•A3 •B1 •C1

Cardinal Sin ‘a man Church celebrates The CROSS

of paradoxes’ Pauline Year Knights of Columbus Supplement

Pondo ng Pinoy marks www.cbcpnews.com cbcpmonitor@cbcpworld.net

4th anniversary
“PONDO ng Pinoy”, the movement started by
Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales in the Archdio-
cese of Manila, marked its fourth anniversary at
the Cardinal Sin auditorium of Paco Catholic
School last June 14.
Pondo ng Pinoy encourages people to save at
least 25 centavos daily as their expression of love
for the poor. Its slogan is “Anumang maliit,
basta’t malimit, ay patungong langit.”
Rosales was the main celebrant at the 8:30 a.m.
Mass. Former Ambassador to Vatican, Henrietta
Pondo / A6
Protagonist of Truth, Promoter of Peace
June 23 - July 6, 2008
Church hits military
offensive in Mindanao
WHILE hostility has not yet sparked in
Mindanao, Church officials continue to frown
on government’s all-out offensive against sus-
pects of the June 8 kidnapping incident in Sulu.
Another Catholic bishop criticized the
government’s “punitive action” against the kid-
nappers of the ABS-CBN news team led by Ces
Drilon.
Saying the move is “short sighted,” Manila
Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo called on the
Vol. 12 No. 13 Php 20.00 government to go more deeply into the real
Church hits / A6

NASSA leads Church Pope prays for

victims of
Typhoon ‘Frank’
relief operations POPE Benedict XVI was deeply saddened
by the ferry tragedy and for thousands
of people affected by a typhoon that has
wreaked havoc in the Philippines.
Benedict told pilgrims in St. Peter’s
Square on Sunday he wish to assure his
“spiritual closeness” to those killed, in-
jured or rendered homeless by Typhoon
“Frank” (Fengshen).
In the wake of the tragedy, the Pontiff
prayed for the victims of the tragedy that
already claimed 150 people, excluding
those aboard the ferry.
“I also wish to raise a special prayer
for the victims of this new tragedy of
the seas, in which it appears many chil-
dren are involved,” he said.
Benedict was referring the MV Prin-
cess of the Star that capsized off Sibuyan
Island on Sunday carrying at least 700
passengers, which authorities declared
missing.
A rescue operation to find survivors
of the stricken ship is underway as the
Typhoon continues to ravage many parts

© Roy Lagarde / CBCP Media

of the country.
Reports said the damage is extensive
leaving hundreds of families homeless
especially in the Visayas region.
Power outages were also reported in
many provinces and transports links
severed with the storm expected to hang
around the country until tonight before
At “The Forum,” a media discussion jointly organized by the CBCPNews and the Catholic Media Network, CBCP-NASSA executive
veering off towards Taiwan. (Roy
By Roy Lagarde secretary Sr. Roseanne Mallillin, SPC, (right) together with Caritas Manila executive director Fr. Anton Pascual and DSWD Undersecretary
Lagarde)
Celia Yangco appealed for relief assistance following a powerful typhoon that left a trail of death and destruction.
THE National Secretariat for Social Action (NASSA)

Bishop calls for ‘total closure’ of mining in Albay

of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference leads the relief
operations for the victims of the recent typhoon.
Typhoon “Frank”, the sixth storm to hit the coun-
try this year, has claimed many lives, ravaged roads
and bridges, swept away electricity and telephone
polls and flattened thousands of hectares of crops.
It hit the country on June 21, with around 200
people initially reported dead, although hundreds
more are still missing from a ferry which capsized
during the storm.
In Iloilo, a central province where more than 100
people have been reported dead or missing, local
Church officials said most of the victims had been
killed as a result of flooding caused by the storm.
At “The Forum” on June 24, a media discussion
jointly organized by CBCPNews and the Catholic
Media Network, Sister Rosanne Mallillin, SPC,
NASSA Executive Secretary, disclosed that immedi-
ately after the typhoon she dispatched relief assis-
tance to the Archdiocese of Jaro that reported with
most damage due to flooding.
NASSA / A6
A ROMAN Catholic bishop demanded the ‘total
closure’ of a hotly contested Korean-controlled
copper and zinc mine in Rapu-Rapu Island, Albay.
Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes claimed the
people would definitely be “too happy” if the Ko-
rea Resources Inc. (Kores) and LG International
Corp. will leave the area.
The Korean state-run mining companies took
over full control of the project in April after its
previous operator, Lafayette of Australia, pulled
out over environmental issues.
Bastes said the Lafayette got “bankrupt” after
its investors finally backed off due to public
clamor against environmental destruction.
“They (Lafayette) have no more investors. They
can’t even pay their personnel anymore. It’s no
longer financially viable,” he said.
The bishop said Rapu-Rapu mining is supposed
to be the government’s “flagship” project in its
revitalized mining industry program but it turned
out to be a “fiasco.”
Bastes also said that Lafayette still has over P130
million pesos balance of taxes payable to the gov-
ernment.
“The government should impose total closure
of the mining there. It has ruined not only the
environment but also our economy,” Bastes said.
The Rapu-Rapu mine has been forecasted to gen-
erate revenues of $US350 million a year from an-
nual production of 11,000 tones of copper and
13,000 tones of zinc.
The Kores and LG Group acquired Lafayette’s
majority stake shortly after the mine was fined
for spills which contaminated surrounding wa-
ters in 2005.
At least 40 fisher folks and residents of Rapu-
Rapu picketed the South Korean Embassy in
Makati City to stop Korean investors from taking
over the mining operation.
The Bicolanos, together with environmental ac-
tivists and peasants, urged Ambassador Hong
Jong-ki to provoke the pullout of the investments
of Kores and LG International in the mining op-
eration.
“There is no reason to continue the Lafayette
mining project. Its three-year operation in Rapu-
rapu island has brought so much environmental
destruction, community displacements, human
rights violations and livelihood loss,” the envi-
ronmental group Kalikasan claimed in a state-
ment. (Roy Lagarde & Kris Bayos)

Church to help makeover BEC deepens Catholics’

faith in God, says study
ARMM image THE Basic Ecclesial Commu-
nities (BEC) enabled lay
people to deepen their rela-
tionship with God and to one
another, a study showed.
A team of five Masters in
Social Work students from the
Asian Social Institute— Sr.
Zaida A. Villareal, OSA, Sr.
Carolina S. Lapara, SDS, Sr.
Glenda L. Monroy, ASP, Sr.
Amelia T. Laborte, FDZ and
Vladimir A. Castillo—con-
ducted the two-month study
(March-April) that focused on
the temporary settlers of Block
3, Barangy [village] 649, Habi-
tat-BASECO, Tondo, Manila.
“BEC, which is viewed as a
new way of ‘being Church’,
strengthens people’s faith in
God and deepen their bond-
ing as brothers and sisters,”
said Sr. Zaida A. Villareal,
OSA.
The inherent spirituality of
the Filipino is a potent cohe-
sive force for the people in
BASECO, as it is all over the
Bishop warns of God’s wrath on
BEC / A6
worsening immorality
BEWARE of the impending anger of God!

CBCP head: Gov’t subsidies

This is the stern warning made by Bishop Patricio
Alo as he pointed out the number of abortion that reach
millions by the year and homosexual activities which

may worsen poverty

gain frequent appearance in the news.
“It’s time we make the clarion call for people to stem
the tide of evil,” Alo said, adding:
PPCRV head Henrietta de Villa on June 23 leads the signing of the memorandum of agreement with the
Comelec and various Muslim civil society groups for the merging and sharing of resources to “establish a “If the number of abortion rises, it’s because of unre-
single network of volunteer monitors and watchers which shall take the lead in monitoring, watching and
A RANKING Catholic ng VAT” program, to identi- strained illegitimate sex. People turn to surgical and
canvassing of the votes in the August 11 ARMM elections. Church official chided today fied poorest of the poor in chemical (contraceptive) abortion because they are too
the government’s “subsidy selected communities. embarrassed to face unplanned or unwanted pregnan-
CHANGING the image of the Autono- And the recently concluded PPCRV- spree,” saying it will only ex- The subsidies include the cies. (But) such abortions are still a form of murder of
mous Region on Muslim Mindanao has organized “Pre-Election ARMM Sum- acerbate poverty in the coun- one-time lifeline electricity the defenseless unborn.”
been a tough challenge and one that has mit-Workshop”, attended by Commis- try. P500 subsidy, the one-time The prelate also reminded the people that as ex-
long been left helpless, according to a sion on Election officials and various Catholic Bishops’ Confer- P8,000 cash loan subsidy for plained in the Catholic Catechism there are four sins
Church-based poll watchdog. Muslim civil society groups is one help ence of the Philippines junior and senior college stu- crying for God’s punishment namely: willful murder
The Parish Pastoral Council for Re- to change the awful image, it said. (CBCP) President Archbishop dents and the P60,000 schol- (including abortion); the sin of Sodom; oppression of
sponsible Voting said the region is PPCRV head Henrietta de Villa said: Angel Lagdameo said the arships grant for incoming the poor and defrauding laborers of their wages.
slowly taking pace to mark a new be- “There is a unified collaboration, a col- motives are laudable, but the college students. Alo is also alarmed on the swelling homosexual prac-
ginning leaving behind a sad image as lective response to repair the elections mode of implementation may There is also the access card tices today which he referred to as ‘sodomy’ or “a car-
the country’s “cheating capital” during in the ARMM. The sarcastic perception not provide the required re- given to the poor to be able nal copulation with a member of the same sex or with
elections. in ARMM will finally be buried.” sults. to buy subsidized NFA rice. an animal or unnatural carnal copulation with a mem-
A massive regeneration program is on- “Those in the outside will not under- The Arroyo government is “The dole-outs are tempo- ber of the opposite sex.”
going and its effort will be tested on the stand nor appreciate all these because they currently providing financial rary solution. In fact, it may Bishops / A6
ARMM regional elections on August 11. Church to / A7 subsidies, through its “Katas CBCP head / A6
 CBCP Monitor
A2 World News Vol. 12 No. 13
June 23 - July 6, 2008

Pope greets Eucharistic Catholic Radio

receives boost from
congress participants, Pope Benedict

prays for revival of belief

VATICAN CITY, June 20, 2008--
Over 100 representatives of Catho-
lic radio from around the world
were greeted by Pope Benedict at
the Vatican on Friday. Through
their broadcasts, Catholic radio
stations make it possible for their
VATICAN CITY, June 18, 2008—After delivering listeners to open their hearts to
his reflections on St. Isidore of Seville at his Christ, the Pope said.
Wednesday general audience, Pope Benedict The radio broadcasters were
addressed some remarks to participants in gathered in Rome for a sympo-
the International Eucharistic Congress being sium organized by the Pontifical
held in Quebec, Canada, from June 15—22 on Council for Social Communica-
the theme: “The Eucharist: gift of God for the tions, which is headed by Arch-
life of the world.” bishop Claudio Maria Celli.
“I am spiritually present at this most sol- “As you work in Catholic ra-
emn ecclesial meeting”, he said, “and I trust dio stations you are at the ser-
it will be a time rich in prayer, reflection and vice of the Word,” the Pope told
contemplation of the mystery of the Blessed the more than 100 delegates from
Eucharist, for the Christian communities of 50 countries. “The words that you
Canada and for the Universal Church. May it broadcast each day are an echo of
also be a favorable moment in which to reaf- that eternal Word which became
firm the Church’s faith in the real presence of flesh. ... The Incarnation took
Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.” place in a distant village, far away
Benedict XVI concluded his remarks by pray- from the noisy imperial cities of
ing that the congress “may revive in believ- antiquity. Today, even though
ers - not just in Canada but in many other you make use of modern com-
nations in the world - an awareness of the evan- munication technologies, the
gelical and spiritual values that have forged words which you broadcast are
their identity along the course of history.” also humble, and sometimes it
While Pope Benedict is not attending the may seem to you that they are
Eucharistic congress, he will give the homily completely lost amidst the com-
for the closing Mass on June 22 via a live satel- petition of other noisy and more
lite link from Rome. The faithful will be able powerful mass media.
to view the Holy Father’s homily on large “But do not be disheartened!”
screens stationed throughout the area. (Zenit) he encouraged the media profes-
sionals.
“The words which you trans-
mit reach countless people, some
way of co-operating in the apos-
tolic mission.”
Another facet of Catholic radio
that the Pope underlined is how
its mission is to serve the Truth.
“Jesus Christ gives us the Truth
about man and the truth for man
and, on the basis of that truth, a
hope for the present and future
of humanity in the world,” he
reminded his listeners.
Because radio involves the
speaking of words, it is associ-
ated with the Word of God, and
“participates in the mission and
visibility of the Church,” Benedict
XVI said. Additionally, “it also
creates a new way of living, of
being and of making the Church;
this brings with it various
ecclesiological and pastoral chal-
lenges. It is important to make
the Word of God attractive, giv-
ing it consistency through your
transmissions so as to touch the
hearts of the men and women of
our time, and to participate in
transforming the lives of our
contemporaries.”
“What exhilarating prospects
your commitment and your work
open up!” the Holy Father ex-
claimed.
“Even now, your networks can
be a small but real echo in the
world of the network of friend-
ship that the presence of the risen
Christ, the God-with-us, inaugu-
rated between heaven and earth

Pope Benedict to confirm 24

of whom are alone and for whom
your word comes as a consoling
gift, some of whom are curious
and are intrigued by what they
hear, some of whom never attend
and among mankind of all conti-
nents and epochs. In this way
your work will become a full part
of the mission of the Church,
which I invite you to love

at World Youth Day Mass

SYDNEY, Australia, June 17,
2008 Pope Benedict XVI will con-
firm 24 young people at the
World Youth Day Final Mass
near Sydney on Sunday July 20,
it has been announced.
Twenty-four candidates for
confirmation, 14 Australians and
ten people from other countries,
will receive the sacrament that
marks the completion of baptis-
mal grace through Pope
Benedict.
“It’s not every day that one is
confirmed by the global leader
of the Catholic Church before
hundreds of thousands of
people,” said World Youth Day
2008 Coordinator, Bishop An-
thony Fisher OP.
“The sacrament is life chang-
ing and to receive the sacrament
in this way will prove an unfor-
gettable experience, one that they
will each carry with them for the
rest of their lives,” he said.
Bishop Fisher said the Austra-
lian candidates were selected as
representatives of their regions
by bishops across the country. The
Australian candidates range in
age from 16 to 43 and are from
every state and territory.
“We are absolutely delighted
to be able to present them to the
Pope for this momentous occa-
sion,” he said.
The ten international candidates
are in the final process of selection.
Up to 500,000 people are ex-
pected to attend the final Mass at
the close of World Youth Day,
which will take place from July
15 to 20. (CNA)
church because they belong to
different religions or to no reli-
gion at all, and others still who
have never heard the name of
Jesus Christ, yet through your
service first come to hear the
words of salvation.”
The Holy Father explained that
this work, which requires “pa-
tient sowing, carried on day af-
ter day, hour after hour, is your
Thai Named to Council for
Dialogue
VATICAN CITY, June 22, 2008—
Benedict XVI named a priest from
Thailand as the undersecretary of
the Pontifical Council for Inter-
religious Dialogue.
Monsignor Andrew Thanya-
anan Vissanu was working as an
adviser to the apostolic
nunciature in Indonesia.
deeply.”
Pope Benedict closed his ad-
dress to the radio workers by re-
minding them of the bigger pic-
ture. “By helping the heart of each
person to open to Christ, you will
help the world to open to hope
and to that civilization of truth
and love which is the most elo-
quent result of His presence
among us.” (CNA)
Andrew Vissanu was born in
Bangkok in 1959. He was or-
dained to the priesthood in 1986
and served in Bangkok.
He entered the Holy See’s dip-
lomatic service in 1991 and has
served in Sudan, Morocco,
Greece, Japan, Ireland and Indo-
nesia. (Zenit)

Radio called a modern pulpit hear, but from fascination with the word,”
the prelate noted. From here arises the need
for communication to be “clear, professional

Delegates from Vatican

and accompanied by the testimony of an ex-
VATICAN, June 19, 2008--What makes a ra- sights set on the future, the prelate said, so istence coherent with the evangelical mes-
dio station Catholic? And what can make that initiatives arise “that little by little make sage.”

conclude visit to Vietnam

Catholic radio more effective? These are some the service of a Catholic radio station in the
of the questions being reflected upon by a world more efficient.” Facing challenges
Vatican-sponsored conference under way in Noting how the Internet has changed the For Archbishop Amato, “the microphone
Rome. world of media, Archbishop Celli said, “I be- of Catholic radio could be considered a mod-
The Pontifical Council for Social Commu- lieve we must discover what is in store for us.” ern version of the pulpit.” VATICAN CITY, June 17, 2008— Lam Dong, Thua Thien Hue and
nications opened today the first world con- “It is about an authentic and personal spiri- Three Vatican officials recently Quang Tri. “With the former,
gress of Catholic radio stations. The council’s Fascination tuality of listening,” he added, “[to which returned from a visit to Vietnam mention was made, among other
president, Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, Archbishop Angelo Amato, secretary of the should correspond] a spirituality of commu- in which they met with govern- things, of the events that involved
told ZENIT that the conference has brought Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, nication.” ment authorities and spoke to the numerous faithful from the arch-
together people from some 50 countries rep- gave the inaugural address today. After his address, the prelate clarified that Catholic community. The del- diocese at the end of last year and
resenting 63 stations to “talk together, reflect The prelate suggested that despite the wide- “this service of the Word also implies build- egates dealt with various topics the beginning of 2008,” namely
and understand what the identity and mis- spread use of TV, “radio still has its strength ing up the listeners with indications from the including the “appointment of the peaceful protests of Catholics
sion of a Catholic radio station is in today’s and usefulness.” magisterium of the Church, above all, with bishops, the gradual restoration to seek the return of the former
world.” “Jesus arrived as a great master of commu- the words of the Pope.” of formerly-nationalized prop- Apostolic Nunciature to the
The congress runs through Saturday at the nication of the word,” Archbishop Amato said. He highlighted the importance of a vari- erty to Church use, the applica- Catholic Church.
Pontifical Urbanian University. “The guests “For him, three years were enough to educate ety of programs, all in harmony with one tion of norms on religious free- “In this context, consideration
will not just hear conferences but will have his disciples, not only to listen to his word, another. dom,” and several other issues of was given to the importance of
the opportunity to talk among themselves in but above all, to live with him and for him.” In this line, the archbishop said, this importance in the country. continuing to pacify the situation,
virtue of what is suggested by some round- Radio, the Vatican official continued, is the “Catholic pluralism” should continuously According to a release from the avoiding measures that may cre-
table discussions,” Archbishop Celli ex- “modern pulpit of the word of God.” And motivate the “personal experience of faith Holy See Press Office, the delega- ate contrary effects, and to main-
plained. “It will be very important that all the the chance to receive the word of God on the faced with the challenges of contemporary tion which was led by Msgr. tain dialogue between interested
participants, who come from different contexts, radio is “a privileged way of communicat- culture, [such as] the challenge of abortion, Pietro Parolin under-secretary for parties in the search for adequate
from Asia to Africa, from Latin America to ing the Word.” divorce, biotechnology, [and] biopolitics Relations with States, discussed solutions that take into account
Europe and Australia, meet to discuss and re- “The benefit of radio comes from the free- with government interventions that do not “the contribution of Catholics to the needs of justice, of charity and
discover their identity and mission.” dom that it leaves to the listener, who is seem adequate regarding man and respect human promotion, the spread of of the common good,” explains
This event seeks to analyze the present with drawn in not so much from the obligation to for humanity.” (Zenit) a culture of solidarity towards the release.
the weakest sectors of the popu- The statement also noted that,
lation, and the moral education “The delegation expressed its
of future generations,” during gratitude to the local authorities
Archbishop Fouad Twal is the new Latin patriarch of Jerusalem their June 9–15 stay in Vietnam.
In one meeting, the Vatican
of the province of Quang Tri for
their decision to return the land
delegation was received by Pham around the Marian shrine of La
HOLY LAND, June 21, 2008—As June 29, 1966. In September of many, and the apostolic Gia Khiem, deputy-prime min- Vang to Church use, and for their
of today, Archbishop Fouad 1972, he began studies in canon nunciature in Peru. ister and minister for foreign af- will to face, along with the arch-
Twal is the new Latin patriarch law at the Pontifical Lateran On May 30, 1992, he was ap- fairs. The diplomats discussed diocese of Hue, the outstanding
of Jerusalem. Benedict XVI has University, and in October of pointed bishop of Tunis, and was “the current international situa- problems for the effective imple-
accepted the resignation pre- 1974 he entered the ecclesiasti- ordained on July 22 of the same tion with reference, above all, to mentation of the decision.”
sented by His Beatitude Michel cal Pontifical Academy. In 1975, year. On May 31, 1995, he was the seat as a non- permanent The Vatican trio, along with
Sabbah, whose coadjutor Arch- he received his degree in canon made archbishop. He has also member of the U.N. Security 2,000 Catholics also attended Mass
bishop Twal has been since 2005. law. been president of the Regional Council that Vietnam will occupy at the Marian shrine of La Vang.
The new patriarch was born From 1977 to 1992, he served Episcopal Conference of North for the first time this July.” According to UCA News, after the
in Madaba, in Jordan, on Octo- as a diplomat at the apostolic Africa (CERNA). On September The prelates also met with the Mass, one of the delegates “told
ber 23, 1940. nunciature of Honduras, the 8, 2005, Benedict XVI appointed president of the People’s Com- local Catholics Pope Benedict XVI
In October of 1959, he entered council for public affairs at the him coadjutor for the Patriarch- mittee of Hanoi, and with the will send a message and his bless-
the major seminary of Beit-Jala, Vatican secretariat of state, the ate of Jerusalem of the Latins. vice-presidents of the People’s ings to devotees at the Marian
and was ordained a priest on apostolic nunciature in Ger- (AsiaNews) Archbishop Fouad Twal Committees of the provinces of Congress in August.” (CNA)
 CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 13
June 23 - July 6, 2008
Dublin to host
50th Eucharistic
Congress
QUEBEC CITY, June 22, 2008--
Benedict XVI announced that
Dublin, Ireland, will host the next
International Eucharistic Con-
gress, which will be held in 2012.
The Pope announced this today
when he gave a homily by satel-
lite during the closing Mass of the
49th International Eucharistic
Congress, which ended today in
Quebec.
“As this significant event in the
life of the Church draws to a con-
clusion I invite you all to join me
in praying for the success of the
next International Eucharistic
Congress, which will take place
in 2012 in the city of Dublin,” the
Holy Father said. He took the op-
portunity “to greet warmly the
people of Ireland, as they prepare
to host this ecclesial gathering.”
“I am confident that they, to-
News Features A3
Ireland, we are honored and
humbled that the Holy Father,
Pope Benedict XVI, has chosen
Dublin to host the 50th Interna-
tional Eucharistic Congress in
2012.
“While the theme for the next
congress has yet to be finalized,
we are deeply conscious that 2012
also marks the 50th anniversary
of the opening of the Second
Vatican Council.
“The hosting of the congress in
Dublin will be an international
event. The celebration will attract
thousands of pilgrims and will
enable Catholics at home and
abroad to meet, pray together
and discuss issues of faith.”
This is the second time that
Dublin will host the congress; the
Irish hosted the 31st congress in
1932.

Philippine bishop calls for

gether with all the participants
at the next congress, will find it a
source of lasting spiritual re-
newal,” he said.
Attending the Congress in
“We live in different times
now,” the prelates said in their
statement, “and it is our hope that
the 2012 congress will be an op-
portunity for the Catholic Church

true worship at Congress

Quebec, Cardinal Sean Brady,
archbishop of Armagh and Arch-
bishop Diarmuid Martin of
Dublin, welcomed the news.
They said in a statement: “On
behalf of the Catholic faithful of
in Ireland to both reflect on the
centrality of the Eucharist at the
heart of our increasingly diverse
community, and, to give renewed
impetus to the living of faith.”
(Zenit)

QUEBEC CITY, June 20, 2008—Members of
the Church should be on guard against mak-
ing ecclesiastical customs and even Church
figures a hindrance to true worship, said a
bishop from the Philippines.
Bishop Luis Antonio Tagle of Imus spoke
Thursday at the 49th International Eucharis-
tic Congress, which is being held through
Sunday in Quebec. He called for spiritual
worship and authentic adoration in his ad-
dress dedicated to the Eucharist as the life of
Christ in our lives.
“The Church [...] must also constantly ex-
amine its fidelity to Jesus’ sacrifice of obedi-
ence to God and compassion for the poor,”
the bishop said. “Ecclesiastical customs and
persons, when naively and narrowly deified
and glorified, might become hindrances to
true worship and compassion.”
He gave the example of how bishops can
face the temptation of falsely glorifying their
roles: “One Saturday morning [...] I saw a
woman selling fruit and vegetables in a cor-
ner. She was one of those who went to Sun-
day Mass regularly. It was only 10 in the
morning but she was already closing her
store. So I asked her the reason. She told me,
‘I belong to a prayer group. We have a big
assembly this afternoon. Some tasks were
assigned to me. So I want to be there early.’
“Upon hearing this, the pragmatic side of
an experience of spiritual worship. I, the reli-
giously and culturally accepted presence of
God, was revealed to be a faltering represen-
tation of God.”
A model
Along these lines, Bishop Tagle also called
for “authentic adoration.”
Speaking of Eucharistic adoration outside
of Mass, the prelate said, “Beholding Jesus,
we receive and are transformed by the mys-
tery we adore. Eucharistic adoration is simi-
lar to standing at the foot of the cross of Jesus,
being a witness to his sacrifice of life and
being renewed by it.”
He pointed to the example of the Roman
centurion who guarded Jesus on the cross as
a “model of adoration.”
“We learn from the centurion’s ‘adoration’
that Jesus’ sacrifice of life cannot be appreci-
ated for what it truly is unless the horror of
the cross is confronted,” the bishop said.
“Like any leader of guards, he kept careful
watch over this criminal Jesus. [...] Physical
nearness was not enough however. He had
to be intent, vigilant and observant so that
he could account for every detail.
“We learn from the centurion to face Jesus,
to keep watch over him, to behold him, to
contemplate him. At first the centurion spent
hours watching over Jesus out of duty but
Jesus, innocent and crucified, and tied it to
the plight of many innocent people who suf-
fer today.
The prelate recounted: “I visited a poor sec-
tion of a parish that opened a feeding program
for malnourished children. The parents were
required to supervise the meal of their chil-
dren. As I went around the crowded noisy hall,
a teenage girl who was gently feeding a young
boy caught my attention. She must be his elder
sister, I thought to myself. I approached them
and asked where their mother was. She was
looking for a job that day, I was told.
“Thinking that she must be as hungry as
her brother, I asked, ‘Have you eaten?’ ‘No,’
she said, ‘I am not part of the program. I am
already 13.’ I was surprised at her honesty.
For hungry children, this was an opportu-
nity to cheat in order to fill one’s stomach.
[...] I responded, ‘I will instruct a volunteer to
give you lunch, if some food is left after all
the children have eaten.’
“Thankful but embarrassed she said, ‘No,
Bishop. There are many other hungry chil-
dren in this village. Give the extra food to
them.’ I was drawn into deep silence. ‘My God,
my God, why are these children going hun-
gry?’ I prayed. Yet I also exclaimed, ‘I did not
expect to see sharing and integrity in this place
of death. [...] There is hope for the world.’”
The bishop concluded inviting the faithful

Prelate chides me surfaced. I responded, ‘The Lord will un-

derstand if you extend your working hours.
You have a family to support. [...] I am sure
ended up contemplating him in truth. What
did the centurion see? We can assume that he
saw the horror of suffering that preceded
to Eucharistic adoration, to “join the centu-
rion in watching over Jesus and see what he
has seen.”

gov’t’s so-called
the Lord will understand.’
“With a smile, she said, ‘But Bishop, the
Lord has been faithful to me. [...] We may not
be rich but we have enough to live by. Why
Jesus’ death. “I wish that Eucharistic adoration would
“But I also believe that in Jesus the centu- lead us to know Jesus more as the compas-
rion saw incredible love, love for the God sionate companion of many crucified peoples
who had failed to remove this cup of suffer- of today,” he said. “Let us adore Jesus who

‘responsible mining’
will I fear?’ Then looking at me tenderly, she
said, ‘Are you not a bishop? Are you not sup-
posed to be encouraging me in faith?’
“I was quite embarrassed. But for me it was
ing from him, and love for neighbors.” offered his life as a gift to the Father for us
sinners. Let us adore him for ourselves, for
Hope the poor, for the earth, for the Church and for
Bishop Tagle pointed to the example of the life of the world.” (Zenit)

Cardinal Sin ‘a man of paradoxes’

