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VOLUME 19
NUMBER 11

May 25 - June 7, 2015

PROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE

CBCPMONITOR.COM

Church launches zero

hunger bill petition
By Roy Lagarde

CARITAS Philippines has

urged President Benigno
Aquino III to certify as urgent a measure that seeks to
end hunger in the country in
ten years.

Archbishop Rolando Tirona, president of Caritas Philippines, said Aquino

should certify the zero hunger bill as
urgent to expedite and ensure its passage
before his term ends next year.
The early passage of the bill could
save many of our brothers and sisters from
hunger and death, which is the number
one cause of mortality, Tirona said.
Also known as HB 3795 or the Right
to Adequate Food Framework Act of
2014, it aims to establish the right to
food as a government priority that will
entail a comprehensive program to address hunger.
The right to food is a basic right that
must be upheld and fulfilled by the dutyholder, our government, he said.

Hunger Bill / A6

CARITAS Philippines has

voiced on Thursday its concern
about the way climate change
is hitting the countrys poor
people.
As the Caritas Internationalis general assembly reach their
second day in Rome, Caritas
Philippines executive director
Fr. Edu Gariguez said that
impact of climate change will
trap more Filipinos in poverty.
In the presentation of his
position paper, he stressed that
poverty cannot be reduced
without addressing the alarming issues of climate change.
Clearly, climate change and
its ensuing extreme weather
impact are hurting the most
vulnerable countries, like the
Philippines, Gariguez said.
He said that in terms of
social groups, small farmers, fishersmen, indigenous
peoples, women and children
are the most vulnerable sectors affected by climate change
Climate / A7

WHATS INSIDE
One who lives the
Caritas mission is not a
simple worker but indeed a
witness to Christ, B1

Newly-elected Caritas Internationalis president Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle speaks during Caritas Day where delegates embraced the One Human Family, Food for
All campaign to end hunger, at the Expo 2015 worlds fair in Milan, Italy on May 19. We are one human family united by hunger, said the first Asian to head the
confederation of Catholic charities. It is not just about food but it is the same hunger that unites us. FR. EDU GARIGUEZ/CARITAS PHILIPPINES

Cardinal Tagle urges

Caritas to strengthen
service to poor

Church says PHL has moral duty

to accept refugees
MORE than its international obligations to
protect refugees, the
Philippines has a moral
imperative to help vulnerable migrants who
will seek solace at the
countrys shores, the
Catholic hierarchy said.
After other Southeast
Asian nations turned
thousands of boat
people from Myanmar and Bangladesh
away, refusing them
the comfort of even
just a temporary stay,
CBCP president Archbishop Socrates Villegas

said there was a duty to

treat the refugees with
compassion.
While it may be true
that there is no legal
obligation on the part
of the Republic of the
Philippines or that of
any other country to
grant asylum to every
refugee or displaced
person, there is a moral
obligation to protect
them from the harm
they flee from, he said.
There is a legal obligation not to forcibly
repatriate them. And by
all precepts of morality

and decency, there is an

obligation not to leave
them to the mercilessness of the elements on
the high seas, Villegas
said.
The government
earlier said it is open
t o re s c u e t h e s e u ndocumented migrants,
pointing out that the
Philippines signed the
1951 Convention Relating to the Status of
Refugees.
T h e b i s h o p s h a ve
welcomed the governments statement, even
Refugees / A7

CBCP president Archbishop Socrates Villegas FILE PHOTO

Dont pass BBL in haste bishop Priest to husbands: Treat your

Archbishop Luis Antonio G. Tagle of Manila CNA

MANILA Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, the newly

elected President of Caritas Internationalis, has called for a strengthened service to the poor and the
marginalized.
Speaking on the phone at the
confederations 20th general assembly in Rome to accept his new post,
he said a united effort is needed in
building a church of the poor.
Let us together strengthen the
church of the poor so our witness
can help guide us to a world of understanding justice, true freedom
and peace, Tagle said to delegates
from over 130 member organizations from all over the world.
Thank you for your trust. Im
limited in my capacities but with
all of you, with the love that Jesus
has poured into our hearts and in
the name of all of the poor people
in the world, I accept this election,
he said
The cardinal was in the United
States during the election where he
was awarded honoris causa from
the Catholic Theological University in Chicago.
Fr. Edu Gariguez, executive
secretary of Caritas Philippines,
said Tagle will fly to Rome and
will join the assembly on May 16
to formally assume the presidency

CBCP exec
links climate
change to PH
poverty

wife like St. Isidore did

of the global confederation of

Catholic charities.
No politics
Unlike other polls, Gariguez said
there there is not much fun fare or
politicking or even campaigning
in the Caritas elections.
He said the nominees were given
to present themselves and their
qualifications before the plenary a
day before the election.
Cardinal Tagle, however, did
not have the chance to personally
appear before the assembly because
he was still in the US. A video message from him was played instead.
Gariguez said he was a bit worried that Tagles absence created
an impression that he might not
be the best one for the position
because he is already given much
responsibility.
I have been asked by the participants about his availability a
number of times, he said.
While not present, the priest said
that Cardinal Tagle still won in the
voting, 91 out of 133 over the other
candidate, Maronite Archbishop
Joseph Soueif of Cyprus .
Gift to the world
His pastoral zeal and leadership

Caritas / A6

Illustration by Brothers Matias

Signature drive
To show the churchs scale of support
for the measure, Caritas has also launched
a petition to push for the passage of the
pending bill in Congress.
The agency is tapping the help of all
the dioceses in gathering signatures in
their respective parishes in support of
the bill.
Tirona said they are also coordinating with other civic-minded groups for
the passage of House Bill 3795 or the
Right to Adequate Food Framework Act
of 2014.

CBCPMONITOR@CBCPWORLD.NET

GPH Legal Team head Atty. Anna Tarhata Basman listens to a young woman express
her thoughts about the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro during a public
forum, May 21, 2014. OPAPP

SAYING that the approval of the

Bangsamoro Basic Law should not
be rushed, a Catholic bishop said
more time is needed to discuss
important points in the proposed
measure.
Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo said what is important
is for Congress to enact a law that

is acceptable to all if only to attain

real peace in Mindanao.
After all, he said, the BBL will
not only affect those inside the
Bangsamoro, not only Mindanao,
but the entire country.
We need a law to achieve
peace but it should be effective
BBL / A7

WITHthe Churchs recent

remembrance of one of the most
popular saints in the country,
a priest reminded the faithful,
especially husbands, about St.

Isidores powerful witness as a

married man.
The greatest gift a husband
can give to his wife is to lead her
Husbands / A6

IP coalition: Mining prosperity a myth

REPRESENTING the
majority of Mindanaos 18
ethno-linguistic groups,
the largest alliance of indigenous peoples (IP) in
the region has dismissed
anew the claim that mining brings prosperity, and

pushed for the repeal of

the Philippine Mining Act
of 1995.
The bias for the unbridled extraction of mineral wealth by multinational corporations has
only fuelled violence in the

communities and brought

unspeakable destruction
to the environment. The
so-called benefits of mining
are just but myths created
by those who want to control the exploitation and
utilization of our natural

resources, shares the Kusog sa Katawhang Lumad

sa Mindanao (KALUMARAN) in a recent statement.
Peoples Mining Bill
Given this reason, Dul-

phing B. Ogan, KALUMARAN secretary-general,

says the IP coalition and
other other militant and
progressive organizations
call for the enactment of
the Peoples Mining Bill.
Myth / A6

A2 WORLD NEWS

May 25 - June 7, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 11

Vatican Briefing
Pope names new Vatican consultant

Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, a Dominican priest who led his order for
ten years and has stirred controversy in the past for his stance on
certain ecclesial issues, was appointed May 16 as a consultor of
the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Consultors to the
pontifical councils are officially appointed by the Pope, and while
it is not formally acknowledged, such appointments are typically
made at the suggestion of the heads of the councils. With Fr.
Radcliffe, the number of consultors of the Pontifical Council for
Justice and Peace comes to 14. (CNA)

Could Mother Teresa be canonized during the Holy Year for Mercy?

Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi has said that Bl. Mother
Teresa of Calcutta could be canonized during the upcoming
Jubilee for Mercy, although he clarified that no concrete plans
have been made. Fr. Lombardi said on May 19 that the possible
canonization of Mother Teresa during the Holy Year is a working
hypothesis. There is no official date but you can say that the
Congregation for the Causes of Saints is studying the cause. When
asked if there was a second miracle attributed to the nuns intercession, the spokesman said, The cause is in the process. (CNA)

Pope appeals for peace in Burundi

On Sunday morning, Pope Francis called for prayers for the people
of Burundi, where violent clashes have broken out following a
failed coup recently. I also wish to invite you to pray for the
dear people of Burundi, who are living in a delicate moment,
the pontiff said in his May 17 address ahead of the Regina Caeli
prayers. Violence broke out last week after a failed coup against
Burundis President Pierre Nkurunziza. Around 20 people have
been killed in the unrest, and tens of thousands have fled the
country. (CNA)

Population control wont solve climate change, Caritas official says

Controlling populations is not the answer in fighting poverty

and protecting the environment, says a leading official for the
Catholic aid federation, Caritas Internationalis. We do not see
that population control, the way it is being thought by many, is
the right way to go forward, Caritas secretary general Michel Roy
said. The question of sustaining the planet is not approached by
suppressing people, he said. Roy has been in Rome for Caritas
Internationals 20th general assembly which has been running
from May 12-17 on the theme: One human family, care for
creation. (CNA)

Pope Francis reminds Christians to have a festive faith

Speaking to vowed religious, Pope Francis said Christianity must

be festive. He praised the special nourishing power of a nuns smile.
The feast is a theological category of life. And you cannot live the
consecrated life without this festive dimension. Its a party. But
partying is not the same as making noise, he said May 16. This
festive dimension to life is one of the things that we Christians
forget, he said, according to Vatican Radio. (CNA)

Archbishop Romero was motivated by Gospel, not politics, cardinal says

Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romeros preferential love for the

poor was not ideological, but evangelical, said Cardinal
Angelo Amato, the prefect of the Congregation for Saints
Causes. The cardinal, who was delegated by Pope Francis to
preside over Archbishop Romeros beatification May 23 in
San Salvador, told Vatican Radio the martyred archbishop
was, in fact, a good priest and a wise bishop, but most of
all, he was a virtuous man. His martyrdom was not an
improvisation, he said, but had a long preparation, which
went all the way back to Archbishop Romeros preparation
for priestly ordination in 1942 when he consecrated his very
life to God. (CNS)

Pope says parents must not exclude themselves from childrens lives

Parents must not exclude themselves from their childrens lives

and, despite what some experts may say, they must take an
active role in their childrens education, said Pope Francis during his general audience in St. Peters Square May 20. Its time
for fathers and mothers to come out of their exilebecause
they have exiled themselves from their childrens education
and to fully assume again their educational role, he said.
Continuing a series of talks about the family, the pope said
its essential characteristic is its natural vocation to educate
children so that they grow in responsibility for themselves and
for others. (CNS)

Church needs womens voices, input, experiences, pope tells religious

Women can be appointed heads of some offices of the Roman

Curia, Pope Francis said, but that will not be enough to recover
the role women should have in the Catholic Church. Women
should be promoted, he said May 16 during an audience with
an international group of men and women religious working in
the Diocese of Rome. But assigning a certain number of women
to leadership positions is simply functionalism, he said. What is
important is to ensure that women have a voice and are listened
to, he said, because the church needs their specific contributions.
(CNS)

Church continues to aid Nepal victims

KATHMANDU, May 22 2015
Father Silas Bogati, pro-Vicar
Apostolic of Nepal, said that the
Catholic Church continues with
its aid to quake survivors in Nepal.
The Christian witness in Nepal
today passes through the works of
mercy and compassion for people
who have lost everything, the
priest said.
The work of solidarity of
the Catholic Church continues,
especially in the more remote
districts. In recent days we had a
coordination meeting with all the
priests, nuns, religious involved
in the rescue of victims, with
representatives of Caritas and with
the Bishop. We have developed a
joint action plan to help people
affected by the earthquake with
short-term and long-term measures. One starts thinking about
reconstruction. The Vicariate has
planned interventions to help
as many families as possible and
our goal is to meet the needs of
about 2,000 families, Fr. Bogati
informed.
I have just returned from
Gorkha district to monitor the
situation. There, there are the Sale-

sian Fathers who are assisting the

homeless. We have provided relief
supplies to 2,235 families in the
villages of Mucchok and Sourpani.
The Catholic personnel, priests, religious and lay faithful, are working
hard: many are also coming from
India to help us, he added.
The priest concluded: Caritas,
thanks to international aid, is providing aid in many villages. People
thank us and have expressed deep
gratitude. Christian witness in
Nepal today passes through the
works of mercy and compassion
for people who have lost their loved
ones, who have lost their homes
and all their properties. They have
to start from scratch.
According toNepal government
estimates, the death toll of the
April 25 earthquake has reached
8,631, with 21,838 injured.
The Nepalese police have reported that the search continues
for 346 missing people, including
106 foreigners. As for the damage to housing, the main quake
and hundreds of aftershocks have
damaged 462,646 houses, half in
the central region of the country.
(Agenzia Fides/UCAN)

CBCP Monitor

Blessed Romero another brilliant star

belonging to church of Americas
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, May 23,
2015Some thought this day would never
arrive. Others hoped and some always knew
it would.
On May 23, the Catholic Church, beatified
Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdamez, of El Salvador, who was assassinated in
1980 while celebrating Mass, just a day after
pleading and ordering soldiers to stop killing
innocent civilians.
Blessed Romero is another brilliant star
that belongs to the sanctity of the church of
the Americas, said Cardinal Angelo Amato,
head of the Vaticans Congregation for Saints
Causes, during the ceremony in San Salvador.
And thanks be to God, there are many.
While those who persecuted him have died
or are in obscurity, the memory of Romero
continues to live in the poor and the marginalized, Cardinal Amato said.
His homilies often pleaded for better conditions for the poor, for a stop to the escalating
violence in the country and for brotherhood
among those whose divisions ultimately led to
a 12-year conflict.
Hes not a symbol of division but one of
peace, Cardinal Amato said.
In a message sent Saturday on the occasion of
the beatification, Pope Francis said that Archbishop Romero built the peace with the power
of love, gave testimony of the faith with his life.
Proof of that is the shirt he died in, soaked in
blood, after an assassins single bullet took his
life. Eight deacons carried the blood-stained
shirt, now a relic, to the altar in a glass case.
Others decorated it with flowers and candles
during the Saturday ceremony. Several priests
reached out to touch the case and later made
the sign of the cross.
In a time of difficulty in El Salvador, Archbishop Romero knew how to guide, defend
and protect his flock, remaining faithful to
the Gospel and in communion with the whole
church, the pope said in his message. His
ministry was distinguished by a particular attention to the poor and marginalized. And at
the time of his death, while celebrating the holy
sacrifice, love and reconciliation, he received the
grace to be fully identified with the one who
gave his life for his sheep.
The event, at the square of the Divine Savior
of the World in the capital city of San Salvador,
saw the attendance of four Latin American presidents and six cardinals including: Oscar Andres
Rodriguez Maradiaga, of Honduras; Leopoldo
Brenes, of Nicaragua; Jaime Ortega, of Cuba;
Jose Luis Lacunza, of Panama; Roger Mahony,
of the U.S.; and Italian Cardinal Amato, as well
as Italian Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, postulator of Archbishop Romeros cause.
Their excitement couldnt have been greater
than that of those like Father Estefan Turcios,
pastor of El Salvadors St. Anthony of Padua
Catholic Church in Soyapango and national
director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in
El Salvador. Before El Salvadors conflict, Father
Turcios was imprisoned for defending the rights
of the poor. Archbishop Romero helped free him.
There have been people inspired by Romero
for 35 years. How do you think they feel right
now? asked Father Turcios.
But just as he has devotees, Archbishop
Romero has had detractors.
After his death, the Vatican received mounds
of letters against Archbishop Romero, Archbishop Paglia, has said. And that affected his
path toward sainthood, which includes beatifi-

Archbishop Oscar Romero. JAVIER HIDALGO VIA FLICKR

cation. But three decades after his assassination,

Pope Benedict XVI cleared the archbishops
sainthood cause.
In February Pope Francis signed the decree
recognizing Archbishop Romero as a martyr,
a person killed in hatred of the faith, which
meant there is no need to prove a miracle for
beatification. In general two miracles are needed
for sainthoodone for beatification and the
second for canonization.
Father Turcios said by studying Blessed
Romeros life, others will discover all the Gospel truths that led him to defend life, the poor
and the church, and do away with untruths
surrounding his legacy.
During the countrys civil war that lasted
from 1979 until 1992, some Salvadorans hid,
buried and sometimes burned photos they had
taken with or of Archbishop Romero, because
it could mean others would call them communists or rebel sympathizers and put their
lives in danger.
Though he still has some detractors, Father
Turcios said, the beatification can help others
understand the reality and truth that others have
known all along: Archbishop Romero was loyal
to Gods will, was loyal to and loved his people
and was loyal to and loved the church, he said.
One of the offertory gifts during the Mass
May 23 was the book De la locura a la esperanza or From Madness to Hope. A document
generated during the peace accords that ended
the countrys 12-year war.
It chronicles some of the greatest human
rights atrocities committed in El Salvador during the conflict, including the killing and rape of
four women religious from the U.S., the killing
of priests, catechists, as well as massacres of unarmed civiliansmore than 70,000 died in all.
Priests, bishops and cardinals wore some
form a red vestment, signifying martyrdom.
Their stoles were emblazoned with Archbishop
Romeros episcopal motto: Sentir con la iglesia, or feel with the church, also translated

as to think with the church.

The ceremony culminated a week in San
Salvador that saw pilgrims, mainly from Latin
America, but also from as far away as Singapore
and many from the United States, who wanted
to celebrate the occasion. Flowers, music, tears
and happiness flowed at San Salvadors Metropolitan Cathedral of the Holy Savior, where
the archbishop is buried. He is officially Blessed
Romero, but to others he already is and has been
San Romero, or St. Romero of the Americas.
Father Juan J. Navarro, of Maracaibo, Venezuela, said he visited the archbishops burial place to
voice the many needs of his country. Food and
freedom of expression are lacking, he said, and
its a place with a similar situation to the one that
led to war in Archbishop Romeros time.
I asked for (Archbishop Romero) to intercede for our rights, to continue to inspire in us
the will to go forward when the reality of life is
serious, he said.
For 81-year-old Salvadoran Gregoria Martinez de Jimenez, the beatification marked the
official recognition of something she has known
all along: We finally have a saint who is one of
ours, she said as tears flowed.
He was a duplicate of Jesus, added her
daughter Maria Elena Jimenez Martinez, 44.
Both women attended Archbishop Romeros
funeral, where smoke bombs went off and shots
were fired. More than elation, they showed happiness mixed with sorrow that remains from a
painful time.
Jesuit Father Miguel Angel Vasquez Hernandez, of Arcatao, said the archbishop would
probably have felt a little taken aback with such
a ceremony, which is expected to cost about
$1 million and was attended by hundreds of
thousands.
The best way to honor him, he said, is to
work for peace and justice in El Salvador, and
in other parts of the world afflicted by poverty,
war, violence, oppression and economic injustice. (CNS)

Vote to legalize gay marriage poses uncertain future for Ireland

ROME, Italy, May 22, 2015As
Ireland goes to the polls to vote on
whether to legalize same-sex marriage, one Church official warns
that the new law could bring yetunforeseen consequences for future
generations.
The importance of the vote
today cannot be underestimated,
said Msgr. John Kennedy, an official of the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith, in a May 22
email to CNA.
If passed, the Dublin-native said
the referendum would signal a
significant alteration in how marriage is understood, appreciated at
a societal level and taught to future
generations.
More than 3.2 million people
throughout the Republic of Ireland
are eligible to vote in Fridays national
referendum on whether the constitution should be changed to allow same-

sex couples to legally marry.

While 18 countries have already legalized same-sex marriage,
Ireland would become the first to
adopt the law through popular
vote, so long as the referendum
passes.
If passed it would mark a seachange that would, I imagine, be
irreversible and have significant
consequences, Msgr. Kennedy
said. Not all of these consequences might be appreciated in
the present moment but will have
to be confronted in the future.
He observed that while political
parties and public figures have
vocalized support for the Yes
campaign for same-sex marriage,
many others, particularly private
individuals, have preferred to
remain silent on how they might
cast their vote.
Coming from a country with

a long history of fidelity to the

Catholic Church, shaken only in
recent decades by scandals among
the clergy and religious, the May
22 referendum is significant.
The proposed amendment to
the constitution to allow for samesex marriage was introduced in
January by the Fine Gael-Labor
Government. The proposal must
be voted on in a referendum before
it can become law.
Fridays referendum comes 22
years after Ireland decriminalized
homosexual acts. In 2010, the
country enacted the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and
Obligations of Cohabitants Act,
which allowed same-sex couples
to enter into civil unions.
Despite the consequences such
a law could have on future generations, Msgr. Kennedy is confident
that the Churchs message will

withstand the challenges.

The Church lives within the
structures of society, he said, and
will continue to show respect for
the individual choices persons
might make.
Regardless of the outcome of the
referendum, he continued: The
noble and beautiful teaching on
sacramental union of a man and
woman as taught by Christ the
Lord and as designed by God at
creation, will remain at the heart
of the message that it brings to
the world.
While society continues to
change, the beauty and permanence of Christs teachings will perhaps shine all the more brightly.
Polls throughout the Republic
of Ireland were opened from 7am
to 10pm local time on May 22.
The results will be announced on
Saturday. (CNA)

Relics of Saints John XXIII, John Paul II light fires of faith in Thailand
CHANTHABURI, Thailand, May 24, 2015
Scores of Catholic faithful are taking part in the
Thailand tour of the sacred relics of St. John
XXIII and St. John Paul II.
The visit of the relic is a blessing of God for
us in our dioceses as the saints are visiting us
and they light the fire of faith and hope, Bishop
Silvio Siripong Charatsri of the Chanthaburi
told CNA May 18.
The reliquaries of St. John XXIII and St. John
Paul II have been brought to various dioceses
parishes for over a year, with stops scheduled
in ten Thai dioceses.
The reliquaries latest stop is the Sacred Heart
Church Chapel in the Chanthaburi diocese.
The reliquary tour makes the relics available for
exposition and veneration.
Bishop Silvio said Thailands Catholics
are very happy to welcome the saints, for
we are part of the universal Church, and
the popes, who lived with us, are now in
heaven to intercede for us and empower
our people with their exemplary teachings
of faith and life.
Father Francis Xavier Manokprechawut, the
parish priest, presided over a thanksgiving Mass

with a congregation of over 600 faithful, including over 20 priests, religious, and seminarians.
The Mass concelebrants included Bishop Silvio
and Bishop emeritus Lawrence Thienchai Samanchit of Chanthaburi.
The May 18 Mass also marked the birthday
of St. John Paul II.
Bishop Silvio discussed Catholics close connection to the two canonized popes.
He said St. John XXIII gave a new dimension to church renewal by calling the Second
Vatican Council, and that St. John Paul II,
during his long pontificate, led the vision
of the Church and held extensive apostolic
visits.
Bishop Siripong noted the eagerness of the
Thai people, who participated with devotion in
the liturgy to venerate and ask the intercession
of the popular saints.
Only a few people have the opportunity to
visit Rome and see the Vatican and the Popes,
so the relics of the Popes visiting their parishes
is like the Pope himself who is coming to visit
them, he said.
They can touch them its the Bishop of
Rome, the Vicar of Christ, the leader of the

Church who is coming to meet and bless his

people.
The silver- and gold-plated reliquary of Saint
John XXIII contains a small piece of his skin.
The relic of St. John Paul II is a vial of his blood,
set in a similar reliquary. Pope Francis canonized
the two Popes on April 27, 2014.
Thai Catholics also have a special regard for
St. John XXIII and St. John Paul II because
of their meetings with the reigning monarch,
Bhumibol Adulyadej, and the rest of the royal
family. The royals photographs adorn the walls
of most houses and institutions as a sign of the
peoples great respect and admiration.
St. John XXIII received Thailands king and
queen at the Vatican on October 1, 1960. St.
John Paul II met the king on May 10, 1984
during his apostolic visit to Thailand.
In May 2014, Archbishop emeritus of Bangkok, Cardinal Michael Michai Kitboonchu and
bishops of the Catholic Bishops Conference of
Thailand attended a special audience granted by
the king. The bishops brought the two relics of
Saint John XXIII and Saint John Paul II to the
monarchs, in order to pray for the good health
of the royal couple. (CNA)

CBCP Monitor

NEWS FEATURES A3

May 25 - June 7, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 11

Pope Francis to parents: Come out of exile

and educate your children
VATICAN City, May 20, 2015
In his general audience Pope
Francis spoke of the essential role
parents play in educating their
children a role he said has been
usurped by so-called experts who
have taken the place of parents and
rendered them fearful of making
any correction.
If family education regains
its prominence, many things will
change for the better. Its time
for fathers and mothers to return
from their exilethey have exiled
themselves from educating their
childrenand slowly reassume
their educative role, the Pope said
May 20.
He gave harsh criticism to the
intellectual critics that he said
have silenced parents in order
to defend younger generations
from real or imagined harm, and
lamented how schools now are
often more influential than families
in shaping the thinking and values
of children.
In our days the educational
partnership is in crisis. Its broken,
he said, and named various reasons
for this.
On one part there are tensions
and distrust between parents and
educators; on the other part, there
are more and more experts who
pretend to occupy the role of parents, who are relegated to second
place, he said.
The Pope spoke to pilgrims
gathered in St. Peters Square for
his weekly general audience. His
focus on the vocation of families
to educate their children is part of
his ongoing series on the family.
Since the end of last fall Francis
has been centering his Wednesday
catechesis on the theme of family
as part of the lead-up to the World
Day of Families in September, as

Vatican City - May 4, 2015. Pope Francis greets the children of the Swiss Guard families in the Vatican, ahead of the May 6 swearing in ceremony for new Guards. Pope Francis
said the meeting was an opportunity to strengthen a significant friendship, noting the words of Christ who said No one has greater love than this, to lay down ones life for
ones friends, according to Vatican Radio. CNA

well as Octobers Synod of Bishops

on the Family.
In his address he stressed that
educating and raising children in
the human values which form the
backbone of a healthy society
is a responsibility that each family has.
However, many difficulties
often impede parents ability to
properly educate their children.
Today parents are spending less
and less time with their children,
and meeting their needs after a
long day of work can be exhausting, he noted.

