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Monitor

CBCP

APRIL 18 - MAY 1, 2016 VOL. 20 NO. 14

PROTAGONIST OF TRUTH, PROMOTER OF PEACE

CBCPMONITOR@AREOPAGUSCOMMUNICATIONS.COM

SUPPLEMENT ISSUE

The Cross:

THE SUPPLEMENT PUBLICATION


OF KCFAPI AND THE ORDER OF
THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

A3 Pope Francis says

media missed the


real family crisis
in coverage of
communion and
divorce

B1 Amoris Laetitia in the


Jubilee of Mercy

Church
official
calls for
merciful
leaders

A crowd of mostly Knights of Columbus members, students from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), residents from Baseco, Manila, and San Sebastian College Graduate School of Law students
packed the San Sebastian College Recoleto - Manila Little Theater for the #CleanVotePH Voters Forum, April 16, 2016. Seizing a rare opportunity, voters representing several sectors were able to air their
sentiments about the most important criteria Filipinos should consider when going to the polls on May 9. RODEL TATON

CBCP head calls for natl


rosary campaign till polls
By Nirvaana Ella Delacruz

REMINDING the faithful about the power of


CBCP president Archbishop Socrates Villegas
prays over Fr. Amado Picardal, executive secretary prayer, particularly of the
of the bishops Committee on Basic Ecclesial rosary, Catholic Bishops
Communities. ROY LAGARDE
Conference of the PhilipTHE Philippines next leaders pines (CBCP) president
should take a cue from Pope Francis called on Filipinos to pray
leadership by taking a merciful
the rosary daily until the
approach to good governance, a
elections on May 9, saychurch official said.
R e d e m p t o r i s t F r . A m a d o ing it is the countrys only
Picardal, executive secretary of recourse.
the bishops Committee on Basic
Ecclesial Communities, said what
the country needs is governance
enriched by mercy.
Since this year has been declare
by Pope Francis as the Year of
Mercy, it would be appropriate to
emphasize mercy as one of the
chief qualities that we have to expect
from the politicians we should vote
for, he said.

Mercy defined
What does it mean for leaders to
be merciful?
The missionary, known for his
peace advocacies in Mindanao,
said merciful leaders are
concerned about criminality and
do their best to make sure that
justice prevails.
He asserted, however, due process
of the law and respecting the rights
of individuals is still a must even
those accused of crimes.
They avoid shortcuts and do
not promote extra-judicial killings.
They believe that even if people
make mistakes, commit sin, or
do terrible thing no one is totally
evil and beyond redemption, said
Picardal.
Tough and ruthless leaders
have emerged at various times in
the past with disastrous results.
We have to say: Never again! No
to ruthless leaders. Yes to merciful
and compassionate leaders, he
stressed.
The priest warned that when
elected leaders lack mercy, the
people will end up in a society where
terror reigns and human rights
are violated, where due process and
the rule of law are ignored.
It will be a repressive society
without freedom and where people
are afraid to criticize the powers
that be otherwise they too could
be assassinated, said Picardal.
Merciful / A6

It is God who can enlighten our


decisions. It is God who can thwart
the plans of evil men and women to
destroy social order. It is God who
can give us the best leaders for the
good of everyone, said Lingayen
Dagupan Archbishop Socrates B.
Villegas in a message issued April 15.
Prayer for national change
The prelate stressed the unique
importance of prayer for national
change, saying praying that the
Lord of history guide every voter
and guide every candidate is the

faithfuls best contribution.


According to him, it is by the
power of the rosary, we can stop
the evil of election violence and
cheating. By the power of the rosary,
we can win the battle for peaceful
and credible elections.
Villegas enjoined Catholics to
fight stubbornness, cynicism and
stupidity in making our choices
through daily praying of the rosary.
Let the rosary melt our hardened
hearts and arrogant lips, he said.
Pray all the mysteries of joy,
light, sorrow and glory every day

until May 9. Pray as a family. Pray


while travelling. Pray in the offices
or factories. Pray everywhere for our
national elections,
He stressed the potency of prayer
in influencing major events, as seen
in history.
The prelate also quoted the
Venetian senators saying after what
is said to be the most crucial naval
clash in history, the Battle of Lepanto
of 1571: It was not courage, not
arms, not leaders but Mary of the
Rosary that made us victorious.
Polls / A6

Pro-life candidates propose


Lay group joins fight vs.
money-laundering, casinos alternatives to divorce bill
IN response to their unique role in
the Church and in society, a group
of lay Filipino Catholics expressed
solidarity with local prelates on
the issue of money laundering and
government-sanctioned casinos
in the face of recent controversies
involving several high-profile
individuals.
We resonate with our Bishops
when they deplore the continuous
existence of casinos because they
are sanctioned by the government
We feel with our Bishops in
their apprehension that the high
stakes and high-risk gambling,
receives a tepid treatment and
concern from the government,
hence perpetuating its evil effects
in our countrymen, especially
the young and the poor, said
Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas
national president Zenaida F.

Capistrano in a statement Monday,


April 11.
Ruined lives
According to her, SLP believes
that the sudden change of fortune
from gambling, whether from
winning or from losing, has ruined
lives and resulted in the breakdown
of families.
On behalf of the organization,
Capistrano pointed out that
SLP membersnationallLay
organizations, the archdiocesan/
diocesan Councils of the LaityBasic
Ecclesial Communities (BECs), and
Parish Pastoral Councils (PPCs)
vow to actively promote advocacies
against gambling of all sorts
We commit ourselves through
our schools and through various
ways of social outreach to instill in
Casinos / A6

(R-L) Rep. Roman T. Romulo, Sen. Tito Sotto, Dr. Dante Liban, Rep. Martin Romualdez, Buhay Party-list
Rep. Lito Atienza and Atty. Jan Louenn Lumanta of Pro-life Partylist attend the Pro-Life and Candidates
Forum. YEN OCAMPOV

PRO-LIFE candidates reiterated that


the divorce bill is not the solution to
the growing number of marital abuse
cases and child beating, offering
alternative solutions at the Pro-Life
and Candidates Forum held at the
Aristocrat resto in Malate, Manila

on April 13.
Atty. Jan Louenn Lumanta of Prolife Partylist said he will file a bill to
institutionalize the family crisisnest in every barangay.
Like marriage encounters and
Bill / A6

Prelate: Zambales nuns flee to fight


NOVALICHES Bishop
Emeritus Teodoro C. Bacani
has assured the Iba faithful
that the decision of the
Carmelite nuns of their
diocese to move from their
old home in Subic to a
place farther up the hills of
Castillejos does not mean
an escape from battle but
a plunge directly into the
thick of it.
They [Carmelites of
the Holy Spirit] distanced
themselves not in order
to flee [the fight] but to
get involved [in it] all the

more, stressed the prelate


in his homily on Saturday,
April 9, in Zambales.
Bacani was in the
province to take part in the
blessing and dedication of
the newly-built Carmel of
the Holy Spirit Monastery
in Barangay Looc,
Castillejos town presided
over by Cceres Archbishop
Rolando J. Tria Tirona.
Fleeing = fighting
Perhaps some of you
are asking why these
sisters had to leave Subic

or didnt choose Olongapo


instead given that all the
temptations are there, he
said.
According to Bacani, who
served in the then Prelature
of Iba from 1966 to 1979 as a
young parish priest, there is
a kind of fighting that needs
withdrawal.
They went to Looc to fight
in the most effective and
important way possible,
he added.
Quoting the Letter of St.
James, the bishop said the
Nuns / A6

A2 NEWS

April 18 - May 1, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 14

CBCP Monitor

Nigerian bishops urge government Vatican Briefing


to hasten effort to free abductees
LAGOS, Nigeria, April 15, 2016
Two Nigerian bishops called on the
government to hasten its efforts to free
219 school girls who were abducted by
insurgents two years ago.
Bishops Matthew Audu of Lafia and
George Dodo of Zaria urged officials
to boost intelligence gathering efforts
and muster the political will to find
the girls, who were taken from their
dormitories by Boko Haram forces
during a middle-of-the-night raid at
a school in Chibok in northeastern
Nigeria April 14, 2014.
The bishops told Catholic News
Service it is unlikely that all of the
girls will be found because media have
reported that some had been killed or
sold off to be married by the insurgents.
They urged the country to pray for the
abductors so that they have a change
of heart and consider releasing the
students.
New video images recently obtained
by CNN and apparently filmed on
Christmas Day showed some of the girls
dressed in black robes pleading with the
Nigerian government to cooperate with
the militants on their release. They said
they were being treated well but wanted
to be with their families.
Family members and friends identified
some of the young people as students
from the school.
The Catholic News Agency for Africa
reported that relatives of the girls
marched in the capital, Abuja, on the
anniversary, calling for government
action.
Only God knows what their abductors
might have done to them, where they
would be by now. It might be true that
some might have been killed, some
molested and some married out by their
abductors, Bishop Audu said. That we
can still recover all those abducted on ...

We too are living in a time of martyrdom, Pope


tells Scottish seminarians
The world continues to be hostile to the Gospel, just
as it was four centuries ago when St. John Ogilvie was
martyred for his faith in Scotland, but continuing to
witness to Christ will change the world, Pope Francis
said. This was the message of the Holy Father to
seminarians studying at the Pontifical Scots College
in Rome, which marks its 400th anniversary this year.
We too are living in a time of martyrdom, and in the
midst of a culture so often hostile to the Gospel, the
Holy Father said during his April 14 audience with
the seminarians at the Vaticans Consistory Hall.
I urge you to have that same selfless spirit as your
predecessors did. Love Jesus above all things! The
Scots College in Rome was founded in 1600 by Clement
VIII in the wake of the Scottish Reformation, when
teaching the Catholic faith at home was illegal, but was
still practiced in secret. (CNA)

Nigerians attend a Bring Back Our Girls protest April 14 outside the presidential villa in Abuja. Two Nigerian bishops
are calling on the government to hasten efforts to free more than 200 school girls abducted by insurgents in 2014.
(CNS photo/EPA)

is not certain, Bishop Audu said.


That they are still within the custody
of their abductors after two years does
no credibility to the corporate image of
Nigeria as a nation, he added.
Bishop Audu, whose diocese is in
central Nigeria, called for a concerted
effort from by world leaders, starting
from Nigerias neighbors in West Africa,
to fight terrorism by contributing forces
and weapons to a multinational joint
task force assembled to root out the
insurgents.
World leaders must find ways to
block the sources of funding of the
insurgents and those supplying them
those arms and ammunition which they
use to attack legitimate governments
and innocent people, he said.
Bishop Dodo, whose diocese is in
northern Nigeria, said that he was

praying that missing girls would be


discovered. I am not sure that we will
be able to rescue all of them after two
years of their abduction. ... If it we are
fortunate, we may get some of them
back but not 100 percent, he said.
He also expressed concern for
thousands of other internally displaced
persons living in various refugee camps
who cannot return to their homes.
The federal government must
also look into the plights of other
Nigerian workers being owed several
months of unpaid salaries by their state
governments, he said.
Many do not have money to report
for duties at their offices, the federal
government should bail out the state
governments with financial assistance
for them to fulfill their obligations to
their workers and citizens. (CNS)

Canadians will regret legal assisted suicide,


Cardinal Collins predicts
TORONTO, Canada, April
17, 2016--The coming
legalization of assisted suicide
in Canada will threaten the
vulnerable, hide killing with
euphemisms, and threaten
the consciences of those who
oppose it, Cardinal Timothy
Collins of Toronto has said.
On Thursday the Canadian
government introduced
legislation to legalize assisted
suicide and euthanasia under
the federal criminal code.
Were all deeply concerned
that this is a sad day for
Canada, the cardinal told
CNA April 14.
While people see assisted
suicide as a simple solution,
he said, once people begin to
consider what the practices
really means to society, and
its threats to the vulnerable,
they begin to realize that this
is not the way to go.
Catholics, Evangelical
Protestants, Jews, Muslims
and the Salvation Army, all
opponents of legalization,
will hold an April 19 press
conference on Parliament
Hill in Ottawa, the Canadian
capital.
The very people who are
most involved in helping
people by the bedside while
they are dying or while they
are suffering are the ones
most opposed to killing those
entrusted in their care,
Cardinal Collins said.
The gathering would say
to Parliament: thus far

and no further. This is just


not right. Its not right. He
characterized the effort as
the ecumenism of practical
love.
The new legislation was
required by a February
2015 Canadian Supreme
Court decision. The ruling
said that doctors may help
patients who have severe
and incurable suffering to
kill themselves, and ordered
Parliament to create a
legislative response.
That is the root of the
problem, Cardinal Collins
said. He described that
court decision as sadly
unanimous.
The fundamental move
towards implementing
euthanasia or assisted suicide
is itself troubling, he added.
Previously, under Canadian
law those who counseled,
aided, or abetted a suicide
faced up to 14 years in prison.
The cardinal said the
law previously barred
the provision of noxious
substances to people.
Now, its possible that
giving a substance like that
is now going to be considered
a form of health care. What
have we come to?
He criticized using the
phrase medical assistance
in dying to describe taking
a substance and injecting it
into a person, and that makes
them die.
Thats not called dying.

The word for that is killing.


To not know the difference
between dying and killing is
astonishing.
He warned against
euphemisms that are
comfortable and pleasant
and sweet, but which do not
describe what is happening.
When we are ashamed,
troubled, by what we are
doing, I think we always leave
the light of clear language. We
dont want the light to shine
upon what we are doing.
The cardinal said Catholics
should strongly encourage
palliative care for those
in severe pain and for the
terminally ill. This, not
suicide, is true medical
assistance, he maintained.
He said the government
also has an obligation to
support palliative care if
it is going to set up a legal
euthanasia regime.
Thats the positive way to
deal with this very real issue,
he said.
He also stressed the need
for conscience safeguards to
protect individuals who are
committed to healing, and
not to killing.
They say that theres
nothing in the law that
somebody must do this. Well,
theres nothing in the law.
Yet. But this has to be taken
care of.
He said individuals and
institutions will certainly
face pressure to take part

in assisted suicide or
euthanasia.
What protections are
being offered? There are no
protections offered in this bill
at all, he said.
Backers of the bill say that
Canadas 10 provinces and
three territories will provide
these protections.
The cardinal questioned
this.
For all of Canada, theyre
making it acceptable to
provide a noxious substance
to somebody. But theyre
not providing the same
nationwide protections for
peoples consciences and for
havens of refuge.
He said that in this cold
world of euthanasia, there
must be places where you
know where you will be safe.
He worried of the pressures
on the elderly to hurry up
and die.
At a time when our priority
should be fostering a culture
of love, and enhancing
resources for those suffering
and facing death, assisted
suicide leads us down a dark
path, he said in an April 14
statement.
He noted that the Hail
Mary prayer focuses on now,
and at the hour of our death.
In these days ahead, may
that reflection guide us as in
a spirit of love, mercy and
compassion, we journey with
all those who are suffering.
(CNA)

Weekly TV series to introduce Francis to Taiwan


TAIPEI, April 13, 2016The Jesuit-run
Kuangchi Program Service (KPS) in
Taiwan is launching a new TV program
Oh My God, which it says will be the
first weekly TV series in Asia about the
pope.
The KPS held a premiere of the
program, whose Chinese title is Hello
Papa! at its Taipei headquarters on
April 9, a week ahead of its official
broadcast on the Dongfeng Satellite TV
station.
In addition to presenting the values
of Pope Francis to a Chinese audience,
Oh My God also will introduce various
social and pastoral services of the
church in Taiwan, said KPS director
Chuang Li-hung.

It is KPS desire to provide for


everyone to see warm and good stories
in every corner of Taiwan, she said.
The efforts of dedicated priests
and sisters throughout Taiwan echo
the appeal and values of the pope. We
hoped to connect the spiritual guidance
of the Vatican to Taiwan to show these
beauties and show the warmness of faith
life to the public through the program,
she said.
While introducing the program, KPS
vice director U.S. Jesuit Father Jerry
Martinson said a copy of it was presented
to Pope Francis by another vice director
Father Emillio Zanetti during a recent
visit to the Vatican.
The response from the pope was Oh

my God, which became the name of the


30-minute program, Father Martinson
said.
Father Martinson will be the host of
the show along with two young co-hosts.
The weekly series marks the second
program produced through the
sponsorship by the Vatican and Taiwans
foreign affairs ministry, the first being
a documentary on Jesuit missionary
Giuseppe Castiglione.
The Jesuits in Taiwan established
the Kuangchi Audio Recording Service
in 1958 to produce radio programs. It
started to produce TV programs and
documentaries in 1961. It is well known
locally for its educational and childrens
TV programs. (UCAN)

Pope appoints new Vatican ambassador to the US


Pope Francis has appointed French-born Archbishop
Christophe Pierre as the Vatican ambassador to the U.S.,
replacing Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigan, the Holy See
press office announced April 12. The appointment of the
new Vatican ambassador known as an apostolic nuncio
comes after Archbishop Vigan reached the retirement age
of 75 on Jan. 16 of this year. The Italian prelate had served
as apostolic nuncio to the U.S. since 2011. Archbishop
Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., who heads the U.S.
bishops conference, welcomed the announcement. The
French prelate was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese
of Rennes in 1970. In 1995 he was consecrated a bishop
and appointed apostolic nuncio to Haiti. He served there
until 1999, when he was transferred to Uganda. (CNA)
Pope Francis Instagram success: a model for
Catholic social media?
Social media can be a place for evangelization. The
proof? The giant audience for Pope Francis new
Instagram profile. More than 1 million people followed
his Franciscus account in the first 12 hours after its
March 19 launch. As of April 11, he has over 2.2 million
followers on the photo-centered network. Reflecting on
this success, and on what it means for the Church in the
social media age, Monsignor Dario Edoardo Vigano,
prefect of the Secretariat for Communication, offered
his thoughts. The astonishing success of Pope Francis
Instagram profile was a real surprise to all of us, and
also to Instagram itself, which made it a case study,
Msgr. Vigano said. (CNA)
Pope sends condolences after deadly fire in India
Pope Francis has sent his condolences to the victims
and relatives of a fireworks accident on Sunday that
killed at least 100 people and injured hundreds of
others in Indias Kerala state during celebrations of
the local Hindu new year. The Pope was saddened to
learn of the tragic fire at the Puttingal temple complex
in Paravur, said the telegram which was addressed
to the victims of the blaze, and was signed by Vatican
Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. Francis also
sent his condolences to the relatives of the deceased
and injured. 100 people were killed and over 380 were
wounded at the Puttingal Devi temple during Hindu
new year celebrations when a firecracker landed on a
shed storing the rest of the fireworks, resulting in a
series of explosions, Reuters reports. The explosions
caused a temple building to collapse, causing many of
the deaths, the BBC reports. (CNA)
Pope Francis calls for release of kidnapped priest
Pope Francis on April 10 issued an appeal for
the release of kidnapped Salesian priest, Fr. Tom
Uzhunnalil, and all persons being held captive in
conflict regions. Dear brothers and sisters, in the
hope given to us by the Risen Christ, I renew my
appeal for the freeing of all kidnapped persons in
armed conflict zones, the Pope told the crowds in
St. Peters Square after the recitation of Regina Caeli
prayer. In particular, I wish to remember Salesian
priest Tom Uzhunnalil, who was abducted in Aden,
Yemen last March 4. Fr. Uzhunnalil, an Indian
national, was abducted last month when four gunmen
attacked a Missionaries of Charity-run retirement
home in Aden, Yemen, killing 16 people, including
four Missionary of Charity sisters. (CNA)
Pope reminds world of suffering in war-
torn Ukraine
Pope Francis pleas for humanitarian aid for Ukraine
is bringing needed attention to a forgotten war, said
Ukrainian Catholic leaders. The 2-year-old war has
caused thousands of deaths and forced more than 1
million people to seek refuge abroad, the pope said.
After Mass April 3, Divine Mercy Sunday, Pope Francis
asked that Catholic parishes throughout Europe take
up a special collection April 24 as a sign of closeness
and solidarity with people suffering because of the war
in Eastern Ukraine. He prayed that the collection also
could help, without further delay, promote peace and
respect for the law in that harshly tried land. (CNS)
Refugees are not a problem, they are a gift,
pope says
Refugees, often perceived by society as an added
cost or a problem, are a gift and a reflection of the
face of God, Pope Francis said. People who escape
oppression, war, pollution or the unjust distribution
of the planets resources are a brother and sister
with whom to share bread, home and life, he said
in a video message to the Centro Astalli, the Jesuit
Refugee Service center in Rome. You are witnesses
of how our clement and merciful God can transform
the evil and injustice you have suffered into a good
for all, he said. The popes message to refugees and
volunteers April 19 marked the 35th anniversary of the
centers founding by Father Pedro Arrupe, superior
of the Jesuits from 1965 to 1983. (CNS)

CBCP Monitor

NEWS A3

April 18 - May 1, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 14

Pope Francis says media misses the real family


crisis in coverage of communion and divorce
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE,
April 16, 2016--Pope Francis has
said that the family is in crisis, and
that is a much bigger issue than
communion for the divorced and
remarried. He suggested the news
media had focused too much on the
latter issue during the synod and in
coverage of his recent document on
the family.
The Pope spoke with journalists
on his plane flight back from visiting
refugees on the Greek island of
Lesbos April 16.
A reporter from the French
newspaper Le Figaro asked why
his post-synod document Amoris
Laetitia treats access to the
sacraments for the divorced and
remarried in a footnote.
In response, Pope Francis noted
a recent Popes reflections on the
Second Vatican Council. There was
the council as it took place in St.
Peters Basilica, and there was the
council of the media that covered
the event, Pope Benedict XVI had
said in February 2013.
When I convoked the first synod,
the great concern of the media was
communion for the divorced and

remarried, and, since I am not a saint,


this bothered me, and then made me
sad, Pope Francis said, suggesting
that he is sad that he can be annoyed.
But do you not realize that that
is not important? he asked. Dont
you realize that instead the family
is in crisis, dont we realize that
the falling birth rate in Europe is
enough to make one cry? And the
family is the basis of society.
Do you not realize that the youth
dont want to marry? he asked.
Dont you realize that the lack of
work or the little work (available)
means that a mother has to get
two jobs and the children grow up
alone? These are the big problems.
He said he thought this aspect
of the family crisis is certainly in
a footnote in Amoris Laetitia
because he spoke about it in
Evangelii Gaudium, his 2013
apostolic exhortation.
Amoris Laetitia is the Popes
post-synodal exhortation published
April 8. It reflected upon the
bishops synods on the family in
October 2014 and 2015.
In a previous question during
the Popes April 16 in-flight press

Papal Foundation makes


generous donation to popes
VATICAN, April 12, 2016
The U.S.-based Papal
Foundation donated $10
million to support Pope
Francis numerous global
charity efforts.
During the groups
annual pilgrimage to
Rome, the pope thanked
members during a special
audience at the Vatican
April 8.
Pope Francis told them
that mercy was at the
heart of the foundations
mission. Through your
generous support of
diocesan, parish and
community projects,
as well as through
providing scholarships,
you assist many people
to further respond to
the local needs of their
communities and to
undertake ever more
fruitfully their own
works of mercy, he said.
It is through such
support, the pope
said, that your charity
reverberates throughout
the world.
Established by U.S.
Catholics in 1988, the
Papal Foundation was
an effort to support the
popes charitable efforts,

Vatican City - March 12, 2016.


Papal coat of arms in St. Peters
Square. CNA

Vatican Radio said April


8. The $215-million fund
creates revenue for the
popes causes, and the
foundation does not
invest in any companies
that engage in activities
inconsistent with the
Catholic faith, the radio
reported.
More than $15 million
was distributed by the
foundation in 2015,
Vatican Radio said. The
funds aided housing,
hospitals, educational
institutions, and prolife programs around
the world. (Gaby
Maniscalco/Catholic
News Service)

Pope Francis speaks to journalists aboard the papal flight. CNA

conference, Francis X. Rocca of


the Wall Street Journal, had asked
Pope Francis about access to the
sacraments for the divorced and
remarried and Amoris Laetitia.
Some sustain that nothing
has changed with respect to the
discipline that regulates access to

the sacraments for the divorced


and remarried, that the Law, the
pastoral praxis and obviously the
doctrine remain the same, Rocca
said. Others sustain that much
has changed and that there are new
openings and possibilities.
Rocca asked: are there new,

concrete possibilities that didnt


exist before the publication of the
exhortation or not?
Pope Francis answered: I can
say yes, many. But it would be an
answer that is too small.
The Pope recommended Cardinal
Christoph Schonborns presentation
of the exhortation.
Youll find the answer there, the
Pope said.
Cardinal Christoph Schonborn,
the Archbishop of Vienna, led the
April 8 press conference releasing
the document.
The cardinal had said there had
been too much concentration on
the questions regarding the pastoral
care of the divorced-and-remarried.
Its a trap to focus everything on
this point because you forget the
sum total of the situation, he said.
Cardinal Schonborn said the
experience of the poor is a key to
reading Amoris Laetitia.
In the families of the poor,
little steps on the path of virtue
are experienced that can be much
greater than those who live in
comfortable success, he said.
(CNA/EWTN News)

It makes you weep, pope says of refugees stories


ABOARD THE PAPAL
FLIGHT FROM GREECE,
April 16, 2016 When an
aide suggested Pope Francis
offer to fly some Syrian
refugees back to Rome with
him, the pope said he agreed
immediately because it was
an inspiration of the Holy
Spirit.
In the end, he said, 12
Syrians members of
three families, including
six children had all the
necessary papers from
the Greek and Italian
governments in time to fly
with the pope April 16.
The fact that the 12 are all
Muslims did not enter into
the equation, the pope said.
I gave priority to children
of God.
Two Christian families
originally had been on the
Vaticans list, too, he said, but
their papers were not ready
in time.
Spending about half an
hour answering reporters
questions, Pope Francis
insisted his visit to Greece
with Orthodox leaders was
not about criticizing a recent
agreement between the
European Union and Turkey
to return to Turkey those
entering EU territory without
legal permission.
What I saw today and
what you saw in that refugee
camp it makes you weep,
the pope told reporters.