DIGOS CITY, June 19, 2008—Say-
ing that the so-called responsible
mining of the government can
only be seen in papers, Bishop
Guillermo Afable criticized the
permission granted to mining
firms to enter the diocese.
Afable said that his stand to-
wards mining has not changed
and he is still following the Janu-
ary 29, 2006 statement of the
Catholic Bishops Conference of
the Philippines (CBCP) on min-
ing issues and concerns.
The CBCP statement on min-
ing reflected the same concern
that the body expressed two years
ago in their pastoral letter on In-
digenous Peoples in which min-
ing devastated their ancestral
lands.
“It is very clear that the
Church’s unequivocal stand is a
big no to mining. Personally, I
don’t support mining, even the
so-called responsible mining
which has never been seen in
practice wherever in the country,”
said Afable, who maintained a
hard stance towards mining.
He also told CBCPNews that
the government is not even ca-
pable of regulating the mining
industry in the country.
“The government lacks the will
to regulate mining amidst hard
realities of destructions in the
environment,” said Afable.
Afable even cited the study
conducted by Bishop Arturo M.
Bastes, chairman of the Rapu-
Rapu fact-finding commission
who already explained to the
government the geo-ethics of
mining.
The Bastes commission
stressed, “Destruction of the en-
vironment violates the integrity
of creation and the common
good.”
“The government has to re-
spect the finding of the commis-
sion and do something to prevent
the adverse effects of destruction
in the environment brought by
mining,” he said.
Responsible mining
Bishop Afable said that as the
bishops said in their July 2006
statement on mining, the same is
to be followed. “Our experiences
of environmental tragedies and
incidents with the mining
transnational corporations belie
all assurances of sustainable and
responsible mining that the Ar-
royo administration is claiming.”
Afable insisted that mining re-
mains to be a threat to people’s
health and environmental safety
because of reckless dumping of
waste and tailings in rivers and
seas.
He also said that mining
brought so much human rights
violations and economic depri-
vations both Christians and non-
Christians living in mining af-
fected communities.
Afable reiterated the call to re-
peal the Philippine Mining Act
of 1995 and to implement mora-
torium on all mining permits and
explorations.
The 1995 Philippine Mining
Act allows foreign companies to
explore and develop mining sites
in partnership with the govern-
ment. (Mark S. Ventura)
MANILA, June 21, 2008—An in-
fluential Church’s figure in the
country’s transition to democ-
racy following the lengthy
Marcos dictatorship was remem-
bered Saturday as a man of con-
tradictions.
The late Jaime Cardinal Sin,
said his long-time protégé and
now Balanga Bishop Socrates
Villegas, was a man that at times,
difficult to comprehend.
“I can’t understand him. He was
prophetic. He was hurtful but also
an all embracing pastor,” he said
in his homily at a Mass held at
the Manila Cathedral to mark
Sin’s 3rd death anniversary.
Villegas, one of Sin’s trusted
aides, said the late Manila arch-
bishop made lots of actions con-
trary to what many people would
usually do.
“We remember Cardinal Sin as
a man of contradictions. He was seemed to be blessed and seemed nal Sin give us courage to correct Sin played an important part
a man of paradoxes,” he said. to [be] enjoying life?” he asked. the wrong paradoxes around us.” in the country’s search for de-
It is paradox, the bishop said, The Church official said the Concelebrants of the Mass in- mocracy during the Marcos re-
because it’s not how the world paradox created by God is salva- clude Manila Archbishop gime.
works to refute wrong things ex- tion but the paradox created by Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, He retired in 2003 after nearly
isting in the society. human sin needs salvation. Lipa Archbishop Ramon 30 years heading the Roman
Such paradoxes, Villegas said, Villegas said Sin braved the Arguelles, Bishops Francisco San Catholic Church of Manila.
may take in situations like when mighty and the powerful in an Diego of Pasig , Leopoldo Jaucian That period saw him playing
the dishonest are getting popu- attempt to defeat those usual of Abra and priests of the Manila key roles in the toppling of both
lar and the honest are being paradoxes¯all for the benefit of archdiocese. Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and
threatened. the poor and the country. Former President Corazon Joseph Estrada in 2001.
“Why are the economists say “May the paradox created by Aquino was also present during The cardinal never made any
we are making progress and yet Cardinal Sin be faced not just with the liturgical celebration at- secret about his view that reli-
many are hungry? Why is it that faith but with courage,” Villegas tended by hundreds of Catholic gion had a role in the affairs of
the good suffer and those evil said. “May the memory of Cardi- faithful. the state. (Roy Lagarde)

A4
EDITORIAL
The art of being Pinoy
THE Spaniards came and left, they hurt, emptied or killed
hundreds if not thousands of Filipinos. They conquered
the country but not the people who eventually drove them
away. The Japanese came and left. They killed men, vio-
lated women, put children to the bayonet. They kept Filipi-
nos poor and hungry. But Filipinos held on and eventually
drove them away. The Americans came, liberating the coun-
try but dominating the people. The Filipinos ultimately had
enough and ask them to go. They left. Then, came a local
dictator who had thousands imprisoned, banished or made
to disappear. The people held on, stood up and finally drove
him away.
The Philippines is a beautiful country and rich in natu-
ral resources. But the Filipinos as a whole have never been
really rich. Most of them have enough to live by but are not
really affluent. Up to these modern times with great scien-
tific discoveries and marvelous technological advances, the
Philippines remains a Third World Country and the Filipi-
nos by and large manage to be contented with the rela-
tively little they have to live by. They still manage to cel-
ebrate their birthdays, sing their songs, hold their Fiestas.
The lesson is rather plain and clear, viz., the Filipinos
are a resilient and sturdy people. They do with little they
have but also enjoy when there happens to be much more
to spend. By and large, they wear simple clothes and eat
humble food. They are both respectful in bearing but proud
in spirit. Their culture is unique and their tradition is rich.
But when challenged, they also know how to stand their
ground, how to claim their rights, how to vanquish their
enemies. Philippine History is the best witness to this in-
herent Filipino courage. Otherwise, how does one explain
the plight of the Spaniards, of the Japanese, of the Ameri-
cans, of the Dictatorship?
Again, under the ruling administration, Filipinos are
being tested, challenged and called to show their real selves
and prove their honest worth. Hundreds of them were sub-
ject to extrajudicial killings and made victims of forced dis-
appearances. Thousands of them have their basic human
rights grossly violated. Millions of them are impoverished
and demeaned in dignity and legitimate pride. All of them
are victims of endemic corruption by infamous characters
precisely meant to render them public service—not public
oppression and exploitation. All of them are also shame-
lessly defrauded of the heavy direct and indirect taxes they
pay from birth to death.
When already fed up with the errant and erratic antics of
those pretending to lead them but actually making fools of
them, Filipinos are the ones who instead drive or throw
them away in their chosen time. When already suffocated
with the shenanigans and deviltry of their callous and
amoral political leaders, the people eventually vanish them
and bid them good riddance.
Filipinos are good and kind, also happy and friendly,
even humble and patient. But when made to face the wall,
they turn around and fight back—to win.
In the name of Progress
MOST of this destruction has taken place since the begin-
ning of this century, a mere wink of an eye in the long
history of our country. Yet in that time we have laid waste
complex living systems that have taken millions of years to
reach their present state of development.
We often use the word progress to describe what has
taken place over the past few decades. There is no denying
that in some areas our roads have improved and that elec-
tricity is more readily available. But can we say that there is
real progress? Who has benefited most and who has borne
the real costs? The poor are as disadvantaged as ever and
the natural world has been grievously wounded. We have
stripped it bare, silenced its sounds and banished other
creatures, from the community of the living. Through our
thoughtlessness and greed we have sinned against God
and His creation.
One thing is certain: we cannot continue to ignore and
disregard the Earth. Already we are experiencing the con-
sequence of our shortsightedness and folly. Even though
we squeeze our lands and try to extract more from them,
they produce less food. The air in our cities is heavy with
noxious fumes. Instead of bringing energy and life it causes
bronchial illness. Our forests are almost gone, our rivers
are almost empty, our spring and wells no longer sparkle
with living water. During the monsoon rain, flash-floods
sweep through our towns and cities and destroy every-
thing in their path. Our lakes and estuaries are silting up.
An out-of-sight, out-of-mind mentality allows us to flush
toxic waste and mine tailings into our rivers and seas in
the mistaken belief that they can no longer harm us. Be-
cause the living world is interconnected, the poison is ab-
sorbed by marine organisms. We in turn are gradually
being poisoned when we eat seafood.
—What is Happening to our Beautiful Land, A CBCP Pastoral Letter on
Ecology, 1988
ISSN 1908-2940
CBCP Monitor
P r o ta g o n i s t of Tr u t h , Promoter of
Pedro C. Quitorio
Editor-in-Chief
Pinky Barrientos, FSP Kris P. Bayos
Associate Editor Feature Editor
Melo M. Acuña Rosalynn Garcia
Managing Editor Marketing Supervisor
Dennis B. Dayao
Ernani M. Ramos
On-Line Editor Circulation Manager
Roy Q. Lagarde Marcelita Dominguez
News Editor Comptroller
The CBCP Monitor is published fortnightly by the CBCP
Communications Development Foundation, Inc., with
editorial and business of fices at 470 Gen. Luna St.,
Intramuros, Manila. P.O. Box 3601, 1076 MCPO.
Editorial: (063) 404-2182. Business: (063)404-1612.
Email: cbcpmonitor@cbcpworld.net
Website: www.cbcpworld.net/cbcpmonitor
Opinion
Bp. Leonardo Y. Medroso, JCD, DD
Tidbits
IT was on May 29, 2008 that the bilateral
Agreement between the Vatican and the Re-
public of Philippines to preserve and protect
heritage Catholic Churches spread through-
out the island was finalized. Ironically, in
spite of its weight and significance, it was
done in a simple ceremony, one that did not
catch the attention of our people.
Signed by no less than Pope Benedict XVI
and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, it
was considered to be a landmark treaty, for
it set into writing the commitment to a mu-
tual cooperation for the proper care of old
Churches. As the Nuncio to the Philippines,
Archbishop Edward Joseph Adams, aptly puts
it: “It is a fact that what constitutes the cul-
tural patrimony of this nation takes its ori-
gin from the Church and was contributed by
her agents.” For his part, DFA Secretary
The clenched fist
“THE raised clenched fist was the symbol of
Hitler for power, greed and death. I was
forced to join his army and was trained as a
gunner.” Cardinal Rosales quoted from the
biography of Pope Benedict VI in his hom-
ily at the 4th anniversary of Pondo ng Pinoy,
held at Paco Catholic School last June 14.
“The older men had pity on me. I was only
14 years old then. So they helped me escape
the army. If only Hitler had changed his
symbol of the clenched fist, the course of
history would have had a different direc-
tion”, His Eminence continued the quota-
tion, then he raised his right hand into a fist
and slowly opened his palm in a gesture of
generosity. “This is Pondo ng Pinoy”, he
said.
Yes, more than a fund-raising scheme,
Pondo ng Pinoy is a symbol of love for God
and neighbor. Your daily acts of goodness,
kindness and generosity will get somewhere.
I was asked recently if our country will ever
get over our economic crisis. And the an-
swer is YES. The answer is in our hands.”
Abp. Antonio J. Ledesma, SJ, DD
Becoming a Church of the
Pastoral Companion Poor –Ad Intra and Ad Extra
Peace AT the Mindanao Regional Rural Congress
held in Davao on June 9-12, some delegates
raised the question whether they should still
be classified as ad intra or ad extra representa-
tives. Would it not be simpler to remove the
distinction and consider all of them as repre-
senting any of the five sub-regions of the
Church in Mindanao? At the opening Mass, I
tried to explain these terms.
Ad intra means to look inwards; ad extra
means to look outwards. In theology class,
we first examine the inner nature of God-
i.e., ad intra in terms of who God is as a
Blessed Trinity, a triune God. Then we also
look on God ad extra—i.e., his work of cre-
ation and his loving relationship with the
world.
Layout by Denz Dayao
In like manner, especially during and after
Vatican II, the Church has looked inwards
towards her own reality (Lumen Gentium),
and outwards towards her dialogue relation-
ship with the world (Gaudium et Spes). These
two documents, the “Dogmatic Constitution
The People of God, the liturgy
and the religious artists
Alberto Romulo commented: “Heritage
Churches are more than just worldly posses-
sions. They are concrete expressions and en-
during representations of profound faith.”
Hence, the bilateral pact has deep repercus-
sions in the years to come in the field of reli-
gious arts, culture and catecheses.
The Diocese of Tagbilaran looks at this
agreement with anticipation. For years the
people of God in this local Church has been
growing in its awareness at the value of the
religious patrimony of their parish Churches.
The work of art that they have meticulously
conserved in their Churches have given them
the sure footing of orthodoxy, one that ever
reminds them of the Catholic faith that has
been handed down to them. This has shaped
their way of reaching out to the God they
know and their mode of praying to this Tran-
Sr. Mary Pilar Verzosa, RGS
Over 1,500 delegates attended the 4th anni-
versary of Pondo ng Pinoy for the Archdio-
cese of Manila. The morning started with the
Eucharist, concelebrated with Bishop
Broderick Pabillo who is the Pondo ng Pinoy
Archdiocesan Desk Coordinator, and almost
all the parish priests of Manila, San Juan,
Mandaluyong and Pasay. During the break,
the participants went to assigned rooms to
discuss the present situation of Pondo ng
Pinoy in their respective vicariates and write
down suggestions on how to intensify the
programs—the Education-catechesis, the “col-
lection of crumbs” and the submission of
projects for the poor.
During the Plenary, Ambassador Tita de
Villa, one of the Pondo ng Pinoy Board Mem-
bers, presented the Annual Report and gave
prizes to those who could say the Vision,
Mission and the four pillars of Pondo by heart.
Funds have reached over P160 million. And
the coins are steadily coming in. Reporting
on the archdiocesan level was Bishop Pabillo.
He challenged the delegates to really study
on the Church,” and the “Pastoral Constitu-
tion on the Church in the Modern World,”
form the two major hinges for the rest of the
Vatican II documents.
Similarly, when we started planning for
the Second National Rural Congress last year
to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the
first one (1967-2007), questions were raised:
Are we convening NRC II to look at our-
selves as local churches in rural development
or to look at the broader issues of rural pov-
erty? Do we invite mostly “church” people
to participate or do we also involve repre-
sentatives of the basic sectors in rural society
today? Within church structures, some social
action directors pointed out the significant
role of Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs)
in rural development projects. On the other
hand, other observers felt that the Church
had not done enough to “go to the barrio”
(the motto of the first NRC) and that we had
to listen directly to the rural poor.
It was in this light that the NRC planning
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 13
June 23 - July 6, 2008
scendent One. The mode of their prayer,
guided by the artistic lines, hues and sym-
bols, painted all over the ceiling and walls of
the Church, is within the traditional doctrine
of the Catholic faith. Yet, with the passing of
time the influx of fresh religious ideas and
reflections, new expressions of faith, new
ways of identifying oneself with the transcen-
dental reality, has entered into the conscious-
ness of our people. Slowly, new ecclesiasti-
cal art and architecture has crept in, influenc-
ing at its wake the temptation to break from
all past Catholic artistic and architectural tra-
ditions.
Not long ago, there came out in the Internet
an interesting article regarding the influence
of the new theological ideas to our liturgy,
visual arts and symbols (cf. H. Reed
Tidbits / A6
Love Life
the situation of the poor in their parishes in
order to be able to come up with viable
projects. The past three years, there were a
lot of left-over funds allocated to the Arch-
diocese of Manila because there were not
enough projects submitted. During the open
forum, questions were raised on what types
of projects could be funded and they were
clearly answered by Bishop Pabillo and His
Eminence.
Over and over again, the concept of the
“Theology of the Crumbs” was conveyed to
the assembly. Giving without love is not a
part of Pondo ng Pinoy. But certainly, one
cannot love without giving. Love is not love
if it does not give.
This year, it was decided that the 4th anni-
versary celebrations of the other dioceses will
be celebrated in the individual dioceses so
that more can participate and help intensify
Pondo ng Pinoy.
Listen to the Pondo ng Pinoy hour every Sun-
day 11-12:00 noon hosted by Brother Archie
Polintan and Sr. Pilar, Radio Veritas 846.
committee agreed to utilize a see-judge-act
methodology and to adopt a bottom-up ap-
proach. NRC II would involve a three-stage
process. The first stage would involve two
parallel local consultations—about 80 dioc-
esan consultations on the role of BECs
(handled by the NASSA–BEC–ECIP secre-
tariat) and 13 sub-regional consultations of
people’s organizations and NGOs (handled
by the PMP-AMRSP-RPS secretariat). These
were all conducted from November 2007 to
April 2008.
During the second phase over the past two
months, five regional congresses were held
in Luzon North, Luzon South, Western
Visayas, Central and Eastern Visayas, and
Mindanao to consolidate all these local-level
consultation reports. In the Mindanao congress,
not a few ad extra delegates representing the
basic sectors expressed their appreciation for
the rare opportunity given them to describe
their situation directly before the attending
Pastoral / A7
 CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 13
June 23 - July 6, 2008
Bp. Guillermo V. Afable, DD
DADITAMA
The Spirituality of communion
The Servant of God, John Paul II in his encycli-
cal letter Novo Millennio Ineunte in 2001, spoke
of the spirituality of communion. (NMI, 42-45)
He said that the heart of unity is love. Only
with love can unity be possible for people so
fragmented and divided by many causes. And
love is precisely the heart of the Church. He
challenged the Church to become “the home
and the school of communion.” In order to
achieve this, there is the need to learn the
spirituality of communion, for without it
even our structures of communion will be
empty and will fail.
First, he says, it involves the awareness and
gratitude for God’s abiding presence in one-
self and in other persons. Second, it involves
being closely linked with others, to feel inter-
dependent with one another, to be in solidar-
ity with them sharing in their joys and sor-
rows and hopes. Third, it involves, as well,
the capacity to see the positive in others as
gifts to themselves and to others. Lastly, it
involves carrying the burdens of others gladly
without jealousy, competition, and distrust.
In unity there is hope
I had the privilege of participating in the
Mindanao regional rural congress in Davao
City last June 9-12. It was one of five regional
congresses of the Second National Rural Con-
gress. The other four regional congresses were
held in North Luzon, South Luzon, Western
Visayas, Central and Eastern Visayas.
There were almost 200 participants repre-
senting rural basic sectors of farmers and
fisherfolk, clergymen, Religious women and
men, Catholic bishops, Moro, some repre-
senting the Indigenous peoples of Mindanao,
with numerous women participants. It was
indeed a tri-people, inter-faith, inter-church,
In darkness, light
THE 22nd day of June 2008 would simply be
another footnote in history someday given
the string of tragedies and calamities our
nation has to endure. Yet for many, it will be
day to change their lives forever.
An hour before I was to celebrate the Holy
Mass at our Cathedral in Tarlac at 9 in the morn-
ing, I wanted to see and hear the news first
knowing that there was a typhoon that was
passing. And lo, the news was that somewhere
in Romblon they were finally able to spot the
missing ship, Princess of the Star, but capsized
and the passengers and crew missing.
One of the survivors was able to relate later
on that to his recollection it took only about
15 minutes from the announcement to aban-
don ship to the actual sinking of the ship. He
related how he even heard the cries of the chil-
dren that were trapped inside the ship, as well
as the old and the young who were left on the
ship as they struggled to get to the life boats.
And among the remains that were first
washed ashore were the remains of a couple—
a man and a woman—whose hands were tied
together to each other, presumably so that
Nicolo F. Bernardo
Lifeguard
PASSION and conviction roused from our
Congress days before a landmark bill on
marriage turned into law. It was 1949. Only
four years back, Filipinos were liberated from
a war that left families broken. This time was
a different liberation for the Filipino family.
Stormed with letters and telegrams, the
members of the Liberal and Nacionalista par-
ties called for a caucus on the repeal of di-
vorce in the new Civil Code bill, taking ef-
fect on 1950. Since 1917 under American rule,
absolute divorce had been fact and law in the
Philippines. But 33 years after, despite the
Senate’s and the Code Commission’s rebuff,
divorce was finally abolished.
The ultimate inspiration? The letters and
telegrams of the Catholic faithful. In certain
historic terms too, it was a great time for
marriage. The ‘50s was dubbed by marriage
historian Stephanie Coontz as a golden age
for marriage as relationships last. Divorce
rates hit the lowest even in the United States,
which Filipinos here sought to emulate, by
fact and by law. The quality of our grandpar-
ents’ marriages is proverbial proof.
The 1950 divorce repeal may now be his-
tory, but it still leaves standing lessons ad-
visable for family advocates today.
First, law reflects culture, customs, and
lifestyle. It is a codification of life. What
people believe or do ultimately becomes law.
An effective repeal of any law or proposed
bill thus rests on transforming the values and
expectations of the people.
Laws are not permanent, as much as the cus-
toms that sustain their enforcement are not.
This works both ways to where the culture
goes. Take Poland. Abortion was outlawed
there after 40 years of being free and legal, not
simply because of the change of regimes, but
because of steady decrease in abortions. In the
US too, the move to reverse Roe vs. Wade came
to fore not simply because of political maneu-
vering, but due to decreasing incidences of,
and therefore demands for, abortion.
Opinion
National Rural
Congress II – Mindanao
multi-sectoral congress.
We listened to the regional collated reports
of the consultation on rural issues and re-
sponses and recommendations. We listened
to the social teachings of the Catholic Church
understanding a little bit better the Church’s
preferential option for the poor. But more
than anything else we were able to share our
own stories with growing trust and confi-
dence that each one will be listened to, re-
spected and understood and cared for. De-
spite the diversity of backgrounds, interests
concerns, convictions, priorities and cultures
and faith, we learned to be in union with
each other so much so that together with great
expectations for the final output of the na-
tional congress, there was genuine satisfac-
tion in achieving more than we hoped for.
And this was the sense of communion among
us. There was a movement from helpless-
ness to hope. Our hope lies in being in unity
with one another. During those three days, I,
together with all participants became per-
sons of communion a little bit more. The ru-
ral congress became for us a home and school
of communion.
The whole regional congress from the
time of the consultations in the BECs and the
basic sectors until the actual holding of the
regional congress in Davao, was an exercise
in communion—a sharing of time, talent and
treasure. Many different kinds of people from
all walks of life contributed to make the con-
gress possible. In unity there was much more
that we were able to achieve, for the good of
all. The congress provided us the opportu-
nity to see, judge and act TOGETHER about
the plight of the rural poor.
I believe, here lies the key to the quest for
truth, justice, peace and prosperity for all in
Mindanao and the entire country. There is
Fr. Melvin P. Castro
they would not lose each other in the sea.
Five minutes before the start of the Holy
Mass, I asked the choir if the Gloria would be
sung in English or in Tagalog. English, Father,
the Choir leader said. And finally I set to
begin the offering of the Holy Mass. Genu-
flected before the tabernacle, kissed the altar,
and proceeded to the Presider’s Chair. Fewer
people this morning, I observed, it was a
morning of torrential rains and strong winds.
I could not turn away from the thought of
those who perished during the onslaught of
the typhoon. I strived to pray for them and
for their families. I even thought if it would
be appropriate to sing the Gloria that morn-
ing. The first Reading, the Responsorial
Psalm, the second Reading, the Gospel, then
the Homily.
Where was God during those fateful fifteen min-
utes when the ship was sinking? Where was God
when the children were crying? Where was God
when His people were drowning?
My thoughts while listening to the read-
ings became my spontaneous words during
the Homily: did I need to reassure the faith-
Dear Congressman
The 1950 event here is just as telling, con-
sidering the rising popularity then of strong
families that prompted for change. If we do
not wish any anti-family bill to pass, it may
help defraying our energies not just on law-
makers. Many politicians are in fact tradi-
tionalists; they could be the end-of-the-line
in a series of cause and effect. We can rather
start on the culture conduits and prime mov-
ers such as the media, and reach out to the
youth, to the families, and to women already
living the proposed law.
Right now, there seems to be a need to in-
volve every parish, community, and college
in promoting natural family planning (“fer-
tility awareness” in WHO terms) and estab-
lish pro-life centers to decrease the undue de-
mand for contraceptives and abortion. Decreas-
ing the causes that often motivate people to
resort to these would eventually decrease the
demand for favorable laws. Advocacy also
needs to go down to the local parish level if it
is to prevent local municipal ordinances from
embracing the contraceptive propaganda.
Second, politicians need ample encourage-
ment from their constituents, and a tested
way to touch and convince them is still
through snail mail. This approach remains ef-
fective even in our age of e-mails, cellphone
calls, and SMS, when nobody bothers to check
a mass of inbox entries. The “pro-choice” Sen.
Rodolfo Biazon himself had said that for the
past years, many Congress signatories would
back off from supporting the contraceptive
bills because of the volumes of letters they
have been receiving.
Church leaders can do so much by mobiliz-
ing their communities, groups, and schools to
reach to their politicians so none of the anti-
family bills could ever pass or linger. Further,
so that pro-family bills can receive support.
This approach of summoning the faithful
can be exhaustive and never-ending, but is it
not how family life itself works? We teach
children—and theirs is the future genera-
great need to learn to see, to walk, and to feel
and to act together for the common good, not
only as a socio-economic–political imperative.
But as an absolute, universal and spiritual
imperative based on the very dignity and na-
ture of human beings and the entire creation.
Unity is the key. In unity is our hope.
The Challenge of Unity – the challenge of
faith
Our challenge for all Christians is to expe-
rience this communion, guided by the spiri-
tuality of communion, in all levels of Church’s
life. To make love as the heart of all these
Church structures. The family is the first
home of communion and the first teachers
are the parents. The second witnesses are the
other families around us in the community.
The BECs and other faith communities will
also need to play a vital role in responding
well to the late Pope’s challenge. Our Catho-
lic Schools and Parishes will also have to pro-
vide the spiritual animation and formation
to families, and lay leaders of communities.
Our Religious men and women will have to
provide the larger community with clear and
radical witness of life in communion. Then,
as an integral whole, in all its many different
parts, the Church will then be an authentic
witness and radiate, even more, and become
truly “the light of the world and the salt of
the earth.” The heart and soul of this light
and salt is Jesus Christ the Light of the World.
This brings us to the continuing challenge
of integral faith formation, i.e. together know-
ing, loving, and imitating Jesus and with
Him, transforming human history, its eco-
nomics, its politics, its media culture, its so-
cial fabric, its arts and sciences, its culture,
and every facet of human life. Email:
daditama_now@yahoo.com.ph
Speaking of Mary
ful? Did I even need to reassure myself? No,
it was God reassuring us all. He was there
through it all.
So many thoughts crossed my mind that
morning. I remembered the year 1990, my
last year in College taking up BA in Philoso-
phy. My mother was struggling to survive
from cancer. Series of chemotherapy and co-
balt treatment, only to end up her cancer
metastasizing to her lungs, liver, and bones.
Almost every evening I would spend hours
before the Blessed Sacrament begging God
to heal her. Going to the EDSA Shrine Adora-
tion Chapel, spending overnight vigils alone
imploring God to give my mother a longer
life. And physical healing and longer life on
earth were not His plans for her. The pain,
the anguish, and the ultimate cry of the feeble
human heart: Where was God?
Does God turn a blind eye or play deaf
when His people suffer? Or does He shed a
tear when you and me suffer and die?
And suddenly the Gospel of that particu-
lar Sunday of June 22: And do not be afraid of
Speaking / A6
tion—family values, and again and again
these would have to be lived and challenged.
Back in high school, I had an Economics
professor who encouraged us, his students,
to oppose bills for same-sex marriage, abor-
tion, divorce, and population control through
writing to solons and to newspapers. I can
credit that professor for initiating my pas-
sion for writing and the pro-life cause. He
would first check our work before we sent
them. Some of the letters were published and
duly received by respective representatives.
In one way or another, these added in mak-
ing an impact, and we the students could only
be glad being part of making history.
A profound difference between today and
1950 is that society has become more plural-
istic. Yet there are still things that ground
everyone to common reason: human rights.
The reason why the so-called “Reproductive
Health” ordinances are getting passed is be-
cause their proponents use and abuse this
“rights language.” They demand those so-
called rights as rights. In turn, we should
speak the language of more essential rights:
marital rights, family rights, and the right to life.
As Pope Benedict XVI said in his speech at
the United Nations headquarters, rights are
the common ground for reasoned truth and
true human progress. The same goes in any
effective advocacy.
So again, we can move our politicians via
our letters because they hold dear our votes.
But the letters of the law would only surmise
the de facto letters of the heart. The foremost
appeal happens not in the court, neither in
the Congress floor, nor in Malacañang, but
in what our fellows and families value.
“So it shall be written, so it shall be done”
may be the Pharaoh’s line in the movie Ten
Commandments. But more often in a democ-
racy, it is the other way around: “So it is done,
so it shall be written.” Real change happens
from the culture; from then follows the record
of the law.
A5
Rev. Euly B. Belizar, SThD
By the Roadside
When Frank blew
himself in (he left us
destruction but also
sobering thoughts)
QUITE frankly, Frank was expected but unwanted, announced
but not sought after, unwelcome but unstoppable, awesome
but destructive. I’m talking of the recent typhoon that had
visited the country by way of brutal southeasterly winds that
went westward before heading up north. Not your usual ty-
phoon route, friends and acquaintances would tell you know-
ingly in conversations. And when these friends and acquain-
tances are from Samar or Leyte, they know (most of the time,
believe me) what they are talking about. To many we are the
typhoon people (as a seminarian I sometimes would intro-
duce myself, hitting a stereotypical view of people from my
place of origin, “I’m from Samar Island, we produce typhoons
there”). Unknown to most though, we in Samar Island have
been spared the more destructive typhoons for a long time
(since Mt. Pinatubo erupted, to be exact). What’s more, being
a reference point for typhoons that we are doesn’t necessarily
mean we are in their hit list. In fact, a PAG-ASA announce-
ment that a typhoon is spotted east of my hometown
(Borongan) rarely raises much concern among us locals. We
know the typhoon is more often than not headed up north
and, in sympathy, we shake our heads in the direction of our
brethren in the Bicol and Southern Tagalog provinces. We
know they would have to entertain the (often greedy and
cruel) guest.
Not Frank the maverick. From the start I knew we were in
for a major shock. The moment I heard the announcement
that he was located somewhere in southeastern Mindanao,
packing winds of a hundred and twenty to a hundred and
forty kilometers per hour, I started to tell myself and many
others I could reach, “Let’s better be ready for an un-cool
guest for breakfast (Frank came towards morning, merienda
time actually).” He did come for breakfast, lunch and after-
noon merienda, and before he took the exit he left (literally)
broken homes, twisted, uprooted or mangled trees, roaring
seas, inundated rivers, sinking boats and ferries, lost lives
and battered hopes. “How easily things of this world pass”, a
sobering thought crossed my mind (and I know in many other
people’s minds too). As I surveyed parts of our parish shortly
after the mighty winds of Frank left us, I saw a house that
quite literally flew from its location right into the middle of
the highway by the sea (Baybay Blvd, we call it here). The
priest with me made a comment, attempting at dry humor,
“Oh, that used to be a nice night spot there (pointing to the
side of the road)!” Thereupon a man walked by carrying some
of the structure’s parts and, recognizing us, smiled an embar-
rassed smile. “On second thought,” the priest said, “that house
deserved what it got.” “Only the house,” I said, “only the
house.”
In conversations we still take interest in answers to the
questions: “Where were you when Frank flew in?”, “What
were you doing during the typhoon?”, “What were you think-
ing?” “What were you saying?” As for me, I was trying, in
vain, to keep the jalousies in my room from letting Frank’s
bullet rains and twister winds from getting in and drenching
my bed, my clothes, my books, notes, CDs, television, etc. It
was a losing battle but I still console myself in the thought
that I fought a gallant fight. I felt I just lost a battle, not the
fight to survive. More than that, I remember praying a prayer
I learned in the seminary, “Lord, be merciful to us sinners”,
repeating it as the winds and rains lashed against us hapless
creatures. It occurred to me how I’ve often seen the typhoon’s
destructiveness as an analogy of sin’s destructive effects (not
quite apart from the fact that today’s typhoons are probably
partly a product of global warming which is a result of our
collective sin of environmental abuse, the richer nations hav-
ing the bigger share of the blame).
Frank also made us re-think the way we see God’s care and
providence. I remember hearing a friend sigh, “As if the scan-
dals, the soaring fuel, rice and food prices are not enough.
Now he gives us Destroyer Frank! What kind of God do we
have? Is he a sadist or a masochist? Does he get pleasure in
human beings’ sufferings and misery?” But, for me, the really
sobering thought here is that it’s so easy for us humans to
blame God for the evils in the world that, ultimately, we may
be the cause of by our commissions and omissions. (At least
the things he mentioned before Destroyer Frank are obvi-
ously man-made). But I, conscious as I was of my friend’s
consciousness of my being a priest, said something like this:
“It’s like you, a father, allowing your son to take very diffi-
cult tests in school. Allowing him to take those often hated
tests till he passes doesn’t mean you don’t love your child nor
care about him. Quite the contrary, it’s because you love him
that you want him to be a better person that he can’t be with-
out those difficult tests!” I felt I sounded sanctimonious even
to myself but even now typhoon Frank has made me realized
how frankly I believe what I said down to the last syllable.
As an Eastern Samareño, I consider myself a typhoon survi-
vor many times over. But every typhoon also leaves invisible
scars that our macho culture prefers to put under the rug. For
example, my sister who grew up through typhoons with me
and our whole family just picking up the pieces (and other
fallen things like those sweet guavas, santol, mabolo and buko)
the day after still recounts how Frank’s twister winds made
her shake profusely with the feeling that their house was
about to be blown away. The shaking still visits her even as
she just remembers the sound of Frank’s wailing winds. Part
of the trauma of going through typhoons in Samar Island is
that when a typhoon comes, your government disappears.
People are left literally for days picking up the pieces of their
houses and their lives only relying on their families, neigh-
bors, friends and even complete strangers who share the same
plight. It’s amazing how typhoons like Frank can build up
even more the community spirit. If only for this we need to
thank Frank.
Take the case of the big mango tree debacle by our church,
with Frank’s winds uprooting it totally. It was keeping people
from having access into the church by the western gate and,
sizing up the situation, a group of men in the parish volun-
teered their labor and a chain saw to clear the place of debris.
In the process friendships were restored and deepened, some
people who were on opposite sides of the political fence started
to talk and enjoy each other’s company again. To paraphrase
the late President John F. Kennedy, we will be worth remem-
bering because of what we contribute to the growth of the
human spirit. Because of this a typhoon is only a typhoon
depending on how we humans make of it.
 CBCP Monitor
A6 Local News Vol. 12 No. 13
June 23 - July 6, 2008