In off the cuff remarks, Francis

also highlighted the struggle faced
by the increasing number of divorced or separated families. Many
times children in these families are
taken as a hostage, while their
mother and father speak badly
about each other.
To do this does so much bad
to children, the Pope noted, and
stressed the importance for parents
in these situations to never, never,
never take your child hostage.
You are separated because of
many difficulties and reasons, life
gave you this trial, but may the

children not be the ones who bear

the weight of this separation! May
children not be used as hostages,
against the other (parent), he said.
Although this important task
can be very difficult for parents
who are separated, the Pope said
that its not impossible, and that
you can do it.
Francis also observed how frequently parents are paralyzed by
the fear of making mistakes, and
hesitate to correct their children.
He recalled an episode from his
own life when he had said a bad
word to a teacher. The next day

Archbishop Romero was motivated

by Gospel, not politics, cardinal says
VATICAN City, May 22, 2015Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romeros preferential love for the poor was not ideological, but evangelical, said Cardinal Angelo
Amato, the prefect of the Congregation for
Saints Causes.
The cardinal, who was delegated by
Pope Francis to preside over Archbishop
Romeros beatification May 23 in San
Salvador, told Vatican Radio the martyred
archbishop was, in fact, a good priest and
a wise bishop, but most of all, he was a
virtuous man.
He loved Jesus and adored him in the
Eucharist, he loved the church, he venerated the Blessed Virgin Mary and he loved
his people, Cardinal Amato said.
His martyrdom was not an improvisation, the cardinal said, but had a long
preparation, which went all the way
back to Archbishop Romeros preparation
for priestly ordination in 1942 when he
consecrated his very life to God.
The Vatican Radio reporter asked about
what many people refer to as Archbishop
Romeros conversion from being rather
quiet and focused on internal church affairs to being more outspoken in defense
of the poor and the victims of his countrys
military dictatorship.
A change in his life of being a meek
and almost timid pastor was the
murder in 1977 of Salvadoran Jesuit
Father Rutilio Grande, who had left
his university position to be a pastor
of the farmworkers, the oppressed and
emarginated, Cardinal Amato said.
The murder was the event that touched
the heart of Archbishop Romero, who
mourned his priest like a mother would
her own child.
While his public words became much
sharper and more focused on the lived
reality of his people, he said, his words
were not an incitement to hatred and re-

Blessed Archbishop Oscar Romero CENAR EL SALVADOR

venge, but were the heartfelt exhortation

of a father to his divided children, calling
them to love, forgiveness and agreement.
For Cardinal Amato, Pope Francis summarized the priestly and pastoral identity
of Romero when he called him bishop
and martyr, pastor according to the heart
of Christ, evangelizer and father of the
poor, heroic witness of the kingdom of
God, the kingdom of justice, brotherhood
and peace.
Archbishop Romero, he said, is another

bright star shining in the American spiritual firmament.

Citing saints from North, Central and
South America, he said there are many
American saints and martyrs who pray to
the Lord for their brothers and sisters still
on the earthly pilgrimage. Blessed Oscar
Romero belongs to this impetuous wind
of holiness that still blows over the American continent, a land of love and fidelity
to the good news of the Gospel. (Cindy
Wooden/CNS)

DOLE not off the hook in Valenzuela fire bishop

MANILA, May 20, 2015
The Department of Labor and
Employment should be held
responsible for the circumstances surrounding the factory
fire that claimed 72 lives in
Valenzuela City last week, a
Catholic bishop said.
San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza said the agency
should be held liable for giving the Kentex Manufacturing
Corp., an occupational health
and safety standard compliance
certificate in September 2014.
He said the Church sees
violations of occupational
health and safety standards that
resulted in the workers deaths
as criminal acts.
We thus call on all relevant
government agencies including
the Valenzuela local government unit and the Bureau of
Fire Protection to deeply inves-

tigate the incident, including

the compliance of the factory
with existing safety standards,
he said.
If violations are found, there
must be accountability and
criminal punishment for justice
to be attained for the victims and
their families, said Alminaza.
The bishop chairs the
Churchpeople-Workers Solidarity, a group that aims to
propagate the social teachings
of the Church on labor and
to promote improvement of
workers conditions.
Yesterday, several priests
from CWS held Mass in front
of the footwear factory for the
victims and their families.
The group said the incident
points to serious occupational
safety issues and highlights
the hazards faced by workers
in many factories nationwide.

Bishop Gerardo Alminaza FILE PHOTO

It is truly tragic that so

many perished in a fire apparently because they were
trapped inside the workplace,
Alminaza added.
The death of so many
workers shows that the gov-

ernments mechanism for

labor assessment is seriously
flawed and has exposed the
abusive conditions for millions of poor and desperate
workers across the nation, he
also said. (CBCPNews)

his mother came to the school and

made him apologize, and then corrected him at home.
Nowadays this wouldnt happen, because too often a teacher
who tries to discipline a child is
criticized by the parents, he said.
Things have changed. Parents
shouldnt exclude themselves from
the education of their children
The relationship between family
and school ought to be harmonious.
Pope Francis also cautioned
parents against commanding or
discouraging their children by

asking them to do what they arent

able to.
When a parent tells their small
child to run up the stairs without
taking them by the hand and helping them step by step, they are exasperating the child, and asking
them to do something they cant.
The relationship between parents and their children should be
balanced and founded on wisdom,
he said. Children should be obedient to parents, which pleases God,
and you parents, dont exasperate
your children asking them to do
what they arent able to. Understood?
Francis said that the Church
and all Christian communities are
called to accompany and support
parents in their educative role.
He noted that this is done by living according to Gods word and
cultivating the virtues of faith, love
and patience.
Jesus himself was raised in a
family, he said, explaining that
when he tells us that all who hear
the word of God and obey are his
brothers and sisters, he reminds
us that for all their failings, our
families can count on his inspiration and grace in the difficult but
rewarding vocation of educating
their children.
Pope Francis closed his audience
by praying that all parents would
have the confidence, freedom and
courage needed in order to fulfill
their educative mission.
He then went on to greet pilgrims present from various countries around the world, including
Great Britain, Finland, Norway,
South Africa, China, India, Korea, Canada, the United States of
America, Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Panama and Chile. (Elise
Harris/CNA/EWTN News)

Respect creation this is

a must for every single
Christian, Pope Francis says
VATICAN City, May 24, 2015Pope
Francis used Sundays feast of Pentecostthe descent of the Holy Spiritas
an occasion to remind Christians of
their duty to care for and respect the
earth.
The Holy Spirit whom Christ sent
from the Father, and the Creator Spirit
who gives life to all things, are one and
the same, the Pope said.
Respect for creation, then, is a requirement of our faith: the garden in
which we live is not entrusted to us to
be exploited, but rather to be cultivated
and tended with respect.
Pope Francis, dressed in red vestments
traditional for the solemnity of Pentecost, made these remarks during Mass
in Saint Peters Basilica.
Reflecting on Adam, who himself was
formed from the earth, the pontiff
explained, this respect for the earth is
only possible when man is renewed by
the Holy Spirit, and reformed by the
Father on the model of Christ, the new
Adam.
In this way, we will indeed be able
to experience the freedom of the sons
and daughters, in harmony with all
creation.
These remarks about mans responsibility to care for the earth comes ahead
of the Popes upcoming encyclical on
environmental degradation and the
global effects of climate change on the
poor.
Expected to be published in midlate June, the document has already
been written and is currently being
translated.
Reflecting on the days readings for
the feast of Pentecost, Pope Francis cited
the second letter Saint Paul to the Galatians, comparing those who allow the
Holy Spirit into their lives with those
who close themselves off to the Spirit
through selfishness, rigid legalism,
neglecting Jesus teachings, and so on.
Closing oneself off from the Holy
Spirit means not only a lack of freedom;
it is a sin, he said.
On the other hand, the Pope explained, the world is in need of those
who are open to the Spirit.
The world needs the courage, hope,
faith and perseverance of Christs followers, as well as the fruits of the Holy
Spirit, as cited in the days readings:
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, selfcontrol (Gal 5:22).
Pope Francis turned his reflection to
the account of the descent of the Holy
Spirit on the Apostles and Mary from
the days first reading.
Receiving this outpouring of the Holy
Spirit which filled their minds and
hearts, the pontiff said, the Apostles
received a new strength so great that
they were able to proclaim Christs
Resurrection in different languages.
The Pope also how Mary, the first

disciple and the Mother of the nascent

Church, who was present at Pentecost,,
accompanied the joyful young Bride,
the Church of Jesus.
With the coming of the Holy Spirit,
the Apostles came to understand all that
Jesus had said and done, especially with
regard to the scandal of his death and
resurrection.
To the Apostles, who could not bear
the scandal of their Masters sufferings,
the Spirit would give a new understanding of the truth and beauty of that
saving event.
The Pope explained that the Apostles
had hidden themselves away in the
Upper Room following Christs death
out of fear.
Now they would no longer be
ashamed to be Christs disciples; they
would no longer tremble before the
courts of men, he said.
Filled with the Holy Spirit, the
Holy Father continued, the Apostles
would now understand all the truth:
that the death of Jesus was not his
defeat, but rather the ultimate expression of Gods love, a love that, in the
Resurrection, conquers death and exalts
Jesus as the Living One, the Lord, the
Redeemer of mankind, of history and
of the world.
Pope Francis concluded his homily
by reminding the faithful of the responsibilities which come from having
received the Holy Spirit.
The gift of the Holy Spirit has been
bestowed upon the Church and upon
each one of us, so that we may live lives
of genuine faith and active charity, that
we may sow the seeds of reconciliation
and peace, he said.
Strengthened by the Spirit and his
many gifts, may we be able uncompromisingly to battle against sin and
corruption, devoting ourselves with
patient perseverance to the works of
justice and peace.
Shortly after the conclusion of Mass
in the Basilica, Pope Francis led the
crowds in Saint Peters Square in reciting the Regina Caeli address for the last
time for the Easter Season.
In his pre-Regina Caeli address,
he recalled the Churchs birth during
Pentecost as universal, with a precise
identity that is nonetheless open
to everyone, and which embraces
the entire world, without excluding
anyone.
By infusing the disciples with the
Holy Spirit, the Pope said, a new
season of witness and fraternity was
opened.
As on that day of Pentecost, the
Holy Spirit is continuously poured out
on the Church and on each one of us
even today, in order that we might leave
behind our mediocrity, and that which
keeps us enclosed, and communicate
the Lords mercy to the whole world.
(Ann Schneible/CNA/EWTN News)

A4 OPINION

May 25 - June 7, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 11

CBCP Monitor

EDITORIAL

DURING his May 24 Regina Caeli address at St. Peters, Pope

Francis trongly called on the international community to help
several boat loads of refugees that are reportedly still stranded after
attempting to sail across the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea.
I continue following with great concern the events of the many
refugees in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. I express my
appreciation for the efforts made by those countries that have expressed willingness to welcome these people who are facing great
suffering and danger. I encourage the international community to
provide them with the necessary humanitarian assistance, exhorted
the Pontiff.
According to reports, these boat people who are still being
tossed about at sea were transported by human traffickers and later
abandoned amid crackdowns by the Thailand government. The
U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that
some 2,000 people are presently stranded in the Bay of Bengal and
another 1,500 in the Andaman Sea. Indonesia and Malaysia have
committed to take in some of these asylum -seekers that are mostly
Rohingya Muslims escaping persecution in Burma. But other Asian
countries are still adamant against allowing them to land on their
shores, for one reason or anoother.
The president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, Archbishop Socrates Villegas lauded the Philippine government for opening its doors to our Asian brothers who have suffered
enough in their homeland and who have been suffering at sea for
several weeks now. Villegas refers to them as the Anawim of the
Lord today. They are refugees in flimsy boats, making their way
to our shores, having endured appalling conditions aboard these
vessels many of them lost their lives in the attempt to find some
haven. They navigate to our waters tired, famished, desperatemany
of them carrying the dead bodies of their children in their arms.
Says Villegas, While it is maybe true that there is no legal obligation on the part of the Republic of the Philippines or that any other
any other country to grant asylum to every refugee or displaced person, there is a moral obligation to protect them from the harm they
flee from. There is a legal obligation not to forcibly repatriate them.
And by all precepts of morality and decency, there is an obligation
not to leave them to the mercilessness of the elements on the high
seas. For sure the Filipino will always welcome refugees. It is part
of the Filipino culture that gladly transcends even legal requisites
that other Asian countries find so hard to surpass.
The Philippine has a happy track record of being hospitable to
refugees. From the 70s until the 90s, this country has hosted hundreds of thousand refugees from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
It may be good to know that the CBCP has already issued four
pastoral statements in pursuit of the cause of boat people, namely:
Because I was a
stranger and you made me welcome in 1975; I was a stranger.
in 1979; Statement of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the
Philippines on refugees in 1980; and Refugeesthe Anawim of
the Lord today in 2015.

Popular piety in the

mission of the Church
IT was by introducing the devotion to the Santo Nio and to the
Blessed Mother that the Spanish missionaries had a considerably easy
time making the Filipinos accept the Christian Faith and embrace
it in great numbers. Popular religiosity has always been the stronghold of Catholicism among the Filipinos. Because of the Filipinos
attachment to their religious devotion, they did not abandon the
Christian Faith even when they rebelled against the Spanish friars
who introduced to them.
When the educational system in the country was controlled by
American Protestant teachers, the Filipinos did not turn away from
Roman Catholicism. They proselytizing activities of fundamentalist sects among Catholics were largely unsuccessful because these
sects have no sympathy for their devotions. It is a fact that much
of what Filipino Catholics know of Catholic doctrinal truths and
moral values is learned through the sacraments and devotional
practices. (Cf. Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines,
New National Catechetical Directory of the Philippines, 2007, n.
308). Moreover, the practice of certain forms of popular devotions
have always provided occasion and structure for organized works of
charity for the poor.
On account of this and many other similar mission stories, the
Church encourages a sympathetic stance toward popular piety: to
approach it with the gaze of the Good Shepherd, who seeks not
to judge but to love; to recognize and appreciate the theological
life present in the piety of Christian peoples, especially among
the poor. (Evangelii Gaudium, 125). It is to be promoted and
strengthened because it possesses an evangelizing power that should
be underestimated, for to do so is to fail to recognize the work of
the Holy Spirit. In practice, this sympathetic stance may mean the
integration of aspects (linguistic and ritual) of popular religiosity
with the liturgy especially for those communities with longstanding
tradition of popular religiosity. The result is that the people are able
to experience something familiar during the liturgy and popular
religiosity becomes an authentic vehicle of the Gospel. Inculturation
in this case, a healthy dialogue between liturgy and culture, gives
ah human countenance to the liturgy and a more solid foundation
to popular religiosity.
-- From the Theological and Pastoral Reflections in preparation
for the 51st International Eucharistic Congress

Monitor

Illustration by Bladimer Usi

The new anawim

Living Mission
Fr. James H. Kroeger, MM
Year of the Poor Reflections
JESUS of Nazareth, as portrayed in the Gospels,
is a poor man. Though he belonged to a family
that was not poor (Joseph, his legal father, was
a skilled laborer), Jesus and his parents encountered several situations wherein they faced the
same life circumstances as the poor.
The Holy Family was forced by the decree of
Caesar Augustus to make the arduous journey
to Bethlehem. While they were there the time
came for her to have her child, and she gave
birth to a son, her first-born. She wrapped him
in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn
(Lk 2:6-7).
The family had to flee into Egypt, because
King Herod was searching for the child to destroy him. So Joseph got up and, taking the
child and his mother with him, left that night
for Egypt (Mt 2:14). They lived as exiles in a
foreign land until Herod died. Only then did
the family finally return to Israel and settle in
Nazareth.
Facing difficult life situations beyond ones
control is a common experience of the poor;
the Holy Family was not spared such hardships.

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Indeed, their faithand oursis often tested

through lifes daily trials.
Jesus Public Ministry. Jesus voluntarily left
the modest comforts of his family in Nazareth;
his goal was to preach the coming of Gods reign.
Thus, when John the Baptist sent his disciples to
inquire about Jesus identity as the messiah, Jesus
told them to return to John and report the signs
they saw. One clear sign was that the Good
News is proclaimed to the poor (Mt 11:5).
As Jesus began his public ministry, he entered
the synagogue in Nazareth and read from the
prophet Isaiah: The spirit of the Lord has been
given to me, for he has anointed me. He has
sent me to bring good news to the poor (Lk
4:18). Jesus goes on to claim that this text is being fulfilled today even as you listen (Lk 4:21).
These Gospel texts indicate the great importance of the poor in the development of Jesus
ministry. In a special way he announces the
Kingdom of God to the poor. One author has
called this the privilege of the poor; God will
never forget the poor and needy.
For Jesus, the Poor are Blessed. The Gospels
contain two versions of what is known as the

And Thats The Truth

Beatitudes. Both begin with a declaration of

the blessedness of the poor. In Luke (6:20) one
reads: How happy are you who are poor; yours
is the Kingdom of God. Matthew (5:3) states:
How happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the
Kingdom of Heaven.
We should not think that these beatitudes
call actual material poverty a good thing. Jesus
would never have called blessed a situation
where people live in the slums and do not have
enough to eat. Such poverty is an offense against
human dignity, and Christians must work to
alleviate it.
The only poverty that is blessed is the poverty
of spirit, an attitude which realizes that one cannot rely on his own material, physical resources
to live a full human life. True poverty of spirit
accepts that the only genuine source of strength
and happiness is found in God alone.
Poverty of spirit opens one to the values of
Gods Kingdom: sharing, forgiveness, neighborliness, joy, and peace. Indeed, one is blessed
only when one realizes his own poverty, ones
utter helplessness without God. True joy is
found in God alone.

Peace in a greedy world

Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

PEACE is a big word these
days, all over the world. The word
saturates media and the news, not
because the world has learned to
embrace the peace that the Risen
Christ brings, but precisely because
world powers pay mere lip service
to His brand of peace.
Even though presidents, prime
ministers, and kings swear allegiance to the cause of peace, war
persistsironically, in the name
of peace. Peace pacts and treaties
continue to be signed, yet the
arms industry keeps on churning
out war weaponry, efficient killing
machines that get more and more
sophisticated with each new invention. Every gun that is made, every
warship launched, every rocket
fired, signifies in the final sense a
theft from those who hunger and
are not fed, those who are cold and
are not clothedthese are sensible
words from Dwight Eisenhower.
At best war brings a false peace;

at worst, it makes murderers of

men. Either way, it is the Prince
of Deception that wins in war, not
nobility of heart.
In our own country, barely four
months ago, we witnessed the
ugly aftermath of a war that pits
Filipinos against Filipinos and
unsettles innocent civilians. The
botched Mamasapano operation
cast aspersions on the president
and his friend, the suspended PNP
chief, and uncovered loopholes in
the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL)
that point to bad faith and stealth
among the contracting parties.
Mamasapano has been snowed
under with one bad news after
another, so that now it seems just
like one faintly remembered nightmare; meanwhile, the BBL is being
doggedly pushed by Malacaang.
Why the rush? Pray tell, who
stands to benefit from a peace
agreement that is apparently motivated by a desire for something

Body care and discipline

CBCP

PROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE

The Poor Jesus and

His Teaching

other than true peace? Is it worth

pursuing a peace agreement that
dubious assumptions have doomed
from the start? If the BBL were as
commendable as its authors and
promoters claim, why are there
still so many voices reasonably opposing its passing? That even the
religious leaders seem divided on
the issue makes one suspect they
may be reading different versions
of the draft. How many versions
are there, anyway? The issue is yet
wrapped in obscurity, but why is
the Palace bent on passing it?
As of press time, a Senate hearing has revealed that the Sultanates were not consulted at all in
the crafting of the BBLwhat a
monumental faux pas! Again, why?
Dont the Sultanates count at all in
the peace process? Passing the BBL
will definitely affect the future not
only of some Mindanao residents
but also that of the whole country,
so why exclude anybody? Why

were the sultanates ignored, and

yet Malaysians have their fingers
in the BBL pie. Why? If Government sincerely believes BBL is for
the good of the country, the least it
can do is to translate the BBL draft
into the vernacular in order to be
understood by every Filipino, especially the youth who will reap the
effects of this peace agreement.
Truth to tell, I have never really believed politics alone can
bring us peace. As a citizen of this
predominantly Catholic nation in
Asia, though, I believe that faith in
Jesus Christ can bring us peace. All
anomalies, injustices, chaos, tragediesindeed, all the evils displacing peace in our midst stem from
the fact that despite our Christian
posturing, our leaders bumbling
interventions prove that Christ is
not in the equation. Overly selfassured in their knowledge, power,
and ability to control things, these
Amd Thats The Truth / A5

Candidly Speaking
Fr. Roy Cimagala

WHILE its true that Christian life puts a

lot of emphasis on disciplining the body, we
should all be reminded that the body actually has to be taken care of very well and the
potentials of its masculinity or femininity
have to be developed as fully as possible, but
always at the instance of the spirit of faith,
hope and charity.
Lets always remember that our body is an
essential part of our humanity. Its meant to
be animated by a spiritual soul whose life is
always a participation of the life of God. As
our catechism would put it, our body participates in the dignity of the image of God. If
we know how, we can and ought to see God
in our body!
The danger our body poses to our spiritual
life happens only when it is left on its own,
ruled simply by instincts and emotions, and
by the purely worldly values and conditionings. Otherwise, it should be all-systems-go
for taking care of it and developing it to the

max, not only in terms of health but also in

terms of physical beauty.
We, of course, should be wary of that
danger, since because of the effects and consequences of our sins, we are always vulnerable
to it. So we cannot over-emphasize the need
for bodily mortification and discipline.
In fact, to be realistic, we always need to
subject our body to some discipline, sometimes of the severe kind because our body is
always weak no matter how strong it looks
physically. It will always tend to indulge itself
to madness, often falling into some forms
of addiction and bondage. Its our built-in
potential traitor.
But when properly guided by faith, hope
and charity, our body care and discipline
would stay away from any occasion and temptation to fall into things like vanity, pride,
sensuality and the like. It would become an
instrument of giving glory to God and of
loving and serving everybody else.

A pertinent prayer I like so much is the

following: Let flesh and heart and lips and
mind sound forth our witness to mankind,
and love light up our mortal frame till others
catch the living flame. Amen.
Yes, indeed, our body materializes the
spiritual love proper to us. The impulses of
faith, hope, and charity should somehow be
expressed in it, in spite of its limitations. It
can be a most effective instrument to attract
others to God, and to transmit to others all
that is true, good and beautiful that in the
end come from God. In fact, the body is often
referred to as the temple of the Holy Spirit,
the house where God dwells in us.
Its not true that our body, per se, is bad,
as some people in the past and even in the
present think. A group in the past, called the
Manicheans, considered the body as intrinsically bad. Nowadays, we have some sectors
of the puritan moUld that think along the
Candidly Speaking / A5

CBCP Monitor

OPINION A5

May 25 - June 7, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 11

By the Roadside

Letting go

Commentary
Michael Cook

Rev. Eutiquio Euly Belizar, Jr., SThD

IT is once more reshuffling time in my diocese.

Priests have been given new assignments and
all of us are busy packing up or, like me, partly
sorting out stuff to bring with me from stuff
to throw or burn away. Quite frankly it is no
easy task. As I survey my room, the rectory, the
church and everything directly or indirectly
linked to my present assignment, the one I am
about to leave, a flood of memories, both pleasant and challenging, rush through my mind.
This place has become my home for six years.
These parishioners have become my family
on top of my family. I faced and survived two
super typhoons with them, apart from other
challenges that had to do with parish programs
and ministries as also with family, and personal
tragedies and triumphs I had witnessed in them.
Insofar as a place and people become home, it
is by no means easy to leave.
When the stakes are higher in mundane matters, letting go becomes doubly hard. The VP of
the land, for instance, has been at the receiving
end of extremely serious corruption allegations
that cast aspersions on himself and on members
of his family. Considering his once sky-high
lead in the surveys recently plummeting down
to an almost statistical tie with a presumptive
2016 presidential candidate, the VPs latest insistence on going ahead with his long-declared
presidential ambition surprises no one. Letting
go of ambition that defines ones self-esteem is
as easy to do as refusing to inhale air.
But this quandary is not exclusive to the VP.

Even the President himself has had notable

manifestations of the inability to let go of cabinet members or close friends or pride that turns
down acceptance of wrong decisions (remember
the outcry over his decision to miss the arrival
ceremonies of the Fallen 44?) despite public
clamor that he part with them. And who would
forget the loud thoughts he once expressed about
running again for the presidency, something his
own DILG Secretary once espoused, so as to ascertain the continuance of his reformist legacy?
Quite remarkable, if I may say so, for someone
who once openly rejected the idea of becoming
president before his mothers death changed the
political atmosphere and later his own agenda.
Of course, the more classic example is the
Great Apo himself. He left us more than twenty
years of a strongmans rule (there has been other
worse names for the experience) to underline the
difficulty of letting go especially of power that
was almost absolute. To further dramatize this
point we only have to recall how his successors,
save perhaps President Cory Aquino (but not excepting her own son), had variously entertained
the idea of charter change to, among others, lift
term limits on the presidents and other elective
public servants positions. Only constant public
vigilance, instigated by prophets in our midst,
stood in their way and kept them from realizing
their plans. Indeed, as a song once said, letting
go is one of the hardest things to do.
But it was also a song which said that letting
go is just another way of saying I love you so.

Extraordinary Jubilee
Year of Mercy
THE Vatican formally announced
the celebration of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy to start
on December 08, 2015 (Solemnity
of the Immaculate Conception
during which The Holy Door of St.
Peters Basilica will be opened) and
will conclude on November 20,
2016 (The Solemnity of our Lord
Jesus Christ, King of the Universe).
The motto of the Jubilee is Merciful Like the Father.
To avoid misunderstanding,
the Jubilee Year of Mercy does not
intend to be the Great Jubilee of
2000. Pope Francis intention is to
celebrate the Jubilee in Rome and
in local churches. Each diocese will
have an opportunity to open a Holy
Doorthe Door of Mercyeither
in the Cathedral or in the church of
special meaning or a shrine of particular importance for pilgrimages.
Another original characteristic
of this Jubilee, the designation of
Missionaries of Mercy, where Pope
Francis will give them their mandate on Ash Wednesday during the

celebration at St. Peters Basicilica.

The Logo represents the summa
theologiae of the theme of mercy
and the motto which accompanies
it. The motto serves as an invitation
to follow the merciful example of the
Father who asks us not to judge or
condemn but to forgive and give love
and forgiveness without measure.
The official website of the Jubilee
is www.iubilaeummisericordiae.va
and can also be accessed at www.
im.va. It is available in 7 languages
and indicates the official information, calendar of activities with
Pope Francis and official communications regarding the Jubilee.
It also uses a number of social
networks like Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, Google Plus and Flickr.
Pope Francis wrote: In this
Jubilee Year, may the Church echo
the word of God that resounds
strong and clear as a message and
a sign of pardon, strength, aid, and
love. May she never tire of extending mercy, and be ever patient in
offering compassion and comfort.

Romantic love does not have exclusive rights

to this kind of loving. A disciples love of the
Master expressive of his love of the Father and
imitating the Masters love himself cannot ignore how the same Master let go of heaven to
become a slave, being born in the likeness of
men, and it was thus that he humbled himself
by being obedient even unto death, death on a
cross (Phil 2:7-8).
Ah, the cross. That is the single biggest reason
why we hesitate to let go. We fear the cross, we
wish to avoid the cross or to, at least, postpone the
agonizing instance of its being placed on our shoulders. We take pride in joining the Masters prayer
that the Father take this chalice away from me,
but we stop short of the prayers conclusion about
not my will but your will be done (Mt 26:39).
If only we could just as instinctively grasp
the liberating stroke of letting go. The Master is
actually teaching us when he asks the rich man
to go sell what you have and give the money to
the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven
(Mk 10:21). For that man it is his possessions that
keep him away from truly living. For each of us it
could be some other things, such as blind ambition in politics, career or work, a bad or sinful
habit, an overriding attitude, lifestyle or decision
that is as morally as it is practically wrong. It
could be anything that this world considers best
but which renders our relationship with God in
Jesus Christ and with neighbor at its worst. And
there is only one way toward liberation.
Letting go.

