•A3 •B1 •C1

Church’s feeding program Climbing the Lord’s The CROSS

doing more with less in Davao mountain Knights of Columbus Supplement

Bomb attack on Zambo www.cbcponline.net/cbcpmonitor cbcpmonitor@cbcpworld.net

Church condemned
A ROMAN Catholic bishop has denounced the
latest attack on a Catholic church in Zambonga
City early dawn on April 13.
Hitting out those who bombed the cathedral,
Zambonga Archbishop Romulo Valles said such
activities should stop and must not even hap-
pen at all.
He tagged the attack by still unknown assail-
ants as an “act of darkness” and urged the people
to pray and stay united. Protagonist of Truth, Promoter of Peace
“We are greatly saddened by these incidents.
Social / A6
It is clearly an act of darkness. We should stand April 14 - 27, 2008 Vol. 12 No. 8 Php 20.00
Bomb / A6

Bishop urges direct CBCP head

measures vs. food crisis
By Roy Lagarde
A SENIOR Roman Catholic
bishop has called for both imme-
diate and long-term measures to
check the looming food crisis.
Kalookan Bishop Deogracias
Iñiguez also warned that the cri-
sis could not only push people
deeper into poverty but also have
larger political and security im-
plications.
He called on the public to
work with the government and
non-government organizations
(NGOs) and exert all possible
means to fight the crisis.
“We must know how to net-
work our resources with the
agencies of the government such
as the National Food Authority
and other NGOs,” said Iñiguez.
Rising prices of rice and other
basic commodities in the coun-
try has turned many people from
apathy to panic.
Analysts said the panic is a po-
litical reaction to a crisis that can
collapse governments and send
the poor to riot and loot.
Over the weekend, violent pro-
tests erupted in other countries
such as Bangladesh and Haiti ap-
parently over soaring food
prices.
Iñiguez called on Filipinos to
remain calm, adding that resort-
ing to violence will not solve the
problem.
Bishop / A6
backs wage
hike
A TOP Catholic Church offi-
cial supports the appeal of
workers for a wage increase
as a means for them to be
able to cope with rising cost
of living.
CBCP president and Jaro
Archbishop Angel
Lagdameo urged the gov-
ernment to consider the sad
state of the workers amidst
skyrocketing prices of basic
goods, particularly rice.
He said ordinary people
cannot stop inflation of com-
modities, but he said, au-
thorities must not also for-
get the welfare of the many.
“Let’s look into how we
can help our workers,”
Lagdameo said.
“We have no control over
price hikes. Only the busi-
nessmen can do that. So the
best thing to do is to increase
the salaries of the people, he
also said in a separate inter-
view over Radyo Veritas.
Organized labor group-
Trade Union Congress of the
Philippines (TUCP) ap-
pealed Tuesday for a P60
across-the-board wage hike.
The group said the de-
mand is due to non-stop bur-
geoning of prices from ba-
sic goods to transportation.
The TUCP also said many
workers are already
crippled by the devaluation
To deepen their knowledge and understanding on the importance of rituals, hundreds of participants from the
Manila archdiocese attended the Liturgy Conference 2008 held at San Carlos Major Seminary auditorium in of their money’s worth.
Makati City, April 8-10, 2008. Inset: CBCP Episcopal Commission on Liturgy executive secretary Dom. Anscar (CBCPNews)
Chupungco, OSB, delivers a talk on Theology of Sacramentals and Blessings.

Davao Church dismayed

CBCP head worries over PAGCOR City
THE head of the Catholic Bishops’ Confer-
ence of the Philippines has spoken of his con-
cerns after the Las Vegas-style casino was
opened in Pasay City.
Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo said he
was worried a casino, built with “shifts in
presentation to gain acceptability in a Catho-
lic culture,” would increase addictive gam-
bling.
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming
Corp. said the “gaming complex” would in-
clude hotels, a theme park, museums and
other facilities.
“Definitely with so much money at the dis-
posal, it will be all three: gambling, enter-
tainment and tourism. And only the future
will tell which will be the dominant one,” he
said.
With the Pagcor saying that it would gen-
erate thousand of jobs, Lagdameo said the
plan is “impressive” but it will also be a com-
plex of “not-so-good.”
The prelate underscored that the CBCP’s
stand against gambling is irreversible.
“We advocate the combating of the expan-
sion of organized and systemic legal gam-
bling into a culture of gambling,” he said.
Negative effects
The CBCP is for whatever good, moral, eco-
nomic and social that is in the planned com-
plex, said Lagdameo.
“But the CBCP had made it clear through
its past statements that all forms of gambling,
legal or illegal, must be discouraged from
spreading as a moral and social cancer,” he
said.
He said any financial benefits to the com-
munity through the income that would from
the “gaming complex” must be weighted
against the negative effects.
“We had said that gambling exploits the
poor. With their hard-earned money the poor
are attracted and lured by the easy money
that gambling vainly promises. Loss of
money through gambling inflicts great suf-
fering on families,” Lagdameo also said.
“We advocate the adoption of more altru-
istic and socialized alternatives for the great
sum of money spent by both rich and poor
on gambling.”
“While it is true that games of chance are
not in themselves contrary to justice, the pas-
sion for gambling risks becoming an enslave-
ment which results in the deprivation of
people of what they need,” the prelate added.
(CBCPNews)
over approval of LDPC
THE local Church in Davao ex-
pressed dismay that Local Devel-
opment Plan for Children (LDPC)
termed by Davao Archbishop
Fernando Capalla as “dangerous
and detrimental to the moral and
spirituality of the people,” has
been approved by the City gov-
ernment despite opposition from
Church and faith-based groups
here.
Even if Church authorities, pro-
life groups and church-based or-
ganizations stormed the heavens
with prayers to oppose the pro-
posed local development plan for
children (LDPC), it was still
passed.
City councilors had twice post-
poned action on the measure, and
the Catholic Church marked a
temporary victory against the
program two weeks ago after leg-
islators were furnished a copy of
a pastoral letter issued on Easter
Sunday by Archbishop Fernando
Capalla.
A staff of one of the city coun-
cilors opposed to LDPC who
spoke on conditions of anonym-
ity said that prior to the approval
of LDPC, Duterte called each leg-
islator in a “closed-door meet-
ing” except for Councilor Tessie
Marañon, who is the principal
Dismayed / A7

Over 200 RP delegates attend Sacraments denied to pro-LDPC councilors

World Congress on Mercy
THE first World Apostolic Congress on
Mercy (WACOM) held in Rome from
April 2-6 drew more than 200 delegates
from the Philippines, according to a re-
port from Monsignor Josefino Ramirez,
the Continental Representative for Asia
and Oceania.
Fr. Melvin Castro, Executive Secre-
tary of the Episcopal Commission on
Family and Life and part of the Lipa
delegation said Pope Benedict XVI re-
ferred to Pope John Paul II in his hom-
ily during the opening mass at St. Peter’s
Square on April 2 recalling the great-
ness of the late pope amidst pain and
suffering.
Castro who is also the founder of the
Confraternity of Our Lady of Mediatrix
of All Grace said their motley delega-
tion was headed by Archbishop Ramon
Arguelles of Lipa and composed of devo-
Mercy / A7
THE archbishop of Davao issued a stern
warning against councilors who support
the local development plan for children
(LDPC) in Davao City, that the sacra-
ments of the church will not be adminis-
tered to them.
Archbishop Fernando Capalla de-
scribed the acts of the councilors as an
“open defiance and ridicule” of the
Church’s moral teachings which create
public scandal thereby making them
“unworthy” to receive sacraments.
In an appeal letter sent by Capalla to
City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte yesterday,
the prelate stressed that “LDPC is dan-
gerous and detrimental to the moral and
spiritual of the people.”
He added that LDPC is dangerous and
detrimental because in the guise of “re-
productive health and safe pregnancy”,
which mocks parental authority belittles
the value of family, denigrates the virtue
of chastity, makes available all contracep-
tives to children 0-18 years old and pro-
motes pre-marital sex and promiscuity.
Capalla also reminded Duterte that
LDPC offends the Catholic faith and the
religious sentiments of the people. “I
appeal to our councilors to be sensitive
and respectful of the religious feelings An insider from the council revealed
and moral values of the people,” he said. that late this afternoon the councilors will
The prelate also warned the city offi- come up with a decision on LDPC. Yes-
cials who directly and indirectly exert terday, the councilors had an emergency
moral pressures to their subordinates in meeting after they received the appeal
the adoption and later implementation letter of Capalla.
of the LDPC that they too shall be de- Unconfirmed reports said that some
nied of the sacraments of the Church for councilors were troubled in the content
they are also “unworthy.” of the appeal letter
Capalla, however, said that the judg- which denied “sac-
ment of one’s unworthiness “is not au- raments for those
tomatic” and needs thorough verifica- who directly and
tion by Church authorities. indirectly sup-
Meanwhile, the clergy of Davao to- port the LDPC.”
gether with all the members of the pas- (Mark S Ventura)
toral agencies, family and life apostolate,
Couples for Christ and the
Catholic Women’s League
trooped to the City Coun-
cil today to watch the
Tuesday’s regular session
where the LDPC is being de-
liberated.
Some of them offered
prayers by praying the
holy rosary outside the
city council building
while others stayed in-
side the session hall.
 CBCP Monitor
A2 World News Vol. 12 No. 8
April 14 - 27, 2008

Pope promises to “do Polish bishops seek

return of John Paul II’s
everything possible” to heart to Poland
heal scandal of sex abuse ROME, April 11, 2008—Polish
bishops are trying to have Pope
John Paul II’s heart extracted and
moved to the Polish cathedral
where the Pope served as cardi-
been venerated by thousands
daily.
Pope Benedict XVI, the present
Pontiff, has waived the ordinary
five-year waiting period required
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE, April 15, nal, AKI News reports. before investigations begin into
2008—While in transit to the United States Bishop Tadeusz Pieronek, Pope John Paul’s cause for beati-
today, Pope Benedict XVI took the opportu- speaking to the Polish Catholic fication.
nity to respond to the clergy sexual abuse news agency KAI, said that many At a Mass last week commemo-
scandal in the Catholic Church, saying that Poles wanted the exhumed heart rating the death of his predeces-
he will do “everything possible to heal this to be sent as a relic to the Wawel sor, Pope Benedict praised John
wound” and that he will work to ensure Cathedral in Krakow. Paul II’s “many human and su-
pedophiles don’t become priests. Since his death in 2005, Pope pernatural qualities,” including
The Pope’s words were part of answers he John Paul II’s burial site in the “an exceptional spiritual and
gave to questions submitted in advance by crypt of St. Peter’s Basilica has mystical sensibility.” (CNA)
reporters aboard Shepherd One, a special
Alitalia airliner that is ferrying him to the
United States.
“It is a great suffering for the Church in the
United States and for the Church in general
and for me personally that this could hap-
Muslim cleric proclaims
Rome will soon be
pen,” Benedict said. “It is difficult for me to
understand how it was possible that priests
betray in this way their mission ... to these

children.”
“I am deeply ashamed and we will do what
is possible so this cannot happen again in the
future,” the pope said.
Benedict XVI also said he was determined
to prevent pedophiles from becoming priests
in the Roman Catholic Church.
“We will absolutely exclude pedophiles
from the sacred ministry,” Benedict said in
English. “It is more important to have good
priests than many priests. We will do every-
thing possible to heal this wound.”
Pedophilia is “absolutely incompatible”
with the priesthood,” Benedict said.
The Catholic Church in the United States
conquered by Islam
CNA STAFF, April
14, 2008—A high
profile Muslim cleric
has been hit particularly hard on the East When the Pope lands at Andrews Air Force and Hamas member
Coast by the sex abuse scandals, and the Base at 4 p.m. EST, President Bush will give of the Palestinian
Pope’s visit could serve as a key step in the him the honor of picking him up at the base. parliament gave a
healing process for the Church. On board the plane, the Pope also said that sermon last Friday in
The Holy Father also spoke about how he when he meets with President Bush tomor- which he declared
sees this, his first visit as Pope to the U.S. row, he will discuss immigration and the dif- that soon Rome, “the
He described his visit as a voyage to meet ficulties of families who are separated by capital of the Catho-
a “great people and a great Church.” immigration. (CNA) lics” will be soon
overtaken by Islam.
Yunis al-Astal, the Yunis Al-Astal
cleric in question,

Catholics should confront Socialist “cultural told his listeners that “Very soon, “When jihad becomes an indi-
Allah willing, Rome will be con- vidual duty, it applies to women
quered, just like Constantinople too, because women do not dif-

revolution”, says Spanish archbishop

MADRID, Spain, April 15, 2008—Archbishop
Emeritus Fernando Sebastian of Pamplona said
Catholics in Spain should confront the “cultural
revolution” that is being carried out by the So-
cialist Party in the country by proclaiming God.
In an interview on COPE radio, the arch-
bishop said, “Today in Spain Catholics need
to be aware that we are capable of sustaining
a face-to-face discussion with the message of
the culture of the Socialist party which is seek-
ing to promote a cultural revolution. “We are
not the opposition party,” he said, “but rather
the Church of Jesus.”
“Fortunately our faith does not depend on
politics,” he continued. Politicians must be “put
in their place” and not be allowed to legislate
whatever they want.
“The world is governed by the principle of
pleasure,” and in order to confront it and live
in the truth we must realize that “we do not
exist alone, but rather we exist in the world.”
This problem, he said, has its origin in the
“non-recognition of God.”
Archbishop Sebastian said, “We need to pro-
claim God, to recover the notion of creation. I
don’t understand how one can be happy with-
out having global vision.” (CNA)
was, as was prophesized by our fer from men when it comes to
Prophet Muhammad. Today, individual duties,” he said in a
Rome is the capital of the Catho- June 23, 2007 interview. Al-Astal
lics, or the Crusader capital, also called Jews “the brothers of
which has declared its hostility apes and pigs” who should “taste
to Islam…” the bitterness of death” in the in-
The diatribe was aired on terview.
Hamas’ Al-Aqsa TV and pre- The parliamentarian returned
dicted that Rome would become to this slur on Friday, saying that
“an advanced post for the Islamic Rome “has planted the brothers
conquests, which will spread of apes and pigs in Palestine in
though Europe in its entirety, and order to prevent the
then will turn to the two Ameri- reawakening of Islam.”
cas, even Eastern Europe.” “I believe that our children, or
“Allah has chosen you for Him- our grandchildren, will inherit
self and for His religion,” al-Astal our jihad and our sacrifices, and,
declared, “so that you will serve Allah willing, the commanders

President Bush pulling out all stops to

as the engine pulling this nation of the conquest will come from
to the phase of succession, secu- among them,” Al-Astal said.
rity and consolidation of power, “Today, we instill these good
and even to conquests through tidings in their souls—and by

welcome the Pope
honoring the Pontiff.
Until this visit, the Associated Press reports,
no president has given a visiting leader the
honor of picking him up at the airport.
The White House arrival ceremony for the
Pope will feature the anthems of the United
dent said. “Two, he doesn’t come as a politi-
cian; he comes as a man of faith; and Three, I
so subscribe to his notion that there’s right
and wrong in life, that moral relativism un-
dermines the capacity to have hopeful and
free societies. I want to honor his convic-
da’wa and military conquests of means of the mosques and the
the capitals of the entire world. Koran books, and the history of
According to FOX News, Al- our Prophets, his companions,
Astal preached last June that it and the great leaders, we prepare
was the duty of Palestinian them for the mission of saving
women to martyr themselves by humanity from the hellfire at
becoming homicide bombers. whose brink they stand.” (CNA)

Tamil Nadu: A thousand Dalit

WASHINGTON DC, April, 2008—Pope
Benedict’s visit to the White House on
Wednesday will be only the second time a
Pope has visited the home of the President of
the United States, the Associated Press re-
ports.
In an unprecedented move, President Bush
will drive out to meet Pope Benedict’s plane
after it lands at Andrews Air Force Base. The
papal visit will bring an audience of 12,000
to the South Lawn of the White House, where
the president will host an East Room dinner
States and the Holy See, a 21-gun salute, and
the U.S. Army Drum and Fife Corps. Both
men will deliver remarks before they meet
in the Oval Office.
The expected welcoming ceremony crowd
of 12,000 will be the largest ever at the White
House, exceeding in number the 7,000 people
who came to greet Queen Elizabeth II last
spring.
Though the White House dinner will fea-
ture Bavarian-style food for the German-born
pontiff, the Pope will miss the dinner and
instead attend a prayer meeting with the
United States Catholic bishops.
President George W. Bush, speaking in an
interview with EWTN, explained the reasons
for his novel airport tarmac greeting of the
Pope.
“One, he speaks for millions,” the presi-
tions, as well.”
The president also described himself as a
“believer in the value of human life.”
Since President Dwight Eisenhower’s meet-
ing in Rome with Pope John XXIII, every U.S.
president has met with the Pope at least once.
Christians reconvert to Hinduism
Pope Benedict’s visit will mark President
NEW DELHI, India, April 14, What is more, the HMK is also
Bush’s fifth meeting with a pontiff, a new
2008—A thousand Dalit Chris- planning to re-convert another
record.
tians were reconverted to Hindu- 20,000 Christians in Villupuram
While Pope Benedict and President Bush
ism today, the 117th anniversary district, starting next August.
share some common ground regarding abor-
of the birth of Bhimrao Caste discrimination prevails
tion, homosexual marriage, and embryonic
Ambedkar, the messiah of the among Christians in Tamil
research, they have disagreed on the war in
Dalits, in the town of Tirunelveli Nadu. Last 9 March in the parish
Iraq and the death penalty. Pope Benedict
(Tamil Nadu). of Eraiyur, Pondicherry-
has also spoken against punitive immigra-
Arjun Sampath, president of the Cuddalore archdiocese, clashes
tion laws and the U.S. embargo against Cuba,
Hindu Makkal Katchia (MMK), a between upper caste Christians
while favoring social welfare programs in
local political party, announced and lower Dalit Christians led
ways that differ from the positions of the
that “185 Christian Dalit families to police intervention, resulting
American president. (CNA)
from villages in Tirunelveli dis- in the death of two people. The
trict will formally return to Hin- situation is such that the two
duism.” groups have separate cemeter-
The function involved an ies and, in church, separate pews.

Bishops’ Conference calls for an end to violence atonement ritual (prayaschitha

yagam) followed by a purifica-
tion rite (sudhi chadangu).
Pope John Paul II urged Tamil
Nadu bishops during their ‘ad
limina’ visit of 17 November

around the Madhu Shrine
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, April 14,
2008—Security is getting worse
around the Marian Shrine of
Madhu as clashes between Tamil
separatists and the army con-
tinue. At the same time requests
from the Catholic Church for an
end to violence and for respect
for this “haven of peace” con-
tinue.
In the wake of the recent ap-
peal by Msgr. Rayappu Joseph,
bishop of Mannar, the Catholic
Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka
(CBCSL), which met on 9-11 April
to discuss the situation, made its
own appeal to both government
and Tamil rebels.
In a statement signed by the
CBCSL Secretary general, Msgr.
Vianney Fernando, the bishops
reiterated the importance the
shrine has for the entire popula-
tion, whatever their ethnicity or
religion, and called on the
belligerents to prevent further
damages to the sacred building.
Last 4 April for security reasons
Monsignor Rayappu ordered the
transfer of the venerated statue
of Our Lady of Madhu to the
church of Thevanpitti, which is
in area under the control of the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam
(LTTE)
The decision has fed the rumor
mill which claimed that the prel-
ate had the statue moved as a re-
sult of rebel pressures.
The CBCSL has denied the alle-
gations, stating that the prelate
acted for the best. Thevanpitti, it
said, was the parish closest to the
shrine, adding that “the sacred fig-
ure will return to the shrine as
soon as security made it possible.”
On 7 April Monsignor Rayappu
renewed the request he made to
President Rajapakse and LTTE
leaders to recognize Madhu as a
“zone of peace” and respect it as
such by avoiding any military
action.
In his last letter to the presi-
dent, the prelate has said that the
people of Mannar were drafting
an agreement to that effect signed
by thousands of residents to be
presented to Rajapakse in a week
time. (AsiaNews)
“We’ll purify all those who re-
turn to Hinduism by sprinkling
Ganga theertha (Ganga water)
and Sethu theertha (sethu
water),”Arjun said, adding that
all of them would also get sacred
Hindu names as well.
Those who want to follow the
Shiva (Saiva) cult will be given
sacred ash (bhasmam) and a string
of dark berries of elaeocarpus
ganitrus (rudraksha).
Followers of Vishnu will get a
mark on their forehead (tilak) and
a string of holy basil (tulsi).
All Christian Dalits who return
to the Hindu fold will get a for-
mal initiation (mantra deeksha)
in both Sanskrit and Tamil.
Indeed a statement of faith is
not enough for the HMK. “The
members who return to Hindu
fold will take an oath [. . .] and
sign affidavits. Later, we’ll get the
conversion certificates from Arya
Samaj to get their names changed
in the Gazette,” Arjun said.
2003 to overcome this division.
On that occasion the Holy
Father said: “Any semblance of
a caste-based prejudice in rela-
tions between Christians is a
countersign to authentic human
solidarity, a threat to genuine
spirituality and a serious hin-
drance to the Church’s mission
of evangelization. Therefore,
customs or traditions that per-
petuate or reinforce caste divi-
sion should be sensitively re-
formed so that they may be-
come an expression of the soli-
darity of the whole Christian
community. As the Apostle Paul
teaches us, ‘if one member suf-
fers, all suffer together’ (1 Cor.
12:26). It is the Church’s obliga-
tion to work unceasingly to
change hearts, helping all
people to see every human be-
ing as a child of God, a brother
or sister of Christ, and therefore
a member of our own family.”
(AsiaNews)
 CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 8
April 14 - 17, 2008 News Features A3

Pope: Good priests more

important than many priests
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE, APRIL 15,
2008—Benedict XVI says that it is hard for
him to understand how sexually abusive
priests could have betrayed their mission, and
promised that the Church will do everything
possible so that such a situation does not re-
peat itself.
The Pope affirmed this today from the
Alitalia Boeing 777, “Shepherd One,” that is
carrying him to the United States for a 4 p.m.
arrival at Andrews Air Force Base.
Some 70 journalists are on-board the flight.
“Really, it is a great suffering for the Church
in the United States and for the Church in gen-
eral and for me personally that this could hap-
pen,” he said. “If I read the histories of these
victims, it’s difficult for me to understand how
it was possible that priests betrayed in this
important to have good priests than to have
many priests. “We will absolutely exclude
pedophiles from the sacred ministry,” the
Pope added.
The Pontiff responded for about 20 min-
utes to five questions from the journalists.
According to L’Osservatore Romano, the
Vatican’s semi-official daily, the interchange
gave an inside look into the themes the Holy
Father will discuss while in the United States.
Benedict XVI highlighted the eminently
religious and pastoral nature of his trip, and
his hopes for his meetings with U.S. Catho-
lics and representatives of Judaism and other
religions, and with leaders from other Chris-
tian confessions. He also mentioned his visit
to the United Nations, marking the 60th an-
niversary of the Universal Declaration of

way their mission to give healing, to give the
love of God to these children.
“We are deeply ashamed and will do all
possible that this cannot happen in the fu-
ture.”
The Holy Father affirmed that the Church
must select candidates for the priesthood who
are healthy and balanced. He said it is more
© Alessandra Benedetti/Corbis
Human Rights.
Finally, he analyzed the increasing pres-
ence in the United States of immigrants from
Latin American countries, emphasizing that
their presence is a challenge for the Church,
which is called to accompany them with great
pastoral solicitude, aware of the risk their
families run of being broken apart. (Zenit)

Peace requires development,

affirms Pontiff
VATICAN CITY, APRIL 14, 2008—Peace is
unimaginable without the development of
each person and all peoples, says Benedict
XVI.
The Pope affirmed this in a message made
public Saturday, which he addressed to Car-
dinal Renato Martino, president of the Pon-
tifical Council for Justice and Peace. The mes-
sage was sent on the occasion of an April 11-
must, at the same time, also express solidar-
ity.”
“True and lasting peace is unimaginable
without the development of each person and
of all peoples,” he contended. “Nor is it con-
ceivable to think of reducing arms if first we
do not eliminate violence at its roots, if man
does not first turn decisively to searching for
peace and for what is good and just.
Test Ban Treaty. [...] Finally, every effort must
also be made to combat the proliferation of
small-caliber arms.”
Conversion to good
“Nonetheless,” Benedict XVI acknowl-
edged, “it will be difficult to find a solution
to the various technical problems without
man’s conversion to good on a cultural, moral

People’s Food Summit declares: 12 conference in Rome titled: “Disarmament,

Development and Peace: Prospects for Inte-
gral Disarmament.”
“As long as a risk of hostility exists, the
arming of states will remain necessary for
reasons of legitimate defense. [...] Nonethe-
and spiritual level.”
He emphasized the “ever greater need for
a choral invocation of the culture of peace

hunger is governance crisis! “Tension and war exist in various parts of

MANILA, April 4, 2008—The
People’s Food Summit was suc-
cessfully held April 2, 2008 at the
UP-SOLAIR premises meeting its
purpose beyond expectation.
Four hundred sixty (460) lead-
ers representing various sectors—
farmers, urban poor, fisherfolks,
bishops, scientists and the aca-
demic community actively partici-
pated while some sixty-four (64)
organizations have also added
their voice during the crucial high-
level meeting.
Cagayan de Oro Archbishop
Antonio J. Ledesma and
Kalookan Bishop Deogracias
Iñiguez were also present in sup-
port of the summit.
In his talk Archbishop Ledesma
raised the alarm on the rising
price of rice. He asked govern-
ment to seriously assess the cur-
rent food crisis situation. If indeed
there is stable and steady supply
of rice, then why prices are unre-
strained and going up continually.
The Archbishop proposed an
inventory of the rice supply to be
immediately undertaken and
make rice accessible, adequate and
affordable for all, especially the
poor. Food crisis, he added, is re-
lated to the crisis of skewed land
ownership in the countryside,
making the farmers still landless
and without capacity to feed their
own family. He stressed that
agrarian reform becomes more
urgent and called on the legisla-
tors to extend CARP and institute
progressive reforms to address the
major flaws of the law and other
implementation problems.
Archbishop Ledesma also
raised concern on the RP-China
Agricultural Deals which provides
1.2M hectares for the food and bio-
fuel needs of China. He noted that
it undermines agrarian reform,
ancestral domain claims of the
farmers and the indigenous com-
munities. It also has major impacts
to the nation’s food security, es-
pecially during these times of food
crisis, he added.
Towards the end he urged ev-
eryone, the stakeholders, to study
the People’s Declaration on Food
Crisis to help come up with ap-
propriate actions.
Bishop Iñiguez extended his
support and asked for strong soli-
darity. He encouraged the assem-
bly to bring the People’s Decla-
ration to the 2nd National Rural
Congress and to the national
government.
The academe also rendered
their expertise as resource persons
and presenter during the 1-day
summit. UP-Los Baños scientist
Dr. Ted Mendoza, Dr. Rene
Ofreneo of the Free Trade Alliance
(FTA) and Dean Jorge Sibal of UP-
SOLAIR were among those who
gave relevant inputs giving light
on the current rice crisis.
Adopted during the summit is
the People’s Declaration on Food
Crisis declaring among others;
that the Philippine food crisis is
man-made, not a mere outcome
of the global food shortages.
It stressed that the rice crisis is
not a surprise but an outcome of
the following governance factors:
collapse of the agricultural sector;
import dependency; chemical in-
tensive farming; failure to effec-
tively implement the Compre-
hensive Agrarian Reform Pro-
gram (CARP) which has vastly
weakened the agricultural sector;
anti-Filipino trade policies such as
the RP-China Agri-deals.
The Summit forwarded imme-
diate measures, among others, a
massive campaign for food pro-
duction: early planting of rice
and other essential crops so that
harvesting shall coincide with
historical lean months for these
commodities; support services
should be extended such as seeds,
credit, irrigation, etc.; instead of
identifying so-called idle lands
for big agribusiness, government
should encourage landless urban
and rural poor to undertake de-
velopment of these lands; mora-
torium on land conversion; in-
ventory of rice supply; crack
down of hoarders; permanent
suspension of the RP-China
Agrideals. It also called for an
emergency food and jobs pro-
gram for the urban and rural
poor, who will be hardest hit by
the crisis.
It also called for major policy
reforms, among others are: rice
self-sufficiency instead of rice im-
port dependency; making agrar-
ian reform and agricultural devel-
opment the center of national de-
velopment and global competi-
tiveness and transforming small
farmers into modern agribusiness
men and women; shift to sustain-
able agriculture, among others
Organizers led by the PARRDS,
Urban and Rural Poor in Solidar-
ity, UPA, COPE, CRSS and UP-
SOLAIR together with the del-
egates and representatives of vari-
ous sectoral and church groups
were determined to put forward
the summit’s Declaration to the
government for immediate con-
sideration to solve the food crisis.
(Belinda L. Formanes)
the world,” the Holy Father wrote, “and even
where the tragedy of war is not present, feel-
less, not all levels of armament are permis-
sible. [...] The vast material and human re-
sources used for military expenditure and
and for a joint education in peace, especially
among the new generations. [...] The human
right to peace is fundamental and inalien-
ings of fear and insecurity are nonetheless armaments are, in fact, taken from projects able,” and upon it “the exercise of all other
widespread. Furthermore, such phenomena for the development of peoples, especially rights depends.”
as global terrorism blur the distinction be- the poorest and those most in need of help.” Although the current situation in the world
tween peace and war, seriously compromis- In this context, the Pope made an appeal could give rise “to a justified sense of dis-
ing the future hopes of humankind. “for states to reduce military expenditure on comfort and resignation,” the Holy Father
“How can we respond to these challenges? arms and to give serious consideration to the said, also pointing out that “war is never in-
How can we recognize the ‘signs of the times’? idea of creating a global fund for peaceful evitable and peace is always possible. Even
Certainly, joint action on a political, eco- development projects.” more so, it is a duty! The time has come to
nomic and juridical level is needed, but, even He affirmed the need to do everything change the course of history, to rediscover
before that, it is necessary to reflect together possible to ensure that “the economy is di- trust, to cultivate dialogue and to nourish
on a moral and spiritual level. What is ever rected to serving human beings and solidar- solidarity.”
more vital is to promote a ‘new humanism.’” ity, and not just to profit. On a legal plane, “The future of humanity depends upon a
states are called to a renewed commitment, commitment on everyone’s part,” he con-
Integral humanism especially as regards international agree- cluded. “Only by pursuing an integral and
Benedict XVI highlighted how “develop- ments on disarmament and arms control, as solidary humanism, in which disarmament
ment cannot be reduced to simple economic well as the ratification and subsequent imple- assumes an ethical and spiritual dimension,
growth; it must include the moral and spiri- mentation of previously adopted instru- can humanity progress toward the true and
tual dimension. A truly integral humanism ments such as the Comprehensive Nuclear lasting peace for which it longs.” (Zenit)
Paulines hold assembly to strategize media ministry
Drawing from the wealth of her
experience, she gave suggestions
in preparing modules for media
education emphasizing the im-
portance of adapting it according
to the type of audience.
Sharing experiences on their
respective ministries in the vari-
ous dioceses where they are as-
signed, the Sisters reflected on
the strengths and weaknesses of
their apostolic works, opportu-
nities that help them fulfill their
ministry, and negative influences
that hinder them to do so.
Together they drew a strategic
plan to follow for the next five
years, committing themselves to
work in synergy to become more
responsive to the needs of the
Church using the means of com-
Participants to the Paulines media assembly held from April 7-11 at the Daughters of St. Paul, Harrison St., Pasay City. munication.
In a mission statement formu-
MANILA, April 14, 2008—In a bid Resource speakers during the with world events. lated at the end of the assembly,
to address the demands of the me- assembly were Sr. Consolata Likewise, she gave a brief the sisters reiterated their com-
dia apostolate and to become Manding, FSP, Directress of sketch of various Church docu- mitment “to live and promote
more effective in the exercise of Paulines Institute for Communi- ments that highlight the impor- gospel values in order to respond
their ministry, 23 Sisters of the cation in Asia (PICA), and Sr. tance of media in evangelization creatively to the needs of the
Daughters of St. Paul represent- Clothilde de las Llagas, FSP, Co- as well as its great role in shap- people in line with the priorities
ing various sectors of electronic ordinator of PICA’s Mobile Me- ing people’s lifestyle and way of of the local Church and of the 9th
media apostolate and pastoral in- dia Literacy Education program. thinking. General Chapter by improving
volvement (radio, television, au- Sr. Consolata reflected on the She said that the Church’s atti- the quality of our relationships,
dio visuals, newspaper, informa- significance of the celebration of tude towards mass media was constantly renewing our zeal for
tion technology and media lit- World Communications Day generally negative before the Sec- the apostolate and living the
eracy education) gathered for a (WCD) in the Church, especially ond Vatican Council. But Vatican evangelical service of authority
five-day assembly to discuss and for the Daughters of St. Paul, II’s declaration through its docu- and obedience.”
strategize their media and pasto- emphasizing that for Paulines, ment “Inter Mirifica” proclaiming The Philippine province of the
ral involvement for the next five “celebrating WCD is a duty.” media as gifts of God, and thus Daughters of St. Paul has com-
years. “Celebrating WCD is the should be used for evangeliza- munities in 14 arch/dioceses in
With the theme “Working in Church’s recognition of the tion, had changed the generally the country and another 4 in Ma-
synergy to broaden our presence power of media and its influence pessimistic stance of the Catholic laysia, Papua New Guinea and
for effective service in the world in the life of people,” she said. Church towards media. Thailand.
of communication,” the meeting She gave a historical presenta- Sr. Clothilde, who has been Their radio programs are aired
was held April 7-11 at the Pauline tion of various messages for involved in media education for in all diocesan radio stations and
Communications Center, Daugh- World Communications Day not- many years, gave an animated in some commercial stations in
ters of St. Paul, Harrison St. Pasay ing that the theme chosen for presentation of conducting me- Manila and the provinces. (Pinky
City. each year had some connection dia education in the dioceses. Barrientos, FSP)
 CBCP Monitor
A4 Opinion Vol. 12 No. 8
April 14 - 27, 2008