Look what I brought to


show you, the pope told
them. He held up some of the
drawings the children in the
camp had given him. Look at
this, he said, this one saw a
child drown.
Really, today is a day to
weep, he said. Holding up
another picture, he pointed
to the top and said, The sun
is crying. If the sun is able to
cry, we should be able to shed
at least one tear for those
children who will carry the
memory of suffering with them.
Asked specifically about
immigration to the United
States and how it relates
to what he had called a
catastrophe, Pope Francis
insisted its a global problem
and that Central Americans
fleeing poverty and violence
also deserve the worlds
concern and assistance.
On other questions during
the inflight news conference:
Pope Francis confirmed
he had met U.S. Senator
Bernie Sanders that morning
as the pope was leaving his
residence. Sanders and other
participants at a Vatican
conference were staying in
the Domus Sanctae Marthae,
where the pope lives.
It was polite for Sanders,
who knew when the pope was
leaving, to go downstairs to
greet him, the pope said.
If someone thinks greeting
someone is to get involved in

Syrian refugees in the village of Kaa.

AID TO THE CHURCH IN NEED

politics, I recommend he see


a psychiatrist.
The pope was asked
to settle debate about his
postsynodal apostolic
exhortation on the family
and whether the document
opened new possibilities
for divorced and civilly
remarried Catholics to
receive Communion under
some circumstances.
I could say, Yes. Period,
but that would be too short
a response, the pope said.
I recommend everyone
read the presentation made
by Cardinal (Christoph)
Schonborn at the Vatican
news conference presenting
the document. The cardinal,
archbishop of Vienna, had said
the document represented
true innovations, but no
break with church tradition.

Still, the pope said, much


of the news media focused
so much on the question of
Communion for the divorced
that they skewed the publics
perception of the 2014 and
2015 meetings of the Synod
of Bishops.
Since Im not a saint,
this annoyed me and then
saddened me, the pope said.
Dont they understand that
the family throughout the
world is in crisis?
The family is the
foundation of society, Pope
Francis said. The great
problems include a reluctance
by young people to marry,
extremely low birth rates
in Europe, unemployment,
poverty those are the
big problems. ( C i n d y
Wooden/Catholic News
Service)

Stigma, lack of health care, fake drugs impeding HIV fight, speakers say
VATICAN, April 14, 2016 The
fight against HIV/AIDS is being
hampered by continued stigma
against those who are infected,
a lack of access to appropriate
medical care and fake antiretroviral
drugs pedaled on the black market,
said activists taking part in a
Caritas Internationalis conference.
Caritas brought together
representatives of faith-based
groups from all over the world
to hammer out a road map
indicating the best ways to
promote or provide early diagnosis
and treatment for HIV, especially
in children. The gathering was
organized together with UNAIDS,
the U.S. Presidents Plan for AIDS
Relief (PEPFAR) and the Vaticans
pediatric hospital, Bambino Gesu.
About 80 people active in HIV/
AIDS policy and relief work took
part in the conference April 11-13
in Rome.
The importance of offering
effective antiretroviral treatment
can be seen in the work of Loretto
Sister Mary Owens, executive
director of Nyumbani, which
provides care and support in
Kenya for HIV/AIDS survivors,
especially children.

She told Catholic News


Service that when she and the
organizations founder, U.S. Jesuit
Father Angelo DAgostino a
medical doctor started in the
1990s taking in children who
were abandoned because they had
HIV/AIDS, we had no access to
antiretroviral treatment and the
mortality rates of children in their
care were high.
Since getting help from PEPFAR
in 2005, everyone in their care has
access to proper treatment and
their eldest HIV-positive resident
is turning 35 this year, she said
with a smile.
Its a huge joy to see our kids
grow up. One boy is now married
and has a son who is HIV-negative.
Sister Owens, who moved from
Ireland to Kenya in 1969, said her
biggest priorities now are lobbying
for help in testing people for drug
resistance so the appropriate
treatments can be prescribed
immediately and getting access to
more advanced medications.
Despite awareness campaigns
and action over the decades,
stigma is still a huge problem in
Kenya, she said.
Having HIV is purely a medical

condition, she said, and she wants


people to know how unjust it is
to stigmatize people, especially
children, who are so vulnerable,
and who merely inherited
the virus during gestation or
breastfeeding from an infected
mother who didnt get any or
appropriate treatment.
Pope Francis would be the
perfect advocate in persuading
people to not be afraid of people
with HIV/AIDS, she said, pointing
to how his appeals and gestures on
behalf of migrants have alerted and
mobilized people globally.
It would be nice to have the pope
just make a statement, embrace
a child with HIV, she said, to
help draw the needed attention to
their plight and remind people of
their responsibility to help. These
people have a right to treatment
and care.
Representatives from Caritas
Myanmar Karuna Mission
Social Solidarity told CNS April
13 that less than 2 percent of their
countrys national gross domestic
product is invested in health care.
A lack of resources means some
government agencies are weak,
including the one in charge of

regulating pharmaceuticals to
guarantee quality and safety, said
Dr. Win Tun Kyi, national director
of Caritas Myanmar.
With low drug supplies, doctors
and clinics have to rely on the crossborder purchases and the black
market for many pharmaceuticals
including basics like penicillin and
vaccinations, he said.
Kyi said these medications are
usually low quality and there are
lots of fake drugs out there. I am
a medical doctor and I dont know
if a drug is good and where it
really came from since there are
no guaranteed controls.
Effective antiretroviral
treatment has been key to
preventing the spread of HIV
and extending the lifespan and
quality of life of those infected.
But the stigma of having HIV is
still strong in Myanmar, Kyi said,
so people who are infected often
dont disclose their situation and
get (the drugs) from the border
markets on their own without
adequate medical supervision.
Augustine Tuai Sian Piang,
program manager of health and
HIV/AIDS for Caritas Myanmar,
told CNS that when he started

working on the program in 2005,


church leaders were just as reluctant
as the larger society to face and
understand the problem of HIV/
AIDS. Now, local bishops are more
aware and help promote a church
that openly embraces, cares for and
supports people with HIV/AIDS.
The churchs medical, social,
spiritual and psychological
support services for patients are
so respected and effective, Kyi
said, that the government will
refer people to us.
The church plays a critical
role in raising awareness and
spurring action, he said, because
the traditional local culture means
most people are very shy, we
dont speak up easily, it takes
lots of energy to defreeze rigid
appearances hiding real problems.
Because of the cultural obstacles
and social taboos associated with
HIV/AIDS, a purely medical
response is not enough, he said.
Lots of social interventions
are needed, he said, as well as
knowing how to navigate the
moral landscape in order to
address the problem in a holistic
manner. (Carol Glatz/Catholic
News Service)

A4 OPINION

April 18 - May 1, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 14

CBCP Monitor

EDITORIAL
Social injustice

Amoris laetitia
THATS The joy of love in English, the title of the latest papal
document. It summarizes and integrates all the observations,
findings and conclusions of the two Synods of Bishops on the
family that took place in 2014 and 2015.
More than that, it outlines the papal thrust, and therefore that
of the whole Church, on how the pastoral care of the family should
be done today. It strikes me as a bold step forward in keeping pace
with the current state of family issues, complex and complicated
as they are now. In a nutshell, what it teaches and proposes is to
uphold traditional Catholic teaching on marriage and family and
also to encourage a new sensitivity, a new dynamism in dealing
with the different pertinent issues.
This document has to be read and studied slowly, because
the new things and approaches presented in this document can
always create some stir in the minds and hearts of some people
who are understandably attached to the traditional ways of doing
things. Its just unfortunate that some groups have immediately
taken the occasion to find fault in the document. They have even
gone to the extent of saying that Catholics cannot follow some
points articulated in the document.
This development seems disrespectful of the papal office at the
least. Any question or complaint they want to raise should be lodged
first with the proper office in the Church rather than immediately
going public and sowing confusion and distress on the people. But
then again, such development is not surprising at all, because even
in the time of Christ, many self-righteous people were always finding
fault in his ways of dealing with people who were considered as
sinners. Just the same, Christ finally submitted to their schemes,
offering his life on the cross, and asked for forgiveness for them.
Many people fail to see an organic shift from divine love to divine
mercy. They fail to see that the love that is at the core of the very
being of God is translated into mercy when extended to his creatures,
especially to us who, of all the creatures, are his masterpiece since
we have been created in his image and likeness.
It cannot be any other way. Creatures as we are, we cannot
replicate to the full the very love God has within himself, no
matter how best we try. We can only approximate it. And it is
Gods mercy that can fill up what will always be lacking and
missing in our love. This is not to say that we can flout any of the
moral teachings that the Church has so far developed through
the ages, based on the teachings and example of Christ himself.
It is rather to make some progress in our moral sense by giving
more attention to divine mercy as taught and shown by Christ
that appears to be ignored up to now.

Monitor
CBCP

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Lets pray for peaceful, credible elections

ILLUSTRATION BY BLADIMER USI

THE cases of victims of injustice in this country are growing


in gravity and in number year after year. So it is too that the
offenders are increasing in kind and count as time goes by. To
top it all, the justice system in the country has become more and
more dysfunctional--not to mention the likewise more and more
political interventions therein. So it is that social injustice reigns
in the Philippines--with the government being its prime agent
such as in the infamous DAP and PDAP scams, the historical
Mamasapano Massacre, the more recent Kidapawan debacle,
to mention but a few. So it is that to better know the nature and
implications of social injustice, it is good to be well aware of its
contradiction which is precisely social justice.
In simple language and plain reality, social justice is substantive
equality of people, one to another individually and in groups in
the exercise of their rights and the fulfillment of their obligations
as well. One giving to another what is his/her due is commutative
justice. People giving to the government what is due thereto is
legal justice. The government giving to the people what is their
due is distributive justice. Bundle all three expressions of what
is right or what is wrong, this is the essence of social justice.
So it is that there is social injustice when neighbors steal from
one another, when citizens do not pay the right taxes to the
government, when government officials keep for themselves
public funds and thus deny what is due to the people. To say that
all these unjust and wherefore unfair realities are well-existent in
the Philippines is superfluity--more concretely so in the sphere
of distributive justice.
It is bad enough when individuals are unjust to one another. It
is unfair when the government is good in imposing all conceivable
kinds of taxes upon the people. It is worst when people do not get
from the government what is their due. This betrayal of public
trust is usually on account of the customary dishonesty, serious
incompetence, and/or marked indolence on the part of the public
officials concerned. And sad to say, this social injustice is the
expertise of the still incumbent government that is unforgiving
in its rigorous demand for legal justice but nonchalant about the
observance of distributive justice.
The poor have become not simply poorer but also bigger in
number. Education is expensive if available. Local employment
is always wanting. Power is anything but cheap. Farmers cannot
farm for lack of water. Food is less in quantity yet higher in price.
There are now public utilities that are semi-private in ownership
through the infamous PPP. Public funds are saved while foreign
borrowing and consequent foreign debts--with their strictly
required payments--are incurred as a matter of course. It has
finally become an open secret that the country is a great place
for money laundering--with the help of casinos here and there
operating 24/7 plus the nonchalance of the AMLAC.
There are legislators who are the first violators of the laws of
the Land. There is the Executive Branch of government that is
governed by and dependent on personal friends and allies. And
there is the judicial arm of the same government under constant
threat of impeachment if it goes against the big interests of the
Chief Executive. If all these plus the above negatives are not
signals and facts of social injustice, then what are they?

Views and Points


Oscar V. Cruz, D.D.

IT has to be admitted with honesty and


candor that Smartmatic is not really the
problem, viz., not the cause of incredible,
unacceptable, and unreliable elections in
the Philippines. It is not really the cause
and effect of a flawed and discredited
elections since the machines have been
acquired and used more specifically as
vote counting instrumentalities. The
machines are made by foreigners but
basically run by Filipinos for the People
of the Philippines. So it is that the said
machines are used under the control of
Filipinos--particularly those associated
with Comelec.
Big or small cheating during
elections in the Country, specially
in vote counting, is some kind of a
constant in the Philippine electoral
scene. Conclusion: It is the human
agents in the elections who make
Credible, Acceptable, and Reliable
Election. In other words, as a matter

Credible, acceptable,
reliable election

of principle, the machines do as they


made to do so by those handling and
running them.
And so it is that C.A.R.E. becomes a
great reality or a big farce, a blessing
or a curse of the Filipino electorate-with the presence or absence of the
following signal tenfold Integrity
factor mentioned below in some
order of relevance, significance or
importance:
1. Integrity of the Intramuros
Comelec
2. Integrity of the political
candidates
3. Integrity of the Voters List made
4. Integrity of the printed ballots
used and receipts given
5. Integrity of local Comelec
Inspectors
6. Integrity of election machines
made and adjusted by technicians
7. Integrity of election machine

Duterte

transportation done by humans


8. Integrity of precinct Comelec
Officials
9. Integrity of transmission of
votes as determined by the Officials
concerned
10. Integrity of the national total
vote number as decided by election
Officials
Considering the above no less than
tenfold Integrity requirement, is it still
realistically possible to have truly clean
and honest elections in the Philippines?
Do we have to settle or be content
with but a more or less tenable and
acceptable Philippine election every
time such is held as provided by law?
Do we accept the fact that cheating of
one kind or another is some kind of an
infallible constant in all elections in the
country?
Is C.A.R.E. wherefore but a dream in
Philippine elections?

And Thats The Truth


Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

YESTERDAY, I got a call from


an important, nationwide
government agency inviting
me to be part of an all-woman
team to draft a statement
condemning Mayor Dutertes
now infamous rape joke
about the Australian woman
Jacqueline Hammil who
was raped and slain while
doing her missionary work
in a Davao prison in 1989.
The caller said the statement
should emphasize the dignity
of women to which Dutertes
words were an affront. For
the record I will repeat the
quote that has gone viral and
for which Duterte adamantly
refuses to apologize:
Nirape nila lahat ng mga
babae so yung unang asolte,
kasi nagretreat sila, naiwan
yung ginawa nilang cover, ang
isa doon yung layminister na
Australyana. Tsk, problema

na ito. Pag labas, edi binalot.


Tiningnan ko yung mukha,
tangina parang artista sa
America na maganda.
Putangina, sayang ito. Ang
nagpasok sa isip ko, nirape
nila, pinagpilahan nila doon.
Nagalit ako kasi nirape, oo isa
rin yun . Pero napakaganda,
dapat ang mayor muna ang
mauna. Sayang. (All the
women were raped so during
the first assault, because they
retreated, the bodies they used
as a cover, one of them was
the corpse of the Australian
woman lay minister. Tsk, this
is a problem. When the bodies
were brought out, they were
wrapped. I looked at her face,
son of a bitch, she looks like a
beautiful American actress.
Son of a bitch, what a waste.
What came to mind was, they
raped her, they lined up. I was
angry because she was raped,

Candidly Speaking
Fr. Roy Cimagala
BACK in 2009, the African bishops
held a synod that had as its theme,
The Church of Africa at the service of
reconciliation, justice, and peace. At
its conclusion, the then reigning Pope
Benedict XVI told the bishops to be
realistic but not to be too political in
doing their prophetic role in that aspect
of African life.
Its obvious that the assembly was
meant to tackle a tricky and delicate
situation where the Church, especially
the bishops and priests, have to know
how to strike the balance between the
spiritual and political dimensions of
Christian life. I can just imagine how
things were and continue to be in the
volatile continent of Africa.
Its a situation similar to ours, and I
suppose to many other places. Thats why
that piece of news immediately grabbed
my attention then and continues to do so,

thats one thing. But she was


so beautiful, the mayor should
have been first. What a waste.)
I told the caller the issue is
not just about the dignity of
women, but more seriously
about disrespect for the dead.
It was bad enough that a
missionary was raped and got
her throat slashed; the mayor
had to trivialize the matter by
an insensitive comment. He
rubbed salt on the wound. And
continues to do so not only by
refusing to apologize but also
by slamming or making fun
of his critics (including the
bishops), and standing his
ground, saying This is who
I am; no one can tell me to
apologize if I dont feel like it.
Duterte is the perfect
example of an old saying:
Siya na ang kumuha ng bato
para ipukpok sa ulo niya.
This saying echoes an idiom

that goes: Give him enough


rope and hell hang himself
which means if you give an illbehaved person the freedom
to behave badly, eventually he
will destroy himself.
Duterte has been extremely
outspoken about himself from
even before he announced
his presidential candidacy.
He is a womanizer and killer,
and proud of it. He claims he
kills bad people in order to
protect innocent people, and
he wants this for the whole
country. (If you missed the
earlier clips of his interviews
and campaign speeches, just
Google Duterte quotes and
youll get 523,000 entries in
0.50 seconds).
So Duterte is just being true
to form by this latest slip
of the tongue. Hes getting
worse by the day, but why is
And Thats the Truth / A5

Political realism and


priests prophetic role

since I would like to know exactly how the


balance is made, what requirements and
considerations are kept.
Especially now when we are celebrating
the Jubilee Year of Mercy, and the clergy
is agitated to sharpen the exercise
of their prophetic role in social and
political matters, clear guidelines from
the Vatican would be most welcome and
helpful.
We cannot deny the blatant fact that
controversial interventions, confusing at
the very least, by some of our ecclesiastical
big shots in social and political issues
have left many of us bewildered and even
scandalized.
Many of the faithful have complained
that some Church leaders are too
condemnatory in their statements, with
words and tone that are laced with a
condescending know-it-all attitude and
sarcasm.

They also observe that the leaders seem


to speak more vociferously in areas where
they do not have or have less competence,
while almost being silent or weak to the
media on questions they should be clear
and loud about.
For example, a bishop told some
priests in their retreat that contraceptives
like condoms are ok as long as it is not
abortifacient. Many were wondering
what happened to Pope Pauls
Humanae Vitae after listening to that
enlightenment.
Also, the irregularities within the
Church structure give the impression
Church officials are remiss in their duties
as they stray into matters they should
not be.
In short, people think these leaders
only manage to embarrass the Church
and religion in general in the eyes of
Candidly Speaking / A7

CBCP Monitor

OPINION A5

April 18 - May 1, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 14

By the Roadside
Fr. Eutiquio Euly Belizar, Jr. SThD

POLITICS, especially in the Filipino


culture, is basically a game of numbers.
Filipino politicians constantly aim for
additions or multiplications, never
subtractions. They know all too well that
this last is a kiss of death. There is no
more obvious place to see this at play than
during the campaign season. Even the
Churchmeaning the institutional one,
as is often understood by politicians
becomes the object of their pursue-andwin-over (or research-and-destroy)
operations. Undeniably a few members of
the hierarchy, both bishops and priests,
have very partisan views and dealings,
short of using the pulpit to promote
their favored candidates. The majority,
though, remains a bit wary toward, and/
or detached (or try to be) from, anything
that has to do with politicians or politics.
Having been taught time and again by
the late St. John Paul II and by tracks of
seminary formation sessions, including
the local bishops stern reminders, that
the institutional Churchwhich often
means in practice, the clergy, even in
the clergys own eyesshould be nonpartisan, some consequences, positive
and negative, have inevitably developed.
Alas, the Churchs basically sound
stance of non-partisan political

The Church and


Filipino politicians

involvement in the country also has


undesirable consequences. A glaring one
is the sensea wrong understanding,
naturallyamong politicians and voters
that religion or faith has nothing to do
at all with the realm of partisan politics
and, even more sadly, in the wider
realm of general politics understood as
the promotion of the common good.
Now, more than ever, many Filipino
politicians, once in office, take pains to
show their independence from the
Church (mostly the Catholic Church) by
espousing advocacies, bills or measures
that directly go against official Church
teachings. The current president of the
republic and many of his party-mates
(and many outsiders too) are a case in
point. The successful passage of the
RH Bill into law is undoubtedly partly
influenced by a sense of the-Churchor-any-religion-for-that-matter-has-nobusiness-in-legislation.
The present crop of candidates for the
Philippine House of Representatives and
Senate features familiar names, many of
them leading in pre-election surveys, who
have habitually advanced causes directly
contradicting official Churchs positions.
As far as they are concerned, the only
thing keeping them from successfully

Let Us Value Our Vote

passing laws on divorce, euthanasia,


same-sex marriage, abortion etc. is the
Philippine constitution (thank God).
If surveys and polls are to be believed,
there may be more of them in both
houses of Congress in the coming years.
The Church can only ignore them to our
own peril.
It may not be useful, and rather late
into the night, to play the blame game
on our common failure to instill in our
Catholic lay faithful their basic mission,
as taught by the reforms of Vatican II,
to bring the values of the Gospel and
the Catholic faith into the wide fields of
politics, culture, science, education, and
the running of government. But we must
at least admit it. Secularization, rather
than the Gospel or magisterial teaching,
now seems to have a firmer grip on our
politicians and voters alike.
Meanwhile, the Church, like the father
of the prodigal sons, waits and prays
for them to return to the house and
rediscover their faith in ever newer ways
of understanding and applying it. In the
past we decry the words: Now we can
only pray.
Today, it is the first and best thing we
can and must do. As a first step, that is,
among many others.

Duc In Altum
Atty. Aurora A. Santiago

PRAYER is really powerful.