Duc In Altum
Atty. Aurora A. Santiago
May the Church become the voice
of every man and woman, and repeat confidently without end: Be
mindful of your mercy, O Lord,
and your steadfast love, for they
have been from of old.
***
The Mass Media Ministry of
the Diocese of Kalookan, headed
by Fr. Jerome Cruz, thanks Msgr.
Pepe Quitorio, the Editor-in-Chief
of this newspaper, for granting the
request to give a very informative
and enlightening orientation on
how to handle and manage news
magazine and newsletter, website,
social media and radio ministry of
a diocese. We also thank his staff
Raymond and Sky. Also present
during the orientation were Priest
Coordinator for Radio Ministry Fr.
Romy Tuazon, Social Media Coordinator Fr. Benedict Cervantes,
Lay Radio Anchor Atty. Aurora
Santiago and Radio Production
Assistant Gigi de Lara.
***
Archbishop Oscar Romero of

San Salvador was beatified on May

23. He became a symbol of church
leaders efforts to protect the people
from the abuses of military dictatorships. He was assassinated on
March 24, 1980, while celebrating Mass in the Chapel of Divine
Providence Hospital in San Salvador. He had his Sunday Masses
and homilies broadcasted over the
radio so that the citizens would
know what was happening in their
country and what should they do
in return. Pope Francis signed the
decree recognizing Archbishop
Romero as martyr, meaning, there
is no need to prove a miracle for his
beatification. A miracle is needed
for canonization.
***
Let us pray unceasingly for those
who are persecuted in Asia and in
the Middle East because of religion.
We condemn the killing of 47 innocent Ismaili Shias in Karachi,
Pakistan because of their faith. The
persons responsible must be brought
Duc in Altum / A7

Pamana

Whatever

Fr. Francis Ongkingco

THANK you very much, Father, for coming

to say the Mass for mom, Kate said.
Im sure, after what I heard from you and
your siblings that Cathy is in a much better
place.
Yes, Father. Theres just so much that she
has done and left for us to cherish that we can
never repay her for.
By the way, Kate, what would you consider
to be your most treasured memory of mom?
Memory, Father? I believe that the most
treasured thing I received from her are these
pamana written in her last will. She opened
an envelope and unfolded a handwritten
letter.
I was a bit surprised because I felt that Kate
would have put more importance on spiritual
inheritance over the material ones.
Then Kate slowly read:
To my beloved and God-given children, I
would like to leave you the following things as
my only inheritance
She picked up a brown paper bag and pulled
out the items that her mom had left behind for
her. They were: 1) Toothbrush; 2) Lipstick;
3) Mirror; 4) Dog leash.

Kate? I was totally stunned! Youre
not pulling my leg, are you?
I couldnt believe it! This was my first time
to see such items left as an inheritance. I was

expecting something like a lot, a house, a car, a

business or something valuable.
No, Father. Mom really left me these things.
In fact, she always carried a spare toothbrush
when she travelled, in case someone forgot to
bring one. And this is the lipstick she used to
carry in her bag and also this mirror.
And the dog leash? I said. Dont you hate
dogs?
Kate literally laughed out loud.
Moms letter explains all of these items,
Father. Allow me to read them to you. (1) A
toothbrush to keep cavities away but to remind
you to always SMILE; (2) a lipstick, sorry, its
slightly used, to keep you beautiful but most
of all, always have GOOD and POSITIVE
things to say about everyone; (3) a mirror, to
check yourself, but above all before God in
your personal self-EXAMINATION Kate
stopped reading as if purposely holding me
in suspense.
and the leash? I was eager for an explanation.
Its kinda personal, Father, she gave me a
mischievous look.
Hey, if it is so, then no problem. I guess.
Of course Im just joking, Kate continued
reading.
Dearest Kate, I know you would be wondering why, of all things, Im leaving behind a

Joseph, the Good Person

DOG LEASH. Arent you allergic (at least not

biologically) to dogs? First, I just thought that
its a good reminder for you, as it was for me, to
allow ourselves to be always GUIDED in life.
I always saw myself on a leash held by God.
He simply led me to the best things in life and
with the best persons, like your dad and all of
you my children!
Second, I also thought that (only if you wish)
you could use it to find your future husband.
Naturally, Im not implying you find someone
who will obey your will to the last whisker. Im
inclined to think of something more romantic.
Let me explain: After my usual grocery routines
on Fridays, I would often stop by the park near
our condo. I would just sit there enjoying the
morning sun, finishing off my prayers and
sometimes my Rosary.
One day, I noticed a fine-looking young
fellow. He sported a young, bubbly Golden Retriever. He seemed very patient and kind, after
all, watching him trying to train his dog made
me conclude that he possessed some wonderful
qualities (also his dog).
So how will you catch this man? I leave it to
your creativity. But if you allow me to suggest,
why dont you go to the park with the leash and
act as though you lost your dog. I am confident,
that the leash will help you catch your Romeo.
Love and prayers, Mom.

P.O.G.I. (Presence Of God Inside)

Rev. Fr. Alan Gozo Bondoc, SVD

ACTIONS speak louder than

words.
There were no records of messages, not even a single word,
spoken by St. Joseph, the husband
of Mary, from the four Gospels.
However, there were four events
recorded about St. Joseph that
could describe him as a person.
In other words, he spoke through
his actions.
First, upon learning that Mary
was pregnant before marriage, he
had planned to divorce her quietly
because he did not want to put her
to shame, accuse her of adultery
and have her sentenced to die. He
still cared for Mary even thought

he found out that she was already

pregnant. He was a true man, he
did not want to add what seemed
to be the many troubles of Mary.
Second, God sent an angel to
Joseph in a dream to assure him
that the child to be born had been
conceived by the Holy Spirit. So
he made Mary his wife. He was
obedient to the plan and will of
God even though he had his own
plan to be a father of his own
children.
Third, he and Mary went to
Bethlehem for the census. He did
not leave her but took her to his
own town. He sought refuge for
his pregnant wife. He was with

her while she gave birth, in her

moment of pain. He accepted
her child and took baby Jesus as
his own child. He was a just and
righteous man.
Lastly, the flight to Egypt,
wherein he took his wife and
baby Jesus to Egypt for protection
against the King Herods plot to kill
the child. He took them under his
protection. He was a good foster
father, caring and protecting the
child of God.
From these four events we could
say that St. Joseph was a true man
with a heart of gold; a heart of pure
love. He was a great provider; he
knew how to care for his wife, espe-

cially during her pregnancy. He was

obedient to God and knew how to
make great sacrifices for others. He
did not mind himself. Instead he
was willing to take personal risks
to protect others. He did not speak
a single word yet he acted boldly
with faith and courage.
Let us emulate St. Joseph by
doing a lot of good deeds and
actions without saying a word of
complaint.
A worse person has more words
but no actions. A common person
has more words but less action. A
good person has more actions but
no words. St. Joseph, by his good
actions, praises God.

Gay study a mountain of

fabrication
RESPECTFUL conversation and smiles steal homophobes hearts away.
That was the message of a much-ballyhooed article in Americas leading
science journal, Science, last December.
Michael J. LaCour, a PhD candidate at the University of California,
Los Angeles, and Donald Green, a political scientist at Columbia University reported that hostile attitudes towards gay marriage could be
changed by a single face-to-face conversation with a gay person. These
large, persistent, and contagious effects were confirmed by a follow-up
experiment, the authors wrote.
Betsy Levy Paluck, professor of psychology and public policy at Princeton, tweeted that it was the paper with the most astounding results &
rigorous methods this yearan opinion which cropped up again and
again in the US media. The study confirmed that it was possible to diminish prejudice with personal contact. In other words, coming out works.
These results ought to have been welcomed, because they supported a
very optimistic view of human nature. They suggested that it is possible
for cordial dialogue and rational argument to change minds. Prejudice is
not engraved in stone, but etched on the sands of a beach. What worked
for same-sex marriage could also work for pro-life arguments.
Unhappily, it now appears that LaCour, the junior partner in the study,
faked all the data. Professor Green had to ask Science to retract the paper
after it was brought to his attention that the results could not be reproduced and that the survey firm used in the study had never heard of it.
I am deeply embarrassed, says Professor Green. He told the Huffington
Post that There was a mountain of fabrication.
So far LaCour has not responded to the allegations. Im gathering
evidence and relevant information so I can provide a single comprehensive
response, he tweeted.
In a sense, this incident is no big deal. Research fraud happens all the
time. One of the internets most popular and entertaining blogs, Retraction Watch, trawls scholarly literature for retractions because of fraud and
plagiarism. There is never a shortage of examples.
But the LaCour scandal ought to be a warning shot across the bow of
LGBT research. As flies are drawn to honey, brilliant, highly-competitive
and dishonest academics are drawn to dynamic, high-profile, and fashionable research projects. And ratings-hungry journals are all-too-eager
to publish amazing results.
Occasionally those amazing results have an amazing back story. In
2004 Hwang Woo-suk, a Korean stem cell scientist claimed that he was
first to clone a human embryo. He was feted at home and abroad as a
genius. In 2005 he was unmasked as an out-and-out fraud. Last year, as
if stem cell researchers and science journals had learned nothing at all, a
young Japanese researcher, Haruko Obokata, faked the results of a widelyreported stem cell study which was published in Nature. Her research
institutes prestige was badly tarnished and a colleague committed suicide.
The problem is growing, not shrinking. A scientist who has studied
research fraud, Dr Ferric C. Fang, points to familiar problems: gender
imbalance, the imperative of publish or perish, cheating and blatant fraud,
selective reporting of results, the race to publish first, celebrity science
and so on. The present system, he writes, provides potent incentives
for behaviors that are detrimental to science and scientists.
And another scientist has written passionately in Nature: Alarming cracks
are starting to penetrate deep into the scientific edifice. They threaten the status
of science and its value to society. And they cannot be blamed on the usual
suspectsinadequate funding, misconduct, political interference, an illiterate
public. Their cause is bias, and the threat they pose goes to the heart of research.
The problem is not restricted to biomedical research. There have been
some startling scandals in social psychology recently, especially in the
field of social priming. Last year a prestigious German researcher, Jens
Frster, was charged with data manipulation. And in 2012, the career
of a Dutch professor, Diederik Stapel, unraveled when it was found
that he had been faking results for years. He had to relinquish his PhD.
In a somber assessment of the Stapel case, Dutch investigators found
fundamental flaws in the scientific process both in the Netherlands and
internationally.
Virtually nothing of all the impossibilities, peculiarities and sloppiness
mentioned in this report was observed by all these local, national and international members of the field, and no suspicion of fraud whatsoever arose
from the bottom to the top there was a general neglect of fundamental scientific
standards and methodological requirements.
They also criticized the editors and reviewers of leading international
journals. Not infrequently reviews were strongly in favour of telling an
interesting, elegant, concise and compelling story, possibly at the expense
of the necessary scientific diligence.
A couple of years ago, the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science
published a special issue on the fields crisis of confidence. It focused on
the key issue of replicability. John P. A. Ioannidis, of Stanford University,
pointed out that the authority of science depends upon its ability to
self-correct errors. But as the Dutch report observed, results are seldom
reproduced. Researchers are far more interested in producing startling new
papers which will attract more funding. The self-correcting paradigm
seems to be very uncommon, Ioannidis wrote.
What does this mean for the burgeoning field of LGBT research? It
would be both rash and arrogant to say that it means nothing at all. LGBT
researchers are clever and passionate and journals are eager to publish
articles which support a socially progressive agenda: conditions which
make research fraud all but inevitable. Is LaCour the first and only or
only the first? Time will tell.
(Michael Cook is editor of MercatorNet)
Amd Thats The Truth / A4

leaders regard Christ as a superfluity in mens affairs.

How can faith in Jesus not bring
about peace when Christ is Love?
And Love does not exclude the
gentiles, the pagans, the sinners.
We must challenge ourselveswe
may be baptized Christians but do
we (as Sundays Gospel Mt 28:1620 says) observe all that Christ
has commanded? Lasting peace
comes at a price, of courseand
that is dying to our self in order
to become authentic followers of

Christ. If it seems an impossible

ideal, perhaps it is because we have
yet to validate it in our own private
micro-cosmos.
Lasting peace is possible. Humbly we seek Him, and in His promise find the courage to follow Him:
I am with you always, even to the
end of the world. Christs peace
is the only the peace we can trust
and must desire, not the peace
being peddled by the princes of a
blind and greedy world. And thats
the truth.

Candidly Speaking / A4

same lines. No, the body is not

intrinsically bad, though it can be
bad if we are not careful.
We should then have constant
concern for the care and discipline that is appropriate for our
body. We cannot underestimate
the danger our body is always
exposed to. We should be well
guarded against such danger,
training our body instead to be
filled with love for God and for
others that is proper to it.
It would indeed be good that
every time we see or consider our
body, we should be reminded of
these basic truths about it and
come up with an appropriate plan
to bring these truths into reality.
We have to develop a certain
sense of dominion over it, not only
in the sense of controlling and pu-

rifying it only by way of discipline,

but also of enhancing its potentials,
especially guiding it to learn how
to love God and others. It has to
radiate a certain joy proper to us.
We actually cannot afford to be
casual about this concern. If we are
still in the dark about strategies
and programs to put our body
in its proper state, then its about
time we start learning by studying,
consulting, and seeking advice
from those who can help us.
We should try our best to avoid
being at the mercy of purely
bodily impulses and worldly
conditionings insofar as our body
is concerned. This is also another
topic that has to be ventilated
more openly so that we can develop a global culture of body
care and discipline proper to us.

A6 LOCAL NEWS

May 25 - June 7, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 11

CBCP head to parishes: Be

guardians against slavery
THE head of the Catholic
Bishops Conference of the
Philippines has called for
concrete action from parishes
and the laypeople to fight
modern-day slavery.
CBCP president Archbishop Socrates Villegas of
Lingayen-Dagupan said the
people must not be indifferent to tragedy of exploitation.
We therefore ask our parish priests and our laity to
constitute themselves into
guardians of our brothers and
sisters against modern-day
slavery, Villegas said.
According to him, the
recent fire at a footwear factory in Valenzuela City that
killed 72 people has roused
the nation to the reality of
modern-day slavery in the
country.
The incident, he said, have
uncovered more sites of ex-

CBCP president Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan FILE PHOTO

ploitation where Filipinos

are worked to death under
the most appalling circumstances.
Villegas added that warehouses and factories with
poor safety standards must be
shut down to avoid a repeat of
the Valenzuela fire incident.
The warehouses and factories that are in fact sweatshops for our countrymen
eager to eke out a living
should be subject to relentless inspection and monitoring and where it is found
that they are in fact sites of
exploitation, these should be
closed, he also said.
There is hardly anything
more repugnant to the Gospels law of love than the
heartless exploitation of the
poor and to make capital
from their want, said Villegas. (CBCPNews)

Foundation helps Bajau kids live their dreams

BELIEVING that education is a way
to help end poverty, a foundation in
Basilan has been helping Samal Bajau
children make their dreams a reality.
The Claret Samal Foundation, Inc.,
a foundation run by the Claretian
Missionaries has been funding the
formal education of Bajau children
from pre-school to college.
Bro. Nicer Natulla, CMF, the
person in charge of the project, said
the foundation wants to alleviate
the poverty of the Bajaus, who are a
marginalized, indigenous people of
the Philippines.

the Samal Village Learning Center

in Basilan.
Nelson is a product of the scholarship program of Claret Samal
Foundation, Inc. She is one of the
nine college graduates who have been
supported by the foundation and who
are now paying it forward in their
own capacities.
The foundation today runs 5
preparatory schools with 140 pupils
from nursery to kinder and has also
sponsored 245 elementary pupils, 30
students in high school and 5 students
in college.

Little integration
The Bajaus live in the sea and
they have difficulty in integrating
themselves in the society. They are
even displaced due to armed conflict
with some of them forced to leave
their homes and beg in different cities like Davao and Metro Manila,
Natulla said.
My fellow Bajaus have been discriminated since time immemorial. I
want to change this by helping them
to learn, said Gaira Nelson, 23, a
pre-school and livelihood teacher in

Donors, please
Natulla said they want to continue
this program despite the financial
difficulties they experience in running
the scholarship.
To augment the expenses, the
foundation asks businesses, groups,
and individuals to sponsor the annual
expenses of college students.
Donors may deposit any amount
to the CSFI Bank of the Philippines
(BPI) bank account in Zamboanga,
Account name: Claret Samal Foundation Inc. Account number: 2123-

The Claret Samal Foundation, Inc., a foundation run by the Claretian Missionaries, has been
funding the formal education of Bajau children from pre-school to college.CLARET SAMAL
FOUNDATION

4346-28.
Interested parties may find additional information on how to help on
their Facebook page:www.facebook.
com/ClaretSamalBajauFoundation.
Other programs
Natulla said the Claretians prepare
to launch the scholarships by first
organizing the Bajau communities
before identifying beneficiaries.
The Claretians also handle the
health education, livelihood training, and preservation and promotion

of the Bajau culture, as this has been

slowly dying, he added.
If we do not do anything, their
culture as a people will die, Bro.
Natulla added.
Nelson, on the other hand, continues to assist her tribesmen the way
the Claretians helped her when she
was younger.
When you are afraid, you will
not reach your dreams. It is a great
achievement for us to be able to finish
college, she explained. (John Frances
C. Fuentes/CBCP News)

Hunger Bill / A1

Let this be part of our efforts and commitment

to work in solidarity with the poor. Let it be our
concrete expression of our mercy and compassion
as we celebrate the Year of the Poor, he said.
End hunger by 2025
Fr. Edu Gariguez, executive secretary of
Caritas Philippines, said the push for the bill is
also the agencys commitment to Caritas Internationalis campaign on One human family,
food for all.
In a mission to ensure everyone has enough food,
the campaign aims to end hunger by 2025.
An independent survey by the global confederation of Catholic charities stressed that helping
farmers is among the keys to end hunger, especially

as they try to adapt to climate change.

The survey was unveiled by Caritas Internationalis outgoing president Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez
Maradiaga and his successor, Cardinal Luis Antonio
Tagle, at the Expo Worlds Fair 2015 in Milan, Italy
on May 19.
The study highlighted that the lack of resources,
low agricultural productivity, and the impact
of climate change are among the causes of food
insecurity.
Agrarian reform
Gariguez said they share the global concern for
hunger as occasioned by food insecurity.
And in the Philippine context, he said there is a
need to analyze the cause of the problem, which

is clearly the lack of resources, particularly access

to land of small farmers.
This is the reason why the Church in the Philippines is strongly pushing for the implementation
of agrarian reform, Gariguez said.
He said strengthening poor peoples land rights
can set in motion a wide range of social and economic benefits, including poverty reduction.
Gariguez, however, lamented how the government failed to implement this social reform
agenda.
For this reason, poverty will not be addressed
without genuine land reform program, complemented by support services, access to loans and markets, and productive investments of our government
for rural development of small farmers, he said.

Caritas / A1

will certainly challenge the organization to strengthen its commitment of

serving the poor and the vulnerable,
said Gariguez.
The poor has a special place in
his heart. His pastoral ministry stems
from a genuine sense of compassion
like Pope Francis, he added.
Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, who is stepping down after
serving two terms, also offered his
congratulations and warm support.
In Manila, Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines President
Archbishop Socrates Villegas said he
was not surprised Tagle was elected as

Caritas head.
We are very happy and proud. It is
not a surprise. Cardinal Tagle is a gift
of the Church in the Philippines to
the world. He is a blessing everywhere
he is sent, Villegas said.
Faith in action
The assembly which will end on
May 17 aims to discuss and adopt
new strategic framework for the next
four years of Caritas under Cardinal
Tagles administration.
He is also expected to lead the
organizations commitment to reduce
the impact of humanitarian crisis by

enhancing disaster preparedness and

response.
In the country, Caritas Philippines
has been working with the same zeal
and commitment, in the service of the
poor and vulnerable.
In 2013, it started working for
3-year recovery and rehabilitation of
the families affected by the monstrous
typhoon Yolanda that hit central
Philippines.
Two years after the disaster, it continues to provide shelter, livelihoods
and water, sanitation and hygiene
facilities to over a hundred thousand
individuals while moving on to

building and sustaining more disaster

resilient communities.
Also known as the National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice
and Peace, the agency has also been
strongly involved in land rights, good
governance and right to food advocacies while contributing greatly to
sustainable agriculture efforts in the
country.
With the election of Cardinal
Tagle, who is also the first Caritas
Internationalis President from Asia, it
is very likely that faith in action will
continue to flourish, Gariguez said.
(Roy Lagarde/CBCPNews)

Myth / A1

Authored by the Makabayan bloc in Congress, the

bill, explains Ogan, seeks to
reorient the mining industry
towards a rational manner for
national industrialization and
local development within a
framework which upholds
social justice, respect for
peoples rights and welfare,
environmental conservation,
and the defense of national
sovereignty and patrimony.
Pressures expected
However, KALUMARAN
predicts the political pressures
that will be coming from
the national government
and mining companies in
an effort to strike down the
ordinance the Davao City
Council had passed banning
mining in the area.
President Aquino [PNoy]
will invoke Executive Order
79 to subvert local autonomy;
Albertos Gold Corp. and
Penson Corp. will surely

mobilize their lobby machineries. These two United

States-based mining companies are eyeing to explore
some 17,000 hectares in
Paquibato District which is
home to indigenous peoples,
laments Ogan.
Standing firm
He expresses assurance
that KALUMARAN will
stand firm in its conviction to
uphold the peoples constitutional right for a balanced and
healthful ecology, and calls
on the people of Davao to
continue their vigilance and
defence of their hard-earned
victory.
Let us not allow selfserving policy imposition to
clip the power of the people
to determine their appropriate local economic development, Ogan adds.
Corporate greed
Meanwhile, in an earli-

Anti-mining groups hold a creative protest agains the Mining Act on Jan. 10, 2002. FILE PHOTO

er CBCP News post, Fr.

Edu Gariguez, executive
secretary of the Catholic
Bishops Conference of
the Philippines (CBCP)
National Secretariat for
Social Action, Justice, and
Pe a c e ( N A S S A / C a r i t a s
Philippines), and a vocal
opponent of mining in

the country, particularly

in Mindoro, criticized the
Aquino government for
allegedly favoring mining
firm Intex in reinstating
its Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) for
its Mindoro Nickel Project,
denouncing the act as no
less than a betrayal to the

people of Mindoro and

their natural resources.
We will not let this betrayal extinguish our fire
of passion to protect our
lands and mountains against
corporate greed, pursued in
collusion with our own government, he said. (Raymond
A. Sebastin/CBCP News)

CBCP Monitor

Bishop urges Aquino

to prosecute corrupt
allies
A C AT H O L I C
bishop reiterated
his call for President
Benigno Aquino to
prosecute all officials, including his
own allies, allegedly
involved in the pork
barrel scam.
Manila Auxiliary
Bishop Broderick
Pabillo said Aquino should use his
remaining time as
president to fulfill
his promise of tuwid na daan.
He said pork
scandal should not
be used to pin down
only the members
of the political op- Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo
position but also the FILE PHOTO
allies of the administration. ers that lead by serving,
he said, as he invites all
Widespread corruption
those aspiring for national
They should go after positions to take part in
those involved in the pork the Servant Leadership in
barrel scam even if they are Public Service conference to
allies. Its more believable if be held at the Crowne Plaza
they do that. They should in Ortigas on July 2 to 3 in
not use tuwid na daan in Ortigas.
taking down their enemies,
Less than a year from
Pabillo said during a press now, we will have an elecconference for the launch- tion and we now see woulding of the Serviam Founda- be candidates already maktions Servant Leadership in ing their presence known to
Public Service forum at the the public. The voters are
Archdiocese of Manila main also now beginning their
office in Intramuros, Manila search for their candidate,
on Wednesday.
said Pabillo.
With only a year to go
In partnership with Radio
before Aquinos term ends, Veritas, the two-day conferhe said the people have yet ence is also for governments
to see if the path is really rank and file employees and
straight because many are non-government organizastill corrupt and poor.
tions for them to have a
According to him, all resonating spirit of public
those implicated in the leadership.
multibillion peso scandal
Servant leadership is
should be investigated in- an act of service or a way
cluding even the allies of of leading, which ensures
Malacaang.
that other peoples highest
They can no longer priority needs are being
undo what they failed to acted upon, according to
do in the last five years but author Kent Keiththe
at least they can show that difference is the intent to
they are serious about it, serve first, then to aspire to
Pabillo said.
lead, said Fr. Anton Pascual, president of Radyo
Servant leadership
Veritas.
Saying that the country
Aside from Pabillo, other
is in need of real public speakers include Manila
servants, Pabillo said the Archbishop Luis Antonio
people should be guided this Cardinal Tagle; Dr. Jesus
early in whom to choose for Estanislao; Education Secthe 2016 elections.
retary Armin Luistro; BSP
People should ask: are Gov. Amando Tetangco,
these public servants? A Jr.; and former Supreme
public servant offers servant Court Chief Justice Hilario
leadership. These are lead- Davide, Jr. (CBCPNews)
Husbands / A1

to holiness, said Fr. Renato

Cuadras, main celebrant and
homilist at the Eucharistic
celebration of the patronal
feast of San Isidro Labrador
Parish in Zarraga, Iloilo on
May 15.
Isidore with his wife,
known as Maria de la Cabeza, lived as farm laborers
for the rest of their lives.
They had only one son who
died unexpectedly as a child.
But the difficulties of life,
together with their love for
the poor, only served to
lead Isidore and his wife to
become saints.
Example for modern times
St. Isidores life reminds
us of the importance of the
sacrament of marriage for
couples to grow in love in the
midst the joys and travails
of family life, Cuadras also
observed.
Cuadras, who is currently the Director of the
Archdiocesan Commission
on Migrants and Itinerant
Peoples and Parish Priest
of Our Lady of Peace and
Good Voyage in La Paz,
Iloilo City, spoke of the
many challenges Filipino
families have to confront in
modern times.
Today, only 30% of couples are married in Church
while the rest are either
civilly married or are living
in common-law unions.
Added to this is the dismal
fact that a huge percentage
of Filipino workers abroad
are separated from their
spouses, he said, emphasizing the significance of St.
Isidores example for couples
today.
He also called St. Isidore,
a farmer and a husband,
a reachable model for
holiness for the majority
of Filipinos who raise their
families in rural areas and
make a living through agriculture.