EDITORIAL

The real shortage

PAMPANGA Archbishop Paciano Aniceto—and so did
all other well-meaning citizens—was quick to react and
register against the lawmaker who said “The country’s
inordinately huge population growth rate threatens food
security and aggravates the looming rice shortage.”
To pinpoint the burgeoning population for the looming rice
crisis is hilarious. Why? Has there suddenly been a freak
of whatever that all the babies born in less than a year’s time
have eaten all our rice to cause a phenomenal crisis?
Impending though it was, but a year ago there were no talks
of hoarding or of Malacañang having problems with the
truth on the issue of rice.
The population has always been the whipping boy, as if
reducing the population will do the magic of moderating
the greed of a few who always get the lion’s share. North
Korea and some African countries have reduced their
populations substantially—but their populace is hungry
just the same. The equation of less mouth equals more food
is not only a myth, it is childish. The relativity of production
and consumption is basic in economics—which is as true
as one-plus-one-equals-two. But when both production
and consumption become politicized, the fundamentals
are changed, especially when politics like in the Philippines
is defined by heavy tolls of corruption. Rice cartels like
gambling become handmaids of political ends and
maneuverings.
But is there really a rice crisis? Malacañang says, there is
none. And so says the Department of Agriculture. The
militants and those on the other side of the political fence
say there is. One thinks that even the very act of telling the
truth or lies has become an instrumentality of politics.
Indeed, there is not only a shortage of rice, but, worse, a
shortage of objectivity.
Truth to tell, the Philippines have been importing rice for
many years now. While we have the best rice institute and
the most number of agricultural schools in the planet,
ironically, the Philippines is one of the top rice importers in
the whole world. By now, we should be exporting. But, why
not so? Well, technocrats have volumes of answers and Oscar V. Cruz, DD
justifications. But maybe its simply because instead of
thinking about farming, the country has been busy dreaming “Eradicate gambling: It is a
of a nationwide broadband internet connectivity and all its
financial derivatives; instead of using fertilizers for the soil, Views and Points moral and social cancer”
we used them for the pockets; and so on and so forth.

THIS is the title of the Pastoral Statement of- in the darkness of the night. In other words, of the “Most Corrupt” in the history of the
ficially issued by the Catholic Bishops’ Con- either illegal or the so called “legal” gam- nation. The ruling administration is deeply
ference of the Philippines on 10 March 2003. bling is not exactly a venture accompanied immersed in graft and corrupt practices
Making the Family a School of Holiness The title itself cannot be more specific and
categorical, more plain and clear than what
with pride and delight. In the same way, gam-
blers are not good examples for the admira-
through devious contracts and scandalous
deals. In effect, even the CBCP Leadership
it says: One, that gambling has to be not sim- tion and edification of others—their own chil- said with deep pain and profound sorrow that
ON October 21, 2001 the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, ply regulated but actually extirpated from dren and neighbors as well. the present government is “morally bank-
beatified the spouses Luigi and Maria Beltrame Quattrocchi,
the first time in the history of the Church that husband and this long impoverished and depressing coun- This is what CBCP categorically said to rupt.” And it is rather difficult to even imag-
wife were beatified together in the same ceremony. Blessed try. Two, that gambling is a fatal disease that inculcate the social liability and more evil of ine that PCSO gambling components and
Luigi died in 1951 and Blessed Maria followed in 1965. first attacks and eventually finishes off the gambling: “It has become an insidious sub- PAGCOR casinos are paragons of honesty and
They had four children. The three living children, two gambler. Three, that gambling has not only culture of immense corruption that involves integrity—specially in the enviable perks of
priests and one lay woman, were at the beatification of their an anti-social impact whereas it foments ava- shadowy network of powerful financiers, its high officials, and particularly in the dis-
parents, who “lived an ordinary life in an extraordinary rice and greed, but also brings about immoral protectors and lords.” This is the objective bursements of the public funds avidly and
way. Among the joys and anxieties of a normal family, they actuations such as lying, cheating and steal- composite liability of gambling. Insidious is continuously taken away from their respec-
knew how to live an extraordinarily rich and spiritual life” ing. its nature and corruption is its specialty. tive gambling patrons.
(Pope John Paul II, Homily at the Mass of Beatification). It would be extremely hard if not morally Those who even dare to claim that gambling Considering what gambling is in nature
impossible to name a truly honorable and is ennobling and honest is its origin and/or and implications, attending to its odious im-
How truly wonderful are the ways of God! The beatification respectable, really upright and trustworthy finality, must belong to another planet, must pact in the community, to the youth in par-
event reveals the capacity for mutual sanctification in marriage. gambler. The truth is that just as known ha- pertain to another race other than human one. ticular, knowing that it is neither frequented
The life together of Blessed Luigi and Maria as spouses and bitual gamblers are not really proud of what The mere mention of the word “corrup- by exactly exemplary people be these Filipi-
parents illustrates the necessity and importance of the they do, professional gamblers even prefer tion” brings to mind a good number of vivid nos or foreigners nor protected by ordinary
Church’s teachings. The sacrament of marriage is a holy to carefully hide their identity. This is why and vibrant shameful realities in the Philip- individuals but rather by shadowy and threat-
sacrament lived out in the realities of conjugal and family just as jueteng operators and their close asso- pines: The country has been adjudged as one ening characters, the CBCP conclusion is both
life. Marriage is a call for mutual sanctification. The grace ciates stay in secret or unknown places, ca- of the “Most Corrupt” in the world. Its own obvious and imperative: GAMBLING IN
of the sacrament nourishes and supports marriage and sino players prefer to enter and exit casinos leadership also received the inglorious title THE COUNTRY MUST BE ERADICATED.
helps spouses to transform their lives into a “spiritual
sacrifice” (see FC, 56). The Eucharistic sacrifice in which
husband and wife must participate regularly represents
Christ’s covenant love with the Church, sealed with his Fr. Melvin P. Castro
blood on the Cross. In the Eucharist, husband and wife
receive nourishment, strength, and support, for in the TOTUS TUUS: Remembering
Eucharistic sacrifice “Christian spouses encounter the
source from which their own marriage covenant flows” the great John Paul II Speaking of Mary
(FC, 57). In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, they receive
pardon and forgiveness for their failures as spouses (FC,
58), as well as the grace of renewal. ROME. The very first World Apostolic Con- ternational Congress with all Filipino del- many took advantage to get to know Rome
Family prayer offered together with their children gress on Mercy (WACOM was the acronym egates but representing many countries better, and of course with the usual buying
strengthens the communion of love in the family and obtains used, and we jokingly said it sounded like from all over the world. of rosaries as pasalubong. And many, most
graces necessary for that communion to grow. This is why it was an advertising congress) has just con- The WACOM coincided with the 3rd certainly, went to the Vatican Grottoes—
we must encourage in the family, praying with the Word of cluded last Sunday, 06 April 2008. Among Death anniversary of the Great John Paul the tombs of the Sovereign Pontiffs. And
God, devotional prayer, especially the family Rosary. Prayer, the more numerous delegations came from II. The Holy Father, Benedict XVI, made there one cannot be amazed that to this day,
led by husband and wife, has to be part and parcel of family the Philippines. reference to him during the Homily of the how many would flock before the tomb of
life. Anniversaries are special moments for prayer, moments Monsignor Josefino Ramirez, the Conti- Opening Mass at St. Peter’s Square on 02 John Paul II. In his life and in his death, we
for thanksgiving and petition (FC, 59). nental Representative for Asia and Oceania, April 2008. He remembered most specially saw a true Vicar of Christ here on earth. He
happily reported that there were over 200 the last moments of his life and through truly lived and died in fama sanctitatis. In
In the Philippines, it is very tragic that many fathers do not
delegates from the Philippines. Sadly, he which we saw the true greatness of John him we truly felt the bonum odor Christi, the
provide an example, much less leadership, for their children
in this fundamental area of prayer. Prayer is not a luxury. also noted that around 50 delegates didn’t Paul II: that in the midst of human pain and sweet fragrance of Christ.
It is necessary and indispensable. Even Christ prayed. make it since they were denied VISA. suffering we encounter God. Cards, letters, candles are being left near
Fathers must likewise pray with and for their families. It was also amazing how elated we felt TOTUS TUUS was the Papal Motto of John the tomb of the Great Pope. TOTUS TUUS,
Through the family’s prayer, God makes the family a when, one by one, the delegations were in- Paul II, with it he summarized his great love a magazine which is the official publica-
sanctified and sanctifying family. troduced, the delegation from Japan that and devotion to Mary. In it, he saw his en- tion of the Postulation for the Cause of John
stood up were all Filipinos and Filipinas. tire Petrine ministry dedicated to Christ Paul II, even printed one such letter left
—Saving and Strengthening the Filipino Family, A They were even waving Philippine flags. through Mary. behind by a woman who happens to be a
CBCP Pastoral Statement, 2001
We thought we could soon organize an In- During the free time in the afternoon, Speaking / A6

ISSN 1908-2940
Sr. Mary Pilar Verzosa, RGS
Promoting natural child
CBCP Monitor
Protagonist of Tr u t h , Promoter of Peace
Love Life birth
Pedro C. Quitorio
Editor-in-Chief BABY Nathan John was a much awaited purposes, they visited me at the Good Shep- Esguerra, Pam and a couple of helpers.
baby to be born. And indeed, he was born herd Convent to ask for a room in order to We hurriedly set up the room again and
Pinky Barrientos, FSP Kris P. Bayos on March 31, Feast of the Annunciation, also hold this exciting event. filled the pool with warm water. Lights
Associate Editor Feature Editor the National Day of the Unborn. Expected date of delivery of Elizabeth were dimmed and soft music played in the
This was the third pregnancy of Eliza- was last March 25. A children’s plastic pool background. We were instructed to speak
Melo M. Acuña Rosalynn Garcia beth. Her second child, Liza, was born by was set up in the middle of the room, pails in a low voice especially when the baby
Managing Editor Marketing Supervisor Lamaze natural childbirth. She then became for heating water, lots and lots of pillows, was coming out. The whole idea was for
an active member of the Breastfeeding Sup- mats and pads were within reach and the the baby to come into the world without
Dennis B. Dayao Ernani M. Ramos
On-Line Editor
port Group and it is this group headed by two midwives on hand prepared their in- the trauma that babies experience in hospi-
Circulation Manager
Dr. Elvira Henarez-Esguerra and Mrs. Pam struments. Elizabeth did go into labor, but tal deliveries—cold air-conditioned room,
Roy Q. Lagarde Marcelita Dominguez Magallon that motivated her to try the Le the pains stopped in a couple of hours and doctors and nurses shouting out instruc-
News Editor Comptroller Boyer method, also called the Russian wa- Bernadette, the head midwife, said it was tions, turning the baby upside down and
ter birth, for her third delivery. false labor so they all decided to go back to roughly suctioning his nose or mouth for
The CBCP Monitor is published fortnightly by the CBCP No hospital in the Philippines was will- their homes and wait for the real labor to discharges, and even spanking him if he
Communications Development Foundation, Inc., with ing to accommodate this method of deliv- begin. Several days passed and I wondered doesn’t cry immediately. As a nurse, I have
Layout by Denz Dayao

editorial and business offices at 470 Gen. Luna St.,

ery, even though some midwives had al-
Intramuros, Manila. P.O. Box 3601, 1076 MCPO.
Editorial: (063) 404-2182. Business: (063)404-1612. ready successfully tried it in the homes of
Email: cbcpmonitor@cbcpworld.net the women in their care. Since the aim of
Website: www.cbcpworld.net/cbcpmonitor the group was to take videos of the deliv-
ery to be used for promotion and teaching
if Elizabeth decided to give birth in the
hospital. Then at early dawn of March 31,
we woke up to the ringing of the doorbell
to let the whole troupe in—Elizabeth writh-
ing in pain, the two midwives, Dra.
participated in such harsh deliveries, and
recall how we were so lacking in compas-
sion of how the mother must be feeling in
her exposed position for hours on the de-
Love Life / A6
 CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 8
April 14 - 17, 2008
Jose B. Lugay
Laiko Lampstand
IT IS a rare opportunity to match an
individual’s desire to serve others in the
Christian world with the available training
program specific for his need. This is a need
particularly relevant to young lay mission-
aries who want to serve Asian countries
whose mainstream religion is non-Catholic.
In these countries where priests and religious
are being watched, their activities monitored,
a trained lay person can do much to help the
local church in forming communities of faith.
Young lay missionaries trained by
FONDACIO—Christians for the World, some
of them Filipinos, are doing great work in
their country of assignments in Asia—a
dream of Pope John Paul coming true!
FONDACIO’s School of Discipleship for
Young Asians here in the Philippines, the In-
stitute of Formation, Asia is located at 48A
Cenacle Drive, Claret Seminary, Sanville
Subdivision, Quezon City. This Center of For-
mation works in partnership with the Fed-
eration of Asian Bishops’ Conference (FABC)
- Youth Desk and the St. Vincent School of
Theology (SVST). The 11-month formation
program provides a Certificate in Theologi-
cal Studies and a Certificate in Social Pasto-
ral Formation.
Dioceses, congregations or communities
may send lay students 20 – 30 years old, with
a college degree or a high school graduate
with 2 years work experience, and have had
some engagement or service in the local
Church. Potential students are those with
the right motivation, a good command of
English and committed to serve their dio-
cese and communities for at least 2 years. The
Summer Program begins on May 1, 2008. The
Formation Program integrates various cur-
rents of formation in Church and society such
as 1) human formation, 2) theological/spiri-
Crisis mode
FOR some time now I have been seriously
considering a friend’s proposal that we push
for a change in our country’s name from R.P.
(Republic of the Philippines) to R.P.C. (Repub-
lic in Perpetual Crisis). If you think I’m jok-
ing, well, I am, but seriously (to repeat this
adverb is equally necessary). Frankly I don’t
know if other countries may not qualify as
well for such an ID change, considering the
current crop of problems the world faces. Fuel
prices that have been skyrocketing, paired for
a long time with pockets of wars and terror,
have now found new and more lethal com-
panions—food and water crises. Dwindling
food (especially rice) supplies worldwide that
fuel impossibly high prices and long lines for
NFA rice is stalking our land together with
the specter of drinking water scarcity while
ironically flash floods still threaten rural com-
munities. We should know. We’re in it.
To add to our woes, in our islands whatever
crisis there may be in the outside world is
bound to double or worsen when it hits us. It
is because we also have a long-standing crisis
in leadership, perhaps rooted in a culture
deeply tainted by corruption, and conse-
quently a crisis in governance that impedes
effective and committed response to our prob-
lems. (Actually we don’t need a reminder from
one Australian blogger who promised “to
expose the hypocrisies in your corrupt coun-
try”. We know them too well already.) Such a
crisis in leadership facing food, fuel and water
crises within a crisis of culture is doing im-
mense damage to our national self-confidence
also in a perpetual state of crisis. For Filipinos
to take boxer Manny Pacquiao’s every victory
or Charice Pempengco’s astounding rise to
become a youtube-inspired international sen-
sation (to cite only two examples) as worthy
of accolades of national proportions speaks of
Bp. Guillermo V. Afable, DD
DADITAMA
THE National Rural Congress II Mindanao
(NRC II – Mindanao) activities are well on
their way. Daditama is actively participat-
ing. In fact, it has been chosen to host the said
event particularly by the host Archdiocese of
Davao. I would like to share with our read-
ers the latest bulletin from the NRC II -
Mindanao secretariat regarding the prepara-
tions and the holding of the congress.
Objectives: To present the collated and con-
solidated results of the Diocesan ad intra and
sub-regional ad extra consultations; to
deepen the analysis on the root causes of ru-
ral poverty; to reflect and discern on the cur-
rent situation in the light of the Social Teach-
ings of the Church; and to come-up with con-
crete recommendations.
Date: June 9 - 12, 2008
Venue: St. Francis Xavier Regional Major Semi-
nary (REMASE), Catalunan Grande, Davao City
Registration Fee: P 1,500.00 per participant
Participants: (1) Ad intra: Diocesan Rep-
resentatives. They are to be chosen by the
local ordinary. (2) Ad extra: Sub-regional
representatives. They will be selected by
their respective groups.
Pre-NRC II Mindanao Acitivies. Consul-
tation at the BEC / Parish/ Diocesan Level.
Deadline of submission of the Diocesan Con-
solidated Report will be on or before April 30,
Opinion
Wanted: youth leaders
for training
tual formation, 3) social formation, and 4)
pastoral/community formation.
After the year of formation, students com-
mit themselves for a two-year service to the
Diocese or Sending Organization. During this
two-year period, the Fondacio Institute for
Formation will accompany the students, en-
sure they are engaged in a mission where they
can apply their formation, and have basic
community life. The next stage is Discernment
which should lead them to a) further 2nd level
formation or b) continue other studies (aca-
demic or livelihood project) towards a life
orientation / mission, or 3) other calling.
The sending organization is required to
raise US$3,500 or P14,400 for food lodging
and formation expenses. This is a subsidized
amount. For emerging churches and those
who cannot afford this amount, they may re-
quest for a scholarship. The Fondacio Insti-
tute of Formation will try to make this avail-
able. The sending organization however
must shoulder the airfare, visa and pocket
money of their candidates. Estimated amount
of pocket money will be US$30 per month.
Each student is encouraged to contribute to
the expenses as their personal commitment.
This may come from fund-raising or spon-
sorship from their family, friends and pa-
rishioners.
For the school year 2007, 8 men and women
participated in Fondacio’s formation pro-
gram: Myanmar –5, China –3, Laos –2, Cam-
bodia –2, Malaysia –3 and Philippines –2. The
best proof of the success of the training in the
Institute of Formation, Asia, is the feedback
from the sending sponsors. We quote:
Sister Jesse, Filipina, Congregation of the
Daughters of Charity, point person for the
Institute in Laos: “The bishops are very happy
for them (Noi and Vian) and appreciate their con-
Rev. Euly B. Belizar, SThD
how badly this national self-confidence has
been battered that it grasps at anything to sur-
vive. We certainly are a very talented and
gifted people with abilities that are nothing
short of world-class. But for a long time we
have been in a crisis mode that it seems so
easy to forget what we can and should really
do for ourselves and for our nation. The time
to wake up is past due.
Woudn’t we be shocked if we saw a Marcos,
an Aquino or a Cojuangco looking for food in
a pile of garbage? But in my view it is a greater
shock to see a baptized Catholic Christian
grabbing millions of money (even as a com-
mission or as a ‘por ciento’) or immense prop-
erty that are not his and cannot be his by just
dealings while millions of fellow Filipinos
stand to suffer the consequences of such greed
(that is, in terms of debt to pay and poverty to
endure). Nay, it’s a greater shock to find a
baptized Catholic treating the ballot and vot-
ers as commodities to buy or sell. If scrim-
maging in the dumps is incompatible with
being an Aquino, a Cojuangco or a Marcos, it
is even more incompatible for a baptized
Christian to have anything to do with the “cul-
ture of corruption” (except to reject it or to do
everything that it be stopped).
I’m astounded at how the Scriptures could
give a flash of light into the dark we’re in
and in a way that is so simple, yet so direct.
When Peter preaches the kerygma of how
“God has made Lord (Kyrios) and Messiah
this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:36), it
strikes me how the crowd reacts by asking
Peter: “What do we do, brothers?” Peter re-
sponds: “Reform your lives and be
baptized…(Acts 2:38)” If he were to address
today the Filipino nation that, in more times
than one, prides itself in being the “only
Christian, only Catholic, country in Asia”,
Davao hosts NRC II –
Mindanao
2008. Said report shall be sent to: REV. FR.
PEDRO P. LAMATA, NRC II SECRETARIAT,
c/o PASTORAL OFFICE, Archbishop’s Resi-
dence, F. Torres Street, Davao City
Note: Everyone is encouraged to submit
the consolidated report so that regional col-
lation can start as early as possible. Each Dio-
cese will be asked to send six delegates: two
representing the diocese (e.g. the BEC and
Social Action directors); two from basic rural
sectors (e.g. Farmer, fisherman, etc.); and two
from civil society organizations working in
the diocese (e.g. academe, etc.).
Daditama catechetical convention
Once again, the Daditama catechetical direc-
tors and coordinators have gathered their cat-
echist delegates for the 6 th Daditama
Catechetical Convention in Digos City, April
09-11 hosted by the Diocese of Digos.
Aside from the quarterly pastoral meetings
of the Metropolitan Province of Daditama, in-
dividual ministries also gather for their annual
or bi-annual conventions. These gatherings are
meant to strengthen their solidarity and con-
tinue to learn from each other’s experiences
and pastoral initiatives. This catechetical con-
vention is one such gathering specifically for
those engaged in Christian formation.
Participants are mostly the head catechists
tribution to the diocese. The students themselves
are grateful for the formation they have received
and look forward to coming back for further forma-
tion. Vian is very interested in deepening her for-
mation in Theology. They are beginning to orga-
nize their own work teams in the implementation
of programs and the young people are beginning
to look at them as role models.”
Archbishop Paul Grawn, Mandalay-
Myanmar, On the Students, Institute: “I am
very satisfied with the progress of the student I
had sent. I can see changes in them. They are
more confident. Our post formation accompani-
ment system is very good. I can see the follow-up
and concept of on-going formation.”
Fr. Daniel Franklin Pilario, C.M. Dean, St.
Vincent School of Theology:
“One characteristic of the students from the
Institute of Formation is their eagerness to
study and learn. Despite some difficulty with
language, they are never afraid to ask ques-
tions, raise issues arising from their personal
and social contexts, browse sources to en-
hance learning. For these alone, teaching be-
comes an enjoyable task for me. Their pres-
ence has also given colors to SVST with their
different languages, dances, songs, prayers,
food and cultures. Their youthful enthusiasm
and spontaneity have energized and ani-
mated this academic community.”
For the coming school year, the Philippines
has not yet sent a candidate. It is a pity to
miss this golden opportunity to have a
trained a future Filipino lay missionary of
Asia! We raise this flag of opportunity to the
Episcopal Commission on Youth. For other
congregations who are interested, please con-
tact Mr. Charles Bertille, Director and Asian
Coordinator, Institute of Formation, Asia, at
Tel. 632-4553468. e-mail: cof.fondacio@ gmail,
www.fondacio-asia.org
By the Roadside
wouldn’t he say: “Reform your lives and be
faithful to your baptism where you have re-
nounced all evil and anything to do with Sa-
tan in as much as you professed faith in God
and adherence to everything he stands for”?
And wouldn’t he take us to task for putting
our Christianity together with acts of cor-
ruption, the sign of the cross with extrajudi-
cial killings and human rights violations in
the same degree that he would chide us for
putting the Sto. Niño or the saints together
with images of scantily clad women in our
tricyles and jeepneys?
I also find it extremely educational that Jesus
is acclaimed ‘Lord’ (Kyrios) and ‘Messiah’ only
after he allows himself to be crucified. The prob-
lem with us is not that we do not aspire enough
for the glory of the country; the problem is that
we do little to check the greed that accompa-
nies our all-too-human struggles to achieve it.
The problem is not that we haven’t heard nor
understood how Jesus “suffered” so that we
might be saved; the problem is that we want to
be saved from poverty while passing ‘suffer-
ing’ to others, instead of ‘suffering for others’,
which marks true Christian leadership. I re-
member how many decent Filipinos reacted
negatively to a clause attributed to Sec. Neri
instructing Engr. Jun Lozada: “Moderate their
greed” (in reference to a failed deal’s players
scrambling for big-time money). I share that
reaction. We must not only moderate our greed;
we must crucify it once and for all, nipping it in
the bud, so that our poor may truly be able to
rise and join the rest of us in pushing the nation
to its right destination—true, peaceful and just
prosperity. But unless we realize that the Pas-
chal Mystery is not only meant to be celebrated
in liturgy but also to be lived out in society, we
will always be derailed in our journey by a
continuing ‘crisis mode’.
or catechetical coordinators of the more than
95 parishes and 17 quasi parishes in the area.
These head catechists take care of the forma-
tion and coordination of at least 9,487 volun-
teer catechists serving in the schools and BECs
numbering around 5,606 in the entire
Daditama. The Diocese of Tagum has the most
number of volunteer catechists numbering
3,194 volunteer catechists. Nevertheless, the
harvest is still great, and the laborers are still
few in comparison. We continue to pray to
the Lord of the harvest, especially during this
year’s celebration of the “45th World Day of
Prayer for Vocations” last April 13, 2008.
The theme for this year’s catechists’ con-
vention is “How beautiful to see those coming
who announce the Good News” (Is. 52:7). The
keynote address on the theme was given by
Sr. Vilma P. Esmael, OND, director of the
Notre Dame Catechetical Formation Center
in Cotabato City. Three other conferences
were given echoes of past pastoral gather-
ings. From the Mindanao Region Catechetical
Convention in Butuan City, 2007, two con-
ferences were given—Telling the Story of Jesus
in Mindanao by Bishop Guillermo Afable and
Catechists as Prayer by Fr. Ronald Lunas. Fr.
Juan Macalisang also echoed to the partici-
pants the experience of last year’s MSPCXXIII
on Restoring Values through the BEC.
A5
Nicolo F. Bernardo
Lifeguard
The living image
THE ending of the local (and comparably frustrating) ren-
dition of the Marimar soap opera has been reminiscent of
its original Mexican version, which besides popularizing
“telenovelas” in the country, had introduced Filipinos to
the Lady of Guadalupe. Its Mexican characters would al-
ways cusp the name of this Lady.
At that time, I was very skeptical of the “Guadalupe craze”
of Hispanic Catholics. Besides, I was not used to tanned
Virgin Marys such as the Guadalupe. Later did I know that
there are more than meets the eye.
I began to appreciate the “La Virgen,” as it is also called,
as a religious icon of the pro-life movement. She wears a
black girdle high above her abdomen which is a sign of
pregnancy.
The same image helped end the human sacrifices in
Mexico, drawing nine million converts who heard of the
appearance of the image on the tilma of St. Juan Diego in
1531 at Tepeyac, Mexico City. Above all, the Guadalupe
has the features of a “living image” that invite awe and
suspension of judgment, if not all-out belief.
First, the eyes. Ophthalmalgic studies made on the eyes of
Mary reveal that the retina contracts when exposed to light,
and returns to a dilated state when withdrawn. When light
is focused on the eye, the iris fills itself with light as hap-
pens with a real eye. Small veins also run in the eyelids.
Mary’s eyes have the refractive effects of a human eye (the
Purkinje and Samson effect) that no artist could have cre-
ated. Miniscule human figures can be seen in the eyes using
an opthalmoloscope. A figure (Juan Diego) appears to be
exposing his tilma to a bearded man (Bishop-elect Juan de
Zumarraga), other witnesses, and a family group, confirm-
ing the event. That scene is just one-fourth a millimeter!
The Skeptical Inquirer, however, contests that this is mere
religious “pareidolia”—the human tendency to form fa-
miliar shapes from random blots. Defenders say this may
be true with the grainy blownups of the prints, and skep-
tics may want to see the magnifiable figures for themselves.
The reflection of the figures follows the laws of optical
physics, the curvature of the cornea, despite the image’s
flat surface.
In fact in the 1970s, a Japanese optician who was examin-
ing the eyes fainted, claiming that the eyes were alive and
looking at him!
Second, the sturdy material. The tilma, made from maguey
cactus fiber (of the Agave potule zacc variety) lasts about
20-30 years. But the cloth has lasted for almost 500 years,
while duplicates from similar materials have deteriorated.
Before being encased in glass panes, it was even exposed
for 116 years to humid athmosphere, sooth, and the
continous kissing and rubbing of devotees.
In 1791, muriatic acid accidentally spilled on the tilma’s
upper right side when the frame was being polished. For
30 days, without any special treatment, the affected fabric
re-constituted itself inexplicably! And in 1921, a high power
bomb concealed below the tilma exploded and destroyed
everything around, but the tilma remained intact.
Third, the colors. Nobel laureate for Chemistry Richard
Kuhn, and later NASA researchers Philip Callahan and
Jody Brandt Smith using infrared imaging, observed that
the colors of the original image were of unknown origin—
neither vegetable, animal, mineral, synthetic, nada. No brush
stroke, pigment, binder, or sketch to say that it was painted.
Again, the scientists only refer to the underlying “original
image” as there are multi-layers on the present image due
to add-ons and retouches of overzealous devotees.
Of an unknown unfading origin includes the Virgin’s head,
palms, right foot, pink robe, blue mantle, and radiant back-
ground. The deteriorating parts are the added paintings, such
as the sunburst from metallic gold, bows in the girdle from
black iron oxide, the moon, the angel, the bracelets, the em-
broidery of Mexican mountains, the once visible crown, etc.
There is contention on whether the stars reflecting the con-
stellations when the miracle happenned were added (they
appear to be absent in the oldest 1569 engraving of Juan
Diego). Discreditors harp on these add-ons to debunk the
integrity of the whole image. Call it hasty generalization.
Still, from a distance of 3-4 inches from the image, one
can only see the maguey fibers of the material: the colors
disappear. When the material was examined under a laser
ray, there is no coloration on the cloth’s front or back, and
that the colors hover at a distance of 3/10th of a millimeter
(1/100th of an inch) over the cloth. In other words, the
colors float in the air above the the tilma. This can be
checked even by using a strong magnifying glass.
Fourth, the human temperature. The tilma maintains a con-
stant temperature of 36.6 degrees, the same as that of a
living human body!
Fifth, the beating heart in the womb. A doctor who analyzed
the tilma placed his stethoscope below the black band at
Mary’s waist, and heard rhythmic beats at 115 pulses per
minute, the same as that of a baby in a womb.
Sixth, the evidence of history. There are the 1558 Codex
Escalada, a painting on deerskin illustrating the apparition,
and the Nican Mopohua (ca. 1548-1560) discussing the miracle,
both by Judge Antonio Valeriano’s circle. The apparition
account is also backed by the Informaciones Jurídicas of 1666,
a collection of oral interviews of various witnesses on Juan
Diego and the apparition story.
There are conflicts on the details though, such as the In-
dian-European calendar configuration, and Fray Juan de
Zumarraga being bishop-elect and not yet bishop at that
time, which discreditors highlight over and above the sub-
stance of the accounts.
Finally, the continous miracles of this image specially concern-
ing the unborn. In pro-life processions such as in Wichita,
Kansas where a replica of the image is being carried while
passing an abortion clinic, a shower of fragrant rose petals
suddenly flaked from the image in all directions. The mis-
sionary replicas are also reported to shed oil, tears, and blood.
On April 24, 2007, the day abortion was legalized in
Mexico City—for all places! Thanks to its Socialist govern-
ment—an intense light in the form of a fetus illuminated
from the belly of the Virgin as the Holy Mass ended. Nu-
merous pilgrims were able to photograph the phenomenon.
An engineer, Luis Girault, verified that neither the photos
nor the negatives have been altered and that the light could
not strategically come from the glasses’ reflection.
In all these, what could be the enduring message of the
miraculous tilma? It seems to be the same words of the
pregnant Elizabeth when she met the pregnant Mary:
“Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your
womb.” We are blessed right from our mother’s wombs.
The inexplicable image of the Guadalupe and her unborn
son are aptly “alive,” an iconography of the Lord of Life
over the idols of death.
 CBCP Monitor
A6 Local News Vol. 12 No. 8
April 14 - 27, 2008