The Supreme Court finally
ruled that the Commission
on Elections (Comelec)
must implement what the
law requires, the issuance of
vote receipts by the voting
machines. The Comelec
claims that issuance of Vote
Receipt or Voter Verified
Paper Audit Trail by the voting
machine would delay the
voting process. It also claims
that vote receipt might lead to
vote-buying. The Comelec did
not realize that it is better to
have longer time to complete
the voting process than to
have a rigged election result.
Vote receipts cannot be used
for vote buying since the voter
will not be allowed to bring
it out of the polling place;
he must drop it in the box
reserved for that purpose.
Early on, we advocated
the re-installation in the
voting machines of the other
3 security features: Ultra
Violet Detectors, Source
Code Review, and Digital
Signatures--in order to have
a clean and honest election,
upholding the true will of
the people by protecting the
sanctity of the ballot. All of
these three, including the vote
receipt, are very important
security features which were
deleted during the 2010 and
2013 elections. Let us pray
that those features be re-

installed so that the voice of


the people will really be the
result of the election.
With the nearing May 9
elections, the candidates
for President, or the
presidentiables, have been
resorting to word war. The
Filipinos deserve an intelligent
campaign and not suffer
the spectacle of candidates
lambasting each other. It is
about time presidentiables
level up their campaign
strategy. They should state
their respective platforms of
government. Let the next and
last presidential debate be an
intelligent one. Who knows,
it might change the mind of
some voters who decided to
write NOTA or none of the
above on their ballot. Filipino
voters are intelligent voters
and as of this date, they just
thought they do not have
good presidential candidates
to choose from
The El Nio phenomenon
severely affected the Visayas
and Mindanao areas. Farmers
in the region sought the
help of the government.
Calamity funds had been
released by the Department
of Budget to either the local
government units or the
Department of Agriculture
to give assistance to the
farmers. What happened to
the drought-stricken farmers
in Kidapawan City, North

Simple Gifts

Rafael and Veronica Dy-Liacco

IN the story of Abraham, in the dialogue


between God and Abraham narrated in
Genesis 18, we are told that an entire
city will be shown mercy if it has just ten
righteous men. We are not told that the
ten will convert the rest of the city, and
make it righteous, and therefore make
it meritorious of mercy. No, we are told
that for the sake of the ten righteous,
the many unrighteous will be spared.
What kind of judgment is this, that sees
the righteousness of ten outweighing
the unrighteousness of an uncountable
multitude?
We cannot pretend to know the mind
of God, unless he tells it to us himself.
But we can help our own understanding
of the story by asking of it two things:
What kind of righteousness do the ten
practice, and why does that righteousness
matter? The story, and indeed the
entire Bible that contains it, yields these
answers: The righteousness of the ten is
accomplished face-to-face, and that kind
of righteousness matters because it has
eternal value.
As for the first answer, we do well to

Cotabato is unforgivable.
The poor farmers were
asking for rice but they were
instead given bullets. They
were asking for subsidy and
assistance during their group
action, instead they were
dispersed, a bloody dispersal
resulting to the killing of 3
farmers and wounding of
hundreds. In the first place,
the farmers would not have
staged the protest and the
violent dispersal could have
been avoided if only the
government had sincerely
taken action and did not ignore
the demands of the farmers.
Likewise, some of the farmers
were arrested and are still in
detention. The Commission
on Human Rights and
other government agencies
have been investigating the
incident. We just hope there
will be no white wash in the
process. Meanwhile, the
Public Attorneys Office has
already petitioned the release
of the poor farmers.
His Holiness, Pope Francis,
issued his exhortation
Amoris Laetitia or The Joy
of Love on March 19, 2016,
the Solemnity of St. Joseph,
during the Extraordinary
Jubilee of Mercy. It relates on
love in the family.
The exhortation is the
result of two synods on family
organized by Pope Francis
in 2014 and 2015. It has 9

chapters and is composed of


264 pages. The Pope discussed
the Holy Scripture on the
characteristics of Jewish
wedding liturgy as Christian.
The Pope then considers the
current situation of families
having down to earth and
facing many challenges, from
migration to the ideological
denial of difference sex.
He also mentioned to the
essential elements of
the Churchs teaching on
marriage and the family and
the love in marriage. The
family is a large network
of relationships. The same
mystique of the sacrament of
marriage has profound social
character. And within this
social dimension, the Pope
points out in particular the
specific role of the relationship
between young and old,
the relationship between
brothers and sisters as growth
internship in relation to
others. The Pope addresses
some pastoral ways that
orient to build strong families,
fruitful in Gods plan and
strengthening the education
of children. He also invites the
families to mercy and pastoral
discernment in situations that
do not fully respond to what
the Lord suggests. He also
refers to marital and family
spirituality.
He says: No family is
Duc In Altum / A7

The ten righteous men:


what kindness is and
why it matters

consider that the injustice of the many


is not one of statistics, nor of flawed
systems. The evil of the many is not
because they are many. In the story,
God tells us that he is of the mind to
see for himself what their evil is, faceto-face. Conversely then, one righteous
man would have been known by his
actions face-to-face. Indeed, in the New
Testament, Our Lord commands us to
do works of mercy but first of all towards
those whom we see and towards those
whom we meet on the way. There can
never be a Lazarus at our gate.
As for the second answer, it is precisely
for that kind of righteousness that we
receive from Our Lord the promise of
entry into His Fathers eternal kingdom.
That kind of righteousness then, is not the
kind of self-imagined righteousness often
encountered in elite cliques enacting preprogrammed agendas. Rather, it is more
akin to what we simply know as kindness.
So the query can now be rephrased:
What is kindness, and why does it
matter? Kindness, or the Hebrew hesed,
matters for sure in the heart and mind

of God; the Bible lets us know. Upon this


Biblical base we may then add our own
reflections; here is mine and my wifes.
As creatures of this world, limited as
we are, we sense that kindness, whether
shown to us or whether we show it,
remains true to what it really is when
it keeps no boundaries. What claims to
be kindness no longer appears to be so,
when it turns back and turns away. I will
be kind to you, but not you, is no longer
kind! Oddly enough, however, violence,
which stands in opposition to kindness,
also observes no boundaries. Violence
after all crosses lines; it violates. What
then, is the difference between the two,
kindness and violence, when it comes to
crossing boundaries?
When kindness crosses boundaries,
the boundaries it crosses are its own. It
removes veils from its eyes. It removes
walls that surround its heart. It submits
itself, unprotected, to the Other to whom
it offers itself. And it does this because of
what it sees with its eyes and understands
with its heart: That the Other is truly
Simple Gifts / A7

Along the Way


Fr. Amado L. Picardal, CSsR, STD

Merciful Leaders:
Criteria for Elections in
the Year of Mercy
AS the national and local elections draw near the question that
everyone is asking: who should I vote for? It is not for the
clergy to dictate to the faithful who to vote for but we can only
provide some guidelines that can help them make up their
mind. The CBCP in previous elections came out with such
guidelines which remain valid at this time. All that one needs
to do is to review and follow what has already been laid down.
Since this year has been declared by Pope Francis as the
Year of Mercy, it would be appropriate to emphasize mercy
as one of the chief qualities that we have to expect from the
politicians we should vote for.
What does it mean for leaders to be merciful?
It means being aware and concerned about the situation of
the people their suffering and pain. Since majority of the
people are poor, their main concern is how to alleviate their
poverty. They take the side of the poor. They are concerned
about their hunger, their hopes and their dreams. They
make sure that the economy excludes no one and benefits
the majority instead of just enriching the big capitalists and
foreign corporations.
Merciful leaders are concerned about the destruction of the
environment and its effect on the people. They are concerned
about the effects of mining on the farmers, fishermen and the
indigenous peoples. They know that coal-fired power plants
contribute to global warming and the coal mining is the most
destructive form of mining. They know that logging and
deforestation causes floods, droughts, and global warming.
They avoid getting involved in these activities and will do
all in their power to put a stop to these activities and come
up with policies that will save the environment and mitigate
climate change as well as promote disaster risk reduction
and management.
Merciful leaders are concerned about the effects of the neverending war on the nation. They know the effect of the spiral
of violence on a traumatized people. They know how armed
conflict prevents economic development. Thus, they go out of
their way to build peace a peace that addresses the roots of
conflict and that leads to healing and reconciliation. They are
willing to pursue the peace process with both the MILF and the
NDF that will ensure a genuine and lasting peace.
Merciful leaders do not tolerate corruption. They know
that corruption perpetuates poverty, war, and the destruction
of the environment. They will do everything to stamp out
corruption at all levels in government and hold accountable
those guilty of corruption.
Merciful leaders are concerned about criminality and do
their best to make sure that justice prevails. They make sure
that those who have committed crimes are prosecuted and
meted appropriate punishment. They respect the rights of
people even those accused of crimes and follow the due
process of the law. They avoid shortcuts and do not promote
extra-judicial killings. They believe that even if people make
mistakes, commit sin, or do terrible things no one is totally
evil and beyond redemption. They deserve to be given another
chance. Thus, they reject capital punishment and promote
restorative justice.
Merciful leaders respect the basic human rights--especially
the right to life - of everyone from the moment of conception to
its natural end. They are merciful, especially to the weakest--the
unborn--and will make sure that their rights are respected. They
will never allow abortion. They are merciful to the elderly and
make sure that their rights and privileges are respected. They will
make sure that the family will always be protected. Mercy should
not be selective nor should it discriminate. It should be inclusive.
There are many people who clamor for strong leaders who
they think can stop criminality, corruption, and all forms of
evil in society. They want leaders who can instill discipline
among the citizens with an iron hand. They want ruthless
leaders. For them being merciful is a sign of weakness. But
what happens when leaders lack mercy? We can end up with
a society where terror reigns, where dead bodies pile up and
human rights are violated, where due process and the rule
of law are ignored. It will be a repressive society - without
freedom and where people are afraid to criticize the powers
that be -- otherwise they too could be assassinated. Instead of
peace and order, we will have the peace of the cemetery and a
semblance of order maintained by ruthless bigger criminals.
Meanwhile, the vast majority remains poor and their children
who have gone astray are mostly the victims of death squads.
The big criminals big time thieves and murderers -- are at
large and hold office: the politicians who steal millions of the
peoples money and responsible for the death of thousands.
Tough and ruthless leaders have emerged at various
times in the past with disastrous results. We have to say:
NEVER AGAIN! No to ruthless leaders. Yes to merciful and
compassionate leaders.
And Thats the Truth / A4

he rating high in the surveys?


What we ought to find more
disturbing in the viral video
is the way the people around
him then cheered and hooted
over his tasteless joke. And
the fierce defense of Duterte
followers in social media. It
ought to show us how sick our
society has become.
I wont condemn Duterte,
but I wont vote for him
either. More than either
condemnation or vote, what
Duterte needs is maximum
tolerance and Christian
understanding of the man
he has become. I will not say
he is sick, but I am certain
he is wounded. (Let that
be Wounded with a capital
W). Despite his braggadocio

he is craving approval and


attentiona continuation of
the admiration and adulation
he has received from his
constituents. Being hailed as
the Alpha Male of Davao for
22 years was his opium, and
his is not quite prepared to
detach from this addiction
now he wants to be Alpha
Male of the whole country.
If he can kill a rape victim
twice with his irresponsible
and insensitive words, what
will he say next? But as I
said, Duterte is wounded,
and the wounded need our
prayers to be healed. It is
not a coincidence that this is
all happening in the Jubilee
Year of Mercy. And thats
the truth.

A6 FEATURES

April 18 - May 1, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 14

Tagle creates Manilas new ministry


on environment, disaster response

Lus Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle. RUEL TENERIFE

MANILA Archbishop
Lus Antonio G. Cardinal
Tagle has recently set up
a new ministry under the
archdiocese that will tackle
environmental issues and
disaster preparedness and
response
Considering the need to
create a more responsive
ministry that deals with
disaster preparedness
and response as well as

the care and protection of


Gods creation, we hereby
create the new Ministry
on Environment and
Disaster Response, said
the prelate in his Decree
of Creation signed March
28, 2016.
According to Tagle,
this entity brings
together the Damayan
Disaster Response
and Rehabilitation

Management Program
of Caritas Manila, Radio
Veritas, and the Ministry
on Ecology into one single
Ministry on Ecology of
the Archdiocese of Manila
(RCAM).
The cardinal added
that the ministry will be
a special branch under
Caritas Manila, which
is in its turn under
RCAMs Commission

of Social Services and


Development.
In a related circular
letter, RCAM Chancellor
Fr. Reginald R. Malicdem
said the Ministry on
Environment and
Disaster Response will
be headed by Fr. Ricardo
F. Valencia, Jr. as its first
minister. (Raymond
A. Sebastin / CBCP
News)

How Christine Jacob left the Church and came back


LIKE many in the showbiz world,
Christine Jacob experimented with
religion.
It was a very, very tough time in
my life, she noted, describing the
days she was on noontime TV almost
daily.
Though a cradle Catholic herself,
the Ol ympian swimmer and
show host would join Born-Again
fellowships with her celebrity friends
in her desire to have what she called
a personal relationship with Jesus.
She thought this could also help
her become immune from the bad
influences the entertainment industry
is notorious for.
For a while, I didnt know where,
how I was going. And that was
when I got into Born Again. That, at
least, at that point, helped keep me
grounded, she explained.
Ironically, after years of soul
searching, she would find what she
was looking for in the faith of her youth.
And from there I was just praying for
somebody to just come into my life, you
know? And then I met my husband
whos Opus Dei, she continued.
Back to Rome
It was thanks to Mr. Francisco
Sandejas that Christine was able to
make the return trip to Rome.
But her reversion was not without
initial reservation on her part.
We would always debate, trying to
see whos the best, trying to convert
each other or something like that,
she explained, smiling.
He taught me how to relearn the
Catholic faith over again, she added.
Also thanks to her husband,
Christine got exposed to the pro-life
cause, becoming one of the countrys
better-known defenders of family
and life.
According to her, since becoming

a Catholic Again,
and a wife and
mother to boot,
she sees to it that
everything they
believe, say, and
do is in keeping
with the Catholic
faith.
So with my
kids I always make
sure its really an
important part of
their life. More
than anything,
its more of a
relationship they
need to have, she
stressed.
Christine

Prayer of the just


Bacani went on to point
out that the faith of the
nuns gives strength not
only to members of the
clergy but to ordinary

Christine Jacob - Sandejas with her kids. RUEL TENERIFE

Faith at home
I think thats already half the battle
for any parent if they know that their
child is close to God, she said.
Christine shared she and her
husband go out of their way to instill
in their children the fundamentals
of the faith like teachings on the
Mass, Confession, and the other
Sacraments.
They also read them stories
from the Bible to complement and
reinforce what they learn at school.
How I rear them, how I lecture has
always been on the faith. I say, Whatever
you do make sure you can always of it
front of lolo and lola (grandfather and
grandmother), she added.
They make sure the little
Sandejasesall five of themwill
grow up respectful, honest, and
disciplined.
Values are very important for me,
exclaimed Christine.

Hands-on mom
Like other hands-on parents, she
is very particular and refuses to be
dependent on other people in terms
of caring for her kids.
If theyre feeling sick, I wanted to
know why theyre feeling sick. Its not
because somebody would tell me,
she said.
She shared that an ordinary
day at the Sandejas home
revolves around her scheduling,
organizing, running various
errands, working out, bringing
kids to school, waiting for them
to come home, and helping with
their homework.
On top of it all, Christine believes
that a mother should lead by example,
putting the welfare of her kids before
her own.
Not so much about going to
Mass everyday. Its not that. Its just
understanding the kids, empathizing
with them, being there for them. I
think for me that would be a mom,
she said. (Raymond A. Sebastin
/ CBCP News)

where they can live their


vocation without trouble.
Expression of gratitude
On behalf of my
community, the Carmel
of the Holy Spirit of Looc,
Castillejos, Zambales,
and the whole Carmelite
order, we thank God for
His mercy and love,
noted Prioress Mother
Marianne Binarao, OCD.
For her and her fellow

contemplatives, the new


monastery is a concrete
expression of thanksgiving to
the greatest gift of all, Jesus
Christ risen, the Eucharist.
We will continue to
speak about Jesus Christ,
to praise Him, thank Him,
and worship Him. It was
He whom we have heard,
seen, and touched, the
Bicolana Carmelite added.
(Raymond A. Sebastin
/ CBCP News)

Merciful / A1

Ending corruption
The priest also said compassionate
leaders are aware of and concerned
about the situation of the people,
especially the poor and the
marginalized.
They make sure that economy
excludes no one and benefits the
majority instead of just enriching

CARDINAL Luis Antonio Tagle


announced new procedures for
any major building or renovation
programs with a cost estimate
in excess of Php200,000 in the
Archdiocese of Manila.
In a letter to pastors, school
directors, and institutional heads,
he revealed the establishment of
an engineering department that
will assist the archdiocese in the
construction or renovation of
church facilities.
He said the archdiocese felt the
want of professional guidance and
direction in this area since as
priests and religious, construction
is not our main competence.
Thus, our Engineering
Department will help ease our
concerns, said Tagle, adding
that the new policy covers

construction projects in parishes,


schools, chapels, retreat centers,
cemeteries, dormitories, etc.
In the circular, among the
guidelines spelled out stated
that all construction projects will
have to be reviewed and approved
by the cardinal with the help
of the archdioceses properties
administration department
(PAD).
If the construction or renovation
involves churches, especially altar,
or chapels or oratories, Tagle said
the archdioceses Commission on
Liturgy shall first review the plans
and endorse them to PAD.
The final plan will serve as a
master plan to be followed even if
there will be a new parish priest or
directo. he said. (R. Lagarde /
CBCPNews)

Vote for bets with strong moral values,


bishop tells OFWs
MORALITY is still an important
attribute to consider in choosing
the countrys next leaders,
said an official of the Catholic
Bishops Conference of the
Philippines.
Aside from the academic and
professional qualifications, Bishop
Ruperto Santos of Balanga said
voters should also look into the
moral excellence of the candidates
to be considered worthy of their
votes.
In a pastoral statement addressed
to overseas Filipino workers
(OFWs), he said only those who go
to the polls can help determine the

Filipinos the value of the joy of earning


a living through dedicated work. We
commit ourselves to organize prayer
brigades in the different realities
we find ourselves, for the specific
intention of eradicating gambling and
lessening its evil effects in our families
and in our citizenry, she added.

pointed out that the job of any parent,


and of mothers in particular, is easier
if they know their children have faith.

Catholics as well.
The Carmelites of the
Holy Spirit moved to their
present location from
their original monastery
in Barangay ManganVaca, Subic which they
occupied since the 1970s.
But due to constant
flooding in the area
which has grown worse
over the years, the nuns
have decided to find a
more conducive place

Cardinal Tagle sets new rules for


church construction, renovation

character of candidates who are also


expected to live out moral laws in
daily life.
Let us now use our hands in
choosing and voting for true and
a moral person, said Santos, who
chairs the bishops Commission for
the Pastoral Care of Migrants and
Itinerant People.
The prelate urged OFWs,
who will cast their votes during
the absentee voting period
starting this month, to support
candidates based on the four Ps:
program, protection, promotion,
and prosecution. (R. Lagarde /
CBCPNews)

Casinos / A1

Nuns / A1

prayer of a just man is of


much avail.
Our sisters here are
trying to make themselves
just before God for the
sake of us all, especially
us priests, he explained.

CBCP Monitor

the big capitalists and foreign


corporations, he added.
He also said merciful leaders will
fight environmental destruction
and are committed to end ongoing
civil conflicts by pursuing the peace
process with communist insurgents
and the Moro rebels.
In a government plagued by

irregularities, he said merciful


leaders are not corrupt and will not
tolerate corruption.
They will do everything to
stamp out corruption at all levels in
government and hold accountable
those guilty of corruption,
Picardal said. (R. Lagarde /
CBCPNews)

Ending gambling
In spite of everything, Capistrano
assured the public that SLP believes
the Philippine government will
effectively put an end to the
proliferation of casinos in the
country and work for the enactment
of a more thorough and binding
Anti-Money Laundering Law.
The Bishops have spoken.
Organizations have spoken. Recent
happenings have shocked us and
caused shame to our country. Let us
be united in putting an end to this
malaise, she said.
In a recent statement, the
Catholic Bishops Conference of
the Philippines (CBCP) reiterates
the moral teaching that gamblings
malice consists in the desire of the

gambler to profit at the expense


of others.
Immoral
Gambling also runs counter
to the providence by which every
person ought to provide diligently
and prudently for himself and
for his family, for it leaves to the
flipping of dice, the spinning of
wheels or the fortuity of cards what
can and must be earned through
diligence, creativity, application,
and toil, explains CBCP president
and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop
Socrates B. Villegas.
He noted that criminals often
use casinos to make the money
acquired through foul means appear
legitimate.
According to Villegas, moneylaundering allows criminal
syndicates to thrive and to
perpetrate their criminality.
Money-laundering keeps the lifeblood of terrorist groups, domestic
and international, flowing, and it
bears the detestable fruit of murder,
brigandage.

Polls / A1

This call by the head of the


bishops conference seems to be
a mere echo of already existing
sentiments among the faithful as
seen through a 3rd year Ateneo de
Manila law student s own rosary
campaign for the May 2016 polls,
organized two days earlier than
Villegas message.
Leia Go admitted it was the
possibility of a Duterte Marcos
administration that pushed her to
organize the Rosary Crusade for
2016 Elections over the popular
social networking site Facebook.
... I am concerned about the
possible return to the brutality of
Martial law. We have had talks in
school about the tortures suffered
by activists and many innocent
people. We cannot let that happen
again. Campaigning isnt enough.
Without God, we are powerless
to do anything good, said the
27-year old, who is studying to be
a lawyer, specializing in a human
rights.
Singular grace
She also drew the connection
between the role of the rosary
in saving the country from the
Marcos dictatorship.
Go explained: People have
been dismissing the human right
abuses of Martial Law. Mama
Mary even intervened 30 years
ago. The EDSA revolution inspired
somewhat peaceful revolutions
around the world. Arent these
enough proof that the suffering of

the country under Martial Law was


real? That a return to democracy
was Gods will?
Mama Mary saved us before
she can do it again ... I hope that
praying the Rosary and relying on
God and Mama Mary, our country
will spared from further human
rights abuses, she said.
For John Bernard Caasi, a
student leader at University of
Asia and the Pacific, the prelates
call to prayer is very much needed,
considering current affairs.
I pray the rosary but only
the mystery of today. However
given the current situation of the
country, we could try following the
exhortation of the [archbishop].
After all, it was our Mother
Mary who always gave historial
breakthroughs for us like in EDSA
I, he said.
Attesting to the effectiveness
of the rosary, youth leader Edwin
Valles considers it a singular
grace and privilege to pray the
rosary daily for the intention of
the May elections.
He said: By Gods grace, I am
able to be faithful to this request
praying all four mysteries daily
for some time now Id be
honored to do this for our country,
consecrated to the Immaculate
Conception, so that we may elect
leaders after the Good Shepherds
heart, her Sons heart.
The Philippines will be having
national and local elections as
scheduled on May 9.

CBCP Monitor

FEATURES A7

April 18 - May 1, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 14

Manila archdiocese urged to use lead-free paints


MANILA--A waste and
toxic watchdog group asked
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle
to require the use of lead-free
paints for church-related
construction and renovation
projects in the Archdiocese
of Manila.
Through a letter sent
this week, the EcoWaste
Coalition requested the
archdiocese to adopt a leadsafe paint procurement
policy to protect children,
as well as women of childbearing age and workers,
against the harmful effects
of being exposed to lead
one of the ten chemicals of
major public health concern
identified by the World
Health Organization (WHO).
The said group cited the
closure of two diocesan

schools in the Archdiocese of


Chicago, USA due to high lead
levels in the school premises to
justify its push for a lead-free
environment in the countrys
educational system.
According to the WHO,
lead is a cumulative toxicant
that affects multiple body
systems and is particularly
harmful to young children
estimated to contribute to
about 600,000 new cases
of children developing
intellectual disabilities every
year worldwide.
There is no known level
of lead exposure that is
considered safe, the WHO
reminded.
Recognizing your
authentic concern for the
health and well-being of your
flock, we highly encourage

you to set a clear guidance to


the church engineering and
purchasing departments that
only certified lead safe paints
will be purchased or used for
all approved construction and
renovation projects, wrote
Aileen Lucero, Coordinator,
EcoWaste Coalition.
Adopting such a policy
will send a concrete message
that the church leadership
is taking concrete action
to proactively prevent
lead exposure among its
employees, contractors and
the general public, she said.
The group made the
recommendation following
Tagles issuance of Circular
No. 2016-05 outlining
new procedures for the
construction and renovation
of structures and institutions

Choose Christian names for your children,


parents told
ILOILO City--A Catholic priest
advised parents to choose
Christian names for their
children at baptism.
On the patronal feast of the
Archdiocesan Shrine of St.
Vincent Ferrer in Leganes, Iloilo,
on April 5, Parish Priest Msgr.
Jesus Enojo reminded the faithful
of the significance of the baptismal
name as taught by the Catechism
of the Catholic Church.
To underline the importance
of the baptismal rite, Enojo
explained, The sacrament of
baptism is conferred in the
name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit.
It is in baptism that the
Christian receives his name in
the Church, he said.
A baptismal ceremony begins
significantly with the minister
asking the parents, What name do
you give your child? This name, he
said, is given before God.
The Catechism says the childs
name and Gods name are thereby
linked as God calls each one by
name. Everyones name is sacred.
The name is the icon of the
person. It demands respect as a
sign of the dignity of the one who
bears it, the priest elaborated.
The season Easter is the season
of fiestas in many towns in the
Philippines. It is especially in
these occasions, the time of the
year when family members and
town mates get together, that
parents take advantage of to have
their newborn children baptized.
Enojo lamented that the

tradition of giving Christian


names to children at baptism
has been getting gradually lost in
practice among Catholic families
and it is in this connection why
he brought this to the attention
of the faithful.
Pray, think deeply
The pastor cautioned parents
and godparents that they must
pray and think deeply before
giving a name to the child on the
day of his baptism.
The choice of name, he
advised, should not be done
by chance or whim but should
communicate to the child and
others one of the essential
realities of the sacrament of
baptism and the Christian life.
The Christian name signifies
that in baptism every baptized
person acquires the character of
a child of God, he stressed.
Choice of Christian names
One of the most lasting gifts that
parents can give to a child is a name,
for this Enojo specified some criteria
from the Catechism in choosing a
Christian name for a child.
The baptismal name can be
the name of a saint, that is, of
a disciple who has lived a life of
exemplary fidelity to the Lord.
The patron saint provides a
model of charity; we are assured
of his intercession.
A name can also express a
Christian virtue or a Christian
mystery, he added. (Fr. Mickey
Cardenas/CBCPNews)

owned or affiliated with the


Archdiocese of Manila.
The said directive is
applicable to construction
and renovation projects in
parishes, chapels, diocesan
schools, dormitories,
formation and retreat
centers, cemeteries, and
other properties of the
archdiocese.
Our drive to encourage
major paint consumers such
as churches and schools
complements our effort to
secure industrial compliance
to the government regulation
phasing out leaded
architectural, decorative,
and household paints by
January 1, 2017 and leaded
industrial paints by January
1, 2020, Lucero said.
The phase-out deadlines

for leaded paints are


provided for under the
Department of Environment
and Natural Resources
(DENR) Administrative
Order 2013-24, also known
as the Chemical Control
Order for Lead and Lead
Compounds.
Citing reports from
Chicago Tribune, the group
recalled the closure of St.
Elizabeth School in 2015
and the Holy Angels Catholic
School in 2016 due to lead
in paint and dust, which are
major sources of childhood
lead poisoning.
Using only lead safe paints
in church projects will also
make the maintenance,
repair and redecoration of
painted surfaces simpler and
less hazardous, minimize

the dispersal of leadcontaminated dust, and


avoid the costs associated
with lead paint abatement,
the group stated.
The group insisted that
implementing a lead-safe
paint procurement policy
is totally doable because
of the market availability of
paints with no lead added.
The group noted that
major paint manufacturers
have already stopped using
lead as raw material for their
products, while other paint
companies are transitioning
to non-lead substitutes for
their oil-based products.
Water-based paints
generally do not contain lead
and are widely obtainable in
the market, the group said.
(CBCPNews)

Malolos faithful organize candidates forum


MALOLOS City-The Malolos Diocesan
Commission on Social
Action (CSA) with
its Parish Pastoral
Council for Responsible
Voting (PPCRV) on
April 9 spearheaded a
candidates forum for
local candidates running
at the provincial level.
H e l d
a t
t h e
Immaculate Conception
Parish Cathedral
and Minor Basilica
from 7:30 to 10:00
p.m., KAdalisayang
PAglilingkod sa
YApak ng PAnginoon
at Ating mga Ninuno
(KAPAYAPAAN) is a
candidates forum
inspired by the Catholic
The Malolos Diocesan Commission on Social Action (CSA) with its Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting
Bishops Conference in (PPCRV) spearheaded a candidates forum for local candidates running at the provincial level at the Immaculate
the Philippines (CBCP)s Conception Parish - Cathedral and Minor Basilica, April 9, 2016. KENDRICK IVAN B. PANGANIBAN
call for One Good Vote
(OGV), which involves knowing in response to the social teachings discussed how governance in the
candidatesplatforms to facilitate of the Church.
province can be improved.
proper discernment.
Co-presented by the Provincial
Before ending the forum, the
A c c o r d i n g t o F r . E f r e n G . Office of the Commission on candidates were invited to sign
Basco, Chairman of the Diocesan Elections (COMELEC) as well as a peace covenant in which they
Commission on Social Action, fora the Philippine National Police promised to uphold the law
for political candidates are a means Bulacan, the forum tackled three throughout the electoral process
in order for the Church to help major concerns in the province: in pursuit of peaceful elections.
voters, regardless of their faith, Poverty; Environment, climate
The Diocese of Malolos is
make informed choices during change, and global warming; composed of the province of
elections.
Political reform; Peace covenant Bulacan and the city of Valenzuela
The priest said the CSA the said signing
in Metro Manila.
event is a venue for candidates to
Seven gubernatorial candidates,
Earlier, the CSA also conducted
express their thoughts in important two vice gubernatorial candidates, a candidates forum for Valenzuela
issues as well as an opportunity three congressional candidates, City on April 1 at San Diego de
for them to pledge cooperation for and four provincial board member Alcala Parish, Polo, Valenzuela City.
peaceful elections in the province. candidates, who attended the (Kendrick Ivan B. Panganiban
He also said such endeavors are event, outlined their platforms and / CBCP News)
Bill / A1

Sorsogon diocese launches anti-poverty


fund campaign
QUEZON CitySorsogon Bishop
Arturo M. Bastes, SVD lead on
April 9 the covenant-signing for
the Serendipity Fund, a radical
anti-poverty measure proposed by
the diocese.
Attended by religious leaders,
local government officials, youth
leaders, and members of civil
society, the covenant-signing, held
at the Annunciation Parish in Bacon,
Sorsogon, is the campaigns kickoff to
gather petitioners for the necessary

amendments to the Constitution for


the creation of the Serendipity Fund.
The Philippine Sovereign Fund for
Better Social Security and Welfare
Cover for All or simply, Serendipity
Fund proposes to allocate 20 percent
of government resources into a single
fund that will be used for health
services, housing, education, livelihood
programs, emergency recovery during
calamities, and even retirement
pension for the poor. (Noel Sales
Barcelona / CBCP News)

Simple Gifts / A5

fragile, and in need of mercy, and


compassion, and sustainment. It sees
that the integrity of the Other can be
threatened, and wishes to protect that
integrity, even if that means letting
its own come under threat. But when
violence crosses boundaries, it is to
violate those very lines that define
the Other. In violating those lines, it
destroys the Other.
Kindness, then, stands in the
primordial wind that blew at the
start of Creation, when all things

were made in their integrity,


and called good. But violence
stands at the end of time, when
the stars begin to fall from the
heavens, and the world begins to
sink into darkness. And that is
why kindness matters. Small as
it is, fragile as it is, taking place
between two small and fragile
creatures about whom the rest of
the world may care nothing, it is
the counterweight to violence and
the end of all things.

