Filipinos should not be consumed by "illusions" brought about by the New Year as what lies ahead for most are the same old "dehumanizing" conditions of poverty, injustice and discord, the leader of the influential Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said Friday.
In his rather gloomy New Year's message, Bishop Nereo Odchimar of Tandag, Surigao del Sur, the current CBCP president, urged Filipinos to open their eyes to the "indubitable reality" manifested in various circumstances facing many sectors of the society.
"Landless farmers, jobless Filipinos, homeless urban poor, dislocated tribal groups, the fatalities of the nefarious massacre in [Maguindanao], the recent victims of blast in Jolo and the like," Odchimar enumerated.
"We usually begin the New Year with well wishes and a salvo of noble resolves," he said.
"But before our illusions consume us, let us first be awakened by this disturbing reality: What awaits the majority of Filipinos in the year ahead, much as we hope for the better, perhaps are still the same dehumanizing conditions of poverty, injustice and unpeace," the prelate added.
Echoing the contemplations of the late Pope John Paul II, Odchimar stressed that when entire populations continue to live in poverty, conflicts-- including armed ones-- compound as much as fuel "tragic situations of poverty."
The leader of the powerful Church hierarchy lauded the measures being undertaken by the new government under President Aquino and a few private institutions to curb graft and corruption as the root of poverty facing majority of Filipinos.
"I would like to agree that corruption is the radical cause of the misery of Filipinos... Let us then intensify and sustain this righteous effort of eradicating graft and corruption," he said.
But there are also other measures, contradictory to the conscience of many Christian Filipinos, that seek to resolve poverty as a consequence of overpopulation, the CBCP president noted.
"For this reason, there are international campaigns afoot to reduce birth rates, sometimes using methods that often fail to respect even the right of life," he said, referring to the controversial reproductive health bill, which the CBCP had successfully blocked in past Congresses.
The family planning controversy has been simmering for months following fresh moves in Congress to pass the bill that Church leaders fear would lead, among others, to the promotion of abortifacients, or drugs or devices that cause abortion.
Still, Odchimar hoped that with God's guidance, the country can still achieve social transformation, peace and prosperity. "At the very outset of this new chapter of human history, we are invited, more than ever, to discern which work is God's and eventually collaborate with Him," he said.
By Jocelyn R. Uy
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Religious group denounces human rights violations
The current dismal situation of human rights in the country has made the Aquino government no different from the previous administration, a group of religious and clergy said.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines is supportive of a Malacañang official’s proposal to just let the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) handle the investigation of the alleged string of corruption cases that took place during the Arroyo administration.
Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez, CBCP public affairs committee chair, said in a phone interview that if the “right people” would be handling the investigations, then there was nothing objectionable in the proposal made by Magdangal Elma, a newly appointed member of President Benigno Aquino III’s legal team.
Elma, a former appellate court justice and PCGG commissioner during the administration of Joseph Estrada, released his proposal to media the other day, shortly after the Supreme Court struck down Mr Aquino’s Truth Commission as unconstitutional.
Trial balloon
Elma suggested on Monday that the PCGG could be an alternative option because the mandate of the agency tasked in 1986 to go after the ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses had already been recognized by the Supreme Court.
Malacañang, however, yesterday denied that it had already decided to use the PCGG.
President Aquino himself clammed up when asked about Elma’s proposal to use the PCGG instead.
“The legal panel is presently threshing out possible courses of action. I am awaiting their recommendations,” President Aquino said in a text message to Palace reporters.
Not ‘prudent’
Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the “prudent thing to do was just to submit the proposal) to the President.”
“But since it’s out, again, we’re saying that all the recommendations will be studied by the legal team,” Lacierda told reporters.
He added, however, that there was no need for the Palace to reprimand Elma for what happened.
Lacierda said the Palace legal team was expected to come up with a decision “soon.”
Lacierda also denied the Palace was waging war on the judiciary, as suggested by Alberto Agra, the last justice secretary of the Arroyo administration.
“We are not at war with the Supreme Court. We believe that we have the right to express our disappointment at the decision of the Supreme Court,” he said.