Bancud and Vidal lead Kidnapping blamed

CBCP delegation to the
int’l Eucharistic congress
CABANATUAN Bishop Sofronio Bancud,
Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal
and seven other prelates represented the
CBCP in an eight-day assembly of Church
leaders in Quebec, Canada.
Other bishops who attended the 49th In-
ternational Eucharistic Congress held from
June 15 to 22 together with Bancud and Vidal
were Zamboanga Archbishop-Emeritus
Carmelo Morelos, Surigao del Norte Bishop
Antonieto Cabajog, Bontoc-Lagawe Bishop
on gov’t failure to
defeat Abu Sayyaf
THE kidnapping of broadcast
journalist Ces Drilon and her
crew could have been avoided if
the government were able to
Archbishop Jorge Mario Cardinal Bergoglio, neutralize the Abu Sayyaf, a
Congregation for Evangelization of the Catholic bishop said.
Peoples Prefect Yvan Cardinal Dias, and Marbel Bishop Dinualdo
Doula, Cameroun Archbishop Christian Gutierrez said it puzzles him
Wiyghan Cardinal Tumi. why until now the government
Earlier, an international theology sympo- failed to at least lessen the power
sium was held from June 11 to 13 for the of the militant Islamic group.
congress pilgrims, composed of theologians, In a radio interview, the bishop
bishops, and Church leaders from around said that more effort from the
the globe, for theological exploration of key government is needed to rid the
elements of the Eucharist.
tion.
“… Because they don’t want to
end it (Abu Sayyaf existence).
That’s how simple it is,” Gutierrez
said.
Suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits
in Maimbung, Sulu, kidnapped
ABS-CBN news team composed
of Drilon and two cameramen on
Sunday.
Gutierrez appealed to their
captors not to harm the journal-
ists. He said the kidnappers could
air their demands and grievance

Photo by Roy Lagarde / CBCPMedia

Rodolfo Beltran, Imus Bishop Antonio
Tagle, Dumaguete Bishop John Du, Malolos
Bishop Jose Oliveros, and Military Ordinary
Bishop Leopoldo Tumulak.
Tagle delivered the morning catechesis of
the assembly on June 19. Together with him
as speakers were Washington Archbishop
Donald William Wuerl, Lyon Archbishop
Philippe Cardinal Barbarin, Buenos Aires
country of the terrorists group.
At the request of Archbishop of Quebec “In a way, yes, because the
Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Laval University’s government has the obligation to
Faculty of Theology and Religious Sciences really improve the peace and or-
organized and hosted the pre-IEC event. der situation,” Gutierrez said
The congress, themed “The Eucharist, the over Church-run Radyo Veritas.
Life of Christ in Our Lives,” coincides with Gutierrez admitted that he is
Quebec’s 400th founding anniversary as the already suspecting that some of-
cradle of the Catholic Church in North ficials right in the government
America. (Kris Bayos) might not really want to end the
existence of the extremist group
for reasons he did not elaborate.
without resorting to violence.
Digos Bishop Guillermo
Afable, on his part, said kidnap-
ping is always lamentable, while
he is hoping for a peaceful and
orderly resolution.
“We would like to resolve this
as soon as possible, without in-
jury or losing any life. Life is so
important,” Afable said.
Abu Sayyaf is the most mili-
tant of the several guerilla groups

CBCP’s ‘anti-torture’ seminar goes to Cebu City He, however, refused to iden-
tify the said officials of any
agency from the government,
involved in the resurgence of
violence in the country during
the past year and wants an inde-
FROM Manila, a Church-backed training on ment organizations involved in checking tive Agenda on Torture and the Optional adding it’s the responsibility of pendent Islamic state in
the UN Convention Against Torture, Cruel, and preventing torture among persons de- Protocol Convention Against Torture.” everyone from the administra- Mindanao. (Roy Lagarde)
Inhuman and Degrading Treatment of Pun- prived of their liberties. Other speakers include Atty. Theodore
ishment (CAT) took its road to Visayas. Diamante said the training is also aimed Te of the Free Legal Assistance Group NCR
The Episcopal Commission on Prison at establishing and underscore the signifi- Coordinator who will give an overview of Bishops / A1
Pastoral Care of the Catholic Bishops’ Con- cance of monitoring the implementation of CAT and its salient provisions and the Ju-
ference of the Philippines (CBCP) held an- the said international policy. dicial Decisions on Torture Action while He even criticized the murders nothing but the truth,” said Alo,
other one-day seminar in Cebu City last “The participants will formulate an ini- Ms. Karen Dumpit of the Commission on and abortions that go on, the im- adding that, “otherwise, how do
June 19. tial action plan for the preparation of a na- Human Rights is assigned to present the moral sexual relationships that we stop the tragedy of murder,
ECPPC Exec. Sec. Rodolfo Diamante said tional strategy for the promotion of CAT Human Rights situation in the Philippines. continue unabated and projected abortions and the impending an-
the activity, which will be held at the especially the passage of the law on tor- Last April 29, the same seminar-work- shamelessly in the media such as ger of God.”
Golden Prince Hotel and Suites from 8am ture,” he added. shop was held in Manila wherein the television, movies, newspapers, He also encouraged the people
to 5pm, is also in coordination with the Quezon Rep. Lorenzo Tañada III, head of CADP, which is also being vice-chaired by ads, posters, CDs and pictures plus to find time to learn about God’s
Coalition Against Death Penalty. the Committee on Human Rights of the Diamante, launched its latest source book the indecent apparel of women anger or unnatural sexual prac-
The seminar-workshop will be attended House of Representatives, will serve as the on the “Protection and Promotion of Hu- which incite to temptation. tices by reading the Bible.
by government agencies and non-govern- main speaker with his talk on the “Legisla- man Rights and Liberty.” (CBCPNews) “Why then the unwanted preg- “We must have recourse to
nancies attempting abortion by God by prayer and the sacra-
millions every year in the entire ments. God saves,” he ended.
Pondo / A1 Church hits / A1 world?” he asked. Bishop Alo’s teachings and in-
“We may sound conservative sights are also printed in Davao
T. de Villa, who is Pondo ng Pondo ng Pinoy is a workshop, culprit why crime incidents are Catholic Bishops’ Conference but the basic truth is always con- Catholic Herald, the
Pinoy director, presented the na- a workplace where through the prevalent. of the Philippines president Arch-
servative because it contains no archdiocesan community paper
tional overview for the move- means of little acts of kindness “(The government) must try to bishop Angel Lagdameo yester- lie or delusion, the truth and in Davao. (Mark S. Ventura)
ment, while Manila Auxiliary symbolized by the littlest good see how we can improve people day also expressed opposition
Bishop Broderick S. Pabillo act (“like a mustard seed”), any and how we can develop them. against the military offensive in
talked about the archdiocesan person, young or old, of what- That’s the long run and not just a Mindanao. Tidbits / A4
situation. ever status, creed and persuasion short term solution,” Pabillo Lagdameo said such action will
Msgr. Gerardo Santos, director is tutored to be alert and sensi- said. only exacerbate the conflict in Armstrong, “Art and Liturgy: It is fortunate that our lay faith-
of ministry of education and tive to the needs of others. The The Church’s social action arm Mindanao. Splendor of Faith,” CRISIS, 1814/ ful and our priests have not suc-
catechetics, presented the ques- key to all these is the love that head said there should be a He said instead of pursuing a 2N Street, NW, Washington, D.C. cumbed to these strange and
tions for the group discussion fol- Jesus Christ taught and lived for “whole hearted” resolution to military solution, the govern- 20036,mail@crisismagazine.com). alien teachings. They still see
lowing the presentation. A ple- all. solve the problem effectively. ment should advocate a “non- It put forward the idea that man themselves as sinners badly need-
nary assembly capped the half- In a certain sense, PONDO NG In doing so, he said, govern- violence principle” in dealing does not need a transcendent God. ing the redemption promised to
day event. PINOY is a school in life where ment leaders must address the with problems in the region. This he will experience if he just them from above, and therefore,
The celebration was attended character and virtue, principles real cause of the problem which Cagayan de Oro Archbishop care to take the effort to look in- weak individuals who are not
by delegates from all the parishes and values are intertwined. No maybe for political and eco- Antonio Ledesma, SJ, also said tently at his own nature, contem- ashamed in reaching expectantly
of the Archdiocese of Manila and classroom lectures, none of the nomic reasons. “And that can’t be the government should look plate on its beauty and goodness, outward to the Transcendent One
from Pondo ng Pinoy participat- experts’ elucidation. PONDO NG done just sitting down,” Pabillo deeper into what spurred the per- appreciate its innate power and who has become one of them, the
ing diocese, which includes the PINOY’s laboratory is life itself. said. petrators to commit such crime. its limitless potentials, reach out “Immanuel,” uttering that simple
suffragan dioceses and the Dio- You have been loved by no less The Pabillo said even if the He further said the bishops fear for what it is worth for without but powerful prayer:
ceses of Daet and Marinduque. than God; love has been shared government will be able to wipe that a massive military offensive the intervention and aid of divine MARANATHA—”Come, Lord
Last year, at Pondo ng Pinoy’s with you by those who love out the group behind the abduc- against the criminals would, like grace and the sacraments. In this Jesus, Come.”
third anniversary, Cardinal you—parents, elders, and the tion, similar incident will hap- in the past, harm civilians includ- position, grace is somehow held As the true faith keeps on feed-
Rosales said that Pondo ng Pinoy, family. Awaken to that gifted- pen again and again unless its ing women and children. as intrinsic to nature. A certain ing the heart and mind of our
is above all, an act of love. ness. (Santosh Digal) cause is addressed. (CBCPNews) professor, a representative of this people with the revealed divine
new theology, once made this realities, ever moving them to
Bishops / A1 BEC / A1 statement: “There is now a radi- deeper contemplation of God,
cal capacity in nature itself, and their prayer life becomes more
Immediately too, the network from our foreign Caritas partners
of Social Action Directors in the and we expect their support in a not superadded to nature, by vigorous and potent. To express
which we are ordained to the these experiences and to help
affected dioceses were alerted and matter of days,” Mallillin said.
made to assess the damage in view Caritas Manila‘s executive di- knowledge of God. Thus all du- them to get them back to God,
alism between nature and grace they need relevant liturgy and
of executing fast relief operations. rector Fr. Anton C. T. Pascual has
It maybe recalled that in Feb- turned over P500, 000.00 to is eliminated. Human nature is sensitive artists.
already graced existence” (ibid.). With the exchange of instru-
ruary this year, NASSA, the Mallillin for appropriations to
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and priority dioceses with most num- Armstrong then concluded: ments that marked the forging of
“The effects of this new “lex the bilateral Agreement of the
CARE Asia Regional Manage- ber of typhoon victims.
ment Unit, organized an “Emer- The NASSA official reported credendi” have been seen for Vatican and the Republic of the
some time in art and architecture. Philippines to protect the reli-
gency Simulation Exercises” for that the Vatican-based Caritas
social action directors aimed at International and Caritas Austra- If man already lives an gious and cultural heritage of our
“engraced” existence naturally, people, it is our hope that arts in
coming up with “a concrete re- lia already signified their will-
sponse to the need for equipping ingness to help. and the sacramental union with our Churches will be properly
Christ is ontologically superflu- cared for and revered. It is also
and further enhancing partici- “(But) we have to give them
pants’ emergency efficiency. very concrete assessments of ous, a mere symbol of entrance our hope that with this renewed
into a “faith community,” then the interest for religious arts and the
needs first before they can re-
Diocesan reports spond,” she said. altar rail (iconostasis, the rood subsequent effort to promote and
screen) that separates the natural protect them, we may see the
“Msgr. Meliton Oso, Jaro So-
cial Action Director expressed Rehabilitation world of the faithful and the su- emergence of new artists with
pernatural world of the Divine fresh visions coming out to revi-
concern over the increasing num- CRS is working closely with the country. The Church has a tool exploratory study” and focused
ber of families temporarily bil- NASSA, in assessing damages, for building a community of the BEC as a sub topic. mysteries must go. As Christ is talize our symbols of prayer, di-
already present in the community, vine longing, and our liturgy. As
leted at the Jaro Metropolitan Ca- meeting immediate needs and faithful with its concept of BEC, The BEC groups consisting of
thedral,” Mallillin said. planning for longer term aid. which is based on solidarity and six to ten members each are the sacramental presence of Our Fr. Reed Armstrong concluded in
Lord in the tabernacle is now su- his article in the Internet: “Even
The Diocese of Antique reports As immediate needs are being mutual help, pluralism and unity. named after a saint and meet
of 208 barangays submerged by addressed, the CRS and Nassa This study also attempted to ex- regularly at lease once in a week. perfluous and can therefore be re- today, in this age of iron or, let
moved from the sanctuary pre- us say, white metal, the Temple
floods and affecting some 13,418 will prepare an assessment for the plore the possibility of organiz- “As researchers, we came to
families (32,238 persons) while rehabilitation of homes and live- ing BEC in the area, said observe that BEC leaders are ca- cinct. With the traditional concept of Solomon and the Cathedral of
of the Mystical Body obscured, the Chartres have not exhausted all
the Archdiocese of Capiz some lihoods. Villareal. pable of developing and sustain-
21,857 families or 100,517 persons The Catholic Agency for Over- Sixteen married leaders rang- ing their community. They images of saints and holy myster- the possibilities of getting back
ies, a tradition going back to the to God. There is still something
from 455 barangays were affected seas Development, the official re- ing the age of 35-58 years from showed that they are capable to
by Typhoon Frank. lief agency of the Catholic Church the 18 houses actively partici- initiating and formulating their catacombs, are removed in favor to be garnered from those people
of a single figure of the “Risen with plaster in their hair and fin-
Even the Archdiocese of in England and Wales, is also in pated in the questionnaire study, own plans and programs.
Cotabato had its share of destruc- touch with the Nassa to assess if beside house-to-house visit and The leaders were able to lead Lord” (ibid.). gers full of paint” (cf. ibid.).
tion of homes, properties and and how they can be of help. interviews. the community in the practice of
Speaking / A5
agricultural crops as monsoon CAFOD is expecting to make Out of 18 respondents, 13 their faith, which in a way, did
rains enhanced by Typhoon Frank funds available of their partners women and 3 men; 13 are Catho- much to boost their confidence those who kill the body but cannot opened their eyes—their every
affected some 10,368 families or can use them from their emer- lics, one each Muslim, Iglesia Ni by being able to lead and thus, kill the soul... Are not two sparrows tear and pain would have been
roughly 70,336 persons. gency response fund—it is not Kristo, and Born Again denomi- sustain the life of the group,” said sold for a small coin? Yet not one of gone, for when they woke from
clear, at press time, whether they nations. Most of them are house- Villareal. them falls to the ground without your their slumber, God is there.
Aid coming will be making a special appeal wives/husbands and finished As a form of community build- Father’s knowledge. Even all the In darkness, light. In death, life.
Mallillin said the Catholic in addition. secondary education and others ing, BEC is a religious initiative. hairs of your head are counted. So In the Litany of Loreto, we in-
Relief Service pledged to donate “However, we hope to have a college level having no source of However, this practice is ex- DO NOT BE AFRAID; you are voke Our Lady as Consolatrix
$30,000 (roughly P1.3 million) as clearer picture in a few days time income. Nine of them came from pected to lead the community to worth more than many sparrows Afflictorum, Consoler of the Af-
soon as the damages have been once an assessment has been Visayas, three from Luzon and other empowering endeavors (Mt. 10: 28, 29-31). flicted. We beg you, Our Lady,
assessed in the Archdiocese of made. In the meantime the four from Mindanao. that will benefit everyone. My prayer was and my prayer help our people in our suffering
Cotabato which comprises the people of the Philippines remain The study dated April 2, was With the activation of BEC in is, may they—when they were and pain, for never was it known
provinces of Maguindanao, in our prayers,” the agency said. entitled “An initial assessment of the area, leaders are undertaking drowning and gasping their that anyone who fled to your protec-
Sharif Kabunsuan and seven mu- (With reports from Melo Acuña the capability of the residents of religious activities that would last—their angels would have tion or sought your intercession was
nicipalities of North Cotabato. and Rolando Emberga) Block 3, Habitat- BASECO, as a provide a cohesive factor in the whispered to them: DO NOT BE left unaided. Our Mother, help and
“We have received queries self-sustaining community: an community. (Santosh Digal) AFRAID. And that when they had protect us. Amen.
 CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 13
June 23 - July 6, 2008 Features A7

Diocesan News Briefs

CBCP pledges P300,000 for relief work in Iloilo
MANILA—The CBCP-National Secret ariat for Social Action (NASSA)
has pledged an initial P300,000 in assistance for relief efforts in Iloilo
province, even as more reports of typhoon victims and requests for
assist ance from Social Action Centers in several dioceses keep pour-
ing in. (Melo Acuña)

Stop glamorizing bandits- bishop

MANILA—Novaliches Bishop-Emeritus Teodoro Bacani urged media to
stop “glamorizing” terrorists and bandits after the abduction of a televi-
sion news crew and a professor in Sulu. He said it is high time that
terrorists who want to have their side heard be the ones to approach
media and take the risk of being arrested. (Roy Lagarde)

Prelate urges reds to stop atrocities

BACOLOD City— Following the execution by alleged NPA rebels of an
overseer at Hacienda Mary Ann in Manapla town, Bishop Vicente
Navarra appealed to the insurgents to stop their atrocities and resolve
their concerns in a peaceful manner. He said killing in order to demon-
strate one’s anger against the injustices in the country will not bring
real justice. (Roy Lagarde)

Priest asks EU to jumpstart Mindanao peace talks

ZAMBOANGA City— A Claretian priest has appealed to the European
Union to jump-start stalled talks between government and the Moro

Pope calls for study of

Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) aside from just funding community de-
velopment projects. PeaceWeavers convenor Fr. Angel Calvo said
trouble-torn Mindanao is still grappling for peace for decades now in
southern Philippines. (Santosh Digal)

Clergy hits mining in Mindanao

Eucharistic Mystery
KORONADAL City— Around 50 priests of the Diocese of Marbel have
once again assailed large-scale mining operations in Central Mindanao.
In a statement, the priests expressed their strong opposition, which
gained the approval of Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez that has been urging
Sagittarius Mines Incorporated and Western Mining Corporation to aban-
don the Tampakan project on the grounds of environmental concerns
and health hazards. (Roy Lagarde)

Encourages revisiting of Vatican II’s ‘Sacrosanctum Concilium’

QUEBEC CITY, JUNE 22, 2008—Benedict XVI
is encouraging the faithful to revisit the Sec-
ond Vatican Council constitution on the lit-
urgy, so as to go deeper in the mystery of
faith that is the Eucharist.
The Pope made this appeal today when
he delivered via satellite the homily for the
closing Mass of the 49th International Eu-
charistic Congress, which ended today in
Quebec. The papal legate, Cardinal Jozef
Tomko, presided over the Mass.
In his address, given in French and En-
glish, the Holy Father said, “‘The Mystery
of Faith’: this we proclaim at every Mass. I
would like everyone to make a commitment
to study this great mystery, especially by
revisiting and exploring, individually and
in groups, the Council’s text on the liturgy,
‘Sacrosanctum Concilium,’ so as to bear wit-
ness courageously to the mystery.”
The Pontiff affirmed that such study
would help each person “arrive at a better
grasp of the meaning of every aspect of the
Eucharist, understanding its depth and liv-
ing it with greater intensity.”
“Every sentence, every gesture has its own
meaning and conceals a mystery,” Benedict
XVI continued. “I sincerely hope that this
Congress will serve as an appeal to all the
faithful to make a similar commitment to a
renewal of Eucharistic catechesis, so that they
themselves will gain a genuine Eucharistic
awareness and will in turn teach children
and young people to recognize the central
mystery of faith and build their lives around
it.
“I urge priests especially to give due
honor to the Eucharistic rite, and I ask all
the faithful to respect the role of each indi-
vidual, both priest and lay, in the Eucharis-
tic action. The liturgy does not belong to us:
It is the Church’s treasure.”
Seeking union
The Pope noted the unifying effects of the
Eucharist, both for the faithful with the Trin-
ity and within the Church.
“Reception of the Eucharist, adoration of
the Blessed Sacrament—by this we mean
deepening our communion, preparing for it
and prolonging it—is also about allowing
ourselves to enter into communion with
Christ, and through him with the whole of
the Trinity, so as to become what we receive
and to live in communion with the Church,”
the Holy Father said.
And he added: “We must never forget that
the Church is built around Christ and that, as
Sts. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas and Albert
the Great have all said, following St. Paul,
the Eucharist is the sacrament of the Church’s
unity, because we all form one single body
of which the Lord is the head.
“We must go back again and again to the
Last Supper on Holy Thursday, where we
were given a pledge of the mystery of our
redemption on the cross. The Last Supper is
the locus of the nascent Church, the womb
containing the Church of every age. In the
Eucharist, Christ’s sacrifice is constantly re-
newed, Pentecost is constantly renewed.”
The Pontiff also expressed his desire that
Christians would come to value Sunday more
and more.
“May all of you become ever more deeply
aware of the importance of the Sunday Eu-
charist,” he said, “because Sunday, the first
day of the week, is the day when we honor
Christ, the day when we receive the strength
to live each day the gift of God.”
The Pope also announced that the next In-
ternational Eucharistic Congress, scheduled
for 2012, will be held in Dublin, Ireland.
(Zenit)
Church, traders revive BBC
CAGAYAN DE ORO City— Realizing the need for making united stands
on national issues, local church officials and traders here have re-
vived the Bishops-Businessmen Conference (BBC). The BBC was
revived with a new organizing committee following a regional consul-
tation last May 14. The stand of BBC in an issue is considered as the
pulse of Northern Mindanao in the businessmen’s perspective at the
provincial and national level. (Maryann Zamora)
New Kidapawan bishop installed
KIDAPAWAN City— Bishop Romulo dela Cruz was installed on June 19
as the new bishop of the Diocese of Kidapawan, one the biggest in
south and central Mindanao in terms of numbers of parishioners, lay
leaders, and religious congregations. The installation was held at the
Our Lady Mediatrix of All Grace Cathedral, with the Apostolic Nuncio,
Joseph Adams, in attendance. (Mark V entura)
Bishop: Interfaith dialogues OK; mixed marriages not yet
MARAWI City—While the Catholic Church encourages inter-faith har-
mony between Christians and Muslims, Bishop Edwin dela Peña
frowned on mixed marriages between followers of the two faiths,
saying they are not ready for it at this time. He clarified that his disap-
proval has nothing to do with religious beliefs but is more in the “con-
text of culture,” where the couple will have much adjustment to make.
(Antonio Manaytay)
‘Miraculous’ stone with image of Mary ‘grows’ in Bicol
LEGAZPI City—Virac Bishop Manolo De Los Santos affirmed the exist-
ence of a “miraculous” and “growing” stone in Catanduanes which
bears the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary and is said to heal illness.
“What is unexplainable is not that the stone grew in size over the

Holy See issues ultimatum to Pius X

years, but the fact that the image of the Virgin was never distorted as
it grew,” he said. He added the stone has been in Brgy. Paloway in San
Andres town, Catanduanes for over a century now. (Jose Locsin,
Jr,)

Society, Vatican expert reveals
Cardinal Dario Castrillón Hoyos
ROME, Jun 24, 2008—According
to Andrea Tornielli, who claims
to have a copy of the original let-
ter sent by the Holy See to the
schismatic Bishop Bernard Fellay,
head of the St. Pius X Society, the
Holy See has given an ultimatum
to the Society, with a deadline of
June 28 for it to respond.
According to Tornielli, who
writes on his blog for the Italian
newspaper Il Giornale, Cardinal
Dario Castrillón Hoyos has writ-
ten a letter in his capacity as Presi-
dent of the Pontifical Ecclesia Dei
Commission, presenting the con-
ditions of the ultimatum that, if
accepted would conclude with
the final incorporation of the St.
Pius X Society into the Church by
means of the canonical procedure
of personal prelature, similar to
that of Opus Dei.
This arrangement would allow
them to “continue their activity
of training seminarians and
priests” and would give them
autonomy for the celebration of
the liturgy according to the Motu
Proprio Summorum Pontificum,
that is to say in Latin, and accord-
ing to Missal of 1962.
According to Tornielli, the five
demands are the result of a June
4 meeting between the Cardinal
and excommunicated Bishop Ber-
nard Fellay, leader of the frater-
nity St. Pius X.
The Vatican demands require:
“a commitment to a response
proportional to the generosity of
the Pope, also the commitment
to avoid any public statement
disrespectful to the person of the
Holy Father and that could be
negative to ecclesial charity, the
commitment to avoid the
premise of a Magisterium supe-
rior to that of the Holy Father
and not to propose to the frater-
nity (St. Pius X) in opposition to
the Church; the commitment to
demonstrate the will to act hon-
estly in full ecclesial charity and
in full respect of the authority of
the Vicar of Christ.”
The last requirement of the
Holy See, Tornielli says, is “to
respect the date established for
June 28, the eve of the Feast of
Saints Peter and Paul, ‘the day of
the Pope’ and the beginning of
the Pauline Year, to respond posi-
tively. This will be a required
condition and necessary as im-
mediate preparation for the ad-
herence to have full commun-
ion.” (CNA)
Archbishop reminds faithful of ‘dress code’ inside
churches
DAVAO City—A Catholic bishop on Wednesday said that “freedom of
expression” should not be used as an excuse for some churchgoers
who continue to ignore a “dress code” inside the church. Davao arch-
bishop Fernando Capalla said it makes no sense to invoke personal
freedom in the choice of dress for liturgical functions. (Mark Ventura)
Prelate warns vs fake solicitation letters for flood vic-
tims
SURIGAO City— Bishop Antonieto Cabajog warned residents in Metro
Manila against a racket involving solicitations allegedly by the Church
and Church groups for flood victims of Cagniog village. He denied
sending such letters of solicitation to prominent Catholics in the dio-
cese and other parts of the country. (Melo Acuña)
Diocese to focus on strengthening BECs
TAGUM City—The diocese will focus on furthering the activities and
involvement of people in the Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs). Fr.
Tony Llanes, pastoral director, said efforts have already been made in
order to deepen the understanding of the people on the significance of
BECs especially in the formation of faith at the grassroots level. (Mark
Ventura)

Pastoral / A4
bishops. Some representatives of
indigenous people and Muslim
communities were also among
the participants. On the other
hand, it was reported that not all
the delegates chosen from the
sub-regional ad extra consultations
were able to participate in the re-
gional congresses.
To make up for this imbalance,
the secretariats are exerting ef-
forts to include the sub-regional
delegates who were left out to
participate in the third phase,
which is the national conference
scheduled on July 7-8 in Manila.
We are also accepting position pa-
pers from any group or organiza-
tion who may or may not have
attended the sub-regional consul-
tation or regional congress.
In general, each regional con-
gress will be sending about 20-25
delegates for the national confer-
ence to dialogue with the esti-
mated 80-100 arch/bishops
present. The entire group of about
250 participants will first listen to
the consolidated reports from the
five regional congresses. They
will then break up into smaller
sectoral groupings—for small
farmers, fisherfolk, indigenous
people, rural women, rural youth,
etc.—to examine particular issues
cutting across the regional re-
ports. With the help of volunteer
research centers like ASI, UP-
SOLAIR, JJCICSI, IPC, etc., these
sectoral groupings will examine
more closely the priorities and
current issues, confronting the
particular sector throughout the
country. Already widespread
concerns over the environment,
good governance, and the exten-
sion (or termination) of agrarian
reform have been expressed at the
regional congresses.
Delegates sent by the dioceses
to represent their BECs or social
action centers point out that they
also represent some of the basic
sectors, thereby blurring the dis-
tinction between ad intra and ad
extra groups. On the other hand, a
number of people’s organizations
and NGO’s not working within
diocesan structures have ex-
pressed their readiness to partici-
pate directly in the national con-
ference and to work in partner-
ship with church-based groups in
post - NRC activities.
During the first two phases of
the NRC process, several of these
civil society organizations helped
the bishops organize three Bish-
ops-Legislators’ Caucuses focusing
on the extension of the Compre-
hensive Agrarian Reform Pro-
gram. Ongoing issues involving
Task Force Mapalad in Kabankalan,
Negros Occidental, and the
Sumilao farmers in Bukidnon,
caught the nation’s attention as
well as many bishops’ support. In
a broader sense, these activities
were all part of the NRC process.
This hopefully will be one of the
lasting results of NRC II—to bring
into ongoing dialogue and part-
nership the ad intra and ad extra
components of the Church in the
Philippines. In terms of advocacy
and action programs, the basic sec-
tors in Philippine society need the
support of the Church; on the other
hand, the Church needs to listen
and attend to the needs of the basic
sectors in order for her to become
truly a Church of the Poor.
Church to / A1
will carry us in our quest to give
a new face to the ARMM election.”
A wide variety of organiza-
tions in ARMM and Mindanao
attended the meeting since Sat-
urday to discuss ways of tackling
issues hounding elections and
met with Comelec chairman Jose
Melo.
The participants also signed a
memorandum of agreement call-
ing for a new electoral order in
controversial ARMM.
“This is a good example of how
we, as a nation, can move fast our
differences and focus on what we
have in common: the interest of
our country,” De Villa said.
The Islamic region will make
a history as the first in the coun-
try to use automation or elec-
tronic voting system. The ARMM
poll is also significant for being
the only prelude to the 2010
presidential elections.
The agreement is the product
of the election summit, where the
coalition also mapped intensive
voters’ education plans to teach
automation and to promote “con-
science voting.”
Another significant outcome of
the summit is the interfaith sign-
ing of the Mindanao Media Fo-
rum and a closer collaboration
with key officers from the police
and the military.
ARMM is also regarded as one
of the most violent election
hotspots in the country.
“Our coalition will be proac-
tive in giving the ARMM a
“CHAMP (clean, honest, accu-
rate, meaningful and peaceful)
elections,” De Villa added. (Roy
Lagarde)
 CBCP Monitor
A8 People, Facts & Places Vol. 12 No. 13
June 23 - July 6, 2008