Rice shortage not due

to ‘overpopulation,’
says prelate
THE rice distribution crisis plaguing the
country should not be a reason for the
legislature to enact laws that will “curb”
the growing multitude of Filipinos.
Thus is what Pampanga Archbishop
Paciano Aniceto said following claims
from known pro-choice advocate Albay
Rep. Edcel Lagman that the rice supply
crisis is due to the nation’s “overpopu-
lated” status.
Earlier, the lawmaker said the
government’s determination to address
the problem on dwindling areas of rice
lands should be of the same intensity
with the desire to contain the expanding
population if it wants to solve the rice
crisis.
“The country’s inordinately huge
population growth rate (PGR) threatens
food security and aggravates the loom-
ing rice shortage,” said the lawmaker,
who authored pending house bills on
reproductive health, responsible parent-
hood, family planning and population
management.
But according to Aniceto, the problem
on rice crisis in not related in the
country’s growing population. Instead,
the problem is related to what he called
a “crisis of management” on the part of
the government.
“Today’s rice crisis is a case of man-
agement crisis, how we could properly
manage our economy and our re-
sources,” he said in an interview over
Church-run Radio Veritas.
The chair of the CBCP Episcopal Com-
mission on Family and Life, Aniceto said
that instead of promoting pro-choice and
anti-family legislations, the government
should direct its efforts in supporting the
local farmers for it is the development
of the agriculture sector that will answer
the crisis on rice shortage.
“The government should support the
farmers. Aside from support on fertiliz-
ers, irrigation and transportation of their
products, the government should ad-
dress the issue on farm land disputes as
in the case of the Sumilao farmers,” he
said.
Aniceto likewise called on rice deal-
ers to set aside their motivations for
profit in this time of crisis.
“Let us practice patriotism by not
hoarding our products. After all, the Lord
has created rice not for a selected few
but for every one. As such, let’s all act
for the common good,” he said. (Kris
Bayos)

Love Life / A4

Filipino Nuncio moved livery table and the baby losing the
warmth and comfort of the womb into a
cold, noisy world.
bilical cord was cut only when the midwife
could feel that the pulsating sensation had
stopped. In a few minutes, the placenta was
since then.
Later in the afternoon, we buried the pla-
centa under a mango tree, following the

from Costa Rica to Korea
POPE Benedict XVI has appointed
Filipino Archbishop Osvaldo
Padilla as the new apostolic nun-
cio to Korea.
The post had been vacant since
Archbishop Emil Paul Tscherrig
was named Papal nuncio to Swe-
den in January 2008.
Prior to his appointment, Arch-
bishop Padilla had been serving
as apostolic nuncio to Costa Rica.
The prelate is the first of the
two Filipino Papal nuncios. He
is the older brother of Arch-
bishop Francisco Padilla who was
also appointed Papal nuncio to
Papua New Guinea and the
Solomon Islands in 2006.
Filipino bishops said the fact that
there are two Filipino Papal nun-
cios is an honor for the Philippines
as it is recognition of a country’s
role as a leading Catholic nation
in Asia.
A Nuncio acts as a representa-
tive of the Pope to the local
Church and the same time Am-
bassador of the Vatican State.
In some countries the nuncio
is by courtesy made the “dean”
of the diplomatic corps.
(CBCPNews)
I had brought in the statue of Our Lady
of La Leche, Patroness of Mothers and Moth-
ers-to-be, also called the Breastfeeding Ma-
donna, and I could see Elizabeth turning
her head every now and then to the statue
as we prayed the novena quietly for her
intercession. Within the four hours of her
labor, she did cry out that she wanted to
give up in pain, but the support group gen-
tly encouraged her to hang on as they
stroked her forehead damp with perspira-
tion and rubbed her tummy to ease the pain.
And at 4:30 am, the baby quietly slipped
into the warm water, he lustily cried as his
skin turned into a healthy dark pink. The
midwife laid him naked on the bare skin of
his mom close to her breast. It did not take
half an hour for the baby to turn his head
searching for the nipple of his mom to suck.
It was such a natural phenomena! His um-
delivered. Elizabeth was then transferred
to a mattress nearby where she went to
sleep, holding on to her baby sucking at
her breast. There was no need to give her
anti-bleeding injection as the sucking re-
flex on her breast started the action of hor-
mones to restore her uterus to its original
condition.
We rejoiced at the thought that Baby
Nathan chose to be born on March 31, the
date chosen by the Church to celebrate the
Feast of the Annunciation this year because
March 25 was within Easter Week. I in-
formed the group that pro-lifers had pre-
vailed on President Gloria M. Arroyo to
declare the Feast of the Annunciation as
National Day of the Unborn in the Philip-
pines. The Executive Order 586 was signed
last March 24, 2004 and we have been cel-
ebrating the Day of the Unborn every year
tradition of Filipino families in the prov-
inces. Elizabeth was strong enough to join
us in this activity. I promised her that we
would name the tree after her baby. I also
suggested that she add John after the Bap-
tist as her name was Elizabeth, and because
the baby was literally baptized into the
pool of water during his natural birth. So
we have a special tree in the Good Shep-
herd compound now named Baby Nathan
John.
The whole process was recorded on
video. This will be edited and used for
teaching purposes in order to promote the
beauty of life and all that is natural—natu-
rally planned, naturally born, naturally
breastfed and naturally healed.
For more information on Natural Family Plan-
ning, Birthing and Breastfeeding, contact Pro-
life Center at 911-2911.

Speaking / A4

CBCP to hold ‘anti-torture’ seminar prostitute begging the great

THE CBCP-Episcopal Commis-
sion on Prison Pastoral Care will
hold a seminar-workshop on the
United Nations’ Convention
Against Torture, Cruel, Inhuman
and Degrading Treatment or
Punishment (CAT) on April 29,
2008.
In coordination with the Coa-
lition Against Death Penalty
(CADP) and the Commission on
Human Rights (CHR), the one-
day activity will be held at the
Centennial Hall of the Manila
Hotel.
The seminar-workshop will be
attended by government agen-
cies and non-government orga-
nizations involved in checking
and preventing torture among
persons deprived of their liber-
ties.
ECPPC executive secretary
Rodolfo Diamante said the activ-
ity would also take up the key
concepts of CAT in order to es-
tablish and stress the significance
of monitoring the implementa-
tion of the said international
policy.
“It will also identify the role
of member organizations of
CADP in contributing to the State
Report on CAT and formulate an
initial action plan for the prepa-
ration of a national strategy for
the promotion of CAT,” said
Diamante.
Pope to intercede for her and
never to leave her alone. Such
great love and devotion to the
much loved Servant of God.
During the conferences and
talks held at the St. John Lateran
Basilica every morning, and one
afternoon at the Sta. Maria degli
Angeli e dei Martiri (for the En-
glish-speaking delegations),
one would be touched with the
spontaneous applause the del-
egates will give whenever the
name of the Great John Paul II
would be mentioned. His lov-
ing presence was felt all
throughout the Congress.
Our delegation, among other
groups from the Philippines,
was made of Lipa Archbishop
Ramon Arguelles, and devotees
from Manila, Lipa, and Davao.
A small group but I believe one
of the “noisiest.” You will not
believe that we brought with us
so many posters and small pic-
tures of the Divine Mercy and
posters and pictures and even
statues of Mary Mediatrix—all
were distributed during the
Congress.
There were also the delegates
with Bishop Ted Bacani and
Bishop Jose Oliveros. Arch-
bishop Orlando Quevedo was
one of the speakers in the En-
glish-speaking workshop in
one afternoon. And lest I for-
get, Fr. Benedict Groeschel was
also there both as a speaker and
delegate. He noted how there
is a flourishing of devotion
within the Church now.
I will remember how at the
last evening, at Piazza Navona,
when we were allowed to bring
the image of Mary Mediatrix,
the people were encircling
around her image, bringing her
flowers, and how even delega-
tion from Mexico and Panama
left their national flags at the
foot of the image as a token of
their love for her.
Indeed, there is that insepa-
rable union between Jesus and
Mary, between Christ the King
of Mercy and Mary, the Mother
of Mercy.
The concluding Mass held at
St. Peter’s Basilica was presided
over by the Austrian Cardinal
and WACOM President, Cardi-
nal Schonborg. Inside the Ba-
silica, we were allowed to bring
the image of Mary, Mediatrix of
All-Grace. She was placed be-
side the image of the Divine
Mercy which was positioned
discreetly in one of the corners
near the main Altar.
Later that afternoon with a
meeting with the coordinators
and with Cardinal Schonborg,
our delegation gifted him an
image of Mary, Mediatrix of All-
Grace.
There was always that talk
and speculation on when the
Servant of God, the Great John
Paul II, would be beatified.
Well, who knows, but in the
minds and hearts of many he
was and he is a saint. Ave Maria.
Ad Jesum per Mariam.

Bishop / A1

“Violence is always a no-no. It will
not bring anything good to all of us.
Let us remain open-minded and as-
sess the situation very wisely,” he
said.
The Department of National De-
fense and the Philippine National Po-
lice yesterday said unrest due to food
crisis is unlikely to happen in the
country.
But the bishop is not discounting the
possibility of riots unless demands for
government action over the cost of
food are properly addressed.
No panic buying
Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Anto-
nio Ledesma, SJ, called on the people
not to engage in panic buying of rice
so as not to aggravate the situation
“The first thing to do is not to re-
sort to panic buying because that will
just increase the frustration and ner-
vousness of many people,” he said.
Ledesma urged the public to remain
optimistic despite reports of rice
shortage setting in over the lean
months of July to September.
“I think it’s better to just look on
this as a problem that can be resolved
if all of us are able to cooperate to-
gether,” said the chairman of the Sec-
ond National Rural Congress (NRC-
II).
Civil society groups warn that
worst situation in the country’s rice
supply is yet to come as they predict
the prices of rice will soar to as high
as 40 pesos.
Reports of tightening global supply
of rice have pushed local prices in the
market of the staple food, abnormally
high even as the harvest season is still
headed for its peak next month.
Church can’t take over the mar-
ket
Some Catholic leaders do not like
the idea of becoming rice retailers by
the National Food Authority amidst
plans by the government of pulling
out the P18.25 NFA rice from public
markets and passing it to parishes.
Catholic bishops said they were
concerned that the plan would put
them into the position of a context
beyond their roles as Church leaders.
Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo,
National Secretariat for Social Action
head of the Catholic Bishops’ Confer-
ence of the Philippines, said the
Church is doing enormous efforts to
help the government amid the loom-
ing rice crisis but only to the extent
ensuring that NFA rice goes to “poor-
est of the poor.”
“We will not be able to absorb all
of them (NFA selling). We cannot do
that. We cannot take over the markets.
We cannot transform ourselves into
stores,” he said in a press conference.
The Manila Auxiliary bishop also
admitted that they do not have enough
manpower and expertise to handle
such job.
Pabillo said the new proposal is al-
ready going beyond their agreement
with the Department of Agriculture
to help NFA distribute the staple food.
The “Bigasan sa Parokya” has long
been operational but officials from the
DA and NFA have been meeting with
the NASSA since last week for pos-
sible expansion of the program.
Pabillo said there is no final agree-
ment yet but said the DA wants to see
more parishes distributing NFA rice
nationwide.
“Our agreement is just to help the
government in making the NFA rice
reach our poor constituents,” he said.
The bishop said they respect the
Arroyo’s effort if only to ease the ef-
fects of the perceived rice crisis, but
said she should also understand things
that are beyond their limits.
Pabillo described the initial agree-
ment between the government and the
Church’s social arm as “very general”.
“Ang usapan lang namin ay ipagpatuloy
ang dating partnership na magtutulungan
kami sa pagmamanage ng NFA rice at
masigurong makakarating ito sa mga iden-
tified poor communities,” he said.
According to Pabillo, specifics of the
“reinforced” pact are still being final-
ized between the parties involved.
“We are still working on the details
of the process of distribution and oth-
ers aspects. We have not yet arrived
on the monitoring of the buffer stocks
agreement,” he said.
Gov’t-Church rice distribution
setbacks
Scarce supply of NFA rice stalled
distribution of a Church-based retailer
last week and situations are likely to
worsen if this will not be addressed.
At the Transfiguration of Our Lord
Parish in Cubao, Quezon City rice
distribution was halted when supply
ran out.
The setback at the parish conse-
quently left lots of consumers empty-
handed only after two hours when
they started the rice distribution.
Rolly Retirado, head of the Parish
Social Service Committee, said the
situation would definitely affect more
families that can only afford to buy
NFA rice.
He said such shortage should have
been avoided had the NFA responded
to their demand of more sacks of rice
allocations than the usual 20 sacks for
every “Bigasan sa Parokya.”
“We asked for at least 25 sacks of
rice, but the NFA said they could only
give us 20 sacks. I hope they will in-
crease this since there are many buy-
ers,” Retirado said.
The Department of Agriculture and
the National Secretariat for Social Ac-
tion of the Catholic Bishops’ Confer-
ence of the Philippines (CBCP) has
toughen ties to ensure rice distribu-
tion gets to the poor.
DA secretary Arthur Yap has tapped
the Church to oversee rice distribu-
tion after authorities confirmed that
sacks of NFA rice were “disappearing”
in commercial distribution centers.
Father Mar Castillo, a coordinator
for Caritas Manila, urged the NFA to
increase rice allocation for them to ac-
commodate more poor buyers.
He said supply problems of NFA
rice in Manila have forced them to
“hide” the commodity before they run
out of supply for intended “poorest of
the poor” customers.
Castillo, vice chairman of the union
of Church cooperatives in Caritas,
said the move is the only way for them
to deliver cheap rice to where they are
most needed and to shun pressure
from other customers.
He said the shortage of rice supply
is also one of the reasons why some
parishes have some reservations of
venturing into rice retailing.
According to him, the current
weekly NFA rice allocation of 24,000
sacks for the whole Manila archdio-
cese must be tripled or even more just
to cater to the needs of other buyers.
Business community must be con-
siderate
As the Administration is trying to
address the rice crisis in the country,
the business community must also be
considerate not to increase the price
of other commodities, urged Jaro
Archbishop Angel N. Lagdameo,
President of the Catholic Bishops’
Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
The rice, Filipinos’ staple food, is
already affecting other basic supplies.
In this regard, business people should
be kind enough not to burden the
people specially, the poor, with the
soaring prices of their products,
Lagdameo told CBCPNews.
Both government and business com-
munity should work together to face
the challenge and ease people’s anxi-
ety over the increase of rice and other
prices, he said.
The Department of Agriculture
(DA) has tapped the Catholic Church
to help distribute rice to the poor.
“This is a good arrangement be-
tween the DA and the Church, but it
should not be a permanent partner-
ship,” the prelate said.
He also recounted that in the past
the Church in different parts of the
country had extended its help to dis-
tribute commodities to people
through its social action centers and
parish cooperative groups.
The country needs to pray hard to
solve the rice problem, he added.
(With reports from Santosh Digal)
 CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 8
April 14 - 17, 2008
Papal US visit expected
to boost religious,
cultural dialogue
ROME, APRIL 15, 2008—Benedict
XVI will arrive in the United
States today to heal past wounds
and to address current issues, says
a professor from the Pontifical
Gregorian University.
Ohio-native Donna Orsuto is a
spirituality professor at the
Gregorian. She is also the direc-
tor of the Lay Center in Rome, an
international residence for stu-
dents enrolled in a pontifical uni-
versity.
She told ZENIT that she hopes
the Pope’s journey to the United
States will be a chance to show
the Church’s commitment to in-
terreligious and intercultural dia-
logue.
Orsuto explained: “Both the
experience of teaching at the
Gregorian University where stu-
dents come from more than 120
different countries and living in
an international community here
at the Lay Center with students
from 10 diverse nationalities and
from different religious back-
grounds has helped me to real-
ize the gift and challenge of
building bridges among people
of diverse cultural and religious
backgrounds.
“I am hopeful that his various
engagements will demonstrate
first of all the continued commit-
ment of the Catholic Church to
dialogue and will be a source of
encouragement for the Church in
the United States in its efforts at
dialogue.
“I also think that with his vast
theological and intellectual back-
ground, Benedict XVI, will com-
municate to the Church in the
United States a thoughtful reflec-
tion on how local concerns in the
U.S.A. are related to broader glo-
bal issues.”
Closed issue
Orsuto further told ZENIT that
the Pontiff can contribute to heal-
ing wounds from the sex scandal
that erupted within the Church
in the United States a few years
ago.
She said that “the Church in the
United States has suffered a seri-
ous crisis and it will probably
take many years to heal wounds
and to engender trust and recon-
ciliation. This crisis has touched
not only those who were sexu-
ally abused, but also it has caused
suffering and confusion for all
Catholics ¯ priests and laity
alike. Many of our good priests
particularly have borne the brunt
of this painful scourge.”
Orsuto acknowledged that “it
is unrealistic to expect that recov-
ery will be instantaneous.”
“Thus, in a sense, it is not a
closed issue,” she said.
However, the professor af-
firmed, “I am optimistic that the
visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the
U.S.A., with his message of hope
in Christ, will contribute to this
healing process. Especially his
meeting with priests will be im-
portant because they need to hear
his words of trust and hope.”
Benedict XVI en route to the
United States today told journal-
ists that the scandal is “a great
suffering for the Church in the
United States and for the Church
in general and for me personally
that this could happen.
“It is difficult for me to under-
stand how it was possible that
priests betray in this way their
mission ... to these children,” he
said from the plane. “I am deeply
ashamed and we will do what is
possible so this cannot happen
again in the future.” (Zenit)
Features
Cardinal: Everyone is
responsible for world peace
Cardinal Renato Martino
VATICAN CITY, APRIL 15, 2008—The call to
collaborate for world peace excludes no one,
affirmed the Pontifical Council for Justice and
Peace.
This was one of the conclusions of a con-
ference held by the pontifical council in Rome
titled “Disarmament, Development and
Peace: Prospects for Integral Disarmament.”
Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the
Pope Benedict calls for a “new
humanism” to overcome violence
VATICAN CITY, April 14, 2008—In the face
of the eruption of violence around the world,
Pope Benedict is calling for a “new human-
ism” that includes moral and spiritual devel-
opment, to combat the spread of warfare.
The Pope’s message, which was made pub-
lic on Saturday, comes less than a week be-
fore his address to the U.N., where many ex-
pect him to address violence and the need for
strengthening the family around the world.
Cardinal Renato Martino and participants
in a seminar entitled: “Disarmament, devel-
opment and peace, prospects for integral dis-
dicastery, said in a concluding statement that
the participants discussed “new problems for
which it is necessary to cultivate close, in-
tense and fruitful collaboration.” He called
for respect of diverse opinions as well as cer-
tainty about “the common conviction that
human dignity must always be defended.”
“The appearance of conflict, in general, and
war, in particular, is being modified,” he
noted. “They are more horizontal than verti-
cal, more widespread than concentrated,
more fragmented than united, more daily
than exceptional, closer more than far away,
more immaterial—and even virtual—than
material.”
The cardinal contended that the starting
point for an analysis of the ethical and reli-
gious implications of disarmament, devel-
opment and peace is based, among other
things, on the duty of “the states and interna-
tional organizations to renew their commit-
ment to unified and integral development of
humanity […] necessary for the peaceful and
ordered coexistence of the human family.”
“The states, precisely in the uncertainty
provoked by globalization and phenomena
such as terrorism on a global scale, have taken
up again a sinister arms race, and seem to
have lost confidence in dialogue, in
multilateralism and in international coopera-
tion at every level in the sector of disarma-
but, even before that, it is necessary to reflect
together on a moral and spiritual level. What
is ever more vital is to promote a ‘new hu-
manism’”.
However, the Pope cautioned, we cannot
think of this “new humanism” in a way that
reduces development to “simple economic
growth,” rather, “it must include the moral
and spiritual dimension. A truly integral
humanism must, at the same time, also ex-
press solidarity,” he said.
Achieving “True and lasting peace is un-
imaginable without the development of each
A7
ment,” Cardinal Martino lamented.
Religions’ task
The pontifical council president acknowl-
edged that “there are multiple challenges,”
but he said that “all of us are called, in our
own condition and role in society, to collabo-
rate in solidarity among human beings and
peace in the world.”
At the same time, the cardinal said, “it must
be reaffirmed that the great religions have a
role, [that they are] called to always give a
message of hope, a word of wisdom and pru-
dence to every man, above all to those who
are responsible, in various ways, for the des-
tiny of other men and the fulfillment of the
common good.”
“Religions are an instrument of unity
among men and men with God. […] They are
called to promote a culture of peace,” he said.
Referring to Christians’ role, Cardinal
Martino affirmed that they are called “not
just to take positions regarding war, but above
all to make themselves builders of peace.”
And building peace, he contended, “is be-
fore anything else to take away ground from
the injustices and oppressions that provoke
war. […] Peace is built starting from personal
responsibilities regarding justice, regarding
the good of the others […] with education in
peace.” (Zenit)

100 million at risk of armament”, being held in Rome April 11-12,

received the Pope’s letter.
The Holy Father began his message by
person and of all peoples,” Pope Benedict
asserted. Yet, is it inconceivable “to think of
reducing arms if first we do not eliminate
projects”.
Benedict XVI affirms the need to do every-
thing possible to ensure that “the economy

poverty: danger of famine noting how the seminar’s topic is very rel-
evant to humanity’s current situation. “Ten-
sion and war exist in various parts of the
violence at its roots, if man does not first turn
decisively to searching for peace and for what
is good and just”.
is directed to serving human beings and soli-
darity, and not just to profit.”
“Nonetheless”, the Pope acknowledges, “it

and war in poor countries
HONG KONG, April 14, 2008—
More than 100 million people in
poor countries risk falling back
into misery, on account of the
rapid rise in staple food prices.
Robert Zoellick, head of the
World Bank, is raising the alarm
and proposing immediate inter-
vention and a long-term plan to
foster agricultural production.
According to official data, from
months, large rice exporters (In-
dia, China, Vietnam, and Egypt)
have stopped their sales abroad,
to the harm of the major import-
ers like Bangladesh, the Philip-
pines, and Afghanistan.
On April 12, Dominique
Strauss-Kahn, the head of the In-
ternational Monetary Fund, said
that hundreds of thousands of
people are at risk of hunger, and
world, and even where the tragedy of war is
not present, feelings of fear and insecurity
are nonetheless widespread,” Benedict XVI
noted.
“Furthermore, such phenomena as global
terrorism blur the distinction between peace
and war, seriously compromising the future
hopes of humankind.”
“How”, he adds, “can we respond to these
challenges? How can we recognize the ‘signs
of the times’? Certainly, joint action on a po-
litical, economic and juridical level is needed
The Pope also took aim at nations that
spend exorbitant amounts of money on de-
fense and in doing so, divert funds from
“projects for the development of peoples,
especially the poorest and those most in need
of help”.
Instead of allowing military spending to
become a driving force of the world
economy, the Pontiff called on States to “re-
duce military expenditure on arms and to give
serious consideration to the idea of creating
a global fund for peaceful development
will be difficult to find a solution to the vari-
ous technical problems without man’s con-
version to good on a cultural, moral and spiri-
tual level”.
“The future of humanity depends upon a
commitment on everyone’s part. Only by
pursuing an integrated humanism of solidar-
ity, in which disarmament assumes an ethi-
cal and spiritual dimension, can humanity
progress towards the true and lasting peace
for which it longs,” the Pope concluded.
(CNA)

Poll: 8 in 10 US Catholics satisfied with Pope

March of 2007 to March of 2008
the price of wheat increased by
130%, soya by 87%, rice by 74%,
and maize by 31%. The causes
indicated include the rise in de-
mand, bad weather conditions in
many countries, and greater use
of arable land for the production
of plants for biofuels.
The rise in food prices in gen-
eral has been 83% over three
years.
These increases have caused
popular protests in many coun-
tries, including Egypt, the Phil-
ippines, and Indonesia, and it is
feared that these can only increase
and become more violent, since
the run-up in prices does not ap-
pear to be stopping. In recent
that “as we know, learning from
the past, those kind of questions
sometimes end in war”. The two
agencies maintain that this prob-
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 13, divided Catholics into pre- Jesus Christ is really present in but knowledge of the Bible is
lem is no less serious than the fi-
2008—A poll conducted in Feb- Vatican II, Vatican II (born be- the Eucharist, compared with typically greater among younger
nancial crisis striking the indus-
ruary showed that more than tween 1943 and 1960), post- two-thirds of those who attend generations, the report found.
trialized countries.
eight out of 10 U.S. Catholics are Vatican II (born between 1961- Mass less than weekly but at least Though many characteristics of
Zoellick maintains that it is
satisfied with the leadership of 1981) and Millennial, finding that once a month (65%), and four in the youngest generation’s faith
urgent to “put out money where
Benedict XVI, who arrives in this among those who attend Mass at 10 of those attending Mass a few gives hopes, the poll also re-
our mouth is now so that we can
country Tuesday. least once a month, the youngest times a year or less. vealed some startling statistics:
put food into hungry mouths”.
A report from the Center for and oldest Catholics share a simi- Millennials stand apart when A little less than one-third of
He says that more food aid must
Applied Research in the lar religious fervor. saying which sacrament is most Catholics in the United States at-
be given to poor countries, and
Apostolate (CARA) based at Among Catholics attending meaningful to them personally. tend Mass weekly. And only 2%
at least 500 million dollars must
Georgetown University showed Mass at least once a month, the For Catholics overall, 39% said receive the sacrament of recon-
be given in the short term to the
the results of research with 1,007 Millennials are just as likely to baptism is the most meaningful; ciliation once a month or more.
World Food Programme. But he
self-identified adult Catholics. It believe that Christ is really 43% of Millennials said marriage CARA estimates that there are
says that it is also necessary to
compared responses from Catho- present in the Eucharist as pre- is. more than 51 million adult
design aid policies for small
lics in a range of age groups. Vatican II Catholics. Knowledge of Church teach- Catholics in the United States,
farmers in poor countries.
“Sacraments Today: Belief and Nine in 10 weekly Mass attend- ings and obligations is usually about 22-23% of the nation’s
(AsiaNews/Agencies)
Practice Among U.S. Catholics” ees (91%) say they believe that higher among older Catholics, adults. (Zenit)