Reports from Jerome Aning and Christine O. Avendaño Philippine Daily Inquirer
The current dismal situation of human rights in the country has made the Aquino government no different from the previous administration, a group of religious and clergy said.
The convenors of Religious Discernment Group, in a statement released on Dec. 4, has denounced the spate of human rights violations in the country.
They expressed shock at the fact that the new administration of President Benigno Aquino has an average of “one extra judicial killing per week.”
“The number of sectoral leaders, particularly peasants, jailed on false charges has continued to increase,” they said.
Illegally detained Morong 43 who have been in jail since February this year, were ordered released by Aquino on December 10.
The government’s failure to bring to justice the perpetrators of human abuses is an “indictment” of Aquino’s “and daan matuwid” (righteous path) mandate, the group said.
The continued implementation of the counter-insurgency program “Oplan Bantay Laya” also worries the group because of human rights violations associated with it.
“There will be no justice, freedom and peace for our people until the Government take the welfare of the people, especially [those] of the urban and rural poor instead of the interests of local elites and large foreign corporations, as the starting point for all development policies,” they said.
“We ask the Government to abandon plans to implement Oplan….but rather to resume peace talks with the NDFP and MILF to ensure that the roots of injustice are stamped out,” the group further said.
Signatories to the statement were convenors Fr. Wilfredo Dulay, MJ, Fr. Quirico Pedregosa, Jr., OP, Fr. Gregorio Obejas, OSM, Fr. Tito Maratas, MSC, Fr. Joselito Sarabia, CM, Sr. Ailyn Binco, RGS, Sr. Pat Fox, NDS, Sr. Angelita Navarro, ICM and Sr. Rebecca Pacete, MMS.
The group’s advent gathering was held to discern their prophetic role in promoting and defending human rights in the country. (CBCPNews)
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines is supportive of a Malacañang official’s proposal to just let the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) handle the investigation of the alleged string of corruption cases that took place during the Arroyo administration.
Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez, CBCP public affairs committee chair, said in a phone interview that if the “right people” would be handling the investigations, then there was nothing objectionable in the proposal made by Magdangal Elma, a newly appointed member of President Benigno Aquino III’s legal team.
Elma, a former appellate court justice and PCGG commissioner during the administration of Joseph Estrada, released his proposal to media the other day, shortly after the Supreme Court struck down Mr Aquino’s Truth Commission as unconstitutional.
Trial balloon
Iñiguez, reacting to what could be a trial balloon, said, “What’s important is that the right people, who have genuine concern for the country, will be put in the position and given the task.”
He suggested that the President bring members of the truth commission to the PCGG.
Elma suggested on Monday that the PCGG could be an alternative option because the mandate of the agency tasked in 1986 to go after the ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses had already been recognized by the Supreme Court.
Malacañang, however, yesterday denied that it had already decided to use the PCGG.
Palace officials said they were studying “several” options in response to the Supreme Court ruling on the truth commission, including the proposal made by Elma.
President Aquino himself clammed up when asked about Elma’s proposal to use the PCGG instead.
“The legal panel is presently threshing out possible courses of action. I am awaiting their recommendations,” President Aquino said in a text message to Palace reporters.
Not ‘prudent’
The Palace indicated it was not too happy about Elma’s move the other day to release his memorandum to President Aquino to the media.
Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the “prudent thing to do was just to submit the proposal) to the President.”
“But since it’s out, again, we’re saying that all the recommendations will be studied by the legal team,” Lacierda told reporters.
He added, however, that there was no need for the Palace to reprimand Elma for what happened.
Lacierda said the Palace legal team was expected to come up with a decision “soon.”
Lacierda also denied the Palace was waging war on the judiciary, as suggested by Alberto Agra, the last justice secretary of the Arroyo administration.
“We are not at war with the Supreme Court. We believe that we have the right to express our disappointment at the decision of the Supreme Court,” he said.
Reports from Jerome Aning and Christine O. Avendaño
Philippine Daily Inquirer
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