Iligan Spirituality
Congress slated
AIMING to further grow in holi-
ness and to strengthen their spiri-
tual life in the ministry, 53 dioc-
esan and religious priests, 11 con-
gregations of religious women,
religious brothers and lay mis-
sionaries of the Diocese of Iligan
will gather for a three-day “Spiri-
tual Congress” from August 5-7,
2008 at the Redemptorist Shrine,
Iligan City.
In a phone interview with
CBCPNews, Iligan Chancery
Secretary Sr. Marilyn Montalla,
MSOLTC said the “Spiritual Con-
gress” is part of their one-year
Silver Jubilee celebration as a
diocese from November 2007 to
November 2008.
Meanwhile in a fax message
received by CBCPNews from the
Bishop’s House, Isabel Village,
Barangay Palao, Bishop Elenito
Galido said “even as we celebrate
and affirm, with joy and thanks-
giving our sense of identity and
mission as a local church, we are
also truly aware of our need for
renewal.” He further said the
Congress is “a first concrete step
meant to address this need.”
The theme of the congress is
“Basic Ecclesial Community
(BEC) Spirituality and Way of
being Church.”
“The way of being Church will
truly help in the renewal of the
whole Church. Communion, Dia-
logue, Solidarity, Presence, and
Participation are thrusts that we
would like to pursue as we con-
tinue in our journey as a local
church, trying to live out this par-
ticular kind of spirituality,”
Galido said in his fax message.
Manila Archbishop Gaudencio
B. Cardinal Rosales was invited
to deliver the keynote address.
Each day will have various ac-
tivities with special emphasis on
“BEC Spirituality” and “Way of
being Church.” (Wendell Talibong)

Lipa holds first of Marian

Lecture Series
Nueva Segovia to THE Archdiocese of Lipa held the
first of its Marian Lecture Series in
preparation for its centennial cel-
discussed Mary in the Scriptures.
He cited the direct and indirect
texts on Mary from the Bible.

launch Pauline Year

THE Archdiocese of Nueva Segovia launches
its Pauline Jubilee Celebration with the open-
ing of the Jubilee Door of the Conversion of
St. Paul Metropolitan Cathedral in Vigan
City, June 28 this year.
The symbolic opening, according to Arch-
bishop Ernesto A. Salgado, will signal the
start of pilgrimages to the seat of the Arch-
diocese, among other activities lined up for
the Jubilee Year of the Apostle Paul from
June 28, 2008-June 29, 2009.
An Ad Hoc Committee has been tasked
with the planning of liturgical, cultural and
ecumenical events and pilgrimages to mark
the Jubilee, just as the Holy Father had initi-
ated in June 2007, when he announced the
commemoration of the bi-millennium of the
of Conversion, Renewal, Evangelization and
Mission.
A Pastoral Letter will announce and explain
throughout the Archdiocese, the granting of
plenary indulgences to participants of the Ju-
bilee Mass on the Vigil of the Solemnity of
Sts. Peter and Paul, June 28, as well as to all
pilgrims to the Metropolitan Cathedral of the
Conversion of St. Paul in Vigan City during
the Jubilee Year.
A major program for the year is a Base-Level
(SiSa) Formation of the Faithful for Spiritual
Renewal being undertaken by various vicari-
ates. A Formation on the History of the Arch-
diocese for schools and Pauline Catechism is,
likewise, being finalized by the Commission
on Christian Formation (COCF).
Valley to Vigan in the Ilocos region by a re-
quest of the late Bishop Juan de la Fuente
Yepes in 1758.
The theme of conversion, renewal and mis-
sion endows the commemoration of the set-
ting up of the See in its new seat in Vigan
with even deeper significance.
The World Heritage City of Vigan joins
the archdiocese in the celebration of the trans-
fer of Nueva Segovia’s seat on September 7,
2008 because it was on this day that Vigan
was elevated from status of town (pueblo) to
city (ciudad).
A special pilgrimage “In the Footsteps of
Paul” is also being organized, which will re-
trace Paul’s missionary journeys through
Asia Minor, Greece and finally to Rome, to
ebration in 2010 at the Archbishop’s
Residence last June 10.
There were 223 participants
who attended composed of cat-
echists, Marian officers from dif-
ferent parishes and other reli-
gious organizations.
The second year of the three-
year preparation is dedicated to
Mary, Mother of God.
In his welcome address, Fr.
Eleuterio Ramos, co-chair of the
program committee for the
Marian Year, said the Lecture Se-
ries is not about the devotions to
Mary but about understanding
deeply the meaning of truths
about Mary from the researches
of different guest speakers.
The speaker Fr. Rustam C.
Sabularse, Director of the
Archdiocesan Bible Apostolate
The two hours and a half lec-
ture ended with Archbishop
Ramon Arguelles expressing his
gratitude to all the participants.
“Let us all ask Mary to show us
the way to Jesus, teach us to love
her Son and be faithful and give
us a part of the Holy Spirit, and
in that we will be closer to God,”
he said.
The Marian lecture on various
topics is given by different speak-
ers every 2nd Tuesday of the
month. The series will go on un-
til March next year.
The committee is planning to
come up with a journal on the
series of lectures on the Marian
Year. Fr. Ramos said it will be
the archdiocese’s contribution to
the Mariological Society of the
Philippines. (Jesusa Bauan)

Apostle Paul’s birth.
The Jubilee theme, Salgado emphasized,
will be founded on the Pauline spirituality
Baguio marks Pauline Year with Biblical
This year is a double Jubilee for Nueva
Segovia as 2008 marks the 250th year of the
transfer of the See from Lal-lo in Cagayan
Markings
the apostle’s earthly resting place in the Ba-
silica of St. Paul outside the walls. (Fran
Quitoriano)
ŒŒŒ³
ELECTED. Fr. Quirico Pedregosa,
OP, as new provincial of the Do-
minican Province of the Philippines,
(OP), during the 9th Chapter of the
Dominican Province of the Philip-

lectures and workshops pines held in the Convent of St.

MONTHLY Biblical lectures and pastoral
workshops on St. Paul will highlight the cel-
ebration of the bi-millennium birth of the
great Apostle throughout the jubilee year
starting July 12.
The Commission on the Biblical Apostolate
of Baguio diocese in tandem with the Bishop
William Brasseur Memorial Catechetical In-
stitute (BWBMCI) is organizing the series of
lectures and workshops on the Pauline let-
ters to mark the Year of St. Paul.
Facilitators and speakers will come from
the Clergy, Religious and laity.
Fr. Andres Cosalan will lecture on the Let-
ters of St. Paul. He is the current Director of
the Bishop William Brasseur Memorial
Catechetical Institute.
Sr. Beata Balaso, SIHM will give the work-
shops on “St. Paul in Bibliodrama Elements”
and “Pauline Mission and Ministry”. She is
the present Coordinator of the Commission
on the Biblical Apostolate of the diocese.
Ms. Elba Bautista will conduct the Work-
shop on St. Paul in Biblical Catechesis. She is
part of the staff of the Bishop William Brasseur
Memorial Catechetical Institute.
The Pauline letters to be tackled in the se-
ries of lectures include Letter to the Romans,
Philippians, First Corinthians, Galatians,
Ephesians, and the First and Second Letter to
the Thessalonians
The opening of the Jubilee Year in the dio-
cese will be highlighted with a celebration
of the Holy Mass at the Baguio Cathedral on
June 28, vigil of the Solemnity of Sts. Peter
and Paul.
A Jubilee Year dedicated to St. Paul was
declared by Pope Benedict XVI from June 28,
2008 till June 29, 2009. This is to mark the
2000th anniversary of the birth of St. Paul,
the Apostle of the Gentiles, around 7-10 A.D.
(CBCP News)
Rene Ribac, soon-to-be-deacon also noted
that family, school, and community has a vi-
tal contribution in the growth and faith of
each individual.
“Normally, experience of faith happens at
home. Sometimes, it is encountered in school
or in the community—parishes and Basic
Ecclesial Communities (BECs),” he said.
“Since vocation is first of all a faith experi-
ence, an authentic response to God’s call is to
be a response of faith. Life of faith is always
essential,” Ribac ended. (Mark S. Ventura)
Raymund of Peñafort, Legazpi City,
Albay from March 25 to April 16.
Pedregosa will serve a four-year
term as prior provincial. He had
been prior provincial before being
assigned in Rome as the master-
general’s assistant for the Asia-
Pacific. Now he is back for a third time as head of the Philippine
province and vice chancellor of the Royal and Pontifical University of
Sto. Tomas (UST). Pedregosa joined the Order of Preachers in 1971.
He pursued his theological studies in the UST, where he also t aught
theology after his ordination in 1981.
CELEBRATED. Sr. Mary D. Bontogon, Sr. Cecilia S. Gonzaga, Sr. Celina
D. Araneta and Sr. Antoniette P. Pelaez, golden jubilee of religious
prefession among the Franciscan Apostolic Sisters (FAS); May 18,
2008. The thanksgiving mass presided by Most Rev. Diosdado
Talamayan was held at Fr. Filippetto Memorial Chapel, Sta. Ana,
Cagayan. The sisters were the first to follow their founder, Fr. Gerry
Filippetto, OFM. They became educators and were given the respon-
sibility to open their first schools and communities that began in Sta.
Ana and branched out to other towns in Cagayan.
ORDAINED. Rev. Eugene Lucerna II, Rev. Romeo Tayco, and Rev. Johnie
Peracullo, Jr., to the Order of Priesthood, June 25, 2008, at the Saint
Francis Xavier Cathedral, Diocese of Kabankalan; by Most Rev. Patricio
A. Buzon, SDB, DD. The newly-ordained priests finished their theo-
logical formation at the Saint Joseph Regional Seminary, Jaro, Iloilo
City.

ORDAINED. Rev. Richard V. Buenaventura, Rev. Jason C. Caballes,

Rev. Celso S. Gaela, Rev. Manuel F. Labing, Rev. Clifford M. Miras, Rev.
Christian Cletus G. Nalda, Rev. David O Reyes, Jr., and Rev. Rico A.
Villareal, to the Order of Priesthood by Most Rev. Leo M. Drona, SDB,
DD, bishop of San Pablo, June 26, 2008; Cathedral Parish of St. Paul
the First Hermit, San Pablo City.

CELEBRATED. Sr. Mary Jane B. Alibo,

Sr. Maria Jose P. Lorilla, first profes-
sion of vows; Sr. Ma. Concettina
Armario, Sr. Ma. Agnes Gabito, Sr.
Ma. Gemma Lucero, Sr. Ma. Paquita
Lackar, Sr. Ma. Fidelis Singh, golden
jubilee of religious profession; among
the Daughters of St. Paul (FSP), June
28, 2008. The Thanksgiving Mass
held at the Sanctuary of the Queen
of Apostles in Pasay City was pre-
sided by His Excellency, Archbishop
Edward Joseph Adams, Apostolic nuncio to the Philippines. The fol-
lowing day, June 29, Sr. Gemma Gamab also made her perpetual
profession of vows with Most Rev. Bernardino Cortez, Auxiliary Bishop
of Manila presiding the thanksgiving mass.

CELEBRATING. Maryridge Good Shepherd

Convent, Religious of the Good Shepherd;
golden jubilee of foundation, July 5, 2008. Most
Rev. Luis Antonio Tagle, Bishop of Imus will
preside the thanksgiving Mass on July 5 at
10:00 a.m. Maryridge in Tagaytay used to be
a Boarding School for girls but at present, it is
a Center for Spirituality and Healing. Lately,
Bahay Pastulan was organized to assist the
neighboring farmer’s wives augment their in-
come by producing the famous Good Shep-
herd ube jam, tawilis sardines, and take-home
Delegates representing 20 Mindanao arch/dioceses and prelatures gathered at the Regional Major Seminary of Davao (REMASE) June 9-12 for the Mindanao Regional halo-halo.
Congress. Consolidated reports from the regional congress will be presented in plenary during the Second National Rural Congress to be held at San Carlos Seminary,
Makati on July 7-8.
 CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 13
June 23 - July 6, 2008
The Eucharist, the life of Jesus in our
lives: Spiritual worship Church
celebrates
and authentic adoration Pauline Year
(This catechesis was delivered at the 49th International Eucharistic Congress held
in Quebec, Canada, June 15-22, 2008)
By Most Rev. Luis An-
tonio G. Tagle, STD
WE have come to the part of the
Congress devoted to a reflection
on the Eucharist, the Life of Christ
in our Lives. These past days we
have been affirming that the
Church lives by the gift of the life
of Christ. This essential part of
our faith is experienced in a
unique and special way in the
Eucharist where the Church re-
ceives again and again the life of
Christ to become its very own
life. What a wonderful mystery
it is to live by the life of Christ.
Jesus’ mission is to give his life
so that others may live. In John
6:51 he says, “I am the living
bread that came down from
heaven. Whoever eats of this
bread will live forever; and the
bread that I will give for the life
of the world is my flesh.” Jesus
the Bread of Life is a gift from the
Father. Those who eat this Bread,
who receive Jesus into their per-
sons, will have life. He will lay
down his life, so that others “may
have life and have it abundantly”
(Jn10:10). Every Eucharist pro-
claims, “God so loved the world
that He gave His only Son, so that
everyone who believes in Him
may not perish but may have
eternal life” (Jn 3:16). Because the
life of Christ is oriented towards
others, the Church must share
this life with the world. The Life
of Christ is his gift to the Church
that is meant to be the Church’s
gift to the world.
In the Eucharist we don’t only
receive the life of Christ. Behold-
ing this most precious gift, we are
moved as well to worship and
adore the Triune God. The Eucha-
rist does not fail to evoke from
grateful hearts the worship and
adoration that God deserves. But
as we worship and adore we re-
alize that it is Jesus who guides
us on the way of true worship
and adoration. We will dwell on
these two elements of living the
Eucharist: spiritual worship and
authentic adoration. But first let
us describe the sacrifice of Jesus
Christ.
The Sacrifice of Jesus Christ
The Catholic Tradition refers
to the Eucharist as the sacrament
Pastoral Concerns
of Jesus’ sacrifice. In the Judaic
Tradition, the offering of ritual
sacrifices occupied a central place
in the worship of God’s people.
Was the sacrifice of Jesus no dif-
ferent from other Temple sacri-
fices like the pouring of the blood
of animals and the burning of
offerings? What made up the sac-
rificial worship of Jesus? It is time
to consider the unique worship
of Jesus contained in His unique
sacrifice. For this we turn to the
letter to the Hebrews. In He-
brews 7:27 it is stated, “Unlike the
other high priests, he has no need
to offer sacrifices day after day,
first for his own sins, and then
for those of the people; this he
did once for all when he offered
himself.” He offered himself!
“He entered once for all into the
In the Eucharist, we don’t only receive the
life of Christ. Beholding this most precious
gift, we are moved as well to worship and
adore the Triune God. The Eucharist does not
fail to evoke from grateful hearts the worship
and adoration that God deserves. But as we
worship and adore we realize that it is Jesus
who guides us on the way of true worship and
adoration.
Holy Place, not with the blood of
goats and calves, but with his own
blood, thus obtaining eternal re-
demption” (Heb 9:12). Jesus of-
fered his blood, his very life and
not any animal substitute. The
letter further says, “It is by God’s
will that we have been sanctified
through the offering of the body
of Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb
10:10). The sacrificial worship of
Jesus Christ, therefore, consists in
the offering of his body, his
blood, and his life. The apex of
this sacrifice of self oblation oc-
curs on the Cross and reaches it
completion in the Heavenly Sanc-
tuary or in Jesus’ glorification.
We have gone beyond mere ritual
sacrifice to the living sacrifice of
self-giving. Jesus’ worship culmi-
nates in the surrender of his hu-
manity and its entry into God’s
presence for the sake of the
world.
At this point we draw our at-
tention to the question of how the
self-offering of Jesus becomes
true sacrifice and worship. We
know many people who offer
themselves to something or
someone, such as parents, teach-
ers, public servants, or even hard-
ened criminals. Does every self-
offering qualify as a sacrificial
worship? So we ask, how does
Jesus’ offering of his body and
blood acquire the quality of genu-
ine sacrifice? The letter to the
Hebrews gives two elements of
Jesus’ self-oblation.
First, we hear in Hebrews 5:7-
8, “In the days of his flesh, Jesus
offered up prayers and supplica-
tions, with loud cries and tears,
to the one who was able to save
him from death, and he was
heard because of his reverent
submission. Although he was a
Son, he learned obedience
through what he suffered.” This
is the first aspect that makes his
self-offering an act of worship,
namely his obedience or rever-
ent submission to the Father who
willed that people be saved and
brought to glory (Heb 2:10). Self-
offering motivated by the desire
to prove oneself, to achieve suc-
cess or to promote self-interest
falls short of being a moment of
worship. Jesus’ sacrifice of his life
was not focused on himself or his
agenda but rather was a response
to the Father who had sent him.
The fulfillment of His saving will
pleases the Father more than any
burnt sacrifices (Heb 8:9). Thus
obedience to God makes the gift
of self an act of worship.
Secondly, his worship includes
his solidarity with feeble sinners.
In Hebrews 4:15-16 it is stated,
“For we do not have a high priest
who is unable to sympathize
with our weaknesses, but we have
one who in every respect has
been tested as we are, yet with-
out sin. Let us therefore approach
the throne of grace with boldness,
so that we may receive mercy and
find grace in time of need.” His
oneness with weak humanity was
essential to his priestly service
or worship on behalf of the
people. Hebrews 2:17-18 states
eloquently, “Therefore he had to
become like his brothers and sis-
ters in every respect, so that he
might be a merciful and faithful
high priest in the service of God,
to make a sacrifice of atonement
for the sins of the people. Because
he himself was tested by what he
suffered, he is able to help those
who are being tested.” Here the
image of priestly service or wor-
ship is applied to the redemptive
mission of Jesus. His embrace of
the trials and sufferings of hu-
man beings has made him a
brother who can now truly in-
tercede for them before the
Father’s mercy rather than judge
them harshly. He worships
through supplications to God
welling up from his compassion
for erring sinners. In other
words, Jesus’ prayer to the Fa-
ther gives voice to humankind’s
laments and hopes that he has
made his own.
In summary, we can say that
the worship of Jesus is the sacri-
fice of his own life offered to ful-
fill the Father’s will to save sin-
ners, whose weaknesses he shares
in order to lift them to the mercy
of God as a compassionate High
Priest and Brother. Obedience to
God and compassionate action on
behalf of sinners form one uni-
tary act of worship. They cannot
be separated from each other.
Jesus’ intercessory life for weak
humanity before God is his
priestly worship that fulfills
God’s will. Ultimately, we see in
Jesus’ worship the embodiment
of loving God with one’s whole
being and loving one’s neigh-
bors as oneself. Every time we
come to the Eucharist, Jesus re-
news his unique sacrifice and in-
vites us to share in his worship
of self-oblation.
The Spiritual Worship of the
Baptized in baptism, we begin
sharing in Jesus’ sacrifice of obe-
dience to the Father in solidarity
Eucharist / B2
B1
By Fr. Paul Marquez, SSP
THE Church celebrates the Pauline Year from June 28, 2008 to
June 29, 2009. Pope Benedict XVI made this announcement a
year ago during the First Vespers at the Basilica of St. Paul
Outside-the-Walls. The Pope said that the year-long celebra-
tion is meant to honor St. Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles, as the
Church celebrates his 2,000th birthday.
‘All roads lead to Rome’
Towards the end of his papacy, the late Pope John Paul II
laid the groundwork for this jubilee year when he retraced
the footsteps of the Apostle Paul in Greece, Turkey, Syria and
Malta. The center of this year’s jubilee celebration is, of course,
Rome where the relic of the great saint is venerated beneath
the papal altar at the basilica named in his honor. As the
saying goes, “All roads lead to Rome”. Pilgrims from all over
the world are expected to participate in various special litur-
gies and events prepared by organizers. Pope Benedict XVI
however encourages local churches in other countries to hold
celebration in their respective communities, sanctuaries, reli-
gious orders and other institutions that have a special link to
St. Paul.
Aside from celebrating the 2,000th birthday of St. Paul, the
Holy Father foresees the promotion of the life and mission of
the saint as an inspiration to modern Christians so that they
can imitate the apostle’s missionary energy and spirit of sac-
rifice. “Dear brothers and sisters, as in the (church’s) beginning,
today, too, Christ needs apostles ready to sacrifice themselves. He
needs witnesses and martyrs like St. Paul,” he said.
Towards this end, the Pope said that the commemorative
year would include symposia and special publications de-
voted to the writings of St. Paul. The saint’s epistles are a
primary source of information regarding life in the early
Church that have strongly influenced the Church through the
centuries. Aside from the Pauline letters, one can also derive
a wealth of information about the life of St. Paul from the Acts
of the Apostles.
The Holy Father is quick to point out that the greatness of
the Apostle does not depend on his oratorical skills or to a
‘refined strategy’ of missionary argumentation. His achieve-
ments had more to do with his extraordinary zeal in announc-
ing the gospel and his total dedication to Christ, despite prob-
lems and persecutions, the Pope said.
St. Paul the Apostle who was once a persecutor of the gen-
tiles can also serve as a model to all peoples who are longing
for conversion. The jubilee year can provide new impetus in
the life of the Church and bring about renewal in her mem-
bers. It is indeed a wonderful time to rekindle the flame of
faith that we lost along the way.
Indulgences for Pauline Year
Pope Benedict XVI authorized the granting of special in-
dulgences (or ‘spiritual treasures’) in order to highlight the
Pauline Year and facilitate the way for the ‘interior purifica-
tion’ of the faithful during its celebration. On May 10, 2008
Cardinal James Francis S.R.E. Stafford signed this decree that
we reproduce here partially:
1. “All Christian faithful – truly repentant, duly purified by
the Sacrament of Penance and restored with Holy Commun-
ion – who undertake a pious visit in the form of a pilgrimage
to the papal basilica of St. Paul on Rome’s Via Ostiense and
pray in accordance with the intentions of the Supreme Pon-
tiff, are granted and imparted Plenary Indulgence for the tem-
poral punishment of their sins, once they have obtained sac-
ramental remission and forgiveness for their shortcomings.
Pauline / B5
 CBCP Monitor
B2 Updates Vol. 12 No. 13
June 23 - July 6, 2008

Legitimate
custodians of
the body of a
deceased

Illustration by Bladimer Usi

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

WE are grown up children of a father who abandoned us years

ago and started another family. Now our father is sickly and
often says his end is near but remains with his second family
Kissing the hands of a
new priest
because (we suppose) the children are much younger there
and therefore need a father more than we do. Which family
has a right to claim his body when he dies? Is this the decision
of those left behind or the deceased’s, assuming that he has
expressed his desire on the matter in a last will and testament?
Not that we want him to die so soon, but we believe it is wise
to foresee and to prevent an embarrassing situation should he veneration of the said persons or curred and of the particular im- some reason loses the use of his
die with the second family. (Father Edward McNamara, profes-
sor of liturgy at the Regina things during public worship. In portance of the sign of the hands hands would still be able to carry
Earlier, our mother had offered to file for annulment but cultures where kissing is outré in priestly ministry. out most of his ministries.
our father refused, so what are they now when he is with Apostolorum university, answers
the following queries:) the bishops’ conference may pro- After ordination the priest uses The present Enchiridion of In-
another woman? Are the children of the second union legiti- pose a substitutive gesture. his hands to hold the Eucharistic dulgences foresees a plenary in-
mate by Church standards? species during the consecration, dulgence for all those who attend
Q: What is the reason behind the Kissing the hand or an object
Sorry we ask so many questions, but we would like to be guided on as a sign of reverence is more to make the sign of the cross the first solemn public Mass of a
what is proper to do. Please interpret the Canon Law for us; we are kissing of the hands of a newly
ordained priest? Is it true that one common in the extraordinary while absolving sins, to anoint newly ordained priest.
not very familiar with terms and we find the Code of Canon Law hard form of the Roman rite. In the the sick and dying, and on occa- There is no specific indulgence
to read. Thank you, Father. may gain an indulgence by kiss-
ing the hands of a newly or- ordinary form it has been re- sion to impart the sacrament of foreseen in the present
dained priest?—F.M., Manila, duced to the kissing of the altar confirmation. enchiridion for kissing the hands
Civil Law Prevails A bishop, whose hands are also of a new priest. It might have ex-
Philippines and of the Gospel.
Here we have another case of Civil Law prevailing over It is still common, however, out- anointed at ordination, uses his isted in earlier times, but I have
Canon Law, since the disposition of the body of a deceased is hands to impart the sacrament of been unable to verify it.
A: The practice of kissing the side of the liturgy as a sign of ven-
a matter of the temporal order and temporal common good. eration toward persons such as bish- holy orders. The custom of the whole as-
Without detriment to a different judgment by the competent hands of a newly ordained priest
is a long-established custom in ops and newly ordained priests. A priest also uses his hands in sembly coming forward to kiss a
civil authority or a different disposition by Civil Law, the During ordination a new other moments such as blessing, priest’s hands at the end of his
normal thing would be that the disposition of the body of a some countries.
In the liturgy, as in other as- priest’s hands are anointed with praying, baptizing, etc., but these first Mass is not as common as
deceased person follows what that person had laid down in chrism as a sign of consecration are uses that he shares with dea- before but is still practiced in
his Last Will and Testament. In any case, this is a matter best pects of human life, the gestures
and position of the hands have a and of the change that has been cons and sometimes with lay some places. This custom might
consulted with a civil lawyer. effected in his soul. faithful. have led to the indulgence for the
Nevertheless, in what is relevant to Canon Law in the specific meaning or implication.
The gesture of kissing a per- The custom of kissing his hands Although the hands are an im- first Mass becoming associated
present case and consultation, the following can be said. stems from a recognition of the portant sign, they are not abso- with that of kissing the hands of
son or object is an ancient litur-
gical tradition and symbolizes fundamental change that has oc- lutely essential. A priest who for the newly ordained.
Presumption of Validity of a Marriage Duly Celebrated
Can. 1060—Marriage enjoys the favor of the law; consequently,
when a doubt exists the validity of a marriage is to be upheld until the Eucharist / B7
contrary is proven.
Legitimate / B4 with sinners. Baptism unites us to Jesus’ sacri- It is interesting to note that quite often, I remember an experience in the market of
ficial death and newness of life. Saint Paul tells Jesus was denounced as a violator of God’s our town of Imus, the seat of our diocese.
us in Romans 6:3-4, “Do you not know that all law when he showed compassion for the One Saturday morning I went to monitor the
of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus weak, the poor, the sick, the women, and prices of goods and the condition of the
were baptized into his death? Therefore we public sinners. He offered new life to those simple market vendors. I saw a woman sell-