Dismayed / A1 Mercy / A1

oppositor of this proposal.
In a simple majority vote of 18, 2 abstained
while only 4 opposed, the LDPC became a
resolution and is now ready for the drafting
of an ordinance. Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is
expected to approve the resolution because
it is part of his reproductive health and
children’s welfare project.
Fr. Henry Campeon, director of the family
and life apostolate said the battle is not over
for they are determined to bring their oppo-
sition to the grass roots level through “a cam-
paign in the pulpit.”
If we can’t make it in the council then we
will find our ways in the parishes and in the
grassroots communities. We will make them
understand fully the evils underlying repro-
ductive programs,” Campeon said.
Campeon said he will also mobilize the
family and life workers in the parishes to
intensify their campaigns against reproduc-
tive health and the local development for chil-
dren.
Msgr. Leonardo Vicente, vicar general of
Davao also warned the parents to be vigilant
of their children following the approval of
the LDPC, which impacts a wrong perspec-
tive about human sexuality and tends to
stimulate the premature experience of sexual
pleasure which could lead to vice, or worse,
perversion.
“This is a warning for all of us. Our city is
no longer doing well. We don’t want our city
to become like Sodom and Gomorrah,”
Vicente said.
He added that with the recent develop-
ments in the City Council it only shows that
“Davao City as a Catholic city has no more
respect as far as morality is concerned.”
The four councilors who opposed to LDPC
were Councilors Tessie Marañon, Susabel
Reta, Pilar Braga and Peter Laviña.
“A number of us suspect that this so-called
Development Plan for Children is a Trojan
Horse. Hidden by the gift wrappings are
highly divisive reproductive health provi-
sions,” said Laviña.
He added that the Development Plan for
Children indeed appears innocent at first
glance; however, a large portion of it deals
with reproductive health issues opposed by
pro-lifers, family crusaders and the Catholic
Church.
“Had the proposed plan been solely for
the development of children, I have no doubt
this measure would have long been ap-
proved. It has dragged on this long—over a
year now—due largely to provisions regard-
ing the contentious reproductive health pro-
grams of the government,” Laviña stressed.
“My own take of it is that having failed to
pass legislation at the national level, repro-
ductive health programs are being pushed at
the local level. Quezon City passed a mea-
sure last year which met stiff opposition from
the Catholic Church and now we have ap-
proved it in Davao,” he added.
For her part, Marañon said the LDPC “is
offensive to the virtue of chastity” as it gives
rise to mockery of parental authority and not
consistent with respect for family, mother-
hood and children’s dignity.
She added that if LDPC is a depopulation
scheme then it is not needed because the popu-
lation is not a real threat. “Reproductive
health or safe sex is definitely not an unmet
need of our people, especially our children,”
Marañon pointed out.
Marañon was reticent on the approval of
LDPC saying that “the program will promote
premarital sex and reinforce the fallacy that
sexual urges cannot be controlled.”
“The civil authority should consider it a
sacred duty to acknowledge the true nature
tees from Manila, Lipa and Davao.
“You will not believe that we brought with us so many posters and
small pictures of the Divine Mercy and posters, pictures and even
statues of Mary Mediatrix; all were distributed during the Congress,”
said Castro.
Castro observed that the crowd would break into spontaneous
applause whenever the name of Pope John Paul would be mentioned
during the talks and conferences held at St. John Lateran Basilica.
“His loving presence was felt all throughout the Congress,” he
remarked.
The late pope whose spiritual testament was for all Christians to
be “witnesses of mercy” said during the consecration of the Shrine of
Divine Mercy in Krakow-Lagiewniki in 2002, that “Apart from the
mercy of God there is no other source of hope for humanity.”
Mystic nun St. Faustina Kowalska lived with her congregation in
Lagiewniki.
John Paul II canonized the Polish nun in April 30, 2000. On the
same day he proclaimed that the second Sunday of Easter will be
called Divine Mercy Sunday.
Austrian Cardinal and WACOM President, Cardinal Schonborg
presided the concluding mass held at St. Peter’s Basilica.
The Philippine delegation gifted Cardinal Schonborg an image of
Mary Mediatrix of All Grace.
Coinciding with the 3rd anniversary of Pope John Paul II, the first
WACOM was held with “hopes to energize, educate and enable at-
tendees to return to their native countries and initiate or improve
upon the spreading of the message of Divine Mercy,” according to
the Divine Mercy website. (CBCPNews)
 CBCP Monitor
A8 People, Facts & Places Vol. 12 No. 8
April 14 - 27, 2008

ŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒŒ ³
Markings

http://www.prexnapps.org/
CELEBRATED. Bishop-Emeritus
Raul Q. Martirez, third bishop of
San Jose, Antique, 25th anniver-
sary of Episcopal ordination,
March 24, 2008. Ordained bishop

10th PREX National

of Antique in March 24, 1983,
Bishop Martirez was installed the
following day, March 25 at San
Jose Cathedral, San Jose, An-
tique. He took up his theology stud-
ies at the UST Central Seminary
and Canon Law at Pontificia Uni-

Convention held in Legazpi

versitas “Angelicum” in Rome. Re-
tired since March 16, 2002, Bishop
Martirez currently resides at
Christ the King Parish in Green
Meadows, Quezon City.

THE 10th Parish Renewal Experience Semi-
nar (PREX) National Convention was held
at the Albay Astrodome, Legazpi City, April
4-6, 2008.
It was the first convention in the Bicol Re-
gion, National Association of Parish PREX
secretaries (NAPPS) president August Perez
told CBCPNews.
The theme is “The call to love.” It was cho-
sen in the light of Pope Benedict XVI’s first
encyclical, “Deus Caritas Est” (God is Love).
“By holding the convention in Bicol, we
give our local PREX leaders (known as local
parish PREX couples) in the provinces a
chance to participate in this bi-annual gath-
erings of PREX graduates,” said Perez.
The speakers and homilists for the con-
vention were: Fr. Ramon Ramos CP, parish
priest of the Sun Valley Subdivision in
Paranaque, Manila, Bishop Lucilo M.
Quiambao, administrator of Legazpi diocese,
Sorsogon Bishop Arturo M. Bastes, SVD, Ma-
nila auxiliary bishop Broderick S. Pabillo,
Msgr. Nico Bautista, Fr. Orly P. Sapuay, MS,
Fr. William M. Parde Jr., and Fr. Rex Andrew
C. Alarcon.
Bishop Lucilo B. Quiambao of the host dio-
cese of Legazpi presided the Mass on the first
day of the convention. Local officials led by
Legazpi City Mayor Noel Rosal, Albay Gov-
ernor Joey Salceda and Congressman Al
Francis Bichara of the 2nd district of Albay
welcomed the delegates.
In early 1970s, Fr. Gallagher, then executive
director of Pastoral and Matrimonial Renewal
Center, New Jersey convened a group of priests
and lay people for a reflection on Pope Paul CELEBRATED. Most Rev. Martin
VI’s “Evangelii Nuntiandi,” As discussion pro- Jumoad, DD, 25th anniversary of
gressed, they realized that evangelization to sacerdotal ordination, April 7,
2008. Four days of activities that
become a reality, it required a “people focus.” began April 5 and culminated on
With this in mind, the group developed some April 8 highlighted the anniversary
general direction and guidelines for a program celebration. Zamboanga Arch-
to be conducted over a weekend. bishop Romulo Valles, Daet
Bishop Gilbert Garcera, San Jose
The first PREX in the Philippines was con- Antique Bishop Romulo Dela Cruz,
ducted at the Sanctuario de San Antonio, Jolo Prelature Bishop Angelito
Forbes Park Makati by its then parish priest Lampon, Ipil Prelature Bishop
Fr. Hugh Zurat, OFM, in the early 1980s. Zurat, Julius Tonel and the Basilan clergy
concelebrated with Bishop
an American, had a vacation in the United Jumoad at the thanksgiving jubi-
States where he took his PREX (then PRE). lee mass held at Sta. Isabel Ca-
Upon his return to his parish, he right away thedral, 10:30 AM on April 7. Or-
conducted the seminar to his parishioners. dained priest in 1983, Bishop
The previous conventions were held mostly Jumoad was appointed bishop of
Basilan Prelature in November 21,
in Baguio, two in Metro Manila, and the last in 2001. Ordained in January 10,
Sta. Rosa, Laguna. (Santosh Digal) 2002, he was installed as third
bishop of Basilan two days after.

Country’s Canon lawyers

gather for annual convention
THE Canon Law (Zamboanga del Sur) Bishop Nereo
Society of the Odchimar will preside over the inaugural
Philippines mass on April 14.
(CLSP) is set to Lingayen (Dagupan) Archbishop Oscar
hold its 16th an- Cruz, the judicial vicar of the National Ap-
nual convention pellate Matrimonial Tribunal (NAMT) will
on the penal law be the main resource speaker. Other speak-
and process of the ers who will grace the three-day conference
Catholic Church include Msgr. Rey Monsanto, the executive
on April 15 to 17. secretary of the CBCP Episcopal Commission
T h e m e d on Canon Law; Msgr. Nilo Peig, a visiting
“Crime and Punishment: The Penal Law and professor of Canon Law in the Immaculate
the Penal Process of the Catholic Church,” Conception School of Theology (Vigan, Ilocos
the convention will gather at least 100 CLSP Sur); Msgr. Higinio Velarde, one of the six
members from all over the country at judges of the NAMT; Fr. Jaime Achacoso, the
Mallberry Suites Business Hotel in executive secretary of the CLSP; and Dr. Sal-
Limketkai Center, Cagayan de Oro City. vador Aves, a professor from Capitol Col-
Tagbilaran Bishop Leonardo Medroso, the lege in Cagayan de Oro City.
chair of the CBCP Episcopal Commission Aside from the conference for the mem-
on Canon Law, will deliver the keynote ad- bers, the convention also will include a sym-
dress while CBCP vice president and Tandag posium for non-canon lawyers. Topics to be
discussed in the symposium include the Due
Process for Church Sanctions (Judicial and
Administrative, and Specific sanctions in the
Church), the Ban on Priests from Public Of-
fice, and the Transfer, Indult of Departure,
Exclaustration and “Leave of Absence.”
According to Achacoso, the CLSP conven-
tion is annually held to maintain linkages
among the members apart from discussing
pertinent and timely canon law topics.
“Our annual convention also serves as a
venue for continuing formation of canon
lawyers, exchange of pastoral experience and
promotion of priestly camaraderie among
members,” he said.
The CLSP is a CBCP-backed association
of canon lawyers established in 1993. As of
press time, the association has 196 members
nationwide, 95 per cent of whom are priests
engaged in different ecclesiastical tribunals
in the country. (Kris Bayos)
CELEBRATED. Daughters of St. Paul, 25th anniversary of the founda-
tion of the community of Tuguegarao, April 5, 2008. Archbishop Diosdado
Talamayan presided the thanksgiving mass held at the St. Peter Metro-
politan Cathedral concelebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Ricardo Baccay,
and other priests. In his homily, Archbishop Talamayan commended
the sisters’ timely and much-needed presence in the archdiocese. The
celebration was graced by Sr. Yolanda Dionisio, Provincial Superior,
and other sisters coming from the communities of Pasay, Srs.
Immacolata Legaspi, Mennen Alarcon, Maimai Rubia, Assunta Labay;
Marikina, Sr. Precy Foronda; and Sr. Prose Dela Cruz, Baguio. In full
support were the Pauline Cooperators of Tuguegarao City and the
sisters’ families, friends and benefactors.
CELEBRATING. Msgr. Elmer S.
Abacahin, SSJV, PC, 52, Archdio-
cese of Cagayan de Oro, 25 th
Sacerdotal Ordination Anniver-
sary, April 27, 2008. Ordained at

Leganes church declared

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish

MSPC rural congress

Church, Talisayan, Misamis Orien-
tal by Archbishop Patrick Cronin,
SSC, DD. Msgr. Abacahin was
assigned as Parochial Vicar of

a diocesan shrine
Our Lady of Snows Parish, El

scheduled in June
PREPARATIONS are under-
way for the upcoming
Mindanao Sulu Pastoral
Council (MSPC) – National
Rural Congress II slated on
June 19-20 at the Regional
Major Seminary (REMASE)
in Catalunan Grande,
Davao City.
The original venue for
the congress was in
Cagayan de Oro City but
Updates of NRC II consulta-
tion
In the ecclesiastical subre-
gions of Dipolog, Ozamiz,
Pagadian, Iligan and
Marawi (DOPIM), a sub-re-
gional consultation with the
ad extra group was already
organized. From the said
consultation, ten persons
were chosen to represent at
THE Parish Church of St.
Vincent Ferrer in Leganes town
(6 kilometres north of Iloilo
City) was declared a Diocesan
Shrine last April 4. Jaro Arch-
bishop Angel Lagdameo
signed the decree on the occa-
sion of the 150th anniversary
of the foundation and the dedi-
cation and consecration of the
newly renovated Parish
Church of St. Vincent Ferrer.
The decree was read during
the Dedication and Consecra-
Salvador, Misamis Oriental (1983-
1986); Director of St. Joseph High
School of the said parish (1986-
1996); Formator at the Spirituality
Iloilo has locally fulfilled the Formation House Seminary; Spiri-
same functions as shrines, even tual Director of San Jose de
without canonical recognition. Mindanao Seminary (1996-2001); Chaplain at Immaculate Conception
Church, Bulua, Cagayan de Oro City (2001-2007); Parish Priest of San
This Church has formed part of Antonio de Padua Parish, Nazareth, Cagayan de Oro City. He is cur-
the “topography” of the faith rently the CBCP-BEC National Executive Secretary, a post he held
and of the popular piety of the since 2007.
people of God, not only in the
ORDAINED. Fr. Raymund Orfelia, Sta. Monica Parish, Hamtic, April 1,
Island of Panay, but also in the 2008; Fr. John Jauod, St. Luke Parish, Valderrama, April 2, 2008. Both
nearby Island of Negros as well finished their theology at St. Joseph Regional Seminary, Jaro, Iloilo.
as the adjoining islands in the
Visayas, who flock to the Church
the whole year round to fulfill
DADITAMA holds confab for
their promises or “panaad” and
to invoke the heavenly interces-

was cancelled because it
will be hosting the National
Congress on the Basic
Ecclesial Communities
(BECs) in November.
An executive committee
(Execom) has already been
formed composed of Digos
Bishop Guillermo Afable,
Cotabato City Auxiliary
Bishop Colin Bagaforo, Fr.
Pedro Lamata of Davao
City, Arvie Sandalo and
Digos Vicar General Msgr.
John Macalisang.
Around 166 participants
excluding the bishops are
expected to come for the
congress. The participants
are representatives of
sectoral groups, church,
non-government organiza-
tions (NGOs) and the civil
society.
Bishop Afable said that
during the last meeting of
the Catholic Bishops Con-
ference of the Philippines
(CBCP), the bishops of
Mindanao have decided that
MSPC being a structure
would take the responsibil-
ity of the NRC II regional
level.
the national level.
In Cagayan de Oro,
Butuan, Surigao, Tandag
and Malaybalay
(CABUSTAM) sub-regions,
consultations were done
from the BEC level up to the
parish level.
In Davao, Digos, Tagum
and Mati (DADITAMA), the
process was simplified espe-
cially in the archdiocese of
Davao and the question-
naires prepared by the na-
tional level were innovated.
Eight rural parishes were in-
volved from the 33 parishes
of Davao.
In Zamboanga, Basilan,
Sulu and Ipil (ZAMBASULI),
consultation process will go
straight to the diocesan level
particularly in the archdio-
cese of Zamboanga. Ques-
tionnaires were strictly fol-
lowed and were translated
into three languages
Chavacano, Tagalog and
Cebuano.
While in Kidapawan,
Marbel and Cotabato
(KIDMACO) consultation is
going on at the provincial
level. (CBCPNews)
tion mass stating that the Par-
ish Church of St. Vincent Ferrer
in Leganes, Iloilo, was pro-
claimed a Diocesan Shrine, “in
accordance with Church law,
with all the duties, rights and
privileges given to a Diocesan
Shrine by the Code of Canon
Law, as well as other Church
documents, particularly the Di-
rectory on Popular Piety and
the Liturgy.”
“In the 150 years of its exist-
ence as a parish, the Church of
St. Vincent Ferrer in Leganes,
Davao’s social action to mark 40th year
THE Archdiocesan Social Action
Center (ASAC) of Davao will
mark its 40th year anniversary,
as a social arm of the archdiocese.
Last year, ASAC launched their
40th year long celebration which
will culminate this coming July 5.
With the theme, “ASAC
Kwarenta: Kinabuhi sa
Katilingbanong Kalamboan”
(ASAC at 40: Life of a Developed
Community), the anniversary
will be celebrated through a se-
ries of activities providing bet-
ter social services to the people.
catechists
sion of their beloved St. Vincent
Ferrer. Furthermore, many tes-
timonies of heavenly favors and
spiritual graces received abound
THE Diocese of Digos hosted the Afable, Davao Archbishop
among these devotees of the
three-day DADITAMA Catechists Fernando Capalla, and Mati
Saint,” the decree stated.
Conference which officially Bishop Patricio Alo presided over
Leganes town celebrated its
started April 9. the Eucharistic celebrations dur-
patronal town fiesta last April
DADITAMA is an acronym for ing the gathering; Tagum Bishop
5. Thousands of devotees and
Davao Digos Tagum Mati eccle- Wilfredo Manlapaz gave the
visitors flocked the parish
siastical subregion. homily at the closing mass.
church to obtain the interces-
With the theme,” Sr. Vilma Esmael from the Ob-
sion of their beloved St.
Pagkaanindot niadtong mga tiil lates of Notre Dame, the keynote
Vincent Ferrer who has never
nga nagsangyaw sa Maayong speaker; discussed on the signifi-
failed to pray for them. (Fr.
Balita” (How beautiful are the cance of the theme. Esmael is the
Ryan Teves)
feet of those who bring the Good director of the Notre Dame Center
News –Isaiah 52:7), the conference for Catechism in Cotabato City.
aimed to deepen the awareness Afable gave an input on tell-
of the catechists in the Word of
God.
ing the stories of Jesus in
Mindanao. Fr. Ronald “Bong”
Erwin Cabilan, archdiocesan Lunas shared on “Catechist as
Social Action Director Fr. Rico catechist coordinator said that the pray-ers” while Msgr. Juan
Enriquez said that part of their theme is timely as the Church Macalisang, pastoral director in
activities is the seminar on the also celebrates the Year of St. Paul, the diocese explained the salient
Church’s social teachings to the the Church’s greatest convert. points in “Restoring Moral Val-
representatives of various pasto- Around 150 catechists came ues through the Basic Ecclesial
ral agencies in the archdiocese. from the DADITAMA dioceses. Communities (BECs). (Mark S
Past directors of SAC will also Digos Bishop Guillermo Ventura)
be invited on their 40th anniver-
sary as well as of the Parish So-
cial Action Ministry (PSAM).
There will be a mass followed
by a motorcade in the main thor- Read the daily church news
oughfares of the city and a video
presentation of the history of
at www.cbcpnews.com
SAC. (Mark S Ventura)
 CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 8
April 14 - 27, 2008
B2 Updates
Empowerment of the Laity The Apostolic Vicariate of
Bontoc-Lagawe
Pastoral Concerns
Climbing the
Lord’s Mountain
By Abp. Antonio J. Ledesma, SJ
LAST week I was in Cambodia as part of the
Philippine delegation to the “Phnom Penh
Dialogue 2008 on Interfaith Cooperation for
Peace and Harmony.” Along with some gov-
ernment officials, we were religious leaders
representing several faith traditions—two
Protestant bishops, a Muslim scholar from
the Ulama League of the Philippines, a Mus-
lim woman officer of the provincial govern-
ment of Sulu, and myself as a Catholic arch-
bishop. We were all there to share our expe-
riences on interreligious dialogue for peace
and development in Mindanao and other
parts of the country.
This was part of a larger effort started four
years ago to engage the 15 countries in the
Southeast Asia–Pacific region in interfaith
dialogue and cooperation. The convening
countries of Indonesia, the Philippines, Aus-
tralia and New Zealand have by now each
hosted a conference–the first in Jogjakarta in
2004, followed by Cebu in 2006, Waitangi in
2007, and the most recent one, with the sup-
port of Australia, in Phnom Penh.
The cultural and historical setting of Cam-
bodia for this fourth dialogue-conference was
to me a highly significant choice. For per-
haps nowhere else in this part of the world
can we find such stark contrast between the
lowest depths and the sublimest heights that
the human spirit can reach.
Genocide Museum
While in Phnom Penh, a number of us, del-
egates, had a chance to visit the Genocide
Museum, named Tuol Sleng, which was the
most secretive prison of the Khmer Rouge
regime during its reign of terror in 1975-78.
This was located ironically in the downtown
area of the city. The prison compound was
the original site of a high school. Its four three-
story buildings with their classrooms were
converted into a high-security detention and
interrogation center, complete with barbed
wire fencing and torture chambers. The class-
rooms were partitioned into individual cells
or dormitories where detainees were chained
and isolated for two to four months before
being executed.
From accounts of a few survivors, every-
thing was taken away from the prisoners.
They were stripped to their underwear and
slept directly on the cement floors without
any mat, blanket or mosquito net. There was
little food, less water, and no medicine.
Among the ten regulations posted on each
cell were instructions like:
“Do not try to hide the facts by making
B3 Diocese B4 Commissions
ECMI bestows award to OFW
children achievers
pretexts of this or that. You are strictly pro-
hibited to contest me.” “While getting lashes
or electrification you must not cry at all.” “Do
nothing. Sit still and wait for my orders. If
there is no order, keep quiet.”
A distinctive feature of Tuol Sleng prison
was its documentation office which photo-
graphed all prisoners and kept detailed bi-
ographies of each one from childhood to the
date of arrest. It is these ID photos that have
now been enlarged and displayed on the walls
– blank faces of men and women, including
some children, who for the most part were
innocent of any crime except for their pro-
tests against the excesses of an abusive re-
gime. Interviews and confessions of some of
the prison staff, with pictures of their family
background, only reinforce the horror of how
the spiral of evil can reach down to the hum-
blest of rural households.
At any time, the prison held from 1,200 to
1,500 prisoners. During the three years of its
existence, records indicate that there were
about 10,500 prisoners, not including another
2,000 children, who were killed in the same
place. The numbers themselves are but a
microcosm of the estimated one to two mil-
lion Cambodians—a fourth of the popula-
tion—who lost their lives under the harsh
conditions of the Pol Pot regime. The Khmer
Rouge cadres targeted the educated and bour-
geois class and “anyone with eyeglasses.”
They forced all city residents, young and eld-
erly, to go out and work in the countryside.
This was the case of an ideologically-blinded
regime that wanted to turn the clock back to
an idyllic past where everyone was treated
equally—but without human rights nor the
freedom of the human spirit.
Symbols of religious faith
In contrast, this idyllic past and the achieve-
ments of the human spirit were perhaps best
enshrined in the northwestern region of
Cambodia. Instead of a third day of confer-
ence proceedings, all the delegates traveled
to Siem Reap, 300 kilometers away from
Phnom Penh. Upon arrival, we visited and
walked through the largest outdoor religious
monument in the world—Angkor Wat and
its surrounding complex of temples con-
structed from the 9th to the 13th centuries. Built
by a successive line of Hindu and Buddhist
kings over five centuries, Angkor Wat and
the nearby temples of Ta Prohm and Angkor
Thom represented sacred space and the sym-
bolisms of religious faith.
With its awe-inspiring landscape, Angkor
Wat itself is a microcosm of the Hindu uni-
verse. Its surrounding moat and outer walls
B1
B5 Statements
‘Give us our daily rice’
7QUESTIONS
Most Rev. Antonio
R. Tobias, D.D.
FIRST appointed Apostolic Administrator of Novaliches in June 21,
2003, Most Rev. Antonio R. Tobias was installed as second bishop of
the diocese in January 26, 2004. In this issue of CBCP Monitor,
Bishop Tobias talks about the various social services and development
programs the diocese is rendering to the faithful; the threat of materi-
alism and consumeristic attitude resulting from globalization; the
formation programs of Family life commission and the BEC’s; and the
diocesan response to environmental problems and the social costs of
out-migration.
How is the social concern of the Church being concretized in
your diocese?
The Diocese of Novaliches is guided by the principle of
respect for life and the dignity of the human person. It ad-
heres to the principle of promoting the rights of the less
advantaged in society: the downtrodden, the marginalized
and victims of human rights violations. For us salvation is
Photo by Angel Maramot / angelmaramot.multiply.com
integral, meaning to say, the Church should address the au-
thentic human development.
The Social concern is being concretized by identifying the
need of the local Church which is predominantly poor. There
are some social services and development programs that are
being rendered to the faithful of Novaliches, one concrete
action is when the Diocese of Novaliches has created an um-
brella organization called Caritas Novaliches. Under it are
the different ministries and church groups directly address-
ing social issues and concerns. One of the groups under it is
the Social Services Development Ministry. SSDM handles: a)
the Hapag-asa supplemental feeding program (this feeding
program for children with ages 3-7 but sometimes because of
prevalent malnutrition kids until age 8 or 10 years old are
admitted; and in some cases all the kids from one family are
enrolled; the mothers of the enrolled kids are given catechism
classes, health and nutrition classes and livelihood classes)
and feeding program in Ina ng Laging Saklolo parish under
the FMM congregation. In 2007 we were able to serve around
1,721 kids. b) We have parish health clinics that addresses the
health concerns of marginalized parishioners; medicines for
ordinary sickness are given for free; medical missions in par-
ishes; c) We also address livelihood issues; in parishes there
are livelihood trainings and these trainings have resulted to
entrepreneurship either to parishioners or the parish itself;
there are parishes now supplying candles to churches in the
diocese; we also have the Diocese Livelihood (Sewing) Cen-
ter, the center is into sub-contracting for big apparel compa-
nies; d) Educational scholarships – we are sending 60 students
to parochial schools within the diocese; this came about be-
cause we saw that students need solid Christian formation
especially in teenage years; we were criticize before that we
did have educational assistance program to students yet they
lead inwards onto three levels of concentric were enrolled in public schools. (Although public schools
now have catechism classes handled by parish catechists). There
galleries and towers. The towers represent
the mountain ranges that surround Mount are other social concerns which we try to address like, issues
Meru, the mythical home of the gods. The on women and children, land and its acquisition, migrants
pilgrim’s upward climb over the massive lat- and OFW, environment and ecological concern, inter-religious
erite and sandstone blocks and brick walls is dialogue among non-Catholic and other faith constituents,
virtually an ascent to the sacred mountain. and others.
In all, Angkor Wat with its intricately-
carved figures of gods, warrior-kings, apsaras, What is your take on the threat of materialism in our lifestyle
and Buddha statues evokes an atmosphere of brought about by such phenomenon as globalization?
contemplative prayer, detachment from I would agree with the idea that globalization is promot-
worldly pursuits, and longing of the human ing such value of materialism. Contrary to the Gospel values
spirit for the divine. These are perhaps best of simplicity, sacrifice, love for the weak, respect for the dig-
portrayed in the four faces of the Buddha nity of human life, globalization from a cultural level lured
pointed towards the cardinal directions of the to us to believe that we should be at the top, we should be
compass, and carved repeatedly on the tow- number one; it is money, fame and power that can offer hap-
ers of the nearby Bayon temple. These repre- piness in life. The challenge for us as Christians is to be firm
sent the human-divine qualities of Charity, in our resolve in holding to the Gospel values of love and
Compassion, Sympathy, and Equanimity. compassion for everyone. Like Jesus we are being challenged
of resisting the temptation, that like him we are able to say:
Multifaith dialogue and cooperation “man does not live by bread alone but also by every word
In many ways, these are the same qualities that comes from the mouth of God”, and “Go away Satan”.
that our interfaith dialogue hoped to evoke We have to strengthen our faith that it is not material wealth,
for the Asia-Pacific region. For our troubled power and glory that can offer real happiness, but it is our act
world today, the final statement of the Phnom of kindness and compassion for everyone. Real happy people
Penh Dialogue stressed the urgency of are not those who have bulk of money in the bank or have
multifaith dialogue and cooperation, peace huge investments but those who are able to forget about them-
as a sacred priority, increased participation selves and able to provide other people better opportunities
of women and youth, and interfaith coopera- in life.
tion addressing community concerns in our
region—such as poverty, human rights, and Would you say consumerism has affected our sense of values
environmental issues. especially the young?
For the political prisoners of the Khmer It is obvious that consumerism has affected our sense of
Rouge, Tuol Sleng literally meant a “poison- values especially our young people. In fact, priests and nuns
ous mound.” But for the builders of Angkor and religious people are also affected by this consumeristic
Wat, the temple-mountain represented man’s attitude. These are manifested in the attitude of wanting to
ascent to God. And for all of us today, pil- possess: to have the latest model of laptop computer, MP3,
grims in interfaith dialogue for peace and cell phone, TV, car, etc. But we should also not discount the
harmony, the same invitation to climb the fact that there are religious who opt to be simple and embrace
Lord’s mountain is perhaps best echoed in the vow of poverty in the real sense of the word. Despite risk
the prophet Isaiah’s summons: in their lives, they opt to be the voice of the voiceless work-
ers, farmers, urban poor communities, prostituted women
“In days to come, and others. Regarding the young people, we can have an in-
The mountain of the Lord’s house sight about it if we ask about their dreams and wishes in life.
Shall be established as the highest mountain On the one hand, if we make a survey among elementary or
And raised above the hills. high school students what is their dream or what do they
want to be when they grow up, their easy reply would be “to
“Many peoples shall come and say: become a nurse” “to go abroad” “ to become a business man”
‘Come, let us climb the Lord’s mountain, or “to have a lot of money” Very seldom you hear that they
That he may instruct us in his ways, would like to become a priest, a nun or a religious. These are
And we may walk in his paths.’ some manifestations that what dominates in the minds and
hearts of the young people are consumeristic values. They are
“He shall judge between the nations, of the idea that it is money, and having material security that
And impose terms on many peoples. can make a human person really happy. On the other hand,
They shall beat their swords into plowshares there are still young people who dream of a society where
And their spears into pruning hooks; there is peace and love for everyone. These young people can
One nation shall not raise the sword against be found in families where the Gospel values of love, self-
another, sacrifice and compassion for everyone are being taught.
Nor shall they train for war again.” 7 Questions / B4
(Isaiah 2:2-4)
 CBCP Monitor
B2 Updates Vol. 12 No. 8
April 14 - 27, 2008

