves me, I’ll really
be happy.
(When doesn’t He?)
Haven’t you noticed? I cheat on life. Because
I make my own rules to experiencing happi-
ness, and I make them so simple, they’re
stacked on my favor.
I have a suggestion for you. Examine your
conditions for happiness now.
They may be too darn complicated, you’ll
never be happy in your life.
Too bad.
Because life is too beautiful to miss out.
being many, we are only one
bread and one body, as we all
share in one bread.”
He addresses us with these
words, at this moment, not just
Paul but the Lord himself: “How
were you able to lacerate my
Body?” Before the face of Christ,
this question becomes at the same
time an urgent appeal: Bring us
together again from all our divi-
sions. Make this again a reality
today: There is only one bread;
therefore, we, despite being
many, are only one body.
For Paul the word Church as
Body of Christ is not just any anal-
ogy. It goes far beyond a com-
parison. “Why do you persecute
me?”
Christ attracts us continually to
his Body, he builds his Body
from the Eucharistic center, which
for Paul is the center of Christian
existence, in virtue of which all,
as well as each individual can
experience in a totally personal
way: “He has loved me and given
himself up for me.”
I would like to conclude with a
later word of St. Paul, an exhor-
tation to Timothy from prison,
in face of death. “Endure with me
us; it was born from the suffer-
ing of the love that found its cul-
mination on the cross. We live
from this love that gives itself.
This gives us the courage and
strength to suffer with Christ and
for him, thus knowing that pre-
cisely in this way our life be-
comes great, mature and true.
In the light of all of St. Paul’s
letters we see how on his jour-
ney as teacher of the Gentiles, the
prophecy of Ananias was ful-
filled at the hour of the calling: “I
will show him all that he will
have to suffer for my name.” His
suffering makes him credible as
teacher of truth, which does not
seek its own benefit, its own
glory or personal pleasure, but
is committed to him who loved
us and gave himself up for all of
us.
At this hour in which we thank
the Lord for having called Paul,
making him the light of the Gen-
tiles and teacher of us all, we
pray: Give us also today the tes-
timony of the Resurrection,
touched by your love, and [make
us] able to carry the light of the
Gospel in our time. St. Paul, pray
for us. Amen.
 CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 17
August 18 - 31, 2008 Social Concerns B7

Indigenous people have sacred and

legal rights
By Fr. Shay Cullen
SOME years ago a group of young people
undergoing jungle survival training in the
mountains of Zambales province were in-
vited by the Aeta, a community of aborigi-
nal indigenous people, to pitch their tents
near their village and join a harvest cel-
ebration. The next morning the happy
campers woke to discover a ring of smil-
ing Aeta men. They had stood guard the
whole night, enduring mosquitoes, snakes
and pests to protect them from the bandits
that infested the nearby hills. They live a
simple life close to nature, extremely gen-
erous, kind, friendly and non-violent and
easily bullied and exploited.
There are an estimated 15 million in-
digenous people throughout the Philip-
pines and they are being invaded by
another kind of bandit—the mining
companies and their armed goons
backed by crooked and corrupt politi-
cians and officials.
The ancestral lands of these Filipinos
are sacred and protected under the In-
digenous Peoples’ Republic Act of 1997,
which provides the legal framework for
indigenous peoples’ self-determination.
Ever since the political elite were able
to pressure the Supreme Court in De-
cember 2004 to declare the 1995 Mining
act Republic Act 7942 constitutional the
ancestral lands, the remaining rain for-
ests rivers and bays were immediately
threatened by the foreign mining com-
panies. In recent years, huge mining di-
sasters have destroyed huge areas of rice
fields, fishing grounds and wiped out
villages and mango and coconut farms.
The Rapu-Rapu mining disaster being
only one of them.
The soaring prices of minerals make
these lands and their mineral contents
more valuable than ever before and the
voices of protest are drowned by the
roar of bulldozers and excavators biting
into the mountains and hills in a feed-
ing frenzy of open pit mining. Accord-
ing to Horacio C. Ramos, director of
Bureau of Mines and Geosciences, min-
eral based exports last year reached
US$22 Billion.
The church has been outspoken about
the plunder of the natural resources by
foreign mining companies in cahoots
with the local elite to the detriment of
the vast majority of Filipinos. The Catho-
lic Bishops Conference of the Philippines
said in a pastoral statement that the “ad-
verse social impacts” would have a dev-
astating impact on the lives of the people
more than the earnings to the economy.
“We reaffirm our stand for the repeal of
the Mining Act of 1995,” the bishops had
said “We believe that the Mining Act
destroys life. The right to life of people
is inseparable from their right to sources
of food and livelihood. Furthermore,
mining threatens people’s health and en-
vironmental safety through the wanton
dumping of waste and tailings in rivers
and seas,” the CBCP declared.
The indigenous people are most af-
fected. Since the end of WWII they have
pushed further in to the mountains as
the logging companies invades and
logged out the rain forests in a few de-
cades of insatiable and unstoppable
greed. Now only 19 percent of the origi-
nal forest cover remains, and that is now of the wealth. Certificate of Ancestral Domain Titles, “Lumad” leaders was assisted by the
endangered by the mining companies One hundred forty leaders of a large (CADTs) and only eight are for Mindanao. Irish Center for Human Rights, repre-
backed by the ruling family dynasties Mindanao indigenous group known as The “Lumads” fear that the govern- sented by Cathal Boyle. He said that
who control both the congress and the the “Lumad” met in Davao city a few ment is holding back the certificates and there was evidence of racial discrimi-
bureaucracy and the vast wealth of the weeks ago to voice out the dire circum- instead has issued 240 mining permits nation by the Government against these
Philippines. Some social scientists and stances of their people and tell the world to foreign mining companies and 60 of indigenous people. It is clear that irre-
economists estimate that about 2 percent that they are facing greater hunger, pov- these “tenement” agreements are within sponsible mining exploits and destroys
of the population, those at the peak of erty and marginalization than ever be- the ancestral lands of the indigenous the environment and brings little ben-
the population pyramid, own 70 percent fore. The government has only issued 71 people. The Davao meeting of the efit to the people. This has got to change.