Electric
have been buried with him by baptism into
death, so that, just as Christ was raised from
the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too
might walk in newness of life.” In union with
considered impure by eating and mingling ing fruit and vegetables in a corner. She was
with them. He assured them that God was one of those who went to Sunday Mass regu-
not distant and there was hope in God’s lov- larly. It was only 10 o’clock in the morning
ing mercy. But he himself got no mercy from but she was already closing her store. So I

sanctuary
Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit, we his adversaries, only ridicule for disobeying asked her the reason. She told me, “I belong
are enabled to offer our life for God that in- laws that were supposed to embody God’s to a prayer group. We have a big assembly
volves dying to sin. Renunciation of sin and will. Jesus suffered on account of his self-of- this afternoon. Some tasks were assigned to

candles
Q: I was told by our pastor that “Vatican II requires a ‘light’
before the Blessed Sacrament, but this does not have to be a
candle,” so he replaced the sanctuary candle with an electric
“fake candle” because there was “wax all over the carpet.”
This is driving some of my fellow choir members nuts. Yet,
we still have real, seven-day vigil candles going in the stands.
Were this a safety issue, this makes no sense. All churches
have always had problems with wax—nothing new. I cannot
see a fake candle giving a believable witness to the Real Pres-
ence when this is not a safety issue as in a hospital with oxy-
gen that could cause an explosion.—K.S., Oklahoma
A: Actually the norms refer not so much to candles as to lamps
that should burn before the tabernacle. The General Instruc-
tion of the Roman Missal (GIRM), No. 316, states:
“In accordance with traditional custom, near the tabernacle
a special lamp, fueled by oil or wax, should be kept alight to
indicate and honor the presence of Christ.”
An almost identical norm is given in Canon 940 of the 1983
Code of Canon Law, but here only a “special lamp” is spoken
of. It would thus appear that the more recent GIRM, in specifi-
cally mentioning that it should be fueled by oil or wax, gives
clear preference to this form over other recent innovations.
Thus, rather than a candle there should be a lamp, that is, a
container made of glass or some other suitable material, which
can hold the oil or wax.
This container is customarily a red hued cylinder, although
this is not prescribed by law and other shapes and colors have
also been used.
Unless the lamp is shattered or filled to excess, it usually
presents no particular safety issue. Likewise, since nothing is
spilled, the “wax on the floor” argument falls flat.
The oil may be of any kind, although the law has tradition-
ally favored olive oil or some other vegetable oil.
The use of electric lamps is not forbidden but is generally
seen as a last resort solution for particular circumstances.
Apart from the hospital situation mentioned by our reader,
an electric sanctuary lamp could conceivably be used in very
small oratory chapels where the constant lamp smoke would
quickly stain the walls and ceiling or, for the same reason, if
the lamp had to be placed next to a historic piece of art.
Other probable circumstances that would justify the use of
an electric lamp would be isolated places in which obtaining
suitable fuel is difficult or very expensive, or if a chapel has to
be left unattended for a period longer than the habitual dura-
tion of the lamp. This can happen, for example, in communi-
ties where a priest celebrates Mass only about once a month
and leaves sufficient hosts for an extraordinary minister of
holy Communion to administer on the other Sundays.
faith in God form the fundamental worship
and sacrifice of the baptized, made possible
by our sharing in the sacrifice of Jesus. In this
light we can understand Saint Paul’s words in
Romans 12:1, “I appeal to you therefore, broth-
ers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to
present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy
and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual
worship.” Like Jesus we are to offer a living
sacrifice not made up of calves, goats and grain
but of lives dedicated to God. This living sac-
rifice united with Christ’s sacrifice builds up
the Christian community as well. 1 Peter 2:4
rightly states, “Come to him, a living stone,
though rejected by mortals yet chosen and
precious in God’s sight, and like living stones,
let yourselves be built into a spiritual house,
to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sac-
rifices acceptable to God though Jesus Christ.”
It is evident that the living sacrifice of the
baptized includes ethical demands. Saint Paul
tells us that offering our bodies as a living
sacrifice will happen only if we are not con-
formed to this world but are transformed by
the renewing of our minds, so that we may
discern what is the will of God—what is good
and acceptable and perfect (Rm 12:2). Confor-
mity to the will of God is a key to the sacrifice
of life. It also involves living in genuine love,
contributing to the needs of others, rejoicing
with those who rejoice, weeping with those
who weep (Rm 12:9-21). We are back where
we started. Jesus’ sacrifice of obedience to the
Father and communion with weak sinners is
the same sacrifice that the baptized are asked
to offer as a gift to the world. This is so be-
cause we have received his life in baptism.
And in every Eucharistic memorial of Christ’s
sacrifice, we are taken up into its life-giving
power so that we can share it for the life of the
world.
It is ironic that during the public ministry
of Jesus, he was not always perceived as some-
one who offered a sacrifice pleasing to God.
Instead of being praised for being obedient,
he was frequently accused of transgressing the
law of God. No wonder, some people attrib-
uted his miracles to the power of the prince of
demons rather than to Divine intervention.
His critics even took his repeated claims of
oneness with God as blasphemy rather than
as revelation of God’s truth. They concluded
that God was as displeased with him as they
were. He was dangerous for the nation and
the Temple. For indeed Jesus’ sacrifice of obe-
dience took on a seemingly disobedient or
irreverent expression.
fering for those loved by God. But he never
wavered in his sacrifice. In the process he
exposed the false gods that people wor-
shipped, erroneous notions of holiness and
the blindness of righteous people to the visi-
tations of God. Jesus’ sacrifice uncovered the
link between the worship of false gods and
insensitivity to the needy. An idolater easily
loses compassion for the weak. Though he
was judged, Jesus was the one actually judg-
ing the untrue worship that kept people blind
and deaf to the true God and the poor.
The Church that lives the life of Christ and
offers his living sacrifice cannot run away from
its mission to unearth the false gods wor-
shipped by the world. How many people have
exchanged the true God for idols like profit,
prestige, pleasure and control? Those who
worship false gods also dedicate their lives to
them. In reality these false gods are self-inter-
ests. To keep these false gods, their worship-
pers sacrifice other people’s lives and the earth.
It is sad that those who worship idols sacrifice
other people while preserving themselves and
their interests. How many factory workers are
being denied the right wages for the god of
profit? How many women are being sacri-
ficed to the god of domination? How many
children are being sacrificed to the god of lust?
How many trees, rivers, hills are being sacri-
ficed to the god of “progress”? How many
poor people are being sacrificed to the god of
greed? How many defenseless people are be-
ing sacrificed to the god of national security?
The Church however must also constantly
examine its fidelity to Jesus’ sacrifice of obe-
dience to God and compassion for the poor.
Like those who opposed Jesus in the name of
authentic religion, we could be blind to God
and neighbors because of self-righteousness,
spiritual pride and rigidity of mind. Ecclesi-
astical customs and persons, when naively and
narrowly deified and glorified, might become
hindrances to true worship and compassion. I
am disturbed when some people who do not
even know me personally conclude that my
being a bishop automatically makes me closer
to God than they could ever be. My words are
God’s words, my desires are God’s, my anger
is God’s, and my actions are God’s. If I am not
cautious, I might just believe it and start de-
manding the offerings of the best food and
wine, money, car, house, adulation and sub-
mission. After all, I am “God!” I might take so
much delight in my stature and its benefits
that I might end up being callous to the needs
of the poor and the earth.
me. So I want to be there early.” Upon hear-
ing this, the pragmatic side of me surfaced. I
responded, “The Lord will understand if you
extend your working hours. You have a fam-
ily to support. You can benefit from addi-
tional income. I am sure the Lord will under-
stand.” With a smile, she said, “But Bishop,
the Lord has been faithful to me. The Lord
has always been there for us. We may not be
rich but we have enough to live by. Why will
I fear?” Then looking at me tenderly, she said,
“Are you not a Bishop? Are you not supposed
to be encouraging me in faith? I was quite
embarrassed. But for me it was an experience
of spiritual worship. I, the religiously and
culturally accepted presence of God was re-
vealed to be a faltering representation of God.
That simple woman, offering herself to God
in trust for love of her family, became for me
the manifestation of the presence of God. She
had brought the Eucharistic sacrifice and
Jesus’ spiritual worship from the elegant
Cathedral to the noise and dirt of the market
place. God must have been well pleased.
Authentic Adoration
This leads me to the final part of my confer-
ence. Let us briefly reflect on adoration. Wor-
ship is so intimately related to adoration that
they could be considered as one. The sacrifice
or spiritual worship of Jesus on the cross is his
supreme act of adoration. In the Eucharist, the
Church joins Jesus in adoring the God of life.
But the practice of Eucharistic adoration en-
livens some features of worship.
We believe that the presence of Christ in
the Eucharist continues beyond the liturgy.
At any time we can adore the Blessed Sacra-
ment and join the Lord’s self-offering to God
for the life of the world. Adoration connotes
being present, resting, and beholding. In ado-
ration, we are present to Jesus whose sacri-
fice is ever present to us. Abiding in him, we
are assimilated more deeply into his self-giv-
ing. Beholding Jesus, we receive and are trans-
formed by the mystery we adore.
Eucharistic adoration is similar to standing
at the foot of the Cross of Jesus, being a witness
to his sacrifice of life and being renewed by it.
Aside from the Blessed Mother and the Be-
loved Disciple who kept vigil with the dying
Jesus, the Roman centurion who had been
watching over Jesus when he died could also
be a model of adoration. Probably the centu-
rion guarded Jesus from his arrest to his death.
Seeing Jesus betrayed, arrested, accused, hu-
Eucharist / B5
 CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 13
June 23 - July 6, 2008
By Teofilo L. Calicdan
Vision
A Christ-centered community of dis-
ciples rooted in the Word of God, nour-
ished by the Eucharist and the Sacra-
ments, inspired by the Holy Spirit and
witnessing to a life of justice, peace and
love. With sincere concern for the poor
and God’s creation under the patronage
of the Blessed Mother.
Territorial Boundaries
The territory given to the Diocese of
Urdaneta sits on 1,616.22 sq.kms. of
lands in eastern Pangasinan consisting
of 17 municipal and four barangay par-
ishes. It is bounded on the west by the
Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan, on
the south by the Diocese of Tarlac, on
the east by the Diocese of San Jose, on
the north by the Diocese of Baguio, and
on the northeast by the Diocese of San
Fernando, La Union.
Diocese
ately embarked on fixing the kinks in
the Diocese which were natural conse-
quences of the long period of “sede
vacante”. One of the first acts he made
was to pursue the case left behind by the
first administrator—the recovery of the
Diocesan assets. Bishop Galang dog-
gedly worked on this for more than a
year and happily he was able to reach a
satisfactory resolution. Bishop Jesus
Galang died on September 16, 2004,
yielding an incumbency of 12 years,
Pastoral Thrust
The pastoral thrust of this local church
since its creation was the establishment
of this diocese into a basic Christian com-
munity. However, since the new diocese
was not quite ready for this new concept
of being church, it was rightly appraised
that the utmost priority was the man-
power development of both the clergy
and the laity. Thus since then, the dio-
cese marshaled all its resources just to
prepare and dispose the clergy and the
B3
apostolates. Aside from the regular
seminars and training sessions con-
ducted in their respective organizations,
lay leaders undergo special trainings in
different areas of apostolate. Again, as
the diocese is in dire financial want, the
lay leaders themselves spend for the
most part for their training—another in-
dubitable verification of our people’s
magnanimity in making sacrifices for
the local church.
The Diocese of Urdaneta lays no claim

Diocese of Urdaneta
Mission
We, the People of God in the Diocese
of Urdaneta commit ourselves to a re-
newed integral evangelization leading
to a life of prayer and discernment, soli-
darity and harmony, compassion for the
poor while fostering participation, life
witness, respect for human life and
rights, and responsible stewardship of
God’s creation.

Beginnings
The Christianization of the Diocese of
Urdaneta was simultaneous with the
Christianization of the whole province
of Pangasinan when the Augustinians
first came in 1575. They came with the
expedition that was sent to crush the
Chinese pirate, Limahong who had re-
treated to Pangasinan when he failed to
capture Manila. They found the people
unresponsive, unenthusiastic. They then
abandoned the place and moved north.
The Franciscans arrived next, and went
through the same disenchantment. Fa-
thers Roda and Holgado , both
Augustinians, and Fathers Juan Bautista
Pisarro and Sebastian de Boeza, both
Franciscans, are some names mentioned
in the history of the Christianization of
Pangasinan. The Dominicans came and
were most successful at evangelization.
They stayed until the Philippine Revo-
lution at the turn of the century. Later
they founded other towns on the east-
ern portion including Asingan in 1698,
Villasis in 1763, Binalonan in 1841,
Rosales in 1853, Urdaneta in 1863,
Pozorrubio in 1879 and Sison in 1896.

Origin and Creation of Diocese

All the territories of what is now called
the Roman Catholic Diocese of Urdaneta
used to be a part of the Diocese of
Lingayen-Dagupan which was erected
on May 19, 1928, comprising the whole
civil province of Pangasinan, 11 towns
of Tarlac, 10 towns of Nueva Ecija and 3
towns of Zambales. On February 16,
1963, the Diocese of Lingayen-Dagupan
was reconstituted into an archdiocese,
encompassing only the civil province of
Pangasinan, with the towns from Tarlac
and Nueva Ecija being returned to their
respective civil provinces to form two
independent dioceses each, as suffragans
of the new Metropolitan See of Lingayen-
Dagupan.
On January 12, 1985, His Holiness,
Pope John Paul II, by virtue of the papal
Bull, “Non Raro Catholicorum”, erected the
Diocese of Urdaneta, detaching it from
the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan.
The Archdiocese at the time of the divi-
sion had a total population of 1,616,905.
Out of this number 1,374,280 are Catho-
lics, spread out in a land area of 5,630.14
sq.kms. It was such an immense pasture
land that one shepherd would not suf-
fice to lead the flock.
Around 80 percent of the population
traces its origin from the Ilocano prov-
inces, thus making Ilocano as the pre-
dominant dialect. Literacy is compara-
tively high.
IMPORTANT FACTS
Bishop …....………………...... 1
Priests:
Diocesan …………................ 33
Assigned Outside the Diocese .. 3
On Leave ……........................... 2
Retired Priests …..………..... 4
Religious Priests …………… 5
Brother …......…………......
Sisters ……............……… 45
Seminary …....…………….
Seminarians:
Diocesan:
Theology ………….............
Philosophy …………….....
Minor ……………………. ... 23
Religious:
Philosophy ...………………. 27
Diocesan Divisions Vicariates ….. 3
Parishes ………………... 24
Quasi-Parish ……………..
Educational Centers:
Diocesan
Kindergarten ……….……
Grade Schools……………
High Schools………………
Religious
Kindergarten………………
Grade Schools………….
High Schools……………
College………………….
Other Institutions:
Retreat Center …………….
Catechetical Center……….. 1
Home for the Aged………….. 1
Pastoral Center …………… 1
Population………… 732,556
Catholics ……......... 578,384
The province of Pangasinan is part of
what is called the central plain of the
island of Luzon in northern Philippines.
Thus except for some barangays of four
parishes located at the northern and east-
ern boundaries, the topography is in the
main, plain. Its lands are all practically
arable and is watered by the Agno River
and its various tributaries.
Administration
The Most Rev. Pedro G. Magugat,
MSC, DD was appointed as the first Resi-
dential Bishop of the Diocese of Urdaneta
on April 22, 1985. On June 29, 1985 the
decree of erection and the decree of ca-
nonical possession by the new bishop
were executed with the Parish Church
of the Immaculate Conception in
Urdaneta as the seat of the Diocese.
Bishop Magugat steered the diocese
in its pioneering years until he died on
May 5, 1990. His Vicar General, Rev.
Msgr. Aureliano B. Ruiz was elected Di-
ocesan Administrator but he died exactly
six months later, November 5, 1990. A
retired priest in the person of Rt. Rev.
Msgr. Amado M. Lopez succeeded him
and he administered the Diocese
throughout the duration of the “sede
vacante.”
On December 7, 1991, His Holiness
Pope John Paul II, appointed the second
Residential Bishop of Urdaneta, His Ex-
cellency, the Most Rev. Jesus C. Galang,
DD until then the auxiliary Bishop
of Pampanga. The new Bishop
was installed and took ca-
nonical possession of
the Diocese on Feb-
ruary 9, 1992.
He immedi-
1
1
1
4
1
11
11
2
2
2
2
1
1
seven months and one week.
Among the legacies he left behind are
the Bishop’s House, Pope John Paul II
Pastoral Formation Center, Bahay
Kanlungan, Commercial Stalls in many
parishes, recovered and converted com-
mercially-viable Church lands, Diocesan
Integrated Pastoral Plan, four new
Barangay Parishes, and an active Dioc-
esan Finance Council.
The Third Residential Bishop of the
Diocese was appointed by His Holiness
Pope Benedict XVI on September 23, 2005,
in the person of the Most Rev. Jacinto A.
Jose, D.D., who until then was the Dioc-
esan Administrator of the Diocese of
Laoag and Parish Priest of St. William
Cathedral.
The Diocese now runs under the two-
year incumbency of Bishop Jose who
since his arrival has immediately initi-
ated the following projects: the Bahay
Pari (House for the Sick and Elderly
Priests); the construction of the Diocesan
Gym; the renovation of the John Paul II
Pastoral Formation Center; the renova-
tion of the Diocesan Cathedral; but above
all, the creation and implementation of
an effective program for the welfare and
the security of the clergy. This is in con-
sonance with his firm belief that a
healthy clergy will make a
healthy diocese.
to have accomplished much in two de-
lay leaders for the enormous task of
building basic ecclesial communities. cades of its existence. Obviously, much
is still left to be desired. It surely has a
Manpower development of the clergy
was geared towards the building up of a long way to go if only to approximate
its desired goal and objective. For one,
basic Christian community of the
clergy—the forming of a Presbyterium, the plans and programs of the various
commissions, ministries and apostolates
the fusion of the sacramental bond. It
was an inerrant perception that the key could not find full implementation as
the diocese, from want of clerical man-
to success of any diocesan endeavor is a
united and cohesive clergy. The so-called power.
Nonetheless, it struggles to inch its
BEC is but an illusion until it begins with
the presbyterial community. To achieve way towards the building of basic
ecclesial community or what PCP II
this, the diocese embarked on an ambi-
tious and massive On-Going Formation terms as the “Community of Disciples.”
Certainly, it would undergo a long
and Renewal Program, Theological Up-
dating, Social Awareness Programs, and difficult process. But it has
gained its momentum. It has
Community-Building. These were done
on a bi-monthly basis in Bahay Pari in found a strong fulcrum—men
and women, both cleric and
Makati and Home Sweet Home in
Baguio City. lay, and certainly a new
Shepherd, who are
It is significant to note that these
costly programs have no financial willing to lay down
their gifts at the altar
subsidy. Expenses incurred are
shouldered by the priests them- of Church service.
selves: board/lodging, transpor-
tation, honoraria/stipend of fa-
cilitators/resource speakers; an
incontrovertible evidence of
the clergy’s will and desire for
growth and development, as
well as its firm resolve to es-
tablish a community within it-
self.
Formation of the laity has
always been integrated
with the establishment
of the various com-
missions, minis-
tries and
ABOVE: Bishop Jacinto Jose (8th from left) with the clergy of Urdaneta
diocese. ON BACKGROUND: The Immaculate Conception Cathedral
 CBCP Monitor
B4 Commissions Vol. 12 No. 13
June 23 - July 6, 2008

Fr. Luis Supan

The question box

Holy Eucharist (3)
1. Aside from making present the death and resurrection of
the Lord Jesus, what other effects does the sacrament of the
Holy Eucharist produce in the Church?
St. Thomas Aquinas sums up the various aspects of sacra-
mental signs: “Therefore a sacrament is a sign that commemo-
rates what precedes it—Christ’s Passion; demonstrates what is
accomplished in us through Christ’s Passion—grace; and pre-
figures what that Passion pledges to us—future glory” (italics
added; Cf. CCC 1130). These realities are accomplished in the
Eucharist in an eminent degree, since it is the end to which all
the other sacraments tend.

2. What happens when the Holy Eucharist is received?

“The saving efficacy of the sacrifice is fully realized when
the Lord’s body and blood are received in communion. The
Eucharistic Sacrifice is intrinsically directed to the inward

110th anniversary of RP indepen-

union of the faithful with Christ through communion … We
are reminded of his words: ‘As the living Father sent me, and
I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live be-
cause of me’ (Jn 6:57) (Ec de Eu, no. 16). In Holy Communion,

dence celebrated at Collegio Filippino

Christ also grants us his Spirit, “already poured out in Bap-
tism and bestowed as a ‘seal’ in the sacrament of Confirma-
tion” (Ec de Eu, no. 17).

3. How are the Sacraments of Penance (Reconciliation) and

HER Excellency Ambassador
Leonida Vera, Philippine Ambas-
sador to the Holy See (Vatican),
hosted the 110th anniversary of
Philippine Independence at the
Pontificio Collegio Filippino last
12 June 2008. Monsignor Ruperto
Santos, Rector of the Pontificio
Collegio Filippino has been gra-
cious in accommodating this an-
nual event at this residence of Fili-
pino priests doing special stud-
ies in Rome.
The celebration began with the
Eucharist at 5:00 PM, which was
presided by Archbishop
Fernando Filoni, Substitute for the
General Affairs of the Secretariat
of State, the third most important
position at the Vatican. Arch-
bishop Filoni was Apostolic Nun-
cio to the Philippines before his
present post at the Vatican. The
other principal concelebrants
were Archbishop Francesco
Monterisi, Secretary of the Con-
gregation of Bishops, and Arch-
bishop Francisco Padilla, Apos-
tolic Nuncio to Papua New
Guinea. Also, His Eminence Jose
Cardinal Sanchez was present
with around seventy priests
(mostly Filipino priests) as
concelebrants. Members of the
diplomatic corps, brothers and
sisters of religious congregations,
seminarians and some leaders of
Filipino communities joined in
the celebration.
Archbishop Filoni concluded
his moving homily with a spe-
cial word of appreciation for
Ambassador Vera as she prepares
to end her term as Ambassador
to the Holy See. He said: “I wish
to express my sentiments of pro-
found esteem and spiritual com-
munion, knowing how she has
accompanied me in my work
with her continual prayers. I
greatly appreciate the way she
has conducted the relationship
between the Philippines and the
Holy See, how she has been at-
tentive to this College, to the Bish-
ops and Priests. Ambassador
Vera, I could go on…But please
accept my expression of grati-
tude for all that you have done,
and accept the assurance of my
prayers especially during this
Holy Mass. We will continue to
accompany you with the same
esteem and affection.”
Indeed, Ambassador Vera is
deeply and widely appreciated
for her simplicity, graciousness
and hospitality not only by the
members of the diplomatic corps
accredited to the Holy See but also
by the Vatican officials. She has
effectively combined “faith, food
and friendship” as her natural
way of proceeding in her diplo-
matic mission. Combining “faith
and food” is shown by her daily
attendance at mass with adora-
tion and by her generosity in
feeding the Filipino migrant
communities and others, all out
of her own resources. She always
says that she just wants to share
her blessings.
The other staff members at the
Philippine Embassy to the Holy
See are also known for their
availability in serving the needs
of Filipino bishops, priests, reli-
gious, seminarians and migrants.
Their prompt service and high
quality work are deeply appreci-
ated by our Filipino visitors
whenever they request assistance
for Vatican-related functions.
Moreover, the leaders and coor-
dinators of around fifty religious
organizations of Filipino mi-
grants have considered the Em-
bassy as a familiar place of con-
solation and communion where
they share their common con-
cerns during their regular meet-
ings.
The unexpected news of Am-
bassador Vera’s resignation some
months ago caused so much con-
cern among the Filipino commu-
nities who consider her as a
trusted friend, mother and bene-
factress. Her availability and ac-
tive participation in many reli-
gious activities have edified our
Eucharist related?
Filipino migrants. Thus, amidst
“Because the Eucharist makes present the redeeming sacri-
the various problems affecting
fice of the Cross, perpetuating it sacramentally, it naturally
the governance of the country,
gives rise to a continuous need for conversion, for a personal
Ambassador Vera projected the
response to the appeal made by Saint Paul to the Christians at
consoling presence of the Philip-
Corinth: ‘We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled
pine Embassy to the Filipino
to God’ (2 Cor 5:20). If a Christian’s conscience is burdened by
communities.
serious sin, then the path of penance through the sacrament of
Ambassador Vera never ex-
Reconciliation becomes necessary for full participation in the
pected to be involved in the dip-
Eucharistic Sacrifice” (Ec de Eu, no. 37). “The Catechism of the
lomatic mission since she had no
Catholic Church rightly stipulates that ‘anyone conscious of a
special training in this work. She
grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before
is known more by her close
coming to communion” (ibid, no. 36; Cf. CCC 1385).
friends as a devoted mother to
her family, a faithful volunteer
4. Why is the Holy Eucharist the pledge of eternal life and
in charity organizations and an
future glory?
active lay collaborator in the
“Those who feed on Christ in the Eucharist need not wait
Archdiocese of Manila. Yet, these
until the hereafter to receive eternal life: they already possess
personal qualities sustained her
it on earth, as the first-fruits of a future fullness which will
work during these four years in
embrace man in his totality. For in the Eucharist we also
office. Thus, she belonged to a
receive the pledge of our bodily resurrection at the end of the
distinguished line of past Philip-
world: ‘He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eter-
pine Ambassadors to the Holy
nal life, and I will raise him up at the last day’ (Jn 6:54). This
See who answered the call of self-
pledge of the future resurrection comes from the fact that the
less service as diplomats after
flesh of the Son of Man, given as food, is his body in its glori-
they were highly recommended
ous state after the resurrection” (Ec de Eu, no. 18).
by the local Church.
The Filipinos in Rome and in
5. How should the Holy Eucharist influence our present life?
other places in Italy are truly
“A significant consequence of the eschatological tension in-
grateful to Ambassador Vera for
herent in the Eucharist is also the fact that it spurs us on our
her dedicated service. Her per-
journey through history and plants a seed of living hope in our
sonal example of faith and gen-
daily commitment to the work before us. Certainly the Chris-
erosity will surely serve as a last-
tian vision leads to the expectation of ‘new heavens’ and ‘a new
ing inspiration to all those who
earth’ (Rev 21:1). But this increases, rather than lessens, our
love her as their “mother away
sense of responsibility for the world today” (Ec de Eu, no. 20).
from home”. (Fr. Jose V.C.
Quilongquilong, S.J.)

Honoring St. Paul in

the Philippines
The Apostle to the Gentiles is vener-
ated in different parishes and chapels
throughout the Philippines. The follow-
ing can be appropriate pilgrimage sites:
NORTH LUZON
Conversion of St. Paul Parish
Sayangan, Atok, Benguet
Conversion of St. Paul Parish
Tuba, Benguet
St. Paul Chapel
Police Regional Office
CARR, Camp Bado Dangwa
La Trinidad, Benguet
St. Paul the Apostle Parish
Poblacion, Hingyon, Ifugao
San Pablo Seminary Parish Chapel
Crystal Cave Road, Baguio City
Conversion of St. Paul Parish
(Cathedral) Vigan, Ilocos Sur
St. Paul the Apostle Parish
Cabagan, Isabela
St. Paul the Apostle Parish
San Pablo, Isabela
8 delegates from RP attend
World Biblical Assembly
EIGHT delegates from the Phil-
ippines will participate in a
worldwide gathering of Biblical
scholars in Dar Es Salaam, Africa
from June 22 to July 3 for the 7th
Plenary Assembly of the Catho-
lic Biblical Federation (CBF).
Bishop Arturo Bastes, SVD,
Chairman of the Episcopal Com-
mission on the Biblical
Apostolate (ECBA), also the
moderator of the Executive
Committee of the CBF and presi-
dent of Philippine Bible Society
leads the group of RP delegates.
The roster of participants in-
clude Bishop Renato Mayugba,
DD (Lingayen-Dagupan), Chair-
man of John Paul I Regional Bib-
lical Center of Northern Luzon
and Cordillera, Fr. Dominador
Ramos, SVD, president of Divine
Word College, Urdaneta and
former Director of John Paul I Bib-
lical Center, Sr. Miriam
Alejandrino, OSB (exegete), Miss
Mary Almonte (Mother of Life),
Sr. Antonia Anas SIHM (BA Di-
rector SIHM), Miss Estrella del
Mar (Cebu Lay Formation Cen-
ter) and Fr. Oscar Alunday (ECBA).
The Plenary Assembly with a
registered number of 230 del-
egates is considered to be the
most attended ever in its history.
The theme is “God’s Word,
Source of Reconciliation, Justice
and Peace.”
Significant worldwide issues
are set to be tackled during the
Assembly which will give impe-
tus to the upcoming African
Synod that will take place three
months before the Bishops’ Synod
on the Word of God in Rome on
October 2008. It will contribute
to the preparation of the unique
World Church event.
Likewise, it will offer the delegates
a rare opportunity to meet, exchange,
plan and celebrate together once
again as a worldwide Federation.
The Plenary Assembly of the
Catholic Biblical Federation is
held every six years. The previ-
ous Assemblies took place in
Vienna (1996), Malta (1978), Ban-
galore (1984), Bogotá (1990),
Hong Kong (1996), and Beirut
(2002) (Pinky Barrientos, FSP)

CENTRAL LUZON

St. Paul the Apostle Parish

Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija
Legitimate / B2

St. Paul the Apostle Parish
Niugan, Angat, Bulacan
St. Paul Novitiate Chapel
Society of St. Paul
Km 76 Mac Arthur Highway
Greenfields Subdivision
Sindalan, San Fernando, Pampanga
METRO MANILA
St. Paul the Apostle Parish
3 Scout Rallos cor. Mo. Ignacia St.
Quezon City
San Pablo Apostol Parish
E. Jacinto St., Magsaysay Village
Tondo, Manila
St. Peter and St. Paul Parish
5539 D.M. Rivera St. Poblacion
Makati City
Sanctuary of St. Paul
Society of St. Paul
7708 St. Paul St.
San Antonio Village, Makati City
Unless the invalidity of the first and origi-
nal marriage in the present case is defini-
tively declared by competent ecclesiastical
tribunals after due process—i.e., after con-
curring sentences by the tribunal of the first
and second instances—the original couple
remain husband and wife in the eyes of God
and of the Church.
Thus, any posterior marriage would be
invalid by reason of the impediment of an
existing marriage bond (c.1085). In other
words, in the present case, a second canoni-
cal marriage could not have been validly cel-
ebrated (although presumably a civil mar-
riage could have been, subsequent to a civil
declaration of marriage nullity or civil an-
nulment of the first and original marriage).
This is clearly laid down by the Code of Canon
Law:
Can. 1085 — §1. A person who is held to
the bond of a prior marriage, even if it has
not been consummated, invalidly attempts
(a posterior) marriage.
§2. Even if the prior marriage is invalid or dis-
solved for any reason whatsoever, it is not on that
account permitted to contract another before the
nullity or the dissolution of the prior marriage has
been legitimately and certainly established.
What this means is that only after the first
and original marriage has been duly declared
invalid by the competent ecclesiastical tribu-
nals—i.e., by concurring sentences of a Tri-
bunal of First Instance and an Appellate Tri-
bunal—can a subsequent canonical marriage
take place validly.
Conclusion: Illegitimacy of the Children of
the Second Union
Since there would have been no valid ca-
nonical marriage to speak of in the second
union, the children born therefrom would
be absolutely illegitimate by Church stan-
dards, being children born out of wedlock.
As a final word, however, it would be good
to keep in mind that the children of the sec-
ond union—though illegitimate—have
rights, both as persons and as natural chil-
dren of their father: rights however that can-
not be equiparated with the rights of the le-
gitimate children, without detriment to the
reality and sanctity of canonical marriage it-
self.
Women’s group launches series
of talks on women’s rights
THE Women and Gender Com-
mission of the Association of
Major Religious Superiors in the
Philippines (WGC-AMRSP) is set
to launched a series of educa-
tional activities this year as part
of its advocacies upholding the
rights of women.
A training seminar on the topic
of Violence against Women and
Children was held last June 20 to
be held at WGC office at 1348
Quintos St., cor. Maria Clara,
Sampaloc, Manila.
The seminar provided an up-
date on the current situation of
violence committed against
women and children, and gave a
clear understanding of the law
called R.A. 9262.
Resource persons include Miss
Janet de Leon of Women Crisis
Center who will talked on the
experiences of handling cases of
R.A. 9262, and Atty. Irish Fe
Aguilar of Saligan who gave the
legal aspect and the implemen-
tation of R.A. 9262.
R.A. 9262, also known as the
Anti-Violence Against Women
and Their Children Act of 2004
refers to any act or series of
acts inflicted by a person
against a woman that result in
physical, sexual, psychological
harm or suffering, or eco-
nomic abuse.
Both speakers are experts on
the issue of violence committed
against women and children.
Participants include religious
men and women and mission
partners. (Pinky Barrientos,
FSP)
CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 13
June 23 - July 6, 2008 Statements B5

The delegates to the Asia-Pacific Justice and Workers Networking Meeting held at the RVM Betania Retreat House, Quezon City last June 16-20.