Empowerment of The double alleluia and

the Laity (2)
By Fr. Jaime B. Achacoso, J.C.D.
TIME and again, I have heard the expression “lay
empowerment” in the lips of priests and our par-
ish lay leaders. More often than not, they would be
referring to the faculties now granted to some of
our parishioners to act as lay ministers—to have a
more active participation in the liturgical ceremo-
nies and to be extraordinary ministers for Holy
Communion—or to form part of the Parish Pasto-
ral Council. In contrast, in a convention of the
Council of the Laity of the Philippines that I at-
tended in Antipolo (Oct. 28-30, 2004) I heard a
very different notion from more than one of the
speakers. What does the expression “lay empow-
erment” really mean?
THE proper sense of empowerment of the
laity in Canon Law is enshrined in a set of
canons contained in Book II: The People of God,
Title II: The Obligations and Rights of the Lay
Christian Faithful, covering cc. 224-231. These
canons, in fact, positivized and formalize a
set of rights and duties which are really proper
and specific to the lay faithful—not something
they have in common with clerics and reli-
gious as lay faithful, as
covered by Title I: The
Obligations and
Rights of all the
Christian Faithful,
cc.208-223—and
therefore consti-
tute a proper em-
powerment of
the laity as la-
ity.
Rights of Lay
Christian
Faithful.
The Code
enumerates
two rights and
a capacity of lay
faithful:
1) Freedom in
temporal affairs:
Can. 227. Lay Chris-
tian faithful have the
right to have recog-
nized that freedom in
the affairs of the
earthly city which be-
longs to all citizens;
when they exercise
such freedom, how-
ever, they are to
take care that
their actions are
imbued with
the spirit of
the gospel
and take
into ac-
count the
doctrine
set forth by the magisterium of the Church; but
they are to avoid proposing their own opinion as
the teaching of the Church in questions which are
open to various opinions.
2) Right to decent remuneration for spe-
cial service to the Church: Can. 231, §2: [Ex-
cept for the stable ministries of lector and acolyte]
they have a right to a decent remuneration suited
to their condition; by such remuneration they
should be able to provide decently for their own
needs and for those of their family with due regard
for the prescriptions of civil law; they likewise have
a right that their pension, social security and health
benefits be duly provided.
3) Capacity to cooperate in the governance
of the Church: Can. 228 — §1. Qualified lay
persons are capable of assuming from their sacred
pastors those ecclesiastical offices and functions
which they are able to exercise in accord with the
prescriptions of law.
— §2. Lay persons who excel in the necessary
knowledge, prudence, and uprightness are capable
of assisting the pastors of the Church as experts or
advisors; they can do so even in councils, in accord
with the norm of law. N.B. This is not a right,
but just a capacity.
In these cases, the Code properly empow-
ers the lay faithful in three ways:
1) By acknowledging such rights of the lay
faithful—the Code empowers them to exer-
cise those rights effectively.
2) By giving the lay faithful the right to
action—i.e., the right to demand from the
competent Church authority the redress of
any violation of those rights by any party.
3) By obliging the hierarchy to guarantee
the effective exercise of those rights of the
lay faithful—through proper formation, co-
ordination and supervision. This is a great
field of actuation by the hierarchy: e.g., more
serious doctrinal formation of the laity as to
their obligations to imbue temporal reali-
ties with the Gospel, more constant spiritual
direction so as to open horizons of sanctity
and apostolic zeal, more intense delivery of
the means of salvation (the Word of God and
the sacraments, especially Confession and the
Eucharist).
Duties of Lay Christian
Faith- ful.
The Code enumer-
ates the following
d u - ties:
1 ) To sanctify mar-
riage and
family: Can. 226, §1. Lay persons who live in the
married state in accord with their own vocation
are bound by a special duty to work for the
upbuilding of the people of God through their mar-
riage and their family.
2) To acquire appropriate formation for
ecclesial tasks: Can. 231 — §1. Lay persons who
devote themselves permanently or temporarily to
some special service of the Church are obliged to
acquire the appropriate formation which is required
to fulfill their function properly and to carry it out
conscientiously, zealously, and diligently.
In these cases, the Code properly empowers
the lay faithful in two ways:
1) By establishing such obligations on the
part of the lay faithful, the Code empowers
them for those acts which the fulfillment of
such obligations entails.
2) By establishing such obligation on the
part of the lay faithful, the Code also indi-
rectly obliges the hierarchy to make the ful-
fillment of such obligations feasible.
Right-Duties of Lay Christian Faithful
In some cases, what the Code establishes
are rights which are at the same time duties.
In these cases, the mode of empowerment is
even more encompassing:
1) To do apostolate in the world: Can. 225
— §1. Since the laity like all the Christian faithful,
are deputed by God to the apostolate through their
baptism and confirmation, they are therefore bound
by the general obligation and enjoy the general
right to work as individuals or in associations so
that the divine message of salvation becomes known
and accepted by all persons throughout the world;
this obligation has a greater impelling force in those
circumstances in which people can hear the gospel
and know Christ only through lay persons.
§2. Each lay person in accord with his or her
condition is bound by a special duty to imbue and
perfect the order of temporal affairs with the spirit
of the gospel; they thus give witness to Christ in a
special way in carrying out those affairs and in
exercising secular duties.
2) To access and teach Christian doctrine
and sacred sciences: Can. 229 — §1. Lay per-
sons are bound by the obligation and possess the
right to acquire a knowledge of Christian doctrine
adapted to their capacity and condition so that they
can live in accord with that doctrine, announce it,
defend it when necessary, and be enabled to as-
sume their role in exercising the apostolate.
§2. Lay persons also possess the right to
acquire that deeper
knowledge of the sa-
cred sciences which
are taught in ecclesi-
astical universities or
faculties or in insti-
tutes of religious sci-
ences by attending
classes and obtain-
ing academic de-
grees.
§3. Likewise,
the prescriptions
as to the required
suitability having
been observed, lay
persons are capable
of receiving from
legitimate ecclesi-
astical authority a
mandate to teach the
sacred sciences.
3) To educate one’s
children: Can. 226, §2.
Because they have given
life to their children,
parents have a
most serious ob-
ligation and en-
joy the right to
educate them;
therefore Chris-
tian parents are
especially to
care for the
Christian
education of
their chil-
dren ac-
cording
to the
Illustration by Bladimer Usi
teach-
i n g
handed on by the Church.
Conclusion
From the foregoing, it becomes clear that
the juridic notion of empowerment of the laity
goes much farther than the participation of lay
faithful in properly ministerial functions (much
less merely liturgical ones), or even in the pas-
toral work of the Church. Even in this latter
case, the Law only gives the faithful the capacity
to cooperate in the governance of the Church,
but not a right to such power of governance.
The proper sphere of lay empowerment
has to do more with the mission of the lay
faithful to be leaven in the world, ordering
temporal affairs according to the Gospel.
To the extent that the lay faithful are given
the adequate doctrinal and spiritual forma-
tion, support of an intense sacramental life,
and a healthy autonomy to fulfill their role
in the world responsibly, they are by that
same measure empowered to be what they
are: Christian lay men and women, and not lay
ministers or brothers, and much less secularized
versions of religious men and women.
Paraphrasing the Apostle to the Gentiles,
the world is groaning for the revelation of the sons
of God! Christian lay men and women need
to be empowered to be themselves: to be
Christ in the middle of the world!
‘Pontifical Masses’
(Father Edward McNamara, professor of liturgy at the Regina
Apostolorum university, answers the following questions:)
Q: Please clarify whether the Mass dismissal should have the
double Alleluia attached to it throughout the 50 days of the
Easter season, e.g., “The Mass is ended. Go in peace. Alleluia!
Alleluia!” or only during the Easter octave and the day of
Pentecost—R.L., Cambridge, Massachusetts
A: According to the indications of the rubrics and good litur-
gical guidelines, the double Alleluia is used at every Mass
during the Easter octave and on Pentecost Sunday, which
concludes the Easter season.
The double Alleluia is also used for the dismissal or con-
clusion of the celebration of morning prayer and evening
prayer, up to and including the vespers of Divine Mercy Sun-
day which concludes the Easter octave.
On all the other days of Easter season the Alleluia is not
added to the dismissal of either Mass or Liturgy of the Hours.
In some countries, however, the missal contains optional
formulas for the dismissal, according to the liturgical season.
For example: “May the Risen Lord be our strength, go in
peace.”
Wherever permitted, such formulas may be used on any
day of the Easter season. If used during the octave or Pente-
cost, the double Alleluia is always added.
The use of the double Alleluia, as well as the faculty of
using the Easter sequence “Victimae Paschali” and the special
formulas inserted into the Eucharistic Prayers during the days
of the octave, are ways of emphasizing the importance of the
feast and prolonging its celebration.
The use of this double Alleluia is very old, but during the
Middle Ages it was dropped for a time from the liturgy in
use by the Roman Curia. It returned through the influence of
the Franciscan Friars Minor who restored the double Alle-
luia for their own liturgical books in 1243.
Q: I have often seen the Mass of the Chrism described as the
“Pontifical Mass of the Chrism.” Is this correct and, if so, what
attributes make it (or any other Mass) pontifical? Also, I have been
to a number of Masses where the cardinal archbishop of the diocese
is the presider/celebrant. I have noticed that he usually has the
deacon read or chant the Gospel, and when the deacon does this, the
master of ceremonies hands the bishop his crosier at the start of the
Gospel acclamation and holds it until the Gospel is finished. What is
the significance of this action? During the Mass of the Chrism, the
bishop and priests assembled renew their commitment to priestly
service. I remember one of the prayers of the faithful that the bishop
prays for himself, and in that prayer I have heard him pray that he, as
bishop, will “speak with a prophetic voice.” Are there “standard
forms” for this prayer in the General Instruction of the Roman
Missal or other liturgical documents, or are there only guidelines as
to what this prayer should cover?—E.G., Chicago
A: The expression “Pontifical Mass” refers to any solemn
Mass celebrated by a diocesan bishop (or an abbot) as high
priest of his flock. It is not reserved to a Mass celebrated by
the Holy Father.
This Mass is usually considered as a sign of unity in the
Church and is celebrated on important feasts and anniversa-
ries with full ceremonial and the complete complement of
ministers: concelebrating priests, deacons, acolytes, lectors
and the full, active participation of all God’s holy people. It is
usually also a sung Mass (cf. Ceremonial of Bishops, Nos.
119-121).
While the terms “Pontifical Mass” and “Pontifical High
Mass” are still used in current speech, the 1984 Ceremonial of
Bishops no longer uses this expression. It officially refers to
this Mass as the “Stational Mass of the Diocesan Bishop,”
thereby reintroducing an ancient formulation.
According to the Ceremonial of Bishops (No. 59), the bishop
carries the crosier or pastoral staff in his own territory as a
sign of his pastoral office. As a general rule the bishop holds
the staff, “its curved head turned away from himself and
towards the people: as he walks in procession, listens to the
Gospel reading, and gives the homily; also when receiving
religious vows and promises or a profession of faith and
when he bestows a blessing on persons, unless the blessing
includes the laying on of hands.”
Whenever the diocesan bishop permits another bishop to
celebrate a solemn Mass within his territory, the visiting
bishop may also use the pastoral staff.
Although the Roman Missal provides texts for the prayers
for the renewal of commitment to priestly service, the rubric
in the English version of the missal says that the bishop speaks
to the priests and the people “in these or similar words.”
In the text provided in the missal the bishop addresses the
people: “Pray also for me that despite my own unworthiness
I may faithfully fulfill the office of apostle which Jesus Christ
has entrusted to me. Pray that I may become more like our
High Priest and Good Shepherd, the teacher and servant of
all, and so be a genuine sign of Christ’s loving presence among
you.”
I suppose that the prayer heard by our reader was a legiti-
mate variation of this text which implores prayers for the
bishop to fearlessly preach the Gospel with an authentically
prophetic voice.

The Annual Blessing of Family Homes
152. The annual blessing of families
takes places in their homes during
Eastertide ¯ or at other times of the year.
This pastoral practice is highly recom-
mended to parish priests and to their
assistant priests since it is greatly appre-
ciated by the faithful and affords a pre-
cious occasion to recollect God’s constant
presence among Christian families. It is
also an opportunity to invite the faith-
ful to live according to the Gospel, and
to exhort parents and children to pre-
serve and promote the mystery of being
“a domestic church”(156).
The Via Lucis
153. A pious exercise called the Via Lucis
has developed and spread to many re-
gions in recent years. Following the
model of the Via Crucis, the faithful pro-
cess while meditating on the various ap-
pearances of Jesus—from his Resurrec-
tion to his Ascension - in which he showed
Eastertide
his glory to the disciples who awaited
the coming of the Holy Spirit (cf. John 14,
26; 16, 13-15; Lk 24, 49), strengthened their
faith, brought to completion his teaching
on the Kingdom and more closely de-
fined the sacramental and hierarchical
structure of the Church.
Through the Via Lucis, the faithful re-
call the central event of the faith—the
resurrection of Christ—and their dis-
cipleship in virtue of Baptism, the pas-
chal sacrament by which they have
passed from the darkness of sin to the
bright radiance of the light of grace (cf.
Col 1, 13; Eph 5, 8).
For centuries the Via Crucis involved
the faithful in the first moment of the
Easter event, namely the Passion, and
helped to fix its most important aspects
in their consciousness. Analogously, the
Via Lucis, when celebrated in fidelity to
the Gospel text, can effectively convey a
living understanding to the faithful of
the second moment of the Pascal event,
namely the Lord’s Resurrection.
The Via Lucis is potentially an excel-
lent pedagogy of the faith, since “per
crucem ad lucem”. Using the metaphor
of a journey, the Via Lucis moves from
the experience of suffering, which in
God’s plan is part of life, to the hope of
arriving at man’s true end: liberation,
joy and peace which are essentially pas-
chal values.
The Via Lucis is a potential stimulus
for the restoration of a “culture of life”
which is open to the hope and certitude
offered by faith, in a society often char-
acterized by a “culture of death”, despair
and nihilism.
Devotion to the Divine Mercy
154. In connection with the octave of
Easter, recent years have witnessed the
development and diffusion of a special
devotion to the Divine Mercy based on
the writings of Sr. Faustina Kowalska
who was canonized 30 April 2000. It con-
centrates on the mercy poured forth in
Christ’s death and resurrection, fount of
the Holy Spirit who forgives sins and
restores joy at having been redeemed.
Since the liturgy of the Second Sunday
of Easter or Divine Mercy Sunday—as it
is now called(157)—is the natural locus
in which to express man’s acceptance of
the Redeemer’s mercy, the faithful
should be taught to understand this de-
votion in the light of the liturgical cel-
ebrations of these Easter days. Indeed,
“the paschal Christ is the definitive in-
carnation of mercy, his living sign which
is both historico-salvific and
eschatological. At the same time, the
Easter liturgy places the words of the
psalm on our lips: “I shall sing forever
of the Lord’s mercy” (Ps 89[88] 2)”(158).
—Directory on Popular Piety and the Lit-
urgy, Principles and Guidelines
 CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 8
April 14 - 27, 2008
IMPORTANT FACTS:
Bishop ………………….....…………
Priests:
Diocesan ……………………..….. 19
Religious ……………………....….
Sisters:
Filipino …………………….....…… 13
Foreign ……………………....….. 2
Seminarians:
Theology ……………………....… 12
Philosophy …………………...…… 37
Pre-College …………………...…. 11
On Regency …………………...….
Pastoral Divisions:
Pastoral Districts ……………..….
Mission Stations …………….…… 20
Educational Centers:
Seminary ……………………...…..
High School ………………...…….. 10
Elementary ……………...…………
Pre-School …………………..…….
Population …………………… 308,624
Area …………………... 4,615.1 sq. m.
The Apostolic Vicariate of
By Bro. Bruno Huebscher-
Jucker, BMI
THE Apostolic Vicariate of Bontoc-
Lagawe covers the two civil provinces
of Ifugao and Mountain Province. It is
bounded on the north by Kalinga-
Apayao, on the east by Isabela, on the
west by Ilocos Sur and on the south by
Nueva Vizcaya. It is one among three
vicariates created on July 6, 1992, divid-
ing the old Vicariate of the Montañosa
into three: the Vicariates of Baguio,
Bontoc-Lagawe and Tabuk.
The province of Ifugao is character-
ized by rather rolling hills while the
Mountain Province is known for its rug-
ged mountains with towering peaks and
sharp ridges. Because of their elevations,
some of which exceed 2,000 meters above
sea level, these provinces enjoy a cool
and invigorating climate.
The mainstream of the populace be-
longs to ethno-linguistic groups that
have inhabited the Cordillera region for
centuries. This is made up of the Bontoks,
Kankanaeys and the Allay Gaddangs of
the Mountain Province, and the
Ayangans, Tuwalis and the Kalanguyas
of Ifugao. Although all these groups are
classified under the common name of
Igorot, each has a distinct culture and a
distinct language. Much of their cultural
traditions are still intact. Basic values
such as family and community are still
very highly esteemed.
The majority of the people are in-
volved in subsistence agriculture that
makes use mostly of terrace planting.
Despite the area’s wealth in natural re-
sources the two provinces are economi-
cally depressed and remain neglected in
basic social services and infrastructure.
Politically, Ifugao is comprised of 11
municipalities while the Mountain Prov-
ince is made up of 10. The vicariate there-
fore covers a total of 21 municipalities
occupying a land area of 4,615 square
kilometers with a population of 308,624
of which 64 per cent are Catholics.
The vicariate reaches out to the faith-
ful through 21 “mission stations”. The
area is divided into two ecclesiastical
districts, that of Ifugao and that of the
Mountain Province. This provides sepa-
rate venues for pastoral discussions con-
cerning particular problems or programs
affecting the mission stations of each
province. The seat of the apostolic vi-
cariate is at Bontoc, Mountain Province.
Assisting the Vicar Apostolic in the
governance of pastoral welfare is the
Vicariate Mission Council. Members of
the presbyterium form this council
which meets regularly. However, it is
the prerogative of the Vicar Apostolic
to convene the mission council as need
arises.
On the vicariate level, clergy, reli-
gious and lay people, together with the
Vicar Apostolic, participate in the plan-
ning and formulation of the pastoral di-
rection of the vicariate. All mission sta-
tions are duly represented. Per agree-
ment the assembly meets once a year
for assessment and planning.
The First Vicariate Pastoral Assembly
of Bontoc-Lagawe was convened in 1993,
out of which emerged the following
objectives: 1) to come together as clergy,
1
5
1
2
1
1
2
religious and laity; 2) to strengthen unity
and solidarity; 3) to assess the growth of
the vicariate; and, 4) to set the specific
pastoral vision, mission, thrust and di-
rection of the vicariate.
The second Pastoral Assembly of 1996
re-affirmed the pastoral thrust of the
BEC-type of church and adopted the
“YEAST” ministries as its service-struc-
ture. Youth, Education, Altar, Social con-
cerns, Temporalities.
The Apostolic Vicariate of Bontoc-
Lagawe, now on its 16th year since its
creation has determined for itself the
pastoral thrust to become a BEC-type
church (Basic Ecclesial Communities).
Each of the twenty-one mission stations
has set out to transform communities to
become ecclesial communities that are
evangelized and evangelizing. Hence
BEC is the main thrust.
Vision/Mission
We envision the Apostolic Vicariate
of Bontoc-Lagawe as a community of
Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs),
where Christians live their faith in or-
ganized, functional and coordinated
Youth, Education, Altar, Social Services
and Temporalities Ministries and doing
them in indigenous ways of participat-
ing and co-responsibility as YEAST.
Our name is BEC, our work is YEAST
The Basic Ecclesial Communities
(BEC) based on the experience of the
Apostolic Vicariate of Bontoc-Lagawe
are a community of believers at the
grassroots level which meets regularly un-
der the leadership of a lay minister to express
their faith in common worship, to discern on
their common living of the faith, to plan and
act on common decisions regarding their life
of faith, in community, as community.
8 Elements of BECs
1) Community of Believers
The BEC is first and foremost Church:
a people who adhere to the faith of the
Gospel and are committed to it not only
as individuals but also, and principally,
as an entire community. It is thus their
faith in Christ—not philosophy, politi-
cal ideology or culture—that brings
them as members together and makes
and identifies them as a community. And
it is community, an organized body, not
just a group of people coming together
by hap-instance like a mob or a crowd.
For as community they live in perma-
nent and ordered relationship, one to
another.
2) Grassroots Level
It is the smallest unit of Church (be-
yond the domestic church, that is), and it
is “grassroots”, basic therefore in the
sense that it is small enough for its mem-
bers to be in face to face relationship and
interaction with one another, and this at
the lowest level of hierarchical Church.
3) Regularity of meetings
The periodic coming together of the
community at set times (usually on Sun-
days) has, from a sociologist’s point of
view, the double function of keeping
alive the sense of community of its
members and as well of fulfilling com-
munication needs for social interaction.
A prosaic thing, this dual function, but
they mean much for the strength of com-
munity life and solidarity among its
Diocese
Bontoc-Lagawe
TOPMOST: Sta. Rita Cathedral, Bontoc. ABOVE: Episcopal Installation of Bishop Rodolfo Beltran, May 29, 2006.
members: they are as visible a sign as
any of the members assertion of them-
selves as a community.
4) Lay Leadership
This does not exclude clerical leader-
ship by any means, but it does acknowl-
edge the need and the exercise in the
church of leadership roles among the la-
ity distinct from the clerical kind. BECs
may have, historically, arisen as a result
of clergy insufficiency. But even if there
is a sufficiency of priests, there still is
place for lay leadership in the Church
which cannot be preempted by other
forms of leadership, hierarchical or cleri-
cal—a discovery of no little moment in
the process of building up a Local Church.
5) Common Worship
This is the first function of the BEC‘s
coming together—the liturgical expres-
sion and asserting in religious worship
of the community‘s faith. It consists or-
dinarily, in the absence of a priest, of a
service of the Word, and when conse-
crated hosts are available, a Commun-
ion service. There is power in the Word
of God (something Protestants knew all
along, more than Catholics?) and for the
first time our ordinary laity (and clerics,
for that matter) are discovering it for
themselves. In the absence of the Mass,
the use of scripture in its worshipping—
it brings the community back each time
to the source of its faith—cannot be un-
derestimated for its strengthening of the
faith life of the community.
6) Communal discernment
The second function of the BEC is the
application of the message of the Word
to the life situation of the community.
This needs prayer and discernment, par-
ticipated in by the whole community.
Problems and events that impinge on
their life in the community, as well as
opportunities, events that help or pre-
vent the full living of the faith, these are
looked into in the light of the Word of
God. A thoroughgoing faith perspective
is the prism through which events and
problems are scrutinized. From its dis-
cerning, the community goes on to plan
and make decisions for action in faith
on what they see they must do.
7) Community action on its discernment
The third function is precisely the ac-
tion in faith that follows the community’s
discernment. The participatory deciding,
planning and acting bring out even more
clearly one aspect of the BEC that marks
it as a community: its being an organized
and structured body. It is an aspect too
that is missing, or at least not too promi-
nent, in the old form of communities we
had before Vatican II where the claim to
being a “practicing Catholic” was tested
mainly in the individual reception of the
sacraments and attendance at Mass,
hardly on what the community as a
whole does in common action on com-
mon problems—and problems that
were not always specifically religious
or spiritual in nature.
8) As and in Community
This last part of our definition brings us
back to the essential character of the BEC
as a community, an ecclesia, a congrega-
tion of faith calling its members to be in
communion with one another. It reiter-
ates the fact that its worship, its discern-
ment and action are all done corporately
as an ecclesial entity.
Stages of BECs
(The aim is to move from Liturgical to
Developmental or even Liberational BECs)
Liturgical BEC – is one in which com-
munity participation is concentrated
strongly on its liturgical life. Priority is
hence put on nurturing a strong spiritu-
ality centered on worship. In such, a BEC
attention is given to the training of lay
leaders like readers, communion minis-
ters, catechists; people who would help
lead the community into a richer litur-
gical and prayer life.
Developmental BEC – is one which goes
beyond the liturgical, strives to do some-
thing about the community’s economic
problems like the protection of the en-
vironment, health needs, livelihood
projects, poverty alleviation, housing
drug abuse, etc.
B3
In the training of lay leaders, a lot of
educational seminar or training pro-
grams for good management of devel-
opment projects like cooperatives of all
kinds are conducted for those engaging
in them.
The movement is from simply giving
hand-outs to people in dire need to do-
ing something to alleviate poverty by
getting to their deeper causes.
Liberational BEC – is one who faces up
to questions of social injustice, human
rights violations, crime and violence,
peace-building, what are often looked
as the more political aspects of life. Such
work help conscienticize people to an
awareness of their social situation in
order to enable them to act on its prob-
lems, educating them to their rights, giv-
ing legal aid to the poor who cannot af-
ford lawyers, etc. – all are tasks that are
matter-of-factly entered into in this third
kind of BEC.
Three-level structure that emerged to
facilitate the implementation of the BEC
program
1. BEC Level (YEAST Ministries)
The BEC is the basic community of
disciples. The BEC members know one
another and are concerned of one an-
other in their personal and communal
living of the faith (Acts 2: 42). They plan
and implement their YEAST activities
and seek for support from the MPC (Mis-
sion Pastoral Council).
2. Mission Station (MS) Level
The Mission Rector heads the pastoral
care of the Mission Station, which is part
of the whole Apostolic Vicariate. The
Mission Station is a community of BECs.
The MPC (Mission Pastoral Council),
guided by the Mission Rector, supports,
monitors and facilitates implementation
of plans in the BEC level.
3. Vicariate Level (YEAST Offices)
The YEAST staff concerned assists the
District, cluster of Mission Stations or
particular Mission Station after a dia-
logue regarding the assistance needed
from the Vicariate office (s).
 CBCP Monitor
B4 Commissions Vol. 12 No. 8
April 14 - 27, 2008

ECMI bestows award to OFW

children achievers
By Pinky Barrientos, FSP
TEN outstanding sons and daughters of
overseas Filipino workers who have
shown excellence in their academic stud-
ies, leadership qualities and socio-civic
involvement received the Gawad Anak
OFW in an awarding ceremony at the
National Commission on Culture and
Arts Auditorium (NCAA), Intramuros,
Manila, April 11.
The Luzon wide search of finalists for
Ten Outstanding Sons and Daughters of
OFWs Student Achievers (TOSDOSA)
Award or Gawad Anak OFW was spear-
headed by the Episcopal Commission
for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and
Itinerant People (ECMI).
Edmund Ruga, ECMI project coordina-
tor of the program said the search was or-
ganized to highlight the achievements of
the sons and daughters of OFWs, as they
are the hope of the present generation.
“We want to show through this pro-
gram that even though there may be
problems among the children of OFWs,
there are also achievers among them,”
said Ruga.
Ruga expressed hope that despite the
absence of a parent still these teens can be
productive members of society and this is
what they want to show to the public.
Those who participated in the search
both came from Catholic and public
schools in the dioceses were the SDO
program is fully implemented.
Ruga revealed that because of the
implementation of the program in the
schools, it has been noted that the prob-
lems involving children of OFWs have
diminished.
He said the program has been en-
dorsed locally by the Department of
Education (DepEd).
Twenty finalists were initially chosen
from 4 schools in Isabela, one in
Pampanga, 4 in Batangas, 4 in La Union,
5 in Nueva Viscaya and 2 in Cavite. Winners od Gawad Anak OFW with CBCP Secretary General Msgr. Juanito Figura (etreme left) and ECMI Executive Secretary Fr. Edwin Corros (extreme
The contenders were trimmed down right).
to 10 during the final interview at the
CBCP-ECMI office last April 10. Mariella Rocillo, Our Lady of Caysasay Vizcaya; Rolyne Mae Pajarillo, Bacnotan School, Imus-Cavite.
The top 10 candidates who received the Academy, Taal-Batangas; John Paulo National High School, Bacnotan-La A Merit Award was also given to the
Gawad Anak OFW were Madeleine Laguerta, Nueva Vizcaya General Com- Union; Gerald James Lingayu, Solano twenty finalists and their respective
Jamille Fernandez, School of Our Lady of prehensive High School, Bayombong- High School, Solano-Nueva Vizcaya; schools.
Atocha, Alicia-Isabela; Jorel Jade David, Nueva Vizcaya; Noemi Baculo, St. Francis Geraldine Mores, Bintawan National ECMI chairman Bishop Precioso
Angeles University Foundation-Inte- Academy, Mabini-Batangas; Kriziaoumo High School, Villaverde-Nueva Vizcaya; Cantillas, SDB, delivered the keynote
grated School, Angeles City-Pampanga; Orpia, Saint Louis School, Solano-Nueva Clyd Marvin Tito, Jesus Good Shepherd message at the awarding ceremony.