Mass before his work day

Looking closely at the
life of the saintly laborer,
the priest cited three devotions that led the man
to holiness: devotion to
prayer, devotion to work
and devotion to marriage
and family.
Cuadras pointed out that
to foster a life of prayer in
the midst of the heavy work
in the fields Isidore always
began and ended the day in
prayer. Isidore was known
to rise early in the morning
to attend Holy Mass.
According to the homilist,
to be a saint one has to be
truly devoted to ones work
and not to give in to a puwede na or shoddy work
mentality.
He also underlined
Isidores integrity as a workman even if some accounts
claim that the saint usually
reported to work late or that
the plowing of the field was
accomplished for him by
angels.
Fiestas purpose
The priest observed that
while St. Isidore lived and
worked as a humble laborer
his degree and fame of
holiness led the Church
to canonize him in 1622
along with a group of four
notable saints which included St. Teresa of Avila,
St. Ignatius of Loyola, St.
Francis Xavier and St. Phillip Neri.
of the significance of St.
Isidore the Farmer (San
Isidro Labrador) especially
to the contemporary Filipino
family.
The priest also reminded
the faithful present that fiestas are meant to help us learn
from the saints in responding
to the call to holiness and
not occasions of overeating,
accumulating trash, or falling into debt.(Fr. Mickey
Cardenas/CBCPNews)

CBCP Monitor

A7

May 25 - June 7, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 11

Priest martyr for

peace remembered

Bishop condemns Samar killings

C A L B AY O G C i t y A
Catholic bishop has condemned spate of killings in
Samar province, calling on
the authorities to resolve the
problem.
Calbayog Bishop Isabelo
Abarquez said police authorities must work to rid
the entire province of any
form of repression, especially
through extrajudicial killings.
We therefore call on the
proper authorities to conduct a thorough and speedy
investigation on the series
of killings in Calbayog City
and bring into the bar of
justice the ones responsible,
Abarquez said.
He said that most serious

attention must be dedicated

to solving crimes victimizing
village officials and political
leaders since last year.
Last week alone, at least
two village chiefs and a councilor were killed in two separate shooting incidents in the
city.
In December 2014, a several village officials were murdered in Calbayog and not a
single case has been resolved
to this day.
Abarquez said the taking
of human life, or even inflicting injury and suffering on
anyone, whether as an act of
aggression or revenge, can
never be justified.
The right to life is a gift

of everybody and no one has

the right to take it. The wheel
of justice is the proper venue
for resolution of any case,
he added.
The bishop also offered
prayers and expressed his
condolences to the families
of all the victims of senseless
killings.
Samar is considered an
election hot spot or where
violence is expected to occur
during polls.
A priest said some politicians
in Calbayog and other Samar
towns employ goons, especially
before elections because they
are used to scaring voters and
killing leaders of political opponents. (CBCPNews)

Calbayog Bishop Isabelo Abarquez DIOCESE OF CALBAYOG

Talk to your families priest to faithful

ISABELA CityAll his nails
plucked out and three gunshot wounds on his back.
These are the signs of torture
inflicted on Claretian Fr
Rhoel Gallardo, who was
assassinated on May 3, 2000
by the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan.
Fifteen years after his
death, the Claretian Basilan
Community together with
the different religious leaders in Basilan headed by
Bishop Martin Jumoad of
the Prelature of Basilan commemorated the martyrdom
of Gallardo from May 4 to 5.
Gallardo was one of the
Claretian Missionaries in
Basilan, who was taken hostage by the terrorist group
together with four teachers
and 22 students of the Claret
School of Tumahabong last
March 20, 2000. Three of
the teachers and five of the
children were killed by the
Abu Sayyaf.
Face of a martyr
Bro. Nicer Natulla, CMF,
project coordinator of the
Claret Samal Foundation
Inc. said after all these years,
the Claretians continue to
remember their confrere
who gave up his life in the
service of the faithful in
Basilan.
Jumoad, in his homily, said
he went to the morgue after
learning about Gallardos
death and saw how serene
his face looked, contrary to
the misery and torture he
had been through during his
captivity.
The prelate said he saw on
the young priests face a kind of
peace that has no trace of the
suffering, showing somehow
that he had accepted his fate
to become a martyr for peace.
Reflecting on the theme:
Remembering, Rekindling
and Reliving the life of Fr.
Rhoel Gallardo, CMF, Martyr for Peace, the event reminisced the heroic life of the
dear Fr. Rhoel in Tumahubong in Basilan.

No K.O.
Since Gallardos death anniversary coincided with the
Manny Pacquiao Floyd
Mayweather fight, Natulla
said they identify with with
Pacman, who refused to be
knocked out.
Though we fall, we will rise
and rise again. The courage of
Fr. Gallardo will be multiplied
and our faith will not waver.
Its already 15 years of his
martyrdom today and still
the cross stands in Basilan. We
salute you Fr. Rhoel! Thank
you for sharing your life to the
Church. Your blood becomes
the fountain of inspiration to
all of us Christians, especially
to the Claretian congregation! said Natulla.
Natulla refers to the cross
that stands until today in the
highest peak in Basilan that
the Abu Sayyaf wanted to
tear down.
Holy Rosary
On the second day, some
of the children, who were
held hostage by the terrorist group, were also present
and shared their testimonies,
recounting the horrors they
had been through. Most of
them, including the audience
had tears in their eyes.
Those who survived the
kidnapping recalled how
Gallardo encouraged them
not to lose hope, asking them
to always pray the Holy Rosary despite their difficult
situation. They prayed the
Rosary discreetly as their
captors prohibited them from
praying, even forcing them to
denounce Christianity.
The Claretians showed their
support to existing missionaries assigned in Basilan by
attending the said celebration.
Fr. Eduardo Apungan, CMF,
who represented the Claretian
provincial council, was present, along with Claretian lay
collaborators from different
Claretian organizations in
Mindanao. (John Frances C.
Fuentes/CBCP News)

Davao archdiocese to
revive community radio
DAVAO CityAfter more
than a decade, the switchboard lights will glow once
again inside the DxGN studio, a Catholic FM radio
station in Davao City.
And that is good news
for the local Church and
the faithful, said Davao
Archbishop Romulo Valles,
who led the efforts to bring
back to life the radio station.
There is no definite date
yet, but he said the stations
return to the airwaves may
happen anytime soon to further spread the Good News
through media.
The archdiocese office on
social communications announced that its application

at the National Telecommunications Commission

(NTC) has already been approved.
It said the station plans to
operate with a new 10 kilowatt transmitter facility.
We pray that we will be
on air soon, it added.
DxGN first started its operation in 1988 until the
station closed down in early
1990s due to financial difficulties.
For a while, the Notre
Dame Broadcasting Corp.
rented the station. But in
1997, DxGN was revived and
operated by the archdiocese
again until its transmitter experienced a major breakdown
in 2002. (CBCPNews)

BBL / A1

and acceptable to all and not

something that will just create
more problems in the future,
Pabillo said.
The bishop, who chairs
the CBCPs Public Affairs
Committee, also called on
lawmakers not to allow themselves to be dictated upon
with what to do just because
Malacanang has set a deadline
for its approval.
At the same time, he urged
President Benigno Aquino III
to stop pressuring lawmakers
to pass the BBL by June and
allow them to do their job
properly.

He said legacy of bringing

peace in Mindanao cannot
be forged by the mere passage of the law by any means
necessary.
Peace will never come out
because of a piece of paper. It
might even be complicated,
Pabillo said.
The bishop also said that
that all stakeholders must be
given the chance to express
their opinions.
He added: Many people
in Mindanao dont even
know what the implications
of BLL would be to them.
(CBCPNews)

JARO, IloiloAs Church in the

Philippines observed the Solemnity
of the Lords Ascension on Sunday,
members of a parish youth ministry
shared their experiences in the apostolate to help the faithful respond to
Pope Francis message for the 49th
World Communications Day, which
focused on the family as a privileged
place where people talk and relate to
each other in love.
One of the weaknesses of the families, aside from financial constraints,
is the lack of communication among
family members at home, said Jaro
Parish Youth Ministry Director, Fr.
Nathaniel G. Gentizon, sharing as
well about the regular home visits
made to the families whose children
are supported by the parish scholarship program.

No time to listen
They seldom talk to each other
even during meals, Gentizon recalled.
One of the reasons is that parents are
so busy looking for money to pay for their
daily needs, the priest observed, inviting
parishioners to be more aware about the
situation of their poorer brethren.
Gentizon said that the lack of
communication in the family is not
limited only to households that are
financially hard-up.
Perhaps, this may be a problem
also in our own homes. There is lack
of openness, or lack of time, to listen
to one another, the priest said as he
urged the faithful to examine the situation of their own families.
Gadget take-over
This may result to divisions and

misunderstanding because of lack

of communication. This problem
can also take place at work or in our
neighborhood, he warned.
The youth ministry director strongly advised parishioners to communicate with each other in our homes,
especially during meals and not
allow that gadgets, like the TV, or our
work, to hinder us from conversing
with one other.
On her part, Maria Antonette
Pasquin, of the Jaro Parish Youth
Ministry, encouraged young people
like her to dedicate time [to] fostering our relationship with our Lord.
Just like any human relationship
which is strengthened by constant
communication, so too, our filial relationship with God through prayer,
the young student said.

Jesus time
Pasquin especially invited the youth
to learn to be more generous with our
Lord by heeding His call to go into
all the world and preach the Gospel
to the whole creation.
To respond to the Lords call to
communicate the Good News, she
urged that We do away with selfish
habits and learn to be more concerned
with others.
We can always start doing so
by making it a habit to talk to our
Lord in the Tabernacle, Pasquin
suggested.
This years celebration of World
Communications Day carried the
theme Communicating the Family: A Privileged Place of Encounter
with the Gift of Love. (Fr. Mickey
Cardenas/CBCPNews)

New Comelec chair promises cleaner polls

MANILA Newly-appointed Commission on
Elections (Comelec) Chairman Andres D. Bautista
said they will do their utmost to keep the coming
elections in 2016 as clean as possible.
This was his opening statement at the recent
Tapatan sa Aristocrat where he said the new
leadership is open to new ideas, suggestions, and
even criticisms that would make the national elections not only clean but honest, orderly, peaceful
and credible.
Time is of the essence, Bautista said, noting that
the countrys elections on Monday, May 9, 2016 is
fast-approaching.
He said he calls on well-meaning persons and
groups to rally behind the Comelec, which celebrates its 75th founding anniversary this year, and
to make sure the democratic framework stays.
Transparent polls
He said aside from party list groups, which will
be up for screening, election watchdogs will also be
carefully assessed.
Bautista said the time has come not to be too
legalistic to find out which system truly works. He
said there should be safeguards to assure everyone
of transparent elections and counting.
He said while the law provides for automated
elections, he is open to suggestions and new ideas
including the proposal of the information technology experts, led by former Commissioner Gus
Lagman, for a hybrid system.
We have to find the best system and improve it
further to make sure safeguards would be enough,
he further said.
Former Catholic Bishops Conference of the
Philippines President and retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz said while he was
concerned how Comelec would run the coming
elections, the appointment of then PCGG Chair

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Andres D. Bautista MELO M. ACUA

Bautista to the Comelec, was a relief. He said he is

now concerned with the kind of candidates running
for elective positions and the kind of voters who
would assure the country a fresh start.
PCOS errors
Meanwhile, former Election Commissioner Augusto Gus Lagman said they welcome Bautistas
appointment because the latter has maintained
openness to suggestions and criticisms.
The Comelec should now talk with the
telecommunications providers because in 2010,
9% of the countrys total PCOS (Precinct Count
Optical Scan) machines failed to transmit, Lagman said.
He added in 2013 some 23% of the PCOS
machines did not transmit election results due to
alleged technical problems to which telco provid-

ers pointed out Smartmatics failure to connect.

Atty. Manuelito Manny Luna, an election law
practitioner and former Board of Election Inspectors chair, said there are enough laws to assure
everyone of clean elections.
There are enough election laws and whats
needed is its implementation, Luna said. He sees
no problem should the Comelec, the National
Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL), and
Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting
(PPCRV) closely work together.
Bautista said they look forward to some 56 million Filipino voters next year.
According to former Civil Registrar General
and NSO Administrator Carmelita N. Ericta, the
Lingayen-Lucena corridor provides some 40%
of the total voting population. (Melo M. Acua/
CBCPNews)

Climate / A1

as it threatens both their lives and

livelihood.
Climate change-induced disasters
spell indescribable miseries to our
people, said Gariguez, who was
among the Goldman prize awardee
for grassroots environmental activism in 2012
The priest cited how Super Typhoon Yolanda caused widespread
devastation in the Philippines, pushing 5.6 million poor people further
into extreme poverty after losing their
properties and livelihoods.
More likely, super storms such
as Haiyan, will be experienced by
vulnerable poor communities par-

ticularly in the Pacific where ocean

warming is being observed which is
like to cause more extreme weather
events. Gariguez added.
Aside from disasters, he also said
climate change also causes irreversible
damage to agriculture and marine
resources, which again poses threats
to food security.
And since climate change likewise
disturbs the balance in ecosystems,
Gariguez said its harmful effects on
human development such as loss
of biodiversity, spread of infectious
diseases, urban air pollution, water
scarcity, and landslide vulnerability.
If we quantify the price we pay

It also actively supports the campaign for climate justice, reduction

of carbon emission, promotion of
renewable energy, and opposition to
coal-powered plants.
Clearly, climate change is a moral
issue that we in the Church cannot
remain passive bystanders, he said.
Aside from Gariguez, also present
in the meeting was Caritas Philippines chairman Archbishop Rolando
Tirona.
The assembly will also elect the
global confederation of Catholic
charities new president with Cardinal
Tagle as one of the two nominees.
(Roy Lagarde/CBCPNews)

Duc in Altum / A5

Refugees / A1

as they urge other nations

in the region to allow
these refugees succor and
assistance.
For while our own economic resources may not
allow us to welcome every
migrant as a permanent
resident of our country, still
there is always room for the
weary and burdened to rest
on our shores before they
continue on their journey,
Villegas said.
The CBCP head recalled
how the Philippines played
its humanitarian role as
host to some 400,000 refugees from Vietnam, Laos
and Cambodia during the
Vietnam War in the 70s.
According to him, our
countr y then ser ved as
some kind of a way-station,

for climate changestudy shows

that economic cost is greater than the
losses caused by two world wars and
great depression of the 20th century.
And of course, in the whole economic
equation, it is the poor people and
poor countries who are to bear the
greater share of the burden, he emphasized.
Currently, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines
through its social action arm Caritas
Philippines is advocating sustainable
agriculture and reforestation among
its concrete initiatives to address the
issue of climate change and its impact
on poverty.

because our Vietnamese

guests soon found their way
to other parts of the globe.
One of them, in fact,
rose through the ranks of
ecclesiastical academe to
become dean of theology
at one of Romes Pontifical Universities. It was a
glorious chapter in our
history, and we thank God
that many of our priests
and religious received the
privilege of serving them,
he said.
Once, our land was
resplendent not only because of tourist spots and
destinations, but because
we welcomed refugees with
the hospitality that has
made us famous the world
over, added Villegas. (R.
Lagarde/CBCPNews)

to justice. The Islamic State

group claimed the attack.
Meanwhile, gunmen opened
fire on St. Francis High School
in Behar colony Lahore. The
School was founded by the
Catholic Church in 1842 and
was the first Catholic school
in Lahore. The Churches and
Christian institutions already
have warned about security
threat from hardliners. This is
not to mention the ISIS who
continued to massacre their
victims.
***
We are happy for Manila
Archbishop Luis Antonio
Cardinal Tagle, as the newly
elected President of Caritas
Internationalis, the first to
be elected as such from Asia.
Caritas is a federation of 165
Catholic charitable organi-

zations around the world,

including both Catholic
Charities USA and Catholic
Relief Services in the United
States. In his acceptance of
the election, Cardinal Tagle
thanked the delegates for
their trust on him. He called
for a strengthened service to
the poor and the marginalized. He formally assumed
the presidency on May 16.
Cardinal Tagle will be the
strength that will give aids to
the needy.
***
Happy Centenary to the
Daughters of St. Paul. Their
Thanksgiving Mass will be
held on June 14 at their convent at 2650 F.B. Harrison,
Pasay City, to be presided by
His Excellency Archbishop
Jose Palma of the Archdiocese

of Cebu. One of the activities for the centenary is the

exhibit about the congregation which will be launched
also on June 14 and will run
for one year. Congratulations
to Sr. Pinky Barrientos, FSP,
former Associate Editor of
this newspaper.
***
Congratulations to Fr. Enrico Emmanuel Ayo, the new
Dean of Theology Department of San Carlos Seminary;
Fr. Rico is the priest guide of
Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas; and to newly-ordained
priest Fr. Nathaniel Brazil,
former seminarian in the
Diocese of Kalookan until his
transfer to St. Peter Chanel
Parish, Hastings, Diocese
of Palmerton North, New
Zealand.

A8

May 25 - June 7, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 11

CBCP Monitor

Public invited to Year of the Poorthemed New Evangelization confab

IN view of the ongoing Year of the
Poor, the head of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines
(CBCP) calls on the faithful to take
part anew in the forthcoming New
Evangelization Conference (NEC)
and Catholic Expo, stressing the
poor are the presence of Jesus in
one another.
[But] Jesus tells us to fix our
gaze on the poor. Because the poor
are the presence of Jesus among us.

Look at Jesus. Look to the poor. And

look at yourself. And then you realize
that we are the poor ones of Jesus.
And we are Jesus for the world,
says CBCP president and LingayenDagupan Archbishop Socrates B.
Villegas in a video invitation.
Jesus is life
According to him, the reason
Christians should look at Jesus is
because the meaning of life can

only be understood in Him.

Jesus is like our mirror. When
you look at Jesus, you see yourself.
When you look at Jesus, you see
who you really are. Sino tayo sa
harap ng Diyos? (Who are we in
front of God?), the prelate asks.
Now on its second year, the New
Evangelization Conference (NEC)
and Catholic Expo is scheduled on
May 30 at the SMX Convention
Center, Mall of Asia (MOA), Pasay

City from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m..

As many as 6,000 delegates are
expected to attend the whole-day
event with its array of talks, testimonies, fora, and expo booths.
500 years of PH Christianity
The Live Christ, Share Christ
(LCSC) movement explains the
conference is a concrete response
to help the poor and empower the
laity to evangelize in preparation

for the 500th anniversary celebration of Christianity in the Philippines in 2021.

It will also hold the NEC Expo, a
large-scale exhibit which will allow
Catholic organizations, groups,
and parishes to showcase their
various efforts at New Evangelization, as well as their contributions
to building the Church of the
Poor, proving that their practices
are worth emulating.

Oldest Marian image in PH visits

Ermitas red light district
OTHER Marian statues in
the Philippines may be more
popular in terms of devotion,
but the Nuestra Seora de
Gua (Our Lady of Guidance)
of Ermita enjoys the distinction of being the countrys
oldest, marking its 444 years
recently in a defiant procession around Manilas seedy
district.
A replica of the 16th-century image defiantly went in
a procession, scouring each
street and alley of the district
notorious for sex tourism and
other unwholesome entertainment.
Devotees piously chanted
Marian prayer-songs, while
showering rose petals on the
Black Madonna as she inched
her way around Ermita.
Earlier, thousands packed
the Archdiocesan Shrine to
capacity for the Fiesta Mass
presided over by no less than
Manila Archbishop Emeritus
Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales along with several priests
of the Archdiocese of Manila
(RCAM) during which he
praised the Virgin for the

Flowers rained as the Nuestra Seora de Gua (Our Lady of Guidance), the oldest Marian image in the Philippines,
defiantly went on procession around Manilas red-light district. JAMES BENEDICT MALABANAN

graces she has received and

invited the faithful to imitate
her virtues.
Manilas sworn patroness
According to records from
the Manila Cathedral, Rajahs Sulaiman and Matanda
ceded Manila to the Spanish
Crown on May 19, 1571,
with Miguel Lpez de Legazpi consecrating the city

to both Saint Pudentiana and

Nuestra Seora de Gua.
In 1578, King Philip II
decreed Our Lady of Guidance as sworn patroness of
Manila, officially declaring
her the citys titular patroness.
Besides being the Philippines oldest Marian statue,
the Virgin of Ermita is known
for having kept company
two recent pontiffs.

In 1995 the Blessed Lady

was removed from her sanctuary in Ermita, remaining in
the room of Pope John Paul
II during his second apostolic
trip to the country.
Papal guide
More recently, the De
Gua reprised her role of
guiding popes when it
was Pope Francis turn to

visit the Philippines from

January 15 to 19, 2015,
most memorably during
the record-breaking Mass at
Quirino Grandstand.
A historical marker posted
outside the shrine reads: The
statue of Nuestra Seora de
Guia (Our Lady of Guidance), which has been in the
Manila Cathedral since the
British Occupation (1762),
was transferred here in 1918
On May 16, 1971, Rufino
Cardinal Santos crowned the
Virgin. The gold crown was a
gift from Pope Paul VI.
Meanwhile, the same
marker indicates that the
Ermita church itself was first
built in 1606 of bamboo, molave, and nipa shingles, and
was destroyed many times by
earthquakes.
Rebuilt in 1810, it was
bombed in 1945 during the
Battle for Manila.
The present building was
erected in 1947, where many
believe the image of the Virgin was found on May 19,
1571. (Raymond A. Sebastin/CBCP News)

Yuppies, students train to be faith defenders

HEEDING the call of the Second
Plenary Council of the Philippines
(PCP II), college students and young
professionals nationwide are taking
on the task of upholding the truth
of the Catholic faith even as material
comfort, pop culture, social media,
pornography, and sex vie each for
their attention.
In an interview, JM Tuazon, a
certified public accountant, shared
that since becoming an apologist his
spiritual life has become richer and
more meaningful.
Ive also become more sensitive to
my thoughts, feelings, and actions,
he said.
According to Tuazon, a former
Born-Again Christian, learning his
new faith with fellow faith defenders corrected his biases against the
Catholic Church.
Choosing to be brave
Instead of spending time, money,
and energy on parties, booze, drugs,
and casual hookups to the erosion of
Christian moral values, an increasing
number of Filipino Catholic youth
today have chosen to be brave,
dedicating themselves to the study,
defense, and propagation of what
the Church teaches and stands for
in a world fast becoming secularized.
With the Bible in one hand and the
Catechism (CCC) in the other, some
80 to 100 people, mostly young men

and women, students and professionals, from the various dioceses of Metro
Manila and nearby provinces, gather
together monthly in a bid to deepen
their understanding of and discuss
the faith in the face of mounting
indifference.
PCP II
Inspired by legendary apologists
like Fr. Ben Carreon, Bishop Cirilo
Almario, Msgr. Jos Abriol, Sen.
Francisco A. Rodrigo, and Mayor
Scrates Fernandez, these new breed
of Catholic Faith Defenders (CFD)
vow to live out PCP IIs appeal which
states:
We need not apologize for
apologetic catechesis. Since its birth,
Christianity has been subjected to
attacks from which it has had to
defend itself. Jesus had to answer to
objections to His teachings, as the
Gospels testify. St. Paul had to answer
early Christian errors, and charged his
disciples to protect the faithful from
them while keeping pure the Deposit
of Faith (PCP II 222).
Tradition
Noting how apologetics has always
been part of the pastoral and theological tradition of the Church, PCP
II points out that todays Catholics
must be willing and able to defend
her teachings in public fora so that
they can defend their faith, exhort-

Antique santos
While more famous for
Juan Lunas super-sized Spoliarium and other Filipino
Old Masters like the ones
by Felix Resurreccin Hidalgo, Fabian de la Rosa,
and Fernando Amorsolo,
few people know that the
National Museums art gallery
is also home to some of the
most breathtaking religious
sculptures in the country.
On exhibit at the museums
Luis I. Ablaza Hall (Gallery
I) are various carved wooden

THE cast of the household

staple Forevermore is set
to have a benefit basketball
game with several super typhoon Yolanda survivors on
May 31, 6:00 p.m. at the Cuneta Astrodome, Pasay City.
Organized by the Canossian Sons of Charity through
the Bakhita Canossa Foundation, Hoops for Hope: A
Charity Basketball Game
aims to raise funds for the
rehabilitation of Brgy. Butig, Salcedo, Eastern Samar,
which continues to suffer
from the Nov. 8, 2013 onslaught of Yolanda.
The Canossian fathers invite the public to purchase

tickets, which are priced at

Php 1000, 500, 300 and 100
to watch the game.
For inquiries, interested
parties may contact Oggie
Cayetano at 09467593251
or (02) 725-6739 or join the
event on Facebook, HOOPS
for HOPE: A Charity Basketball Game.
Selected beneficiaries
from Brg. Butig will faceoff against Forevermore cast
members Enrique Gil, Joey
Marquez, Zoren Legaspi, Michael Flores, Diego Loyzaga,
CJ Navato, Marco GUmabao, Igiboy Flores, with the
special participation of Liza
Soberano. (CBCPNews)

More and more college students and yuppies are responding to PCP IIs call to defend the faith.
RAYMOND A. SEBASTIN

ing parish priests to encourage and

support the training of lay Catholic
faith defenders.
Jack Saliba, an incoming 4th-year
education major, said he accepted
PCP IIs invitation to be an unapologetic apologist amid the threat
of New Atheism, a brand of unbelief made popular by Christopher
Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, and
Sam Harris.
But more than engaging anti-Catholics in intellectual duels, he prefers
to assert the truth of Catholicism and
win souls by concretely witnessing
to it in his dealings with them and
others.

Great Commission
Meanwhile, Fr. Abraham Arganiosa, CFD national adviser, told CBCP
News that defending the faith is
integral to the Great Commission
Christ left the Church, as well as to
her evangelization mission.
He expressed joy that more and
more young people, who would
otherwise give in like many their age
to the ways of the world, now search
for truth and meaning in their lives.
The world has many offers: sex,
money, gadgets. But they realize
these are nothing compared to the
joy they have found in the Gospel,
he said. (Raymond A. Sebastin/
CBCP News)

santos or poon made by

anonymous artists like those
of San Antonio de Padua (St.
Anthony of Padua), Santiago
Matamoros (St. James the
Moorslayer), as well as reliefs
of La Piet, cherubs and seraphims, several crucifixes, and
a painting of the Immaculate
Conception.
National cultural treasure
Also displayed is an antique
retablo (altar piece) from
the Church of San Nicolas
de Tolentino in Dimiao, Bohol which is considered one
of the Philippines national
cultural treasures.
Entrance to the National
Museum is free for the whole
month of May in keeping
with the National Heritage
Month.
It is open from Tuesday to
Sunday, 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
(Raymond A. Sebastin/
CBCP News)

TV stars to play basketball

for Yolanda fundraiser

Markings

Free viewing of Catholic artwork, others at Natl Museum

THE best things in life are
free that is why everyone,
especially students and the
youth, still has a week left to
drop by the National Museum of the Philippines to
see, admire, and learn from
its collection of Christianthemed artwork dating back
to between the 17th and 19th
centuries.

Spreading the Gospel

The expo will allow groups and
delegates to network with one another and collaborate for the expansion of the work of evangelization.
NEC 2015 is free and open to
the public.
For registration information and other updates, visit https://www.facebook.com/
events/700900380027005. (Raymond A. Sebastin/CBCP News)

Ordained. Zamboanga Archbishop Romulo T. Dela Cruz

ordained Fr. Armando Labora, Fr. Rex Douglas Sungcad,
and Fr. Remejun Dagon on May 25 at the Mary Mediatrix
of All Grace Cathedral in Kidapawan City. Sungcad will be
the new vice rector of Our Lady of Guadalupe Diocesan
Seminary. Remejun Dagon is assigned to be assistant
parish priest in Sto. Nino de Cebu parish in Makilala, North
Cotabato. Labora is parochial vicar of Christ the King Parish
in Kabacan, North Cotabato.
Ordained. Bishop Honesto
Ongtioco of the Diocese
of Cubao ordained Rev.
Pham Cong Huan, OCD
from Vietnam, Rev. Hernani
Anis, OCD from Rizal, Rev.
Dionisio Balute, OCD from
Camarines and Rev. Ferdinand Dela Cruz from Makati
on May 14, Feast of Matthias Apostle at Mt. Carmel
Shrine Parish, New Manila.
The Discalced Carmelites
in the Philippine-Vietnam
Commissariat welcomed
the new priests in the Year
of Consecrated Life and
in the year of the 5th Birth
Centenary of St. Teresa of
Avila, the spiritual mother of
the Discalced Carmelites.
Installed. Sr. Mary Claire
Bagot, RGS was installed
as the new local head of the
RGS Community in the Archdiocese of Lipa on May 19.
Fr. Leonido Dolor celebrated
a Mass to mark the event.
Bagot will take over official
duties starting the coming
school year 2015-16.

The National Museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. RAYMOND A. SEBASTIN

CBCP Monitor

PASTORAL CONCERNS B1

May 25 - June 7, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 11

Caritas Manila

One who lives

the Caritas
mission is
not a
simple worker
but indeed
a witness
to Christ

CNA

(Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis at the Holy Mass for the Opening of the General Assembly of
Caritas Internationalis, Vatican Basilica, Altar of the Chair, 12 May 2015)

Vatican City - May 12, 2015. Pope Francis celebrates Mass for global representatives of Caritas International in St. Peters Basilica on May 12, 2015. Caritas Internationals 20th general assembly was held on May 12-17 in Rome to discuss the theme One Human
Family, Caring for Creation.

ing is accomplished within you personally,

because you then go into the world, and
there you serve in the name of Christ
whom you have met and whom you meet
in every brother and sister to whom you
draw near. For this very reason it avoids
being reduced to a simple humanitarian
organization. TheCaritasof each particular Church, even the smallest, is the same:
there is no such thing as largeCaritasand
smallCaritas, they are all equal. Let us ask
the Lord for the grace to understand the

spirit of giving freely, the spirit of giving.