Large scale mining Solidarity Statement to

is not moral, fair the Marginalized
and just
THE diocese of Marbel, once again, would like to reiterate that
Peoples in the Asia-
Pacific Region
it is not against development. Like all other sectors, it aspires
for a life of comfort for all members of society. In the same
vein, the diocese is one with the rest that natural resources
which are abundant in SOCSARGEN came from God for hu-
man development. Therefore, the diocese fully supports en-
deavors for a moral, fair, just and sustainable utilization of
natural resources.
Having said the above, the clergy of the diocese of Marbel “Trust in the Lord, be strong, be courageous-Yes, put your hope in the Lord” (Psalm 27, v.14)
would like to pose some questions regarding the present
government’s trend of natural resources’ utilization. Is large WE, the various network mem- It is also a let-down that a sus- government to stop the abuse authentic dialogue based on
scale mining especially the use of open pit mining method a bers of the 7th Asia-Pacific Justice tainable environment or the in- of Mother Earth and the injus- ecumenism and human rights.
moral, fair and just utilization in the inhabited, and agricul- and Peace Workers Forum Net- tegrity of creation is compro- tice resulted by this plunderous
tural area? Is to oppose large scale mining presence in work, represented by 12 coun- mised in the name of a flawed act. Stop the Marginalization of
SOCSARGEN for environmental, social and even long term tries of the region, express sup- developmental paradigm that is Peace!
economic reasons anti-development? port to the many initiatives of the both pragmatic and short-sighted Stop the Marginalization of These marginalizations expe-
Global warming, climate change and food shortages are Asia-Pacific Faith-based organi- in its developmental goals for a Mother Earth! rienced in the Philippines are true
presently the immediate threats to human existence. Large zations in opposing a worsening country. This kind of develop- Disturbed by the massive and common to most of the coun-
scale mining activities never address but rather aggravate these Marginalization of Mother Earth, mental paradigm with an already displacement of peoples as a tries in the Asia-Pacific region
threats. It is not only ironic but highly immoral to aggres- Marginalization of the Poor, and limited natural resources of a result of an unequal distribu- such as, among others, the peace
sively pursue revitalizing mining industry in the wake of glo- Marginalization of Peace in the coun- country will leave a lasting tion of the country’s wealth for and democratic conflicts in Sri
bal food shortages. It is grievously immoral to extract pre- tries of Asia and Pacific. legacy of poverty in the short to the common good, that many Lanka, Burma, East Timor, Paki-
cious mineral deposits of a third world country like the Phil- We are dismayed of the fact long terms. of the unemployed leave their stan and the Middle East, the
ippines, in the process inflicting injurious damage to the agri- that many of the rural poor and These types of injustices to the homes, families and lands to struggle to defend the Japanese
cultural sector and aquatic resources of SOCSARGEN, to serve indigenous peoples continue to environment to which we human look for greener pastures be- Constitution’s Article 9 renounc-
the metallic needs of highly developed countries like China face displacement, loss of their beings belong and are called to par- cause of the dissatisfying prom- ing war, massive mining opera-
and India. lands and livelihood due to min- ticipate as stewards can never be re- ises of security and employ- tions in India and Indonesia, and
Land use conversion of watershed, forestal and/or agricul- ing activities. More so we are sponsible human endeavors! The ment, hence, we urge the Phil- religious persecutions and dis-
tural areas deprives thousands of farmers and fisher folks in saddened of the vigorous pro- Integrity of Creation is a moral ippine government to take just criminations, in which the Justice
SOCSARGEN of their sustainable source of livelihood. motion of mining in the guise imperative during this time of and fair perspective of security and Peace workers of the region
As experienced in areas where mining has been done, it has of giving economic prosperity, wanton and mindless destruction and develop an integral and are concerned with.
depleted water supply, whether for residential or agricultural jobs to the local people, revenues of environment. Christian measures to protect In solidarity with the whole
use. Toxic waste and dusts produced during the processing of to LGUs even as governments in Understanding the alarming migrant workers. Filipino people, we urge the na-
mineral ores cause havoc to marine and human lives. What Asia have yet to prove a devel- degradation and exploitation of Stop the Marginalization of the tional government to show pref-
lessons have we learned from Placerdome mining in oped province, city or munici- the Philippine environment Poor! erential option for the poor es-
Marinduque after it rendered two rivers dead and caused un- pality through mining opera- through the aggressive promo- Aghast of the continuous con- pecially the many marginalized
accounted cases of respiratory and skin illness to its residents, tions. Worse, when mining op- tion of mining which lead to the flict between Filipinos that sectors like the indigenous
aside from mere verbal assurances from the government; the erations are completed, they indignification of the integrity makes the whole nation divided. peoples, rural and urban poor,
so-called “state of the art” mining technology in Rapu-rapu leave the mined-area polluted of creation, with the Catholic We recommend the resumption migrant workers and defenders
that poisoned marine products? and unrehabilitated as in the Bishops Conference of the Phil- of peace processes with respect of the environment.
Mining would not have been a hard pill to swallow for the many cases of abandoned min- ippines’ consistent concern on to cultures, beliefs and dignity of
poor communities in mining areas if history has shown these ing sites in the region. the issue, we strongly urge the every human person through an June 19, 2008
communities to have attained real development: peace and
order is maintained, communities are economically secured
and empowered and not mere subordinates of mining compa- Pauline / B1
nies, human health is robust and their environment is clean.
Unfortunately, these never happened in Surigao, Benguet, “Plenary Indulgence may be gained by the faithful, in other places designated by the or- on St. Paul is being organized. Bishop
Marinduque and Samar after years of mining history. Only Christian faithful, either for themselves or dinary.” Virgilio ‘Ambo’ David, Auxiliary Bishop
the mining companies who run off with their profits benefited. for the deceased, as many times as the afore- 3. The faithful who, “through sickness or of the Archdiocese of San Fernando is
At present, government records show that more than thirty mentioned acts are undertaken; it remains other legitimate or important reason”, are tapped as the speaker for the first among
mining sites have been abandoned by companies and need the case, however, that Plenary Indulgence unable to leave their homes, may still obtain several symposia slated for the Pauline
rehabilitation. may be obtained only once a day. the Plenary Indulgence if, with the soul com- Year. Venue is at the San Carlos Seminary
While the clergy of the diocese of Marbel recognizes that “In order that the prayers pronounced on pletely removed from attachment to any Auditorium.
the country is reeling from economic crisis, it is convinced these holy visits may lead and draw the souls form of sin and with the intention of observ- The nuns of St. Paul de Chartres are com-
that the government is not left with mining alone as the ONLY of the faithful to a more intense veneration ing, as soon as they can, the usual three con- ing up with a vigil prayer, Pauline concert
option for recovery. The vast agricultural land remains wait- of the memory of St. Paul, the following con- ditions, “spiritually unite themselves to a Ju- and stage plays regarding the life of St. Paul.
ing to be tapped for its full potential towards food security ditions are laid down: the faithful, apart from bilee celebration in honor of St. Paul, offer- These activities will be held at St. Paul Uni-
and people’s sustainable economic benefits. The impressive pronouncing their own prayers before the ing their prayers and suffering to God for versity Campus in Pasig City.
natural landscapes, different bodies of water, rich marine re- altar of the Blessed Sacrament, must go to the the unity of Christians.” St Pauls Publication, run by the Society of
sources and cultural heritage in the region offer vast potential altar of the Confession and pray the ‘Our Fa- St. Paul Fathers and Brothers, recently re-
for local and foreign ecotourism that offer more sustainable ther’ and the ‘Creed’, adding pious invoca- Pauline Year in the Philippines leased several new titles of books related to
economic activity for all sectors. Large scale mining compro- tions in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary The official opening of the Pauline Year in St. Paul. Posters and other memorabilia for
mises ecological balance and invites many social ills while and St. Paul; and such acts of devotion must Manila will be held on June 30, 2008 at 9 the Pauline Year are on sale at all St Paul’s
agriculture and ecotourism, aside from being truly sustain- remain closely linked to the memory of the o’clock in the morning. The concelebrated bookstore and outlets. The Daughters of St.
able and environmentally sound, secures the future genera- Prince of the Apostles St Peter”. Mass, to be presided by His Eminence Paul have likewise published new books and
tion of a healthy world and non-renewable mineral deposits 2. Christian faithful from the various local Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, will be held at mini media on St. Paul in celebration of the
to be tapped, when history has broken the curse of mining Churches, under the usual conditions (sacra- the Manila Cathedral. Different religious Pauline Year.
hazards. mental Confession, Eucharistic communion, Congregations and institutions that adopted On their part, the bishops and other mem-
The clergy will continue to be determined and united in its prayer in keeping with the intentions of the the name of St. Paul have joined together to bers of the Episcopal Commission on the
stand against any undertaking that promotes only corporate Supreme Pontiff) and completely unattached form a four-voice chorale to provide music Bible Apostolate (ECBA) are organizing a
greed like large scale open pit mining, undermining environ- to any form of sin, may still obtain the Ple- for the grand celebration. Bible Week. Final date and venue will be
mental, social and economic justice, ecological balance and nary Indulgence if they participate devotedly The Catholic-run radio station Radio announced at a later date.
cultural legacy for the present and future generation. in a religious function or in a pious exercise Veritas introduced a segment entitled ‘The On June 29, 2009 the Papal Nuncio to the
held publicly in honor of the Apostle of Voice of St. Paul’ in its regular program Philippines will preside in a ceremony mark-
+ MOST REV. DINUALDO D. GUTIERREZ, DD, the Gentiles: on the days of the solemn open- ‘Katesismong Pinoy’. The program is aired ing the conclusion of the Pauline Year. He
and the Clergy of the Diocese of Marbel, ing and closing of the Pauline Year in any live over DZRV 846 khz every Saturday 8:00 will also be the homilist in the concelebrated
June 4, 2008 place of worship; on the other days deter- to 9:00 pm. Mass to be held at the Sanctuary of St. Paul in
mined by the local Ordinary, in holy places For priests, religious educators and other Makati City run by the Pauline Fathers and
named for St. Paul and, for the good of the St. Paul enthusiasts, a regular symposium Brothers.
 CBCP Monitor
B6 Reflections Vol. 12 No. 13
June 23 - July 6, 2008

Peter and Paul: Rock and Water Paul as the

Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul (Mt. 16:13-19; June 29, 2008)
Interpreter of the
Scriptures of Israel
Illustration by Bladimer Usi

By Bernardita Dianzon, FSP

PAUL was a man of one book— the Scriptures of Israel—or

By Fr. Paul J. Marquez,
SSP
LARGER-than-life statues of St.
Peter and St. Paul welcome the
pilgrim to St. Peter’s Basilica in
Rome. St. Peter is seen holding
the key while St. Paul holds a
book and a sword. The promi-
nent place these two apostle-mar-
tyrs occupy at the seat of
Christendom indicates the spe-
cial honor and unique privilege
that the Church accords to both
apostles as ‘pillars of the Church’.
Today the universal Church
celebrates with great joy their dies
natalis, the day when Peter and
Paul generously gave their lives
for the sake of the gospel. This
took place about the year 67 AD
during the watch of Herod as
king and Nero as emperor. Peter
is crucified upside down at the
Vatican hill while Paul is be-
headed at Via Ostia, just outside
Rome. The two apostles’ coura-
geous witness to the faith
emboldened Christians every-
where and more were added to
their number.
Neither Peter nor Paul were
born as saints, but each of them
grew to become one. Their com-
mon vocation draws its origin in
Jesus’ call and flourished with his
guiding spirit and inspiration.
Peter, who is originally Simon
the Galilean fisherman became
Cephas, a name which means
Bo Sanchez
‘rock’. As such, he became a
“fisher of men”, the chief pastor
to the people of Christ. He like-
wise served as the bedrock of
unity for the ancient church.
On the other hand, Paul (whose
Hebrew name is Saul, in honor
of Israel’s first king) was an intel-
lectual and a cosmopolitan citi-
zen of Rome who became apostle
to the gentiles. As such, he con-
stantly broke new grounds,
formed several Christian commu-
nities, sustained their growth by
communicating to them through
letters. Paul always pushed the
frontiers and is very fluid like
water. He writes to the Corin-
thians: “The love of Christ urges us
on.” (2 Cor 5:14).
Initially, Peter and Paul relied
heavily on their own strength
before they learned to trust in the
love of Christ. They were passion-
ate and self-driven individuals
but Christ hardly figured in their
experience. Do you recall when
Peter wanted to walk on the wa-
ter to go to Jesus? At Jesus’ bid-
ding Peter is able to do so but
starts sinking when his faith is
overcome by fear. In today’s gos-
pel, Peter is extremely satisfied
with his answer to Jesus’ question
regarding his identity: “You are
the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
If we read further on the Bible,
it does not take long before Jesus
calls Peter ‘a stumbling block’ for
the gospel, an ‘adversary’ or
worst of all, ‘Satan’. Jesus rebukes
Peter who wanted to spare Jesus
from every pain and suffering.
Peter follows Jesus to the house
of the high-priest, only to find
out how he (Peter) himself cracks
under pressure. The innocent re-
mark of a servant-girl is enough
to bring Peter to his right sense:
“You, too, were with Jesus of Gali-
lee” (Mt 26: 69). Thrice he is given
the chance to stand beside Jesus,
but thrice Peter denied him. And
so thrice did the cock crow.
Peter’s absolute certainties are
soon washed in his tears. Later,
the risen Christ will show him-
self to Peter and rehabilitate him
with the three-fold commission-
ing: “Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep.
Feed my sheep” (Jn 21:15-17).
Like Peter, Saul of Tarsus is a
man who is very sure of himself.
As a Pharisee, he defends the pu-
rity of the teachings found in the
Torah. Thus, it becomes Saul’s
sworn duty to eliminate the
group of Christians known as the
‘Way’ who introduces a Messiah
known to be Jesus. When Saul
later meets Jesus on the way to
Damascus, Saul’s life will change
forever. Saul’s absolute certain-
ties crumble in the Damascus
dust. Instead of pursuing the
Christians, Saul himself is pur-
sued by Jesus Christ. From that
time onwards, he will use his
Roman name, Paul, and will
preach about Jesus “who loved me
and gave his life for me” (Gal 2: 20).
Peter and Paul grew in their
knowledge of Jesus Christ on a
deeply personal basis. Peter en-
joyed the privilege to have seen
and lived with Jesus in the flesh.
Jesus was always around to be
his guiding light even if Peter
erred and fumbled several times.
Paul also enjoyed a great privi-
lege no less than that of Peter.
Although Paul never met Jesus
physically, his experience was
unique since it is the risen Christ
who spoke to him and chose him
to be an apostle to the gentiles.
This singular and most stirring
experience was enough to bring
a turn-about to Paul’s future,
thereupon considering every-
thing else to be ‘rubbish’.
In the end, what mattered most
for Peter and Paul was the plea-
sure and privilege of having
known and having worked for
Jesus Christ. Today we rejoice in
the truth that our Church is built
on the strong foundation of the
apostles, different yet comple-
menting each other. Peter with
his keys governed the Church
heroically. Paul with the Word
of God brought the Church to
mission. May we bring various
charisms in the service of the
Church today so as to build on
the memory of our spiritual gi-
ants who did not glory anymore
in their own absolute certainties,
but only in the thought that Jesus
Christ loves them, and is able to
create new wonders, and breathe
new life, despite our puny selves.
what we, Christians, call today the ‘Old Testament’. As a typi-
cal Jew, Paul believed that the one true God and mighty sov-
ereign of the world made a covenant with the nation Israel.
They became his chosen people, his prized possession. God’s
dealings with Israel were enshrined in sacred documents which
were written and compiled over hundreds of years. As a Phari-
see, Paul’s whole life was committed to the study and inter-
pretation of these sacred writings. The stories that they con-
tained, their images, symbols, and vocabulary, were so im-
pressed in his mind, that they conditioned his perception of
the world, of God’s promised deliverance of his people, and
of his own place in God’s scheme of things.
When Paul became a Christian, he did not reject these sa-
cred writings, but rather saw everything in them pointing to
the figure of Jesus Christ as their final fulfillment. Though
caught up in the tension between his Jewish heritage and his
new Christian convictions, Paul insistently tried to show that
his proclamation of the Gospel was grounded in the witness
of Israel’s sacred texts. While continuing to listen to the au-
thoritative voice of Israel’s Scriptures, he engaged in a serious
reappropriation of their contents. He now viewed everything
through the lenses of God’s action in Jesus Christ, whom he
understood to be the embodiment of the faithfulness of the
God of Israel. God has kept his word, and this ‘Word’ came
into the world in flesh, in the person of Jesus Christ. Paul’s
proclamation of the Good News, therefore, did not depart
from his understanding of Israel’s vocation to be the ‘light to
the nations’. He saw this vocation being fulfilled in Jesus
Christ—the faithful Israelite—and in those who are now ‘in
him’—the Messianic community.
Paul recognized how the Scriptures’ witness to God’s past
dealings with Israel could shed light on his communities’
present situation and enable them to deal with the problems
at hand. At the same time, he saw that God’s present action in
his communities could deepen their understanding of God’s
past dealings with his people Israel. When Paul wrote pasto-
ral letters to help his communities grapple with their new
identity ‘in Christ’ and its demands in terms of behavior and
action, he could not have imagined that his writings would
subsequently form part of a new collection of sacred writ-
ings—the Christian ‘New Testament’. In fact, some of his di-
rectives were very specific and tailored to the situations he
was addressing. They were unique responses to concrete cir-
cumstances and were not meant to be taken as universal pro-
nouncements that would retain their validity outside their
specific historical context. Examples of such pronouncements
are those that subvert Israel’s favored status before God, as in
the polemic Letter to the Galatians. Here, Paul was redefining
God’s covenant with Abraham, in order to argue for the inclu-
sion of the Gentiles in God’s plan of salvation. He destroyed
the base of his opponents’ arguments by reinterpreting the
‘offspring’ (literally, ‘seed’) of Abraham as referring not to
the whole nation Israel but to Jesus Christ alone (cf. Gal 3:16;

The fastest guy doesn’t win

Gen 22:18). Then he crowned his argument with the conclu-
sion that— to be ‘in Christ Jesus’ through faith and baptism, is
to be a descendant of Abraham, and therefore, member of the
covenant nation and heir to the promises God made to

the race
“BO, you’re a workaholic!”
Every time I heard that line, I swelled with
pride within, hid it beneath a shy smile, and
muttered, “Aw shucks, maybe just a little. But
thank you anyway…”
I loved being a workaholic! And I loved it
when others told me I was one!
At a time when the word “multi-tasking”
wasn’t invented yet, I was already an avid
practitioner. I was head of several Catholic
communities (I lost count somewhere along
the way), chairman of an aggressive Catho-
lic publications firm, and director of a new
ministry for the poor. Add to that my pas-
sion as a writer and preacher—traveling here
and abroad—and you’ll get an idea of the
kind of insane lifestyle I lived.
But I was proud of that busy, albeit ha-
rassed, schedule.
I didn’t (and couldn’t) walk or drive from
meeting to meeting. I had to rush, and zoom,
and dash, and whisk, and jet, and zip, and
race, and torpedo my way!
In other words, I didn’t have time to live.
Well one day, I just realized I was doing it
all wrong.
Because no matter how hard or how fast I
worked, I didn’t feel I was going anywhere.
My relationships weren’t growing. I felt I
wasn’t genuinely loving people anymore.
Nor was I enjoying life. Even God seemed
far away.
I woke up and realized that workaholism was
a disease. (For me, it was an addiction of try-
ing to win the love of people. I was running
away from who I was, which deep within, I
didn’t like very much.)
So finally, one glorious day, I made a cru-
cial choice.
I decided to semi-retire.
And I decided to really live.
Because I realized I got the rules all wrong.
The fastest guy didn’t win the race.
But the guy who had the most love—and
joy and peace—at the finish line.
Winners were those who had the relaxed
time of smelling beautiful flowers along the
way. Winners had the ability to stop what-
ever they were doing to encourage other
wounded runners. And winners had the
power to sing most of the way.
One day, I simply gave up 80 percent of
my responsibilities to friends who could do
a better job. (When you think that I was do-
ing the work of five men, giving up that 80
percent only meant that I’m finally doing
what one man should be doing!)
Now, I have time to smell the flowers.
To taste my food.
To breathe fresh air.
To enjoy majestic scenery.
To listen to the music of the wind.
To gaze at my wife and see how lovely she is.
To laugh with old friends and thank God
for each of them.
And to love. (To really, really, really love.)
Abraham. (Gal 3:25-29).
As interpreter of Israel’s Scriptures, “Paul saw himself as a
prophetic figure, carrying forward the proclamation of God’s
word as Israel’s prophets and sages had always done, in a way
that reactivated past revelation under new conditions.”1 Paul’s
interpretive approach was always pastoral and geared towards
the building up of his communities—strengthening their iden-
tity, transforming their consciousness, and orienting their
actions. Paul did not merely read Israel’s Scriptures as history
of God’s dealings with Israel, but saw them as a treasury of
symbols, images and metaphors that could be used as paral-
lels and analogies for the proclamation of the Gospel. He
found in them numerous prefigurations of the revelatory event
of Christ’s death and resurrection and the formation of the
Messianic community, which is the Church. Paul led his com-
munities, through imaginative reading of Scriptures, to find
themselves and their own experiences figured in the stories
of Israel, and to understand the promises contained in the
Scriptures as being fulfilled right in their own time and in
their own lives. He taught them to read Scriptures with confi-
dence in the God who would always be true to his promises
and would never disappoint those who hope in him.
Thus, for Paul, Scriptures were not only a relic of antiquity, but
a living and ongoing relationship with the God of Israel, the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the “Abba” and Father of us all.
1Richard Hays, Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul (London: Yale
University Press, 1989), 14.

Fr. Roy Cimagala

SOME weeks ago, we observed
the solemnity of Corpus Christi,
the liturgical celebration of the
Body and Blood of Christ.
Usually after the Mass, a pro-
cession of the Blessed Sacrament
is made around town, drawing a
big crowd of devotees. In some
communities, the celebration is
extended to a week-long adora-
tion of the Eucharist.
They are Christian practices,
happily common in many places
all over the world and deeply
rooted in the long history of our
Church tradition.
In our country, these practices
are still popular, thanks be to God.
But they certainly need a lot of
boosting, given the secularizing
tendencies of our times. We ought
to be more aware of this concern
that should involve all of us.
To date, we already have a very
comprehensive theology about
this central mystery of our faith.
And a good number of relevant
spiritualities have developed
through the ages. There also are
several groups who ardently dedi-
cate themselves to this devotion.
Just the same, we need to mul-
tiply and sustain our efforts to
transform this Eucharistic devo-
tion into a Eucharistic life, in-
volving not only a few or even
many people, but in fact all of us,
as it should.
This is because the Eucharist is
the source and summit of our
Christian life. It’s where we have
Christ sacramentally present and
where he continues to offer his
life on the cross for us and who
gives himself as our spiritual
food.
Eucharistic life
To put it bluntly, our Chris-
tianity ceases if this sacrament
gets completely obliterated.
This truth of our faith is that
with his death Christ has not left
us orphans. He continues to be
with us, through the sacraments
and in the Church, thanks to the
Holy Spirit who extends Christ’s
presence and work throughout
time without any diminution,
regardless of our conditions.
Especially through the sacra-
ment of the Holy Eucharist, Christ
has not left us not only with some
symbols and signs alone.
Through the liturgy, the real
Christ, in the entirety of his di-
vinity and humanity, who is now
seated in the right hand of his
Father, comes to us, remains here
on earth and makes himself inti-
mately available to us.
With this sacrament, Christ and
us are not held hostage by the
limitations of space and time. We
manage to be together—in fact,
in so direct and personal a way
as to be properly termed as com-
munion, a union of life and love.
With this sacrament, time and
eternity merge, and so do heaven
and earth. United to it, even our
smallest and most insignificant
detail in our life, including our
sufferings and things we don’t
like, acquire eternal and redemp-
tive value.
This is the supreme treasure of
a truth that we all need to be more
aware of. Hopefully, we can then
start to earnestly conform our
whole life to this reality—our
thoughts and desires, our feel-
ings, outlook and attitudes, etc.
In fact, this is the ideal that we
should pursue always. This is be-
cause the Eucharist, the real Christ
in the sacrament, is the ultimate
and constant food for our life. We
don’t depend on food, water and
air. We depend on Christ.
And neither do we depend on
our intellectual progress and tech-
nological and scientific advance-
ment. These things can be very
impressive. But they don’t com-
pletely satisfy our soul. We long
for more. It’s Christ that does that.
Our usual problem is that we
don’t go all the way in our Eu-
charistic faith. Our devotion to it
often appears simply posed,
scripted and staged, and not re-
ally issuing vitally from our
heart and life. Thus, it is also not
abiding, but rather intermittent.
It’s on and off depending on con-
ditions.
It should be no surprise if we
are often dominated by our weak-
nesses, not to mention, the con-
tinuing temptations around us.
Our catechesis on this truth of
our faith should never stop. Par-
ents in their respective families
should talk ceaselessly about
this. Priests, of course, should
preach about it in homilies and
in other occasions.
Everyone should do some-
thing to help one another live an
authentic Eucharistic life. We
have to foster going to Mass of-
ten, making visits to the Blessed
Sacrament, spending time ador-
ing our Lord in the Blessed Sac-
rament chapels, making frequent
spiritual communions, etc.
We have to understand that our
life should not be any other than
Eucharistic!
 CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 13
June 23 - July 6, 2008 Social Concerns B7

How to feed a
hungry world

From sugarcane farm worker

to vegetable entrepreneur
By Sally Bulatao
WEARING thinned rubber slippers, the
skin of his heels cracked, his face and
arms browned by the sun, this farmer,
51-year-old Sandy Lejita, was the picture
of gentle pride. We were there to visit
his vegetable farm which he had devel-
oped since he became an agrarian reform
beneficiary in 2003 when 130 hectares of
Hacienda Carmen was covered by agrar-
ian reform. He was one of 92 regular
farm workers given a collective CLOA
(certificate of Land Ownership Award)
entitling them to receive a land parcel
after final survey and partitioning.
Expecting about a hectare of land to be
covered upon final awarding, Sandy be-
gan to develop a 3,600 square meter piece
on the fringes of sugar cane fields into a
plot that he had planted to ampalaya or
amargoso. Pending final awarding of the
land to individual owners, most of the
land is on lease to the Hacienda through
the encargado (farm manager). They de-
scribe it as gipa-ariendo.
Ask him about this venture and he has
all the numbers at his fingertips. He
plants only about half of the plot at one
time because he can only afford one can-
ister of amargoso seeds that costs P1,519
for 100 grams. Following technical
specifications, one seed should grow on
ground measuring 25cm x 300 cm. When
he did not have enough money to buy
seeds, he obtained the seeds on loan
from the distributor in Libertad who
also bought his ampalaya harvest at P20
per kilogram. If he sorts his produce, he
can make P30 per kilogram for first class
ampalaya.
Sandy reckons that he spends P7,000
for every ampalaya crop which lasts five
months before he has to replant. This
includes the cost of the seeds, the bam-
boo poles and nylon string used to make
the trellis for the vines as well as the
cost of fertilizer and insect spray.
One cropping allows him to harvest
ampalaya eight times with each harvest
generating gross revenue ranging from
P1,500 to about P4,000. Computed at an
average of P2,000 a harvest, eight har-
vests gives him about P16,000.
Although the trellis lasts for about
four crops, he says that he and his la-
borer/partner usually deduct P3,500
(half of the P7,000 capital) from the gross
revenue and the difference, they divide
in half between the two of them.
Vicente, his partner, is a relative of
Sandy’s wife, Angel.
That amounts to P6,250 each for Sandy
and Vicente for five months of work.
Not much. But compared to P150 a day
as farm laborer, for work of two days a
week, it is about even. But the potential
to earn more from their own farm is
huge, if only they could raise a little more
capital.
All the ampalaya they harvest is sold
in Libertad where the buyer purchases
everything they can deliver. At the
Murcia town market, ampalaya was sell-
ing for P35 per kilogram on the day we
visited the farm.
Sandy is also a carpenter. At the back
of his house stands the frame of a bahay
kubo that he intends to set up at the farm.
He has discovered that there is a spring
at one end of the farm and he looks for-
ward to putting up his old water pump
there. He also earns extra income from
sharpening saws at P30 per saw.
He showed us his gmelina trees be-
hind his home lot. He says all his four
children, now all grown up with fami-
lies of their own, have houses made of
wood that he had harvested from his
trees.
He is also ready with some seedlings
of fruit trees. He plans to plant them on
his own farm lot once he secures his land
title. He has seedlings of tomatoes and
eggplants, too.
His wife Angel is 49 years old. She
cooks and sells native cakes and other
food items. She even sold a big papaya
to Quidan Kaisahan (QK) staff for P20.
She thinks that if she had the capital, she
can earn more or at least as much as
Sandy.
Sandy was a member of the union in
the Hacienda. They were affiliated with
NFSW (National Federation of Sugar
Workers). He was one of the leaders
who successfully negotiated the first
CBA (collective bargaining agreement)
at the Hacienda. After being designated
a CARP beneficiary in 2003, he took a
job as encargado at the Hilado farm. He
stayed one year only. He could not stand
being on the “other side,” he said.
From 1973 to 2003, Sandy was a sugar
farm worker doing one of the lowliest
of farm labor, weeding in the cane fields
at Hacienda Carmen in Murcia, Negros
Occidental They call it paghilamon. Luck-
ily for Sandy, those years did not break
his spirit. He feels he is strong enough
to make his farm productive once finally
awarded to him and his family. He re-
mains a natural leader of his fellow
agrarian reform beneficiaries. He has
invited nine of them who are also en-
gaged in ampalaya farming to a meet-
ing with QK on 17 August to discuss how
they can improve their vegetable enter-
prise.
Willy, a community organizer of QK
assigned in Blumentritt, had invited
Sandy to the LED (Local Economic De-
velopment) planning meeting on 27 July
where farmers engaged in some form of
agricultural enterprise were encouraged
to attend and discuss the possibility of
clustering some of their enterprises.
QK is at the initial stage of managing
an agri loan facility. This comes after a
successful micro-finance operation with
its sister institution Pag-inupdanay Inc.
(PI). They realize that agri loans are more
risky. To address this, QK is on the look-
out for onsite farmer entreps like Sandy
who can serve not only as models in their
communities but as a source of technical
assistance in doing an agri-enterprise
already familiar to them.
QK’s Business Development Service,
on the other hand, is also in its early
stages, testing its capabilities in value
adding along the value chains of com-
modities in which their target groups
are engaged. Today, QK has a modest
agri loan portfolio of about P700,000.
The agri lending program started three
years ago with about P300,000. QK’s agri
window includes production loans to
farmers producing sugarcane, rice and
more recently, cassava. The farmers sell
dried cassava chips to La Tondeña which
processes the raw material into alcohol.
Coffee farmers in QK-assisted areas sell
organic coffee beans to the Figaro Foun-
dation.
Going very cautiously, QK has a
record 100 percent repayment rate with
this facility. The big question is how
quickly they can accelerate the program
while maintaining the quality of lend-
ing. Likewise, they are now designing
the kind of enterprise support that would
strengthen the agribusiness initiatives
of the farmers in the areas where par-
ticipatory local governance has already
taken root. More farmers engaged in
agribusiness, more farmers running
their farms like entrepreneurs—this is
the vision QK shares with Sandy, and
with every day that passes, with more
and more farmers.
(Sally Bulatao co-founded Ibon Databank
in 1978 together with Sr. Sol Perpinan, RGS,
and served as its Executive Director for sev-
eral years until 1988. She headed the Na-
tional Dairy Authority in 2001-2006 and now
acts as the Supervising Trustee of the ASI-
based Center for Small Entrepreneurs.)
By Father Shay Cullen
IN a remote and beautiful part of
county Sligo in North West Ireland I
stood in a low roofed insulated build-
ing looking into one of several dozen
large fish growing tanks. Thousands
of fish called Arctic Charr are swim-
ming around and around growing by
the day. Cold, natural, fresh spring
water is pouring in from the moun-
tain. It is circulated, filtered and aer-
ated.
Bill Carty, the owner, casts a hand-
ful of feed pellets into one of the tanks
and it churns in a feeding frenzy as
this future source of high protein food
gobble up their meal. This sustain-
able form of healthy fish farming has
to be the way of the future as fish
stocks in oceans and rivers are dan-
gerously declining, some species are
already extinct and others are on the
edge due to excessive and unsustain-
able fishing. There are more and
more hungry people to feed.
Last week Irish fishermen staged a
public protest in Dublin and gave
away fish and threw more into the
river Liffy to highlight their protest
at the strict European Union restric-
tions on the number of boats allowed
to put to sea and the tonnage of fish
they are allowed to catch. The price
of fish is soaring along with every-
thing else.
The rising price of diesel has di-
minished their earnings and more
and more bans on the use of destruc-
tive fishing equipment curtail their
catch but protect the breeding habi-
tat of sea grass and coral reefs. What
has diminished the fish populations
in the once teeming oceans is water
pollution and the deadly destructive
fishing practices such as the bottom
trawl that destroys the corals and the
use of drift nets—”walls of death”, as
they are called.
The EU bans are saving several spe-
cies of fish from extinction and mak-
ing large scale ocean fishing unprof-
itable. Decades of irresponsible de-
structive fishing practices created
millions of tons of “bycatch” fish,
shrimps and crabs and other sea crea-
tures which were thrown back into
the sea dead and put some of them
on the endangered species list.
The Japanese whaling and shark
fishing is condemned worldwide as
destructive and cruel as they harpoon
the gentle creatures and drag them
half alive on to factory ships and
slaughter them on board. They only
cut off the shark’s fins and throw back
the wounded creature to die in a hor-
rible death. These destructive prac-
tices have given the fishing industry
a bad name. All the more then is the
future in sustainable and healthy or-
ganic fish farming, as I witnessed in
the Cool Spring Arctic Charr fish
farm at Cloonacool last week. Bill’s
wife Mari Johnston cooked one fresh
Arctic Charr in the nearby kitchen
and it was one of the most delicious
fish I have ever eaten. All the more
am I convinced that the development
of the Tilapia fish ponds at our Preda
organic farm in Zambales, Philip-
pines, is the right and sensible thing
to do.
The greed of money mad moguls
is one of the driving forces behind
the massive rise in the cost of food
commodities world wide. Wealthy
traders hoard their stocks forcing
prices to soar beyond the ability of
the poor to buy food. Since 1992 to
the present, the price of rice has risen
74 percent, soya bean by 87 percent
and wheat by an astounding 130 per-
cent, corn is up 31 percent in the same
period.
Rich nations give their agri-corpo-
rations and wealthy farmers massive
subsidies prompting massive over
production and the dumping of the
surplus in developing nations thus
killing off local farming and prevent-
ing food security. Rich nations cre-
ate import taxes that prevent the
farmers in Africa from selling their
lower priced quality cotton and other
products in the rich nations.
Many are facing famine as global
warming, created by the refusal of
wealthy industrialists and politicians
to curb CO2 factory emissions and
nations like India and China refuse
to cutback on fossil fuel consump-
tion. This creates droughts, massive
typhoons and crop failures and de-
struction. Director-General Jacques
Diouf of the UN Food and Agricul-
ture Organization (FAO) said in
Rome last week that there is an addi-
tional 820 million hungry people in
the world than in 1996.
In Somalia alone there are 2.6 mil-
lion people, 35 percent of the nation,
facing a food crises, none can afford
to buy food. The global injustice of
this imbalance in the sharing of the
planets resources is the greatest
shame of all humanity.