Episcopal Commission on Doctrine of Faith

Evangelization 101: Lessons from Pope Benedict XVI

Fr. Luis P. Supan

“POLITICAL correctness”
seems to be a meaningless
slogan to Pope Benedict.
Barely a year has passed
since his thought-provok-
ing Regensburg Address,
and there he was in the last
Easter Vigil, baptizing a
well-known Italian journal-
ist, Magdi Allam, who was
born Muslim in Egypt.
Some pundits were alarmed
at the prospects of Muslims
being offended again by the
Pope.
To understand rightly the
Pope’s actions since his elec-
tion, a four-month old
“Note” from the Congrega-
tion for the Doctrine of the
Faith, approved by him last
December 6, offers some
clues. The Doctrinal Note on
Some Aspects of Evangelization
© Alessandra Benedetti /Corbis
out to lead people out of the
desert, towards the place of life,
towards friendship with the
Son of God, towards the One
who gives us life, and life in
abundance” (Note, 10; Cf.
Pope Benedict’s homily in
the inauguration of his
pontificate.) In short, the
Note is another fresh call for
evangelization, taken in its
strict meaning of proclaim-
ing Christ to those who
have not yet received bap-
tism, as well as in its broad
sense of bringing back to the
Church her estranged mem-
bers (i.e., tepid Catholics and
non-Catholic Christians).
“Pastoral correctness”—
this seems to be the primary
criterion for Pope Benedict’s
actions. It was pastorally
correct for him to remind
dress was pastorally
correct because it chal-
lenged both the West
(out with God, Reason
reigns!) and the East
(out with reason, only
God reigns!). It can be
said, therefore, that the
baptism of Magdi
Allam was the tangible
and genuine fruit of his
pastorally effective de-
cisions. He translated
into visible actions what
he had said “the Church
as a whole and all her
Pastors, like Christ,
must set out to lead
people out of the desert
…”
Shall we soon see
“whole Church” (lay
people, priests, reli-
gious) following the

is one of those documents mankind who God is Pope’s reaching out to

coming from the same Con-
gregation bearing drab
titles, but which are quite
meaty inside.
The message of this new
Note is clear and simple: “the
Church as a whole and all her
Pastors, like Christ, must set
through his first encyclical,
Deus caritas est. It was pas-
torally correct for him to
write the book Jesus of
Nazareth, a best-seller in a
world hungry for “The
Way, the Truth, and the
Life”. The Regensburg Ad-
all of mankind, and not
only to Catholics? Does
it still make sense to
proclaim to non-Chris-
tians that what they
have been longing for
has been fulfilled in
Evangelization / B6

7 Questions / B1

How does the family and life apostolate
in your diocese respond to the challenge
of materialism and consumerism and its
effects on the young?
The Family Life Commission of the
Diocese of Novaliches responds to the
current moral crisis rooted in material-
ism and consumerism by integrating
into its various formation programs the
value of stewardship of the earth’s
goods and the family’s role in the pro-
motion of peace, justice and integrity
of creation in society. There are six com-
ponents of the Family Life Commission
(FLC) of the Diocese, with each compo-
nent headed by a married couple. These
components are: 1) Marriage and Fam-
ily Life Preparation; 2) Marriage and
Family Life Enrichment; 3) Parenting
Program; 4) Marriage and Family Coun-
seling; 5) Shepherding and Advocacy;
6) Natural Family Planning (NFP) For-
mation Program. The FLC of
Novaliches helps establish, nurture and
monitor these six programs in every
parish. For this goal to be achieved,
regular diocesan-level training pro-
grams of (#1, #4 and #5) are held. The
participants are married couples who
are designated by their parishes to start
and promote the program they have
been trained for on the diocesan level.
In the case of the marriage enrichment
program (#2), parenting program (#3)
and NFP (#6) the formation seminars
are directly held in the parish by re-
quest or by assignment. Furthermore,
the FLC gathers the family life coordi-
nators of parishes once every two
months for monitoring and network-
ing of their parish activities. Also, twice
a year these coordinators gather for up-
dating on specific topics or current is-
sues about marriage and family life.
How is the BEC program in the diocese?
Basic Ecclesial Community (BEC) is
not just a program in the diocese. It is
our way of life and we strive to achieve
the goal of building ecclesial communi-
ties in all parishes at all means possible.
BEC is our Diocesan mission as it is re-
flected in our Vision and Mission as a
Local Church. As I state;
“We, the local Church of Novaliches,
are a Christ-centered community of dis-
ciples, responding to the needs of the
people, journeying with the Blessed Vir-
gin Mary towards the newness and full-
ness of life.
Trusting in the grace of God and in
the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we com-
mit ourselves to: Promote renewed and
integral evangelization; Empower the
laity and form servant-leaders; and,
Commune the poor, with the oppressed
and the marginalized, and work for their
upliftment through the building and de-
veloping of Basic Ecclesial Communi-
ties towards total human development
and social transformation. To realize all
those, we try to confront socio-cultural-
religio-political issues in the grassroots.
We believe in conscientisizing our
people through the promotion and ac-
tualizing the call for integral human de-
velopment. Having in mind the socio-
theological process of Seeing, Judging
and Acting, we try to have a communal
reading of the present life situation so
that we can reflect and pray together and
arrived in the right judgment towards a
concrete action for the common good.
As part of the process, we have struc-
tured the BEC Diocesan Pastoral Team
to see the realities of the parishes and
how we can better respond to the needs
of those in the grassroots. The task is not
easy for the people varies in different
perspective and orientations but through
dialogue, listening and being with the
grassroots, we are able to continue the
journey towards the fullness of life. What
we are doing in BEC is what the Church
should do. If we believe that the Church
is the Community of the Faithful, then
the Church is the community of men and
women “who, united in Christ, and guided
by the Holy Spirit, press onwards towards
the Kingdom of God and bearers of a message
of salvation intended to all men.” (Gaudium
et Spes)
How does the diocese address environ-
mental concerns such as global warm-
ing?
Yes, we are in the common under-
standing that Global warming is a
worldwide phenomenon that is affect-
ing us all and no exemptions. To ad-
dress the ecology and environmental
issues and concerns, we have the ECO-
NOVA (Environmental/Ecological
Concerns and Organic Gardening of
Novaliches.) This ministry is both an
advocacy and direct intervention to deal
with some pressing needs regarding the
environment. It is a fact that our dio-
cese holds the water reservoir of the
Metropolis and the protected areas in
order that our people would enjoy clean
and fresh waters. Another advocacy we
have is the zero waste management, due
to the waste being dumped in Payatas.
Such action of zero waste must start at
our very own home and in our very
own selves. These campaigns of being
vigilant and responsive to the environ-
mental issues remain continuous. Ad-
vocacy is not merely an ad but rather a
lifestyle. Care of environment is mani-
fested on how we care our very own
life. Both are gifts and as gifts we have
to nurture and care for them. The call
towards integrity of creation needs to
be lived by all Christians, for we are all
interrelated with each other; all need a
HOME, an “Oikous” not only for us but
for future generations. That is why we
have the Organic and herbal gardening
that advocate natural and sustaining
produce of food for the table. This is
another step towards care of environ-
ment and freeing the land from harm-
ful pesticides toward healthier life.
How does the diocese respond to the
phenomenon of out-migration?
The diocese recognizes the phenom-
enon of migration and its impact on the
economic, socio-cultural, religio-
spritual dimension of the faithful. Rec-
ognizing that the diocese is half of
Quezon City (North) and half Kalookan
which at the same time belongs to the
ten sending cities of origin for OFWs in
the country, (Quezon City 3rd, and
Kalookan ranks 10th), it is necessary for
the Church to address such concern. We
recognize that out-migration gives op-
portunities and benefits. However, we
have to look more deeply on the social
costs that come with it which inevitably
harm the families.
As part of responding to this phenom-
enon, we have to identify why we have
such big percentage of out-migration.
Still the key issue is the unemployment
as a major development challenge in
the Philippines in general, and the ma-
jor driver of overseas employment. The
unemployment problem has several
facets. We are considered to be the poor-
est diocese in the archdiocese where 2.1
million of populace 60% are poor. The
jobless growth exhibited by the Philip-
pine economy is felt and drives people
to out-migrate. Having in our diocese
such realities, we have reinstated the
Pastoral Care of Migrants and their
families to take care of such issues and
concerns.
We hope that through this Ministry,
programs can be effectively coordinated
and implemented at all vicariate and
parishes. Some programs that we have
are the Information Dissemination that
aims to rise consciousness of the faithful
about the push and pull of migration, its
positives and negative impact on the
families left behind and its social costs,
Capacity Building for the OFW and their
Families, Formation and Training of the
Volunteer Pastoral Workers for Migrant,
Linkages and Networking to different
GO’s NGO’s and Civil Society Groups,
and Setting up Migration Desk in Par-
ishes to help the distress OFWs and their
families and properly inform them of
their rights, privileges, benefits and pos-
sible institution who can help them ad-
dress their problems.
Some direct activities we are having
are: addressing the issues on rights, ben-
efits and responsibilities of OFWs by the
para-legal desk for the OFW Families;
Strengthening of the reintegration pro-
grams through workshops and semi-
nars, Spiritual Growth of the OFW de-
pendents; Promoting the Church’s par-
ticipation in policy coherence and coor-
dination to promote sustainable devel-
opment and developing possible liveli-
hood programs for the reintegration of
the returnee.
 CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 8
April 14 - 27, 2008 Statements B5

An appeal to the
Davao City Mayor and
to the City Council
OUR local government is part of a democracy which is a
system of government of the people, by the people, and for
the people.”
In a sense, therefore, the people of Davao City can call the
local government as their own. The reason is because the
people put their government officials into office by their
votes, and support them and government projects with their
taxes. Consequently the city government officials—all the
way down from top to bottom—act in behalf of and for the
people.
The vast majority of the people of Davao City are Roman
Catholics including many of the city officials and city em-
ployees. Most of these people are voters and tax payers, and
are persons of high moral values aside from the Clergy and
Religious. For them the city government officials act and
perform their functions not because our people are Catho-
lics but because they are citizens, district constituents, voters
and tax payers. Their social, economic, political, cultural and
religious welfare are the primary responsibility and con-
cern of the city government. And moral principles and val-
ues underpin society, economics, politics and culture.
I was informed that the City Council of Davao with the
support of the City Mayor is preparing to adopt a “Develop-
ment Plan for Children of Davao City, 2007-2010.” To us in
the Catholic Church, this plan is dangerous and detrimental
to the moral and spiritual welfare of the majority of our
people.
I say “dangerous and detrimental” because, in the guise of
“reproductive health and safe pregnancy,” the Plan:
1. mocks parental authority;
2. belittles the value of family;
3. denigrates the virtue of chastity;
4. makes available all contraceptives to children from 0-18
years old (cfr. Page 7); promotes pre-marital sex and promis-
cuity.

The plan therefore offends our Catholic faith and the reli-
gious sentiments of our people.

‘Give us this day

In their name and in the name of those who value moral-
ity in the family and society, I appeal to our Honorable City
Mayor and the Honorable City Councilors to be sensitive to
and respectful of the religious feelings and moral values of
our people. On this point the Philippine Constitution pro-
vides that it is a sacred duty of civil authority to acknowl-

our daily rice’

THESE are times when the prayer
“Our Father” becomes most
meaningful especially when we
pray “Our Father, who art in
heaven, hallowed be thy
name…Give us this day our daily
bread.”
In the past, our local rice in-
dustry used to be the backbone
of our country’s economy. That
is how God was helping us with
our daily bread. With our rice
technology we were helping
countries like Vietnam, Thai-
land, Pakistan, and Indonesia
how to produce more rice for
their tables. We had both the ad-
vancing technology and more
than sufficient domestic produc-
tion. Farmers’ sons and daugh-
ters were fed from and educated
through the rice farms.
Today, ironically, even lamen-
tably, because of unsatisfactory
production of rice, lack of credit
support for our small rice farm-
ers and lack of infrastructure de-
velopment, our rice farms can not
support for the needs of the grow-
ing population. Add to this the
conversion of farms into housing
subdivisions, commercial centers
and golf courses, which certainly
are profitable for the individual
owners, but not for the needs of
the greater number. Today, in
response to a rice crisis, probably
foreseen and expected, but gov-
ernment has its eyes on wrong
or lesser priorities, we are forced
to import close to a million met-
ric tons of rice since 1996, and this
year imported rice will be more
than two million metric tons.
And from where? Ironically but
gratefully, from countries who
may have learned the skill of rice
production from us: Vietnam,
Thailand, Pakistan, even United
States.
Yes, we will have rice on our
tables but only for those who can
afford to buy with 18 pesos per
kilogram. We not only will have
limited rice. Our people will have
also limited buying power. And
who will be profiting from this
arrangement? Unscrupulous trad-
ers and government officials?
The question keeps coming up—
whatever happened to the Php 729
million fertilizer funds?
Rice importation is a response
to a rice crisis. But there must be
limit to importations. It should
not be the permanent arrange-
ment. The lesser the imports the
better! We encourage the im-
provement of local production
with genuine government sup-
port at all levels of production
with the end in view of restoring
edge, to protect and foster the true nature of marriage and
family, and safeguard public morality. Moreover, promi-
nent social scientists and respective demographers maintain
that greed, unjust laws, unjust structures, unfair labor prac-
tices and unjust distribution of land and social services are
the real causes of poverty—not overpopulation.
To those City Government officials who directly and indi-
rectly exert moral pressure on their subordinates in the adop-
tion and later implementation of the said Development Plan,
I wish to convey my sincere respect for the decision. But I
to agriculture and to our rice pro-
wish to inform them that such decision, when often done in
ducers and farmers the assistance
open defiance and ridicule of the Church’s moral teachings,
that they deserve to achieve genu-
may create public scandal thereby making themselves openly
ine food security and self-suffi-
unworthy to receive the Sacraments. Moral judgment on one’s
ciency. Some policies are needed
unworthiness, however, is not automatic because culpable
to reverse the trend from over
violation of grave moral laws still demands a thorough and
dependence on importation to
individual verification by Church authorities.
making the rice production truly
To the other Catholics in the City Council and in the City
the backbone of our economy, as
Health Department and related line agencies in the
it is in other countries of South-
barangays, I urge you to obey God and His inner voice, the
east Asia.
dictate of your moral conscience, and never the dictates of
We will not expect miracles to
the powerful and moneyed people. As you make this coura-
solve the rice crisis. The miracle
geous stand, be assured of my prayers and support as well as
will have to be, God helping us,
the support of your fellow Catholics.
from our common efforts—gov-
As spiritual head and shepherd of the local Church of Davao
ernment, farmers, rice producers
City I make this urgent and public appeal in a spirit of re-
and farm-owners—to produce
spect for and collaboration with our City Government offi-
our “daily rice.” Other countries
cials and in sincere concern for the common good and moral
in Asia are doing it. We can do it.
welfare of our people.
+ANGEL N. LAGDAMEO, DD
+FERNANDO R. CAPALLA, DD
Archbishop of Jaro
Archbishop of Davao
President, CBCP
12 April 2008
April 3, 2008

Pastoral Letter on the Biblical

Apostolate of Nueva Segovia
IN his goodness and wisdom, God was
pleased to reveal himself and his will
to men. Included in this revelation is
his plan. The plan of God was “that men
should have access to the Father,
through Christ, the Word made flesh,
in the Holy Spirit, and thus become
sharers in the divine nature” (DV 2;
Eph. 1: 9, 2: 18; 2 Pt. 1: 4) and thereby
become God’s children in his only be-
gotten Son (cf. 1 Tim. 6: 16).
Jesus Christ
The revelation of God was fulfilled
through works and words, which were
intertwined with one another, gradu-
ally revealed to men and fulfilled in Jesus
Christ, “Mediator and fullness of all
revelation” (DV 2), the perfect and
unsurpassable Word, in whom God
has said everything; there will be no
other Word than this one (cfr. CCC 65).
Holy Scripture
Sacred Scripture is the revelation
(Word) of God, which is committed
in writing through the light and in-
spiration of the Holy Spirit (DV 9). It
passes on the Word of God which Christ
and the Holy Spirit entrusted to the
apostles and to those who were chosen
to succeed them, in order to keep, ex-
plain, and spread this Word through
evangelization in the power and light
of the Holy Spirit (DV 9).
Growth in understanding the Faith
Growth in understanding the faith
depends on two things: “the contempla-
tion and study of believers who ponder
these things [the realities and the words
of the heritage of faith] in their hearts”
(DV 8: 2; cfr. Lk. 2: 19, 51); and “the inti-
mate sense of spiritual realities which
[believers] experience” (DV 8: 2). The su-
pernatural appreciation of faith (sensus
fidei) grows in a special way through the
reading of Sacred Scripture by the be-
lievers themselves (cfr. DV 8; St. Gre-
gory the Great, Homily on Ezekiel).
Decrees
After carefully studying the “State-
ment” of the Bible Congress held in
Nueva Segovia on January 27, 2008, I
decree, through this Pastoral Letter the
following, which were lifted from the
“Statement” of the said Congress:
1. “Family Bible Reading” (FBR). Catho-
lic families are to be initiated in Family
Bible Reading, daily as much as possible,
as part of their faith life. Whatever pro-
gram of the “Biblical Apostolate”, no
matter how beautiful, no matter how me-
ticulously designed, and no matter how
scholarly prepared, if believers do not
read regularly the Bible (“Bible reading”),
such a program will not be worth much.
2. “Bible For Every Family” (BEF). How
can every Catholic family in the Arch-
diocese of Nueva Segovia read regularly,
daily as much as possible, the Bible if
they do not have the book, which we call
Bible, in their homes? Hence, every
Catholic family in Nueva Segovia must
have a Bible.
3. “Bible Enthronement” (BE). The fam-
ily Bible of every Catholic family in the
Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia shall be
blessed and enthroned at the altar of ev-
ery Catholic home, in the hope that this
home will become a “domestic Church”,
the source of justice, reconciliation, and
peace.
4. “Biblical Apostolate Commission”
(BAC). The Biblical Commission should
be activated in every parish. If there is
no Commission yet, it should be orga-
nized in the parish. This Commission
will take care of the FBR, BEF, BE, and
BBE (this will be explained in no. 6).
5. “Bible Coordinator” (BC). Every par-
ish in the Archdiocese should have a
Bible Coordinator. The six Vicariates of
the Archdiocese should each have a Vi-
carial Coordinator.
6. “Basic Bible Education” (BBE). We
cannot love what we do not know. We
cannot commit ourselves wholeheart-
edly to what we do not love. We cannot
impart to others nor can we initiate
them into what we do not know and
love, and have not given ourselves to in
the commitment of enlightened love.
Hence, the need for education, and for
that matter, Bible education. This edu-
cation on the Bible should be on-going,
not just one seminar that one has at-
tended once and for all.
7. “Mass Media” (MM). Timek, our
archdiocesan weekly paper and DZNS,
our Catholic radio station, should be
channels of the Biblical Apostolate
for a wider and more extensive ambit
of our Biblical Apostolate. The other
groups of the “mass media” in Ilocos
Sur should be tapped for the purposes
of our Biblical Apostolate.
Hope
If we take to our heads, hearts, and
hands these seven points which I
have enjoined in this Pastoral Let-
ter, there is hope for renewal in the
life of Ilocos Sur. There is also hope
that the theme of the Congress—The
Word of God: Source of Justice, Rec-
onciliation, and Peace—will be
brought into effect.
I sign this Pastoral Letter on the
11th of February 2008, the 150th year
of the 1st apparition of Our Lady in
Lourdes, France. To Our Lady of
Lourdes I humbly entrust the “Bib-
lical Apostolate” of the Archdiocese
of Nueva Segovia.
+ ERNESTO A. SALGADO, DD
Archbishop of Nueva Segovia
Vigan City, Ilocos Sur
 CBCP Monitor
B6 Reflections Vol. 12 No. 8
April 14 - 27, 2008

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Rice and
population
AT the moment, we have a raging controversy over our rice
supply. Different, occasionally enlightening views are aired.
As a result we get to know more about the intricate business
of our rice and food supply.
This, I think, is good for all of us. It’s part of our continuing
education about our social and political life. Discussions like
Illustration by this facilitate our sense of solidarity as a people. Let’s try to
Bladimer Usi keep it that way.
My prayer is that the discussion be kept at the high level of
dialogue, especially in terms of range, content and quality. As
much as possible, we should avoid partisan politicking, which
usually distorts the issue, dragging it to the gutter.
The media should be particularly sensitive to this need.

The amazing race in

People are already developing a keen sense of discerning what
truly has a bearing on the matter and what is extraneous to it,
what is spin and what is reality.
They now can easily distinguish between chaff and grain.
They can smell a rat from a distance, seeing through the hid-
den agendas and ulterior motives. More importantly, they

the way of Jesus

know who they are.
Those who have something to say about the issue should
purify their intention, and organize and express their posi-
tion well. They should intervene for the sole purpose of help-
ing solve the problem, and not just to score “pogi” points.
Thus, they should study their opinions thoroughly, verify-
ing their data, checking their theories and hypotheses, and
being open to other views. They should always be courteous

5th Sunday of Easter (John 14:1-12); April 20, 2008
By Fr. Edgardo S. Sigua
FOUR-TIME Emmy Award win-
ner, Amazing Race is all about a
13-leg race, of 11-12 teams of two,
for a million dollars. It involves
crossing cities, countries and con-
tinents, hurdling obstacles and
roadblocks by means of clues to
find their way to the final pit stop.
Teams most concern is all about
the way, the right way to the pit
stop. Maps, directions and tips to
get there first are the necessities
of the game.
Troubles emerge when a team
lost its way but threading the ac-
curate way puts a team in right
race track. Teams can ask direc-
tions from people and request
them to lead them to the spot but
few teams are fortunate to en-
counter a person to accompany
them all the way. Those lucky
Bo Sanchez
teams could not possibly get lost
or miss their destination. They
arrived at the pit stop at the soon-
est time. The person helping them
became their direction and way.
In similar sense is today’s Sun-
day Gospel reading, wherein
Jesus proclaims that He is the
Way. He is the way here and now
and at the final pit stop in the
hereafter. One can never be lost
because the way is him, not the
road, not the map, not the direc-
tion but the Jesus-person. Rela-
tivism certainly contests this
seemingly exclusive Christian
paradigm. No other way? Bud-
dhists will definitely contend the
Gautama Way. Muslims will in-
sist the Mohammed’s Way. Tao-
ist (means, “Way”) will certainly
say, theirs is the original path.
Hindus, Confucians, and even
other Christian religions pro-
claim their own way.
P. Knitter (1985) made a criti-
cal survey of Christian attitude
towards the world religion. Its
main question lies in its very title,
“No Other Name?” which looks
on other religions showing their
respective Way. His other book,
Introducing Theologies of Reli-
gion (2002) presents a compre-
hensive study of every major
position taken by Christian
churches and theologians on
world religions and religious
pluralism. It leads to the query;
can there really be no other name
or no other way? Can respect,
mutual co-existence and dialogue
lead to a common name or a com-
mon way?
Undeniably, each of them
teaches a way of life so sublime
and noble but what cuts Chris-
tianity so differently from the rest
is the fact that it is not just a phi-
losophy, a system, or a ritual but
is the person. Why is Jesus the
way? It is because he is the truth,
the perfect revelation of God; and
because he is the life, sharing with
us the very life of God.
(Guillemette S.J.)
As St. Paul imaged it, life is like
a race wherein runners are in the
stadium taking part in the race.
Whether it is individual or team
race, we all run so as to win. Some
may get to the finish earlier and
some may get late but I say all
may get the award no matter they
ran last to the finish. For as long
as they thread the right way and
put up a clean, good fight until
the end, that matters most.
With unwavering faith, we
place high hopes to arrive at the
final pit stop of the race of life
because we believed and fol-
lowed the way, with the Jesus-
person. For sure, with him, it is
truly an amazing race.
and cordial in the discussion.
In short, please, let’s do away with reckless commentaries
and shooting from the hip. Let’s tone down our emotions and
inflammatory language. Let’s hear all sides calmly.
Politicians and media people should submit themselves to
a high standard of discretion and sobriety when expressing
their views. They should avoid sowing intrigues and witch-
hunting.
There obviously can be persons, offices, social practices,
etc. that can be blamed for something. Let’s go easy on this,
refusing to get stuck there. We should always be constructive
Politicians and media people should
submit themselves to a high standard of
discretion and sobriety when expressing
their views. They should avoid sowing
intrigues and witch-hunting.
in our approach, convinced that solving problems is more
important and urgent than blaming some people.
That’s why it saddened me to note that in all this exciting
discussion about the rice issue, a nasty topic was made to cash
in on it. I’m referring to the attempt to link our rice problem
with our supposed overpopulation.
It’s true that everyone is free to bring out anything for all of
us to consider and discuss. It’s just that with all our exchanges
through the years, we should already know what are the real

Stop for directions

IN my life, I have found three places that give
me a deep sense of the presence of God: 1) A
scenic mountain with lovely forests; 2) A tran-
quil beach under a blue sky; 3) And the pas-
senger seat of Roger’s red ‘86 Corolla.
You see, my friend Roger drives like a mad
man. Once he starts driving, those riding with
him instinctively reach for their wallets and
tearfully kiss the photos of their loved ones.
Every time I ride with him, my prayer life
is enhanced. Deepened. Invigorated. It feels
as though Heaven becomes so near to my
soul.
One fateful day, I was riding with him again.
We were blazing through a highway like a
cruise missile. Roger looked at me and said,
“Bo, I have good news and bad news for you.”
“What’s the good news?” I inquired be-
tween my Hail Mary’s.
“We’re efficiently moving at an average
speed of 140 kph.”
Involuntary spasms shot through my body.
“Are you trying to tell me that we’ll be arriv-
ing at our destination in no time?”
“That’s the bad news...”
“What?”
“We’re lost. I have no idea where we are.”
“Stop this car NOW!” I screamed.
We screeched to a halt, asked around, got
info, and turned back: We were efficiently
and swiftly driving towards the opposite di-
rection. At 140 kph!
I realize that’s no isolated
incident among human be-
ings. We’re prone to commit
the same idiocy: We get
busy, do a million things,
hop here and there, move
fast, get efficient.
I realize that’s no isolated incident among
human beings. We’re prone to commit the
same idiocy: We get busy, do a million things,
hop here and there, move fast, get efficient.
issues and what are mere myths.
Blaming our population level for our rice shortage is pain-
fully an uncalled for, anachronistic tearing of one’s hair. Like,
hello, this kind of thinking has been debunked ages ago.
This is the classic Malthusian fear whose proper place is the
museum or the history books of fascinating but failed theo-
ries and fallacies. Are we to be told again that we should have
a so-called optimum family size, say, of two or four children
But gosh, efficiently going where? only?
What are your highest dreams, anyway? And that to achieve this population level, we can use any
Your deepest aspirations? means, mouthing again the mantra of freedom of choice that
What do you think will give you gut-level, justifies the use of clearly immoral means of family planning
soul-deep joy? and population control?
Stop for awhile. This is what the persistent advocates of population-control-
Take a break. at-all-costs are still doing. In our Congress today, there are
Retreat. pending bills meant to legalize immoral means of family
Listen well. planning, sugar-coating them as part of reproductive health.
Pray desperately.
Read a map of life.
The sponsors of these bills, who have no qualms both in
presenting themselves as devout Catholics and in violating
Know His dreams for you. Church teachings, even have the gall to pontificate on what is
When I was thirteen years old, I saw my- now the moral way to tackle our supposed population prob-
self doing two things: preaching to a crowd lem.
of people and helping the poor. After many Everyone knows that there are problems everywhere—
years, those two dreams are reality. food, water, air, our politics, etc. With respect to our food
I’m a preacher.
And I built ANAWIM, a home for the aban-
problem, only ideological crackpots believe it’s a problem
without solution, or that the world is running out of resources
doned elderly and a few orphans. to feed us.
I’ve made a decision. We will always find solutions, and solutions are fit for us,
I’m not riding with Roger again until I’m who are not just economic entities, or purely material or so-
80. (No matter how much he assists me with cial beings. There are solutions that are fit for us who are
my spiritual life.) persons and children of God.
Because I think I still have a few more God-
Dreams to fulfill.