All of our strategies and planning stand
empty if we do not bear this love within
us. Not our love, but his. Or better yet,
our love purified and strengthened by his.
This is how one can serve all and
prepare the table for all. This too is a
beautiful image that the Word of God

for all, and to ask that there be one table

for all. Doing whatever we can so that
everyone has food, but also reminding
the worlds powerful that God will call
them to be judged one day, and it will be
demonstrated whether they have truly
tried to provide food for Him in each
person (cf. Mt 25:35) and whether they

destroyed. I renew the appeal that these

people and these intolerable injustices not
be forgotten.
Together with so many other charitable
Church organizations,Caritasthus reveals
the power of Christian love and the desire
of the Church to meet Jesus in each person,
especially when he/she is poor or suffering.

offers us today: preparing the table. God

prepares the table of the Eucharist for us,
even now.Caritasprepares many tables for
those who are hungry. In these months
you have carried out the great campaign
One Human Family, Food For All. So
many people even today hope to have
enough to eat. The planet has food for
all, but the will to share with everyone
seems to be lacking. To prepare the table

have acted in order that the environment

would not be destroyed but would be able
to produce this food.
In considering the table of the Eucharist, we cannot forget those of our
Christian brothers and sisters who
through violence have been deprived of
both food for their bodies and for their
souls: they have been pushed from their
homes and from their churches, at times

This is the journey we have before us and

with this horizon I hope that you may
carry out the works of these times. Let
us entrust them to the Virgin Mary, who
made welcoming God and neighbor the
fundamental criterion of her life. Tomorrow we will celebrate Our Lady of Fatima,
who appeared to proclaim victory over evil.
With such great support let us not be afraid
to continue our mission. So be it.

One who lives the

Caritas mission
is not a simple
worker but indeed
a witness to
Christ. A person
who seeks Christ
and allows himself
be sought
by Christ...
true dimension of Caritas; the grace to
avoid falling into the mistaken belief that
a well organized centralism is the way;
the grace to understand that Caritas is
always at the periphery, in each particular
Church; and the grace to believe that the
centralCaritasis only a help, a service and
an experience of communion and not the
headquarters of the others.
One who lives theCaritasmission is not
a simple worker but indeed a witness to
Christ. A person who seeks Christ and allows himself be sought by Christ; a person
who loves with the spirit of Christ, the

Caritas Manila

THE Reading from the Acts of the Apostles that we have just heard (16: 22-34)
presents a rather special character. It is the
jailer of the prison in Philippi, where Paul
and Silas are locked up after an uprising of
the crowd against them. The magistrates
first have them beaten and then send them
to prison, charging the jailer to keep them
safely. This is why that man, during the
night, feels the earthquake and, seeing the
prison doors open, despairs and considers
killing himself. But Paul reassures him
and the jailer, trembling and full of wonder, kneels in supplication for salvation.
The narrative tells us that at once that
man takes the essential steps of the path of
faith and salvation: he listens to the Word
of the Lord, together with his household;
he washes the wounds of Paul and Silas;
he receives Baptism, with all his family;
and lastly welcomes Paul and Silas into
his house, prepares the table and sets
food before them, rejoicing. The entire
path of faith.
The Gospel, proclaimed and believed,
urges one to wash the feet and wounds of
the suffering and to prepare the table for
them. The simplicity of gestures, in which
receiving the Word and the Sacrament of
Baptism accompanies the welcoming of
ones brother, which is treated as a single
act: welcoming God and welcoming another; welcoming others with the grace of
God; welcoming God and making Him
manifest in service to ones brother. Word,
Sacraments and service each evoke and
enrich the another, as previously seen in
these witnesses of the early Church.
We can see in this gesture the entire call
of Caritas. Caritas is now a great Confederation, widely recognized also in the
world for its accomplishments.Caritasis
the Church in many parts of the world,
and must also spread even more in the
various parishes and communities, to
renew what took place in the early times
of the Church. Indeed the root of all your
service actually lies in the simple and
obedient welcoming of God and neighbour. This is the root. Should this root be
removed,Caritaswould die. This welcom-

B2 UPDATES

May 25 - June 7, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 11

CBCP Monitor

The Mystery of Human Suffering

By Fr. Jaime B. Achacoso

Let us look to Christ. He is the Lord. He understands us

because he underwent all the trials that we, that you,
have experienced.
For centuries wise men had tried to plumb the
meaning of human suffering. Natural religions have
been developed with the purpose of both understanding and alleviating it. Christianity erupts into human
history with the most radical explanation and also the
most radical solution.
Human suffering is the consequence of sin: mans inhumanity to man, mans self-inflicted pain, mans lack
of respect for the environmentall of these are the
causes of human suffering and all of them have their
ultimate cause in the individual persons alienation
from God. Without a personal orientation towards
God, how can man be at peace with his neighbor and
with his environment?
But what of the sufferings seemingly inflicted by
naturelike the one suffered by the Yolanda victims
in Tacloban to whom the Pope was speaking at the
time? When we look at all the natural calamities,
what we should ultimately realize is that they are
calamitous only insofar as man is concerned. Even
weather disturbances are not disturbances as far as the
environment is concerned, but rather the process by
which equilibrium is restored to an earth surface with
physical imbalances due to gradients of temperature,
pressure and humidity. Even such disastrous events as
earthquakes are just the result of tectonic adjustments
to restore equilibrium. The human tragedy is caused
by men ignoringwhether on purpose or otherwisethe physical laws of nature: human settlements
in the path of typhoons without adequate provisions,
buildings on earthquake-prone areas without sufficient
structural strength to withstand foreseeable tremors,
communities built in flood-prone areas due to human
ignorance or greed for profit. The list is endless.
However, what answer can be given to the innocent
victimsthose who suffer because of the perfidy of
others (e.g., the greed of the realtors who developed
subdivisions in the flood basins of the Marikina River,
the inept government officials who did not adequately
provide for the effects of a typhoon which had already
been forecasted days ahead, the corrupt city officials
who allowed a factory to function without adequate
fire protection)when they ask the ultimate question
to Heaven: why?
The Holy Father gave the answer in Tacloban:
Many of you have asked the Lordwhy lord? And
to each of you, to your heart, Christ responds with his
heart from the cross. I have no more words for you. Let
us look to Christ. He is the Lord. He understands us
because he underwent all the trials that we, that you,
have experienced.
The most supernatural meaning of human suffering is Christological at the same time. Only when a
Christian looks at Jesus Christ on the Cross can he
make sense of his own suffering: as a means of being
united to his Redeemer, who suffers everything for
love of him. Then suffering ceases to be just a natural
consequence of mans disrespect for the laws of nature
and the Natural Law. It even transcends the dimension
of Divine Justice as a means of atonement for sins. It
becomes as it were a demand of love: the desire for
the lover to be united to the beloved by sharing the
same fate. As many saints have discovered, the greatest proof of having found Christ is having found the
Cross, because Christ is on it.

I have come to tell you that Jesus is Lord. And he

never lets us down. Father you might say to meI was
let down because I have lost so many things, my house,
my livelihood. Its true if you say that and I respect those
sentiments. But Jesus is there, nailed to the Cross, and
from there he does not let us down. He was consecrated
as Lord on that throne and there he experienced all the
calamities that we experience. Jesus is Lord. And the
Lord from the Cross is there for you. In everything, the
same as us. That is why we have a Lord who cries with us
and walks with us in the most difficult moments of life.

Jesus is capable of sympathizing with our weaknesses

We have a high priest who is capable of sympathizing
with our weaknesses. Jesus is like us. Jesus lived like us
and is the same us in every respect, except sin because he
was not a sinner. But to be more like us he assumed our
condition and our sin. He made himself into sin. This is
what St Paul tells us.
In his usual homespun style, Pope Francis summarized the teaching of the Councils of Nicea (325 A.D.),
Ephesus (431 A.D.) and especially that of Chalcedon
(451 A.D.), as regards the two natures in Jesus Christ,
the Divine and the human, each integral and perfect.
Being totally Divine, He is also totally human, in
everything like us, except in sin. However, though he
himself could not sin (he was impeccable), he nevertheless assumed our sin in order to atone for it with his
Passion and Death, and to triumph over it with his
Resurrection, paving the way for our own salvation.
Because of his integral human nature, Jesus Christ
is capable of sympathizing with us. Sympathy comes
from sym (same) + patere (to suffer)i.e., to suffer
in the same way. The Gospel is replete with scenes
of our Lord doing just that: he suffers hunger (after
40 days of fasting in the desert), tiredness and thirst
(at the well of Sichar), even sadness (at Gethsemane);
he loves the Rich Young Man, weeps for his dead
friend Lazarus, gets angry at the hardheadedness of
the Pharisees and those who had made a marketplace
in the temple of Jerusalem, and had compassion for
the poor widow of Naim, whose only son was about
to be buried. He advanced the first miracle at Cana
to save the day for the newly married couple, whose
celebration was about to be marred by a shortage of
wine. He resurrected both Lazarus and the young
man of Naim to remedy the sorrow of the persons
they had left behind. He performed the great miracles
of the multiplication of bread and fishes (the Gospel
narrates two separate occasions) to feed the crowds
who had followed him without provisions, hungry
not only for food but even more importantly for his
doctrine; he quieted the storm on the lake (again the
Gospel narrates two separate occasions) in order to
save the Apostles.
In his Passion he assumed all our pain. Therefore he
is capable of understanding us, as we heard in the first
reading. Id like to tell you something close to my heart.
When I saw from Rome that catastrophe I had to be here.
And on those very days I decided to come here. I am here
to be with you a little bit late, but Im here.
The point that Pope Francis was trying to make
was this: If hea poor man (albeit the Vicar of
Christ, I might add)could so spontaneously feel
compassion for the suffering typhoon victims so
as to feel impelled to go to them, what more Jesus
Christ, who is perfect man and Perfect God? Hence
he concludes:
Jesus always goes before us and when we pass an experience, a cross, he passed there before us. And if today
we find ourselves here 14 months afterwards, 14 months
precisely after the Typhoon Yolanda hit, it is because we
have the security of knowing we will not weaken in our

(Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy and dean of theology at

the Regina Apostolorum university,
answers the following query:)

File photo

THESE words of Pope Francisspoken through a

translatorwere addressed to a gathering of rainsoaked faithful at the tarmac of the Tacloban Airport,
on the morning of January 17 this year. The people had
braved a whole night of rain to keep their positions
and where then braving an increasingly gusty wind,
as a tropical depression roared closer to land from the
Pacific Ocean. The tableaux shall always remain in the
imagination of anyone who watched the TV coverage of that event. It should provide us now a fitting
background to mine the Popes words, as he touched
on one of the oldest mysteries for man: the meaning
of human suffering.

Only when a Christian looks at Jesus Christ on

the Cross can he make sense of his own suffering:
as a means of being united to his Redeemer, who
suffers everything for love of him.
faith because Jesus has been here before us. In his Passion he assumed all our pain. Therefore he is capable of
understanding us.
In other words, Pope Francis was telling us, to
understand suffering, we need to go to the one who
understands us best, to the one who understands our
suffering the most, because he had gone through that
suffering himself.

Jesus is Lord. And he never lets us down.

So many of you have lost everything. I dont know
what to say to you. But the Lord does know what to say
to you. Some of you have lost part of your families. All
I can do is keep silence and walk with you all with my
silent heart. Many of you have asked the Lordwhy lord?
And to each of you, to your heart, Christ responds with
his heart from the cross. I have no more words for you.

Blessings When the Eucharist is Exposed

Carolus

Q: I seemed to have learned in the

seminaries I attended in Spain and in
Rome that a priest does not give a blessing at the end of lauds and vespers when
the Liturgy of the Hours is prayed in
community before the exposed Blessed
Sacrament. Is this true? Is this a liturgical principle, of sorts? Another example
might be blessing the incense in the
thurible during Mass, but refraining
from doing so when it is placed in the
thurible during exposition or Benediction? I e-mailed another liturgist, and
he responded, no blessing at the conclusion of lauds / vespers when the Blessed
Sacrament is exposed in anticipation of
the Benediction that trumps all other
blessings. But that then raised the question in my mind, what if there will be
no Benediction, but a simple reposition
of the Blessed Sacrament, due to the
circumstance of the adoration in the
monstrance taking place for an hour
before the beginning of Mass? -- K.B.,
Bloomingdale, Ohio
A: The liturgist consulted by our reader
is correct. No public blessings are ever
imparted in the presence of the Blessed
Sacrament exposed.
Apart from the reason regarding
Benediction, another reason commonly
given is that no minister gives a blessing
if a higher minister is present. Thus,
during exposition Christ, the supreme
high priest, is present and so no inferior
minister should impart a blessing.
It must be admitted that, theologically, it is not a strong argument, for Christ

And at the foot of the Cross is Mary

Let us look to our Mother and, like a little child,
let us hold onto her mantle and with a true heart
sayMother. In silence, tell your Mother what
you feel in your heart. Let us know that we have a
Mother, Mary, and a great Brother, Jesus. We are
not alone.
Pope Francis concludes his meditation on the
Christian meaning of human suffering with a final
lesson and recommendation: to look at Mary. This was
the secret for the fortitude of those who should have
been the weakest among the followers of Jesusthe
youngest Apostle John and some womenso as to be
with him on Calvary. They were with Mary. Perhaps
they thought they were accompanying her to be with
her Son. In fact she was accompanying them to be
with their Redeemer.
This too has always been the reason for the resilience of the Filipinos, at the face of all the calamities
that Philippine history is littered with: our childlike
devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of
God and our Mother.

is equally present in the closed tabernacle

and thus it could follow that no blessing
could be imparted in a church. Whatever
the reason, these ideas contributed to the
longstanding custom of not imparting
most blessings during exposition.
Thus, whenever the Blessed Sacrament
is exposed toward the end of Mass for
a procession or a prolonged adoration,
the blessing and dismissal are omitted.
The Mass concludes with the prayer after
communion, and the ministers incense

the Blessed Sacrament and either retire in

silence or continue with the procession.
When lauds or vespers are prayed before the Blessed Sacrament exposed, they
should conclude with the priest or deacon
saying: May the Lord bless us, protect us
from all evil and bring us to everlasting
life. Amen, rather than May almighty
God bless you .
This is done in all cases, even if the
adoration is going to continue for some
time and even though those present at the

office will not be present at the eventual

Benediction.
There are, however, some exceptions.
The current rubrics for exposition and
Benediction indicate that the celebrant
blesses the incense without saying anything (Ceremonial of Bishops, No. 1109).
The same rule would apply if incense is
carried out during the Divine Office. This
exception would also have been true for
the extraordinary form on the few occasions when vespers were prayed before the

Blessed Sacrament, such as on the feast

of Corpus Christi.
Another similar exception before the
liturgical reform was when Mass was
permitted to be celebrated before the
Blessed Sacrament exposed. This was
done only in cases of grave necessity
with permission of the bishop or on
occasional solemn feasts, such as Corpus
Christi and the third day of the Forty
Hours devotion. In this case practically
all the usual blessings imparted during
Mass were carried out.
In the ordinary form it is never permitted to celebrate before the Blessed
Sacrament exposed. It may occur in the
celebration of the extraordinary form
but would be quite exceptional.
The novelty in the present rite is the
blessing of incense during exposition
itself and not during another liturgical
rite. Traditionally the incense was not
blessed once the Blessed Sacrament was
exposed.
The probable reason for this change
was to simplify and unify the rite of
putting incense by eliminating the differences among several ritual situations.
In recent years some liturgists have
requested that the earlier practice of
no blessings during exposition be restored. Personally I think a return to
past practice is unlikely. Exposition is
now far more common and no longer
requires the permission of the ordinary.
This means that liturgical rites such as
lauds and vespers during exposition
are more frequent and, as we have seen
above, were already exceptions to the
general rule. The unification of the
practice for the rite of blessing incense
during exposition and Benediction thus
follows a certain logic corresponding to
current practice.

CBCP Monitor

FEATURES B3

May 25 - June 7, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 11

Christ in you, our hope of glory

The Eucharist: Source and Goal of the Churchs Mission

Theological and pastoral reflections in preparation for the 51st International Eucharistic Congress
(Third of a series)

the Eucharistic Liturgy, the Holy Spirit is

invoked in an explicit way. At the consecratory epiclesis, the Holy Spirit is invoked
upon the gifts of bread and wine so that
they may become the body and blood of
our Lord Jesus Christ (Eucharistic Prayer
III). At the communion epiclesis, the same

ken bread was scattered over the hills and

then, when gathered, became one mass,
so may thy Church be gathered from the
ends of the earth into thy kingdom. (W.
Rordorf-A. Tuilier, Didache: la Doctine
des Douze Apotres [Sources Chretiennes
248] Paris 1998). For the early Church,
what was most crucial about the Eucharistic Celebration is that it caused them to
gather together. Their faith conviction
was that it is in being gathered together
(ekklesia) that salvation comes upon them.
It is in seeing themselves as the one Body
of Christ that the healthy members felt
sensitive to the pain and suffering of the
sick members and thus felt impelled to
help them in their needs. The Eucharist
sends the Church on a mission of carrying
out justice in the world by forming the
gathered assembly into the One Body of
Christ where division and apathy toward
the suffering are put in question.
Emerging from the Eucharistic Celebration, each of the Christian faithful, and
the whole Church for that matter, carries
the mission of keeping the Body of Christ
intact and of restoring it to health when
rendered sick by indifference and discord.

CBCP News

3. Presentation of the gifts

Preferential love for the poor. The
Vatican II reform on the Mass restored an
ancient practice involving the assembly
offering bread and wine for the Eucharistic

he asks, wish to honor the Body of Christ?

Then do not allow it to be scorned in its
members, in the poor, who have nothing
to clothe themselves with. Do not honor
him in church with silk and then neglect
him outside when he is cold and naked
What does Christ gain from a sacrificial

Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma inspects the International Eucharistic Congress Pavilion, venue for the worlds largest Eucharistic event, to be held in Cebu City
on Jan. 24 to 31, 2016.

Sacrifice. The last documentary witness

to such practice was the Roman Ordo of
the seventh century (Ordo Romanus 1, M.
Andrieu (ed.) les Ordines Romani du Haut
Moyen Age II) which informs us that the
preside chose a loaf from what was offered
and took an amount of wine just enough
for communion; the rest was placed on
a credence table for distribution to the
poor. Dropped off for many centuries,
the practice was restored by the Vatican II
reform not only as an added opportunity
for active lay participation but as an affirmation of the early
Churchs laudable
practice expressing
her special concern
for the poor.
The commemoration of the institution of the Eucharist
at the Evening Mass
of the Lords Supper
on Holy Thursday
gives place to a procession of gifts by the
faithful at which, together with the bread
and wine, gifts intended for the poor
are presented. (The
rubrical indication
reads: At the beginning of the Liturgy of
the Eucharist, there
may be a procession of the faithful in which
gifts for the poor may be presented with
the bread and wine.) The recommended
chant to accompany this action heightens
this particular message of the preparation
of the gifts: Ubi caritas est vera, Des ini
est (Where there is charity, God is there).
This evenings Eucharist, being a memorial
of its institution, is a good model for all
Eucharistic Celebrations in this regard. It
teaches us that the mission of caring for the

table full of golden vessels when he then

dies of hunger in the persons of the poor?
(In Matthaeum hom. 50, 3-4, PG 58,
508-509).
Concern for creation. The Vatican II
reform on the Mass attached prayer formularies based on Jewish table prayers to
the action of placing the gifts on the altar:
Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation,
for through your goodness we have the
bread (the wine) we offer you: fruit of the
earth and work of human hands, it will
become for us the bread of life (our spiritual drink). These
prayer formularies
are an expression of
praise of God for
the creation of the
world and for human collaboration
in the production of
bread and wine
symbols of life and
fellowshipthat in
the Eucharist will
become the medium
of Christs living and
life-giving presence
in the midst of the
assembly and in the
world.
But they also
constitute a sending
forth on a prophetic
mission. Worship
cannot be indifferent to the concern for
the environment and natural resources.
To bless the Lord, God of all creation is
to thank God for the earth, his creation,
which is our sustenance. The world is not
mere raw material to be utilized simply
as we wishall the way to depletion and
wastage. It is for all of Gods children to
live on in a manner that befits precisely
that dignity. To bless the Lord, God of
all creation entails raising a prophetic

Holy Spirit is invoked upon the assembly

so that by partaking of the Body and
Blood of Christ, they may be filled with
his Holy Spirit and become one body, one
spirit in Christ (EP III). Nowhere could

5. Communion
Breaking of the Bread. At the Last
Supper, Jesus took the bread and broke it.
He gave the broken pieces to his beloved
disciples as he said, Take this this is
my Body to be given up for you. In the
Eucharist, the priest does this same action
of Christ. He breaks the bread as a sign of
the love of Christ whose body is broken
for us. Whenever this action takes place
in the celebration of the Eucharist, we
are reminded of the painful death Christ
had gone through out of this love for us.
We who received the broken bread are
reminded that for us to live, Christ has to
die. When we celebrate the Eucharist, we
must become ever more conscious that
the sacrifice of Christ is for all, and that
the Eucharist thus compels all who believe

Taegon and his companions, Augustine

Zhao Rong and his 119 companions, and
Said Pedro Calungsodall Asiansgive
tangible form to the Eucharistic faith that
makes whole by being broken.
The Communion Meal. In the Eucharist, the Body of Christ realized in
the Eucharistic assembly becomes food
for others. The Eucharistic action brings
into being a body that is consumed, that
is, broken and given away to nourish a
hungry world. The Eucharist sends the
Christian faithful out of themselves to offer the same to be food for the world. In
the Eucharist, the act of consumption is
reversed and becomes an act of kenosis, or
self-emptying. Becoming part of Christs
body is to descend with Christ into the
broken human condition, to empty oneself
taking the form of a salve (Phil 2:7).
The great capacity for self-sacrifice
that characterizes the people of Asia will
not have much significance unless it
is coupled with the readiness to share.
Ones self-emptying finds significance
only when by it, another person is made
full. Christ emptied himself so that we
may be filled with his life, and that we
may have it abundantly (Cf. Jn 10:10).
Saint John Paul II tells us that there are
specific areas where this sharing should be
done, especially during this time in this
part of the world. The situations in which
refugees, asylum seekers, immigrants, and
overseas workers often find themselves in
their host countriesfriendless, culturally
estranged, linguistically disadvantaged,
and economically vulnerableask for a
welcoming home where in their weariness and burden they may find comfort
and rest. May Christian communities
in whatever country and locality be such
welcoming and restful homes for them.
The Eucharistic Banquet sends us forth to
share what we have so that no one in our
communities may be found wanting.
6. The Dismissal: Ite, Missa Est.

Mylene Velasco

The great capacity

for self-sacrifice
that characterizes
the people of Asia
will not have much
significance unless
it is coupled with
the readiness
to share.

The pilgrim symbol of the 51st International Eucharistic Congress visits the Naga Metropolitan Cathedral, March 8, 2015.

be found a clearer articulation of Christs

and the Churchs vision of the Eucharistic
Mystery: the Church celebrates the Eucharist in order to be constantly built up
into the Body of Christ. The bread and
wine have to become the Body of Christ

in Christ to become bread that is broken

for others, and to work for the building of
a more just and fraternal world. (Benedict
XVI, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation
Sacramentum Caritatis [SAC]: One the
Eucharist as the Source and Summit of
the Churchs Life and Mission, 22 February 2007, 88). This is how Christ desires
to give life to humanity and to the world
for all time: that we do this (breaking, sharing, loving)
in memory of him.
Each of us is truly
called, together with
Jesus, to be bread,
broken for the life of
the world.
Addressing the
people of Asia,
Saint John Paul II
commended the extraordinary capacity
for self-giving and
sacrificethat is,
martyrdommanifested by numerous
Asians through the
centuries, as the
continues to challenge the present-day
Asian Christians to
be ready to do the
same if the situation
calls for it. (Cf. John
Paul II, Post-Synodal
Exhortation Ecclesia
in Asia [EA] on Jesus Christ the Savior and
His Mission of Love and Service in Asia,
6 November 1999, 49). The continent
has been generous donor to the Church
and to the world of men and women
who eloquently proved the truth of the
faith by bravely facing the most violent
of deaths and showed the beauty of the
same faith even in the midst of the ugliest
forms of persecution. Saint Paul Miki and
his companions, Saint Lorenzo Ruiz and
his companions, Saint Andrew Dung Lac
and his companions, Saint Andrew Kim

The Dismissal Rite concludes the Eucharistic Celebration and sends the assembly
forth. There are those who related this
mission-sending character of the Dismissal
Rite to the fact that both the words Mass
and mission are derived from the Latin
verb mittere (to send). It is also significant
that his rite is described as one that dismisses the people to go out and do good
works, praising and blessing God. (General Instruction of the
Roman Missal, 90).
In an earlier discussion on the Introductory Rites, it
has been said that
those who form the
assembly are gathered, disposed to listen to Gods Word
and to take part in
the Eucharistic Meal
worthily, always in
view of sending them
forth as instruments
of unity, heralds of
the Good News, and
as bread, broken and
shared for the life
of the world. Now,
at the Dismissal
Rite, they are told,
Go, [the assembly]
is sent. As in the
story of the disciples
of Emmaus, the encounter with the Risen Christ in his Word
proclaimed and in the breaking of the
bread has the innate power to transform
the assembly into enthusiastic and zealous
heralds of the Lord. The fellowship they
experienced, the Word they heard, and the
Eucharistic Meal they shared together are
now to be brought into the world in the
form of coherent witness. Witness means
that through our actions, words, and
way of being, that Person we give witness
tothe Lord Jesus Christ who gathered

File Photo

The fellowship
they experienced,
the Word they
heard, and the
Eucharistic Meal
they shared
together are now
to be brought into
the world in the
form of coherent
witness

poorand underprivileged is at the heart of

the Eucharistic Liturgy. As we grow in our
genuine care for the poor and the needy,
the Eucharist comes to be manifested ever
more clearly as the sacrament of love. The
intimate connection between the Eucharist
and the Churchs mission to care for the
poor is expressed succinctly in the lapidary
words of St. John Chrysostom: Do you,

voice against the greed of human hearts

and hands in the defense of the earth
and its resources and of those who fall
victim to natures revolt when exploited
irresponsibly.
4. The Eucharistic Prayer
Forming the Body of Christ: Bread
and Assembly. At two special moments of

in order to form those who partake of it

into the Body of Christ. Thus, through
the Eucharistic Mystery, the Church enters
into history as they Body of Christ, given
up for the life of the world.
From as early as the second half of the
first century, we find this expressed in a
prayer that the Church has kept in her
treasury of Eucharistic texts: As this bro-

Eucharist / B7

B4 FEATURES

May 25 - June 7, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 11

CBCP Monitor

Are We for a Just War or a Just Peace in Mindanao?