Eucharist / B2

miliated, stripped, and brutally
nailed to the cross, he surpris-
ingly concluded, “This man is in-
nocent” (Lk 23:47), and “Truly,
this is the Son of God” (Mt 27:54;
Mk 15:39). Already hardened by
many crucifixions he had super-
vised, he must have seen some-
thing new in Jesus. At the conclu-
sion of a routine execution came
a profession of faith in Jesus. It
was not just another crucifixion
after all. It was the manifestation
of innocence and of the Son of
God. We learn from the
centurion’s “adoration” that
Jesus’ sacrifice of life cannot be
appreciated for what it truly is
unless the horror of the cross is
confronted.
Mark’s gospel says the centurion
stood facing Jesus. Like any leader
of guards, he kept careful watch
over this criminal Jesus. He did
nothing but look at Jesus. Physical
nearness was not enough however.
He had to be intent, vigilant and
observant so that he could account
for every detail. We learn from the
centurion to face Jesus, to keep
watch over him, to behold him, to
contemplate him. At first the cen-
turion spent hours watching over
Jesus out of duty but ended up con-
templating him in truth.
What did the centurion see? We
can assume that he saw the hor-
ror of suffering that preceded
Jesus’ death. He was an eyewit-
ness to the torment, humiliation
and loneliness inflicted on Jesus
when friends betrayed and left
him. He must have been shocked
to see Judas planting a seemingly
caressing kiss that was in fact an
act of treachery. He probably
wondered how swiftly a band of
friends could abandon their
teacher to preserve their lives. He
heard the lies fabricated in the
Sanhedrin and Pilate’s surrender
to the crowd, despite the lack of a
case against Jesus. He beheld
people ridiculing Jesus, spitting
on him, stripping him and cruci-
fying him. He heard the painful
cry, “My God, my God, why have
you forsaken me?” (Mk 15:34).
The centurion saw incredible cru-
elty from friends, leaders, and
even from a distant God. Betrayal,
inhumanity, and viciousness con-
tinue up to our time in the many
crucifixions of the poor and of
creation. We cannot help but
wonder why friends, leaders, and
God are unresponsive.
But I also believe that in Jesus
the centurion saw incredible
love, love for the God who had
failed to remove this cup of suf-
fering from him, and love for
neighbors. For his enemies, he
begged the Father’s forgiveness
(Lk 23:34). To a bandit he prom-
ised paradise (Lk 23:43). For his
mother he secured a new family
(Jn 19:26-27). And to the God who
had abandoned him, he aban-
doned himself, “Father, into your
hands I commend my spirit” (Lk
23:46). The centurion saw love
blooming in the aridity of inhu-
manity. Amidst the noise of ridi-
cule and lies, this man Jesus ut-
tered words of fidelity and truth.
Everywhere people were shout-
ing “no” to Jesus, but the centu-
rion heard from Jesus only “yes”
to the Father, “yes” to neighbors,
“yes” to mission. In this horrible
cross of hatred and violence, the
centurion found love, unwaver-
ing love, a love that refused to
die, a love that was strong as steel
against evil, yet tender before the
beloved. Jesus remained faithful
to his mission. Thus his death was
transformed into life.
When we adore the Triune God
in praise of the sacrifice of Jesus,
we are called to cry for the vic-
tims of the indifference of sinful
humanity and the helplessness of
God. But we also cry in gratitude
for the hopeful unfolding of pure
love in a broken world. The
cross, where the guilt of crimi-
nals was sealed, confirmed the
innocence of Jesus, the true wor-
shipper of God. His sacrificial
worship was his untarnished love
of God and profound compassion
for sinners. Jesus, who survived
such horror with hope and con-
quered such evil with tenderness
and love, was not only innocent.
He also showed that he came
from above. The centurion be-
lieved that Jesus could have come
only from God, his Father.
I visited a poor section of a par-
ish that opened a feeding program
for malnourished children. The
parents were required to super-
vise the meal of their children. As
I went around the crowded noisy
hall, a teenage girl who was gen-
tly feeding a young boy caught
my attention. She must be his el-
der sister, I thought to myself. I
approached them and asked where
their mother was. She was look-
ing for a job that day, I was told.
So she sent her teenage daughter
to feed the boy. Thinking that she
must be as hungry as her brother,
I asked, “Have you eaten?” “No,”
she said, “I am not part of the pro-
gram. I am already thirteen.” I was
surprised at her honesty. For hun-
gry children, this was an oppor-
tunity to cheat in order to fill one’s
stomach. But she remained hon-
est. I responded, “I will instruct a
volunteer to give you lunch, if
some food is left after all the chil-
dren have eaten.” Thankful but
embarrassed she said, “No,
Bishop. There are many other
hungry children in this village.
Give the extra food to them.” I was
drawn into deep silence. “My God,
my God, why are these children
going hungry?” I prayed. Yet I also
exclaimed, “I did not expect to see
sharing and integrity in this place
of death. Truly these are innocent
children of God. There is hope for
the world.”
In Eucharistic adoration, let us
join the centurion in watching
over Jesus and see what he has
seen. Let us cringe in horror at
the sight of destructive evil. Let
us marvel at the reality of spot-
less love, of pure sacrifice and
worship. I wish that Eucharistic
adoration would lead us to know
Jesus more as the compassionate
companion of many crucified
peoples of today. Let us spend
time too with the multitudes of
innocent victims of our time. We
might be able to touch Jesus who
knows their tears and pain for he
has made them his own and has
changed them into hope and love.
Watching over our suffering
neighbors, we could be changed
like the centurion into discern-
ers of truth and heralds of faith.
And hopefully when people be-
hold how we bear others’ crosses
in love, they too would see the
face of innocence and the Son of
God in us. Let us adore Jesus who
offered his life as a gift to the Fa-
ther for us sinners. Let us adore
him for ourselves, for the poor,
for the earth, for the Church and
for the life of the world.
 CBCP Monitor
B8 Entertainment Vol. 12 No. 13
June 23 - July 6, 2008

Title: Kung Fu Panda the Dragon Warrior. Master

Lead Cast : Jack Black, Dustin
Hoffman, Angelina Jolie,
Lucy Liu, Jacky Chan, Ian
Mcshane
Director: Mark Osborne, John
Stevenson
Story: Ethan Reiff, Cyrus Voris
Screenplay: Jonathan Aibel,
Glenn Berger
Cinematography: Yong Duk
Jhun
Editing: Clare De Chenu
Producer: Melissa Cobb
Music: John Powell, Hans
Zimmer
Location: China
Genre: Animation Action-
Comedy
Distributor : Dreamworks
Animation
Running Time: 88 minutes
Technical Assessment:
Moral Assessment :
Cinema Rating: For ages 13
and below with parental
guidance
PO (Jack Black) is a sloppy, over-
weight but loveable Panda who
dreams to be a kung-fu master
one day. However, he seems to
be stuck in a noodle shop run by
his father, surprisingly a gentle
goose, Mr. Ping (James Hong). He
lives in a peaceful and loving vil-
lage which is threatened when ru-
mors circulate about the escape
of the vicious snow leopard vil-
lain Tai Ling (Ian McShane).
Kung-fu masters of the Jade Pal-
ace immediately announce the
need to fulfill the ancient proph-
ecy and select a Dragon Warrior.
Naturally, the top five martial
arts students vie for the title and
set off to an elimination round.
Po hero-worships the “Furious
Five” composed of Tigress
(Angelina Jolie), Crane (David
Cross), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Vi-
per (Lucy Liu) and Monkey
(Jacky Chan) and wastes no time
to witness the competition. By an
extreme clumsiness and unfortu-
nate luck, Po ends in the middle
of the courtyard and is declared
by aging Master Oogway to be
Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) reluc-
tantly takes on the task to train
the supposed savior of their vil-
Moral Assessment Technical Assessment
lage but the battle Po must first
win is with himself and his inse-
Abhorrent Poor
Disturbing Below average
curities as well as the resentment
of the five star students who Acceptable Average
have no respect for him at all. Wholesome Above average
Kung Fu Panda is undoubtedly Exemplary Excellent
predictable and an old formula
for an action-comedy movie but
it pulls it off successfully with
ease and delight. The film is a
visual feast with a barrage of vi-
brant color and amazingly de-
tailed Chinese landscapes. The
action sequences themselves are
enjoyable with a brilliant chore-
ography and impressive anima-
tion. The screenplay has the per-
fect amount and pace of humor,
wisdom and story-telling that
adults will find the movie inter-
esting while kids will just be en-
grossed with the spectacle.
The movie conveys several
lessons and values. One, Po dis-
covers that to achieve success
there is no secret ingredient or
secret formula, just enough hon-
esty and sincerity coupled with
determination and passion. At
the end, only one’s self will help
one triumph. Two, Mr. Ping em-
phasizes that to make something
special, you yourself have to be-
lieve it is special. Appreciation
has to come first from within be-
cause the value of something is
determined by the value one
gives it. Three, the movie also
talks about having and fulfilling
a destiny. While some are born
to have distinguished roles in the
future, one still has to whole-
heartedly accept the responsibil-
ity, strive to learn and master
what is needed to be able to ful-
fill the task and have the passion
and fortitude to see it through
no matter how hard or painful.
Some elements of the movie, MAC en COLET ni Bladimer Usi
particularly the action se-
quences, may be worrisome for
parents. It is better to have a re-
sponsible adult accompany and
guide very young audiences.

Buhay Missing items:

Bishop’s cro-
zier, candle, and
Holy Water con-

Parokya
tainer.

Title: The Happening

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizimo, Ashlyn
Sanches, Betty Buckley, Spencer Breslin, Robert Bailey, Jr.,
Frank Collison, Jeremy Strong, Alan Ruck, Victoria Clark
Director and Writer: M Night Shayamalan
Location: United States, India
Running Time: 90 minutes
Technical Assessment:
Moral Assessment:
CINEMA rating: For viewers 18 years old and above

THE Happening opens with seems to thaw out. Sights and

workers at a construction site
falling one after the other to
their deaths. Elsewhere, in New
York’s Central Park, the leaves
stir in a lingering breeze that
emits an eerie wailing sound;
promenaders lose control of
their movements and memory,
stopping dead and walking
backward on their tracks with-
out knowing or remembering
why. Then, apparently in a
trance, they kill themselves.
News of the weird happening
reaches the classroom of Phila-
delphia high school teacher
Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg).
They are discussing the myste-
rious and sudden disappear-
ance of millions of honey bees
when the school administra-
tion calls a meeting to send the
students home as the New York
tragedy, feared to be another
terrorist attack, seems to be
creeping into Philadelphia.
Elliot, his wife Alma (Zooey
Deschanel), a friend and fellow
teacher Julian (John
Leguizamo), and Julian’s
daughter Jess (Ashlyn Sanchez)
flee to safer grounds on a train.
Trouble brews as the train,
brimming over with anxious
passengers, stops at a deserted
station where the train person-
nel admit they have lost con-
tact with everyone.
Seeing “Directed by M Night
Shayamalan” on the screen as
the film opens makes the
viewer expect a superior mys-
tery thriller. After all, the di-
rector has made a name for
himself crafting off-the-
beaten-path stories of terror
bearing a profound and rel-
evant message: Signs, The Vil-
lage, etc. The first ten minutes
or so of The Happening deliv-
ers the chills, like a blast of
cold air when you open a
freezer, but beyond that it
sounds are effective—the
leaves fluttering ominously in
the wind and wailing manifest
the power of the unseen to ter-
rify. The broken bodies on the
ground, a hairpin stabbed into
a woman’s jugular—such
things have their shock value,
but their impact is short-lived.
Wahlberg is a great actor, but
the character he’s portraying
is too bland for his talents. As
for the other actors—they sim-
ply do what their part asks for,
which isn’t much.
Would you bother to see a
mystery thriller that fails to
mystify or thrill you most of
the time? Then lower your ex-
pectations. Since The Happen-
ing is not supposed to be an
ordinary “scary movie” but
one that is hoped to stimulate
and engage your intellect into
pondering life’s deeper
riddles, you would at least ex-
pect to learn something worth-
while out of it. Surely The
Happening is trying to say
something; it just didn’t seem
to know how to say it—which
leads you to conclude that it
doesn’t know what it wants to
say. When the movie says the
mass suicides are induced by
an invisible airborne “natural
compound” (that once inhaled
makes you want to savagely
kill yourself), is it warning us
against abusing our environ-
ment? Not clear. When after
running for their lives the
Moore couple (wanting to die
together) expose themselves
to the deadly wind and sur-
vive, is the movie saying “love
conquers all”? Not sure. When
the creative juices are running
dry but the director wants to
continue piggy-back riding on
past success, what happens?
The Happening turns out to be
not much of a happening.
 CBCP
CBCP Monitor
Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 13
C1
June 23 - July 6, 2008

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

7th Visayas State Confab, a success

NOT even the forecast of unpleasant
weather could dampen the enthusiasm
of brother knights and ladies from the
different provinces and regions in the
Visayas to attend the much-awaited 7 th
Visayas State Convention held in Cebu
City last May 16 to 18.
Heeding the invitation of the Worthy
Visayas Deputy, Bro. Dionisio “Jun” R.
Esteban, Jr., more than 400 delegates
came just in time for the start of the 3-
Photo by Dennis Dayao
with other competing assemblies,
proved why the 4 th Degree Color Corps
deserved to be called “The Visible Arm
of the K of C.”
Then, off they went to the Cebu Met-
ropolitan Cathedral to act as honor
guards to the thirty-seven couples
(brother knights and ladies who have been
married for 25 years or more) who renewed
their marriage vows in a concelebrated
mass presided by Rev. Msgr. Achilles

day State Convention. Dakay, Cebu Archdiocese Media Liaison

Streamers announcing the holding of
the State Convention were in strategic
streets and corners of Cebu City, cour-
tesy of Bro. Victor Queniahan and his
committee.
For starters, on Day 1, fourth degree
knights who are members of the Color
Corps exhibited their skills in the Drill
Competition. The winning delegation
from Iloilo City Assembly, together
Officer and official representative of His
Eminence, Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal,
D.D. to the Visayas State Convention.
After the mass, all convention del-
egates went to the Archbishop’s Palace
grounds for the Santa Cruzan with the
regional and provincial deputies’ wives
as “Sagalas ” and featuring Lady Fe
Rodrigo-Esteban as “ Reyna Elena”. A
Visayas / C2

KCFAPI Golden Jubilee

100 Days Countdown!
By Gari M. San

KC Philippines Foundation partners Sebastian

with Gawad Kalinga

KCFAPI marked its 100 Days
Countdown on June 5 to Septem-
ber 9, its 50th Founding Anniver-
sary, in its Home Office in
Intramuros.
The countdown started with a
By Edwin B. Dawal Holy Eucharistic celebration of-
ficiated by Msgr. Pedro C.
Quitorio III, KCFAPI Spiritual
ONE of the four pillars of the Director.
Knights of Columbus is PATRIO- All employees once again sung
TISM which is love of country. and interpreted the Golden Jubi-
One of the main problems of our lee theme song “Hands of Love,”
country is poverty. The problem composed by the famous song-
of poverty is huge, but not with- writer Fr. Carlo Magno Marcelo
out end. Since it is man-made, it of San Carlos Seminary.
can also be man-unmade. This “Few organizations are fortu-
country has struggled with pov- nate to celebrate its 50 years just
erty long enough. In a world like few married couples are able
where there are enough re- to witness their Golden anniver-
sources for all, but not enough saries. This is a once-in-a-lifetime
sharing, we can all work together event so we better make it the
to bring this to an end and when best,” said Bro. Antonio B.
© Dennis Dayao / CBCP Media

it is over, we can think back with Borromeo, KCFAPI President,

a smile knowing that we helped addressing his message to all
change the world. who are part of this momentous
The very name of our organi- occasion.
zation—Order of the Knights of Msgr. Quitorio blessed the
Columbus denotes social respon- Golden Jubilee candle that sym-
sibility. Rev. Fr. George J. bolizes the light and guidance of
Willmann, SJ, beloved founder of the Holy Spirit as we prepare for
Knights of Columbus Fraternal GROUND-BREAKING OF KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS GK VILLAGE. Knights of Columbus Philippines Foundation, Inc. recently held the Ground-breaking of their Gawad the celebration on September 13,
Kalinga housing project at Tungkong Mangga, San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. Justice Jose C. Reyes, Jr., Chairman; SK Alonso L. Tan, President; and Msgr. Pedro C.
Association of the Phils., Inc. Quitorio III, Spiritual Director; led the ceremony with GK Director Antonio Meloto.
2008 at the Centennial Ballroom
(KCFAPI) dedicated his life to the of the historic Manila Hotel.
upliftment of the poor, needy and Kalinga Community Development, people with passion, Christian achieving success through pro- vironment protection and conser- The short but meaningful pro-
outcast. Now that KCFAPI is cel- Inc. (GK) for the construction of one faith and patriotism; a nation grams that foster bayanihan (col- vation, and people productivity. gram ended with the unveiling
ebrating its Golden Jubilee there row ten housing-dwelling units that made up of caring and sharing lective effort and cooperation). 3) The GK program of CFC has of the 100 Days Countdown Bill-
is a need for a social project that will serve as the showcase for the K of communities; dedicated to eradi- 2) KCPFI and K of C have pro- already gained prominence and board in front of the office build-
will showcase the higher mean- C Village project in Bagong Pangarap cate poverty and restore human grams and activities that are very recognition both locally and ing with the fireworks and spar-
ing and true value of this once- GKSiteatTungkongMangga,SanJose dignity. GK is not only a housing similar to major programs of GK. abroad. Even large multi-national klers that made the event more
in-a-lifetime event. del Monte, Bulacan because of the fol- project for indigent families, but These programs and concerns are: business organizations have festive and lively.
KCFAPI, through its Corporate lowing: focuses holistically on commu- family-oriented community in- partnered with GK for the imple- More surprises and prizes will
Social Responsibility Arm, the Knights 1) KCPFI and the K of C share nity building, through dignity frastructures, Christian values mentation of their corporate social be provided by your Association
of Columbus Philippines Foundation, the same vision as that of GK’s— restoration, healing, and empow- formation and development, responsibility initiative. Because of as we all Celebrate 50 Years of
Inc. (KCPFI) partnered with Gawad building a nation empowered by erment of the poor, as the key to youth development, health, en- Gawad Kalinga / C3 Fraternal Service!

Mindanao’s 12 Jurisdiction th

Convention: ‘Witnessing to
the Yes of Jesus’
AS conventions go, there are speeches, the Mindanao Deputy, SK Sofronio R. the sake of true peace, reconciliation,
there are socials, and there’s camarade- Cruz, who also delivered his report on and social healing.
rie. As Knights of Columbus conventions the State of the Order. Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos of Butuan
go, there are also Eucharistic celebrations Diocese delivered the keynote speech. He
and devotional prayers to our Blessed Mindanao bishops delivered inspiring recalled the chivalry of the knights of old
Mother and the saints. As the 12 th
Mindanao Jurisdiction Convention went,
there was deep reflection about what it is
to be a Christian and a Knight, and what
messages
Five bishops of Mindanao took turns
presiding over the celebration of the Holy
Mass and giving messages to the Knights.
in the service of the people and urged the
Knights of today to serve in the field of
international understanding by promot-
ing harmonious relationship among vari-
KCFAPI Golden
it takes to say Yes to Jesus in faith and
action in these challenging times.
Last April 25-27, Knights from all over
Archbishop Fernando R. Capalla,
Archbishop of Davao and the State Chap-
lain, himself a 4th Degree Knight, offici-
ous faith believers and fostering unity
and solidarity among Christians.
Bishop George B. Rimando, Auxiliary
Jubilee Logo
Mindanao, gathered together for the 12th ated at the concelebrated Opening Con- Bishop of Davao, celebrated the Conven- THE Knights of Columbus epitomize the ideal Catho-
Mindanao Jurisdictional Convention at vention Mass. In his homily, he men- tion Memorial Mass on the second day lic gentleman. True to the objectives of the Order, the
the Davao City Convention Center in tioned the peace-making efforts of the where deceased brother Knights were
Davao City with the theme “Celebrat- Bishops-Ulama Conference, and ex- remembered in prayer. Bishop Rimando
life of a Brother Knight is imbued with faith, frater-
ing 125 Years of Faith in Action; Wit- horted the brother Knights to let the prac- exhorted the Knights to be truer to their nity and concern for the family.
nessing to the Yes of Jesus.” tice of Columbianism cross racial, po- calling as Christians precisely because
The convention was presided over by litical, and even religious boundaries for Mindanao / C3
 CBCP Monitor
C2 The Cross Vol. 12 No. 13
June 23 - July 6, 2008

Seed of Hope
Fund
Patrocinio R. Bacay
Chairman, KCFAPI

THE Board of Trustees of

KCFAPI during its regular
meeting last May 2008 in Ma-
nila has approved the estab-
lishment of a P10-Million fund
called the CBCP Seed of Hope
Fund. Under this program the
earnings of the fund will be
used to finance the priority
projects of the Catholic Bish-
ops’ Conference of the Philip-
pines (CBCP).
The creation of this fund is KCFAPI’s response to the constant

11stst Ever KC-Ing Galing All Male

call to active involvement in the work of the Church.
The CBCP Seed of Hope which is being sowed at the thresh-
old of KCFAPI’s celebration of its 50 Years of Fraternal Service
is expected to bear fruit and thrive to further develop the reach

Chorale Singing Contest wraps up

of the Catholic Church in today’s changing world.

Wind Beneath THE Knights of Columbus Fraternal Asso-

ciation of the Philippines, Inc. (KCFAPI) con-
Bro.Gleo Asancha, Bro. Pert Somera, Bro.
Constantino Cabagay, Bro. Enrique Camitan,
Mindanao Jurisdiction
Council No. 8764 (St. Joseph the Worker

our Wings!
cluded its first ever “KC-Ing Galing All-Male
Chorale Singing Competition” as part of the
series of activities held in celebration of its
Golden Jubilee competed in by various coun-
cils of different jurisdictions.
The venue of the final round of the Luzon
Antonio B. Borromeo jurisdiction was the SMX-Mall of Asia dur-
President, KCFAPI ing the Luzon State Convention on May 24
where Council No. 5310 (GOMBURZA) cap-
tured the first place award.
AS we celebrate our Golden In the Visayas Jurisdiction, the final round
Jubilee this year, we’re proud was held during the Visayas State Conven-
to announce that despite the tion on April 26 at the Grand Majestic Con-
downtrend of interest rates vention Center, Cebu City with Council No.
and the strengthening of the 11373 (St. Peter’s Council) grabbing first place.
Philippine peso to the U.S. While in the Mindanao Jurisdiction, it was
dollar in 2007, our revenues Council No. 8764 (St. Joseph the Worker) that
before participation of Benefit stood out as the champion in their jurisdic-
Certificate Holders reached tion. The final round was held during the
P51 million. Fifty percent Mindanao State Convention at the Davao
(50%) or P25.5 million will be Convention Center, Davao City on April 26.
enjoyed by the Benefit Certifi-
cate Holders as their share to Luzon Jurisdiction
the net earnings of the Association. Plus! By way of expressing Council No. 5310 (GOMBURZA)
our sincerest gratitude, an additional of P14.5 million will be The Council No. 5310 was formed in June 1962
released in time with our 50th anniversary in September, or a and at present has 262 members and based at the
whooping total of P40 million in total dividends. This is the Most Holy Redeemer Parish, Brixton Hills,
biggest amount that our BC Holders will enjoy in the entire Quezon City. Their choir days began when the
history of KCFAPI. members saw the need, which prompted the
We hope that our BC Holders feel proud to be part of the Grand Knight to organize the choir. The distinc-
Association. tive quality of the members’ voices caught the
There’s really more reason to celebrate our Golden Jubilee attention of those who have heard them when-
this year, first—with the early release of dividends last May, ever they sang in council masses. This encour-
second—the highest amount compared with the previous years. aged them to join the competition.
KCFAPI shares all these blessings with our valued BC hold- The members of the GOMBURZA choir
ers, the force and “Wind beneath KCFAPI’s Wings.” during the chorale competition are: Bro. Ed
de Guia (Grand Knight), Bro. Oliver Bara,
Bro. Bert Canlas, Bro. Emman de Guia, Bro.
Senen Abihay, Bro. Danny Aguilar, Bro.
Virgilio Santos (Choir Leader), Bro. Dan
Quindoza, Bro. Rene Enriquez, Bro. Narciso
Cadiz, Bro. Glenn Lemen
Visayas Jurisdiction
Council No. 11373 (St. Peter’s Council)
St. Peter’s Council No. 11373 of Loboc,
Bohol was established in April of 1993,
through the initiative of SK Florencio Talan
of the Holy Trinity Council of Loay. It ini-
tially started with 30 members and then grew
to 78 members until the present.
The council choir was formed sometime in
March 2008 primarily to participate in the
KC-Ing Galing Competition and trained un-
der the tutelage of Mrs. Librada B. Balbin, a
pioneer instructor of the Loboc’s Children’s
Choir and her daughter, Ms. Gemma B.
Balbin, a multi-awarded choir trainer.
Council Grand Knight, Antonio S. Acuña
explained that it was South Bohol Provincial
Deputy, SK Miguel Sarigumba who encour-
aged them to join.
The members of the Council 11373
Choir are: Bro. Amonio Acuña, Jr.
(Choir Leader), Bro. Orlando
Sarigumba, Bro. Olimpio Lomod, Bro.
Pedrito Toledo, Bro. Benjamin Varquez,
Bro. Vaughn Rex Requierme, Bro.
Alfredo Mandin, Bro. Mario Cabahug,
Bro. Al Felipe Toledo, Bro. Gene Inte,
Bro. Nilo Baquial, Bro. Neil John Panin,
Bro. Lucilo Balbin, Bro. Arsenio
Daigdigan, Jr., Bro. Samuel Varquez,
Bro. Maximiliano Perin, Jr.
Council)
Council No. 8764 was established in July
15, 1984 at Barangay Sasa, Davao City and
currently has a total number of 150 mem-
bers. Their council choir is relatively young
since it was created only last December 2007.
Through the auspices of their District Deputy,
SK Gerry T. Mission the council was able to
form a choir with an initial 12 members. Aside
from the prizes at stake, it was each member’s
passion for singing and the motivation of the
Visayas Deputy, SK Sofronio Cruz that
prompted them to join the contest.
Members of Council No. 8764 Choir are:
Bro. Gerry T. Mission (Choir Leader), Bro.
Rudyard Paul Amistad, Bro. Reynaldo Tagle,
Bro. Jummuel Dale Capoy, Bro. Aldwin
Navarro, Bro. Noel Casilan, Bro. Edgar
Borres, Bro.Andy Sabelo, Bro. Mark Edwin
Taguran , Bro. Rogar Garcia.
In a nutshell, all the hardships and nitty-
gritties of preparing for the competition to
the exhilaration of singing before a vast audi-
ence, proved to be an experience to remem-
ber for each member of the participating
choirs. But it was the camaraderie and sup-
port among brother Knights that strengthened
the bond between members and the council.
The competition also proved to be a revela-
tion of the talents within the Knights of Co-
lumbus. Though some participating councils
may not have won first place, they deserve
the highest respect for their potentials and cre-
ativity in this field. Truly, it was also a mo-
ment for councils to gather together in fel-
lowship and in the spirit of fraternalism of a
different kind. (KC-Ing Galing Secretariat)