Duc In Altum / A5

perfect reality and packaged once


and for all, but requires a gradual
development of their capacity to
love. We are all called to keep alive
the tension towards something
beyond ourselves and our limits,
and every family has to live in
this constant stimulus. We walk,
families, keep walking! We do
not lose hope because of our

limitations, but even give up


looking for the fullness of love
and communion that we have been
promised.
Happy Birthday to Fr. Mariano
Jun Bartolome, Jr. and Happy
Sacerdotal Anniversary to Fr. Lauro
Toledo, Fr. Ruben Maybuena, Fr.
Alfredo Fernandez,OP, and Fr.
Alberto Cahilig,OMI.

counseling groups in
every parish, we must
offer those services in the
government, he said.
Department of Families
Lumanta questioned
several lawmakers belief
in the legalization of
divorce and believes that
parting ways is not the
immediate solution to a
marital problem.
First District
Congressman Martin
Romualdez of Leyte stated
that pro-divorce advocates
want a speedier solution,
saying he will review the
provisions on annulment
once he becomes senator.

We will review again


the Family Code in line
with the annulment
proceedings because prodivorce advocates think
that we need the divorce
law, but the fact is, the
annulment proceeding
is very difficult and
not appropriate in our
society. We shall be guided
accordingly, explained
Romualdez who is running
for the Senate.
Senatorial candidate
Dr. Dante Liban, on the
other hand, will prioritize
the establishment of the
Department of Families
and all its components,
including senior citizens,

women, single parent,


youth, and children.
Legal separation
We should promote
the family unity, family
development, and family
empowerment. We must
follow the Constitution
and the will of God to
strengthen the Filipino
family, he added.
Senator Vicente Tito
Sotto III, however, believes
there is an existing divorce
bill in the country called
annulment, one with
procedures in need of
amendment.
No need for divorce
law. I am very confident

that divorce bill will


not pass in the House
of Representatives,
congressmen will now
allow it or else their wives
will kill them, Sotto cited.
Legal separation is
the alternative solution
of Pasig Representative
and senatorial candidate,
Roman T. Romulo.
The problem with the
annulment is [it is] too
expensive and the process
is too long but there are
other ways to do that
there is legal separation
but there should be a valid
reason before we allow
it, Romulo said. (Yen
Ocampo / CBCPNews)

Candidly Speaking / A4

the world. Thats why there is also a


growing fallout of the faithful.
In that address to the African bishops,
the Pope Emeritus only hinted that the
synod was successful in identifying the
way to reach that balance, but no details
were mentioned. I suppose we have to
wait a little for the relevant document to
come out. That should be very exciting!
Also the Pope pointed out the
significance of a synod, saying that
it is a common journey, referring
to the truth that in serving God and
men, the Church has to go together,
talk and discuss things together,
especially to determine solutions
and remedies to problems along the
way. Beautiful idea!
Lets quote some lines of that
address:
The theme Reconciliation,
Justice and Peace certainly implies

a strong political dimension, even if it


is obvious that reconciliation, justice,
and peace are not possible without a
profound purification of the heart,
without a renewal of thought, a
metanoia (conversion), without
a newness that must come precisely
from the encounter with God.
But even if this spiritual
dimension is profound and
fundamental, the political
dimension is also very real, because
without political realizations, these
new things of the Spirit are not
commonly realized.
Thus, the temptation could have
been to politicize the theme, to
speak less of pastoral work and more
about politics, with a competence
that is not ours. The other danger
was--precisely to flee from the first
temptation--that of retreating into

a purely spiritual world, into an


abstract and beautiful but unrealistic
world. But the discourse of a pastor
must be realistic; it must deal with
reality, but from the perspective of
God and his Word.
How I wish the spirit and flavor
of these words become palpable
every time we read and hear Church
leaders interventions in social and
political issues!
Obviously, we cannot discount the
likely possibility of how media play
up these interventions that distort
and even annul their original intent.
This has been happening almost
always. It is also an area clamoring to
be studied well and remedied.
In the end, I think it is a matter of
continuing formation for all parties
involvedclergy, the lay faithful,
media, etc.

A8

April 18 - May 1, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 14

Tagum bishop marks birthday


with 8 deacons ordination

Bishop of Tagum Wilfredo Manlapaz ordained eight deacons of the diocese, April 7, his 75th birthday. Brenda Milan

ON his 75th birthday, Bishop of Tagum


Wilfredo Manlapaz ordained eight
deacons of the diocese, April 7.
In the Catholic Church, the mandatory
retirement age of the bishop is 75.
But before his retirement, the
prelate decided ordain eight deacons
who are parishioners of different
parishes in the diocese during a Holy
Mass and rite of ordination held on
his birthday at the Christ the King
Cathedral here.
Archbishop of Davao Romulo
G. Valles, who was a priest of the
Diocese of Tagum before he became
a bishop, served as the homilist during
the Mass.
Valles said the gift of person of
Manlapaz, his priesthood and his

episcopacy are all gifts from God.


We can appreciate the person of
Bishop Willy because he is touched
by the Lord, said Valles, adding that
people can learn more deeper about
his person.
We will continue to pray for him
that he will continue to build mercy
and compassion in this world, Valles
added.
Manlapaz reminded the new deacons
to remain pure and celibate.
Five of the deacons are graduates
of St. Francis Xavier Regional Major
Seminary of Mindanao namely:
Rev. Lou Jake Colarines; Rev. Nio
Estebaya; Rev. Ianeil James Melendres;
Rev. Rey Ringo; and Rev. Rey Nio
Rosal.

While the rest are graduates of other


seminaries, Rev. Adoni Buladaco from
St. John the Evangelist in Palo, Leyte;
Rev. Robert Legaspi from St. John
Vianney Seminary in Cagayan de Oro;
and Rev. John Kristoffer Nalam from
the UST Central Seminary.
The bishop thanked the seminaries
for forming them to become good
deacons and soon-to-be priests.
The prelate also expressed gratitude
to the new deacons for offering
themselves in the service of the Lord.
He said they will be assigned parishes
so they can practice their ministry and
also at the Bishops Residence so the
bishop can get to know them more.
(John Frances C. Fuentes/CBCP
News)

Priest named GAIA Earth awardee


AN official of the Catholic
Bishops Conference of the
Philippines will be one of the
the recipients of the GAIA
Awards at this years Earth
Day Jam.
The
Earth
Day
Foundation, Inc., has
chosen Caritas Philippines
executive secretary Fr.
Edwin Gariguez as among its
environmental heroes for
his efforts in environmental
movement among other
achievements.
Jesuit-run Xavier
University in Cagayan de
Oro City had just hailed the
priest an environmental hero
last month.
I am honored personally,
but I accept this award to
further pursue the causes
that we are promoting in
order to protect our common

home our struggle against


mining, coal fired power
plants, pursuing ecological
justice, etc., said Gariguez,
who is known for his antimining advocacy and for
protecting the rights of
Mindoros Mangyans.
He said the award is
just another opportunity
to remind the youth that
the environmental agenda
should be made part
of peoples criteria when
choosing whom to vote for
this coming elections.
We need to have leaders
that are willing to take on
the issue of ecological justice
and sustainability! This is
something lacking in the
whole electoral agenda,
added Gariguez.
The award will be given
during this years Earth Day

Caritas Philippines executive secretary Fr. Edwin Gariguez

Jam at the SM by the Bay of


the Mall of Asia in Pasay City
on Aug. 23.
Earth Day Jam is the

Econome General.
Imus Bishop Reynaldo Evangelista,
DD, presided over the Holy Mass
to mark the new set of officers
installation on April 13, 9:00 a.m. at
Betania Retreat House, Tagaytay City,
Philippines.
He also led the installation rite for
newly-elected Congregational Servant
Leaders and the newly-appointed
Regional Superiors of Luzon, Visayas,
Northern Mindanao as well as the
District Superiors of Italy, USA-Canada,
Ghana, West Africa, and Indonesia.
Fifty-three delegates gathered to
elect the RVM counci, observing a
Triduum of silence and prayer to
prepare for the said undertaking.
(CBCPNews)

Day for Vocations, celebrated


on the 4th Sunday of Easter
(Good Shepherd Sunday),
all parishes in the Diocese of
Paraaque were encouraged
to send youth delegates for the
said overnight Youth Prayer
Vigil called Magbokasyon sa
Bakasyon.
Inspired by Pope Francis

THE Catholic Bishops


Conference of the Philippines
has come out with a special
prayer for rain as the country
continue to experience a long
dry spell due to the El Nio.
The Oratio Imperata for
rain was released by the CBCP
Secretariat on Wednesday for
consideration of the dioceses
for only bishops can mandate
such in their respective
pastoral jurisdictions.
The suggestion is due to
the prolonged drought caused
by the El Nio phenomenon
that has ravaged many parts
of our country, particularly
Mindanao, said Fr. Marvin
Mejia, CBCP Secretary General.
The Catholic Church
defines Oratio Imperata as an
ordered prayer for a special
intention.
The CBCP has come with
the prayer in two languages:
English and Cebuano.
The English version of the
prayer issued by the CBCP
reads:
Most Gracious and Most
Merciful God,
Creator, Source and Giver of
all things,
Most powerful in heaven and
on earth,
We give You honor and
glory.
We thank You
For our home the earth;
For our light the sun, moon
and stars;
For our solace our family
and friends, our community,
our neighbors.
United as Your children, we
come to You, pleading,

Shower us with rain, provide


us with water that we need.
Father, Your children are
begging to survive,
Hear us, we desire to live.
Prolonged drought is
depriving us of the fruits of
our toil;
Low water supply means
hunger and thirst for most
of us;
El Nio continues to threaten
our relationship with one
another.
O Lord, this is a very hostile
phenomenon that we beg for
You to end.
At this time of looming
catastrophe, dear Lord, dwell
in our hearts.
Teach us to be more generous;
bring out the best in us;
Turn our eyes and ears
toward the needs of others,
especially the poor.
Move us to share more, care
more, serve more and love
more.
Holy God, You sanctify this
earth to be our sacred abode.
Grant us courage to take in
hand the sufferings of the
environment;
Grant us might to save and
protect the beauty of nature.
Grant us wisdom to restore
whatever we have destroyed.
O Loving God, behold on us,
Your beloved children
Feel us, feel for us;
Let heaven cry and its tears
be our blessed rain.
Have mercy on us Lord, have
mercy.
We beg you,
Most Gracious and Merciful
God,
Please, let it rain.
Amen.

(CBCPNews)

Join the Father Michael


J. McGivney Guild!

PHOTO TAKEN FROM GARIGUEZ

countrys biggest and longest,


free music tribute to promote
care for the earth. (R .
Lagarde / CBCPNews)

Sr. Maria Corazon Agda, RVM, new superior general


of the Religious of the Virgin Mary. MOTHERIGNACIA DEL
ESPIRTU SANTO

Youth gather for prayer vigil for vocations


INVITED by the Rogationists
of the Heart of Jesus invite,
young people came together
for a prayer vigil for vocations,
from April 16, 7:00 p.m. to
April 17, 7:30 a.m. at the Our
Lady of the Most Holy Rosary
Parish, Multinational Village,
Paranaque City.
In line with the 53rd World

CBCP issues prayer for rain


vs El Nio

FACEBOOK ACCOUNT

RVM elects new superior general


THE Religious of the Virgin Mary,
known for running schools in the
country and abroad, elected on April
7 Sr. Maria Corazon Agda, RVM as
their new mother superior.
Elected during the congregations
20th Ordinary General Chapter,
Agda was elected together with the
following as members of the new
RVM council: Sr. Maria Rosalia
Nacionales, RVMVicar General/
First Consultor; Sr. Maria Anicia
Co, RVMSecond Consultor; Sr.
Maria Marissa Viri, RVMThird
Consultor; and Sr. Maria Gilda
Penafiel, RVM Fourth Consultor;
Sr. Maria Rosabella R. Gallo,
RVM Secretary General; and Sr.
Maria Teresita P. Aspril, RVM

CBCP Monitor

letter on the occasion of the


53rd World day of Prayer for
Vocation, the event carried the
theme The Church: Mother of
Vocations.
In this years celebration,
Pope Francis reminded the
faithful that vocations are
born within the Church,
From the moment a

vocation begins to become


evident, it is necessary to
have an adequate sense of
the Church. No one is called
exclusively for a particular
region, or for a group or for
an ecclesial movement, but
rather for the Church and
for the world. (Michael
Dalogdog / CBCPNews)

THE Knights of Columbus established the Father McGivney


Guild to promote the cause for canonization of our founder,
Venerable Michael J. McGivney (1852-1890). The goal of the
Guild is to spread the good word about his holiness of life, to
encourage devotion to his memory, and to seek his intercession before the throne of God. The Guild serves as a clearinghouse for information about Father McGivney, his life and
works, and any favors attributed to his intercession. Father McGivney is a unique model today for both Catholic laymen and
priests because of his attention to the social ills and injustices
of his day and his collaboration with the people of his parish.
He was zealous for the life of union with God through prayer
and the sacraments, and would have been right at home in todays world. He was then and would be today an eager apostle
for the Gospel of life, and active in building a civilization of love.
Membership in the Guild is open to anyone who wishes to
share in this mission of making known the life and work of Father McGivney and of encouraging devotion to his memory. To
join, fill out the attached application and mail it to the address
given. There is no charge to enroll, and you need not be a member of the Knights of Columbus.
The Guild is anxious to receive reports of favors received
through Father McGivneys intercession. It is not only miracles
that are required to move the cause forward, but witnesses to
the power of the servant of Gods prayers before the throne
of God.
As a member of the Guild you will receive a newsletter and
periodic updates on the progress of his cause for canonization.
We ask your prayerful support that Gods will be done and that
the Holy Spirit guide us at each step along the way. Welcome
to the Guild!
To start your free membership and receive the Guild newsletter,
please complete the form below and return to: Father McGivney
Office - Philippines, Knights of Columbus Fraternal Association
of the Philippines, Inc. Center, Gen. Luna cor. Sta. Potenciana
Sts., Intramuros, Manila 1004, Philippines
Name:
_______________________________________________
Complete Mailing Address: _______________________________
________________________________________________________
City/Province: __________________ Country: ______________
Zip Code: ______________________________________________

PASTORAL CONCERNS B1

April 18 - May 1, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 14

CNA

CBCP Monitor

Vatican City - April 8, 2016. Pope Francis post-synodal apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia (the Joy of Love) at the Holy See Press Office in Vatican City on April 8, 2016.

BROTHERS and sisters in Christ:


Following the celebrated Fourteenth
Ordinary Synod on the Family in 2015
convened by the Holy Father and the
frank, open, inspired discussions and
exchanges by the attendees and participants, Pope Francis has issued an
apostolic exhortation that he has so
felicitously titled Amoris LaetitiaThe
Joy of Love. The Holy Father explains
himself best, and so the purpose of this
letter is to provide us all with the proper
context within which the letter is to be
received, in faith and in joy, by us all.
Foremost among Pope Francis concerns has been to make the Church a
more resplendent image of the Mercy
of Father, incarnate in the Merciful
Son. That means that the Church, in
her teaching, her stewardship of goods,
her pastoral programs and priorities,
her institutions and practices, even her
involvement in secular affairs gets her
bearings from this basic pastoral concern: to manifest more clearly to a world
fatigued from so many forms of cruelty
and heartlessness the mercy of God.
The Apostolic Exhortation therefore
challenges pastors and their communities to work for the transformation of
families into seats of mercy, primordial
loci for the members of families for
the encounter with the mercy of God.
Understandably then, the Exhortation is
written with an awareness of the many
challenges, difficulties, even threats to
families, and the different reasons why
they sometimes sadly are dysfunctional!
Clearly, the clergy, while, by their
charism, are to inspire the laity and to
order the talents, capacities and gifts of
the members of the community in such
wise as to be helpful to the apostolate
to families, cannot bring about this
renewal of families. Such an endeavor
must be inclusive and dialogicalthe
members of the families themselves
with none excluded should be agents of
transformation, and a new evangelization for the domestic church!
What will be striking to manyand
most certainly beguiling especially
to secular mediais the treatment
that the Exhortation gives to difficult
situations: divorce and irregular unions
among them. It should be made clear
that the Holy Father does not in any
way depart from the teaching of the
Church as contained in the Creeds,
the conciliar documents and in the
Catechism of the Catholic Church.
It is certainly wrong to maintain the
position that Catholic teaching in this
respect has changed. Not that we fear
change, but that there are some areas
of Catholic doctrine where stability is
of utmost importance.
It is in the treatment of persons

CNA

Amoris Laetitia in the Jubilee


Year of Mercy

Vatican City - August 5, 2015. Pope Francis blesses a newly married couple during the Wednesday general audience in Paul VI Audience Hall on August 5, 2015.

that the Pope wishes to see significant


change. Above all, he wants the Church
to be the universal sign of mercy: mercy
that does not overlook sin, but that
looks lovingly on the sinner, and prays
for him, aids him and embraces him
that he may abandon sin and receive

to be like the Merciful Redeemer who


tells all sinners: Neither do I condemn
you.
After collective discernment, your
bishops will come up with more concrete guidelines on the implementation
of the Apostolic Exhortation. But mercy

of our churches and of our lives


unsure whether they are welcome or
not, let us go out to meet them, as the
Pope urges us to, and assure them that
at the table of sinners at which the AllHoly Lord offers himself as food for the
wretched, there is always room. O res

When our brothers and sisters who, because of broken


relations, broken families and broken lives, stand timidly at
the doors of our churchesand of our livesunsure whether
they are welcome or not, let us go out to meet them.
wholeheartedly the grace that is constantly offered him.
When the Pope therefore asks for
more hospitality, welcome, friendship,
even communion and solidarity with
divorced and separated couples, with
persons in irregular unions, he is by
no means condoning whatever may be
wrong or worse, sinful. He is asking us

cannot wait. Mercy should not wait.


Even now, bishops and priests must
open welcoming arms to those who
have kept themselves out of the Church
because of a sense of guilt and of shame.
The laity must do no less. When our
brothers and sisters who, because of
broken relations, broken families and
broken lives, stand timidly at the doors

mirabilis manducat Dominum pauper,


servus et humilisO wonderful reality
that the poor, the slave and the lowly
should partake of the Lord. This is a disposition of mercy, an openness of heart
and of spirit that needs no law, awaits
no guideline, nor bides on prompting.
It can and should happen immediately.
At the same time, our parishes and

dioceses should be schools of true


Christian love: the love to which the
community arising from the conviction that the Lord was indeed risen
bore eloquent witness to! None was in
need. All were attended to with care
and with devotion. When families
fail, we must all strike our breasts in
contrition, for every Catholic community, every parish, for every diocese
has a stake in the cohesion, love and
constancy of a family.
It is a parish alive, a diocese alive that
can boast not of magnificent infrastructure, tremendous financial resources,
not even numbers, whether of clergy,
religious or lay leaders, but that takes
comfort in laetitia amoristhe joy of
loving.
From the Catholic Bishops Conference
of the Philippines, April 9, 2016
+ SOCRATES B. VILLEGAS
Archbishop of Lingayen - Dagupan
President, CBCP

B2 PASTORAL CONCERNS

April 18 - May 1, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 14

CBCP Monitor

Bringing back the confessional


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

THIS issue is neither pre- nor postVatican, but rather belongs to the
wisdom of the Churchs long pastoral experience, formalized in norms
that have found their way in the two
codifications of Canon Law in the 20th
Century.
The Proper Place for the Sacrament
of Penance: Church or Oratory
The Code of Canon Law establishes
the norms for the present question in
the following terms:
Can. 964 1. The proper place
for hearing sacramental confessions is a
church or oratory.
2. The conference of bishops is to
issue norms concerning the confessional,
seeing to it that confessionals with
a fixed grille between penitent and
confessor are always located in an open
area so that the faithful who wish to
make use of them may do so freely.
3. Confessions are not to be heard
outside the confessional without a just
cause.
Proper place does not mean the only
place, but rather the most apt for the
sacred character of the sacrament,
which is at the same time an ecclesial
action. Thus, a sacred placea church
or oratory (1)is the most adequate
place for its celebration. But nothing
impedes the administration of this sacrament in other places if there is a just
cause (3)e.g., the sick in hospitals,
the elderly or handicapped in their
homes, or any faithful who may need
the sacrament in a moment away from
an oratory or church.
Likewise, nothing impedes the
competent authoritythe Episcopal
conference according to 2from allowing the installation of a confessional
in another place, or indeed the establishment of another seat for the administration of the sacrament. In fact, the
Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faithin the Ordo Paenitentiae
(2.XII.1973), n.38authorized the

Dominic Barrios

I belong to a suburban parish south


of Manila, although what Im about to
ask has been observed also by my relatives
residing in other parts of the Metropolis.
Im referring to the lack of use, if not
absence altogether of a confessional box
in the church that I go to habitually. Our
priest does not have a schedule of confessions to begin with, preferring that we just
ask for him when we want to receive the
Sacrament of Reconciliation. When we
do so, he normally prefers to just hear our
confession in his office. Being old enough
to be his mother, I really dont mind very
much, but my teen-age granddaughter
feels absolutely uncomfortable with the
arrangement and I tend to agree with her.
When I brought this matter up with my
son, her Dad, he said I was Pre-Vatican
and too conservative. What does Church
Law really say about this?