Evangelization / B4

Jesus Christ, the Emmanuel (“God
with us”)?
It is common knowledge that
the recent decades have seen a
cooling down of the missionary
spirit in the Church. This led Pope
John Paul II to issue in 1991 the
encyclical Redemptoris Missio,
whose subtitle said it all: “On the
permanent validity of the Church’s
missionary mandate”. Pope John
Paul II wrote: “Nowadays, the
call to conversion which mission-
aries address to non-Christians is
put into question or passed over
in silence … it is claimed that it is
enough to help people to become
more human or more faithful to
their own religion, that it is
enough to build communities ca-
pable of working for justice, free-
dom, peace and solidarity.”
Cardinal Josef Tomko, the Pre-
fect of the Congregation for the
Evangelization of Peoples at the
time of Redemptoris Missio’s pub-
lication, later explained in an ar-
ticle that contemporary mission-
ary work has turned into a proc-
lamation “of the Kingdom” which
no longer bears the complement
“of God” (proclaimed by the Lord
Jesus). In its stead, what is to be
sought for is a “Christ-free King-
dom” embracing all religions, the
fruit of dialogue, capable of unit-
ing all men.
The same Cardinal Prefect
quoted an Indian theologian who
said: “Religious conversion is the
result of western chauvinism and
its intolerance … Conversion
originates in the sense of superi-
ority one religion has over an-
other, while no religion has a
monopoly of the truth”. Still an-
other theologian claimed that
dialogue with other religions is
made difficult by no less than
Jesus the Lord himself; the solu-
tion he proposed was for the
Church to be “theocentric”,
rather than “Christocentric”—
back to square one, in other
words: we need to pretend that
the times before Abraham’s call
mirrored better God’s presence.
The root of the problem is, in
fact, philosophical. It is all about
the question of man’s ability to
attain the truth (about God, the
world, and himself). It is note-
worthy that in this Note on evan-
gelization, Pope Benedict would
quote Fides et Ratio, the encyclical
of John Paul II published ten
years ago. Fides et Ratio is an en-
couragement to everyone to pur-
sue the search for truth by devel-
oping harmoniously the fields of
philosophy and theology.
If man gives up the search for
the truth as a fruitless pursuit, rela-
tivism would strike all areas of civi-
lization like a plague. Quoting
Fides et Ratio, the Note says: “In the
various forms of agnosticism and
relativism present in contempo-
rary thought, a legitimate plural-
ity of positions has yielded to an
undifferentiated pluralism, based
upon the assumption that all po-
sitions are equally valid, which is
one of today’s most widespread
symptoms of the lack of confidence
in truth. Even certain conceptions
of life coming from the East be-
tray this lack of confidence, deny-
ing truth its exclusive character and
assuming that truth reveals itself
equally in different doctrines, even
if they contradict one another” (no. 4;
italics added).
There is no need here to bela-
bor the guiding principle in
spreading the Gospel—respect
for the dignity of persons and
their consciences—found in
Vatican II’s Dignitatis Humanae. Its
famous statement “truth does not
impose itself except by the
strength of the truth itself”
(Dignitatis Humanae, 3) is verified
each time a person is introduced
to Jesus Christ. “There is nothing
more beautiful than to be surprised
by the Gospel, by the encounter with
Christ. There is nothing more beau-
tiful than to know him and to speak to
others of our friendship with him”.
(Cf. Pope Benedict’s homily in the
inauguration of his pontificate).
A few weeks ago, the death of
an American Protestant mission-
ary was reported in an interna-
tional newspaper. During the last
world war he suffered the most
inhuman treatment while in
prison; their bomber plane had
been shot down. In the midst of
those cruel conditions, he went
through a deep conversion and
renewal of his faith. After being
set free after the war, he assidu-
ously studied the Holy Scriptures,
intent in going back to Japan to
spread the Gospel. He was back
there in the early 1950’s. His first
convert was a former high-rank-
ing Japanese military officer.
The last section of the Note tries
to resolve this question: Is there
still a need to lead Protestants to
the Catholic Faith? The answer is
Yes: “it is evident that the work
of preparing and reconciling
those individuals (i.e., non-
Catholic Christians) who desire
full Catholic communion is of its
nature distinct from ecumenical
action, but there is no opposition
between the two, since both pro-
ceed from the marvelous ways
of God” (Note, no. 12; Quote from
Vatican II Decree on Ecumenism,
Unitatis redintegratio, 4).
“Everywhere and always, each
Catholic has the right and the
duty to give the witness and the
full proclamation of his faith.
With non-Catholic Christians,
Catholics must enter into a re-
spectful dialogue of charity and
truth, a dialogue which is not
only an exchange of ideas, but
also of gifts, in order that the full-
ness of the means of salvation can
be offered to one’s partners in
dialogue. In this way, they are led
to an ever deeper conversion to
Christ” (Note, no. 12).
The upcoming “Year of St.
Paul”, which will culminate in the
celebration of the 2,000th year of
his birth next year, will make the
whole Church aware of the work-
ings of grace in the heart of that
great apostle to all nations. His
transformation from a harsh per-
secutor of the first Christians to
an ardent preacher of the Gospel
could be traced to an awakening:
“Christ loved me and gave him-
self up for me” (Gal. 2:20)
 CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 8
April 14 - 27, 2008
TO concerned citizens, govern-
ment officials, and lay faithful:
Forty years after Pope Paul VI
penned his encyclical, Populorum
Progressio (On the Development of
Peoples), his exhortations remain
unheeded. Citing the moral
soundness of appropriating re-
sources for the good of everyone,
the papal document emphasized
that “the right to private property
is not absolute and uncondi-
tional.”1 For the wealth of God’s
creation is for the common good,
Restore the dignity of our small farmers
for all humanity to partake. This is
echoed in our Constitution which
speaks of “diffusing equitably
wealth and political power for the
common good” in Article XIII.
The enactment of the Compre-
hensive Agrarian Reform Law
(CARL) in 1988 could have been
our appropriate response to the
urgent call for social re-structur-
ing, but it failed to materialize
when the law was diluted by un-
scrupulous officials and by self-
seeking individuals and corpo-
rate entities.
The Comprehensive Agrarian
Reform Program (CARP) is a so-
cial justice measure to address the
inequity of over-concentration of
land ownership and to lift the
farmers from poverty and indig-
nity. After twenty years, 1.3 mil-
lion hectares of CARPable lands
remain undistributed, consisting
mainly of large haciendas of
those who have been resisting
CARP from its inception. Poverty
is still very much with us. Twenty
years after CARP was imple-
mented, many of our poor farm-
ers still long for the day when
they could be able to cultivate
their own land and reap the fruits
of their toil.
Not because of CARP, but because
it has not been fully implemented
Studies by reputable research-
ers and analysts provide cat-
egorical evidence that agrarian
reform translates into faster ag-
ricultural development which, in
turn, leads to sustainable eco-
nomic growth. In fact, studies of
the situation in our country to-
day show that inequality in asset
distribution, particularly land, is
associated with slower growth.
As to arguments about produc-
tivity, may we put to rest the is-
sue of agrarian reform being an
obstacle to large-scale production
efficiencies. The experience of
contract growing, cooperative
farming, and similar arrange-
ments in our country, as well as
in other countries, demonstrate
that there is no incompatibility
between large-scale production
Secretary Arthur C. Yap and Congressman Diosdado “Dato” Arroyo of the 1st District of Camarines Sur turn over the
shredder to Rev. Fr. Rene Mabute, director of the Social Action Center of Sorsogon, during the launching of the DA-
BRSAC Partnership on Sustainable Agriculture. Together with Yap were (from left) Rev. Fr. Granwell Pitapit; Undersecretary
Bernadette-Romulo Puyat; Mayor Rodolfo Jimenez Sr. of Libmanan; Sr. Rosanne Mallillin; NASSA-JP Executive Secretary
and Dr. Jose Dayao, director of DA-Bicol Regional Field Unit.
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Social Concerns
and small-scale ownership of
land. These studies have been
made available to Congress for
its attention and review in the
course of the hearings and dis-
cussions on CARP.² As a timely
response for the 40th year obser-
vance of Populorum Progressio, we
therefore urge our lawmakers, to
immediately pass a bill that
would extend CARP and reform
its flawed measures. The encycli-
cal was prophetic in stating, “If
certain landed estates impede the
general prosperity because they
are extensive, unused or poorly
used, or because they bring hard-
ship to peoples or are detrimen-
tal to the interests of the country,
the common good sometimes
demands their expropriation.”³ It
clearly portrayed the current
state of our country’s land reform
and questions surrounding it.
Moreover, it underlines the
moral basis and the urgency to
respond to our social obligation
as testimony of our Christian
faith.
In supporting the extension and
improvement of CARP, may we
put forward what we believe
should be incorporated in the re-
formed program:
· Mandate direct and physical
distribution of all agricultural
lands, as opposed to non-redis-
tributive schemes;
· Address policy and implemen-
tation problems that are ob-
stacles to the completion of the
program;
Name _________________________________________________
(Family Name)
Mailing Address ________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Phone No.: _________ Fax No.: ________ E-mail: ___________
Mode of Payment
Check/PMO enclosed
(Payable to: CBCP Communications Development Foundation Inc.)
PLEASE SEND TO:
CBCP Monitor, P.O. Box 3601, Manila, Philippines
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Or e-mail this at cbcpmonitor@cbcpworld.com
· Establish the needed implemen-
tation structure for CARP’s
completion;
· Provide the requisite appro-
priations of at least P50 billion;
· Strengthen credit and support
services to farmer beneficia-
ries; and
· Include Congressional moni-
toring and oversight with ma-
jor stakeholders of CARP
implementation and DAR’s
performance.
A Reformed CARP is the an-
swer, not the termination of a
program that is a constitutional
imperative and has been shown
to yield real benefits, with even
greater potential for such benefits
if fully and properly imple-
mented. Moreover, farmers raise
the concern that the manner in
which the Department of Agrar-
ian Reform has been implement-
ing the program leaves much to
be desired. Add to this the per-
ception of corrupt practices in the
department, especially in many
decisions on exemptions and
conversions that farmers have
questioned.
We encourage these officials to
exercise their social responsibili-
ties with compassion towards
their less fortunate brothers and
sisters. Providing special consid-
eration to the poor is a moral
obligation of the State. As our
needy farmers have no resources,
financial or otherwise, they have
to rely mainly on the assistance
of government.4
By Zar Gomez
THE partnership be-
tween the Depart-
ment of Agriculture
and the Social Action
Network in the Phil-
ippines kicks off
anew, as the Bicol
Region Social Action
Centers (BRSAC)
held the regional
launching of the DA-
Bicol Sustainable
(Given Name) (Middle Name)
Cash Payment
________________________
Signature
B7
ther.”6 beneficiaries have been sum-
Let the people freely determine We are likewise concerned to marily executed since 2001 and
their path to development learn that anti-CARP groups in most of these cases, if not all, re-
While we are one in calling for Congress are colluding to delay main unresolved or unpunished.7
the extension of CARP, we are and block the extension and re- The latest two of these incidents,
deeply concerned with some form of the program, without allegedly perpetrated by revolu-
government actions that we see providing any meaningful alter- tionary forces (the New People’s
as alarmingly disadvantageous native. For our impoverished Army), happened in Masbate and
to the country and will greatly rural communities to be truly in Bondoc Peninsula, Quezon
affect the rural poor –the small free, we encourage our govern- Province. The lives of eighteen
farmers, landless workers, ment to provide opportunities other Masbate farmers remain
fisherfolks and indigenous that would allow every person’s under continuous threat by the
peoples. true worth to flourish and to en- same forces.
The agribusiness deals that our joy the fullness of human life. A The lay faithful need to be en-
government has entered into step towards such realization lightened on the following ques-
tions: Why, despite the presence
of an agrarian reform law, do the
farmers and farm workers need
to resort to protest actions for the
law to be implemented? Why do
our small farmers in such places
as Mindanao, Laguna and Negros
have to walk thousands of miles
to be heard on their agrarian-re-
lated grievances? Where is gov-
ernment in these areas? Must life
and health be jeopardized and
blood spilled before justice is
done?
Embrace the light and rekindle
our spiritual fervor
Christ’s new command is clear:
love one another. For only by
loving one another will people
know that we are His children
and we are His disciples.8 Along
with that is the immediate need
for a moral and spiritual revival
© JP Acuña / CBCP Media
anchored on the Social Teachings
of the Church. This is our call to
our government leaders, civil so-
ciety organizations and to all the
faithful, particularly those with
much to share. May the Risen
Christ be our hope and our
pledge for a renewed Philippine
with the Peoples’ Republic of would be for government to de- society.
China are highly questionable velop with the people a new de-
because they put in peril our food velopment paradigm that shall For the Central Committee of the
sovereignty and that of the na- protect for the rural poor our food National Rural Congress (NRC II),
tion.5 The lack of transparency sovereignty and our environ-
was palpable with stakeholders ment. + Antonio J. Ledesma, S.J., D.D.
not being consulted before these Archbishop of Cagayan de Oro
were signed. Ultimately, such Respect the sacredness of Chair, NRC Central Committee
transactions would negate or un- human life
dermine the agrarian reform pro- The right to life and to human NOTES
gram, the ancestral domain dignity is a natural right. It should
claims of indigenous peoples, be respected, protected and nur-
1
Populorum Progressio , The Use of
Private Property, n. 23.
and would endanger our fragile tured at all times. This govern-
environment. ment has moral and legal obli-
2
Bishops-Legislators’ Caucus on Ru-
ral Issues, CARP Extension with Re-
The RP-China Agribusiness gations to put an end to the cul- forms, 27 Feb. 2008, p. 3.
ventures were rushed in the guise ture of impunity that has gener- 3
Populorum Progressio, The Common
of economic progress and in the ated unimaginable violence Good, n. 24.
name of bilateral economic co- against those who have been pur-
4
Rerum Novarum, n. 37.
operation, and should be re- suing their rights. Extra-judicial
viewed. They run contrary to the killings continue unrestrained, 5
Bishops-Legislators’ Caucus on Ru-
spirit of the encyclical written by victimizing human rights advo- ral Issues, Highlights of the Proceed-
ings, 23 Jan. 2008, p. 5.
Pope John Paul II more than cates and defenders alike—politi-
twenty years ago when he con- cal activists, lawyers, journalists 6
Sollicitudo Rei Socialis , n. 46.
cluded, “Development which is and agrarian reform petitioners 7
PARRDS, Matrix on Killings/Summary
merely economic is incapable of and beneficiaries. Executions, ARHR Violations and
Abuses, p. 2.
setting man free; on the contrary, Forty-three farmer-leaders and
it will end by enslaving him fur- agrarian reform petitioners and 8
Jn 13:34-35.
Libmanan hosts Church-
DA partnership in
sustainable agriculture
Agriculture Partnership at the Libmanan drying rice and corn products, compared
Covered Courts, Libmanan, Camarines to other mechanical dryers. It has low
Sur on March 24, 2008. DA Secretary labor and low maintenance costs.
Arthur C. Yap led the ceremonial event Each of the social action centers in
which was hosted by the Prelature of Bicol also received from Secretary Yap a
Libmanan Development Foundation, Inc shredder, a decorticating machine and a
(PLDFI). compost tea shredder.
The event was anchored on the theme, During the event, Yap also led the other
“Organikong Pag-uma: Dalan sa Kauswagan distinguished guests in signing the Act
asin Tamang Pangataman kan Kapalibutan” of Commitment by the Church, the gov-
(“Organic Farming: Way to Progress and ernment, the academe and the private
Proper Care of the Environment”). Sr. sector. The Act of Commitment stipu-
Rosanne Mallillin, executive secretary of lates the pledge of all signatories to pro-
the National Secretariat for Social Ac-
mote and practice sustainable agricul-
tion – Justice and Peace (NASSA-JP), and ture for a sustained agri-economics
Honorable Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, growth and a more progressive and
DA Undersecretary for Special Concerns proper care of the environment. Among
were among the distinguished guests the other signatories of the commitment
who graced the occasion. The social ac- were Sr. Rosanne Mallillin; Usec
tion directors from Caceres, Daet,
Legaspi, Libmanan, Masbate, and
Sorsogon were also present to witness
the launching. Three farmer delegates
Bernadette Romulo-Puyat; Rev. Fr.
Granwell Pitapit; Rev. Fr. Norberto
Eyule, executive secretary of BRSAC;
Dir. Silvino Tejada, director of Bureau
from the province of Catanduanes also of Soil and Water Management (BSWM);
came to represent the Social Action Cen- Dr. Jose Dayao, director of DA- Bicol
ter of Virac. Regional Field Unit; Carmen Valdes,
The venue was filled with more than general coordinator of Manos Unidas;
a thousand organic rice and vegetable Eleazar Gomez, country program head
farmers coming from the Saradit na of NASSA; and the social action direc-
Kristianong Komunidad (SKK), or the Ba- tors from the region.
sic Ecclesial Community (BCC) clusters The launching in Libmanan is already
in 11 municipalities in the region. the fifth of the series of similar activities
As a component of the DA-BRSAC across the country. The first ever launch-
Partnership, Secretary Yap conferred to ing of the partnership between the DA
the Prelature of Libmanan, through and the Social Action Network was held
PLDFI executive director, Rev. Fr. in Butuan City on August 25-27, 2007,
Granwell Pitapit, a rice mill with an out- with the Social Action Center of Butuan
put capacity of 20-25 bags per hour, and as host. The social action centers of Capiz,
one unit of flat bed dryer with a capacity Surigao, and Tagbilaran have also
of six tons per hour. Using rice hulls as hosted similar activities in their respec-
fuel, the flat bed dryer has lower cost in tive sub-region.

B8
THERE is doubt that Jackie
Moon’s (Will Ferrel) basketball
team Flint Michigan Tropics
would stay on in the ABA League,
in view of the planned merging
of the ABA with NBA. Moon can-
not take the merging easily be-
cause this means his team not
only needs to prove their worth
in their games but also needs to
show off to the league’s hard
court followers. The problem is
Moon’s team is the least perform-
ing one in the ABA league and is
not likely to make it when ABA
merges with NBA. The plan ini-
tially demoralizes the team es-
pecially Moon, but eventually he
starts thinking of ways to counter
the threat of being eliminated.
The team mates work together
and cooperate especially when
asked to do unconventional tricks
to attract followers and also when
Woody Harrelson’s character
temporarily takes over the coach-
ing job from Moon. Banking on
his chart-hit song “Love me
Sexy”, Moon is confident to gain
a public following and with the
renewed game plan to make it to
the hard court. Will these com-
bined techniques work for their
purpose to enter the NBA?
“Semi-Pro” is another movie
that showcases Ferrel’s brand of
comedy which is not a hard-sell.
Entertainment
Title: Semi- Pro; Play Dirty
Running Time: 100 min.
Cast: Will Ferrell, Woodey
Harrelson, Will Arnet
Director: Kent Alterman
Producer: Jimmy Miller
Screenwriter: Scot Armstrong
Music: Theodore Shapiro
Editor: Debra Neil-Fisher
Genre: Comedy/ Sport
Cinematography: Shane Hurlbut
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Location: Michigan, USA
Technical Assessment: ½
Moral Assessment: ½
CINEMA Rating: For viewers 14
and above
Acting wise, other than Ferrel not
much is shown by the actors in
the film. The story is predictable,
but sub-plots offer variations.
The film has good cinematic ef-
fects especially in the game
scenes. Music plays a major part
in providing entertainment,
though, it is a bit loud for the most
part. The production design for
some reason hardly establishes
the era of the ’70s. Overall, the
film is technically a bit below the
average.
Though a shallow comedy, the
film nevertheless can be mined
for some values. The movie
shows that determination is the
key to everything that people
want to achieve in any field of
Title: The Air I Breathe
Running Time: 97 min.
Cast: Kevin Bacon, Brendan
Fraser, Andy Garcia, Sarah
Michelle Gellar, Forest
Whitaker
Director: Jieho Lee
Producers: Paul Schiff, Emilio
Diez Barroso, Darlene
Caamano Loquet
Screenwriters: Jieho Lee, Bob
DeRosa
Music: Marcelo Zarvos
Editor: Robert Hoffman
Genre: Crime/ Drama/ Ro-
mance
Cinematography: Walt Lloyd
Distributor: Viva Productions,
Inc.
Location: Mexico
Technical Assessment:
Moral Assessment:
CINEMA Rating: For viewers 14
and above
FOLLOWING a false lead, Happi-
ness (Forest Whitaker) uses a
credit card to bet $50 million on a
horse that unfortunately suffers a
mishap. Pressured by the owner
of the gambling joint, Fingers
(Andy Garcia) to pay his debt
within two weeks or else all his
fingers will be cut, Happiness
stages a one-man bank robbery.
He stuffs his loot in a bag, makes
a desperate dash to freedom, gets
bumped by a car, steals a motor-
bike and runs to the rooftop of a
building. Besieged by cops who
warned him not to move, Happi-
ness laughs as he casts away the
bag full of money. The cops start
shooting and Happiness falls to
the ground and dies. Pleasure
(Brendan Fraser) is scarred by the
memory of his little brother’s
death when they both get involved
in a street fight. He becomes a
Buhay Parokya
By Bladimer Usi
There are three missing articles
in this cartoon. Find out where
these items are: slipper, softdrink
crown and grapes.
their interest and passion. More
importantly in a team situation,
cooperation, openness and trust
are necessary. The team mem-
bers are usually cool in their de-
feat and get united in the effort
to encourage a demoralized
leader. In the end, the film shows
how a leader can humble him-
self and subject himself to the
coaching of a mere member in
recognition of the common good
for the team. The loyalty of a team
member is also tested during dif-
ficult times but he chooses to be
where his heart belongs. The film
in general has a positive message,
however, there is frequent use of
vulgar language and exposure of
women in skimpy attire.
Moral
Assessment
Abhorrent
Disturbing
Acceptable
Wholesome
Exemplary
trusted collector and ax-man of
Finger who favors the taciturn and
psychic accomplice. Sorrow (Sa-
rah Michelle Gellar) is a lovely
and popular pop singer whose
contract is turned over by her
heavily indebted manager to Fin-
ger. She loathes the idea of hav-
ing Finger as her manager but is
bulldozed into the fix. Pleasure,
strongly attracted to Sorrow, of-
fers his place as a safe house where
she can hide from Finger. Sorrow
falls in love with Pleasure. Finger
discovers that Pleasure has be-
trayed him, breaks into the latter’s
house and shoots him. Love
(Kevin Bacon), a doctor, has long
been in love with Gina (Julie
Delpy) but never had the courage
to tell her so, and lost her to his
friend. In her research lab, Gina
is bitten by a poisonous snake.
Her only chance of survival is to
have a blood transfusion within
24 hours, a rare blood type that
only Sorrow has. Racing against
time, Love searches for Sorrow.
Falling into the pit of despair, Sor-
row decides to commit suicide.
And viewers hold their breath as
they watch the final sequence of
the film.
The film is reportedly based on
an ancient Chinese proverb that
identifies four emotional corner-
stones as the composite elements
of human existence: Happiness,
Pleasure, Sorrow, and Love. The
major characters in the film per-
sonify each of these elements.
Only Sorrow has a stage name,
Trista; she whispers her real
name later to the dying Pleasure.
A cinematic semblance of a mo-
rality play, The Air I Breathe is
preachy and allegorizes the pow-
erful and destructive grip of Fin-
gers (Andy Garcia), a criminal
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 8
April 14 - 27, 2008
Technical
Assessment
Poor
Below average
Average
Above average
Excellent
don, on the lives of Happiness
(Forest Whitaker), Pleasure
(Brendan Fraser), and Sorrow (Sa-
rah Michelle Gellar) in contrast
to the saving power of Love
(Kevin Bacon). While flashbacks
provide the context of the perso-
nae, the voice-over expresses
their thoughts and insights. If
names define the persons, one
can easily understand why and
how Fingers, Sorrow, and Love
are so-named; it is difficult to see
why two characters are called
Happiness and Pleasure (except
for one brief moment of plea-
sure, perhaps). The splendid per-
formance of the cast makes up for
some loose ends in the plot. Some
scenes are contrived, seemingly
a deus ex machina resolution to
problematic situations.
Since the film is didactic, it im-
parts many lessons, both good and
bad. Excessive greed is the nem-
esis of Happiness and he realizes
his mistake too late: “I was stu-
pid. I wasn’t thinking”. He pays
for this mistake with his life. Fin-
gers, the lord in a world of gam-
bling, violence, and whoring, also
has excessive greed for power and
wealth but nowhere do we see in
him remorse or retribution.
Something tragic is bound to hap-
pen when Pleasure meets Sorrow
and yet the encounter has deep-
ened and enriched both of them.
With these hapless creatures, one
wishes that something right could
happen to their lives. Could a
bundle of money dropping from
the sky hold the key to a second
chance for Sorrow? One has to
move on even if it’s hard starting
over. But in the end, let us believe
that “Love is stronger than death”
for the hope that love brings is
transforming and redeeming.
 CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 8
April 14
April 14 -- 27,
27, 2008
2008
C1

The Cross

Photo by Dennis Dayao / CBCP Media

A Supplement Publication for KCFAPI
and the Order of the Knights of Columbus
Luzon Deputy Sir Knight Alonso Tan (center) with Knights of the Council 1000 during the wreath laying to the statue of Fr. Michael McGivney, SJ, April 1 at the headquarters of Manila Council 1000, Intramuros, Manila. The wreath laying followed the thanksgiving mass celebrated
at San Agustin Church for the Vatican’s declaration of Fr. McGivney as Venerable.

KCFAPI holds Fraternal

Benefits convention
By Joseph P. Teodoro
Sem. Victor Emmanuel Quintos (left) and Sem. Belarmino Juan show off their
medals after the graduation rite at the UST chapel.
KCFAPI began the series of Fraternal Benefits convention outlining the humble beginnings (MME), Conrado Dator, Jr. (SL), and Nonilon
Convention last March 29, 2008 at the Home until the present time when it has grown to a Ayon (SWL). Bro. Teodoro took the opportu-
Office in Intramuros, Manila. This activity of strong mutual benefit association. nity in announcing the appointment of Bro.

KC Seminarian-Scholars 7 stages nationwide aims to accomplish sev-

eral objectives, namely: 1) To improve aware-
KCFAPI President Antonio B. Borromeo
heightened the interest of the group with a
Reynaldo Valencia for the position of Area
Manager of Metro Manila Dragons effective

graduate with honors

THREE seminarian-scholars
of the KC Fr. George J.
Willmann Charities, Inc. re-
cently graduated with honors
in their respective field of
studies.
Sem. Victor Emmanuel
Quintos of the Archdiocese of
Tuguegarao and Sem.
Belarmino Juan of the Dio-
cese of Ilagan finished their
Licentiate Studies at the Uni-
versity of Santo Tomas Cen-
tral Seminary last March 15.
Sem. Quintos graduated Ma-
gna Cum Laude with a Licen-
tiate Degree in Theology
while Sem. Juan graduated
Cum Laude with a Licentiate
Degree in Canon Law. Both
seminarians were scholars of
the foundation since their
Theology years.
On the other hand, Rev.
Junjun Jonatas of the Diocese
of Tarlac finished his Theo-
logical Studies last March 16
in a solemn rite at the San
KC Foundation scholars pass
Carlos Seminary Main
Chapel. A day before his
graduation, Rev. Jonatas to-
gether with his nine class-
mates were ordained to the
Sacred Order of Deacons at
the San Carlos Seminary
Main Chapel with His Excel-
lency Most Rev. Bernardino
C. Cortez, D.D., Auxiliary
Bishop of Manila, as ordain-
ing prelate. Rev. Jonatas
graduated Magna Cum Laude
and has received two Special
Awards (Leadership Award
and Rector’s Award).
Another scholar, Rev.
Hernandez Mendoza, a 2007
graduate of the University of
Santo Tomas Central Semi-
nary, was also ordained Dea-
con last March 15 at the Im-
maculate Conception Cathe-
dral in Pasig City. He was or-
dained by Most Rev. Fran-
cisco C. San Diego, D.D.,
Bishop of Pasig. (Denise C.
Solina)
ness about the Association and its workings
by reaching out to the field sales force to en-
able them to give proper representation. This
is also geared to intensify fraternal insurance
solicitation activities necessary to ensuring
that KCFAPI surpass its 2008 Corporate Ob-
jectives; 2) To meet face-to-face and get closer
with members of the field sales force by ef-
fecting faster two-way communication and by
fostering tighter teamwork by closely syn-
chronizing field and home office operations.
The first batch of 7 groups of sales areas
were composed of 109 area managers and fra-
ternal counselors from Central Luzon Believ-
ers, Southern Luzon Lakers, Southern Luzon
Stars and Metro Manila Achievers, Chancel-
lors, Dragons and Lakers.
The kick off sales convention coincided with
the celebration of Founder’s Day. The partici-
pants attended the morning mass sponsored
by the Luzon Jurisdiction for the occasion and
as thanksgiving for the Papal recognition of
the heroic virtues of Fr. Mcgivney. The decla-
ration gave our founder the title Venerable
which brings our aspiration that Fr. Mcgivney
will soon be raised to the honors of the altar.
KCFAPI Chairman Bro. Patrocinio R. Bacay
delivered an inspirational message during the
Cebuano Knights defend Cardinal Vidal
BROTHER Knights from Cebu (USC) and University of the Phil-
and other parts of the Visayas, led
by Visayas Deputy Bro. Dionisio
ippines Cebu College (UPCC).
The allegation was categorically
personal testimony stressing how responsive
the Association is when it comes to attending
death benefit claim.
Luzon Deputy Alonso L. Tan dwelt on the
support that the jurisdiction has been provid-
ing the fraternal benefits group and thanked
the field sales representatives for the satisfac-
tory assistance the jurisdiction is getting from
them in terms of membership growth and
development.
KCFAPI Executive Vice president Sis.
Theresa G. Curia provided the participants
with the directions that the Association will
be taking as it celebrates its 50 th year anniver-
sary. A warm up exercise in the form of a set
of questionnaire regarding the Association
and some of its practices were given by Fi-
nance Vice President Sis. Maggie G. Flores.
The short test is intended to validate the
knowledge of the attendees on the questions
in the questionnaire.
The morning session ended after the area
managers took turns in reviewing the pack-
age of incentives offered to the fraternal coun-
selors and techniques on how to achieve them.
The area managers present were Bros. Efren
Casupanan (CLB) Vimar Trinidad (MMA),
Damaso Hernandez (MMC), Aurelio Caparas
the matter a few weeks ago.
Taken aback and surprised, the
vast majority of Cebuanos from
April 1, 2008.
Bro. Ronnie Infante, MIS Senior Manager,
who is also the chairman for the Golden Jubi-
lee activities reiterated the 8-point program
of the celebration.
Bro. Joselito Manalac, CSR Senior Manager,
presented the statistics on the membership and
its value in the selling process for fraternal
counselors.
The presentation of the various plans was
presided over by ABC and Operations Vice
President Bro. Efren Caringal. The afternoon
session was highlighted by the video presen-
tation of the newly approved Super Saver Plan
and introduction of the Super Saver Man
played by one of the Underwriting Staff, Bro.
Rommel Guanzon.
The second fraternal benefits convention
was held in Cabanatuan City last April 5 at-
tended by fraternal counselors of Central
Luzon Conquerors and Central Luzon Dia-
monds, and supervised by Bros. Manuel
Naldoza and Victor Pulangco.
The upcoming fraternal benefits conventions
nationwide are slated on April 12, 2008, Cagayan
de Oro City; April 19, 2008, San Fernando, La
Union; April 24, 2008, Davao City; May 3, 2008,
Iloilo City; and May 16, Cebu City.

Nurse Licensure Exam

TWO scholars of the Knights
of Columbus Philippines
Foundation, Inc. recently
passed the Nurse Licensure
Examination given by the
Board of Nursing last Decem-
ber 1 and 2, 2007. They are:
Ms. Ritchestar Renacia (Fr.
Paul Gravel Council 8835,
Davao City) and Mr. Fidel
Paolo B. Gonzales (St. Jude
Parish Council 5831, Davao
City).
Both scholars graduated last
March 2007 at San Pedro Col-
lege, Davao City. Ms. Renacia
Over a hundred new Squires
is the daughter of Bro.
Rodrigo and Sis. Nida Renacia
of Jacinto Street, Davao City
and was a beneficiary of the
Knights of Columbus Philip-
pines Foundation, Inc. under
the Supreme Council Scholar-
ship Program from 2003 to
2007.
Mr. Gonzales, son of Bro.
Pablo and Sis. Emma
Gonzales of Datu Bago Street,
Davao City, was a recipient of
the Knights of Columbus Phil-
ippines Foundation, Inc. from
2003 to 2007 (Denise C. Solina)
Esteban, Jr., aired their collective
support for His Eminence, Ricardo
J. Cardinal Vidal, DD, Archbishop
of Cebu who is also the Visayas
State Chaplain of the Knights of
Columbus.
The expression of support for
the Cardinal came in the wake of
the pronouncements of ZTE-NBN
Senate witness Jun Lozada who
referred to Cebu as “Archdiocese
of Malacañang” and Ms. Leah
Navarro of the Black and White
Movement who referred to Car-
dinal Vidal as “congressman in
[a] cassock”.
The adverse statements of Mr.
Lozada and Ms. Navarro arose
from the alleged prohibition by
the Cebu Archdiocese for local
priests to celebrate the holy mass
during Mr. Lozada’s recent trip to
Cebu for speaking engagements
at the University of San Carlos
denied by the Archdiocese of
Cebu, through the Archdiocesan
Presbyteral Council.
A holy mass was eventually
held for Mr. Lozada and his group,
and in a later interview with the
local press Mr. Lozada said that
his earlier statement on Cebu as
“Archdiocese of Malacanang” was
a joke.
It maybe be recalled that the
Archdiocese of Cebu, spearheaded
by the church-based Dilaab Move-
ment, was fully supportive of the
call of the Catholic Bishops’ Con-
ference of the Philippines (CBCP)
for the TRUTH to come out vis-à-
vis the ZTE-NBN controversy. In
fact, a massive signature cam-
paign, aimed at, among others,
giving moral support to witnesses
like Mr. Lozada, was conducted at
the parish level throughout the
Archdiocese of Cebu regarding
various political ideologies and
interest groups have voiced their
support for the well-loved Cardi-
nal. They called on Mr. Lozada
and Ms. Navarro to apologize for
what they perceive as uncalled for
and disrespectful comments to
Cardinal Vidal and to the
Cebuanos.
While the soft-spoken and
mild-mannered Cardinal Vidal
took the adverse statements
His Eminence, Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal
lightly, saying that there is no
need for the duo to apologize and J. Cardinal Vidal. Among them,
even joked that “indeed there is a the local KofC Council in Mabolo,
Malacanang sa Cebu” (in reference Cebu City came up with an offi-
to the Malacanang Sa Sugbu Build- cial statement on the matter which
ing along Cebu’s waterfront district) , saw print in April 1, 2008 issue of
the various councils and fourth SunStar Daily Cebu. The Fourth
degree assemblies of the Knights Degree Assembly 2295 in Talisay
of Columbus in Cebu, deemed it City, also passed a resolution sup-
appropriate to air their defense for porting the official position of the
their brother Cebuano and spiri- Kof C Visayas State on the issue.
tual leader, His Eminence, Ricardo (Bro. Junjie Navales Cruz)

in Eastern Visayas Do you want superior protection for your family?