Visayas / C1

fel lowship dinner, barrio fiesta style, fol-
lowed. Even as delegates partook of the
buffet prepared by Bro. Rey Ruyeras and
his committee members, a call to Pro-Life
Advocacy was the very relevant and hot
topic, with Dr. Rene Josef C. Bullecer of
Pro-Life Philippines as resource speaker.
Day 2 of the State Convention was
held at the Cebu Grand Convention Cen-
ter starting with the convention mass
presided by His Excellency, Bishop
Romulo T. dela Cruz, DD of Antique,
together with concelebrating priests. The
7 th Visayas State Convention was then
formally called to order by the Worthy
Visayas Deputy, Bro. Esteban.
In his report to the delegates, Bro.
Esteban enumerated the achievements
made by the Visayas Jurisdiction in terms
of membership growth, council retention,
reactivation and new council develop-
ment in consonance with the Order’s aim
to establish a Knights of Columbus coun-
cil in every parish and, as espoused by
Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson: “to
afford membership in the Knights of Colum-
bus to every eligible Catholic gentleman ”. The
Visayas Treasurer, Bro. Licerio L.
Cabahug, also presented the Financial Re-
port of the Visayas Jurisdiction.
Bro. Antonio B. Borromeo, President
of Knights of Columbus Fraternal Asso-
ciation of the Philippines, Inc. (KCFAPI),
reported performance of the fraternal
benefits association. He stressed that
KCFAPI, as insurance arm of the Order
of the Knights of Columbus in the Phil-
ippines, is better and stronger as it cel-
ebrates its 50th year anniversary. For his
part, Bro. Eduardo G. Laczi, Immediate
Past Visayas Deputy and currently Direc-
tor for Philippine Affairs, Knights of Co-
lumbus Supreme Office, congratulated
the Visayas Jurisdiction for achieving its
target vis-à-vis membership growth for
CY 2007-2008 as he also made suggestions
on areas for improvement. He assured
delegates that his office based in New
Haven, Connecticut, U.S.A. will facilitate
smooth and efficient flow of communi-
cation activities between the Philippine
Jurisdictions and the Supreme Council.
Bro. Alberto P. Solis, Sr., Supreme Di-
rector, conveyed the fraternal greetings
of the Supreme Board of Directors and
the Supreme Knight. He assured del-
egates of the Supreme Council’s com-
mitment and support for the growth of
the Order in the Philippines, relating
specific actions of the Supreme Board
that benefited the Philippine Jurisdic-
tions in particular. While at this, he also
posed a challenge to the Visayas Juris-
diction to improve its performance on
council retention and reactivation of sus-
pended councils.
Also on hand to render his report was
Bro. Panfilo O. Pacubas, Sr., Vice Su-
preme Master of the Fourth Degree, who
called on fourth degree knights not to
lose sight of the goals of the fourth de-
gree by being united in the true spirit of
brotherhood. He also briefed the del-
egates on the updates of the Knights of
Columbus Visayas’ Skills Foundation
and real-estate properties in Dumanjug,
Cebu and Bohol, even as he inspired
knights from Eastern and Western
Visayas as well as the Luzon and
Mindanao Jurisdictions, with Luzon
Deputy Bro. Alonso Tan and Mindanao
Deputy Bro. Sofronio Cruz present, to
consider acquiring agricultural proper-
ties in their areas as these could help al-
leviate the food crisis that threatens the
entire country.
After the significant messages from the
K of C leaders, delegates paused to reflect
and invoke Divine Presence in the State
Convention by observing the Holy Hour.
Recharged and hopefully renewed by
the Holy Hour, delegates cheered for the
Visayas Jurisdiction Achievers as Out-
standing Grand Knights, District Depu-
ties, Provincial Deputies and Service
Programs were awarded by the Worthy
Visayas Deputy Bro. Esteban with Bro.
Cres Tadlip – Awards Chairman, ably
assisting him.
While brother knights were busy with
affairs of the State Jurisdiction, their la-
dies were treated to a tour of Cebu City
and Mactan Island, facilitated by Bro. Ben
Espiritu, Bro. Wency Canete and their
committee members.
Resolutions were passed during the
State Convention, among them was a
resolution expressing Visayas
Jurisdiction’s Felicitation and Solidarity
with the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.
The State Dinner followed with His
Excellency, Bishop Romulo T. dela Cruz,
D.D. as Guest of Honor and Speaker. In
his speech to the delegates, the good
bishop, who came all the way from An-
tique to be in solidarity and give moral
support to his brother knights, dwelt on
the State Convention’s theme: “Celebrat-
ing 125 Years of Faith In Action, Witnessing
To The YES of Jesus Christ.” The collec-
tive expression of the Visayas Knights’
recognition of the inspiration given by
Bishop dela Cruz during the State Con-
vention was summed up in a special
Plaque of Appreciation presented by
Visayas Deputy to His Excellency after
the latter’s speech. Delegates were
treated to a cultural dance presentation
by students from Mandaue School for
the Arts. The day was capped by the
“KC-ing Galing Competition Visayas
Grand Finals” facilitated by the KCFAPI.
Day 3 of the State Convention com-
menced with the Holy Mass offered in
memory of departed brother knights
with Rev. Msgr. Pedro C. Quitorio III,
Spiritual Adviser of KCFAPI and Spokes-
man of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference
of the Philippines (CBCP) as main cel-
ebrant and homilist, and Rev. Msgr.
Gaspar D. Balerite concelebrating. In his
homily, Msgr. Quitorio, a true-blue
knight himself, used council-based ex-
perience as reality check on the need for
KEYS REALTY &
servant-leaders to be sensitive and be
open to suggestions, encourage con-
DEVELOPMENT, CORP.
certed efforts as a way of pursuing the
mission of the Knights of Columbus.
After the mass, Msgr. Gaspar Balerite, 3RD Floor, Fr. George Willmann S.J. Center
Parish Priest of Allen, Northern Samar, General Luna cor., Sta. Potenciana Sts.,
who is a fourth degree knight, and an Intramuros, Manila Tel Nos: 527-2221/527-2238
acknowledged biblical scholar with doc-
torate degree, talked on “Word of God,
Word of Life” as a fitting message to
delegates that they could share with
“AVAILABLE BRAND NEW OFFICE SPACE”
brother knights and their local commu-
nities when they return to their respec- Knights of Columbus Building
tive homes. Captain V. Roa Extension, Cagayan De Oro City
Before parting ways after the State
Convention was adjourned, the del-
egates eagerly shared the thrill as they 2 nd Floor 3rd Floor
awaited the result of the State
Convention’s raffle draw facilitated by Floor Area from 40 sq. to 100 Floor Area from 40 sq. to 100
Bro. Loreto Pablo and his committee. The square meters square meters
lucky 1st Prize winner of Php150,000.00
was from Iloilo City.
All throughout the three-day activity For inquiries:
ably presided by the Worthy Visayas Please call
Deputy, Bro. Jun Esteban, with Bro. Allan
Nicolas Ouano as Parliamentarian and MS. ANA MAY D. ALBALADEJO MR. REYNANTE “BONG” BRAGAT
Toastmaster, delegates experienced 3 RD Floor, Fr. George Willmann S.J. Branch Service Administrator
Cebuano hospitality, wholesome enter- Center KC Fraternal, Knights of Columbus
tainment, educational organizational General Luna cor., Sta. Potenciana Building, Captain V. Roa Extension,
sessions and spiritually-enhancing ac- Sts., Intramuros, Manila Cagayan De Oro City
tivities. No doubt, it was a successful and Tel. No: (02) 527-2221 Tel. #: (0882)-854-3274 Fax #: (0882)-
memorable 7th Visayas State Conven- Fax No: (02) 527-2238 272-1005
tion. (Bro. Junjie Navales Cruz)
 CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 13
June 23 - July 6, 2008 The Cross C3

Health awareness We have much

among KCFAPI
By Jaime M. Talag, M.D.
KCFAPI held its 2 quarter
nd
health seminar last May 28 at the
Social Hall of the KC Fr. George
J. Willman Center. The seminar
with the topic “Common Eye
Disease” and Error of Refraction”
was conducted by Ma. Teresa
Martinez, M.D., a specialist in the
field of Ophthalmology.
Dr. Martinez explained that
infections, trauma and foreign
bodies are the common causes of
eye diseases. The most common
kind of eye disease is
“Hordeolum” (also referred to as
“Kuliti”). It is characterized by
inflammation or swelling of the
eyelids caused by a bacteria
known as “Staphylococcal
Aureus”. This type of eye disease
is usually treated by applying hot
compress, antibiotics, and ste-
roids or for faster solution, inci-
sion and curettage (surgical scrap-
ping). Another common type of
eye disease is “Chalazion” which
is a chronic lipogranulomatous
inflammatory disease. It is pain-
less and manifested as a small cir-
cumscribed tumor of the eyelid.
This type of disease does not re-
quire antibiotic treatment but
incision and curettage is recom-
The officers of the KCFAPI paid a courtesy call to Fr. Jose Cecilio J. Magadia, S.J., newly-appointed Provincial of the Society of Jesus last June 20. Installed
on June 12, Fr. Magadia is the 10th Provincial Superior of the Philippine Province of the Society of Jesus. Fr. Magadia (3rd from left) with Corporate Secretary
& Luzon Deputy Alonso L. Tan, President Antonio B. Borromeo, Spiritual Director Msgr. Pedro C. Quitorio III, Treasurer Antonio T. Yulo, and Executive Vice
President Ma. Theresa G. Curia.
mended.
Dr. Martinez also talked on
corneal injuries. The most com-
mon corneal injury is abrasion
which results from rubbing or
scrapping of epithelium. Abra-
sions are usually caused by for-
eign objects such as fingernails,
paper, etc., coming into contact
with the cornea or exposure to
radiation or chemicals. Symp-
toms of the infection are tearing,
redness and sensation of sand in
the eye. In the case of infection
caused by a foreign body second-
ary to trauma, the injured person
experiences discomfort. Treat-
ment after removal of the foreign
object is followed by topical an-
tibiotics and application of eye
patch over the infected eye. An-
other type of corneal injury is
“corneal laceration”. It may be
partial or full thickness and can
be managed by surgery.
Another common type of eye
disease is “Conjunctivitis” (more
commonly known as “Sore eye”).
It is classified (according to
source) into three types, 1) Bacte-
ria, 2) Viral and 3) Allergic. It may
also be classified according to its
discharge, namely: 1) Watery,
which is usually a result of viral
infection or exposure to toxic
flames, 2) Mucous, which is symp-
tomatic of an allergy, 3) Purulent,
which may be symptomatic of
bacterial infection such as gono-
cocci, and 4) Mucopurulent,
caused by mild bacteria.
The last common type of eye
disorder is known as “Pterygium”
(also known as “Pugita”). It is
manifested by a growth of fleshy
mass over the conjunctiva reach-
ing the cornea. According to Dr.
Martinez, this type of infection is
caused by over exposure to UV
rays and pollution. Usually, exci-
sion is done once the vision is dis-
rupted. However, even if treated
by surgery there is a 90 percent
chance of recurrence.
On the topic of “Error of re-
fraction”, Dr. Martinez began her
lecture by showing a picture of
the cross section of the anatomy
of the eye. She then distinguished
“Hemitropic (absence of refrac-
tive error) from Ammetropia
(presence of refractive error).
Dr. Martinez explained that
there are three classification of
error of refractions, namely: 1)
Myopia or nearsightedness, a
condition whereby the image is
reproduced in front of the retina.
As a result the person experiences
difficulty to view an object from
a distance. Correction of this kind
of visual impairment is done by
attaching a concave or negative
lens to the eyeglass, 2) Hypero-
pia or farsightedness. In this con-
dition, the image is reproduced
behind the retina and the person
with this condition experiences
difficulty in viewing an object at
a near distance. Correction of this
condition is done attaching a con-
vex or positive lens to the eye-
glass of the patient, and 3) Astig-
matism, which is a more compli-
cated condition. In this condition,
the eye produces an image with
multi focal points or lines, thus
making vision blurry. This may
be corrected with the use of a
sphero-cylinder lens.
Presbyopia (literally means
“old age”) is a progressive inabil-
ity to see clearly at a near dis-
tance and loss of accommodation
(adjustability of the eye). This
kind of impairment is usually
related to the aging of the per-
son. This is corrected by using
either a single vision reading
glass, bifocals, trifocals or pro-
gressive addition lenses.
The seminar in eye care proved
to be an informative session for
the employees of KCFAPI. It was
well received as shown by the
numerous questions they raised
which were sufficiently answered
by Dr. Martinez.
work to do
By Carl A. Anderson
Within the Knights of
Columbus, we have
the practical means to
build a civilization of
love.
I would like to express my appreciation to all the Knights of
Columbus families who have shown such encouraging sup-
port for the publication of A Civilization of Love: What Every
Catholic Can Do to Transform the World (HarperOne). I am espe-
cially pleased by the way in which council chaplains, parish
priests, seminarians and college Knights have responded to
this book.
In discussing A Civilization of Love with a variety of people, it
is clear to me that many are eagerly seeking ways to allow
God to become a larger part of their daily lives. They want to
find greater spiritual fulfillment by sharing their time and
talent with others, especially those in need.
All of this has greatly reinforced the importance of the mis-
sion of the Knights of Columbus. As an organization, we are
as relevant today as when we were founded 126 years ago;
perhaps even more so. Our Order offers Catholic men a vari-
ety of ways to invite God to share in a greater part of their
lives, and there is no organization more committed to sharing
time and talent with those in need.
We are hearing a great deal these days about the need for
change in society. I believe that
Christianity is the religion of change—change in the lives
of individuals and in societies. The Knights of Columbus has
always been committed to ongoing change in society by pro-
claiming the saving truths of the Gospel through the personal
witness of its members.
Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI have used the phrase “a
civilization of love” to emphasize the type of society Catho-
lics should work to build. In writing A Civilization of Love, I
could not help but think that the Venerable Servant of God
Father Michael J. McGivney had a similar vision for society.
Perhaps most importantly, he found a very practical means to
sustain the mission of the action-oriented fraternal associa-
tion he established by founding it upon the principles of char-
ity and unity—principles that form the twin pillars of a civili-
zation of love.
How blessed we were to hear Pope Benedict at St. Patrick’s
Cathedral single out Father McGivney for his vision and zeal
and as an example of the unity of purpose and vision among
the Catholic faithful that resulted in the impressive growth of
the Church in the United States.
Some may think that this is simply a kind of pious idealism
which has no chance to change anything in the real world. But
this sort of “realism” shortchanges the great dignity and call-
ing of each person.
We all know the Lord’s answer when asked to sum up the
“law and the prophets” (see Mt 5:17). He said that love of God
and love of neighbor are the true vocation of every person. If
this is true, then only one form of society is ultimately worthy
of the dignity of every person. That society is a civilization of
love. This is perhaps idealism to some, but for Christians it is
the source and summit of reality.
And for us Knights of Columbus? In many ways, our Order is
the preeminent lay Catholic organization. As such, we must
play a leading role in the pope’s efforts to build a civilization of
love in the very places we know best: our families, councils,
parishes, schools and communities. We have much work to do.
Vivat Jesus!

Gawad Kalinga / C1 Mindanao / C1

Dear BC Holders,
You can pay your insurance
contributions and loans
through the following outlets:
1. Banco de Oro Branches
2. Philippine National Bank
Branches
3. Banco Filipino Branches
4. Bills Payment Counter of SM
branches
5. Cabanatuan Service Office -
Knights of Columbus Bldg.,
578 Burgos Ave., Cabanatuan
City
6.Cagayan de Oro Service Office
- 3rd Floor, KC Building,
Capt. V. Roa Extension, 9000
Cagayan de Oro City
7. Cebu City Service Office - 2nd
Floor, KC Building, 36
Archbishop Reyes Ave. Cor.
Molave St., Lahug, 6000 Cebu
City
8. Davao Service Office -
Knights of Columbus
Building, C.M. Recto Ave.,
8000 Davao City
9. Iloilo City - 2nd Floor,
Carolina Building, 106 M.
Jalandoni St., Jaro, 5000 Iloilo
City
10. Zamboanga City - Room 4,
2 nd Floor, Park Pavilion
Building, La Purisima St.,
7000 Zamboanga City
the number of housing and community
development programs implemented, GK
has gained considerable experience and
expertise in their specific line of endeavor.
KCPFI chose the Tungkong Mangga
GK Site for the implementation of its
project because:
1) There is an active and dynamic K of
C Councils in San Jose del Monte. There
are other councils in the nearby town of
Sta. Maria and also in Novaliches and
Fairview, Quezon City. Members of
these K of C Councils will be invited to
participate in the project.
2) The site may serve as an avenue for
KCPFI’s current and past collegiate
scholars to help the K of C Village and
other Tungkong Mangga site dwellers.
The current and past seminarian-priest
scholars of the KC Fr. George J.
Willmann, SJ may also participate and
contribute in this outreach program.
3) The site has allocated 2.5 hectares for
housing and designed to accommodate
205 more houses in addition to the exist-
ing 45 houses. Within this area are lots
for chapel, school, clinic, and multipur-
pose hall. KCPFI has the option to ex-
pand the project from a single row to a K
of C Village of 3 rows or 30 houses-dwell-
ing after this initial project endeavor.
4) The site has another 2.5 hectares un-
der usufruct agreement in favor of GK al-
located for productivity (i.e., livelihood)
programs. This is suitable for the next
project of KCPFI – livelihood programs.
The projected duration of construction
of one row consisting of ten dwellings
is between two-and-a-half months to
three months, during which period the
KCFAPI Home Office based Officers and
Staff will participate in volunteer con-
struction work. The ground breaking
ceremony is scheduled on June 19, 2008
with construction work following im-
mediately thereafter. The target comple-
tion date is September 6, 2008.
they are Knights!
Marbel Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez
delivered a short message identifying
the lack of social conscience as the root
cause of the corruption in government
and society. He proffered radical change
in persons and in social structures as the
solution. He exhorted the Knights to be
at the forefront of social change.
The afternoon of the second day, Rev.
Fr. Johnny Autida, DCD, spoke on be-
half of Archbishop Romulo Valles of
Zamboanga, on the topic “KC Members
and Families’ Spirituality.” His talk fo-
cused on the role of the family in the
plan of God as a builder of the King-
dom, and the spirituality of lay people
as the foundation of the KC apostolate.
Digos City Bishop Guillermo Afable,
another 4th Degree Knight, celebrated the
concluding Mass on the third day. He
gave the most applause-interrupted talk
of the convention. In his homily, Bishop
Afable explained the jump from the Ten
Commandments to Christ’s law of love,
from faith to action, and challenged the
Knights on two areas of daily life: truth-
ful living and pro-life activities. Inter-
spersed between meaningful and perti-
nent jokes and uncompromising teach-
ings of the Church, he led the Knights to
deep reflection about following Christ
without reservation and challenged
them, through apt examples, to apply-
ing faith to the practical situations of
daily living.
Growth in membership
In his State of the Order report, Bro.
Cruz cited the performance highlights
of the Mindanao Jurisdiction as regards
membership growth: 2,715 additions or
4 percent over end-CY2006-07, resulting
in total membership of 70,334 recorded
as of April 30, 2008. Bro. Cruz, however,
lamented the fact that few councils re-
ported their activities, and correspond-
ingly, many councils failed to face up to
their financial obligations, thus causing
suspension. He nonetheless expressed
his strong belief and great hope that the
coming years will highlight a signifi-
cantly improved performance of the
councils in all avenues of service. The
focus, he said, will be on spiritual devel-
opment as “a spiritually-enriched
Knight will be a motivated, committed,
and involved Knight, effective in the
spread of the Word of God and the works
of the Church.”
Also on the second day, the newly-
appointed Supreme Council Director for
Philippine Affairs, SK Eduardo R. Laczi,
spoke on Membership Growth and De-
velopment. He laid out a strategy for
increasing the membership to 1,000,000
in ten years from the present 231,000 by
enforcing every Knight’s obligation to
recruit a new member and by securing
the entry into Knighthood of graduat-
ing Columbian Squires.
He was followed by Supreme Director
SK Alberto P. Solis, who first enlightened
the Knights about certain procedures and
practices at the Supreme Office which safe-
guard efficiency and transparency in its
operations. He then laid out the plans for
developing new councils, particularly
college councils, and reactivating dor-
mant ones. Finally, he announced initia-
tives for the eventual introduction and
organization of the Knights of Colum-
bus in Indonesia and in China as was
done in Mexico and Poland.
The President of KCFAPI, SK Antonio
Borromeo, reported on KC Fraternal and
its subsidiary corporations. Bro.
Borromeo mentioned that under the fa-
vorable economic environment of the
country in 2007, the insurance associa-
tion likewise posted commendable
growth, and has become a pillar of fi-
nancial strength with a total of P2.37 bil-
lion in resources and with both death
and living benefits of over P1 billion
paid out to Filipino knights and fami-
lies since its inception in 1958. It has
moreover been enabled to fulfill its cor-
porate social responsibility through the
Knights of Columbus Philippines Foun-
dation and the Fr. George Willmann
Charities, Inc., with various charitable
works done and scholarships granted to
66 collegiate, one vocational scholar, 31
seminarians, and nine priests pursuing
advanced studies locally and in Rome.
Resolutions
Thirty-one resolutions on various mat-
ters were passed during the convention.
Among the notable ones were those urg-
ing Knights to help build the culture of
life, opposing same-sex marriage, re-
minding them of the dangers of Freema-
sonry, suggesting honorarium for Degree
Exemplification members, enjoining
Knights to pray for the canonization of
Fr. Michael J. McGivney, reiterating KC
solidarity with the bishops and priests,
and recommending the division of
Mindanao into two jurisdictions.
Seven hundred thirty nine Knights reg-
istered for the convention with a few un-
registered participants joining in. The del-
egates came from all over Mindanao, rep-
resenting the 595 councils of 129 districts
which compose the Mindanao jurisdiction
Total membership statewide is presently
recorded at over 70,300 Knights.
While the convention had its messages
and discussions as well as fellowships
(State Dinner and Fiesta Night) and so-
cials (including a very interesting Davao
City tour), the spiritual tone set by the
Holy Mass and prayers and the speeches
by the bishop Knights pervaded the
three-day affair. The convention indeed
served as a showcase of the Order as an
organization of Catholic men in the ser-
vice of the Church. (SK Reynaldo G.
Soroñgon, Jr.)
 C4 The Cross CBCP Monitor
Vol. 12 No. 13
June 23 - July 6, 2008

Sir Knight Rogelio

S. Sipalay
A resident and businessman
based in Davao City

BRO. Roger finished BS Com-

merce Major in Accountancy
and Business Administration
at the University of Mindanao.
He also took up Pre-Law at the
Harvardian University.
He worked for 16 years as Manager of Insular Bank of Asia
and America and four years as Senior Manager of Paramount
Finance Corp.
As an entrepreneur, Bro. Roger is presently the President of
League of Fraternal Dwelling, Inc., President of St. Joseph Learn-
ing Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology, Inc. He is the
Proprietor of Roter Trade Leasing and Roter Manpower Man-
agement Services, Chairman of the Board of Mindanao
Columbian Knights Multi-Purpose Cooperative, and Treasurer
of Mindanao Columbian Knights Fraternal Foundation, Inc.
He joined the Order of the Knights of Columbus Council
8069 (Juna Subd., Matina, Davao City) in January 1986. His 22
years as a knight earned him the positions of Past Grand Knight,
Former District Deputy, Former Regional Secretary, Former
State Warden, Former State Membership Director, Former State
The officers of the Knights of Columbus during their courtesy call to the Papal Nuncio, Most Rev. Edward Joseph Adams. From lef t: Most Rev. Adams, Luzon Deputy
Youth Director. He is presently the State Council Director of SK Alonso L. Tan, V isayas Deputy SK Dionisio R. Esteban, Jr., Director for Philippine Affairs SK Eduardo G. Laczi, and Mindanao Deputy SK Sofronio R. Cruz. The
Mindanao Jurisdiction. Knights conveyed their respect and support to the Papal Nuncio and to his projects.

New KC Priest-Scholar
In 2007, Bro. Sipalay was elected member of the Board of
Trustees and Member of the Board Audit Committee of KCFAPI.
He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Keys Realty &
Development Corp., a subsidiary of KCFAPI. (Annie Nicolas)

Sir Knight Policarpio

B. Alberto in Rome named
REV. Fr. Cyril M. Paredes of the Samar.
Geodetic Engineer Diocese of Catarman was named Ordained priest on March 7,
the 24th priest-scholar of the 2000 at the Cathedral of Our Lady
A SIMPLE barrio lad from Gen. Knights of Columbus Supreme of the Annunciation, Catarman,
Tinio, Nueva Ecija, Policarpio Council under the Father Michael Northern Samar, Fr. Paredes fin-
B. Alberto, had his hands full J. McGivney Fund for Advanced ished his AB Philosophy and
of what he wanted. Full of zest Studies in Rome. Bachelor in Sacred Theology at
in life, Bro. Polly earned his SK Alonso L. Tan, president of the University of Santo Tomas
laurels at a very young age. KC Fr. George J. Willmann Chari- Central Seminary, Cum Laude.
His parents did not see the ties, Inc., chose Fr. Paredes upon Fr. Paredes was previously as-
fruits of their son’s endeavor hav- recommendation of the Seminar- signed as Parochial Vicar of the
ing died when Bro. Polly was only 11 years old. But the trait of ian – Priest Scholarship Commit- Cathedral and as Guest Priest of
hard labor to any success was their legacy to their son. The tee chaired by Fr. Rene Sapungan, the Diocese of Pasig prior to his
experience of losing his parents early developed in him the and in consultation with Visayas departure for Rome. He will take
drive to pursue his dreams in full honesty and spirit of brother- Jurisdiction State Deputy, SK his Licentiate in Biblical Theol-
hood. This guy, a God-fearing one, is the epitome of success in Dionisio R. Esteban, Jr. ogy at the Pontificia Universita
its simplicity. Working through college, he became a Geodetic Fr. Paredes served as chaplain San Tommaso in Rome and will
Engineer and the PBA Surveying was established in no time. of Knights of Columbus Council stay at Pontificio Collegio
Bro. Polly, contributed his expertise to Keys Realty as a Geo- 4686 in Catarman, Northern Filippino. (Denise Solina)
detic Engineer and real estate broker in its various projects,
among others, Cartagena I and II (Las Pinas and Naga Road),
BF Homes, townhouse projects and the acquisition of the 3- Partners in Progress
storey building (R. Gatan Building) in Cabanatuan City. He
became Treasurer of Keys Realty in 1995 till 1997 and one of its
directors from 2005 to the present. Holy Trinity Memorial Chapels and Provident Plans International Corp.
He is presently member of the Real Estate Brokers Associa-
tion of the Philippines serving as Chairman of the Council of
leaders. Bro. Polly became its National President in 1993 and
Chairman of the Board in 1995.
He was a nominee in 1998 and 2000 for the Professional Regu-
lation Commission as Most Outstanding Professional Geodetic
Engineer. Bro. Polly was also appointed by the Department of
Trade and Industry/Bureau of Trade Relations and Consumer
Protection Relations (BTRCPR) as Real Estate Examiner for two
years (1998 and 1999). Being a lecturer on real estate seminars,
accumulating more than 200 hours in different parts of the is-
land since 1987, is one of his very rewarding efforts in the
industry. If he shares his time in his profession, the community
is not far behind. He had served as a Barangay Captain of Balut,
Tondo in 1977-1978 and an active director of the United East
Homeowners Association, Inc. in Fairview Park, Quezon City.
He joined KC San Raphael Council 5124 in 1966. From then
on, he served the KC on different levels, as District Chairman FOR the past years, Provident stand out. Both are managed by
of Columbian Squires in 1969 and Warden in 1970. He was Plans International Corp. has religious and God-fearing indi-
given the opportunity to travel with Fr. George J. Willmann been the major business partner viduals placing God above all.
and the Past Philippine Deputy Mardonio R. Santos in 1972 to of Holy Trinity Memorial Chap- The companies’ remarkable ac-
Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya by bus for a 3rd degree exemplifi- els and in tandem in the quest for complishments through the
cation of the council. superiority in providing high years are embedded on the great-
Bro. Polly is a loving husband to Nenita S. Alberto and a standard of service to its clientele. est value of all time—that of put-
good example to their four children who are all professionals. Provident Plans boasts of its 34 ting God, the Giver of all things
The second child, Raymond, followed the footsteps of his fa- years of existence as one of the good, above all things.
ther and now a successful entrepreneur owning one of the big- pillars of the industry while Holy These two companies possess
gest surveying company (RASA Surveying) in the Philippines. Trinity takes pride in placing its the necessary ability to ensure ev-
niche for more than 25 years as ery client gets nothing but the best. KC Fraternal introduces its newest product offering—the
Today, Bro. Polly is still active in his profession (PBA Sur-
veying) and running another business—Printworld Business one of the most sought after fu- Quality service, commitment and KC Super Saver Plan.
Center—with offices at SM Megamall and SM Fairview. (Annie neral parlors in the south. dedication to the visions and mis-
Nicolas) Both Provident Plans and Holy sions they both aspire for are the KC Super Saver Plan—Gold Series is a peso-denominated
Trinity have many common char- manifestations of their continuous single-pay ten-year endowment plan. The proposed Assured
acteristics which make them desire to serve. (L. Ulit) has to pay only one time. He will, in as short as 10 years,
recover more than his contributions or an amount equiva-
lent to the Sum Assured.

The plan’s life insurance coverage is increasing. It starts

from 110% of Sum Assured on the first year and increases
uniformly by 10% of the Sum Assured every year until it
reaches 200% on the tenth and final year. The plan is
available for issue ages 1 to 75.

Super Saver Plan is ideal for our Brother Knights or their

immediate family members who have seasonal income or
earnings, such as members in the agricultural or aquacul-
tural sectors. The flexibility offered by the plan’s single con-
tribution 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!
The Knights of Columbus Philippines Foundation, Inc. (KCPFI) recently signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Gawad Kalinga Community Development, Inc.
KCPFI President SK Alonso L. Tan, and Atty. Jose T. Tale, GK Chairman of the Board, led the MOA signing at the Knights of Columbus office in Intramuros, Manila. In Build your own Benefit Portfolio. When you
photo: (l-r) Justice Jose C. Reyes, Jr., KCPFI Chairman, Atty. Jose T. Tale, SK Alonso L. Tan, Msgr. Pedro C. Quitorio III, KCPFI Spiritual Director, and Bro. Francisco
V. Tankiang, KCPFI Corporate Secretary. Officers of the Order of the Knights of Columbus and KC Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Inc. led by its President, want it. As you want it!
SK Antonio B. Borromeo, were also present to witness the event.