Episcopal Conferences to determine the


proper place for the ordinary administration of the sacrament of penance,
with the end of making it more effective. This gave rise to the construction
of the so-called reconciliation room in
churchesespecially in Europe and the
U.S.and the disappearance in many
places of the traditional seat for the
sacrament of penance: the confessional.
In the Philippines, the CBCP has
established thatsubject to the provision of c.964, 2a reconciliation room
may be used, upon request of the penitent,
as an alternative to the confessional, provided that it is located in a visible place
(e.g., with a glass pane).1

penitent and confessor are always located


in an open area so that the faithful who
wish to make use of them may do so freely.
A well-known canonist sums up the
rationale behind this type of confessional as follows: a) it safeguards the
necessary discretion and reserve; b) it
guarantees the right of the penitent
to confess his sins without necessarily revealing his personal identity; c)
it facilitates the understanding of the
sacramental character of the act; d) it
protects the right of every faithful (both
penitent and confessor) to defend his
integrity and honor against the slightest danger of suspicion.2 This last point
bears closer examination.

in the most opportune way.


In fact, an authentic interpretation by the Pontifical Council for the
Interpretation of Legislative Texts, in
a Response dated 7.VII.1998, significantly widened the scope of the
norm of c.964, 2. Indeed, if up to
that moment the norm had always
been understood in terms of the right
of the penitent to demand the use of a
confessional with grille, this Response
positively declared a similar right of the
confessor to demand the use of a confessional with grille for the administration
of the sacrament of penance in a specific
case. The underlying value being protected, of course, is the integrity and

This gave rise to the construction of the so-called


reconciliation room in churchesespecially in Europe
and the U.S.and the disappearance in many places of
the traditional seat for the sacrament of penance:
the confessional.
The Proper Seat for the Sacrament of
Penance: Confessional with a fixed
grille
Can. 964, 2 deals with the seat
for the administration of the sacramentAd sedem confessionalem quod
attinetalthough this nuance may be
lost in the English translation of the
canon. Its greatest novelty lies in the
normative faculty that the Code confers
on the Episcopal Conferences in this
respecta faculty, however, which is
bound up with the universal norm that
confessionals with a fixed grille between

The most noteworthy difference


between the present c. 964 and cc.908910 of the old Code of Canon Law
of 1917 is the disappearance of the
prohibition of hearing the confession of
women outside the confessional in ordinary circumstances (cf. CIC 17: c.910,
1 and c.909, 1). Far from relaxing
the norms of prudence in this regard,
what the present canon intended to do
is to remove the apparent discrimination against women in the tenor of the
aforementioned canons of the old Codex, leaving it to the mature judgment
of the confessor to observe those norms

honor of the confessor, whoon the


other handshould be mindful of
what is laid down in c.277, 2: Clerics
are to conduct themselves with due prudence in associating with persons whose
company could endanger their obligation to observe continence or could cause
scandal for the faithful.
After all, one cannot help but wonder
why the norm prohibiting the confession of women outside the confessional
under ordinary circumstance ever got
into the juridic system of the Church.
Even if the specific laws against it have
been abrogated, in favor of a more

general formulai.e., not precisely


focusing on women, the criterion
remains: confessors should avoid a
situation that could endanger their
obligation to observe continence or cause
scandal for the faithful. The situation
of sacramental confessionand one
might add, even to a greater extent due
to the longer exposure, that of spiritual
directionputs the woman penitent
and the confessor in such a degree of
intimacy that, given mans fallen nature, can be an occasion of unnecessary
temptation. It is not specious to surmise
that the unfortunate cases of violations
of priestly celibacy could not have
startedsave for a few exceptionsin
any other situation but that presented
precisely by sacramental confession or
spiritual direction, which are normally
the only occasions when a priest in his
right senses would be in a private and
intimate conversation with a woman.
Hence the norm of prudenceborn
of centuries of experienceprescribing
the use of the confessional with a fixed
grille, in a visible place in the church
or oratory.3
Conclusion
After all the foregoing, it is clear that
the practice of hearing confessionsof
women or otherwisein another seat
other than the indicated confessional
with a fixed grille in the church or oratory is not only the most prudent one,
but even infringes on the right of the
faithful to remain anonymous when
approaching the sacrament of penance.
Furthermore, not having a regular
schedule for the celebration of this
sacrament runs counter to the right of
the faithful to have abundant access
to the sacraments, while at the same
time increasing the chances precisely
of their having to ask the priest for
confession at a time when it may be less
than convenient for the priest to go to
the indicated seat, which is the confessional. The present special jubilee year
of mercy is an invitation for all priests
to be generous in the administration of
the Sacrament of Divine Mercy.
Finally, in a country suffering from
so many cases of sexual misconduct
of the clergyto the point of having
coined the term priest fathersit seems
not only reasonable but urgent that
the age-old norms on the use of the
confessional, especially for women, be
enforced.
Footnotes
Cf. W.C.Paguio, Notes on Sacraments and Sacramentals: According to the Revised Code of
Canon Law (2nd Ed.), Vol. I, Manila (1991), p.204.

2
Cf. VV.AA., Manual de Derecho Cannico (2nd
ed.), Pamplona (1991), p.528.

It is interesting to note that in the revision of the


Code, the norm prohibiting the confession of women
outside the confessional had been re-introduced.
A petition to delete it in 1981 was rejected, giving
the reason that such was the mind of Paul VI. Thus
the norm remained in the different schemata of the
new Code, up to the final Schema of 1982. Unfortunately, it disappeared after the final revision. Cf.
Communicationes, 15 (1983), p.207.

The Church and the Birth of Christian Liturgy


(Father Edward McNamara,
professor of liturgy and dean of theology at the Regina Apostolorum
university, answers the following
query:)

A: This question, originally in


French, would probably require
several volumes to answer fully.
I will necessarily have to stick
to essentials and be relatively
succinct.
To the first question we can
say yes, the institution of the
sacraments can also signify the
birth of Christian liturgy since
the sacraments form the core
of the liturgy. It is true that the
New Testament does not reveal
most of the ritual elements of
the sacraments, and these often
developed much later. But every sacrament insofar as it is a
prolongation of the Incarnation
under a regime of signs is necessarily liturgical in nature.
We can also affirm with total
certainty that the Church commences with Jesus Christ. Statements such as Jesus preached the
kingdom and St. Paul (or the
Emperor Constantine) founded
the Church have been repeatedly shown to be false and based
on biases or weak scholarship.
Unfortunately, it would be im-

Dominic Barrios

Q: Does the institution of the


sacraments by Christ also signify
the birth of the liturgy? Can we
say that the Church commences
with Jesus Christ? Does the
liturgy have its origin in Christ?
What are the sources of the
history of the liturgy? A.T.,
Yaound, Cameroon

possible for me to address this


question here. Our readers can
find good initial answers to these
questions in popular apologetic

Development of Christian Doctrine.


From what we have said above
regarding the sacraments, we can

the liturgy on several levels. At


the deepest level of all Christ is
the source of the liturgy because
the liturgy is essentially our

to the heavenly Father. At this


level, which is the most important, there is no liturgy without
Christ and the Church.

The sources of the history of the liturgy are many and complex.
Among the most important sources are the Jewish elements.
sites such as Catholic Answers
or go for more in-depth treatises such as Blessed John Henry
Newmans 1845 Essay on the

also say yes to the question that


the liturgy begins with Christ.
But this statement must be
qualified. Christ is the source of

participation, through, with


and in Christ as members of his
mystical body, in the worship
that Christ as high priest offers

On the level of the external


ritual elements of the liturgy,
Christ establishes the essential
elements in instituting the sac-

raments and in giving certain


models such as when he blesses
children and gave us the Our
Father, but he himself did not
offer detailed instructions on
the structure of the liturgy. This
is also logical as he is also the
object of liturgical worship, and
the Church would need time to
digest and transform into prayer
the great mystery of his existence. The Church he founded
would have to develop and grow
in many new cultures while simultaneously remaining rooted
in the time when the Incarnate
Word walked among us. This is
why there are changeable elements such as languages and rites
and unchangeable ones such as
the use of bread and wine in the
Eucharist which are intimately
bound up with Christ himself.
The sources of the history of
the liturgy are many and complex. Among the most important
sources are the Jewish elements.
As the Catechism says in No.
1096:
Jewish liturgy and Christian
liturgy. A better knowledge of
the Jewish peoples faith and religious life as professed and lived
even now can help our better understanding of certain aspects of
Christian liturgy. For both Jews
and Christians Sacred Scripture
is an essential part of their respective liturgies: in the proclamation of the Word of God, the
response to this word, prayer of
praise and intercession for the
living and the dead, invocation
of Gods mercy. In its characteristic structure the Liturgy of the
Liturgy, B4

CBCP Monitor

FEATURES B3

April 18 - May 1, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 14

Below is the Vatican-provided summary of Pope Francis Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia (On
Love in the Family) released on April 8, 2016

Summary of Amoris Laetitia:


On Love in the Family

Pope begins his reflections with the


Holy Scriptures in the first chapter,
which unfolds as a meditation on
Psalm 128 (which appears in the
Jewish wedding liturgy as well as
that of Christian marriages). The
Bible is full of families, births,
love stories and family crises (AL

riage and the family (AL 31).


Conversely, if we fail to listen to
reality, we cannot understand the
needs of the present or the movements of the Spirit. The Pope notes
that rampant individualism makes
it difficult today for a person to
give oneself generously to another

(AL 37). Calling for a certain selfcriticism of approaches that are


inadequate for the experience of
marriage and the family, the Pope
stresses the need to make room for
the formation of the conscience of
the faithful: We have been called
to form consciences, not to replace

CNA

IT is not by chance that Amoris


Laetitia(AL),The Joy of Love,
the post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation on Love in the Family, was
signed on 19 March, the Solemnity
of Saint Joseph. It brings together
the results of the two Synods on the
family convoked by Pope Francis

Vatican City - August 19, 2015. Newly married couples receive a blessing from Pope Francis at the general audience in Paul VI Audience Hall on August 19, 2015.

Chapter One: In the light of the


Word(8-30)
Following this introduction, the

8). This impels us to meditate on


how the family is not an abstract
ideal but rather like a practical
trade (AL 16), which is carried
out with tenderness (AL 28), but
which has also been confronted

(cf. AL 33). Here is an interesting


picture of the situation: The fear
of loneliness and the desire for stability and fidelity exist side by side
with a growing fear of entrapment
in a relationship that could hamper

them (AL 37). Jesus proposed a


demanding ideal but never failed
to show compassion and closeness
to the frailty of individuals like the
Samaritan woman or the woman
caught in adultery (AL 38).

C h a p t e r f o u r : L ove i n
marriage(89-164)
The fourth chapter treats love
in marriage, which it illuminates
with Saint PaulsHymn to Lovein
1Corinthians13:4-7. This opening
section is truly a painstaking, focused, inspired and poetic exegesis
of the Pauline text. It is a collection of brief passages carefully and
tenderly describing human love

What is needed is simply a renewed encouragement to undertake


a responsible personal and pastoral discernment
of particular cases, one which would recognize that, since
the degree of responsibility is not equal in all cases.
with sin from the beginning, when
the relationship of love turned into
domination (cf. AL 19). Hence,
the Word of God is not a series of
abstract ideas but rather a source
of comfort and companionship
for every family that experiences
difficulties or suffering. For it shows
them the goal of their journey
(AL 22).
Chapter two: The experiences
and challenges of families (3157)
Building on the biblical base, in
thesecond chapterthe Pope considers the current situation of families.
While keeping firmly grounded in
[the] reality of family experiences
(AL 6), he also draws heavily on the
final Reports of the two Synods.
Families face many challenges,
from migration to the ideological
denial of differences between the
sexes (ideology of gender AL
56); from the culture of the provisional to the anti-birth mentality
and the impact of biotechnology
in the field of procreation; from
the lack of housing and work to
pornography and abuse of minors;
from inattention to persons with
disabilities, to lack of respect for the
elderly; from the legal dismantling
of the family, to violence against
women. The Pope insists on concreteness, which is a key concept
in the Exhortation. And it is concreteness, realism and daily life that
make up the substantial difference
between acceptable theories of interpretation of reality and arbitrary
ideologies.
Citing Familiaris Consortio,Francis states that we do well
to focus on concrete realities, since
the call and the demands of the

the achievement of ones personal


goals (AL 34).
The humility of realism helps us
to avoid presenting a far too abstract and almost artificial theological ideal of marriage, far removed

Chapter three: Looking to Jesus:


The vocation of the family(5888)
The third chapter is dedicated
to some essential elements of the
Churchs teaching on marriage

in absolutely concrete terms. The


quality of psychological introspection that marks this exegesis is
striking. The psychological insights
enter into the emotional world of
the spousespositive and nega-

Chapter five: Love made


fruitful(165-198)
Thefifth chapteris entirely focused on loves fruitfulness and
procreation. It speaks in a profoundly spiritual and psychological
manner about welcoming new life,
about the waiting period of pregnancy, about the love of a mother
and a father. It also speaks of the
expanded fruitfulness of adoption,
of welcoming the contribution of
families to promote a culture of
encounter, and of family life in a
broad sense which includes aunts
and uncles, cousins, relatives of relatives, friends.Amoris Laetitiadoes
not focus on the so-called nuclear
family because it is very aware of
the family as a wider network of
many relationships. The spirituality
of the sacrament of marriage has a
deeply social character (cf. AL 187).

Vatican City - April 8, 2016. Press conference on Pope Francis post-synodal apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia (the Joy of Love) at the Holy See Press Office in Vatican
City on April 8, 2016.

from the concrete situations and


practical possibilities of real families (AL 36). Idealism does not
allow marriage to be understood for
what it is, that is, a dynamic path
to personal development and ful-

and the family. This chapter is important because its 30 paragraphs


concisely depict the vocation of
the family according to the Gospel
and as affirmed by the Church
over time. Above all, it stresses

tiveand the erotic dimension of


love. This is an extremely rich and
valuable contribution to Christian
married life, unprecedented in
previous papal documents.
This section digresses briefly

The Word of God is not a series of abstract ideas


but rather a source of comfort and companionship for
every family that experiences difficulties or suffering.
Spirit resound in the events of
history, and through these the
Church can also be guided to a
more profound understanding of
the inexhaustible mystery of mar-

to lay upon two limited persons


the tremendous burden of having
to reproduce perfectly the union
existing between Christ and his
Church, for marriage as a sign
entails a dynamic process, one
which advances gradually with the
progressive integration of the gifts
of God (AL 122). On the other
hand, the Pope forcefully stresses
the fact that conjugal love by its
very nature defines the partners in
a richly encompassing and lasting
union (AL 123), precisely within
that mixture of enjoyment and
struggles, tensions and repose, pain
and relief, satisfactions and longings, annoyances and pleasures
(Al 126) which indeed make up
a marriage.
The chapter concludes with a
very important reflection on the
transformation of love because
Longer life spans now mean that
close and exclusive relationships
must last for four, five or even six
decades; consequently, the initial decision has to be frequently
renewed (AL 163). As physical
appearance alters, the loving attraction does not lessen but changes as
sexual desire can be transformed
over time into the desire for togetherness and mutuality: There
is no guarantee that we will feel the
same way all through life. Yet if a
couple can come up with a shared
and lasting life project, they can
love one another and live as one
until death do them part, enjoying
an enriching intimacy (AL 163).

CNA

in 2014 and 2015. It often cites


their Final Reports; documents
and teachings of his Predecessors;
and his own numerous catecheses
on the family. In addition, as in
previous magisterial documents,
the Pope also makes use of the
contributions of various Episcopal
Conferences around the world
(Kenya, Australia, Argentina)
and cites significant figures such
as Martin Luther King and Erich
Fromm. The Pope even quotes the
filmBabettes Feastto illustrate the
concept of gratuity.
Introduction(1-7)
The Apostolic Exhortation is
striking for its breadth and detail.
Its 325 paragraphs are distributed
over nine chapters. The seven introductory paragraphsplainly set out
the complexity of a topic in urgent
need of thorough study. The interventions of the Synod Fathers make
up [form] a multifaceted gem
(AL 4), a precious polyhedron,
whose value must be preserved.
But the Pope cautions that not all
discussions of doctrinal, moral or
pastoral issues need to be settled by
interventions of the magisterium.
Indeed, for some questions, each
country or region can seek solutions better suited to its culture and
sensitive to its traditions and local
needs. For cultures are in fact quite
diverse and every general principle
needs to be inculturated, if it is
to be respected and applied (AL
3). This principle of inculturation
applies to how problems are formulated and addressed and, apart
from the dogmatic issues that have
been well defined by the Churchs
magisterium, none of this approach
can be globalized. In his address
at the end of the 2015 Synod, the
Pope said very clearly: What seems
normal for a bishop on one continent, is considered strange and
almost scandalousalmost!for
a bishop from another; what is
considered a violation of a right
in one society is an evident and
inviolable rule in another; what for
some is freedom of conscience is for
others simply confusion.
The Pope clearly states that we
need above all to avoid a sterile
juxtaposition between demands for
change and the general application
of abstract norms. He writes: The
debates carried on in the media,
in certain publications and even
among the Churchs ministers,
range from an immoderate desire
for total change without sufficient
reflection or grounding, to an attitude that would solve everything by
applying general rules or deriving
undue conclusions from particular
theological considerations (AL 2).

Vitae of PaulVI, and Familiaris


Consortioof John Paul II are widely
quoted.
The chapter provides a broad
view and touches on imperfect
situations as well. We can read,
in fact: Discernment of the presence of seeds of the Word in other
cultures (cf.Ad Gentes11) can also
apply to the reality of marriage
and the family. In addition to true
natural marriage, positive elements
exist in the forms of marriage
found in other religious traditions,
even if, at times, obscurely (AL
77). The reflection also includes
the wounded families about
whom the Popequoting theFinal Report of the 2015 Synod
extensivelysays that it is always
necessary to recall this general principle: Pastors must know that, for
the sake of truth, they are obliged
to exercise careful discernment of
situations (Familiaris Consortio,
84). The degree of responsibility
is not equal in all cases and factors
may exist which limit the ability to
make a decision. Therefore, while
clearly stating the Churchs teaching, pastors are to avoid judgments
that do not take into account the
complexity of various situations,
and they are to be attentive, by
necessity, to how people experience
and endure distress because of their
condition (AL 79).

fillment. It is unrealistic to think


that families can sustain themselves
simply by stressing doctrinal, bioethical and moral issues, without
encouraging openness to grace

the themes of indissolubility, the


sacramental nature of marriage,
the transmission of life and the
education of children. Gaudium
et Spes of Vatican II, Humanae

from the more extensive, perceptive treatment of the day-to-day


experience of married love which
the Pope refuses to judge against
ideal standards: There is no need

And within this social dimension


the Pope particularly emphasizes
the specific role of the relationship
between youth and the elderly, as
well as the relationship between
brothers and sisters as a training
ground for relating with others.
Chapter six: Some pastoral
perspectives(199-258)
In the sixth chapter the Pope
treats various pastoral perspectives
that are aimed at forming solid and
fruitful families according to Gods
plan. The chapter use the Final
Reportsof the two Synods and the
catecheses of Pope Francis and
Pope John Paul II extensively. It
Summary, B7

B4 PASTORAL CONCERNS

April 18 - May 1, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 14

CBCP Monitor

The Victims of the Davao Death Squad:


Consolidated Report 1998-2015
I RECENTLY received a consolidated report of the killings
perpetrated by the Davao Death
Squad (DDS) since 1998 up to
the end of 2015. The source will
not be mentioned for obvious
reasons. Suffice it to say that
since the killings started, they
have been monitoring these
cases. I know them very well and
I have been collaborating with
them as we denounced these
killings and worked with the
Commission of Human Rights
and the Human Rights Watch.
They are hesitant to make the report public out of apprehension
that it will be used for political
purposes. I believe that to hide
this would be a disservice to the
nation since I believe that the
body count could multiply many
times over throughout the whole
country in the next six years. The
original report that I have is in
Excel format, and very detailed
(year by year, according to age,
sex, areas, weapons used, etc).
What I present is a summary and
my own analysis. I know that
when I do this, I am risking my
life. But the truth must come out
before it is too late.
The total number of persons
killed by the DDS from 19982015 is 1,424. Let me repeat
in words--ONE THOUSAND
FOUR HUNDRED TWENTY-FOUR victims. This can be
considered as MASS MURDER
perpetrated by the same group,
inspired and supported by the
same persons. The data does
not include those killed in other
cities where the DDS have expanded franchise-style.
Out of 1,424, there were
1,367 male and 57 female. This
means that those murdered
by the DDS were not only
men, there were also fifty-seven
women.
Looking at this according
to age there were 132 children
killed (17 and below)--126 boys
and 6 girls. The youngest was a
12 years boy and a 15 year girl.
There was a 9 year old boy who
was killed by a stray bullet--he
was not an intended target.
There was a total of 476 young
adults (18-25) murdered--466
male, 19 female. The number of
older adults (26 years and above)
killed were 612 (466 male, 28
female). There were victims
whose age were not given--201
(191 male, 10 female).
Thus, almost 50 percent of the
victims were young people (children and young adults). Most
the victims were killed in urban
poor areas (e.g. Buhangin, Agdao, Bangkerohan, Boulevard,
Matina, Toril). Most of those
killed were involved in illegal
drugs as users and pushers.
There were also those involved
in petty crimes--theft, cell-phone
snatching, gang members. There
were 14 cases of mistaken identity--they were not the intended
targets but the DDS hit men
mistakenly hit the wrong target.
There were some who had gone
away after being warned that
they were on the hit list and
after some years, after reforming
their lives, came back thinking
that they were safe. Their names
were still on the list so they were
still killed.
Thus, one can say that majority of the victims of the DDS

were young and poor--juvenile


delinquents considered as the
weeds of society. There were no
reports of drug lords or big time
criminals among those killed by
the DDS. There were two journalists who were believed to have
been murdered by the DDS-Jun Pala and Ferdie Batman
Limtungan. Jun Pala was a radio
commentator who constantly
spoke out against the DDS and
Mayor Duterte. There were two
previous attempts on his life and
he accused Duterte of being behind these attacks. He was finally
killed by motorcycle riding men
on the third try. Ferdie Batman
Lintuan also spoke out against
the DDS and also the alleged
anomalies in the construction of
the Peoples Park which he linked
with Mayor Duterte. He was also
killed by motorcycle riding men.
The victims of the DDS were
unarmed. They did not fight
back. Many were just sitting
down on street-corners outside
sari-sari stores, talking with
friends and then suddenly shot
in cold blood. There were some
who were just released from
prison and while waiting for
public transportation on the side
of the road were suddenly shot
by motorcycling men. How the
DDS knew the exact time and
place they were to be released
is amazing. Another victim
was killed inside his home in
front of his mother and three
children who were begging the
DDS not to kill him. One of
the most well-known case is
Clarita Alia--a vegetable vendor
in Bangkerohan--whose teen-age
sons (who were below 17 years
old) were murdered by the DDS.
I was asked by Clarita to bless the
body of her boy, Fernando before
he was buried.
I have personally witnessed the
aftermath of two DDS killings.
The first was in our parish church
in Bajada. While officiating a
wedding Mass I heard shots
outside in the carpark. I immediately rushed outside after the
Mass to find out what happened.

boy was cell-phone snatcher and


drug user. He added, the boy
deserved to die.
The killings have not stopped.
The DDS continue their murderous spree even to this day. For
the last five years (2011-2015),
there were 385 victims of extrajudicial killings in Davao--39 of
them below seventeen years old
and 118 young adults (18-25).
In 2011 there 111 reported DDS
killings, in 2012 there were 61,
in 2013 there were 101, in 2014
there were 52 and there were 60
in 2015. The DDS usually take
a break during the campaign

Mindanao. One of the findings


of the Human Rights Watch
report reveals the link between
the DDS and the police:
According to these insiders,
most members of the DDS are
either former communist New
Peoples Army insurgents who
surrendered to the government or
young men who themselves were
death squad targets and joined
the group to avoid being killed.
Most can make far more money
with the DDS than in other available occupations. Their handlers,
called amo (boss), are usually
police officers or ex-police officers.

almost always before the police


appear.
They deserved to die. This
is what Mayor Duterte said
while denying involvement in
these extrajudicial killings. At
one time, he read a list in his
TV program. A few weeks later
many of those in the list were
killed by the DDS.
They deserve to die. This
is also the attitude of many
residents of the city towards the
victims of the DDS. This shows
who are behind them and why
there has been little outcry regarding these mass murders.

period. They will continue their


operations after the elections.
So far, no one has been held
accountable for these killings.
There has been no official investigation by the police or the
city government. The police do
not acknowledge the existence
of the DDS. The Commission
on Human Rights (CHR) came
to Davao for a public hearing
and also met secretly with witnesses family of the victims
and former members of DDS.
Although the CHR recom-

They provide them with training, weapons and ammunition,


motorcycles, and information on
the targets. Death squad members
often use .45-caliber handguns,
a weapon commonly used by the
police but normally prohibitively
expensive for gang members and
common criminals.
The insiders told Human Rights
Watch that the amo obtain information about targets from
police or barangay (village or city
district) officials, who compile
lists of targets. The amo provides

It appears that the DDS killings are the center-piece of


Mayor Dutertes campaign
against criminality in Davao
City. To fight against criminality, you simply kill the criminals
through extra-judicial executions
carried out by the DDS. No
need to arrest them, put them
on trial and imprison them if
proven guilty. No need for due
process of the law. Criminals do
not have rights--that is a western
concept. For criminals there can
only be one punishment--death.
It doesnt matter if you are a petty
criminal--even if you are only a
drug addict or pusher or cellphone snatcher, you deserve to
die. The killings are meant to be a
deterrent to crime - to instill fear
on everyone so that they will stop
committing crime. According to
Human Rights Watch Report:
The continued death squad
operation reflects an official mindset in which the ends are seen as
justifying the means. The motive
appears to be simple expedience:
courts are viewed as slow or inept.
The murder of criminal suspects
is seen as easier and faster than
proper law enforcement. Official
tolerance and support of targeted
killing of suspected criminals promotes rather than curbs the culture
of violence that has long plagued
Davao City and other places where
such killings occur.
It has been very difficult to
speak out against these extrajudicial killings because majority
of the people in Davao support
these. The archdiocese of Davao
under the leadership of Archbishop Fernando Capalla came
out with a pastoral letter: Thou
Shalt Not Kill and held several
prayer vigils. We were a minority--a small voice whose cry in
the wilderness was drowned out
by the applause of the majority.
The blood of 1,424 victims of

Keith Bacongco

By Fr. Amada Picardal, CSsR

The killers escaped on a motorcycle.