Reproductive / B4

man rights violations against
women.
Mary Anne Glendon writes
about the emergence of the radi-
cal feminist agenda in the 1994
International Conference in
Population and Development
which took place in Cairo (http:/
/www.leaderu.com/ftissues/
ft9601/articles/glendon.html).
She explains how the presence of
the Holy See frustrated the femi-
nist intent to universalize the le-
galization of abortion when the
Cairo document expressly re-
jected abortion as a legitimate
tool of population control. In
Beijing they were also bent on
rectifying the failure at Cairo and
again they failed because of the
presence of the Holy See. “As at
Cairo the Holy See was con-
cerned that the language on
sexual and reproductive ‘health’
would be used to promote the
quick fix approach of getting rid
of poverty by getting rid of the
poor,” Glendon stated.
The article of Lino Ciccone on
Reproductive Health published
in the Lexicon succinctly summa-
rizes the Holy See’s objections to
this term. The Lexicon is a publi-
cation of the Pontifical Council
of the Family, an initiative of the
late Cardinal Trujillo, contains
this statement in its Preface:
“Many expressions are used in
parliaments and world forums
with concealment of their true
content and meaning, even for
the politicians and members of
parliament who use them, due to
their weak background in phi-
losophy, theology, law, anthro-
pology, etc. This represents the
greatest obstacle for a correct
understanding of certain terms.
The purpose of the Lexicon is to
assist in such cases and to awaken
interest in order to promote seri-
ous and objective information,
and stimulate the desire for a
deeper formation in this field
where several sciences and criti-
cal disciplines converge.”
The head of the Holy Sees’ del-
egation Archbishop Renato
Martino, stated: “This does not
exclude the fact that the Holy See
supports a concept of reproduc-
tive health as a holistic concept
for the promotion of the health
of men and women, and will con-
tinue to work, along with others,
toward the evolution of a more
precise definition of this and
other terms”. In the “Note” pre-
senting the Holy See’s vote, its
objection is stated thus: “The
Holy See considers the terms
“sexual health” and “sexual
rights”, “reproductive health”
and “reproductive rights”, as
components of a holistic concept
of health, as they embrace, each
in their proper realm, the person
in the entirety of his or her per-
sonality, mind and body, and
which fosters the achievement of
personal maturity in sexuality,
and in the mutual love and deci-
sion-making that characterizes
the conjugal relationship in ac-
cordance with moral norms. The
Holy See does not consider abor-
tion or access to abortion as a di-
mension of these terms.”
The Cairo Conference Pro-
gram of Action adapted the WHO
definition of Reproductive
Health which states: “Reproduc-
tive health is a state of complete physi-
cal, mental and social well-being and
not merely the absence of disease or
infirmity, in all matters relating to
the reproductive system and to its
functions and processes.” The draft
House Bill1 adds the following
to this definition: “This implies that
people are able to have a satisfying
and safe sex life, that they have the
capability to reproduce and the free-
dom to decide if, when and how often
to do so, provided that these are not
against the law. This further implies
that women and men are afforded
equal status in matters related to
sexual relations and reproduction.”
Ciccone comments on this defi-
nition: “On the biological plane
it first of all implies the absence
of any pathology that could de-
prive the complex human repro-
ductive apparatus, be it male or
female, of any of the elements that
are essential for its ability to
make its specific and efficacious
contribution to the generation of
another human being.” He fur-
ther declares that in fact “it is ri-
diculous to attribute “mental”
and “social” dimensions to the
purely biological reality of a “re-
productive system.”
Reading between the lines one
has to unravel the radical
feminism’s agenda to universally
legalize abortion in this defini-
tion. Note that the House Bill
definition highlights two things:
1. The importance of having a
satisfying and safe sex life;
2. That men and women be af-
forded equal status in matters
related to sexual relations and
reproduction.
The goal of radical feminism
is sexual freedom for women.
Biology discriminates against
women because if the woman
wants to have a satisfying and
safe sex life, unlike men she al-
ways runs the risk of getting
pregnant even with contracep-
tion since all the modern meth-
ods are known to have failure
rates. If she does not want to have
a child that pregnancy is thus
unwanted and will cause her an-
guish if reproductive health does
not provide her unlimited access
to abortion. This is why the defi-
nition of reproductive health
cannot be limited to the physical
plane. It has to include mental
and physical well being.
Since contraception is not ille-
gal in this country and our gov-
ernment hospitals continue to
dispense contraception one can
only conclude that the main ob-
jective of this bill is to provide a
loophole that can be used to in-
validate not only our pro-life con-
stitution but also our penal laws
banning abortion. Once enacted
it is easy to invoke the definition
and the Cairo Program of Action
to justify the legalization of abor-
tion. It is difficult to explain this
convuluted reasoning to our law-
makers; this reasoning is not fa-
miliar to even most of the clergy
and of course many of the laity.
This is also the reason why the
Church cannot be open to any
compromise.
Substitute bill to HBs 17, 812, 2753 &
3970
– PROVIDING FOR A NATIONAL POLICY
ON REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, RESPON-
SIBLE PARENTHOOD AND POPULATION
AND DEVELOPMENT authored by Reps.
Edcel Lagman, Janette Garin, Narciso
Santiago III and Ana Theresia
Hontiveros-Baraquel.

Freedom / B2

correct modality of communicat-
ing them, the adequate means of
communication, the apt moment
and doctrinal preparedness of
one’s audience.
3) Right-Duty to do apostolate.
Aside from the Magisterium, we
must not forget that the whole
Church is the carrier of the true
meaning of human life; therefore,
the whole Church—not just the
Hierarchy—has the right and
duty to inform the temporal
structures with the Gospel mes-
sage. Nevertheless, this duty of
the faithful to do apostolate has
no public character—i.e., the
apostolate that they are bound to
carry out has no public character
(personal apostolate), even if
they are not barred from carry-
ing out a more public apostolate.
4) Duty to give an assent of faith
to Universal Magisterium. All
that is contained in the written word
of God or in tradition, i.e., in the one
deposit of faith entrusted to the
Church and also proposed as divinely
revealed either by the solemn
Magisterium of the Church or by its
ordinary and universal Magisterium,
must be believed with divine and
catholic faith.... therefore, all are
bound to avoid any doctrines what-
ever which are contrary to these
truths (c.750).
The Code defines two situa-
tions contrary to this norm
(c.751):
a) Heresy—is the obstinate
post-baptismal denial of some
truth of the Catholic Church,
which must be believed with di-
vine and catholic faith, or an ob-
stinate doubt concerning the
same.
b) Apostasy—is the total repu-
diation of the Catholic faith.
Furthermore, the Code typi-
fies the above situations as delicts,
establishing that an apostate or a
heretic incurs automatic ( latae
sententiae) excommunication and
if a cleric, he can also be punished
by additional expiatory penalties
(cf. c.1336, §1, nn.1-3).
5) Duty to give religious respect
of intellect and will to Authentic
Magisterium. Such religious re-
spect implies, aside from an in-
tellectual assent to the doctrine,
also an assent of the will as mani-
fested by an external actuation in
accord with it. This is manifested
at two levels:
in matters of faith and morals: All
the Christian faithful are obliged to
observe the constitutions and decrees
which the legitimate authority of the
Church issues in order to propose
doctrine and proscribe erroneous
opinions; this is especially true of the
constitutions and decrees issued by
the Roman Pontiff or the college of
bishops (c.754).
It is senseless to speak of a right
to dissent as an expression of a re-
ligious freedom within the Church.
By definition, this is a freedom
that exists only in civil society;
what exists in the Church is the
right of opinion and expression