(Homily at the Baccalaureate Mass, Xavier University, Cagayan de Oro City, 26 March 2015)

OVER the past two months, the

country has been filled with apprehension because of the Mamasapano incident that happened in
the central part of Mindanao. There
have been many voices, statements
and columnists opinions in mass
media about the incident. But I
think it is only Xavier University
that has come out with an institutional stand that indeed we are for
peace by inviting to its graduation
convocation the peace negotiators
and the people behind the peace
process related to the Bangsamoro
Basic Law. So I would like to congratulate Fr. President, the Board
of Trustees and the entire academic
community for this institutional
stand that indeed here in Cagayan
de Oro, in Xavier University, we
are honoring those who are striving to complete the peace process
in Mindanao.
The underlying question that
has been raised in all these discussions is: Are we for a just war or
a just peace in Mindanao?In that
sense we can first reflect on the
points that moral theologians have
pointed out if a party wants to
engage in a just war.

I. Three prerequisites
The first requirement is to have a
noble intention, a good intention,
whether it is the defense of ones
country, or to redress some injustice
or to carry out the development
of a particular region. A just war
therefore requires a moral justification. A second requirement for a
just war is that it is the last resort.
There should have been earlier attempts to resolve whatever conflict
there is. It is the last resort because
there are no other means available
except to engage in war itself. The
third requirement for a just war is
that there are prospects for a greater
good to arise rather than a greater
evil as a consequence of engaging
in the war. In all these, we ask
ourselves, are we ready for a just
war in Mindanao? In fact, in one
TV interview, when Boy Abunda
directly asked a Muslim congresswoman what Muslim communities
would feel in case of an all-out war,
she simply said that all-out war had
already been tried before and failed.

So perhaps we can go to
the other side. Are we for a just
peace? And what are the requirements also for a just peace? The first
one is still a noble and good intention. If we work for a just peace, it
should not be for our self-interest
alone. It should not be for our own
political or economic gain but it
should be for the development of
Mindanao as a whole. It should be
to redress injustices that have been

Abel Moya/OPAPP

By Archbishop Antonio J.
Ledesma, SJ

Ustadz Ambor and Ustadz Solaiman explain the CAB-BBL in Meranao.

there over the past generations.

Indeed, for our Muslim brothers and sisters, as summarized by
Cardinal Quevedo, there have
been three kinds of injustices that
they have suffered. First is the loss
of their ancestral domain here in
Mindanao over the years and over
the generations. The second is the
denial of their cultural identity,
now that they have been minoritized in Mindanao. And the third
is that they have lost even their
right to self-development and selfdetermination. And so, if we put
ourselves on the side of the Muslim
community, these are the injustices
that we are asking to be redressed
in terms of a just peace.
The second requirement for a
just peace is perhaps not to say that
this is our last resort but that this
should be ourfirstresort: to seek for
a peaceful solution to the problems
of Mindanao. If we look closely
at the Framework Agreement on
the Bangsamoro that has been
expanded into a Comprehensive
Agreement and now translated into
the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law
awaiting legislation in congress,
we can say that this path towards a
just peace is still alive. It awaits the
consensus among all of us. It awaits
the consensus of people not only in
Mindanao, but especially also of
people in Luzon and the Visayas
who may not be truly aware of

the situation of our communities

here in Mindanao. And so this
is the challenge: to present the
prospects of a just peace not as a
last resort but as the first resort
that we can hope for. On the other
hand, the BBL may also be viewed
as ourlastresort for peace, before
the drums of war, as some quarters
suggest, start beating again.
The third requirement for a just
peace, like that of a just war, is that
there should be a greater good that

It has been said, When you

resort to war, you lose all your
humanity. In our conversation
with Mr. Mohagher Iqbal yesterday
at the bishops house with peace
advocates, media people, and other
concerned citizens, the general
sentiment was: We cannot afford
another war in Mindanao. We have
already suffered so much and we
must work for the higher interests
of the country which is to have a
just peace for all.

Are we for a just peace? And

what are the requirements also
for a just peace? The first one is
still a noble and good intention.
could come out of this than the
evil that would persist. Even now,
as we condole with relatives of the
victims of Mamasapano, i.e., both
Christian and Muslim militants
who died in the encounter, we
can truly say that there would be a
much greater good if we continue
along the path of peace. This can be
the best legacy for those who died
in battle. This too is the resolve of
many of our Christian and Muslim
communities: to work for a just
and lasting peace in Mindanao.

II. Six values for peace

It is with these sentiments that
we can recall what the bishops and
ulama of Mindanao had proposed
as the result of a widespread consultation that was held six years
ago. Different sectors throughout
Mindanao were consulted, including Muslim, Christian, and
indigenous people representatives.
Commissioned by the BishopsUlama Conference, the Konsult
Mindanaw report was subtitled,

Peoples Platform for Peace in

Mindanao. There were 6Ssthat
were outlined as factors for a just
and lasting peace in Mindanao.
The first S is SINCERITY
sincerity on both sides. This
precisely is the challenge we now
face after Mamasapano and the
loss of trust in each other by both
parties. Can we regain that measure
of sincerity between the parties that
are in conflict?
The secondSis for SECURITY:
not to rely on arms but to rely
precisely on law and order in our
communities. This is what the
Bangsamoro Basic Law envisions:
to arrive at a situation of security
for all.
The third value is SENSITIVITY, i.e., to be sensitive to different cultural traditions, that we are
indeed a tri-people community
in Mindanao, and that we should
respect and appreciate the different
cultural traditions in our communities. Indeed, in a university like
this, you are challenged precisely
to appreciate the diversity of traditions that are represented here in
your own student body.
The fourth value is SOLIDARITY, a sense that we are
one community on this island of
Mindanao, that we are indeed one
people despite different traditions,
and that we can all live together in
peace and development. This again

is the challenge for our schools,

peace centers, social movements,
and the mass media itself to
promote this sense of solidarity
despite the incidental conflicts that
may arise.
The fifth value is SPIRITUALITY, and here foremost is
the challenge to our churches,
mosques, temples and other places
of worship, that we as the people of
Mindanao can invoke our spiritual
values to promote peace. In fact
in our bishops-ulama dialogues
over the past years we have always stressed that both Islam and
Christianity are religions of peace
and that whatever conflict arises in
Mindanao should not be seen as
a religious war but as a war based
on political or economic interests.

And the final challenge
is for SUSTAINABILITY, that we
have to work within the framework
of law itself. At this point, we now
have the prospect of a basic law for
the Bangsamoro, what we call the
BBL. There may be some modifications and revisions of this draft
law, but the fact is we need some
legislation in order to make this
peace sustainable and lasting for
all. And so my friends, this is the
basic question that is asked of us
today. Are we for a just war or for
a just peace?

III. Germanys experience

Over the past few weeks, at the
beginning of Lent I was invited
to join the Lenten Campaign of
Misereor in Germany and I had a
chance to travel to different cities
and regions of Germany. It struck
me that Germany at the end of the
Second World War was the most
devastated country in the world
and yet when we look at Germany
today, you cannot find any traces
of destruction except perhaps for
some excavations and memorials that have been left there to
remind the German people of the
kind of destruction that they had
suffered. And not only during the
Second World War but during the
First World War and much earlier
during the time when they had
religious wars in Germany between
Protestants and Catholics.
Today the nation of Germany
has truly risen from a period of
wars and internal conflicts. In fact
Misereor itself, the development
agency of the German bishops
has been very generous in helping
many of our civil society organizations and dioceses in efforts
towards the development of Mindanao and the rest of the country.
This is the same challenge for us,
within the span of our own generation, that we can truly work for
peace, development and solidarity
in Mindanao. Let us all work together for a just and lasting peace
here in our homeland.

The Bangsamoro Basic Law: Roadmap to just and lasting peace

The long tortuous road to peace and
Bangsamoro self-determination
The journey to peace in Southern
Philippines has been arduous and tedious, at times hostile and adversarial,
replete with stops and punctuated by
intermittent warfare and all out war.
But at other times, the journey was collaborative, infused with mutual trust,
slowly reaching the final stepsthe 10
Decision Points on Principles, Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro
(FAB), later the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) and
finally the proposed Bangsamoro Basic
Law (BBL).
And both sides, the Government
and the Moro Islamic Liberation
Front (MILF), with a pervading sense
of the common good of all Filipinos,
passionately contested every provision
of the BBL.
For more than 17 years both peace
panels with changes of personnel,
persistently pursued peace.
World and local history has repeatedly shown how no one can quell a rebellion for self-determination by guns.
When victory seems to have been won,
the aspiration for self-determination
lives on and will once again erupt into
armed conflict.
Such is the nature of the Bangsamoro aspiration for self-determination
which no successive regimes, colonial,
Spanish, American, or Filipino, could
slay.
Three Major Socio-Political and
Moral Principles of Peace Negotiations
At the center of 17 years of peace
negotiation are three major sociopolitical and moral principles:
the preservation of national sovereignty,
the safeguarding of national territo-

OPAPP

By Orlando B. Cardinal Quevedo,

O.M.I.

They can either ignore the painstaking achievement of 17

years of peacemaking by emasculating the BBL in such a
way that the aspiration of self-determination becomes once
more a hollow dream.
rial integrity,
and the realization of self-determination
for the Bangsamoro.
The BBL is firmly rooted on these three
major principles.
Towards this goal of self-determination
the MILF had to explicitly give up and
sacrifice its original identity as a separatist
movement and become the Bangsamoro
voice to be part and parcel of the Republic

of the Philippines.
Fundamentally, peace negotiators, with
legal and constitutional partners, meticulously strove to articulate the various
provisions in such a way:
that the provisions are constitutional;
that the self-determination granted is
not a first step towards secession;
and that the autonomy of the Bangsamoro would be more than what has been
granted by the Organic Act that created the

Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao

(ARMM).
The principles of subsidiarity and solidarity, already enshrined in the Constitution,
and the principle of devolution of power
govern the asymmetrical relationship between the proposed regional Bangsamoro
autonomous government and the national
government.
On the Crossroad of History: the Peace-

making Role of Legislators

Our legislators are in the enviable
position to crown 17 years of peacemaking with the approval of the BBL.
To my mind, they are not only
legislators. Regarding the BBL their
legislative role is eminently one of
peacemaking.
They can either ignore the painstaking achievement of 17 years of
peacemaking by emasculating the
BBL in such a way that the aspiration
of self-determination becomes once
more a hollow dream. Or they can
strengthen the BBL, refining its letter
and preserving its spirit, such that the
issues of constitutionality, national
sovereignty, territorial integrity, devolution of power, the nature of a
regional autonomous region, the rights
of Indigenous Peoples and Christian
minorities, as well as peoples of other
faiths, and other issues, are resolved.
The BBL will not solve all the problems of criminality and lack of peace. It
will not end all armed conflict due to
rido or land disputes. Small groups will
continue to fight for secession. But the
BBL is the alternative for the greatest
majority of the Bangsamoro and for
our own military and security forces
who are tired of war. It is the alternative
to radicalization and extremism now
spreading towards Southeast Asia and
creeping into our shores.
The Lord of history has brought us
to a crossroad on the journey to a just
and lasting peace. The crossroad is akin
to the scriptural crossroad. One way
leads to death. The other leads to life.
To approve a BBL that is lesser than
the Organic Act of the ARMM and
falls short of self-determination as
liberally granted by the Constitution
is to perpetuate social injustice and
human underdevelopment.
To approve a BBL, strengthened
by legislative wisdom, and preserving
substantively the letter and spirit of the
proposed BBL leads to social justice,
peace and human development.

CBCP Monitor

STATEMENTS B5

May 25 - June 7, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 11

Refugeesthe anawim of the Lord today

for territorial asylum.(9) Such an
attitude facilitates the search for
common solutions and undercuts
the validity of certain positions,
sometimes put forward, that
would limit acceptance and the
granting of the right of asylum
to the sole criterion of national
interest. (n. 10)
While it may be true that
there is no legal obligation on
the part of the Republic of the
Philippines or that of any other
country to grant asylum to every refugee or displaced person,
there is a moral obligation to
protect them from the harm they
flee from. There is a legal obligation not to forcibly repatriate
them. And by all precepts of

File Photo

DECADES ago, the Philippines

was host to the boat people,
hundreds if not thousands of
Vietnamese fleeing their homeland, following the fall of what
was then called Saigon. Our
country then served as some
kind of a way-station, because
our Vietnamese guests soon
found their way to other parts
of the globe. One of them, in
fact, rose through the ranks of
ecclesiastical academe to become
dean of theology at one of Romes
Pontifical Universities. It was a
glorious chapter in our history,
and we thank God that many of
our priests and religious received
the privilege of serving them.
Once more, refugees in flimsy
boats, are making their way to
our shores, having endured appalling conditions aboard these
vessels. Doubtlessly, many lost
their lives in the attempt to find
some haven. They navigate into
our waters tired, famished, desperatemany of them carrying
the dead bodies of their children
in their arms.
It is however a saddening fact
that some countries in our Southeast Asian region have turned
these refugees away, refusing
them the comfort of even just a
temporary stay. Ironically, the
countries that turn refugees away
view with each other for tourists
and investors! In many instances,
coast guard and naval patrol ves-

sels tow these boats, brimming

over with their load of our hungry, sick and desperate brothers
and sisters back to the high seas,
there to face the elements, and
often, sadly, to perish!
The Pontifical Council Cor
Unum has passed on our moral
obligation in respect to refugees:
Progress in the capacity to live
together within the universal

human family is closely linked

to the growth of a mentality of
hospitality. Any person in danger
who appears at a frontier has a
right to protection. In order to
make it easier to determine why
such people have abandoned
their country, as well as to adopt
lasting solutions, a renewed commitment is needed to produce
internationally acceptable norms

morality and decency, there is an

obligation not to leave them to
the mercilessness of the elements
on the high seas.
In the Old Testament one
of the sternest commands God
gave his people was to treat
the stranger with mercy and
compassion because, God reminded his people, you too
were once strangers in the Land
of Egypt. If anything at all,
the plight of displaced persons
and refugees makes clear to us
how the artificial boundaries
that we establish between ourselvesprincipally geographical
and political boundariescan
in fact become barriers to that
hospitality towards the other that

Progress in the capacity to

live together within the
universal human family is
closely linked to the growth of
a mentality of hospitality.
Any person in danger who
appears at a frontier has
a right to protection.

makes us human, that marks us

out as sons and daughters of an
ever-welcoming Father.
We laud our government for
its attitude of hospitality towards
refugees, even as we urge other
nations in the region, in the name
of our common humanity and
the common Father we recognize,
to allow these refugees succor and
assistance. For while our own
economic resources may not allow us to welcome every migrant
as a permanent resident of our
country, still there is always room
for the weary and burdened to
rest on our shores before they
continue on their journey.
Once, our land was resplendent not only because of tourist
spots and destinations, but because we welcomed refugees with
the hospitality that has made us
famous the world over. God gives
us this chance once more to bind
the wounds of body and spirit,
warm the hearts and embrace in
solidarity our brothers and sisters
who come to us from troubled
lands. Let the Philippines be a
place where they can dream of
a future of promise, possibly in
other lands and where helping
hands and generous hearts may
make their dreams come true.
+SOCRATES B. VILLEGAS
Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan
President, CBCP

In many cases, poverty results

from a violation of the dignity of
human work, either because work
opportunities are limited (through
unemployment or underemployment),
or because a low value is put on
work and the rights that flow from
it, especially the right to a just
wage and to the personal security
of the worker and his or her family
(Caritas in Veritate, no. 63)

Statement on the
Kentex tragedy
THE Kentex tragedy that resulted in the deaths of several of our
countrymen has roused the nation to the reality of modern-day
slavery in our country. Journalists reports have uncovered other
sites of exploitation where Filipinos are worked to death under
the most appalling of circumstances. We therefore ask our parish
priests and our laity to constitute themselves into guardians of
our brothers and sisters against modern-day slavery.
The warehouses and factories that are in fact sweat-shops
for our countrymen eager to eke out a living should be subject to relentless inspection and monitoring and where it is
found that they are in fact sites of exploitation, these should
be closed. There is hardly anything more repugnant to the
Gospels law of love than the heartless exploitation of the
poor and to make capital from their want.
+SOCRATES B. VILLEGAS
Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan
President, CBCP
May 22, 2015

WITH deep sympathy, the Church people

Workers Solidarity (CWS) extends its condolences to the bereaved families of the workers
killed at Kentex Manufacturing Corporation
fire in Valenzuela City. CWS share in their
sorrow. The seventy two confirmed dead point
to very serious occupational safety issues in the
factory. The Valenzuela incident again highlights
the hazards faced by workers in many factories
nationwide. It is truly tragic that so many
perished in a fire apparently because they were
trapped inside the workplace. The death of so
many workers shows that the governments
mechanism for labor assessment is seriously
flawed and has exposed the abusive conditions
for millions of poor and desperate workers
across the nation.
The tragedy, in a long row of gated factories
in an industrial hub of Metro-Manila, was one
of the countrys deadliest workplace accidents.
This is not the first factory fire that killed many
workers under the government of Pres. Benigno
Aquino III. On May 9, 2012, 17 workers of
Novo Jeans and Shorts in Butuan City died
when a fire broke out. On April 30, 2014, eight
workers of Asia Micro Tech in Pasay City died
in a fire. Often these tragedies in the Philippines
pass without anyone being held accountable.
We are deeply saddened that not a single capitalist has been judged guilty and jailed for the
death of workers in the workplace. Even the
Department of Labor and Employment should
be held reliable for this tragic incident for giving
the Kentex Corporation an occupational health
and safety standard compliance certificate in
Sept. 2014.
We thus call on all relevant government
agencies including the Valenzuela local government unit and the Bureau of Fire Protection to
deeply investigate the incident, including the
compliance of the factory with existing safety
standards. If violations are found, there must
be accountability and criminal punishment for
justice to be attained for the victims and their
families.
The church sees violations of occupational
health and safety standards that result in workers deaths as criminal acts: All violations of the
integrity of the human person, all offenses against
human dignity, such as subhuman living conditions, degrading working conditions where men/
women are treated as mere tools for profit, rather

File Photo

Statement of Churchpeople Workers Solidarity (CWS)

on the death of 72 workers in the Kentex fire

Bishop Gerardo A. Alminaza, D.D.

We are deeply
saddened that not a
single capitalist has
been judged guilty
and jailed for the
death of workers in
the workplace.

than as free and responsible persons: all these and

the like are criminal: they poison civilization
(Gaudium et Spes, 27).
Furthermore, we vehemently condemn the
continued neoliberal assault on workers rights
through anti-labor policies. Contractualization is still prevalent in many factories across
the country. To extract more profits from the
workers, both government and private sectors
are now shifting to contractual labor and flexible
employment. Mandated by the logic of neoliberal economic policy to squeeze more profits
from the workers, contractualization of workers
results to dissolution of unions and dismantling
of the protection and benefits of regular workers. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) reported that Kentex Corp. has
engaged, and is engaging the services of illegal
subcontractor, a violation of the Labor Code.
The right of workers for a just compensation
is also clearly violated. Kentex Corp. is said to
employ more than 100 agency-hired contractuals who receive P202 as daily wage. Survivors
of the blaze and victims relatives also claimed
that they were denied many legally mandated
benefits. They said workers were forced to work
12-hours a day, seven days a week without
overtime pay.
Lastly, we call on Filipino workers to unite
for the upholding of occupational health
and safety and for other fundamental workers rights. We reiterate the statement made
by International Labor Organization (ILO)
Director-General Guy Ryder that We can
make workplaces safe by improving working
conditions in factories, including carrying out
regular inspections to ensure that factories comply
with structural, fire and electrical safety; and by
ensuring workers rights, especially freedom of
association and collective bargaining. Hence,
we support workers right to form labor unions
because only with such unions can they fight
for their rights. Echoing the words of Pope
Francis, we join the millions of workers in
their fight to construct a society and an economy
where man and his good, and not money, may
be the center.
MOST REV. GERARDO A. ALMINAZA,
D.D.
Chairperson

Society stands in great need of the feminine genius

(Message of Pope Francis on the occasion of the Second International Conference on Women
that concluded in Rome on May 25, 2015; with the theme Women and the Post-2015 development
agenda: the challenges of Sustainable Development)
TO His Eminence Cardinal Peter Kodwo
Appiah Turkson, President of the Pontifical
Council for Justice and Peace
Your Eminence,
I offer cordial greetings and encouragement to the participants of the Second
International Conference on Women,
meeting in Rome from 22 to 24 May
2015. This Conference, organized by the
Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace,
in cooperation with the World Union
of Womens Catholic Organizations and
the World Womens Alliance for Life and
Family, has for its theme Women and the
Post-2015 Development Agenda: The
Challenges of the Sustainable Development Goals?.
I was pleased to learn of this timely
initiative, which highlights the concerns
of Catholic womens organizations in the
international discussions leading to the
drafting of a new Post-2015 Development Agenda at the level of the United
Nations. Many women and men wish to

contribute to this Agenda, as they work to

defend and promote life, and to combat
the poverty, the forms of enslavement and
the many injustices which women of all
ages, and throughout the world, too often
experience.
Women face a variety of challenges and
difficulties in various parts of the world.
In the West, at times they still experience
discrimination in the workplace; they
are often forced to choose between work
and family; they not infrequently suffer
violence in their lives as fiances, wives,
mothers, sisters and grandmothers. In poor
and developing countries, women bear the
heaviest burdens: it is they who travel many
miles in search of water, who too often die
in childbirth, who are kidnapped for sexual
exploitation or forced into marriages at a
young age or against their will. At times
they are even denied the right to life simply
for being female. All of these problems are
reflected in the proposals for the Post-2015
Development Agenda presently being
discussed in the United Nations.

Women face a
variety of challenges
and difficulties in
various parts of the
world. In poor and
developing countries,
women bear the
heaviest burdens... At
times they are even
denied the right to
life simply for being
female.

Issues relating to life are intrinsically

connected to social questions. When we
defend the right to life, we do so in order that each lifefrom conception to
its natural endmay be a dignified life,
one free from the scourge of hunger and
poverty, of violence and persecution. Pope
Benedict XVI, in his encyclical Caritas
in Veritate, highlighted how the Church
forcefully maintains this link between life
ethics and social ethics, fully aware that a
society lacks solid foundations when, on
the one hand, it asserts values such as the
dignity of the person, justice and peace,
but then, on the other hand, radically acts
to the contrary by allowing or tolerating
a variety of ways in which human life is
devalued and violated, especially where it
is weak or marginalized (No. 15).
I encourage you, who are engaged in
defending the dignity of women and
promoting their rights, to allow yourselves
to be constantly guided by the spirit of
humanity and compassion in the service
of your neighbour. May your work be

marked first and foremost by professional competence, without self-interest

or superficial activism, but with generous
dedication. In this way you will manifest
the countless God-given gifts which
women have to offer, encouraging others
to promote sensitivity, understanding
and dialogue in settling conflicts big and
small, in healing wounds, in nurturing
all life at every level of society, and in
embodying the mercy and tenderness
which bring reconciliation and unity to
our world. All this is part of that feminine genius of which our society stands
in such great need.
With renewed gratitude for your work,
I send cordial good wishes for the Conference that you have organized and whose
theme is so urgent. I pray for all of you, and
I ask you to pray for me and my intentions.
To you and your loved ones, I willingly
impart my Apostolic Blessing.
From the Vatican, 22 May 2015
FRANCISCUS

May 25 - June 7, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 11

CBCP Monitor

A covenant that leads to communion

Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, Mk 14:12-16, 22-26 (B) June 7, 2015

THE Eucharistic celebration is the core of

Catholic worship and the renewal of our
covenant with God. This renewal has its
apex in sacramental Communion. That
is the moment when the two contracting
parties reach the most perfect closeness
that can be achieved on earth. The reception of the Eucharist in devout attitude
and the response Amen! pronounced
before receiving the sacred species is not
simply a profession of our faith in Christs
sacramental presence. It is also a ratification of the covenant that binds us to God
as members of His new Chosen People,
the Church.
In fact, we participate in the renewal of

The reception of Holy Communion, therefore, is not

only the sacramental sign of our union with Jesus, but also
of our union with the other members of the mystical
Body of Christ.
this offering not as isolated individuals,
but as members of a royal priesthood,
of a holy nation purified by the blood of
the Lamb (see 1 Pt 2:9 and Rev 5:9f ) and
molded into one Body by the one Spirit.
Every time we offer and receive the Body
and Blood of Christ, we exercise our royal
priesthood, profess our membership in
the Mystical Body of the Lord, and renew

Bishop Pat Alo

ENCOUNTERS
Gross blunder injustice
We can only
be effective
leaders if we
know Jesus
well by
witnessing to
his life and
principles
in our own
life, because
examples
speak louder
than words.

ST. Thomas Aquinas had

mentioned that wrong ideas
are like mistaken angles
that when extended would
magnify also the erroneous
perspective. This is happening in our land today when
people keep on moving in
the guise of justice without
even knowing where their actions lead to. Just look at all
the violence around. Is that
justice? And where therefore
is the missing link, the gross
blunder?
Maybe we have forgotten
what Jesus said: Without
me you can do nothing
(Jn. 15:5). As St. Pope John
XXIII once said: I dont
complicate my principles. If
Jesus would do it, I would.
If Jesus would not, neither
would I. People think its
justice enough to be concerned for the poor. Justice
means giving to everyone
his due (Rom. 13:7). So
that includes the right relationship to God, ourselves
(since charity begins at home), and our neighbor. And Jesus
is justice incarnate whom we are to follow (Mal. 3:20; Jer.

Injustice / B7

the Covenant that binds us with God and

among ourselves.
The reception of Holy Communion,
therefore, is not only the sacramental
sign of our union with Jesus, but also of
our union with the other members of the
mystical Body of Christ. Therefore, the
reception of sacramental Communion
implies also the commitment to foster

our union not only with Jesus, but also

with our brothers and sisters in the faith.
It implies, likewise, the commitment to
remove from ourselves whatever obstructs
or destroys our communion in the Church
and with the Church.
Finally, in order to participate in the
Eucharist worthily and fruitfully, we have
to approach it with purified hearts, in full

awareness of the sacredness of the gift we

receive, and with the determination to
make our lives a real Eucharist. Hence,
those who receive the Eucharistic Lord
must renew their commitment to live as
he did.
If the Israelites had to purify themselves before receiving the Law (see Ex
19:10.22.), so much more should we feel
the need to receive the Eucharistic Christ
with a heart free from sin. This is why Paul
reminded the Christians of Corinth (and
all of us) that, before receiving the body
and blood of the Lord, everyone should
examine himself . . . for if he does not
recognize the meaning of the Lords body
when he eats the bread and drinks from the
cup, he brings judgment upon himself (1
Cor 11:28f ).