There was a police car nearby, but the police
just fired warning shots into the air and
did not go after the killers.
I saw the body of a teen-age boy
lying in our church ground surrounded by people. He had just
been shot by DDS hit-men while
sitting in the car park with his
friends. The killers escaped on a
motorcycle. There was a police
car nearby but the police just
fired warning shots into the air
and did not go after the killers.
The boy who was killed lived in
a nearby slums area. He had been
suspected as one of those who
broke the window of a car park
in our church and stole some
items two weeks earlier.
The second time I witnessed
the aftermath of a DDS killing
was while mountain-biking in
Lomondao, a distant barangay
in Davao. As I neared the place
I met three motorcycle riding
men speeding back to the city.
When I arrived in the place I
saw people who gathered around
the body of a young boy. When I
asked what happened, someone
told me it was the DDS. The

mended prosecution, this could


not prosper because nobody was
willing to testify in court out of
fear. The DDS are still around
and anybody who testifies will
surely be targeted for assassination. I have met some of these
witnesses and understand their
fear. They claimed that some of
those listed as victims were their
former companions who knew
too much and were suspected
of betraying the DDS. So while
former DDS members talked
about how they were recruited,
trained and how they operate,
and who their handlers were
and their link with some police
and local government officials,
all these information could not
stand in court because they were
not willing to testify in spite
of the sworn statements made
before the CHR. Much of the
information can also be found in
the report of the Human Rights
Watch in 2009 You Can Die
Anytime: Death Squad Killings in

members of a death squad team


with as little as the name of the
target, and sometimes an address
and a photograph. Police stations
are then notified to ensure that
police officers are slow to respond,
enabling the death squad members
to escape the crime scene, even
when they commit killings near a
police station.
The Human Rights Watch
Report also revealed the modus
operandi:
Our research found that the
killings follow a pattern. The assailants usually arrive in twos or
threes on a motorcycle without a
license plate. They wear baseball
caps and buttoned shirts or jackets, apparently to conceal their
weapons underneath. They shoot
or, increasingly, stab their victim
without warning, often in broad
daylight and in presence of multiple eyewitnesses, for whom they
show little regard. And as quickly
as they arrive, they ride offbut

the DDS was the price that was


paid so that there could be peace
and order--so that all can walk at
night without fear. This was the
peace of the cemetery, an order
maintained by death squads--by
criminals.
And the mass murder continues and there will be more
blood spilled--not just in Davao
but the entire Philippines. Mayor Duterte promised that if
elected the 1,000 will become
100,000. He declared that it
will be bloody. He said there
will be no need for more jails-just funeral parlors. He promised to eliminate criminality in
the entire country within 3-6
months. How will he do it?
The answer is what happened in
Davao--through the DDS under
the direction of many police officers who deny their existence,
with the financial support coming from businessmen and also
drawn from the government
coffers.
Im willing to go to hell, as
long as the people I serve live in
paradise. Is this an admission on
the part of Mayor Duterte that
what he has done is a grave sin
against God that could someday
earn him divine punishment?
Is Davao a paradise after 18
years of DDS extrajudicial killings? Has criminality been eradicated? According to the data
from PNP covering 2010-2015,
out of 15 chartered cities Davao
was fourth in terms of Total Index of Crimes: 37,797 incidents.
In terms of murder, Davao was
no. 1 (1,032 incidents) and in
terms of rape Davao was no.
2 (843 incidents). This report
gives the impression that in
Davao you can be murdered and
raped any time. Murder is not
really that bad if the DDS and
the Mayor can do it. Rape is not
really that bad if the Mayor can
callously joke about it, wishing
he was the first in line when he
heard that a hostage--an Australian Lay Missionary--was raped.
Meanwhile, the families of
victims cry out for justice as
the DDS continue their killing
spree. The national government has failed to address this
mass murder that could soon
multiply many times over, God
forbid.
If the DDS are not stopped
and those behind it are not
held accountable, this will be
a national bloodbath. Those
who support it and allow it to
multiply will have blood in their
hands--they will be accomplices
to mass murder. The one who order this is a mass murderer--the
biggest Criminal of them all.
If it is alright to kill suspected
criminals--who can stop any
one from taking the law into
their own hands? Anyone can
become judge and executioner-not only the police and public
officials. Anyone can form their
own vigilante groups. There
wont be any need for prisons or
lawyers or judges. There wont
be any peace, no order as long
and human rights and the rule of
law are disregarded. Meanwhile,
the big criminals, the big thieves
and murderers will continue to
rule the land. If it is o.k. to kill
criminals, who can prevent
anyone from killing the biggest
Criminal of them all? We could
be entering another dark period
of our history--like the dictatorial period in the past or worst.

Liturgy, B2

Word originates in Jewish prayer. The


Liturgy of the Hours and other liturgical
texts and formularies, as well as those of
our most venerable prayers, including
the Lords Prayer, have parallels in Jewish prayer. The Eucharistic Prayers also
draw their inspiration from the Jewish
tradition. The relationship between
Jewish liturgy and Christian liturgy,
but also their differences in content, are
particularly evident in the great feasts
of the liturgical year, such as Passover.
Christians and Jews both celebrate the
Passover. For Jews, it is the Passover of
history, tending toward the future; for
Christians, it is the Passover fulfilled in
the death and Resurrection of Christ,
though always in expectation of its
definitive consummation.
Other sources can be found in the
New Testament even though they are
not detailed descriptions. Apart from

the Gospels, the rest of the New Testament reveals some elements of a distinct
Christian worship.
Several times the Acts of the Apostles
mention the breaking of bread as
something exclusive to the Christian
community. The writings of St. Paul and
Revelation contain examples of early
Christian hymns, the fact of gathering
on a Sunday and even the name the
Lords Day (Revelation 1:10). These
texts show that very soon after the Ascension the Christian community had
begun to develop a basic structure of
prayer to carry out Christs commands
to do this in memory of me (Luke
22:19) and Go therefore and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all that I have commanded you
(Matthew 28:19). They also considered

that it was Christs command to pray


without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God
in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thessalonians
5:17). This would lead to forms such as
the Liturgy of the Hours.
All of this means that it is quite natural that Christian communities would
develop different prayer structures in
an organic way and would adapt the
external forms of worship as the Church
grew in number and in precision in
articulating its faith in Christ both
through conciliar definitions and as
expressions of worship.
Documents are scarce from the generations that follow immediately after
the apostles, but they show continuity
in the development of structured rites
and prayers.
Among the texts the most important
ones are usually considered as being the

Didache, or Teaching of the Twelve


Apostles. This brief work, written
around the year A.D. 100, contains
several prayers and a description of baptism. Other writings of the Apostolic
Fathers (some of whom were disciples
of the apostles) such as St. Ignatius of
Antioch and St. Polycarp give indications regarding the hierarchical structure of the Church and the structure of
liturgical prayer
An important document from the
next generation is St. Justins Apology
(written around A.D. 155-157) which
contains the first description of the
Mass in a form which is substantially
the same as we celebrate today. Among
the earliest written texts are those found
in the so-called Apostolic Tradition
attributed (probably incorrectly) to St.
Hippolytus of Rome (A.D. 215). In this
work we find formulas for ordination

and a text which forms the basis of the


second Eucharistic Prayer of the current
Roman Missal.
In the centuries that followed, the
production of liturgical texts continued, and the vast majority of the major
texts of the liturgy in all liturgical rites
and families were produced during the
fourth through the seventh centuries.
The oldest known Latin liturgical texts
would seem to be from about A.D. 350
or so and the earliest extant manuscripts
from around the year 450 to 500 although subject to much debate among
scholars.
All in all we can conclude that the
liturgy begins with Christ and ends in
Christ. The development in different
liturgical forms and styles are always
rooted in Revelation and develop organically from the paschal mystery of
the Incarnate Word.

CBCP Monitor

STATEMENTS B5

April 18 - May 1, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 14

The Church, Mother of Vocations

DEAR Brothers and Sisters,


It is my great hope that, during the
course of this Extraordinary Jubilee of
Mercy, all the baptized may experience
the joy of belonging to the Church and
rediscover that the Christian vocation, just
like every particular vocation, is born from
within the People of God, and is a gift of
divine mercy. The Church is the house of
mercy, and it is the soil where vocations
take root, mature and bear fruit.
For this reason, on the occasion of the
53rd World Day of Prayer for Vocations,
I invite all of you to reflect upon the apostolic community, and to give thanks for
the role of the community in each persons
vocational journey. In the Bull of Indiction
for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, I
recalled the words of the venerable Saint
Bede, describing the call of Saint Matthew:
Miserando atque eligendo (Misericordiae
Vultus, 8). The Lords merciful action forgives our sins and opens us to the new life
which takes shape in the call to discipleship
and mission. Each vocation in the Church
has its origin in the compassionate gaze of
Jesus. Conversion and vocation are two
sides of the same coin, and continually remain interconnected throughout the whole
of the missionary disciples life.
Blessed Paul VI, in his exhortation
Evangelii Nuntiandi, described various
steps in the process of evangelization. One
of these steps is belonging to the Christian
community (cf. no. 23), that community
from which we first received the witness
of faith and the clear proclamation of the
Lords mercy. This incorporation into the
Christian community brings with it all the
richness of ecclesial life, particularly the
sacraments. Indeed, the Church is not only
a place in which we believe, but it is also
an object of our faith; it is for this reason
that we profess in the Credo: I believe in
the Church.
The call of God comes to us by means
of a mediation which is communal. God
calls us to become a part of the Church
and, after we have reached a certain maturity within it, he bestows on us a specific
vocation. The vocational journey is undertaken together with the brothers and
sisters whom the Lord has given to us: it
is a con-vocation. The ecclesial dynamism
of the call is an antidote to indifference
and to individualism. It establishes the
communion in which indifference is vanquished by love, because it demands that
we go beyond ourselves and place our lives
at the service of Gods plan, embracing the
historical circumstances of his holy people.
On this day dedicated to prayer for vocations, I urge all the faithful to assume their
responsibility for the care and discernment
of vocations. When the Apostles sought
someone to take the place of Judas Iscariot,
Saint Peter brought together one hundred
and twenty of the brethren (cf. Acts 1:15);

CNA

Message of His Holiness Pope Francis on the occasion of the


53rd World Day of Prayer for Vocations

Vocations are sustained by the Church. After definitive


commitment, our vocational journey within the Church does
not come to an end, but it continues in our willingness to
serve, our perseverance and our ongoing formation.
and in order to chose seven deacons, a
group of disciples was gathered (cf. 6:2).
Saint Paul gave Titus specific criteria for the
selection of presbyters (cf. Titus 1:5-9). Still
today, the Christian community is always
present in the discernment of vocations, in
their formation and in their perseverance
(cf. Apost. Ex. Evangelii Gaudium, 107).
Vocations are born within the Church.
From the moment a vocation begins to
become evident, it is necessary to have an
adequate sense of the Church. No one is
called exclusively for a particular region, or
for a group or for an ecclesial movement,
but rather for the Church and for the
world. A sure sign of the authenticity of a
charism is its ecclesial character, its ability
to be integrated harmoniously into the life
of Gods holy and faithful people for the
good of all (ibid., 130). In responding
to Gods call, young people see their own
ecclesial horizon expand; they are able to

consider various charisms and to undertake


a more objective discernment. In this way,
the community becomes the home and the
family where vocations are born. Candidates gratefully contemplate this mediation
of the community as an essential element
for their future. They learn to know and to
love their brothers and sisters who pursue
paths different from their own; and these
bonds strengthen in everyone the communion which they share.
Vocations grow within the Church. In
the course of formation, candidates for
various vocations need to grow in their
knowledge of the ecclesial community,
overcoming the limited perspectives that
we all have at the beginning. To that end, it
is helpful to undertake some apostolic experience together with other members of the
community, for example: in the company
of a good catechist, to communicate the
Christian message; together with a religious

community, to experience the evangelization of the peripheries sharing in the life of


the cloister, to discover the treasure of contemplation; in contact with missionaries, to
know more closely the mission ad gentes;
and in the company of diocesan priests, to
deepen ones experience of pastoral life in
the parish and in the diocese. For those who
are already in formation, the ecclesial community always remains the fundamental
formational environment, towards which
one should feel a sense of gratitude.
Vocations are sustained by the Church.
After definitive commitment, our vocational journey within the Church does not
come to an end, but it continues in our
willingness to serve, our perseverance and
our ongoing formation. The one who has
consecrated his life to the Lord is willing
to serve the Church wherever it has need.
The mission of Paul and Barnabas is a
good example of this readiness to serve the

Rosary Campaign for May 9

CBCPNews

Pio. And centuries ago, Pope


Adrian VI said the rosary is the
scourge of the devil.
In my pastoral guidelines for
the 2013 elections, I reminded
you of the unique importance
of prayer for national change.
Our best contribution is to
pray that the Lord of history
guide every voter and guide
every candidate. It is God who
can enlighten our decisions.
It is God who can thwart the
plans of evil men and women
to destroy social order. It
is God who can give us the
best leaders for the good of

everyone.
Pray ALL the mysteries of
joy, light, sorrow and glory EVERYDAY until May 9. Pray as
a family. Pray while travelling.
Pray in the offices or factories.
Pray everywhere for our national
elections.
By the power of the rosary,
we can stop the evil of election
violence and cheating.
By the power of the rosary, we
can win the battle for peaceful
and credible elections.
By the power of the rosary, we
can fight stubbornness, cynicism
and stupidity in making our

choices. Let the rosary melt our


hardened hearts and arrogant
lips.
By the power of the rosary, we
can crush the devils head and let
the Lord of History reign in our
beautiful land.
Pray the rosary for our national elections.
Pass on this invitation and let
us fill the Philippines with the
light and power of the HOLY
ROSARY!
+SOCRATES B. VILLEGAS
Archbishop, Lingayen
Dagupan

From the Vatican, 29 November 2015


First Sunday of Advent
FRANCISCUS

Sangguniang Laiko ng
Pilipinas Statement on the
Kidapawan Incident

Onward Christian soldiers marching as to war,


With the Cross of Jesus going on before.

WITH these words, I plead


with you to join the Catholic
faithful in Lingayen Dagupan
and throughout the nation in
a rosary prayer campaign from
today until our national elections on May 9.
Blessed Pius IX said If I had
an army to pray the rosary, I
could conquer the world.
It was not courage, not arms,
not leaders but Mary of the Rosary that made us victorious,
said the Venetian senators after
the Battle of Lepanto.
The rosary is the weapon of
our times according to San Padre

Church. Sent on mission by the Holy Spirit


and by the community of Antioch (cf. Acts
13, 1-4), they returned to that same community and described what the Lord had
worked through them (cf. 14: 27). Missionaries are accompanied and sustained
by the Christian community, which always
remains a vital point of reference, just as a
visible homeland offers security to all who
are on pilgrimage towards eternal life.
Among those involved in pastoral activity, priests are especially important. In their
ministry, they fulfill the words of Jesus, who
said: I am the gate of the sheepfold [] I
am the good shepherd (Jn 10: 7, 11). The
pastoral care of vocations is a fundamental
part of their ministry. Priests accompany
those who are discerning a vocation, as
well as those who have already dedicated
their lives to the service of God and of the
community.
All the faithful are called to appreciate
the ecclesial dynamism of vocations, so that
communities of faith can become, after the
example of the Blessed Virgin Mary, like a
mothers womb which welcomes the gift
of the Holy Spirit (cf. Lk 1: 35-38). The
motherhood of the Church finds expression
in constant prayer for vocations and in the
work of educating and accompanying all
those who perceive Gods call. This motherhood is also expressed through a careful
selection of candidates for the ordained
ministry and for the consecrated life. Finally,
the Church is the mother of vocations in
her continual support of those who have
dedicated their lives to the service of others.
We ask the Lord to grant to all those who
are on a vocational journey a deep sense
of belonging to the Church; and that the
Holy Spirit may strengthen among Pastors, and all of the faithful, a deeper sense
of communion, discernment and spiritual
fatherhood and motherhood.
Father of mercy, who gave your Son
for our salvation and who strengthens us
always with the gifts of your Spirit, grant us
Christian communities which are alive, fervent and joyous, which are fonts of fraternal
life, and which nurture in the young the
desire to consecrate themselves to you and
to the work of evangelization. Sustain these
communities in their commitment to offer
appropriate vocational catechesis and ways
of proceeding towards each ones particular
consecration. Grant the wisdom needed for
vocational discernment, so that in all things
the greatness of your merciful love may
shine forth. May Mary, Mother and guide
of Jesus, intercede for each Christian community, so that, made fruitful by the Holy
Spirit, it may be a source of true vocations
for the service of the holy People of God.

THE Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas (LAIKO), the umbrella organization of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines
(CBCP) for Catholic lay organizations, condemns in the strongest
terms the unwarranted use of force by government forces against
an unarmed group of starving civilians.
In a predominantly Catholic country there is seemingly a pattern of disregard for the basic lawthe protection of human life.
LAIKO has taken cognizance of the fact that the use of force against
the 5,000 farmers whose livelihood has been severely affected by
the El Nino phenomenon is totally uncalled for.
The LAIKO National Director and Chairman of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on the Laity, Bishop Broderick Pabillo, also urged
the government to release all the farmers who have been detained
and charged. The Bishop also stressed that the violent dispersal of
the protesting farmers in which three were felled by bullets fired
by PNP elements, is not the way to react to the grievances of the
farmers which in the first place the government has failed to address.
That these farmers resorted to hold a rally to protest government inaction to their pleas for assistance should not be taken against them. The
farmers were simply asking for rice and basic necessities for their farms,
yet the kind of response they received from government was violent
dispersal. Has this become now the official policy of the government
to address the needs of the poor and the downtrodden?
LAIKO deplores the government strategy of sending the police
and the military to harass, wound and kill the poor, whose only way
to call attention is to protest and hold rallies for their basic rights
to be addressed. These farmers should not be labeled as a threat to
national security and accused as communist for their mass action.
LAIKO likewise condemns the indiscriminate acts of violence and
terrorism against civilians regardless of where such incidents occur.
These heinous acts cannot be justified by any cause especially when
superior force is applied against hapless civilians.
Instead, LAIKO urges the government to look at the problem
from the social and economic standpoint because this seeming
discontent could be the beginning of a bigger social malady.
The tragic Kidapawan massacre speaks about the neglect of the present
Aquino administration on the plight of the poor and has become calloused as
toallowitscitizenstosuffer. ThereforeLAIKOurgestheAquinoadministration
thatintheremainingdaysofhisgovernance,theresultsoftheinvestigationofthis
lamentable neglect, be dealt with assiduously in the name ofTruth and Justice.
For the Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas:
ZENAIDA F. CAPISTRANO
National President

B6 REFLECTIONS

April 18 - May 1, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 14

CBCP Monitor

Christs supporting actors in the greatest play ever


By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB
GOD is perfect justice. He
cannot contradict himself. He
could not leave Christs innocence unvindicated. He could
not leave His Sons total trust
unrewarded. Jesus Resurrection
and Ascension are acts of the
Fathers justice and faithfulness
to His promises.
He owed the glorification of
Jesus not only to Himself and
His Son, but also to all men. We
too, in fact, need to know with
certainty that the just Man who
was humiliated in so many ways,
to the point of being numbered
among the wicked and evildoers
(see Is 53:9, together with Mt
27:37 and parallels), has not
only been raised from the dead,
but has actually been exalted
high above every principality,
power, virtue and domination,
and every name that can be given
in this age or the age to come.
(Eph 1:21. See also Phil 1:9-11.)
This is the meaning of the event
we commemorate today. The
Ascension, then, is for all of us
a source of reassurance about
Gods justice and the triumph
of good over evil.

Christ has done his part in


bringing about the salvation
of mankind by giving his life
in atonement for the sins of all
men. God the Father has done
His part in allowing His dearest

The Holy Spirit


has been doing
His part in
applying to all
human beings
the merits
earned by Jesus
through his life
and especially
His bitter
passion.
Only Son to die for the salvation
of all sinners and in raising him
from death as a proof of all the
values he stood for. The Holy
Spirit has been doing His part in

The God of love


from we whom come,
in whom we live, to
whom we go
Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
(C), John 16:12-15
50th World Communications
Sunday / Mothers Day; May 22,
2016
By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB
OUR belief in the TrinityOne God in three Personsis
no vain fantasizing about a remote mathematical riddle.
Rather, it is the humble and grateful acceptance in faith of
the great mystery of Divine Love which was revealed by Our
Lord, Jesus Christ. This sublime mystery does not concern
only the three Divine Persons in their mutual relationship,
but all creatures, and especially all human beings. It concerns
and encompasses us all. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, bound
together into one Godhead by their eternal, mutual love, are
also related to each one of us and all mankind. The Blessed
Trinity is the source of all that we are, the indispensable
support in all that we do, and the fulfillment of all that we
aspire to be.
The fundamental relationship between the three Divine
Persons and us can be expressed through one common
denominator: loving concern and care. But such a shared
concern and care,
filled with love for
us, takes on a different and complementary role in the
divine Persons, according to the characteristics of Each of
them.
Thus, the Fathers
concern and care
for us started with
creation especially our own and
reached its peak in
the gift of His Son
and the Holy Spirit.
The love of the Father accompanies
us each moment,
till we reach the end
for which He created us: eternal life
in Him.
The loving concern and care of the divine Word is particularly evident in the work of our Redemption, which
started with the Incarnation, reached its peak in his death
and resurrection, and is continually made available to all
men through the ministry of the Church.
We experience the loving concern and care of the Holy
Spirit when he makes us members of the Body of Christ,
adopted sons and daughters of the Father, and brothers
and sisters of Jesus Christ. He is the one who consoles and
protects us; who leads us to the knowledge of all truth. He
is the one who fills our hearts with faith, hope, and love.
He fills our lives with meaning and holiness and empowers
us to live according to the Gospel.
All this the three Divine Persons do for us not in isolation or
competition among themselves, but in beautiful cooperation and

He is the one
who consoles and
protects us;
who leads us to
the knowledge of
all truth.
He is the one who
fills our hearts
with faith, hope,
and love.

God of Love, B7

applying to all human beings the


merits earned by Jesus through
his life and especially His bitter
passion.
It is now our turn to do our
share. We do so when we respond positively to the call of
God to be his partners in fighting evil in whatever form and in
promoting good in ourselves and
around ourselves. This means
working for the spread of Gods
Kingdom by treasuring and
upholding its values of truth,
justice, peace, love, faith, hope,
forgiveness, generosity, purity,
fairness, respect for others, honesty, and concern for the greater
good of all.
In this challenging undertaking that develops like a play on
the stage of human history, we
have the privilege to be Christs
supporting actors, each doing
ones share for a glorious ending: the triumph of good over
evil, of love over hatred, of life
over death.
The Kingdom of heaven is
like a seed entrusted to us by
Gods love. It is our duty to
LET the seed grow in ourselves
and around ourselves, for that
seed has a tremendous power to
develop and envelop the entire

Salamon de Bray

Ascension of Our Lord (C), Luke 24:46-53


50th World Communications Sunday / Mothers Day; May 8, 2016

universe. It is our duty to MAKE


the seed grow by positively working for its development and affirmation through our labor of love
and our brave stand against the
forces that oppose the Kingdom
and constantly try to suppress
and conquer it.

This is the challenge addressed


to us by Jesus Ascension: a job
for which we may feel inadequate and unworthy of. It is
precisely because of this that the
Lord does not leave us orphans.
He promised to give us the
Holy Spirit to be our Consoler,

Friend, Inspiration, Guide, and


Strength. Rooted in our faith,
like the disciples and the apostles
after the ascension, we await his
coming in prayer that widens
our hearts in hope. With him,
no mission will be impossible.
In his power, we will conquer.