CBCPMonitor Name _________________________________________________

(Family Name) (Given Name) (Middle Name)
a) Universal Level. A religious
respect of intellect and will, even if
not the assent of faith, is to be paid to
the teaching which the Supreme Pon-
(cc.212; 218), a right which is not
absolute, but limited and one of
the limitations
magisterium of the Church. A
is the

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Or e-mail this at cbcpmonitor@cbcpworld.com 2Cf. John Paul II, Apost. Letter
6) Duty to refrain from dissent Apostolos suos (21.V.1998), n.11.
 CBCP Monitor
B8 Entertainment Vol. 12 No. 17
August 18 - 31, 2008

Title: The X Files although quite predictable at

Cast: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Amanda Peet, Billy times. Although there is not
Connolly much grand effects this time, Moral Technical
Director: Chris Carter the film has successfully put Assessment Assessment
Producers: Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz the audience at the edge on
Screenwriters: Frank Spotnitz, Chris Carter
Editor: Richard A. Harris their seats. Abhorrent Poor
Genre: Suspense-Drama Crime, gore and darkness are Disturbing Below average
Cinematography: Bill Roe some of the givens in movies Acceptable Average
Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox-Film Corporation of the same genre as X-Files, I Above average
Wholesome
Location: British Columbia, Canada Want to Believe. There are stab-
Running Time: 100 min. bing, cursing and beating all Exemplary Excellent
Technical Assessment: over the place. But audiences
Moral Assessment: .5 should be cautioned for more
CINEMA Rating: For viewers 14 and above confusing and disturbing mor-
als in the film. Priests and reli-
gious and Catholics at that in
DANA Scully (Gillian Ander- other victims of abductions. The particular are played and/or
son) now works as a doctor in a psychic turns out to be a former downplayed negatively in the
hospital run by a Catholic con- priest convicted of molesting story. One is depicted as a con-
gregation. She has a young boy dozens of altar boys. Although victed pedophile and suspected
patient (Marco Niccoli) suffer- he actually helps in locating fake psychic and the other is a
ing from a rare brain disease various evidences leading to the scheming, unsupportive hospi-
that is believed by most to be victims’ whereabouts, FBI tal administrator. Scully and
incurable. Despite this fact, agents and Scully are skeptical. Mulder are seen in bed together
Scully believes nothing is im- But Mulder somehow believes but are not married. There are
possible until she explores all that the psychic is for real. some sexual innuendos and
the options even if the religious The latest venture from the some actors are seen smoking
head of the hospital (Adam popular TV series of the 1990’s, most of the time. But one chain
Goley) pushes the boy’s parents X Files, I want to believe is smoker character ends up dy-
to rely on faith rather than both a nostalgic and a refresh- ing of lung cancer. But then
medical intervention. Mean- ing visual treat especially for again, there is one message in
while, Fox Mulder (David the avid followers of the series. the film that leaves a striking
Duchovny) now lives an iso- A little back story is provided positive outlook in life: “do
lated life avoiding prosecution sparingly in different parts of not give up.” In this time and
from government officials. the movie which helps the au- age where people easily gives
Scully and Mulder are reunited dience reconnect with the up on relationships, jobs, fam-
when Agent Dakota Whitney story’s bigger and on-going ily, friendships, and even God,
(Amanda Peet) seeks out their plot taken and coming from the here is a movie that tells the
help as another FBI officer has previous parts of the series. audience to hold on and trust
gone missing and a psychic Anderson and Duchovny still the unknown forces of the uni-
(Billy Connolly) has surfaced have the magic and chemistry. verse and the grace of God
claiming to have visions of All the other characters deliver when everything seems to be
where the missing agent is and well. The storytelling is fluid going wrong.

MAC en COLET Ni Bladimer Usi

Buhay Parokya
Look for the
three missing Title: Wall-E
items: Cast/(Voice): Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin,
Tabernacle, MacInTalk, Fred Willard, John Ratzenberger, Kathy
Holy water Najimy, Siguorney Weaver
font and Director: Andrew Stanton
Paten. Producer: Jim Morris
Screenwriters: Andrew Stanton, Peter Docter
Music: Thomas Newman
Editor: Stephen Schaffer
Genre: Science-Fiction
Distributor: Walt Disney Studious Motion Pictures
Running Time: 98 min.
Technical Assessment .5
Moral Assessment: .5
CINEMA Rating: For viewers of all
ages

IT is a panoramic scene of skyscrapers rising up from a dusty

smoky and garbage covered land. The only life visible in the
whole landscape is a medium-sized robot: Wall-E, busy gather-
ing all the trash, compacts them into solid squares, stores them
in his tractor, then drives towards a to-be-completed skyscraper
to pile his well compressed blocks on the very top of the build-
ing. After working at this for several hundreds of years, he is the
only one alive of his kind, “created” and assigned to the job of
cleaning up the earth and rehabilitating it for human occupation
again. Though at first alone and lonely, Wall-E (Voice: Ben Burtt)
has been touched and moved by some of the things he has found
among the trash he has to deal with. A working television, mu-
sic, songs, a green plant growing in an old shoe, have made him
look at life differently. Suddenly, something unexpected hap-
pens: the arrival of a robot Eve (Voice: Elissa Knight), sent to
earth to find out if there is any botanical life still present on
earth. Wall-E falls for her at first sight. But she could not stay
after she accomplished her investigation. The spaceship that
brought her to earth takes her back. Not willing to let her go, he
clings to whatever he could find on the outside of the ship, and
he is taken on an unusual ride in space.
Wall-E is an interesting and intriguing science-fiction story
that could entertain all levels of viewers. The young could
enjoy the visuals of the various kinds of robots shown, and the
appearances of the deformed humans dressed in colorful red,
who could barely move or do anything because having lived
so many years in spaceships manned by robots the humans
have become, too obese and too motionless to be able to do
things for themselves. Older viewers will have the added plea-
sure of following the story of what happens to Wall-E and Eve,
and how it ends up. Will the humans have the opportunity to
return to their earth? Even without proper dialogue, the movie
is able to carry on with a clear and enjoyable movie. The time
it has taken to come up with Wall-E and the experts, who
worked on it like Andrew Stanton, Randy Nelson, Steve Jobs,
Ben Burtt, Jim Morris, and John Lasseter, show why the movie
is such a hit with the audience.
Although Wall-E is meant to please and entertain, it also pro-
vides matters to be noted and thought about on another level.
The scene of the earth as it has been left by the humans is clearly
a picture of devastation and is still uninhabitable after so many
hundreds of years have passed on. Could we not take better care
of the world we live on? Could we make a time when there will
be no need to live in temporary “spaceships” with nothing to do
but become out of shape and immobile? Wall-E a robot, after a
long while doing what he was meant to do, experiences some
kind of change in him affected by his collection of some of the
equipments, gadgets which he used and played with. Could this
be possible, could it happen in some future time?
 CBCP
CBCP Monitor
Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 17
August 18 - 31, 2008
C1