Witnesses and partners of Gods wonders

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Mk 4:26-34 (B) June 14, 2015

By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB

WE live in a world of wonders. Even the
simplest flower, the smallest insect, the chicks
trotting behind their mother hen, the playful
dolphins . . . anything that has life and can
give origin to similar beings fills us with amazement. Our faith tells us that all these wonders
and, indeed, all that exists come from God
and point to Him. He is the Conceptualizer,
the Architect, the Artist and the Caretaker
of the universe.
But the Creator of the universe and of all
creatures manifests His power and wisdom in
even more amazing ways in the life of intelligent free beings and of mankind as a whole.
For them, He has conceptualized a marvelous
Grand Project which encompasses all human
beings and which is meant to be characterized
by harmony, peace, solidarity, and love in all
its possible manifestations. Unlike many of
our projects, this one has 100% assurance of
succeeding, in spite of all oppositions, mishaps
and setbacks. This is so simply because its
originator and supporter is no less than God
Himself. When the Eternal Word came to earth
to present and launch it, he called it THE
KINGDOM OF GOD.
Jesus showed the nature and power of the
Kingdom through the miracles that he worked
and the parables that he taught. A question
may be asked: What can be our role in
the realization of the great project of Gods
Kingdom?
The first of todays parables answers this

Carl Bloch

By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB

Witnesses / B7

Bo Sanchez

SOULFOOD

GOING home from the beautiful

Sagada mountains, we passed by
Nueva Vizcaya.
After 8 hours of travelling in our
minivan, my boys were hungry. So
we dropped by at a restaurant for
lunch.
That was when a funny thing
happened: All the managers of the
store recognized me.
In their eyes, I was a big celebrity.
It was as though John Lloyd came
into the store. (I must admit, I see
a few similarities. We both have
two hands, two feet, two eyes, one
nose) So they took my photo and
asked for my autograph.
That wasnt all. One manager
told me, Its our 10th Anniversary

Remember Your Greatness and Laugh With God Today

and we have this big raffle. Can
you do the honor of picking the
grand prize? The Department of
Trade and Industry representative
was there, wearing a nice black coat,
looking formal and all.
That was when I realized how
ridiculous I looked.
I was on vacation mode.
I was wearing puruntong shorts.
I was in a crummy tee-shirt.
I wore muddy sandals.
I didnt even have a shower
that morning because Sagada was
freezing.
And for 4 days, I didnt shave.
Just to let you know, my moustache doesnt look nice. No matter how I try, I cant really have a

Juan de Juanes

B6 REFLECTIONS

When God looks at you,

He doesnt see your
external weaknesses.
He doesnt see your sins,
your failures,
and your mistakes.
He only sees who you
really are deep within.

moustacheI have Genghis Khan

whiskers that are crooked and point
to North, South, East, and West.
But here was the thing: The
people there didnt see any of that!
All they saw was Bo Sanchez, the
author and speaker.
Jeepers.
So there I was, standing beside
the DTI guy in a black coat, surrounded by the managers, the staff,
and a circle of peopleall the while
being photographed in my puruntong shorts.
My point?
In that restaurant, I had a glimpse
of what you and I experience before
God.
When God looks at you, He

doesnt see your external weaknesses.

He doesnt see your sins, your
failures, and your mistakes.
He only sees who you really are
deep within.
He sees your core.
He sees your greatness.
When you really think about this
incredible greatness within you,
how can you not be happy? How
can you not laugh with God?
The reason were not happy is
because we forget who we really are.
Dear friend, when you really
think about it, theres no reason for
you not to be happy. And in His
eyes, youre awesome.
So decide to be extremely happy.
Laugh with God today.

CBCP Monitor

SOCIAL CONCERNS B7

May 25 - June 7, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 11

Life in the fringes

By Sr. Pinky Barrientos, FSP

No rent
Joey, his wife and four children are
among those who take care of graves
and use them also as a dwelling place.
A former construction worker, Joey
stays home to look after his children,
while his wife goes to work in a massage

Living among the dead

FSP

While going around the graveyard,

I noticed not only families but also
animals. A man was looking after his
fighting cocks tethered on the roof of a
mausoleum. I was amused to see a cat
sleeping peacefully on top of a marble
tomb. But I got jolted when a not-sofriendly dog fiercely barked at me as I
passed by his masters humble dwelling.
Clothes hung to dry provide a colorful
backdrop to the gravestones. Kitchen
utensils are packed neatly in an organizer
on top of a grave, while a cooking pot
sizzles on a stove beside it.

Clothes hung to dry provide a colorful backdrop to the

gravestones. Kitchen utensils are packed neatly in an
organizer on top of a grave, while a cooking pot sizzles on
a stove beside it.

FSP

.The worst discrimination which the

poor suffer is the lack of spiritual care. The
great majority of the poor have a special
openness to the faith; they need God and
we must not fail to offer them his friendship, his blessing, his word, the celebration
of the sacraments and a journey of growth
and maturity in the faith. Our preferential
option for the poor must mainly translate
into a privileged and preferential religious
care. (Pope Francis, EG 200)
These words of Pope Francis keep on
ringing in my ears after a recent trek in
a cemetery in Pasay City together with
two sisters and collaborators to visit the
families living there.
A group of sisters first visited the
place about two years ago as part of
the Biblia sa Bawat Pamilya (A Bible
for every Family) project one of the
many activities that were launched in
connection with the 75 th foundation
anniversary celebration of the Daughters
of St. Paul in the Philippines which
aims to distribute Bibles to poor families. The project is still continued, this
time as part of the 100th year foundation
anniversary of our congregation which
we celebrate this year.
That first visit was followed up several
times. Sr. Evangelina, our intrepid sister
who is in her 70s gathered a group of
women (mostly mothers) whom she
catechized, even as she encouraged them
to read the Bible and taught them the
lectio divina.
Every visit and meeting with the
women and children would always cap
with food distribution. That particular
day we visited we brought food, bread
and drinks to everyone through the
generosity of our lay collaborators.
With us was Sister Dominique, our
sister who was a missionary to Hongkong and Macau long before I entered
the convent. It was quite a shock for her,
to put it mildly. She could not reconcile
the fact that there are families living in
cemeteries.
A group of kids ran toward us as we
entered Gate 4 of Cementina thats
how the cemetery is called.
Sr. Dominique and one lay collaborator took charge of a group of kids,
who listened as the sister told stories
about the Blessed Virgin Mary. She
prayed and sang with the children.
Meanwhile, I made acquaintance with
Daniel, caretaker of some graves located
inside Gate 4.
As the two sisters and lay collaborators
became immersed with their groups I
decided to see for myself how the families live inside. Daniel graciously offered
to tour me around
I learned from Daniel that many of
those living inside the cemetery are also
caretakers of tombs. He told me he has
18 tombs under his care. Families hire
them to keep the tombs of their loved
ones clean and free from any form of
vandalism. In turn, they are paid from
P100 to P250 every month, payable annually during All Saints Day.
Daniel, who is 65 years old, told me
his family does not live inside the cemetery but outside its walls. He said he
grew up in the vicinity and used to play
in the cemetery as a child.
The cemetery then was very small,
gesticulating with his hands to show just
how far it extends, but a rich parishioner donated the adjoining parcel of
land to the parish, and that expanded
the cemetery, he explained.

among the dead?

As if reading my thoughts, Joey told
me he does not want his children to
grow up in the cemetery but right now
he has no other options but to stay there.
Renting a house would be impossible
because they do not have money for
that. At least in the cemetery, they do
not have to worry about rent and they
have a roof on their head.

Perhaps better than sleeping in the
streets, I reassured myself.

A sister interacts with children who live inside a cemetery in Pasay City.

clinic. Home is an elevated grave with

makeshift walls and roof made of tarpaulin. I peeked inside and saw a piece of
wood on top of the grave, which serves
as their bed, and some personal things.
Joeys eldest is eight while the youngest
is about six months. While looking after
his children, Joey also tends a couple of
roosters which he hopes to sell soon.
I learned that most of the men are
tending roosters for sale because the

Pasay cockpit is located just beside the

cemetery. In fact, I could see its towering dome dominating the Pasay skyline
from where I stood as I spoke to Joey.
Joey said they have permission from
the owner to stay on the gravesite, as
long as they keep the tomb clean and
vacate the premises when the family
comes for a visit.
On All Saints Day, when people flock
to cemeteries to visit and honor their

dead, the cemetery dwellers take their

meager belongings with them to give
way to the families who usually stay for
a day.
Where do you go on All Saints Day?
I asked Joey.
We just stay nearby. We come back
as soon as the family leaves, he said.

How could people choose to make their
dwelling in the cemetery, literally living

Better deal
Some gravesites are enclosed with
metal grating while some are open with
flat spaces on top like a mini terrace
with roofing. Others are elevated tombs
without a fence or roof, like the grave
where Joey and his family stay. Hence,
he enclosed the area with tarpaulin to
provide some kind of privacy and to
protect them from the elements. Those
who take care of mausoleum or graves
enclosed with metal grating have bigger spaces for sleeping and storing their
personal belongings.
Daniel said there are at least 10
families living in the area from where
he cleans at Gate 4. Some are working
at various jobs outside the cemetery,
others have none. The overseer, hired
by the parish, allows the people to stay
as long as they keep the area clean,
he said.
Trouble among families is almost
non-existent according to him, although he sheepishly admitted that
gossiping is very common among the
women.
It is perhaps too incomprehensible
f o r s o m e t o t h i n k t h a t t h e re a re
people who prefer to live in cemeteries, but for families who do not have
enough money to pay for rent and
utilities, living in cemeteries and to
slumber among the dead is a better
deal than to sleep in the streets.
Challenge
There is always that temptation in us
to give priority to selfish pursuits and
personal gratification over the good of
another. But the words of Pope Francis
challenge us to live our lives meaningfully, to seek the image of Jesus in the
face of every poor person we meet who
stares at us begging for understanding
and compassion.
I want a Church which is poor and
for the poor. They have much to teach us.
Not only do they share in the sensus fidei,
but in their difficulties they know the
suffering Christ. We need to let ourselves
be evangelized by them. (Pope Francis,
EG 198)
We are challenged, especially this
time that we celebrate the Year of the
Poor in the Philippines, to see Jesus
in every poor person who lives in the
fringes of society. The challenge is also
upon us Daughters of St. Paul as we
celebrate the centenary of our foundation in this Year of Consecrated Life.
The question to ask ourselves perhaps
is not how much we have evangelized
the poor, but rather how we ourselves
have been transformed in the process of
our evangelization.
Injustice / B6

Witnesses / B6

question by telling us that The

Kingdom of God is like a man
who scatters seed in the land.
Much is contained in this simple
description of what any farmer
does, over and over again, year
after year. The farmer is not the
one who makes the seed, nor is
he the one who can give the seed
the power to sprout and grow
and bear fruit. Any honest farmer
knows that all these unique features can come from God alone.
But this undeniable fact does
not make the role of the farmer

redundant or less important. For

one thing, he sows the seed. He
does that with intelligence and
foresight. Before doing that, he
prepares and plows the ground
in order that the seed may find
it soft and welcoming for it to
thrust its tender roots in search
of the moisture that will enable
it to sprout and develop its potentials. The farmer also removes
the weeds which might compete
with the frail shoot and deprive it
of the necessary nutrients. These
are all factors that contribute

to the final result of having an

abundant harvest.
This is very much a case of successful partnership between God
(the maker of the seed) and man
(the farmer who enables the seed
to develop its potentials). Obviously, this partnership is uneven,
for the role of the producer of the
seed is immensely more important than that of the farmer who
simply facilitates the development
of the seeds potentials. But it is,
nonetheless, a real partnership,
and it is God who proposes it.

There is a lesson for all of us

here, for we are all farmers in
one way or another. It is wisdom
to know our place in the great
enterprise of building Gods Kingdom on earth, and to honestly
acknowledge this, while doing our
best to play our roles in it.
All this tells us that in the great
enterprise of the building and
growth of Gods Kingdom, God
is the Senior Partner. But in
His love and magnanimity, He
promotes us to the role of junior
partners, that is: free and intel-

ligent instruments in Gods hand

in the accomplishment of His
project. Thats no little privilege.
We should, then, remain humble
and grateful, even as we do our
best to do our share, constantly
bent on carrying out the will of
the Master Planner, Senior Partner and Great Achiever. To us,
the privilege to rejoice in the fact
that, all along, we have been not
only witnesses, but also part of it
all, as Gods humble co-workers
in the accomplishment of His
wonderful project.

23:6; Jn. 13:15; 1 Cor. 1:30; 1

Pet. 2:21).
The problem at hand is our
centering on Christ, especially
for leaders toknow, show,
and lead the way.
If Jesus is
the way, the truth and the life
(Jn. 14:6), we can only be effective leaders if we know him that
well as by witnessing to his life
and principles in our own life,
because examples speak louder
than words. That is when justice
can be truly exemplified, and
blunders overcome.

Eucharist / B3

us, spoke to us, and gave his body

to us as life-giving breadmakes
himself present. Witnessing to
Christ means that people we meet
at work, at home, and elsewhere in
the world are able to experience his
consoling words, his healing, his
unifying, and life-giving presence
because we are there.
The Dismissal at the end of the
Mass sends us indeed with an invitation and a charge to work for the
spread of the Gospel and to imbue
society with Christian values. (Cf.
John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Mane
Nobiscum Domine [MND] for the
Year of the Eucharist, October
2004- October 2005, 24). There
is to be an uninterrupted continuity from the Mass just celebrated
and out mission as Christians
in the world. The prayers after
Communion express this uninterrupted continuity which is
the fruit of authentic Eucharistic
participation: that we may lay
hold of your redemption both in

mystery and in the manner of our

life. (Post-Communion prayer
for the Twenty-fifth Sunday in
Ordinary Time: ut redemptionis
effectum et mysteriis capiamus et
moribus. With this continuity,
the Church always emerges as a
mystery of communion and mission inasmuch as the Eucharist
which is at the heart of her existence and mission is the sacrament
of communion and mission par
excellence.
The Celebration of the Eucharist, and every part of it, shows
that the missionary responsibility
of the Church is instilled in her
nature. Being a community-inmission is part of her identity. The
Church realizes this identity both
in her life of worship, whereby
she ritually proclaims that Christ
has saved the world by his Paschal
Mystery and in her life of service,
whereby she affirms the saving
presence of Christ in human and
world affairs.

CBCPMonitor
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B8 FEATURES
FILM is indeed a powerful medium for teaching history. Had
we not watched Lincoln and been
awed by the riveting performance
of Daniel Day-Lewis, the United
States 16th president would have
remained in our mind as nothing
more than a shiny marble statue.
Lincoln chronicles the last
month, January 1865, in the life
of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th
president of the United States,
as he zeroes in on the last and
greatest win of his political careerthe abolition of slavery in
America.
Director Spielberg does right
in depicting a Lincoln that is
at once iconic and human. Far
from being a traditional bio-pic
that tends to paint a glossierthan-reality picture of a revered
character, Lincoln shows how
a principled man may still be
admired despite his political
savvy that enabled him to resort
to the maneuverings prevalent
in his time.
President # 16 has been played
by so many estimable actors since
1930, but in Lincoln, the role is
not played, it is livedto the
point that it becomes difficult to
tell whether it is the actor DayLewis inhabiting the Lincoln
character, or the spirit of Lincoln
inhabiting the actors body. A
well-chosen cast combined with
matchless supporting performancesnotably by Tommy Lee
Jones (as Thaddeus Stevens) and
Sally field (as Mary Todd Lincoln) add to an authentic reliving
of Lincolns struggle towards his
goal. To the last detail, the rich
production sets are adjudged
faithful to Abes life and times,
bringing the past vividly back to
life to afford the viewer a peek
into history.

Lolo Kiko

May 25 - June 7, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 11

BIG GAME
DIRECTOR: Jalmari Helander
LEAD CAST: Samuel Jackson, Onni Tommila, Ray
Stevenson, Victor Garber,
Mehmet Kurtulus, Ted
Levine, Jorma Tommila,
Risto Salmi, Felicity Huffman, Jim Broadbent
SCREENWRITER: Jalmari
Helander
PRODUCER: Will Clarke,
Petri Jokiranta, Andy
Mayson, Jens Meurer
EDITOR: Iikka Hesse
MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Juri
Sepp, Miska Sepp
GENRE: Action, Adventure
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Mika
Orasmaa
DISTRIBUTOR: Europa Corp.
LOCATION: Germany
RUNNING TIME: 110
minutes
TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT:
3.5
MORAL ASSESSMENT: 3.5
MTRCB RATING: PG 13
CINEMA RATING: PG 13

The sessions in Congress where

the battle over the 13th Amendment is raging is particularly eyeopening to contemporary political
observers. They reveal that some
things in the field of public service
have not changedand perhaps
never willsuch as under the
table deals, patronage positions
as bribes, presidential strategizing
and pressure on the House of Representatives to ensure the passage
of an amendment, etc. The latter
may evoke a feeling of dj vu in
people quite familiar with the debates that not too long ago raged
over an RH bill in the Philippine
Congress, and the nonchalance

with which some lawmakers dismissed the Executive railroading

of the contentious bill. In his
rush to pass the 13th amendment,
Lincoln utilized all the tricks in his
arsenal. Sounds familiar? But of
course, presidential maneuvering
of the Legislative branch takes on
a different coloration depending
on the issue at hand: a law abolishing slavery is not the same as a
law establishing a contraceptive
mentality.
It might also come as some
form of warped consolation to
Filipinos that their present-day
solons (mis)behavior is civil
compared to that of the insulthurling American counterparts in
1865. If in 1865 their congressional session room resembled a
saloon filled with trigger happy
cowboys, ours in 2012 was simply reminiscent of classroom of
overgrown kindergarteners who
couldnt differentiate between
study and play. One noticeable
thing, though: the 1865 lawmakers hurled verbal darts at one another, but God was acknowledged
in the process of lawmaking. In
the 2012 RH arena well, make
your own conclusions.
Kudos to the Spielberg-Kushner tandem that brought out the
Oscar-winning performance of
Day-Lewis, the Abraham Lincoln
that came alive onscreen proves
worthy of the reverence accorded
him by his countrymena doting father, a sympathetic husband, a statesman made of fire
and ice, wisdom and wile, a soul
blessed with courage and grace,
a human being who passionately
went after his dream and paid
the price for it. Certainly a very,
very far cry from being a mere
marble monument. (Teresa R.
Tunay, OCDS)

Moral Assessment

Abhorrent

Disturbing
Acceptable
Wholesome

Exemplary

CBCP Monitor
Technical Assessment

Poor
Below average

Average

Above average
E
xcellent

Ni Bladimer Usi

Buhay Parokya

Look for the image of Sacred Host,

Ordination and Bishops Hat.
(Illustration by Bladimer Usi)

PAGKATAPOS makipaghiwalay sa nobyo, maglalasing si Haley

(Andi Eigenmann) para lunurin ang sama ng loob. Pero mauuwi
sa pakikipagniig sa di kilalang lalake at pagmamadaling umuwi
at kalimutan ang nangyari kinabukasan. Pagkalipas ng ilang
araw ay malalaman niyang ang lalaking iyon, na si Rusell (Bret
Jackson) ay siya ring pinili ng kanyang mga magulang upang
pakasalan niya. Pangsumandali ay mahuhulog ang loob niya
kay Rusell hanggang matuklasan niya na sinadya pala ng lalake
na magkatagpo sila. Tatakbo si Haley sa kanyang kababatang si
Seth (Andre Paras) na may lihim din palang pagtingin sa dalaga.
Tamang-tama ang linya ni Haley, This is one big sick joke.
Mas babagay nga kung ito ang ginawang pamagat ng pelikula
para simula pa lamang ay handa na ang isip at kalooban ng
mga manunuod. Unang-una, tila isinulat ito ng isang bagitong
walang alam sa
buhay at nagpupumilit bigyan
ng lalim ang
one-night stand;
walang alam din
sa paghahanap
ng tunay na pagibig, relasyon,
kasal, at pagiging magulang.
Pilit at hilaw
ang kwento at
lalong malabnaw
ang pagbubuo
sa katauhan ng
bawat isa. Sa paningin, maganda
ang pelikula
dahil tadtad ito
ng magagarbong
gamit, lugar at
disenyo. Pero da- DIRECTOR: Joel Lamangan
hil sa babaw ng CAST: Andi Eigenmann, Bret Jackson,
Jovic Monsod, Andre Paras
kwento ay nagiging panakip butas SCREENPLAY:Keiko Aquino
Turning Japanese
ito para malibang STORY:
EDITOR:Joel Lamangan
ang manunuod MUSIC: Emerzon Texon
kahit papaano. LOCATION: Metro Manila
L a l o n a m a n g GENRE: Romantic-Comedy
masakit sa ulo DISTRIBUTOR: Viva Films
a n g p a g g a n a p RUNNING TIME: 95 minutes
ng mga pangu- TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT:
nahing tauhan. MORAL ASSESSMENT:
(Nakapagtataka MTRCB rating: R 13
at anak pa nina CINEMA rating: V18
Mark Gil at Jackylyn Jose si Eigenmann). Sana ay ginastusan sila ng acting
workshop para nagkaroon naman ng lalim at buhay ang kanilang
pagganap, para naman nadala kahit kaunti ang pelikula. Maayos
ang ibang aspetong teknikal at pamproduksyon, pero dahil
walang kwenta ang mismong kwento at ang pagganap ng mga
artista ay wala rin itong silbi sa kabuuan.
Isinusulong ng pelikula ang nakakasanayang gawi ng kabataan
sa panahon ngayon: pakikipagtalik bago kasal; laro-laro muna
at saka na lang magseryoso. Kahit na ang pinakapundasyon ng
kwento ay ang paghahanap ng tunay na pag-ibig, inanod naman
ito ng mababaw na pananaw sa relasyon, kasal at pakikipagtalik.
Hindi nakabubuti na ang one night stand ay pinilit na itapat sa
tunay at wagas na pag-ibig pagkat maaring isipin ng mga bata
na pagbibigay katwiran ito sa kanilang kapusukan. Hungkag
ang kahulugan ng tunay na pag-ibig sa kwentosa isang iglap
ay payag na si babae na pakasalan si lalake dahil posible namang
niyang mahalin ito balang araw; sa isang iglap ay naniwala si
lalake na naglalandi ang nobya dahil me kausap itong ibang
lalake; sa isang iglap ay iba na ang napagkasunduang pakakasalan at sa gitna ng paglalakad sa altar ay biglang magpapalit
ng kaparehaDagdag pa ay ang masamang imahen ng isang
babae na ipinakikita ng pelikula. Walang kakayahan si Haley
na magdesisyon o ipaglaban ang sarili. Una, sa kanyang mga
magulang na pumilit sa kanyang magpakasal sa lalakeng hindi
naman niya kilala; ikalawa, sa asawa na pumilit sa kanya na
magsilbi, magbuntis at umintindi sa kanyang bawat kapritso ng
damdamin. Ang masakit ay natatapos ang pelikula na masaya at
naging buo ang pagkatao ni Haley gawa ng desisyon ng ibang
tao para sa kanya.

CBCP Monitor

C1

May 25 - June 7, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 11

The News Supplement of

Couples for Christ

The Love Project:

A Sign Of Good Things To Come

Team Serra, the guest family on the
talk show, gave three simple steps for the
kids to follow so they could fulfill their
project to love: First is to kiss and hug
their parents every day. Next is to pray
with them every day. And lastly, to always
tell their parents I love you.
To reciprocate this love, parents were
also given three pointers: Family adventures need not be expensive and it can be
done, as long as they give emphasis on
quality time. Second is to treat their home
as their first household, their kids being
their first household members and they
as their kids first household leaders. They
must also not forget the tradition of having
daily prayer time as one family.

By the IKV Docu Team

Three thousand people parents, couple coordinators,

and the littlest members of
Couples for Christ, Kids
for Christ - gathered at the
University of San Agustin
covered gym in Iloilo City
last May 1 to 3, 2015 for the
18th International Kids Village (IKV).

The gym was a sea of color as the kids

and their parents, coming from different
Metro Manila sectors, provinces and even
from abroad, experienced joy and excitement in fellowship, prayer and learning.
The heat of the sun was intense but the
anticipation and the energy inside the gym
was even more intense.
The first day of the 18th International
Kids Village started with worship, led by
RJ Lovandino from Metro Manila followed by the recitation of the Oath of
Sportsmanship led by Mark Jay Nery from
Laguna. The kids then proceeded to different venues around the campus for the
Creative Challenges such as Rhyme and
Pitch, Rock n Beat, and Family Acoustic Band. The kids, together with their
parents, showcased their gifts in dancing,
playing different instruments, and singing.
The Family Duet, Family Dance Showdown, Little Kids Can Duet, Glee Showdown, and Step by Step Dance competition
were held in the University Auditorium.
Other creative activities included the
Little Saints Competition, a portrayal of
different heavenly heroes, the On-theSpot Poster Making, and the Family Art
Project, together with the Essay writing,
Captured (Photography), as well as Bible
Spelling and Catholic Kiddie Quiz Bees
and fun games.
Fr. Jessie Tabobo, OSA was the main
celebrant of the Holy Mass on Day 1. In
his homily, Fr. Jessie shared that before one

More Ways to Love

Day 2 opened with Fr. Espiridion Celis

leading everybody to the wonderful celebration of the Holy Mass.
After the Mass, John Gabriel Nero,
ROCK facilitator from Cebu, led everyone
in an energetic and affirming worship, after
which the kids proceeded to the second session titled Discover More Ways to Love.
The session was delivered via an interactive
skit, which let the kids into the Knowledge
for Children Museum. Inside, the kids
were led to different rooms to solve puzzles.
Each puzzle led the characters to understand love and respect for God, sharing,
good stewardship, love and respect for
parents, forgiveness, and letting go of bad
thoughts and feelings, among others.

can discover more ways to love, which is

the goal of the three-day conference, It
is important for us to remember the most
basic and fundamental truth of our faith:
God loves you so much! God loves you
beyond your imagination! God loves us
all! And it is because of this love that God
has for us that we are able to love in return.
God loved us first, and now He is asking
us to show our love to our families, to our
parents first of all, and to our siblings; to
all our relatives, our teachers, and without

forgetting our yaya (nanny) or anybody

who helps us.
To the parents, guardians, and teachers
in the crowd, Fr. Jessie had this to say: It
is important to show our kids how to love
others in return. To do that, the kids must
remember that love begins in the home.
Before ending his homily, Fr. Jessie made
a special request from the KFCs in attendance: Listen, actively participate, and
be aware of the people around you. They
will help you discover how to love more.

Little dynamite missionaries

The Love Project

In the first session of the IKV, the participants were treated to an interactive talk
show titled Knowledge for Children.
Hosts Sarah, Josh and Dane introduced
stories in the form of cartoons to let the
participants know more about Jesus Christ
and the goodness that He is sharing,
especially in the most important areas of
life in the family, with friends, and the
Kids for Christ ministry.

The third and last session of the IKV,

Project Accomplished, was a kiddie dose
of Evangelii Gaudium. Through a short
skit, which featured talk show hosts Sarah,
Josh and Dane, the kids learned about
loving God back, reaching out to their
families, friends and the KFC community,
and being joyful in loving.
According to CFC KFC International
Coordinator Nic Escalona, since 2011,
KFC has taken on the direction of actively
THE LOVE PROJECT / C2

The 1st National Mission Conference: Envisioning a

Community of Missionary Disciples
Close to 400 missionariesclergy, religious and
laityattended the first National Mission Conference last May 18 to 21, 2015 at the Divine Word
Seminary in Tagaytay City, Cavite. The NMC was
organized by the Episcopal Commission on Mission
of the CBCP, together with the Philippine Catholic
Mission Council (PCMC), on the occasion of the
50th Anniversary of Vatican IIs Decree on the
Missionary Activity of the Church, Ad Gentes. The
theme of the conference was Gifted to Love, inspired by the verse "Without cost you have received;
without cost you are to give." (Matthew 10:8b)

The Conference consisted of presentations and workshops which dealt

with the history and the theology of Ad Gentes and present-day challenges
MISSION CONFERENCE / C2

CFC Elders Assembly Revises By-Laws

The CFC Elders Assembly (EA) performs
important functions for
the community as part
of their role as the representative voice of all
the members. Among
these functions are: to
elect the members of
the Board of Trustees
and to approve amendments to the By-Laws
and the Articles of Incorporation.
On May 17, 2015, the EA
gathered to decide on the proposed amendments to the By-

Laws, among them:

1. Starting June 2015, to elect all
nine (9) members of the Board of
Trustees for a term of two (2) years
instead of the existing election of
only three (3) out of nine members
of the BOT annually for a term of
three (3) years.
2. The change in the composition of the Board of Elders -- Effective June 2015, the members of
the BOE will be all former BOT
members who will serve ex-officio
and for life and additional members to be appointed by the current
BOT for a term of two years, coterminous with the appointing BOT.
3. The delineation of functions
of the Chairman (who will be the
EA / C3

For details on registration, attendees, and contact persons per event, please visit
the Calendar of Events at www.couplesforchristglobal.org/home.