The power that heals, strengthens and unifies


Pentecost Sunday (C), John 20:19-23; May 15, 2016

By Fr. Sal Putzu, SDB


AFTER the sin of Adam and Eve, and the
universal perversion that enveloped mankind
and which led God to purify it through the
Flood, the episode of the Tower of Babel was
the third major disaster in human history.
The construction of that tower intended to
reach the sky and to make a name for
its builders was no innocent architectural
blunder. Rather, it was a proud revolt against
Gods sovereignty and an attempt to supplant
Him by organizing a godless society in which
earthly values were supposed to be everything,
to the exclusion of transcendent ones.
The catastrophic result of that plan was of
such a magnitude that the whole of mankind
has ever since staggered under its crushing
weight. The proliferation of languages
mentioned in the Book of Genesis is just a
partial symptom of a much deeper and more
serious malaise: the pride and selfishness
which sets man against man, group against
group, nation against nation. Those who

reject the authority of God soon become


the oppressors of their kind. It is personal
and social sin in its endless ramification of
tentacles that continually threaten to choke
individuals and societies. A shattered and
scattered mankind endlessly renews the causes
of its own undoing.
Nor is sin a cause only of division among
individuals and nations. It is also a cause
of struggle and division, even within each
individual sinner as it unleashes in him/
her the quest for physical pleasure and the
satisfaction of ones arrogance. These militate
against all forms of moral and spiritual values,
and sow discord in the basic orientation of
every person, as St. Paul pointed out (see Rom
7:15-24), and as each of us knows very well.
Only God can rid mankind of the plague
of sin in all its forms and effects. His rescue
plan includes two interrelated stages:
redemption through Jesus Christ; healing
process and sanctification through the Holy
Spirit.
Jesus Christ reconciled mankind with God
and broke down the barriers separating Jews

from Gentiles, man from man, and soul


from body. (See Rom 5:10 and Eph 2:1318.) The Spirit makes the power of Christs
Redemption present and operative in all
corners of the world and for all generations,
and thereby undos all forms of devastation
produced by sin. The Spirit is the one who
heals the wounds caused by conflicting
interests and binds into a harmonious whole
the variety of human resources and efforts.
It is for such a purpose that the Risen Christ
breathed his Spirit on his Apostles and sent
it as a mighty wind to the whole community
of believers on Pentecost Day. (See Jn 20:2223 and Acts 2:1-4.) Thus he gave the whole
Church, represented by its initial members,
the unifying bond that alone can reconcile
people with God, among themselves and
within themselves.
From that moment on, Pentecost was
revealed to the world as the anti-sin and antiBabel event. Since the root of all mankinds
disasters is sin, the Spirit is given to the
Church as the anti-sin power. The Spirit of
Power, B7

Bishop Pat Alo

ENCOUNTERS

Well-informed vigilance

JOINING public gatherings such as


demonstrations and rallies may be
beneficial or disastrous depending
on the intent of the organizers. As a
general rule, one must search for the
truth and not aimlessly jump into
the fire, which may result to damage
or injury instead of resolving the issue at hand. There is always wisdom
in asking questions to dispel ignorance of certain matters, especially
when attractive words and promises
are made, or perhaps threats and
harassments are attempted, but facts
are wanting.
No well-intentioned person or
follower of the Good Shepherd
wants to be deluded by wild wolves
in sheeps clothing (Mt. 7:15)and

This is the call for vigilance


for all, indicating the need
for responsible leadership
to stick to facts and conduct
objective surveys and
consultations, relaying
genuine results
for people to choose for
their own good.

so he/she must constantly listen


to and discern the teachings of
the Master Teacher who also
speaks through the apostolic
leaders of the Church. This is
the call for vigilance for all, indicating the need for responsible
leadership to stick to facts and
conduct objective surveys and
consultations, relaying genuine
results for people to choose for
their own good. The sheep will
verify the reality for themselves,
and recognize the voice of the
true shepherd. My sheep hear
my voice, I know them, and they
follow me (John 10:27).
May innocent/lost lives and
Vigilance, B7

Bo Sanchez

SOULFOOD

Its In Your Brain

LET me explain to you why writing down


your dreams works.
Have you ever had this experience?
Youre in a party. Its noisy. Lots of chatter, laughter, and loud music. But from the
other side of the room, you hear someone
whisper your name.
Thank your reticular activating system (or
RAS) for this phenomenon. Its a filtering
mechanism at the base of your brain that
sorts through the entire tidal wave of visual,
sensory and auditory stimuli you receive.
The RAS is also what allows a mother to
sleep through the noise of cars honking outside her home. The RAS tells her to ignore
these irrelevant sounds. But the second her

baby cries, shes up. This time, the RAS


dictates, Thats important. Wake up!
Let me give you another example.
When my wife was pregnant some years
ago, we were strolling in a mall. She said
to me, Bo, did you notice that there are so
many pregnant women here, much more
than before? I just laughed because it wasnt
true. Since she was pregnant, her RAS focused on all the expecting mothers who were
walking around the mall. When she wasnt
pregnant, she wasnt noticing them.
Its the same thing when you write down
your dreams. Your RAS zeroes in on the
many things that will contribute to the fulfillment of that dream.

Youll See The Ingredients Of Your Dream


Fall Into Place Like A Jigsaw Puzzle Right
Before Your Eyes
Someone asked me, When I pray, cant
I just say, Lord, just give me whatever You
want to bless me with? Why do we have to
specify what we want?
Sure you can pray that way.
But I think there should be times when we
pray with more specificity. When I do, I see
the ingredients that I need fall into place like
a jigsaw puzzle right before my eyes. And
its beautiful.
So write down your dream. Put down on
paper what you want to happen in your life
and present it to God.

CBCP Monitor

SOCIAL CONCERNS B7

April 18 - May 1, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 14

The daily crime against humanity


I DROVE from Olongapo City to
Subic town recently and pointed to a
journalist the row of shuttered, dilapidated, and closed-down sex bars that
lined the road at Calapandayan, Subic.
It is evidence of the success of an antitrafficking operation conducted by the
Preda Foundation social workers with
the help of the Philippine police and
an agent of the US Homeland Security
where as many as 15 young girls were
rescued from the horrible life of forced
prostitution.
Some younger minors, so traumatized
after being trapped and abused for over
a year in this kind of sex slavery, were in
need of therapy, support, compassion,
friendship, and hope for a better life.
They came to the Preda Home for Girls,
are in the process of recovery, and are
empowered to testify.
Others had been newly-recruited
for jobs as food servers in the hotels at
the Subic Bay Freeport Zone but were
forced into prostitution in a sex hotel.
They were freed and were brought to
their homes in a town south of Manila
by the government social workers. They
were later intimidated by the sex mafia
and were too scared to testify. The bar
operators walked free except one US
national who is on trial.
That is the common course for the
victims. They are poor, helpless, and
in need of strong support, witness
protection, and encouragement to
find justice, but sadly the government
agencies do not provide these services
effectively.
The long-term success of that operation is that we had volunteer retired
federal police from Australia who went
undercover as sex tourists and infiltrated

Rick Hall

By Fr. Shay Cullen

the sex bars and clubs. (see www.preda.


org links to YouTube Children of the
Sex Trade and The Raid of ABC
New York)
These secret surveillances are hopefully still ongoing around the Philippines
and are popular with retired police,
and have caused many sex tourists and
bar operators worry today because they
dont know if the sex tourist downing
a cold beer and chatting beside them
is a fellow exploiter of young girls or a
retired police officer on a undercover
mission for the Philippine police.
These retired officers are good men
determined to save children and working to end sex trafficking and slavery.
The evidence could put the bar operator

and owner in a filthy jail cell where he


could die of malnutrition or disease.
These kinds of operations are very
necessary to curb the growing abuse of
younger teenagers disguised as adults
with fake documents.
Its a crime against humanity, according to Pope Francis, who has spoken and
has acted to bring together police and
Church leaders to find a more effective
response to this crime that destroys
young lives. The Santa Marta Group
of senior police officers, diplomats,
and Church leaders brings together
the energy and resources worldwide to
combat this evil trade in human beings.
It was first held in Vatican City in the
Santa Marta guest house where Pope

Francis lives from which the group got


its name. Last week, they had their annual meeting in New York. They need
to work faster.
As many as 21 million people are in
slavery in the world today in its various
forms. Many are children under 18
years of age who are sex slaves without
rights or freedom. They are held in
the sex bars, clubs, houses, and hotels
where prostitution is rampant. Scared
to escape, most young girls are without
identity, freedom of choice, and are
usually lured into debt.
Their families may have taken advance payment on the childs so-called
salary and are threatened if the minor
runs away from the sex bar, the pimp

or the human trafficker. It is a false argument to claim the girls are working
to support their families back in the
province. Some do but most apparently
dont. Poverty and inequality is at the
heart of the problem.
Their documents showing them as
adults are fake or are those of an elder
sister. Prostitution is illegal in the Philippines but this is ignored. Children as
young as 14 are offered for sex on the
street and sex bars.
Corrupt officials are getting payments
from the human traffickers and club
owners. So outside police are needed.
Thats why I promote the formation
of a multi-national police force with
jurisdiction wherever they are assigned
to investigate traffickers using trained
undercover officers.
Local mayors give operating permits
to sex bars. Such government approval
is at the heart of the crime. In the
Philippines alone, there is an estimated
100,000 minors trafficked and sexually
exploited every year. The worldwide
business is worth US$110 billion, according to the UKs Anti-Slavery Independent Commissioner Kevin Hylan,
a dedicated campaigner.
What is needed is action on the
ground to rescue, protect, heal, help
them recover, and testify to bring the
criminals to justice. That is not sufficiently present. Thats why we need
a special human trafficking court in
each region on which two international
retired judges will sit trying the child
abusers and human trafficking suspects.
A new law for this can be passed if there
is commitment.
But one thing is certain: this crime is
the shame of humanity and the blight
of each nation. To fail to act against it
is to condone it and silence about abuse
is the greater crime.

Summary, B3

reiterates that families should not


only be evangelized, they should
also evangelize. The Pope regrets
that ordained ministers often lack
the training needed to deal with
the complex problems currently
facing families (AL 202). On the
one hand, the psycho-affective
formation of seminarians needs
to be improved, and families need
to be more involved in formation
for ministry (cf. AL 203); and on
the other hand, the experience of
the broad oriental tradition of a
married clergy could also be drawn
upon (AL 202).
The Pope then deals with the
preparation of the engaged for
marriage; with the accompaniment of couples in the first years
of married life, including the issue
of responsible parenthood; and also
with certain complex situations and
crises, knowing that each crisis has
a lesson to teach us; we need to
learn how to listen for it with the
ear of the heart (AL 232). Some
causes of crisis are analyzed, among
them a delay in maturing affectively
(cf. AL 239).
Mention is furthermore made
of accompanying abandoned,
separated or divorced persons. The
Exhortation stresses the importance
of the recent reform of the procedures for marriage annulment. It
highlights the suffering of children
in situations of conflict and concludes: Divorce is an evil and the
increasing number of divorces is
very troubling. Hence, our most
important pastoral task with regard
to families is to strengthen their
love, helping to heal wounds and
working to prevent the spread of
this drama of our times (AL 246).
It then touches on the situations of
a marriage between a Catholic and
a Christian of another denomination (mixed marriages), and between a Catholic and someone of
another religion (disparity of cult).
Regarding families with members
with homosexual tendencies, it
reaffirms the necessity to respect
them and to refrain from any
unjust discrimination and every
form of aggression or violence. The
last, pastorally poignant part of the
chapter, When death makes us feel
its sting, is on the theme of the loss

of dear ones and of widowhood.


Chapter seven: Towards a better
education of children(259-290)
Theseventh chapteris dedicated
to the education of children: their
ethical formation, the learning
of discipline which can include
punishment, patient realism, sex
education, passing on the faith and,
more generally, family life as an
educational context. The practical
wisdom present in each paragraph
is remarkable, above all the attention given to those gradual, small
steps that can be understood, accepted and appreciated (AL 271).
There is a particularly interesting
and pedagogically fundamental
paragraph in which Francis clearly
states that obsession, however, is
not education. We cannot control
every situation that a child may
experience If parents are obsessed
with always knowing where their
children are and controlling all their
movements, they will seek only to
dominate space. But this is no way
to educate, strengthen and prepare
their children to face challenges.
What is most important is the ability lovingly to help them grow in
freedom, maturity, overall discipline
and real autonomy (AL 260).
The notable section on education in sexuality is very expressively
entitled: Yes to sex education. The
need is there, and we have to ask if
our educational institutions have
taken up this challenge in an age
when sexuality tends to be trivialized
and impoverished. Sound education needs to be carried out within
the broader framework of an education for love, for mutual self-giving
(AL 280). The text warns that the
expression safe sex conveys a
negative attitude towards the natural
procreative finality of sexuality, as if
an eventual child were an enemy to
be protected against. This way of
thinking promotes narcissism and
aggressivity in place of acceptance
(AL 283).
Chapter eight: Guiding, discerning and integrating weakness(291-312)
Theeighth chapteris an invitation
to mercy and pastoral discernment
in situations that do not fully

match what the Lord proposes.


The Pope uses three very important
verbs: guiding, discerning and integrating, which are fundamental
in addressing fragile, complex or
irregular situations. The chapter has
sections on the need for gradualness
in pastoral care; the importance of
discernment; norms and mitigating
circumstances in pastoral discernment; and finally what the Pope
calls the logic of pastoral mercy.
Chapter eight is very sensitive.
In reading it one must remember
that the Churchs task is often like
that of a field hospital (AL 291).
Here the Holy Father grapples
with the findings of the Synods on
controversial issues. He reaffirms
what Christian marriage is and
adds that some forms of union
radically contradict this ideal, while
others realize it in at least a partial
and analogous way. The Church
therefore does not disregard the
constructive elements in those
situations which do not yet or no
longer correspond to her teaching
on marriage (AL 292).
As far as discernment with regard
to irregular situations is concerned, the Pope states: There is
a need to avoid judgments which
do not take into account the complexity of various situations and to
be attentive, by necessity, to how
people experience distress because
of their condition (AL 296). And
he continues: It is a matter of
reaching out to everyone, of needing to help each person find his or
her proper way of participating in
the ecclesial community, and thus
to experience being touched by
an unmerited, unconditional and
gratuitous mercy (AL 297). And
further: The divorced who have
entered a new union, for example,
can find themselves in a variety of
situations, which should not be
pigeonholed or fit into overly rigid
classifications leaving no room for
a suitable personal and pastoral
discernment (AL 298).
In this line, gathering the observations of many Synod Fathers, the
Pope states that the baptized who
are divorced and civilly remarried
need to be more fully integrated
into Christian communities in
the variety of ways possible, while

Power, B6

Vigilance, B6

love and unity counteracts the negative


effects of hatred, division, rejection,
exploitation, and disorderly passions ...
through the balm of forgiveness, trust,
and harmony. He builds up the new
man by instilling in every human being
the virtues of faith, hope, and love ...Thus
is the history of humankind transformed
into a constant effort to undo the disaster
of Babel, and to build up the Kingdom
of harmony and love which Christ
came to establish and which will find its
completion in the New Jerusalem of
the world to come.

misled adherents be guarded from false


prophets, and may the latter learn to
adhere to the voice of Him who said,
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life
(John 14:6). Humanity continues to
yearn for peace. No one can talk peace
if there is no basic respect for all, respect
for human rightswhatever be the age,
color, culture, position or social status
of a person. In this way one lives in
fraternity and recognizes each person as
a child of God. As Pope Francis wrote
in his message for world Day of Peace,
January 1, 2014, In Gods family, where

avoiding any occasion of scandal. Their participation can be


expressed in different ecclesial services Such persons need to feel
not as excommunicated members
of the Church, but instead as living
members, able to live and grow in
the Church This integration is
also needed in the care and Christian upbringing of their children
(AL 299).
In a more general vein, the Pope
makes an extremely important
statement for understanding the
orientation and meaning of the
Exhortation: If we consider the
immense variety of concrete situations, it is understandable that
neither the Synod nor this Exhortation could be expected to provide a
new set of general rules, canonical
in nature and applicable toall cases.
What is needed is simply a renewed
encouragement to undertake a
responsible personal and pastoral
discernment of particular cases,
one which would recognize that,
since the degree of responsibility
is not equal in all cases, the consequences or effects of a rule need
not necessarily always be the same
(AL 300). The Pope develops in
depth the needs and characteristics
of the journey of accompaniment
and discernment necessary for
profound dialogue between the
faithful and their pastors.
For this purpose the Holy Father
recalls the Churchs reflection on
mitigating factors and situations regarding the attribution
of responsibility and accountability for actions; and relying on St.
Thomas Aquinas, he focuses on
the relationship between rules and
discernment by stating: It is true
that general rules set forth a good
which can never be disregarded or
neglected, but in their formulation
they cannot provide absolutely for
all particular situations. At the same
time, it must be said that, precisely
for that reason, what is part of a
practical discernment in particular
circumstances cannot be elevated to
the level of a rule (AL 304).
The last section of the chapter
treats The logic of pastoral mercy.
To avoid misunderstandings, Pope
Francis strongly reiterates: To
show understanding in the face of

exceptional situations never implies


dimming the light of the fuller
ideal, or proposing less than what
Jesus offers to the human being.
Today, more important than the
pastoral care of failures is the pastoral
effort to strengthen marriagesand
thus to prevent their breakdown
(AL 307).
The overall sense of the chapter and of the spirit that Pope
Francis wishes to impart to the
pastoral work of the Church is well
summed up in the closing words:
I encourage the faithful who find
themselves in complicated situations to speak confidently with
their pastors or with other lay
people whose lives are committed
to the Lord. They may not always
encounter in them a confirmation
of their own ideas or desires, but
they will surely receive some light
to help them better understand
their situation and discover a path
to personal growth. I also encourage the Churchs pastors to listen to
them with sensitivity and serenity,
with a sincere desire to understand
their plight and their point of view,
in order to help them live better
lives and to recognize their proper
place in the Church. (AL 312).
On the logic of pastoral mercy,
Pope Francis emphasizes: At times
we find it hard to make room for
Gods unconditional love in our
pastoral activity. We put so many
conditions on mercy that we empty
it of its concrete meaning and real
significance. That is the worst way
of watering down the Gospel
(AL 311).
Chapter nine: The spirituality of
marriage and the family(313325)
The ninth chapter is devoted
to marital and family spirituality,
which is made up of thousands
of small but real gestures (AL
315). The Pope clearly states that
those who have deep spiritual
aspirations should not feel that the
family detracts from their growth
in the life of the Spirit, but rather
see it as a path which the Lord is
using to lead them to the heights of
mystical union (AL 316). Everything, moments of joy, relaxation,
celebration, and even sexuality can

be experienced as a sharing in the


full life of the resurrection (AL
317). He then speaks of prayer in
the light of Easter, of the spirituality of exclusive and free love in
the challenge and the yearning to
grow old together, reflecting Gods
fidelity (cf. AL 319). And finally
the spiritualityof care, consolation
and incentive: the Popeteaches that
all family life is a shepherding in
mercy. Each of us, by our love and
care, leaves a mark on the life of
others (AL 322). It is a profound
spiritual experience to contemplate our loved ones with the eyes
of God and to see Christ in them
(AL 323).
In the final paragraph the Pope
affirms: No family drops down
from heaven perfectly formed;
families need constantly to grow
and mature in the ability to love
All of us are called to keep striving
towards something greater than
ourselves and our families, and
every family must feel this constant
impulse. Let us make this journey
as families, let us keep walking
together. () May we never lose
heart because of our limitations,
or ever stop seeking that fullness of
love and communion which God
holds out before us (AL 325).
The Apostolic Exhortation concludes with a Prayer to the Holy
Family.
***
As can readily be understood
from a quick review of its contents,
the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris
Laetitiaseeks emphatically to affirm not the ideal family but the
very rich and complex reality of
family life. Its pages provide an
openhearted look, profoundly
positive, which is nourished not
with abstractions or ideal projections, but with pastoral attention
to reality. The text is a close reading
of family life, with spiritual insights
and practical wisdom useful for every human couple or persons who
want to build a family. Above all, it
is patently the result of attention to
what people have lived over many
years. The ExhortationAmoris Laetitia: On Love in the Familyindeed
speaks the language of experience
and of hope.

God of Love, B6

all are sons and daughters of the same


Fatherthere are no disposable lives.
All men and women enjoy an equal and
inviolable dignity. All are loved by God. All
have been redeemed by the blood of Christ
...This is the reason why no one can remain
indifferent before the lot of our brothers and
sisters. Thus may we continue to serve with
love and mercy, and share our goods with
the needy. And whatever be the situation
we face, the answer is to sincerely act in faith,
and to declare in the words of St. Peter:
Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the
words of eternal life (John 6:69)

harmony, for they are but one God, who


has only one aim: our eternal happiness.
The mystery of the Blessed Trinity,
then, concerns us very personally and very
deeply. We are fortunate to have come to
know it already in this life. Its very revelation through Jesus is a further sign of the
Trinitys loving care for mankind.
Such a wonderful tri-personal love
of God demands an adequate response
on our part. The first form of response
is acceptance of this mystery with
humble faith and gratitude, even when
it hurts our intellectual pride. The sec-

ond is the desire to honor each of the


three Divine Persons in our thoughts,
attitudes, words, and deeds. The third
form of response is our commitment
to love the Blessed Trinity with all our
heart, and above all creatures, as God
alone deserves to be loved.
Such a free, faith-driven response will
be rewarded a thousand-fold not only
in the life to come, but also during our
days on earth. Nothing can fill more
our hearts with peace and contentment,
than the certitude that the Blessed Trinity loves us and lives in us.

B8 ENTERTAINMENT

April 18 - May 1, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 14

Moral Assessment

CBCP Monitor

Buhay San Miguel

Brothers Matias

Lolo Kiko

Bladimer Usi


Abhorrent

Disturbing
Acceptable
Wholesome

Exemplary
Technical Assessment


Poor
Below average

Average

Above average
E
xcellent

EIGHTEEN months prior to the present times, Bruce


Wayne (Affleck) loses his father as he witnesses the destruction caused by Supermans (Cavill) battle with Zod in the
Metropolis. For Bruce, Supermans presence attracts alien
hostiles and his over protectiveness for Lois Lane (Adams)
puts the entire society in danger.
Fast forward to the present, Clark Kent, now a senior
reporter in the Daily Planet, frowns upon Batmans vigilante style in combating crime. Meanwhile, Lex Luther has
been plotting a scheme to frame Superman for countless
loss of lives in an encounter with an African dictator and
eventually have him and Batman battle to death. Amidst
this complication, another superhuman, alienWonder
Womanis trying to make her own investigation before
Lex discovers the rest of her kind living on earth.
Superman vs. Batman: Dawn of Justice is one of those
movies whose outcome does not meet expectations set by all
the hype of its publicity and anticipation of the fans. It is
disappointingly awkward, slow paced and illogically convoluted. Affleck and Henry have
no chemistry as frenemies or
charm as the unknowing victims of Lexs insanity. Wonder
Woman is like a stick figure
surfacing merely to parade
her evening gowns and flash
DIRECTION: Jack Snyder
that synthetic smile. The real
CAST: Ben Affleck, Henry
let down is the directionor
Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse
the lack of it.
Eisenberg, Diane Lane,
There are just too many
Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter
GENRE: Action
subplots that need to be
DISTRIBUTOR: Warner Bros
explained and back stories
RUNNING TIME: 151 minutes
that had to be exposed at the
TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT:
expense of moving forward.

By the time the action picks


MORAL ASSESSMENT:
up, viewers are already too
Rating: V14
exhausted trying to put pieces
together.
Holly Hunters Senator Finch and Afflecks worn-out Bruce
Wayne are the performances that saved the film, as well as
Zimmers dramatic scoring. Sadly, not enough to make viewers believe all the wait and anticipation was worth it. At the
end of the movie, you simply dont feel any sympathy for
any of the characters.
What does it take to be a hero? Bravery? Courage? Superhuman powers? Gadgets? Intelligence? Cunning? Maybe all
of the above because these qualities make one SUPER. But
at the same time, we cant produce a real superhero/heroine
even with all of them combined. Why? Because our superhero has to have a heart and soul. A heart that empathizes
with the oppressed, the victim, the one in need and a soul
which pushes one to sacrifice him/herself to save someone
else and to dedicate his/her existence for the betterment
of the world.
The heroes in this film are as super as they can be but
every inch human as well. While Batman and Superman had
their boyish moments of territorial aggression and dislike
for each other, they were able to overcome their grudges
to save Supermans Martha - and figuratively Batmans
Martha as well.
At the end of the film, Superman chooses to sacrifice
himself to save the world and Batman chooses to honor his
sacrifice by gathering and protecting other super humans so
they can in turn continue saving the world.