The Cross
A Supplement Publication for KCFAPI
and
and the
the Order
Order of
of the
the Knights
Knights of
of Columbus
Columbus

ISO certified! KCFAPI President Antonio B. Borromeo (6th from left) holds the ISO certificate handed by Mr. Romeo M. Ramirez, Surveillance Auditor of CI (9th from left). In photo are other officers of KCFAPI with Executive Vice President, Ma. Theresa G. Curia (7 th from
left).

KCFAPI posts highest sales

By Joseph P. Teodoro
KCFAPI posted the highest first year in-
surance contribution income in seven
months during the year 2008. The PhP9.6
Million for July 2008 also broke all pre-
vious records and is now a milestone
achieved by the Fraternal Association as
its Golden Jubilee draws near.
This achievement is attributable to the
popularity of the gold series insurance
plans launched by KCFAPI and the con-
tinuing popularity of the KC Dollar Su-
preme Plan and the Special Plan for Eld-
erly Knights (SPEK). The Fraternal Ben-
efits Conventions which were conducted
by the key officers and management
team of the association was also a major
factor which contributed to the increase
in sales.
The Fraternal Benefits Group is aim-
ing to further improve this achievement
to mark the 50 years of fraternal service
this year.

Council 5465 vies for

State Council Service
Awards CY 2008-2009 Luzon Area Managers and Officers of KCFAPI led by President Antonio B. Borromeo and Executive Vice President Ma. Theresa G. Curia during the “Selling to High
End KC Market” seminar last August 6, 2008. Seated 4th from right is Tax Consultant, Dr. Ruperto P. Somera, resource speaker for the said event. The knowledge
and experience shared by Dr. Somera will be multiplied when the Area Managers begin cascading it down to the Fraternal Counselors.

DON Carlos Council of Bukidnon,

Mindanao (Council #5465) submitted
the following activities as their entries
for the State Council Service Program
Awards for the Columbian Year 2008-
2009 which will be judged on June
2009.
its regular first Sunday meeting on De-
cember 2, 2007 a resolution regarding
the printing of souvenir program in
conjunction with the celebration of the
Annual Town Fiesta on January 20,
2008. The project aimed to raise enough
funds to support the then ongoing
church altar reno-
vation.
Several standing
committees were
organized that en-
couraged total in-
volvement of all K
of C families. The
project was fully
supported by the
Local Government
Units (LGU), Civic
and Religious Or-
Seminar for KCFAPI
sales force held
A SEMINAR aimed to empower and mo-
tivate KCFAPI sales force to promote the
importance of the Association among the
members of the Knights of Columbus
was held last August 6 at the main head-
quarters in Intramuros.
Aptly titled “Selling to High End KC
Market”, the estate planning and wealth
management seminar was participated
in by the Luzon Area Managers (AMs).
Dr. Ruperto P. Somera, a Tax Consult-
ant and presently Treasurer of KC Phil-
ippines Foundations, Inc. and Fr. George
J. Willmann Charities, Inc., was invited
as guest speaker.
Dr. Somera shared the objective of es-
tate planning which is to provide secu-
rity and protection for each member of
the family of the property owner.
“Life insurance is more than instant
estate,” said Dr. Somera. “With the pay-
ment of first premium, the insured has
created an estate that can be made avail-
able for the benefit of relatives or other
designated parties.”
Dr. Somera also discussed insurance as
a device in estate planning which provided
better appreciation of the concept of in-
surance, which is preparing for the future
of the family in cases of untimely demise.
Also present during the seminar were
KCFAPI President Antonio B. Borromeo
and Executive Vice President Ma.
Theresa G. Curia, who shared their per-
sonal experiences, views and expecta-
tions. (Ira J. Tee)

Insurance Commission approves KCFAPI’s

ganizations, busi-
ness sectors and
the great majority

Ready? Deputy Telmo tossing the ceremonial ball, while Grand Knight Remegio
of the parishioners
agreed that the
drive was success-
newest product
A. Cagadas in red shirt and shades looks on. ful. THE Insurance Commission (IC) has ap- contribution or leave with the Association
Last February 24 proved last July 21, 2008 the Knights of to accumulate interest. The product also
Summer Games in April 2008 the Grand Knight together with the
A basketball tournament was orga- Council Treasurer and Warden handed
Columbus Fraternal Association of the
Philippines, Inc.’s (KCFAPI) newest prod-
offers added value protection by provid-
ing additional coverage at no extra cost
KCFAPI
nized in April 2008 to cater to the youth’s over to Parish Priest Rev. Fr. Celso A.
love for the game and channel their tal- Nazareno the amount of P44,000 as a
uct: the Super Special Plan for Elderly
Knights (Super SPEK).
after 10 full years.
Super SPEK offers Special Living Ben- passes its
ent and energy in worthwhile activities. modest share of the Council in the
Through sports, the young are warded church’s renovation expenses. (Remegio
The Direct Marketing unit headed by
Joselito E. Mañalac started its campaign
efit – Terminal Illness. After two years
from issuance or date of last approved re- 3 rd
off from drugs, alcohol and other vices. S. Cagadas) for the new product early this month. Mr. instatement, this plan allows advance pay-
Brother knights
who are basket-
Mañalac is positive that having the “low-
est contribution rates that bring the high-
ment of 50 percent if the Face Value of
insured is diagnosed to have terminal ill-
Surveillance
ball enthusiasts
were tapped to
est level of protection”, Super SPEK will
be one of the successful products launched
ness (established life expectancy within 12
months from the date of claim application
Audit
supervise the by the Association. Special Enrollment is for Living Benefit acknowledged by KC
games as scor- now being offered up to September 30, Fraternal). KCFAPI continued to be ISO cer-
ers, referees, 2008 Mr. Mañalac is positive that having the tified with the confirmation of its
timers and re- Super SPEK is enhanced SPEK, one of “lowest contribution rates that bring the certifying body, Certification In-
corders during the most marketable products of the As- highest level of protection”, Super SPEK ternational (CI). The surveillance
the 2-day sociation offered especially to brother will be one of the successful products audit found our Quality Manage-
games. knights and their immediate families aged launched by the Association. Special En- ment System (QMS) in accordance
50 to 85. Featuring guaranteed acceptance rollment is now being offered up to Sep- with the requirements of ISO
Fund drive for coverage, a member availing of this prod- tember 30, 2008. 9001:2000.
renovation of uct need not accomplish health question- For inquiries and other concerns, please CI reported on the strengths of
Church altar naires and undergo medical examinations. call Sis. Christine B. Valencia at Trunk line our QMS and the activities that
Under the A member insured with Super SPEK is no. (02) 527-223 local 230. You may also have been initiated by the differ-
leadership of covered up to 100 years of age and is of- use KC SMS/Text facility by sending ent departments to meet the cor-
the Grand fered immediate cash for emergencies af- KCDIRECT<space>Your porate quality objectives and en-
Knight, the ter three full years. Name<space>Your Message/Inquiries to sure external and internal cus-
Council unani- Among its product’s features is the en- KCDirect Text Bilis no. 0917-8255632 or tomer satisfaction. (Magdalene G.
Church altar renovation. The Grand Knight together with the Council Treasurer
mously ap- and Warden handed over to Parish Priest Rev. Fr. Celso A. Nazareno the amount titlement of member to yearly dividends you may e-mail us at kcdirect@yahoo.com Flores)
proved during of P44,000 as a modest share of the Council in the church’s renovation expenses. which may be withdrawn, used to reduce or kcdirect@kofc.org.ph. (Ira J.Tee)