C2

May 25 - June 7, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 11

Tell Me You Love Me: Couples Discover

Their Love Language

TLC For Newbie

Husbands And Wives
More than just seemingly bite-size crash
courses in Marriage
101, the CFC Young
Couples program is an
accessible wellspring
and avenue for shared
wisdom, care and formation for young couples who are at one of
the most crucial stages
of their marriages.

A hug or taking out the

trash? A dozen roses or
telling your wife shes
gorgeous? On May 23,
2015, at the CFC Young
Couples Assembly at
the Unilab Bayanihan
Center, some 430 young
couples discovered that
the best way to say I
love you is to say it
in their spouses love
language.
As long as you know the love
language of your spouse you can

always have their love tank filled,

main speaker Rachelle Arguelles
emphasized. Bboy Arguelles,
Rachelles husband, and Sector
Head for Metro Manila Central
A, joined her in conducting the
session which employed a combination of psychology and cinema
to explain the mechanism of being
in love, and the glorious feeling
that everything is perfectly all right.
When you are in that feeling of
in love like in (the movie) Dear
John, anything that happens is ok.
Everything is beautiful. [But] most
psychologists say, that is only temporary; feeling in love lasts only for
two years. When reality sets in

thats when it is important to know

the love language of your spouse,
Rachel explained.
Earlier, the couple outlined the
main differences of men and women, showing that men tend to be
more analytical and have compartmentalized brains, while women
are multi-taskers whose brains can
be compared to the internet
where everything is connected.
We are different but we can
bridge these differences by knowing our love languages. Making our
spouse feel loved is the way to make
our marriage last, Rachelle said.
The speakers discussed the five
Love Languages, namely: Physical

MISSION CONFERENCE / C1

Touch, Acts of Service, Gifts, Quality Time, and Words of Affirmation.

Explaining that people with different love languages express and
receive love in various ways, the
couple emphasized that everything
eventually falls perfectly into place
and at the end of the day, its not
the battle of the sexes but the
harmony of complements.
Bboy explained, We are a match
made in heaven Your spouse is
Gods plan for you. We complement each other. It means at the
end of the day, we are supposed to
be better individuals just by being
together. Out of our differences
goodness comes out.

CBCP Monitor

When you look at CFC,

you see that there is a need
to address the transition of
Singles for Christ to Couples for
Christ, said Rommel Ancheta,
CFC Young Couples program
coordinator just before the 3rd
Young Couples assembly at the
Unilab Bayanihan Center, Pasig
City on May 23, 2015.
The objective of the Young
Couples program is to empower
young CFCs, he said, and
at the same time, to address
the needs of married people,
especially in the early years of
marriage, which are often the
most prone to separation and
marital troubles.

Healing marriage emergencies before they happen

More than the infamous

seven-year itch that is said to
threaten most marriages, recent
studies show there is a 4-year
itch and even a 12-year itch.
The result? Odds seem to be
stacked against young couples
even before they warm up to
the idea of wedded bliss.
They need a community that
will help them and in turn, [form
them to] help other couples as
well. They should seek the guidance and the wisdom of the older
couples, said Ancheta.

Gateway evangelization

This is backed up by no less

than St. John Paul II, who wrote
in his encyclical Familiaris Consortio: Young married couples
should learn to accept willingly
and make good use of the discreet, tactful and generous help
offered by other couples that
already have more experience of
married and family life.
(The family) should be
helped and trained in their
responsibilities as they face the
new problems that arise, in mutual service and in active sharing
in family life, the then Pope
added, stressing this is especially
true for young families, who
are adjusting to new realities
in their first years of marriage.
For Ancheta, the Young Couples program is not just gateway
evangelization at its most intuitive, but it is both strategic and
exactly what modern society
needs.
There is an increase in annulments... The age group
[of married couples] who get
separated is getting younger
and younger, he noted, citing a
study by the Office of the Solicitor General, which showed that
there has been a 10% increase in
annulments in the Philippines
since 2002.

Attack on young couples

The attack on young couples is worsened, Ancheta

believes, by modern, external
influences like social media,
mainstream media, advertising,
and the like.
This is exactly why the aim of
the Young Couples program is
to empower the young CFCs,
as well as to address the needs
of newbie husbands and wives.
And that may yet be the best
news for marriages.

Keeping the Love Alive

for the Philippine Church. Among

the noted speakers in the Conference were Fr. Michael Layugan,
SVD, PhD, Rector of the Divine
Word Seminary, who talked about
the history of Ad Gentes. Fr. Layugan shared, "Every Christian is
a missionary. By virtue of baptism,
all Christians are partners with
God in mission."
On the other hand, Fr. Andrew
Recepcion, STD, President, International Association of Catholic
Missiologists, spoke on the Concept of Mission in Ad Gentes.
Fr. Edgar Javier, SVD, STD,
Director, Divine Word Institute
of Mission Studies (DWIMS), Sr.

Imaya, OSB, and Rouquel Ponte

of the Couples for Christ, all spoke
about Mission and the Local
Church According to Ad Gentes
from the perspective of the clergy, a
religious sister and a lay missionary,
respectively.
Finally, Bishop Arturo Bastes,
SVD, DD, from the Archdiocese of Sorsogon, and Chairman,
CBCP Episcopal Commission on
Mission, delivered the State of
Mission in the Philippine Church
and Challenges. Quoting Pope
Francis, Bishop Bastes reminded
the delegates that to be a missionary, one must have faith based on
a personal encounter with Jesus.

On the morning of the last day

of the Conference, Fr. Socrates
Mesiona, Director of the Pontifical
Mission Societies in the Philippines, presented to the plenary the
results of the workshops.
At the end of the Conference,
the missionary delegates came to
a common resolution: to develop
a deeper commitment to mission
and to promote formation for
mission in all situations. The
concluding Mass, which included
a mission sending ceremony,
became a joyous celebration. After
all, the basis of mission is Evangelii
Gaudium, the joy of the proclamation of the Gospel. (Alma Alvarez)

THE LOVE PROJECT / C1

forming the youngest missionaries in the community. We teach the kids to go on mission, to reach out to
others, to be leaders even though they are so young, to set good examples for their friends, he explained.
Session 3 taught the kids that truly the Word of God constantly shows us how God challenges those who
believe in Him to go forth; communion and mission are profoundly interconnected. (Evangelii Gaudium,
20, 23) The session also showed that prayer should lead us to serve and love others.
Czarlyn Ariza of Cebu had this to say about the session: Ill try to pray [more] so that the Lord will know
that we love Him. She also shared that she will continue to tell her non-KFC friends about the IKV and
kids camps.
EA / C1

Chief Executive Officer) and the President (who will

be the Chief Operating Officer).
The proposed amendments were a result of several
discussions by the International Council with the
Board of Elders, the Elders Assembly, and leaders on
the ground. They were also the fruits of several consultative assemblies held over the past years, including
the Pastoral Congresses of 2007.
The amendments were voted on by 253 members
present or voting by proxy using electronic ballots. The

results of the voting, which was done line by line were:

1. Election of nine members of BOT every 2 years
249 Yes votes vs. 4 No votes or 98.4 %
2. BOE Composition 226 Yes votes vs. 27 No
votes or 89.3 %
3. Chairman/President 242 Yes votes vs. 11 No
votes or 95.7%
The election for the members of the Board of
Trusteed will be held on June 19, during the 34th
anniversary week.

The News Supplement

of Couples for Christ

George B. Campos
IC Oversight

Zenaida A. Gimenez
Editor-in-Chief

Deomar P. Oliveria
Layout Artist

Alma M. Alvarez
Associate Editor

Evangeline C. Mecedilla
Circulation Staff

The Ugnayan News Supplement is published by the Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation, Inc., with editorial
offices at 156 20th Avenue, 1109 Cubao, Quezon City.
Editorial trunk line: (+63 2) 709-4868 local 23
Direct line : (+63 2) 709-4856
www.couplesforchristglobal.org
cfcglobalcommunications@gmail.com

facebook.com/CFC.Global.Mission

@CFChrist

Since the launch of the

CFC Seniors Program
last year, the movers of
the Program have constantly put together activities for senior members, which have enkindled and rekindled
their passion to serve
the Lord through CFC,
despite their advancing
years.

One of the exciting activities

this year was Love Alive!, the
CFC Senior Couples Marriage
Enrichment Retreat held last May
16 and 17 at the St. Paul Renewal
Center, Tagaytay.
Couple speakers spoke on five
different topics to help the senior
couples in CFC see and understand the beauty of Gods plan for

them at this time and beyond and

enable them to have meaningful
and fruitful lives even in their
old age.
In Session 1, titled Faithful
Through the Years Eric and Carina
de los Reyes discussed the marriage
cycle and what the changes which
occur in marriage have meant for
them. For Session 2 (Looking
Through the Eyes of Love), Joe
and Mila Yamamoto tackled the
empty nest syndrome and how
couples can rejuvenate their relationship at this stage. The session
also dealt on changing relationships
with married children, managing
changes in interests, work life and
physical decline.
Rouquel and Nina Ponte talked
about hurts, healing and rekindling
the spark of love in Session 3 (Rekindling the Love), while Joe and
Babylou Tale gave a discourse on

Living Life To The Fullest (Session 4), to help couples grow old
together with the right perspective
and attitudes.
The last session, Celebrating
Gods Goodness through Our Marriages by Jess and Emy Marasigan,
gave pointers on empowering
couples to face the challenges of the
senior years and help them envision
and plan their future.
During the retreat, there were
emotional moments, moments of
looking back and looking forward
to a great future, and fun moments.
The couples especially enjoyed
singing Kahit Maputi Na Ang
Buhok Ko and the Filipino version
of Grow Old With You (Kasama
Kang Tumanda). Indeed, after the
retreat, the senior CFCs vowed to
move towards keeping their love
alive. (A. Alvarez)

CBCP Monitor

C3

May 25 - June 7, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 11

T.E.A.C.H. Expo Year 4:

A YES to Love More

MC TEACHING

RENEWING THE CHURCH ACCORDING TO

POPE FRANCIS

The Mission Core Teaching Night,

held every third Tuesday of the
month, is always a rich source of
inspiration, learning and guidance.
The session last May 20, held at the
Christ the King Parish Church in
Greenmeadows, Quezon City, was
once again a rich pastoral lode. Guest
speaker for the night was Msgr. Pedro
Quitorio III, Director of CBCP Media
Office, who spoke on Renewing the
Church in Pope Francis Vision of a
Church of the Poor.
Some 300 new Cornerstone volunteers
from CFC, SFC, HOLD
and YFC gathered at
the Singson Hall of
the Ateneo de Manila
Grade School last May
16 and 17 for the 4th annual T.E.A.C.H. Expo.
T.E.A.C.H., which stands
for Through Education
Anything Can Happen,
is Cornerstones rallying expression for new
and existing Cornerstone volunteers who
embark on one goal: to
help school children
improve in school and
love learning.
Jimmy Ilagan, ANCOP Presi-

dent, honored the volunteers for

the growth of the Program over the
years, and challenged each one to
allow God to use them in His great
plans for Cornerstone by opening
the Program in more schools as a
concrete expression of the years
theme to Love More.
Carmela Oracion, PhD., the
Executive Director of ACED of
the Ateneo de Manila, likewise
expressed her appreciation to CFC
and CFC ANCOP for addressing,
through Cornerstone, the many
issues surrounding public school
education in the Philippines.
CFC Chairman and one of the
pioneers of Cornerstone, Joe Tale,
also addressed the plenary in the
morning session, inspiring the volunteers to go on with the mission and to
inspire more volunteers to join them.
Meanwhile, the parenting Workshop for CFC and HOLD volunteers was held in a satellite venue.
Other skills workshops were also

conducted for SFC and YFC volunteers after lunch.

To end Day 1, Fr. Jayboy Gonzales, SJ, of the Ateneo High School,
celebrated an anticipated Mass. In
his homily, Fr. Jayboy reminded the
volunteers of their roles in education: We as parents, mentors,
teachers must believe that they,
our students, can do things better.
On Day 2, Arcie Mallari, founder of Silid Aralan Inc., a non-profit
organization geared towards educating the underprivileged students
at the bottom of their class, shared
their best practices and opened opportunities for collaboration with
Cornerstone in the area of public
school education.
The volunteers went home to
their Metro Manila Sectors and
provinces fired up not just with
new skills, but with a fresh perspective on how they, through
Cornerstone, can embody the call
to love more. (Alma Alvarez)

Msgr. Quitorio began with an excerpt from one

of Pope Francis writings: The poor is at the center
of the Gospel, at the heart of the Gospel. If we
take away the poor from the Gospel, we cannot
understand the whole message of Jesus Christ.
Tracing his own humble beginnings as a son of
poor fisher folk who hardly had anything to their
name, he explained that he had only one reason
for entering the seminary in his teens to escape
poverty. He expressed wonderment at how God
made a crooked line straight in his case, how God
used poverty to define his future.
Recalling the Mass celebrated by Pope Francis at
the Tacloban airport in the midst of a severe storm,
Msgr. Quitorio spoke of the joy in the faces of the
pilgrims. He emphasized that the poor did not
find meaning in the relief goods and the financial
aid they received; they found it in the message of
the Pope: Whatever you are experiencing now, be
assured that Jesus suffered it too.
The poor have always been used as either an
excuse, for not persevering in life, or as an ideology,
as in Liberation Theology. However, Msgr. Quitorio explained that Pope Francis now talks about
the poor no longer as an ideology, a philosophy, a
target or an objective, but as the core of the Gospel.

Expounding on this, he recalled that Jesus did not

say: Come follow me and I will remove all your
problems. Rather He said: Come, take up your
cross and follow me. This means that we emulate
Jesus in His response to suffering, and that being
a Christian is not easy.
How can loving happen if we are all rich?
Msgr. Quitorio asked. He explained that loving
only happens if there is poverty around us, if we
have to undergo storms, if we suffer through the
desert of our existence.
Decrying what he called our being catechized
by the corporate world, where we are all enjoined
to work for a comfortable future, Msgr. Quitorio
instead offered the joy of the Gospel as a more
valuable alternative, an even greater treasure. This
treasure must be experienced in the home, he said,
for it to be further nurtured. As he put it, life is not
insured by the abundance of material possessions.
Msgr. Quitorio enjoined everyone to work with
the Church in addressing social concerns because if
we ignore them, poverty will continue to be a social
injustice. Referring to Cardinal Tagles message to
the Pope, when he spoke of the peripheries, Msgr.
Quitorio said this does not mean geographic limits
or somewhere very far. Rather, this could mean
even members of our own families who could be
morally bankrupt.
To the Chairman of the CFC Institute who
said that the Institute is trying to fully define
what Church of the Poor really means and asked
what it would need for CFC to build the Church
of the Poor, Msgr. Quitorio replied: The answer is in only one word: Witness! Do not use
methodologies or strategies but make witnessing
a way of life.
The message of Msgr. Quitorio, based on Pope
Francis vision of what the Church of the Poor
really means, was short and sweet. Everyone left
the venue inspired by the message and energized
by the renewed call to love, even if it indeed means
going to the peripheries.

PERSONAL TESTIMONIES

The Joy of Serving In Cornerstone

Gods Hand was Holding Mine

By Njeri Makonnen (as
told to Malou Clarito, CFC
Canada)

I am from Kenya but

the international organization I work for had
assigned me to Somalia.

By Katzy Teodoro, Cornerstone Team

Leader TS Cruz Elementary School SFC
South A1d - Chapter Head

When I was asked to go on mission,

specifically to conduct Cornerstone
Training in Bulacan, I immediately
said yes. I had gone there last year
to conduct the same training but this
time I knew it would be different because now I have more to share. I am
currently serving as a Chapter Leader
in SFC South A and Cornerstone
Team Leader atTS Cruz Elementary
School. Handling two different roles
may seem like a handful but I have
accepted that the Lord is calling me to
a higher level of service by spreading
His love andsharing my experiences
through missions such as this.

Our team gathered at around 4 AM on a Sunday

at a local McDonalds. By 7:30 AM, we arrived at the
venue of our training. Since we were too early for
our schedule, we decided to hear mass at Barasoain
Church. I was so sleepy that I struggled to understand
the readings. But the Lord's message to us was loud
and clear. The Responsorial Psalm that day was "Batong
dating tinanggihay siya pang naging saligan." Sheh and
I immediately looked at each other and we both said
"Cornerstone!" (The stone that the builders rejected

has become the Cornerstone." Mark 12:10)It was an

affirmation that Christ, our Cornerstone, was with
us in this mission.
After the mass, we went back to the venue (CFC
Provincial Mission Center in Malolos, Bulacan)
where we were greeted with the warmest smiles and
hospitality. The room was filled with excited participants from different ministries (YFC, SFC, CFC and
HOLD). After a brief discussion of the Cornerstone
Overview, the participants were divided into groups. I
was assigned to the Reading Tutorial group composed
of SFCs and transitioning YFCs.It was overwhelming to see the Bulacan team very eager and open in
accepting the Cornerstone program. A series of talks
and workshops ran throughout the day.
As much as the participants learned and understood the program through the sessions that we
facilitated, I think it was I who learned a lot from
them. The generous CFC leaders in Bulacan even
gave us pasalubong as a token of gratitude. Tito
Angel and Tita Josie also treated us to a sumptuous dinner. But the more important baon was the
entire experience itself. New friendships were built
and the special bond that exists in our team was
further strengthened.
More than the technicalities, the roles and responsibilities, I think that the most important aspect is
being able to share the love of Christ to the kids.By
teaching them to read and write, we are bringing
them hope for a better future. Being able to be a part
of the mission team is a very humbling experience. It
was an honor to be able to share this program with
our fellow SFCs; it is my prayer that they may also
experience the joy of serving in Cornerstone.

April 24, 2015, as usual, promised to be a busy day for me. That
morning, the van carrying the
organizations employees was on its
way to pick up the last employee
before proceeding to the office,
when suddenly there was a huge
explosion. The van shook violently
and we were jostled against one
another. Shouts and the sound of
gunfire followed right after.
I knew immediately that we
had been attacked. But I was
alive! I was bloody but I didnt
know whether the blood was
mine or my co-workers who lay
unconscious beside me. I would
later find out that four of them
were instantly killed.
I dont know where I got the
presence of mind to close my eyes

and pretend to be dead, hoping

that the attackers would just pass
us by. Silently I started praying the
rosary. Each decade of the rosary
made me stronger and stronger, my
spirit was lifted and I felt the Lords
hand really holding me.
Occasionally I would open my
eyes and peek but mindful of the
still existing danger, I remained
unmoving, waiting for the gunfire
to cease. I do not know how many
decades of the rosary I prayed. In
between, I also prayed the Divine
Mercy chaplet over and over.
Strangely enough, in the midst
of the dangerous situation, I felt at
peace and knew without a doubt
that I would be saved. I trusted in
my weapons prayer and complete
reliance on the Lord.
I do not know how long I remained inside the van but finally,
there was quiet. And suddenly, my
rescuers were there, removing me
from the van and rushing me to
the hospital. It was all a blur from
then on. Days later, when I was
stable, my doctors agreed to have
me flown to Nairobi for further

treatment. I was so happy because

I could be with my loved ones,
especially my husband David.
It was a happy reunion, not
just with my immediate family
but with my CFC family. My
husband David was formerly National Director and now member
of the National Core Team of CFC
Kenya. I had many CFC visitors.
I thank the Lord for this miracle and I believe that when we
serve Him, He will be with us
in our hour of distress. Why
did He spare me? I think the
Lord wants me to do a lot of
work in His vineyard and I will
obey. After my recuperation, I
will continue to proclaim His
goodness everywhere I go and to
everyone I meet.
I ask my CFC family to please
pray for peace and more love in
the world. Please pray for my
co-workers who are still confined
in hospital and especially for the
four who were killed.
Truly, when God is with us,
when we call upon His name, He
will be there to hold our hand.

C4

May 25 - June 7, 2015 Vol. 19 No. 11

Love More Goes to Europe

CBCP Monitor

CFC UK Joins Diocesan

Celebration of Marriage
By Edna Nidea

On S a t u r d a y
May 9th 2015, a
diocesan celebration of Marriage
took place at the
St Mary's Cathedral. Over 450
people attended
the celebration.

During the Mass,

all the married
couples present
r e ne w e d t he i r
marriage vows.

Bishop Seamus celebrated the Holy Mass,

which was attended
by other parish priests
from different cities,

among them Fr. Michael McCoy of St. Joseph Parish of Sunderland United Kingdom,
the Spiritual Director
of Couples for Christ
UK. One third of the
total attendees were
members of Couples
for Christ. Recognizing
this, the Bishop called
the Country Head of
Couples for Christ UK,

Bong Nidea, to the

front of the altar to explain to the congregation what the Couples
for Christ community
is all about.
At present, Couples
for Christ is present
in most parishes in the
United Kingdom. It is
truly a blessing to be
serving hand in hand
with the UK dioceses.

By Roger Santos

PARIS, France - Some

320 members and leaders of Couples for Christ
(CFC) from 17 European
and other countries converged in this city on
May 1-3, 2015 and joyfully conducted this
years CFC European
Conference guided by
the 2015 CFC theme,
Love More!

Attendees came from Austria,

Belgium, Canada, Germany,
Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Isle of
Man, Monaco, The Netherlands,
Philippines, Spain, Switzerland,
United Kingdom, USA and France.
For three days, the delegates
listened to CFC pastoral talks,
conducted team-building exercises
and contests and had the usual

food festival and colorful flag and

costume parade participated in by
delegates from each country.
As always, worship was part of
the daily activities.
The following competitions and
respective winners were:
1. Early Bird: Belgium
2. Most Inspiring: Israel
3. M o s t V i b r a n t a n d
Friendly : Spain
4. Most Cooperative: Austria
5. Super Special : Special
Events team
6. Super Special : France
7. Food Festival
1st place France
2nd - Austria
3rd - Italy
8. Praise Parade
1st place France
2nd - Austria
3rd- UK
9. Banner Competition

1st place Austria

2nd - Spain & Switzerland
10. Costume : Greece - Luis and
Marietta Ilagan
11. The Boys
1st place UK
2nd - Spain
3rd Belgium
12. Dance Competition
1st place Austria
2nd - Ireland
3rd - France
Delegates from Manila included
special guests CFC International
Council members Joe and Mila Yamamoto and Arnel and Bing Santos,
Regional Coordinator for Southeast
Europe Mon and Gandie Carpio,
Regional Coordinator for North
Central Europe Nolet and Mila
Ladrido, and Country Coordinator
of Austria Art and Edna Valdellon.
CFC USA was represented by
Roger and Josie Santos (Country
Coordinator-Greece).

CFC SG AT 28: A CELEBRATION

OF FAITH & LIFE

The CFC Northern California Family Day

showed modern hip hop electrifying moves.

By Weng Maniclang

CFC Singapore celebrated its 28th

Anniversary last May 9 at the Singapore Silat Federation with the theme
2celebr8 Faithand Life #LoveMore.
It was a fun-filled and vibrant event
with dance presentations from different eras, ranging from the 60s to
the present. It was wonderful to see
every sector go up on stage, wearing
their stylish costumes, performing as
the Jackson 5, Charlies Angels
and Bee Gees of Serangoon, the
Bagets of the East, the Cool 90s
of the West, and Earth Wind and
Fire of the North. Not to be outdone,
the Singles for Christ performed
the cane dance; the Handmaids of
the Lord danced wearing 80s stylish attire, and the Singles for Christ

The event was organized by East Chapter, Unit 4

headed by Weng and Beng Maniclang together with
their Unit Households and the full support from the
East Chapter members.
The event kicked off with an opening message from
East Chapter head, Gerry Falsado and followed by
Spirit-filled praise and worship led by the East Music
Ministry . Some of the highlights of the events were
personal testimonies from Kayee Ablanque for the
Family Ministries, focusing on Receiving Love;
Don Reyes for ANCOP; International Missions by
Uly Abad, focused on Giving Love; Jhun Frias for
Evangelization, sharing on how to Be Love.
Dinner was catered by Jollibee, much to the delight
of the children who joyfully danced with the restaurants mascot. The food was better enjoyed because of
the medley of songs performed by the best talents of
the West Music Ministry.
The anniversary message from Theodore Olsen,
the new CFC Singapore National Director, inspired
everyone to be grateful and give glory to God for His
faithfulness in guiding and leading the Singapore
community to grow in faith, love and service. A mini
praisefest formally closed the days celebration.

Couples for Christ of

Northern California celebrated its 23rd anniversary last Saturday, May
16, 2015 via a Family Day
themed after Alice In
Wonderland. CFC and
its Family Ministries
gathered at a beautiful
property owned by the
Divine Mercy Eucha-

the place. The countryside was so

peaceful and quiet.
The volunteer doctors and
dentists arrived early from Ho
Chi Minh City. Fr. Nicolai and
our brother Joachim welcomed
us and briefed us on the medical
mission. According to them, there
were about 700 indigent natives of
a remote community in Daklak
who were coming to avail of the
free medical-dental services being offered to them by the CFC
Group. We boarded a big bus and
headed to the mission area, some
30 minutes away.
When we arrived, the welcome
we received (people clapping and
everyone smiling) was heartwarming. The team of dentists and
doctors immediately got down to
work. Chito and I found ourselves
taking photos where the action
was. And we were so amazed at
what we were witnessinga great

community all united in the love

of God!
Nesnie and Cleofe and Chito
and myself gathered at the busiest room of allthe pharmacy
roomreading prescriptions,
sorting and packing the pills and
distributing them to the seemingly
never-ending queue of patients.
It was mid-afternoon when we
finished our task and only then
did we realize that we had all
gone without lunch except for
water, fruit juice and a serving of
sweet potatoes.
I myself have a serious medical limitation, so at one point, I
prayed to God to sustain me so
I may continue to serve. God is
good - I made it through. Every
one looked so exhausted, but no
one complained. At the end of the
day, it was clear to all of us why
we were thereto offer our service
and love for the Lord.

PERSONAL TESTIMONY

CFC Vietnam Goes on

a Love More Mission
By Ed Ubaldo, CFC Vietnam ANCOP/ BCOP Head

It was a fine Friday morning, the 1st

of May, 2015, when
Chito Durban, CFC
- Vietnam Country
Head, and wife Nesnie, Cleofe, CFC HOLD
Volunteer, and I took
a 45-minute flight to
Daklak, a province

CFC in Wonderland

located in the Central

Highland of Vietnam.
We were all so excited
about what was going to
happen and the people
we were going to meet
and serve.
When we finally touched down
in Daklak and on our way to the
church where we will be staying,
we were amazed at the beauty of

By Diana Banasan

ristic Society in Sunol,

in Northern California.
About 300 members of
CFC and its ministries
came to celebrate.

The outdoor festival started with

worship and exercise, followed by
various activities such as a magic
show and watermelon-eating contest. Other attractions included
bounce houses, an arts and crafts
booth, retailers, and food vendors.
Those in attendance were encouraged to arrive in Wonderland

costumes. The day ended with the

early bird drawing of raffle tickets,
one of the CFC's fundraising incentives for its members.
The first Family Day was in
May of 1996, just four years
after the founding of CFC in
Northern California. This year's
celebration welcomed Lito and
Linda Tayag (CFC USA Country
Coordinator), Rod and Canyl
Bustos (members of the CFC USA
National Council), and Ricky
Coronel (CFC Southwest-A Regional Head).