IT LOOKS like the Knights of Co-
lumbus in Eastern Visayas is
headed for a sustainable growth,
in terms of membership, in the
coming years.
Last March 30, 2008, the
hardworking Regional Deputy for
Eastern Visayas, Bro. Dalmacio
Grafil, gathered over a hundred
youth, aged 10 to 17, for an orien-
tation and mass investiture in
Tacloban City.
Visayas State Squires Chair-
man, Bro. Wency Cañete came all
the way from Cebu to preside the
mass investiture.
By joining the Columbian
Squires, these young men will be
honed in the workings of Catho-
lic gentlemen under the guidance
of their elders—the brother
knights.
Later on, they will be worthy
successors in the noble endeavors Do you want sound investment savings?
of the Knights of Columbus when
they will be initiated to the 1st de-
gree of the Order as they reach 18
years old.
The next mass investiture will
be in Toledo City, Cebu on April
13, 2008 which will be hosted by
District Deputy, Bro. Amuerfino
Perales, a former Columbian
Squire himself. Squires from
Cebu Central Province, namely:
Balamban/Asturias area (c/o Dis-
trict Deputy Lou Daniot), Talisay
area (c/o District Deputy Aster
Tadlip), Minglanilla area (c/o Dis-
trict Deputy Dennis Canares) and
Naga/San Fernando area (c/o
Provincial Deputy Junjie Cruz), are
expected to attend.
To all Columbian Squires—
THE employees of KC Group of Companies gathered last March 14-15 for a Lenten retreat at the La
”Esto Dignus” (Be Worthy). (Bro. Verna House of Prayer, Brgy. Iruhin, Tagaytay City. The retreat was organized by the Spiritual
Junjie Navales Cruz) Committee of KC Fraternal Association.
 CBCP Monitor
C2 The Cross Vol. 12 No. 8
April 14 - 27, 2008

Message from the President
Antonio B. Borromeo
Our Fraternal Counselors, Our Pride!
ONE of the highlights of this
year’s Golden Jubilee of
KCFAPI is the holding of Fra-
ternal Benefits Convention.
There are seven different ven-
ues for this memorable affair
namely, Manila, Cabanatuan,
Cagayan de Oro, San
Fernando, La Union, Davao,
Iloilo and Cebu.
The objective of this con-
vention is to inform our fra-
ternal counselors on the on-
going incentive programs,
benefits and privileges that
the Association offers them,
equipped with timely benefits
products particularly the KC
C.A.R.E.S Gold Series plans
and to listen to the voice of
KC Fraternal’s most valued
GOLDEN JUBILEE UPDATES:
resource—our dedicated and
committed Area Managers
and Fraternal Counselors.
During these conventions,
our Area Managers and Fra-
ternal Counselors share unfor-
gettable experiences and true-
to-life stories showing how
proud they are to be in
KCFAPI and how unique the
company is.
KCFAPI is where you can
find a balance of career and
faith. As you work in fellow-
ship with your Brother
Knights, you likewise enrich
your faith and career. And
since this is an Association run
by Brother Knights for Brother
Knights, we provide fast de-
livery of service.
This first ever gatherings of
KCFAPI’s valued salesforce
from different parts of the
country are also and will be
participated in by Bro.
Patrocinio Bacay, Chairman;
KC Territorial deputies,
namely: Bro. Alonso Tan of
Luzon, Bro. Dionisio Esteban
of Visayas, Bro. Sofronio Cruz
of Mindanao and KC Frater-
nal officers led by Sis. Ma.
Theresa G. Curia, Executive
Vice President, and yours
truly.
blog
BC Holder’s Letter of Gratitude
From the numerous “thank you” letters
received by the Association, we shall choose
one each month to be published at The Cross
supplement. We want to give opportunity to
members to share how KC Fraternal and our
Sis. Teresit a Valdez received from Bro. Manuel Naldoza, Area Manager
from Central Luzon, the insurance claim proceeds under her late husband
Bro. Ponciano Valdez’ Benefit Certificate. Bro. Roberto Ibarra, Grand Knight
of Council 4405 at Camiling, Tarlac and Bro. Artemio Navarro, District Deputy
of T38, stood as witnesses.

+
fraternal benefits have touched or influenced BC Holder Relations Office
their lives. They serve as testimonies of the Telephone: (02) 5272223 local 110 to 113
fulfillment of the mission of both our Asso- Fax: (02) 5272241; Text: 0917825KOFC (5632)
ciation and the Order of the Knights of Co- Email: bcservices@kofC.org.ph
lumbus.
“UNA po sa lahat, nais ko pong ipaabot ang aking taos-pusong
pasasalamat sa Knights of Columbus Fraternal sa lahat ng mga
suporta at tulong na ibinigay noong mamatay ang aking asawang si
Pons Valdez. Salamat po sa insurance claim check na ibinigay agad
sa araw mismo ng kanyang libing at ito’y nakatulong ng malaki sa
amin upang mabayaran lahat ang aming mga gastusin. Kung tutuusin,
ilang taon pa lamang naghuhulog sa insurance ng KC Fraternal ang
aking asawa, konti pa lamang po ang kanyang naihuhulog, pero
nang mamatay siya binigay agad ng KC ang insurance niya.
Matagal na naging FS (Financial Secretary) ang aking asawa sa KC
dito sa Camiling. Pero kahit member siya ng KC, ayaw niyang
pumasok o kumuha ng insurance. Actually, ako lang talaga ang
pumilit sa kanya na kumuha ng insurance. Ang katwiran niya wala
siyang stable na trabaho at sayang lang daw ang mga maihuhulog
namin sakaling di namin maituloy gawa ng walang ibabayad pag
due date na. Ipinaliwanag ko na tumatanda na kaming pareho at ang
mga ganitong bagay na ang dapat naming paghandaan at unahin
dahil alam ko pagdating ng araw makakatulong ito ng malaki sa
aming buhay. Sinabi ko pa sa kanya na kung sakali at mauna akong
mamatay, at least may makukuha siyang halaga ng insurance ko. At
kung sakali na siya naman ang mauna, sinabi ko sa kanya na
ipagkakait mo ba na mayroon kang maiiwan sa amin na halaga ng
insurance mo?
Nag-isip siyang mabuti, and from then on, siya na mismo ang nag-
iipon para may maibayad kami sa insurance dahil tatlo kami sa fam-
ily namin ang may insurance sa KCFAPI – ang aking asawa, ako at
pati yung bunso naming anak. Naliwanagan ang kanyang isipan na
ang mga bagay na katulad ng insurance ay mapapakinabangan hindi
lamang sa oras ng kamatayan. Pwede ka ring makapag-loan kung
meron ng cash value.
Kaya nga, I encourage all brother Knights, pati na rin sana family
ninyo na pumasok at kumuha ng insurance sa KC Fraternal. Dapat
paghandaan natin ang bukas. Who knows, baka bukas isa sa atin ay
mawawala na at kapag ganun ang nangyari, ipagkakait niyo rin ba
sa inyong mga maiiwang pamilya ang maaari nilang makuha sa

KC-ing Galing Chorale Competition insurance ninyo?

Luzon Jurisdiction - Finalists for the KC-
ing Galing Chorale Competition for Luzon
were chosen among the eight (8) councils that
registered for the contest. To ensure objec-
tivity, the submitted demo CDs and cassette
tapes were judged by Fr. Carlo Magno
Marcelo, composer of KCFAPI’s song –
“Hands of Love”. Based on the following
criteria: Voice Quality – 50% and Harmony –
50%, the five (5) finalists are as follows (at no
particular order):
• Council 14359 - SSC-R, Sta. Cruz, Cavite
• Council 1000 - Intramuros, Manila
• Council 10291 - Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Malabon City
• Council 10104 - Rosarian, Baliuag, Bulacan
• Council 5310 - Gomburza, Brixton, Quezon
City
The Grand Finals will be held during the
KC Luzon Convention on May 24, 2008 at the
SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia, Pasay
City. Each chorale group will render two (2)
songs, (1) a chorale piece of their own choice
and (2) their own rendition of the KCFAPI
Muli, nagpapasalamat po ako sa Knights of Columbus Fraternal
Association dahil sa binigay na insurance claim proceeds.
Napakalaking tulong po talaga ito para sa amin lalo na wala namang
song. A maximum of ten (10) minutes are maraming property si Pons na naiwanan.
allotted for each group to include set up and Maraming, maraming salamat!
actual performance. Criteria for judging will
be as follows: Mrs. Tess Valdez
Choice Piece Contest Piece Paterno St., Camiling, Tarlac
(KCFAPI Song)
Voice Quality 10% 25%
Harmony 10% 25%
Interpretation 25%
Stage Presence 5%
Total 25% 75% We want you to know!!!
Finalists will vie for the following prizes:
1st Prize – P50,000; 2nd Prize – P30,000; 3rd Prize We would like to invite all councils to post
- P10,000; and, consolation prize of P2,000 announcements or write-ups regarding
each for the remaining two teams
their council activities by sending your
Visayas Jurisdiction – Elimination round Mindanao Jurisdiction - Councils inter- materials to KCFAPI through
for the competition will be held during the ested in joining the competition may still kcfraternalservices@kofc.org.ph or
Family Day program of the jurisdiction in register until March 29, 2008. brod_lito@yahoo.com. Printing of
the following locations: KCFAPI Management wishes to thank the
• Iloilo City – April 13, 2008 KC councils for their interest to join the cho-
materials submitted is subject for
• Tacloban City – April 20, 2008 rale competition and extends its congratula- scheduling of KCFAPI.
• Cebu City – April 27, 2008 tions to the finalists. (Loren T. Mercado)
 CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 8
April 14 - 27, 2008 The Cross C3
By Archbishop Angel N. Lagdameo

Call to social transformation

SOCIAL transformation is a com-
ponent and consequence of the
work of evangelization. Without
it evangelization is incomplete.
The necessity of social transfor-
mation is not a new demand. It is
a demand of Christian disciple-
ship.
mation. There is only one direc-
tion that PCP-II says we must
take as a Church, and that is to
become a BEC- type of Church.
“We have envisioned a renewed
Church as a community of dis-
ciples missioned by the Lord to
labor in our particular Filipino
situation” (155). Fifteen years af-
ter the PCP-II, plus the experience
that has gone before in our Phil-
ippine situation, BEC as a model
of the Church is no longer an ab-
stract vision. BEC as the PCP-II
vision of Church is a growing
reality in dioceses or parishes that
have had the experience of BECs.
When I say that, I do not disre-
gard the fact that particular par-
ishes could still be dominated by
the thinking and culture of the In-
stitution. It may be good to evalu-
ate how the BEC ecclesiology is
affecting some of our traditional
associations in the church, and

Pope of the Beatitudes

1. Evangelization and social
transformation must include
among their essential elements a
proclamation of the Church’s so-
cial doctrine (cf. CA 5), which
have been called the Church’s
“best kept secrets.” Because they
do not land often enough among
the teachings explained, devel-
oped, discussed and proclaimed
in church gatherings and
preachings.
If our struggle to build the
Kingdom of God, and our striv-
ing is to authentically follow the
Jesus of the Gospel, then it must
be a journey towards social trans-
formation towards truth and jus-
tice, love and peace, a journey
towards the fullness of life (cf.
PCP-II 263). “It is evident that
Christian discipleship or a spiri-
tuality of social transformation
demands a properly formed so-
cial conscience, the lack of which
in many Filipinos is a major trag-
edy” (PCP-II 283).
“In the light of our situation
we believe that certain truths in
the social doctrine of the Church
stand out as urgent and neces-
sary. These truths, needing em-
phasis today for the development
of the just life and of the just soci-
ety which serves that life are: In-
tegral Development based on
Human Dignity and Solidarity;
Universal Love; Peace and Active
Non-violence; Love of Preference
for the Poor; the Value of Human
Work; the Integrity of Creation;
Empowerment of the People”
(PCP-II 291), each of which would
demand a separate lecture or even
a seminar.
2. The way the Church must
go is the way of social transfor-
how the BEC model already in-
fluences their internal and exter-
nal mechanisms as well as their
relationships and spirituality.
We know what is implied by
being transformed by the BEC
model of Church. “In order to be
renewed as a Church, we must
leave behind many ways of think-
ing, speaking and acting which Pope Benedict XVI is presenting us with a model for the future of the Church
no longer effectively serve and
perhaps even obstruct our evan-
gelizing mission. This will mean By Carl A. Anderson, Supreme Knight
an unsettling pain, a disengage-
ment from what is cherished but AS the year 2000 approached, many were pre- we have been given a “pope of the Beati-
is now obsolete or obstructive, a
paring to survive the implosion of the elec- tudes” to lead the Church in this new millen-
dying to what is sinful, that we tronic age, in case Y2K brought about the nium?
may come to newness of life”
collapse of the world’s computer network. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds
(PCP-II 143). But for Christians, it was a special time to us that the Beatitudes are “at the heart” of the
3. The object and subject of so-
look forward with anticipation to the third teaching of Jesus, that they reveal to us his
cial transformation is man, every Christian millennium and what Pope John “countenance” and his charity, and that they
man, in his unique as well as or-
Paul II called a “new springtime of the Gos- form the basis for Christian hope (1717). It
dinary circumstance, the “con- pel.” We have since crossed that threshold should come as no surprise that Benedict’s
crete” and “historical” man (CA
and have received Pope Benedict XVI — the first two encyclicals, Deus Caritas Est ( God is
53). Man is the way the BEC-type pope of the new millennium. Love) and Spe Salvi (On Christian Hope), ex-
of Church must go. “(The human
If we are living at the beginning of a new plore our understanding of God through the
person) is the primary route that springtime for Christianity, we might ask, themes of love, charity and hope.
the church must travel in fulfill-
what kind of pope do we now have to lead us? The Beatitudes present us also with a pro-
ing her mission…the way traced As we prepare to celebrate the third anniver- found moral declaration, which at the time
out by Christ himself, the way
sary of Benedict’s pontificate, we already have of Jesus could only be understood as the re-
that leads invariably through the much to reflect upon—including his trips to pudiation of conventional values related to
mystery of the Incarnation and
Germany, Poland, Spain, Turkey and Brazil, wealth, status, power, personal fulfillment
the Redemption” (RH 14; CA 53). as well as his two encyclicals and book. The and happiness. Here we can see reflected in
As an instrument of evangeli-
pope’s visit to the United States will soon in- Benedict’s pontificate a concern for the dehu-
zation and social transformation, augurate yet another chapter in his ministry. manizing effects of our modern secular cul-
the social doctrine reveals man to
Already we see a remarkable man as a ture of consumerism and material progress,
himself and gains credibility from world leader—someone who is consistently which too often ignores the plight of the poor
the “witness of actions” in the pro-
described in terms of his simplicity, humil- and suffering.
motion of justice, most especially ity, kindness, gentleness and joy. We see as well in his pastoral ministry the future of the Church and a return to the
when it concerns the powerless,
Indeed, the more we learn about Benedict, Christ’s ardent exhortation at the conclusion fundamentals of the Gospel message.
the voiceless, the marginalized the more we are apt to recall the Beatitudes of the Beatitudes: “You are the light of the The Beatitudes speak of the Gospel’s trans-
and the exploited. Social transfor-
Christ preached during his Sermon on the world. … Let your light so shine before men, forming power in the lives of believers and
mation is person-oriented. Mount (see Mt 5:3-12): Blessed are the poor in that they may see your good works and give in the life of the world. This power shines in
(Archbishop Angel N. Lagdameo is the spirit, the lowly, those who hunger and thirst glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Mt Benedict’s life and ministry. It is our hope
President of the Catholic Bishops’ for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in 5:14, 16). Thus, in Pope Benedict we are pre- that because of his U.S. visit, it will shine more
Conference of the Philippines. This piece
is an excerpt from one of his talks given heart and the peacemakers. And, finally, “Re- sented with a model of the Christian life in brightly throughout America and the world.
lately to lay people) joice and be glad.” Is it too much to think that the new millennium. He is also a model for Vivat Jesus!

Anderson: Pope to bring ‘Revolution of Virtue’

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 1, 2008—Benedict
XVI will bring with him to the United States
this month a “revolution of virtue,” says the
leader the Knights of Columbus.
Supreme Knight Carl Anderson, in Rome
to present his book A Civilization of Love: What
Every Catholic Can Do to Transform the World,
told ZENIT that the message of the Pontiff’s
two encyclicals is the same one the people of
the United States are waiting for when he
visits April 15-20.
“We are talking about a revolution of vir-
tue, but of the theological virtues: faith, hope
and love,” said Anderson. “And this is the
message Benedict XVI has given us with his
two encyclicals, Deus Caritas Est, on love, and
Spe Salvi, on hope.”
The supreme knight said that especially
during this election year, Americans are wait-
ing “in a tremendous way” to hear about “the
question of change and the question of hope,
and Christianity is a religion of change and a
religion of hope.”
Commenting on the contents of his book,
Anderson said, “The effect of 9/11 is still very
strong in the United States, and one of the
things I suggest in the book is to discover
what kind of people we are, what kind of “a road map for helping Christians under-
people we want to become.” stand their role in the World.”
The answer to these questions, he said, is To promote this civilization of love, clari-
precisely in the civilization of love. fies Anderson, implies a decision to promote
life and the family.
Life and Death Anderson was appointed a member of the
“In such a civilization every person is a Pontifical Council for the Family in 2007, and
child of God. We are all intrinsically valu- consultor to the Pontifical Council for Social
able. The battle today is between the culture Communications in 2006.
of death (where people are judged by their He was also appointed consultor to the
social or economic value) and the culture of Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in
life,” he said. 2003, a member of the Pontifical Council for
Anderson pushes aside religious differ- the Laity in 2002 and the Pontifical Academy
ences to spread a message of hope to those for Life in 1998. Anderson is the leader of the
who are wary of the constant turmoil of mod- 1.7 million members of the Knights of Co-
ern society. lumbus, the world’s largest Catholic frater-
“By embracing the culture of life and stand- nal organization, which was founded in 1882
ing with those most marginalized and by the Venerable Servant of God Father
deemed ‘useless’ or a ‘burden’ on modern so- Michael McGivney in New Haven, Conn.
ciety, Christians can change the tone and di- Still maintaining its headquarters in New
rection of our culture,” he affirmed. Haven, the Knights of Columbus has mem-
Anderson noted that his book seeks to tran- bers in the United States, Canada, Mexico and
scend the “clash of civilizations,” because he Central America, the Caribbean islands, the
says love isn’t something exclusive to Chris- Philippines, Guam and, most recently, Po-
tians. He added that he attempts to present land. (Zenit)

C4
BEGINNINGS: He was born on February 23,
1932 in Zamboanga City to parents Dr. Pedro
A. Rodriguez of Montalban, now Rodriguez,
Rizal and Dolores Miel of Mambajao,
Camiguin Province. He is the seventh of nine
children.
His Education: Pete, as he is called, finished
High School and Bachelor of Arts in Ateneo
de Manila University. He furthered his stud-
ies in Araneta University for his Bachelor of
Science in Agricultural Engineering. He then
SIR KNIGHT JUSTICE JOSE C. REYES, JR. is
presently the Chairman of the Board of Trust-
ees of the KC Fr. George J. Willmann Chari-
ties, Inc. (KCFGJWCI). The main thrust of
KCFGJWCI is the granting of scholarship as-
sistance to diocesan-seminarians in Theology
level and diocesan Priests for their Licentiate
and Doctorate studies locally and in Rome.
He is also the Chairman of the other
Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association
of the Philippines, Inc. (KCFAPI) foundation,
the Knights of Columbus Philippines Foun-
dation, Inc. whose main purpose is to pro-
vide scholarships to poor but deserving chil-
dren of Knights of Columbus members.
Justice Reyes joined the Order of the Knights
of Columbus in 1981 as Charter Member of
KCFAPI’s Spiritual Director Msgr. Pedro Quitorio III, EVP Ms. Ma. Theresa Curia, President Bro. Antonio Borromeo and Treasurer Bro. Antonio Yulo watch as KC Luzon
Deputy and KCFAPI Corporate Secretary Bro. Alonso Tan draws the winners for the Golden Jubilee BC Holder Bonanza Raffle Promo. The first monthly draw was held
last March 17, 2008 at the KCFAPI Intramuros office.
President’s Gold Club
THE offering of KCFAPI’s new-
est product line dubbed “KC
Gold Plans” garnered over-
whelming response from brother
knights.
Hyped by an official launch-
ing in November 2007 and the
creation of the 500K Gold Series
Club, about 434 brother knights
and family members have ac-
quired the plans, totaling to a face
value of P74.4 M in protection and
benefits as of February 2008.
To maintain the sales momentum of our KC Gold Se-
ries Plans, KC Fraternal presents an incentive program
for our Fraternal Counselors coined President’s Gold
Club. An FC who can insure at least 50 creditable new
paid lives on KC Gold Series plans from businesses
brought in from January 2, 2008 to September 30, 2008
becomes an eligible member of this club. As a member
of this club, the FC gets to own a KC gold watch.
Be a member of the President’s Gold Club and be a
proud owner of a KC GOLD WATCH.
The Cross
Sir Knight Pedro M. Rodriguez, Jr.
KCFAPI Trustee
went to Lafayette College in Easton, Penn-
sylvania, USA for his Bachelor of Science in
Industrial Engineering.
In Public Service: In November 1970, the
Hon. Pedro Miel Rodriguez, Jr., nephew of
the late Senate President Eulogio “Amang”
Rodriguez was elected as a delegate to the
constitutional convention for the lone district
of Zamboanga del Sur. In the convention, he
served as Vice-Chairman on the Committee
on Economic Planning and Implementation
and as a member of the committees on agri-
cultural and natural resources, in industrial-
ization, and on finance and property.
His Life in the K of C: He first joined the K
of C in the Fr. Paguia SJ Council No. 3362 in
Zamboanga City in 1963 where he served
various positions as Grand Knight, District
Deputy, Master of the Fourth Degree and State
Secretary. He then was appointed as the
Mindanao State Deputy in 1993 to 1995. He
is at present the Chairman of the Mindanao
State Ceremonials and of the Fr. McGivney
Guild. In 2004, he was chosen as the Most
Outstanding Knight of the Year in Mindanao.
He was elected to the KCFAPI Board of
Trustees in 1993 and served as President from
Sir Knight Jose C. Reyes, Jr.
“ the advocate of truth, wisdom, justice and
fraternal services”
the Our lady of the Light Council 7844 in
Cainta, Rizal. He was elected council Grand
Knight for two consecutive terms from 1986-
1988. He is a Fourth Degree Knight of the Jose
Rizal Assembly ACN 2480 in the province of
Rizal. From 1988-1992, Justice Reyes served as
District Warden and was appointed District
Deputy of District A11 from 1992-1995.
In the Luzon Jurisdiction, he served as State
Advocate from 1997-1999 during the incum-
bency of Luzon Deputy Arsenio R. Lopez. He
again served Luzon Jurisdiction as State Ad-
vocate from 1999-2003 during the term of
former Luzon Deputy Antonio T. Yulo. From
2003-2004 Justice Reyes was appointed by
then Luzon Deputy Rodolfo C. Magsino as
Fraternal Affairs Director. He presently
serves the Luzon Jurisdiction as State Advo-
cate for the Columbian Year 2007-2008 under
the Leadership of Luzon Deputy, Alonso L.
Tan.
From 2001-2006 Justice Reyes was elected
as member of the Board of Directors of MACE
Insurance Agency, a 100% owned affiliate of
KCFAPI that provides fire, motor car, acci-
dent and hospitalization insurance protection
and surety services for KC members and
families.
“Justice Reyes” or simply “Bro. Joey”, as
he is fondly called, was born on September
18, 1950 in Tacloban City. He obtained his
Bachelor of Laws at the San Beda College in
KC Family...Our Concern. Sis. Ma. Elena Econg (3rd from left), widow of the late Bro. Rustico Econg—
Past Grand Knight of Talisay, Cebu Council 5882, receives the Fraternal Benefit Check from KCFAPI
Chairman Bro. Patrocinio R. Bacay. With them in photo are (l-r) Sis. Inocencia Deiparine - Fraternal
Counselor and 2007 Fr. George J. Willmann SJ Knights of the Round Table Awardee, Bro. Wilfredo Lauron
- Area Manager, KCFAPI Central Visayas Alpha and Bro. Angelito Lugod - Fraternal Counselor and 2007
Chairman’s Circle Awardee. It is noteworthy that the check was released to Sis. Econg on the very same
day the Fraternal Benefit claim was filed.
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 8
April 14 - 27, 2008
1994 to 1996. At present, he is sitting as an
independent director of KCFAPI Board. As
an independent director, he provides inde-
pendent judgment and objectivity in all is-
sues before the Board.
He received many awards but the most
outstanding of which was a Papal Award in
1985 in recognition for his exemplary ser-
vice rendered to the Roman Catholic Church.
His Occupation: He joined the National
Development Company as a Supervising
Economist, the Philippine Coconut Author-
ity as the Research Center Manager, and the
Philippine Agro Edible Oils, Inc. as General
Manager, and is at present the General Man- KC Fraternal introduces its newest product offering—the KC Su-
ager of Romiel Plantations, Inc. and Romiel per Saver Plan.
Corporation.
Active in civic and religious undertakings, KC Super Saver Plan—Gold Series is a peso-denominated single-
pay ten-year endowment plan. The proposed Assured has to pay only
Bro. Rodriguez was a member of the Lions one time. He will, in as short as 10 years, recover more than his
Club, President of CFM, Rotary Club, and contributions or an amount equivalent to the Sum Assured.
Pastoral Council of the Zamboanga City Ca-
thedral. He also served as District Governor The plan’s life insurance coverage is increasing. It starts from
110% of Sum Assured on the first year and increases uniformly by
and National President of Serra Club District 10% of the Sum Assured every year until it reaches 200% on the tenth
91 Mindanao and Serra Philippines. and final year. The plan is available for issue ages 1 to 75.
His private life: He is married to Bituin E.
Rodriguez, has 11 children and 17 grandchil- Super Saver Plan is ideal for our Brother Knights or their immedi-
ate family members who have seasonal income or earnings, such as
dren. (Annie Nicolas) members in the agricultural or aquacultural sectors. The flexibility of-
fered by the plan’s single contribution scheme and small issue limit of
P10,000 Sum Assured make Super Saver perfect for Overseas Filipino
Workers. Because they, our modern day heroes; deserve no less that
the best.
KC Super Saver Plan.
Superior Family Protection. Plus Return on
your Single Contribution!
Build your own Benefit Portfolio. When you
want it. As you want it!
1977 and passed the Bar Examinations given
in the same year. He is married to Ma. Ofelia
V. Bernardino with whom he has 3 children—
Leonard Joseph, Olivia Joyce and Valerie
Joan, and one grandchild Rian Ozzie.
A humble and deeply spiritual person, Jus-
tice Reyes is also a Lay Minister of the Holy
Eucharist at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish
in Cainta, Rizal and an active member of
Couples for Christ.
He joined the Judiciary as a Technical As-
sistant of Supreme Court Chief Justice Felix
V. Makasiar in 1978. He was appointed Pre-
siding Judge of MeTC Branch 69 of Pasig City
in 1987 and RTC Branch 76 of San Mateo, Rizal
in 1991. From June 1995 to July 2003 he acted
as Executive Judge and was designated spe-
cial court judge to try and decide heinous
crimes from October 1996 to July 2003. Jus-
KC Manila Council (KCMC) 1000 bagged the championship trophy during the up-the-ladder
tice Reyes took his oath of office as Associate championship games of the 2007-2008 KC NCR (The Luzon Deputy Cup).
Justice of the Court of Appeals on July 8, 2003.
He has been engaged as a part-time faculty
member of the Commercial Law Department,
College of Business and Economics at the De
La Salle University for 26 years. The univer-
sity awarded him the Most Outstanding Part-
time Faculty for School year 2001-2002. He
was also recognized with the Juan Medrano
Service Award for dedicated service in the
mission of Christian education and long-term
contribution as a La Sallian co-worker and
partner. (Denise C. Solina)
Rev. Junjun Jonatas with his mother, Mrs. Gisela Jonatas and uncle, Bro. Fromencio
Jonatas after receiving his medal as Magna Cum Laude.
Rev. Jonatas (right) together with Bishop Berard Oshikawa, Bishop of Naha, Japan (2n d
from left); Bishop Bernardino Cortez, Auxiliary Bishop of Manila (center) and SK Alonso
L. Tan (front), Foundation President after his diaconal ordination.
Rev. Hernandez Mendoza listens intently to Bishop San Diego at his ordination to the
Sacred Order of Deacons.