C2
President’s Message
KC FRATERNAL has lined up a
year-long series of activities to
celebrate our Golden Anniver-
sary which we dubbed as BIG 8
for 2008. The activities aim (1) to
highlight the beginnings, mile-
stones and stability of the Asso-
ciation, (2) to create awareness of
the Association, and (3)
strengthen its relationship with
all its stakeholders (i.e. KC Or-
der, BC Holders, Church, Sales
force, Employees and the General
Public as well)
Our year-long activities or big
8 for 2008 started with an official
launching held last Sept. 14, 2007.
The official launching was wit-
nessed by the board of trustees,
some area managers and frater-
nal counselors, employees and
other distinguished guests. Dur-
ing the launching, the KCFAPI
Golden Jubilee Logo was pre-
sented bearing the theme, “50
Years of Fraternal Service”. We
also heard our theme song
“Hands of Love” for the first
time as composed by Fr. Carlo
Magno Marcelo.
The second activity was our KC
Family Day in coordination with
the three jurisdictions held in three
different venues nationwide.
KCFAPI donated trophies and
medals, fees for officiating person-
nel and jubilee t-shirts for raffle.
KC-ing Galing Chorale Com-
petition is our 3rd activity. We in-
tend to make the KCFAPI Song
known and instilled in the hearts
of our KC members by holding
THE KC-ING GALING ALL
MALE CHORALE COMPETI-
TION. The finals were held per
jurisdiction during their respec-
tive state convention.
The next activity is the KCFAPI
coffee-table book and
videography. The KCFAPI cof-
fee-table book and video CD aim
to document and highlight the
Association’s history and its
milestones with respect to its mis-
sion and objectives. The book and
CD will also include subsidiary
companies and affiliates includ-
ing testimonies of individuals
who have been part of our suc-
cess.
BC Holder bonanza is the 5th
activity as our way of expressing
our gratitude to BC Holders who
have continually supported the
Association, KCFAPI has been
giving away one brand new cel-
lular phone every month. And for
the grand raffle draw on Sept 13,
2008, a BC holder may win a fam-
ily vacation trip to Hong Kong
Disneyland. Trip includes 3 days,
2 nights stay at the hotel, plane
fares from Manila or Cebu to
Hong Kong, 1-day pass to Hong
Kong Disneyland and $500 food
and shopping allowance for the
family.
Fraternal Service Convention is
the 6th activity. The Fraternal Ser-
vice Convention will be a gather-
ing of field sales representatives
as an incentive, with the purpose
of motivating sales productivity.
The convention aims to improve
our service to our Brother Knights
by holding sessions on develop-
ment of sales and interpersonal
skills. This will be a special venue
where our field representatives
from various areas establish net-
work and share knowledge and
best service practices.
The 7th activity is the jubilee
updates. For this activity, we aim
to promote and emphasize the
Association’s accomplishment
not only to the Order but to the
general public as well, with the
use of various media and means
similar to this section of the CBCP
The Cross
Chairman’s
Message
IT is with great pride and pleasure to an-
nounce that the Enhanced College Sav-
ings Plan (ECSP), our newest insurance
product, has made a great stride from
the day it was launched for offering on
June 2, 2008.
The remarkable submission of appli-
cations for the ECSP is attributable to its
unique features and the promotion be-
ing conducted by the key officers and our
field sales representatives.
The entry of ECSP has completed the
Gold Series plans and is one of the mile-
stones of KCFAPI’s 50 years of fraternal
service by brother knights to brother
knights.
I would like to enjoin all Knights of
Columbus who have children between
ages 1-10 to take this advantage and en-
sure their children’s college education.
Monitor titled “The Cross” which Golden Jubilee will be featured
is a supplement publication for in Manila Bulletin’s Panorama
KCFAPI and the Order of the during the Jubilee week.
Knights of Columbus. The read- For fifty years of fraternal ser-
ership of CBCP Monitor includes vice, KCFAPI has been a reliable
Church leaders, Catholic schools,
instrument in protecting the KC
religious congregations, parish Family. The assurance that
communities, and the general KCFAPI provides is truly a gift
public. from God that a Brother Knight
Finally, the Golden Jubilee can give to his family. Brothers,
Ball. The Golden Jubilee Ball we may never be here on the
aims to provide a venue where next 50 years of KCFAPI. Let us
all stakeholders will participate take advantage of this once in a
in a memorable and entertaining lifetime celebration. Let us con-
occasion. This grand occasion vince our Brother
shall be held at the Cen- Knights and their
tennial Ballroom of the family members
Manila Hotel on Sep- to join and be
tember 13, 2008. members of
A souvenir pro- KCFAPI. Per-
gram will provide suade them to
documentation of avail of this
the various activities benefit be-
during the Golden Ju- cause only
bilee. Our suppliers, members of
providers and part- the Knights of
ners will also have the Columbus may
opportunity to promote avail it. Let us do
services. Also, a this untiring ser-
supplement fea- vice and show them
ture of the KC Cares.
Tempus Fugit!
By Gari San Sebastian
HOW fast time really flies! Barely a month from now, KCFAPI will make history for the Knights
of Columbus in the Philippines as we celebrate our much awaited Golden Jubilee on September 13,
2008. Here is the line-up of activities:
Time: Activity:
8:00 AM Wreath-laying ceremony at the Statue of
Fr. George J. Willmann SJ
9:00 AM Holy Eucharistic Celebration in
commemoration of the 31st Death Anniversary
of Fr. George J. Willmann, SJ and
for the 50 th Golden Anniversary of KCFAPI
10:00 AM Launching of KCFAPI Coffee Table Book
by Msgr. Pedro C. Quitorio III; background music
to be rendered by Catholic Youth Organization
(CYO) Choir
12:30 NN Unveiling of “Fr. George J. Willmann, SJ,
His Life and Works” Painting
Lunch
6:00 PM Registration of Guests of Golden Jubilee Ball
7:00 PM Golden Jubilee Grand Celebration Ball
KCFAPI engaged Stars & Events, a professional events organizer, managed by Center for Pop
Music Philippines to handle the Jubilee Ball. Formal invitation for the Grand Jubilee Ball will be
released starting August 15.
Know Your Fire Insurance
By Basil B. Occeno removed from the burning
building, then stolen, the loss
IN the Philippines, standard will be recovered.
fire insurance includes insur- Loss may also be brought
ance against loss caused by fire about lightning. Lightning is a
and lightning. Extension of the discharge of atmospheric elec-
coverage may be done to in- tricity. For loss to be covered
clude losses against earth- by the insurance policy, the
quakes, tornadoes, windstorm, item damage by lightning must
and other allied risks. also burn as a result of light-
Fire is classified as friendly ning.
or hostile. Friendly fire is that For example, lightning
fire that is deliberate and re- strikes the home antennae, the
mains within the limits in- surge of electricity suddenly
tended for it. Hostile fire is fire causes the TV to stop working.
that goes out of control and be- However there is no fire as a
yond the limits intended for it. result. The TV loss is not cov-
To be covered by fire insur- ered. But if lightning strikes
ance, the following must be and the TV burst into flames,
present: Fire is the proximate the TV loss is covered.
cause, fire is hostile, acciden- Fire insurance, however, is in
tal in origin, flame or ignition itself considered a well-known
of sustaining velocity. moral hazard.
The law considers losses such For example, fire insurance
as falling walls, damage due to increases the incentive to com-
firefighters, effort to extin- mit arson, especially if some-
guish the fire, damage or loss one is operating a failing busi-
of property being removed ness and decided that they
from a building, damaged to would rather have the cash
property due to weather expo- from the insurance proceeds on
sure during and after the fire, the buildings than the build-
smoke and heat. ings themselves. (The value of
Note that if an item is stolen a business often is based on
while still inside a burning profitability; after arson, the
property, the insurance com- owner can claim the business
pany is not liable for the item was profitable.)
stolen. This is because the peril In worst case scenario (from
is theft, which is not covered the insurer’s viewpoint), the
under the standard fire insur- buildings are over insured if
ance policy. But, if the item is valuable contents are removed
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 17
August 18 - 31, 2008
Venue:
KC Bldg., Fr. Willmann, SJ
Center, Intramuros, Manila
San Agustin Church
Intramuros, Manila
KC Bldg., Fr. Willmann, SJ
Center, Intramuros, Manila
KC Bldg., Fr. Willmann, SJ
Center, Intramuros, Manila
KC Bldg., Fr. Willmann, SJ
Center, Intramuros, Manila
Centennial Hall, Manila
Hotel, Roxas Blvd., Manila
but claims are filed that they
were destroyed in the fire.
More generally, having in-
surance discourages preventive
measures, such as proper fire
prevention.
The problem of moral haz-
ards for insurance can not be
eliminated, but can be mini-
mized. For example:
Getting detailed information
to evaluate the value of what is
being insured, rather than sim-
ply taking the word of the per-
son buying the insurance
Requiring that there be a de-
ductible (an initial up-front
sum which the insured must
pay out of his or her own pocket
in case of a loss (say 80 or 90
percent).
Imposing conditions such as
the ownership of fire extin-
guisher (in the case of fire in-
surance), or offering price re-
ductions (for example, if a bur-
glar alarm is installed in a
home).
Courtesy of Oriental Assur-
ance Corporation, one of the in-
surers of the various non-life
products offered by Mace Insur-
ance Agency, Inc. (A subsidiary
of Knights of Columbus Frater-
nal). For inquires on fire insur-
ance, please call 527-2222, 527-
2256 , 527-2223 loc. 301, CP
0917-8286007/0905-2657253 or
e m a i l
maceinsurance@hotmail.com.
 CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 17
August 18 - 31, 2008
Knights of Columbus launch
‘Fathers for Good’ initiative
to strengthen families
QUEBEC CITY, Aug 4, 2008—The
Knights of Columbus is to launch its
“Fathers for Good” initiative on Tues-
day during the opening session of the
Catholic fraternal charity’s annual
convention in Quebec City. The ini-
tiative is aimed at helping men
strengthening their marriages and
families in a culture that it says “of-
ten does not value fatherhood.”
Supreme Knight Carl A. Ander-
son will announce the fatherhood
initiative during the delivery of his
annual report on Tuesday afternoon.
A special website for the initiative
will also
launch to-
morrow.
“Father-
hood is a
gift, a privi-
lege and a
respons
ibility,”
Anderson
says in a
video mes-
sage on the
Fathers for
G o o d
website. The
way in
which men accept the gift of father-
hood, he continues, determines the
ways in which they will build up their
families and communities.
“By being faithful to our calling as
husbands and fathers,” Anderson
notes, “we are ultimately being faith-
ful to ourselves.”
The theme for the website, “A
Father’s Identity,” is examined in re-
sources meant to help men build a
strong, loving, and confident identity
in a culture that “often does not value
fatherhood or masculine virtues,” a
Knights of Columbus statement says.
Future website themes will be deter-
The Cross
mined by votes from visitors.
Featuring videos, podcasts, a book-
store, and opportunities for questions
to be answered in e-mail exchanges,
the site provides expert advice on how
men can be better fathers and hus-
bands and includes information on
men’s health and financial issues. It
also discusses male spirituality and
men’s relationship with God, topics
that the Knights of Columbus say are
often overlooked at other men’s sites.
In some of the highlighted podcasts,
New York Giants Super Bowl cham-
pion Chris Godfrey explains how to
talk about
sex with
one’s chil-
d r e n ,
while pe-
diatrician
Dr. Meg
Meeker
delivers a
special
message
to fathers
a b o u t
their rela-
tionships
with their
children.
Addressing a press conference held
Monday in Quebec City, Knights of
Columbus vice president of commu-
nications Patrick Korten explained
that the Knights are very aware that
this is an election year.
“There are a few issues that are of
extreme interest to us as Catholics and
Knights” and among these are “the
life issues and marriage,” Korten said.
According to the Knights, the fa-
therhood initiative flows out of those
concerns.
The “Fathers for Good” web site is
located at www.fathersforgood.org.
(CNA)
A eucharistic
community
By Carl A. Anderson, Supreme Knight
OUR principles of charity, unity and
fraternity find their source and sum-
mit in the Eucharist
This summer a great event in the
life of the Church—the 49th Interna-
tional Eucharistic Congress—oc-
curred in Quebec City. Participants
came from around the world to cel-
ebrate and affirm the theme of the
congress, “The Eucharist: Gift of God
for the Life of the World.” There
were many moving moments, and I
was very proud that so many brother
Knights from throughout Canada ac-
tively volunteered to make the con-
gress a success.
The closing Mass was presided
over by the papal legate, Cardinal
Jozef Tomko, who is also president
emeritus of the Pontifical Commit-
tee for the International Eucharistic
Congresses. In a private meeting,
Cardinal Tomko expressed his appre-
ciation for all the Knights of Colum-
bus had done to make the congress a
success as well as for our sponsor-
ship of two Knights of Columbus eu-
charistic congresses held in Wash-
ington, D.C., and Chicago in 2002 and
2005, respectively.
For many, the high point of the
congress was the homily delivered
live via satellite by Pope Benedict
XVI. The Holy Father reminded us,
“Reception of the Eucharist and ado-
ration of the Blessed Sacrament is
about allowing ourselves to enter
into communion with Christ, and
through him with the whole of the
Trinity, so as to become what we re-
ceive and to live in communion with
the Church.”
In addition, the Holy Father asked
everyone to “bear witness coura-
geously to the mystery” of the Eu-
charist and to make a special com-
mitment to study this great mystery
— especially by reflecting on the
Second Vatican Council’s Constitu-
tion on the Sacred Liturgy
(Sacrosanctum Concilium ).
The pope’s request is especially
relevant to us. In Sacrosanctum
Concilium we are told that Christ has
entrusted to the Church “a sacra-
ment of love, a sign of unity, a bond
of charity” (47). What could be more
relevant for a Catholic organization
founded upon the principles of char-
ity, unity and fraternity? As our Su-
preme Chaplain Bishop William E.
Lori observed at our congress in
Chicago, these principles find both
their source and summit in the Eu-
charist.
This means that the Knights of Co-
lumbus must become ever more
profoundly a eucharistic community
in which we “should be drawn day
by day into ever more perfect union
with God and with each other”
(Sacrosanctum Concilium, 48).
We can do this by encouraging
more frequent attendance at Mass
and reverence in the presence of the
Blessed Sacrament, especially dur-
C3
ing appointed hours of adoration.
We can revive our tradition of cor-
porate Communions and we can
make celebration of the Eucharist a
more important part of our state ju-
risdiction meetings, especially dur-
ing our annual state conventions.
Of course, in all this we recognize
that the liturgy is a function of the
priestly office of Jesus Christ. Our
devotion to the Eucharist should
bring us in ever-closer solidarity
with our priests and encourage even
greater efforts to promote vocations
to the priesthood.
In these ways and others, we can
take up the challenge of Pope
Benedict to “bear witness coura-
geously to the mystery” so that we
may make these words of
Sacrosanctum Concilium our own:
“In the earthly liturgy we take
part in a foretaste of that heavenly
liturgy which is celebrated in the
holy city of Jerusalem toward which
we journey as pilgrims, where
Christ is sitting at the right hand of
God, a minister of the holies and of
the true tabernacle; we sing a hymn
to the Lord’s glory with all the war-
riors of the heavenly army; venerat-
ing the memory of the saints, we
hope for some part and fellowship
with them; we eagerly await the Sav-
ior, Our Lord Jesus Christ, until He,
our life, shall appear and we too will
appear with Him in glory” (8).
Vivat Jesus!

Standard & Poor’s reaffirms Knights tinuing to provide top quality

of Columbus AAA rating
FOR the 16th consecutive year,
the Knights of Columbus insur-
ance program has earned Stan-
dard & Poor’s highest rating:
AAA (Extremely Strong). With
more than 140 years experience,
S&P is the financial industry’s
foremost independent rating bu-
reau, providing investment,
credit, and risk analyses of finan-
cial institutions around the world.
“K of C is achieving its primary
objective of providing members
and their families with high-
quality, low-cost insurance prod-
ucts,” the 2008 S&P rating report
said. The Knights of Columbus
insurance program has “a stable
outlook,” and in addition, its
“capitalization is expected to re-
main extremely strong, and li-
quidity is expected to remain ex-
tremely strong also.”
The report cited the strengths
of the K of C’s operational and
financial management, calling its
financial strategy “very conser-
vative, as demonstrated by its
capital structure, investment
portfolio, and approach to busi-
ness growth.” It further claimed
that “K of C’s capital adequacy,
as measured by Standard &
Poor’s capital model, is among
the strongest in the industry.”
Referring to the K of C’s man-
agement of its assets, the S&P re-
port stated, “the investment port-
folio has very strong credit qual-
ity, with the majority of assets be-
ing invested in publicly traded
investment-grade bonds.
Management’s strategy is to grow
its business conservatively by of-
fering profitable products and ad-
hering to strict underwriting
standards. Standard & Poor’s ex-
pects this level of conservatism
to continue.”
“The company returned 87 per-
cent of its earnings to its mem-
bers in 2007,” S&P added. “Its con-
sistently strong profitability is
attributable to high persistency
rates, favorable mortality expe-
rience, and strong investment re-
turns over the past 10 years.”
Supreme Knight Carl A.
Anderson welcomed the news
from S&P, and noted that “despite
the difficulties suffered by so
many well-known financial in-
stitutions due to the sub-prime
mortgage crisis, we have not only
remained solvent but improved
our financial stability, while con-
products and service to our mem-
bers.”
College Knights at
World YYouth
outh Day 2008
The Knights of Columbus re-
cently received an A.M. Best
Company rating of A++ (Superior)
for the 33rd consecutive year. The
K of C is one of only five insur- A GROUP of 35 college Knights rep- the campus of Notre Dame Univer-
ance providers in North America resenting 18 universities accompa- sity in downtown Sydney.
to receive the highest ratings from nied Supreme Knight Carl A. The Love and Life Site was spon-
both Standard & Poor’s and A.M. Anderson as the Knights of Colum- sored by the Sisters of Life,
Best, as well as certification from bus’ offi- Knights
the Insurance Marketplace Stan- cial del- of Co-
dards Association (IMSA) for ethi- egation lumbus
cal business practices. to World and Pon-
Founded 126 years ago, the Youth tifical
Knights of Columbus is a frater- D a y J o h n
nal benefit society and is the 2008. Paul II
world’s largest lay Catholic or- Institute
ganization with more than 1.75 T h e for Stud-
million members. Last year college ies on
members of the Knights of Co- Knights M a r -
lumbus donated more than 68 were among about 125,000 interna- riage and Family. Numerous
million hours of volunteer ser- tional visitors in Sydney, Austra- talks, concerts and events focused
vice for charitable causes, and lia, July 15-20 for World Youth Day. on building a culture of life were
contributed more than $144 mil- They also served as volunteers at being held at the Love and Life
lion to charity. (KCNews) the Love and Life Site, located on Site. (www.kofc.org)

Dear BC
Holders,
You can pay your insur-
ance contributions and
loans through the follow-
ing outlets:

1. Banco de Oro Branches

2. Philippine National Bank
Branches
3. Banco Filipino Branches
4. Bills Payment Counter of
SM branches
5. Cabanatuan Service Office
- Knights of Columbus
Bldg., 578 Burgos Ave.,
Cabanatuan City
6.Cagayan de Oro Service
Office - 3r d Floor, KC
Building, Capt. V. Roa
Extension, 9000 Cagayan
de Oro City
7. Cebu City Service Office -
2 n d Floor, KC Building, 36
Archbishop Reyes Ave.
Cor. Molave St., Lahug,
6000 Cebu City
8. Davao Service Office -
Knights of Columbus
Building, C.M. Recto
Ave., 8000 Davao City
9. Iloilo City - 2n d Floor,
Carolina Building, 106 M.
Jalandoni St., Jaro, 5000
Iloilo City
10. Zamboanga City - Room
4, 2 n d Floor, Park Pavilion
Building, La Purisima St.,
7000 Zamboanga City

C4
FBG Vice President Joseph P. Teodoro (far left) leads Luzon Area Managers in attaining their targets. (L-R) Reynaldo Valencia (MMD), Victor Pulangco (CLD), Josefino Valencia (NWL), Manuel Naldoza (CLC), Vimar Trinidad (MMA), Nonilon Ayon (SWL), Efren Casupanan
(CLD), Damaso Hernandez (MMC), Armando Gonzales (NEL), Conrado Dator (SL), Aurelio Caparas of MME (kneeling).
By Gari M. San
Sebastian
WHO says you cannot combine
business with leisure? Your As-
sociation once again proved that
field sales representatives are in-
deed regarded as one of its val-
ued resource.
The Fraternal Benefits Group
led by its Vice President Bro. Jo-
seph P. Teodoro conducted its 3rd
Quarter Meeting for Area Man-
agers (AMs) in Luzon last August
6, 7 and 8. There were 14 AMs (100
percent attendance) who partici-
pated in the meeting.
The affair started with a half-
day seminar on Financial Plan-
Area Managers enjoying a hearty meal with President Antonio Borromeo
CONGRATULATIONS
to the winners of brand new cell phones:
1st Draw (March 17, 2008)
JOSE L. CIRUJALES, Naga
City
2nd Draw (April 14, 2008)
JORGE P. CASTUCIANO,
Tondo Manila
3rd Draw (May 17, 2008)
MANUEL L. QUINES,
Surigao City
Work and leisure
ning and Wealth Management
given by sought after speaker on
Estate Planning, Dr. Rupert
Somera, Former Regional Direc-
tor of Bureau of Internal Revenue,
Former District Deputy and
Former District Master of the
Fourth Degree.
Performance analysis with cor-
rective action for the second se-
mester immediately followed in
the afternoon. This was the busi-
ness side of the event. To date,
there are around 10 AMs who did
well during the first semester. The
first Area Manager to beat the tar-
get for the year is Bro. Nonilon D.
Ayon of South Western Luzon
Stars.
4th Draw (June 13, 2008)
EDUARDO M. PARNES
SR., Misamis Oriental
5th Draw (July 11, 2008)
AQUILINO C. ORETA,
Makati City
CBCP Monitor
The Cross Vol. 12 No. 17
August 18 - 31, 2008
Sis. Ma. n e v e r
Theresa G. stopped until
Curia came they reached
to visit and the home of-
treated our fice. This and
cream of more sur-
the crop to prises await
an exotic the deserv-
p a r a d i s e ing Area
c a l l e d Managers
S o n y a ’ s and Fraternal
Garden for Counselors
a hearty as we con-
meal. For tinue to cel-
starters, we ebrate our
Area Managers Damaso Hernandez and Manuel Naldoza show off their had freshly Golden Jubi-
flash drives, a token to all AMs who were able to meet their targets. picked gar- lee anniver- Area Managers at Sonya’s Garden. With Executive Vice President
den fresh sary. More Ma. Theresa G. Curia, President Antonio B. Borromeo and FBG Vice
President Joseph P. Teodoro.
On Day two, our Luzon AMs salad with bottomless native or- Power!
were treated by their home of- ange juice
fice to experience the cool breeze (dalandan or
of Tagaytay City where they dalanghita or
were accommodated to Keys santunis in local
Realty’s fully furnished SunBless folks’ dialect). It
condominium unit. We lived to was followed by
the expectation of these men home made
called Knights by providing bread straight
fully-loaded supply of food and from the oven
beverages, we mean stuffing with six irresist-
their refrigerators with drinks ible toppings,
down to their bellies. Meals were with pasta as the
served hot with superb tasting main course with
and tempting bulalo and mouth- four different
watering seafood grill (with extra sauces. Tarragon
large catfish). They were awake al- tea kept the tum-
most the entire evening from the mies warm after
videoke singing, card playing, a satisfying
cooking pica-pica (tilapia and bar- lunch.
becue pork belly “liempo”). The The president
coolness of night was comple- also gave USB
mented with warm sharing of flash drives to all
true-to-life happy stories and AMs who met
jokes. their targets dur-
During the last day, our very ing the 1st semes-
own energetic Jubilee president ter as a token of Some members of Fr. Eusebio Salvador Council No. 8330 headed by GK Andy C. Navato donated blood
Bro. Antonio B. Borromeo together appreciation. The last July 10 during the birthday celebration of Archbishop Romulo G. Valles, DD held at the Metropolitan
Cathedral of the Immaculate Concepcion. Standing from left: Member of Paguia Council 3362, AMD Rene
with lady Executive Vice President fun and laughter Ruste and GK Lioso. Lying are GK Andy and Bro. Tung Tolentino.
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3RD Floor, Fr. George Willmann S.J. Center Branch Service Administrator
General Luna cor., Sta. Potenciana Sts., KC Fraternal
Intramuros, Manila Knights of Columbus Building
Tel. No: (02) 527-2221 Captain V. Roa Extension, Cagayan De Oro City
Fax No: (02) 527-2238 Tel. #: (0882)-854-3274 Fax #: (0882)-272-1005