SUPERMAN VS.
BATMAN: DAWN
OF JUSTICE

S H O R T LY a f t e r a l o v e
quarrel with her fianc, Michelle (Elizabeth Winstead)
f i g u re s i n a c a r a c c i d e n t
and loses consciousness.
On waking up she finds
herself chained onto a wall
without any idea where she
is. In that strange place she
meets Howard (John Goodman)) who explains to her
that she has been rescued
from the danger of chemical hazards and is brought
to the underground place
for safety and protection to
keep her alive. In the same
place, Michelle meets Emmet ( John Gallagher, Jr.),
another rescued sur vivor.
The two of them think that
Howard is an equally dangerous man when he denies
e n t r y t o L e s l i e ( Su z a n n e
Cryer), who is already contaminated by the chemical.
Emmet and Michelle plan
to escape. But Howard
discovers their attempt to
flee. 10 Clover field Lane
has a commendable plot.
It is well developed, unpredictable and impressively
sustains suspense.
The director did well
in carr ying the stor y with
effective attention to detail. The actors equally
gave their share of excellent, thrilling performance. The cinematography is likewise good; it
complements the amazing
production design while
being enhanced further by
careful editing. The rest
of the technical aspects

satisfactorily contribute to
the overall aesthetic value
of the film.
There is value in possessing foresight, resourcefulness, and strong determination to protect life. There
is further value when interest for safety is not contained to ones self but is
extended to include others.
The film depicts charity
that is marked by hospital-

10 CLOVERFIELD
LANE

DIRECTOR: Dan Trachtenberg


LEAD CAST: John Goodman,
Mary Elizabeth Winstead,
John Gallagher, Jr.
GENRE: Science Fiction Psychological Thriller
DISTRIBUTOR: Paramount
Pictures
LOCATION: United States
RUNNING TIME: 103 minutes
TECHNICAL ASSESSMENT:

MORAL ASSESSMENT:
CINEMA Rating: V14

ity and generosity in sharing home and food to the


needy. However, distrust
gets in the way and the motivation in helping others
is questioned. While trust
may bring peace of mind
and a carefree feeling in the
heart, in times of trouble
a n d c o n f u s i o n , i t i s ve r y
hard to trust and to forgive.
The film 10 Cloverfield
Lane disregards the trust,
forgiveness and sacredness
of life.

Buhay Parokya

Look for the images of Holy Rosary, Saint


John Paul II and Angel Gabriel.
(Illustration by Bladimer Usi)

THE CROSS

A Supplement Publication of KCFAPI and the Order of the Knights of Columbus


CBCP Monitor Vol. 20, No. 14

First Luzon South


State Convention
Held in Tagaytay

Visayas Jurisdiction Mindanao Knights


Hold its 11th State Celebrated its 17th
Convention
State Convention

KCFAPI officers (from left to right): BRO Manager Edwin B. Dawal, Legal Service
Manager Atty. Neil Jerome Rapatan, Vice President FBG Gari M. San Sebastian, Knights
of Columbus Luzon South Deputy Ramoncito A. Ocampo, Executive Vice President Ma.
Theresa G. Curia, KCFAPI Chairman Arsenio Isidro G. Yap, Executive Secretary Annie M.
Nicolas, Vice-President TBH Group Mary Magdalene G. Flores and FBSD Manager
Michael P. Cabra pose a picture with Mr. Hans Sy, President of SM Prime Holdings, Inc.
and Shopping Center Management Corporation during the First State Convention of
the Knights of Columbus Luzon South Jurisdiction which was held on April 1, 2016 in
Tagaytay City. (Photo by Jerome De Guzman)

MORE than 500 Brother


Knights attended the First
Luzon South State Convention
last April 1, 2016 held at the
Taal Vista Hotel, Tagaytay City.
The event was themed
as Building the Domestic
Church and Strengthening
Parish Life in response to
the call of the Supreme Knight
Carl Anderson for a greater
involvement in the renewal
of parish and family life by
all members of the Order as
key participants in the new
alliance between the Church
and the family as resonated
by Pope Francis.
The influence of being

April 18 - May 1, 2016

a Christian family should


not only be limited to
participation in the parish
ministry. It should go
beyond and extend to the
wider areas of civil society:
business, education, health
care, transportation, military
and public service, said San
Pablo Bp. Buenaventura M.
Famadico during his talk on
the said event.
The convention started
with a Eucharistic mass by
Imus Bishop Reynaldo G.
Evangelista, DD and cocelebrated by Msgr. Pedro
Quitorio III. Other speakers
Luzon / C3

Attending the 11th Visayas State Convention are (from left to right): Bro. Vincent A.
Pacis, Membership and Program Consultant, Bro. Eugenio S. Hautea, State Advocate,
Most Rev. Gerardo A. Alminaza, DD. State Chaplain, Bro. Anthony P. Nazario, Visayas
State Deputy, Bro. Alonso L. Tan, Supreme Director, Bro. Dionisio R. Esteban, Jr., Vice
Supreme Master, Bro. Teofrido B. Lagria, State Secretary and KCFAPI Chairman Arsenio
Isidro G. Yap. (Photo by Jerome De Guzman)

Endowed by their Creator


with Life and Liberty was
the theme of the concluded
11th Visayas State Convention
held at Royal Garden Hall
Convention Center, Gen. Luna
St., Iloilo City on April 8 10,
2016.
The convention opened with
a motorcade around Iloilo
City proper followed by the
opening ceremonies at the
PESCAR Gym West Visayas
State University in La Paz,
Iloilo City on April 8 where
a State Athletic Tournament
was held and ended with
fellowship/cocktails in the
evening.
The convention proper on
April 9 started with a Fraternal
Mass with the Main Celebrant,
Most Rev. Angel N. Lagdameo,
D.D., Archbishop of Jaro. The

Cause for the Canonization


of Venerable Fr. Michael J.
McGivney ensued after the
mass.
The convention displayed
a good number of delegates
mostly coming from Western
Visayas. It was a very
impressive occasion where
dignitaries from the Order
of the Knights of Columbus
were around namely; Supreme
Director, Bro. Alonso L. Tan,
the Keynote Speaker, Bro.
Vincent A. Pacis, MPC for
Philippine Jurisdiction, Bro.
Dionisio R. Esteban, Jr., Vice
Supreme Master and the most
promising host, Bro. Anthony
P. Nazario, Visayas Deputy
jointly with his State Officers.
Officers of the Knights
of Columbus Fraternal
Visayas / C3

Mindanao State Officers and former Mindanao State Deputies of Knights of Columbus
in the Philippines together with (center, from left to right): Archbishop Romulo Dela
Cruz, Mindanao State Deputy Reynaldo C. Trinidad, Supreme Director Alonso L. Tan,
Membership and Program Consultant Vincent A. Pacis, Vice-President FBG Gari M. San
Sebastian (far right) and KCFAPI Chairman Arsenio Isidro G. Yap (2nd from far right)share
their valuable experiences and knowledge during the 17th Mindanao State Convention
which took place last April 15-17, 2016.

THE Knights of Columbus


members in Mindanao
gathered together as they
celebrated its 17th Mindanao
State Convention last April
15-17, 2016. Prior to the event
several exciting activities
were lined up to pump up the
excitement of the Knights of
Columbus members as the
dates drew nearer such as:
preliminary raffle draws (March
1, 2016) and fraternal bowling
tournament (April 14, 2016).
With the theme of
Endowed by their Creator
with Life and Liberty, one
of the objectives of the said
activity was to inspire its
members on the forthcoming
benefits they will enjoy being

Fraternal Counsellors and


members of the KnightS of
Columbus as discussed by
KCFAPI Chairman Arsenio
Isidro G. Yap when he made
the presentation about the
performance and financial
stability of KCFAPI. He urged
the Fraternal Counsellors (FCs)
to continuously patronize all
KCFAPI products because of
the rewarding benefits it awaits
not only for the Fraternal
Counsellors (FCs) but also for
the BC Holders.
Finally the 3-day event
ended with a Eucharistic mass
at the Our Lady of Peace and
Good Voyage Parish which was
celebrated by Archbishop Dela
Cruz. (JMPadrones)

Responding to the Call of the Church


A fraternal advisory to Brother Knights and their Families
Dear Brother Knights:
At the conclusion of the 51st
International Eucharistic Congress,
the Catholic Bishops Conference of
the Philippines (CBCP) through its
President, Archbishop Socrates B.
Villegas, issued a pastoral statement
titled Being Eucharistic in Life and
Deed. In this pastoral statement, the
Bishops enjoined the lay faithful to
manifest their love for the Eucharist
more concretely even in our political
life, such as in the forthcoming
elections.
May we quote a portion of the said
pastoral statement:
May this 51st International
Eucharistic Congress have an impact
not only in our personal lives but also

JOSE C. REYES, JR.


Luzon North State Deputy

in our life as a nation. An important


event in our country this year is the
national elections. In the light of our
faith in the Eucharist which sees in it
the real presence, the life giving meal
and true sacrifice of our Lord Jesus
Christ, let us examine our conduct
regarding these elections.
Most certainly our faith in the
Eucharist is incompatible with the
use of violence, vote-buying and
cheating during the election period.
These are selfish, destructive and
sinful. Those who engage in such
practices should first repent and
confess their sin before approaching
Holy Communion to receive our
Lord. We remind those who win
positions by such fraudulent means

RAMONCITO A. OCAMPO
Luzon South State Deputy

have in fact no moral right to assume


the offices they stole. We also urge
the faithful not to allow themselves
to be instruments of fraud. Selling
ones vote is a cooperation in a
sinful practice. It is also against the
common good.
This is not the first time that
the Church has called us do our
part in the Churchs mission of
transforming the social order. The
Vatican II and the Second Plenary
Council of the Philippines have
been very consistent in its mandate
for us to evangelize politics. Our
very own founder, the Venerable Fr.
Michael J. McGivney encouraged the
members of the Order in his time to
vote wisely during elections.

May we therefore suggest the


following activities or programs:
1. To spearhead in conducting
voters education in your areas (e.g.
parishes);
2. To discuss and/or study in our
Councils the social teachings of the
Church particularly those that have
reference to the Churchs mission
in politics;
3. To collaborate with dioceses
or church-based groups in various
initiatives in pursuit of a clean,
honest, orderly, peaceful and
credible elections;
4. To conduct spiritual activities (e.g.
prayer vigils, masses, etc.) in order to
pray for a clean, honest, orderly,
peaceful and credible elections;

5.To initiate a social media


campaign in order to widely
circulate the Catholic Churchs
catechesis on politics and to assist
in monitoring the actual conduct
of elections by using the hashtag
#CleanVotePH.
The Order of the Knights of
Columbus has earned the reputation
of being the strong right arm of
the Church from no less than
St. John Paul II who coined this
phrase in one of his messages to the
Order. Moreover, working for the
transformation of our political life
is both a duty and privilege that we
owe our God and our nation.
Issued on the 19th of March 2016,
the Feast of St. Joseph. Vivat Iesus!

ANTHONY P. NAZARIO
Visayas State Deputy

REYNALDO C. TRINIDAD
Mindanao State Deputy

ARSENIO ISIDRO G. YAP


KCFAPI Chairman

Lord Guide us with Your Grace

A fraternal advisory to Brother Knights and their Families


Dear Brother Knights:
Easter Greeting!
As our beloved bishops have observed earlier on that Philippine politics-the way it is practiced-has been
most hurtful of us as a people. It is possibly the biggest bane in our life as a nation and the most pernicious
obstacle to our achieving of full human development. On the other hand, Pope Francis recently said,
Politics, according to the Social Doctrine of the Church, is one of the highest forms of charity, because it
serves the common good.
In our earlier Fraternal Advisory dated March 19, 2016, we have reiterated the call of the Catholic Church
for us, lay faithful, to help proactively in the Churchs mission of transforming the social order which actually
begins with our choices of our civil leaders and in educating the voters towards making enlightened choices.
Towards this end, we have adopted a portion of the recent Pastoral Letter of Archbishop Socrates B.
Villegas for the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan which is a catechism on responsible voting in the light
of the Ten Commandments. Please see the enclosed copy of the same.
Issued on the 4th of April 2016, Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. Vivat Iesus!
JOSE C. REYES, JR.
Luzon North State Deputy

RAMONCITO A. OCAMPO
Luzon South State Deputy
REYNALDO C. TRINIDAD
Mindanao State Deputy

ANTHONY P. NAZARIO
Visayas State Deputy
ARSENIO ISIDRO G. YAP
KCFAPI Chairman

Officers of Knights of Columbus in the Philippines (from left to right):


Supreme Director Alonso L. Tan, Mindanao State Deputy Reynaldo C.
Trinidad, KCFAPI Chairman Arsenio Isidro G. Yap, Visayas State Deputy
Anthony P. Nazario and Luzon South Deputy Ramoncito A. Ocampo
convened to sign the two (2) fraternal advisories. (Photo by Jerome
De Guzman)

C2

April 18 - May 1, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 14

Arsenio Isidro G. Yap

Ma. Theresa G. Curia

Chairmans Message

Curia Settings

THE Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) is


the umbrella group of all mandated
religious organizations, diocesan/
parish recognized groups and ministries
in a parish. Representations from the
different groups including the religious
orders and some individuals run the PPC
and in most cases, the parish priest serves
as its president. A lay member is also
appointed as an over-all lay coordinator.
Its main task is to coordinate the activities
of the church, all the groups and ministries and to answer/
address all the social concerns of the parish, the diocese and
national issues like movements against abortion, same sex
marriage, divorce, euthanasia among others.
PPC-RV or Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting is
one of the many social concerns of the Roman Catholic Church to
safeguard the sanctity of the ballot, to prevent cheating and help
in the process of a peaceful election. Needless to say, it is a nonpartisan and a non-political group. It was established in 1991
by Cardinal Jaime L. Sin together with Comelec Commissioner
Haydee Yorac, Laity President Henrietta de Villa, Bishop Gabriel
Reyes, Msgr. Bayani Valenzuela and a dozen or so lay leaders.
It was officially launched in October of 1991 at the ST.
Paul University in Quezon City. After about a month, the
program was adopted by the Catholic Bishops Conference of
the Philippines (CBCP) and thus became a national group to
monitor and safeguard the ballots.
It started to operate in the 1992 National Elections with more
than three hundred thousand volunteers all over the country.
It became an official citizens arm of Comelec in the 2010
Presidential Elections.
As pollwatchers, PPC-RV is tasked to assist in an orderly,
honest and peaceful election in parishes where they are
functional. Sad to say, not all parishes runs a PPC-RV and
many do not have enough volunteers to be an efficient and
effective poll watchers group.
Last March 7, the Knights of Columbus in the Philippines
have signed a Partnership Agreement with the President
of PPC-RV Ambassador Henrietta T. de Villa to be an
official national partner of PPC-RV. It shall be a continuing
partnership even beyond the coming elections as among the
purposes of the partnership is a continuing Voters Education,
to explain to our voting population the importance of their
ballot and why they should not sell their vote. The Document
was signed by Justice Jose Reyes, Jr., Luzon North Deputy;
Ramoncito Ocampo, Luzon South Deputy; Anthony Nazario,
Visayas Deputy; Reynaldo Trinidad, Mindanao Deputy and
Arsenio Isidro Yap, Chairman of the Knights of Columbus
Fraternal Association of the Philippines, Inc. (KCFAPI).
A national election is upon us once again and we are calling
on all our leaders in the four jurisdictions of the Knights
of Columbus, to actively participate in the PPC-RV of their
respective areas and to emphasize to their District Deputies
and Grand Knights the importance and significance of their
participation in the PPC-RV in their respective parishes.
We are hopeful that the Knights of Columbus would be able
to live up to expectation to be an effective and efficient partner
of PPC-RV and assert itself as the strong arm of the church.
Vivat Jesus!

Justice Jose C. Reyes, Jr.

Presidents Message
Efforts on Evangelization Bear
Fruit
Deepening the faith of the
Knights of Columbus (K of C)
members
Efforts on evangelization, be it as
simple as a smile to start a friendship,
or as intense as a heart-to-heart talk
coupled with a question and answer
portion, can surely bear fruit. We
should be creative in the work of
evangelization so that this range of possible strategies can
grow wider and wider.
Every K of C member has the duty to evangelize new Catholic
gentlemen they meet every day. Let us start by inviting them
to become members of the K of C. Once they are already K of
C members, we continue to evangelize them by setting a good
example to them in the way we live out our faith. Oftentimes, what
they see in action is more effective than a lengthy monologue.
Linking the family and the parish
As they continue to be active members, let us take every
opportunity to also involve the family. Their wives can be an
instrument for evangelization to other wives whose husbands
are not yet members of K of C. The wives can also be powerful
support to their husbands who are loaded with various K of C
projects. We can further the familys involvement to include
their sons to become members of the Columbian Squires.
Together as a family, they can also serve their respective parish
church and strengthen the connection of the family to their
parish church. In this way, we build the domestic church (the
family at home) that is linked to the bigger church - the parish.
At the start of the Columbian year 2015-16, the Luzon North
Jurisdiction had an organizational meeting held in Manila. It
was on this occasion that we launched the theme Answering
the Call to Evangelize. Part of this theme is the task of building
the domestic church. We all know that the basic unit of society
is the family. When we strengthen K of C families, we directly
contribute to our respective parishes and to our society.
The fruits of evangelization
The work of evangelization continues. We will also continue to
encounter problems and difficulties that can make us feel discouraged
and exhausted. But dont despair. Let us not forget that in this work of
evangelization, God is always with us. Truly, Luzon North Jurisdiction
is a witness to Gods help and guidance. In fact, our awesome God has
blessed us with the fruits of our work, as follows:
1. Membership has increased speedily such that we have
reached our annual goal already at this point in time;
2. New Councils have been formed and many suspended
Councils have been revived;
3. Reporting has improved in terms of timeliness and no. of
councils submitting reports.
Because of these achievements, your hard work has paid
off. Let these laurels be an inspiration to continue the work of
evangelization with even greater zeal. Let us look forward to
our first Luzon North Jurisdictions Convention on April 30,
2016 and beyond, to celebrate Gods goodness and faithfulness!

The Cross

Eleksyon at Kagitingan ng Pilipino


NGAYONG taong 2016, magkasunod
ang buwan ng araw ng Kagitingan (April
9) at ang buwan ng Eleksyon ( May 9).
Sa sulating ito, pwede siguro nating
hanapan ng koneksyon ang kagitingan
at eleksyon.
Unahin natin ang ibig sabihin ng
MAGITING. Ang isang taong magiting
ay may mataas na pagpapahalaga
at paggalang sa sarili, sa kapwa, at
sa bayan. Ipinaglalaban niya ang
katotohanan, sukdulang magbuwis
ng buhay. Makatotohanan, hindi
mandaraya, hindi magnanakaw, hindi
sinungaling, malinis ang puso, iniisip
ang kapakanan ng iba, lalu na ng bansa.
Parang pwede nating gamitin ang
motto ng Second Plenary Council of the
Philippines, para ilarawan ang isang
taong magiting: Maka-Diyos, Maka- tao,
Maka-Kalikasan.
Sa eleksyong ito, dapat nating iboto
ang mga taong magigiting. Iyong totoo
sa pagiging magiting, hindi lamang
sa araw ng kampanya; kundi yung
mga nagpapakita ng kagitingang ito sa
kanilang personal na buhay. Magigiting
lamang ang ating iboto para hindi na nila
tayo pagnakawan, dayain, parusahan,
ibenta.
Bumoto tayo ng tama para umunlad
ang ating bansa, at hindi lamang
mapaboran ang mga mayayaman at
makapangyarihan. Mag-usap usap tayo
at iboto natin ang mga taong matapat,
yung hindi magnanakaw; yung magaling
gumawa ng batas para sa kapakanan ng
mahihirap. Higit sa lahat, iboto natin
ang mga liders na magpapatupad ng mga
batas. Ang ugat ng lahat ng kasamaan ay
kahirapan.
Bumoto tayo ng tama, para maibsan
ang paghihirap ng ating mga kababayan.
Nakikita nating ang ating mga kapatid
sa mga baryo ay walang mabuting
trabaho para matugunan ang mga
pangangailangan nila sa araw araw.
Wala silang pampaaral; kulang ang
pagkain; pag nagkasakit naman,
walang pampagamot. Mahirap ang
nagisnan nilang buhay, at parang wala
ng pag-asa pang bumuti ito sa darating
na panahon. Hindi sila nakakatikim ng
bakasyon; hindi nila alam ang pahinga.
Hindi sila nakakakain ng masasarap o
masagana.... Parang mamamatay silang

hindi man lang nararanasan ang dangal


ng pagiging tao. Hindi nila nararanasaan
ang kaligtasang ipinapangako ng mga
relihiyon para sa mga anak ng Diyos.
Gusto kong tanungin ang aking
sarili, kung ako, bilang mamamayan at
mamboboto: Ako ba ay magiting? Ang
Araw ba ng Kagitingan ay maaari kong
maipagdiwang bilang pagpaparangal sa
aking sarili?
Pero gusto kong ialay din ang mga
tanong at pagmumuni-muning ito sa
lahat ng kapwa ko Pilipino na mga
botante. Maaari sigurong gumawa
ako ng parang pag-uusig ng konsensya
tulad ng bago mangumpisal, bago ang
eleksyon.
Kapag pinili ko ang mga kandidato,
naiisip ko ba ang iba, lalu na ang mga
mahihirap? Naiisip ko ba ang kalagayan
ng bansa sa darating na panahon?
Naiisip ko ba ang kalikasan?
Talino, Panananalig sa Diyos,
Pakiramdam... eto ang mahalagang
gamitin natin sa pagpili ng ihahalal,
kung tayo ay magigiting na mamamayan.
Mag-isip, huwag lamang makinig sa
sasabihin ng iba.
Makinig sa radyo
at telebisyon para malaman ang mga
talakayin. Pag nakinig tayong mabuti
sa mga sinasabi ng mga kandidato,
malalaman natin kung ginogoyo lang
nila tayo, o totoo ang mga sinasabi
nila. Pag sinabi nilang : Sa loob ng
isang linggo, malulutas ko ang lahat ng
problema ... e di alam mong di niya alam
ang sinasabi niya. Malalaman mo din
kung nanghuhula lang siya, o kung hindi
tama ang basehan niya. Malalaman mo
rin kung may pangarap at plano siya sa
pagharap sa mga suliranin ng bansa.
Kailangan matalino tayo, para maging
magiting sa pagpili ng iboboto. Pero hindi
talino lamang natin ang ating kailangan.
Kailangan din tayong magkonsulta at
bumasa sa mga paghihimay ng mga
matatalinong manunulat at ibang liders.
Magbasa ng dyaryo; makinig sa mga
balitaktakan; makinig sa mga interbyu
at mga komentarista. At makinig sa
mga opinyon ng mga tao at manunulat
na iginagalang ninyo.
Huwag ibenta ang kaluluwa at dangal.
Ang sabi nga nga isang kaibigan ko: Aba
pag binigyan niya ako ng isang bilyon,
tatanggapin ko at iboboto ko siya, kasi

makapagbibigay ako ng trabaho at


makakapag paaral pa ng maraming
kabataan.
Pero kung P500 lang
ang ibibigay nya , ka cheap naman ng
kaluluwa ko! Baka sa buwis ko rin galing
ang perang ito, aba, e di kukunin ko at
boboto nang tama.
Magdarasal din tayo. Personal na
dasal; rosaryo at nobena; at dasal
ng munting grupo (i.e. Knights of
Columbus Council, Daughters of Mary
Immaculate International Circle, KCFAPI
employees). Hindi natin malalaman
ang lahat ng bagay bago tayo bumoto.
Maaaring di natin maririnig ang lahat
ng katotohanan. Pwede rin tayong
magkamali ng pili, bagamat malinis
ang ating konsensya. Pero kung itataas
natin ang bagay na ito sa Espiritu ng
Kabutihan, kung isusuko natin sa
kapangyarihan ng Espiritu ni Hesus ang
paggabay sa atin, gagabayan din niya ang
mga taong mahahalal ng nakararami.
Alam din nating kahit na ginagawa
natin ang lahat ng ating magagawa para
makaboto nang tama, hindi naman sa
ating boto lang nakasalalay ang lahat
ng mangyayari. At kung hindi tayo
mananalo, aasa tayo na gagabayan ng
Panginoon ang sinumang mahahahal.
Makikibahagi tayo sa programang
makatutulong sa ating mahihirap.
Sa eleksyong ito, dapat din nating
isipin ang mga taong magtatanggol sa
ating Kalikasan. Habang painit nang
painit ang ating klima ngayon, darating
naman ang baha at paglubog ng ating
paligid kapag may bagyo. Ang mga
taong iboboto kaya natin ay maalam
sa pagharap sa ganitong mga pagkasira
ng Kalikasan, at pagtulong sa mga
masasalanta?
Mahirap mag-isip ng tamang iboboto;
pero mas mahirap na mapariwara ang
ating bansa. Kung hindi magigiting ang
mga kandidato, dapat naman ay tayong
mga mamamayan ang maging magiting
sa pagpili ng ihahahalal. Sabi nga nila:
We get the officials that we deserve.
[The author, Ma. Theresa G. Curia,
is the Executive Vice President of
the Knights of Columbus Fraternal
Association of the Philippines, Inc
and also the Diocesan Regent of the
Daughters of Mary Immaculate
International.]

Michael P. Cabra

My Brothers Keeper

FC and BC Holders: Men and Women of Valor


THE Day of Valor, also known
as Araw ng Kagitingan,
commemorates the heroism
of Filipinos and American
Soldiers when the Japanese
occupied the Philippines
during World War II. Major
General Edward P. King, of
the United States Army, was
forced to surrender more than
76,000 Filipinos, Chinese
and American soldiers to
the Japanese at dawn on
April 9, 1942. The soldiers
were forced to take a 90mile (about 145 kilometers)
hike to Camp ODonnell in
San Fernando. Thousands of
prisoners died during the hike
due to starvation, dehydration
and diseases before they could
reach the camp.
Despite the trials of defeat,
the captured soldiers stood
strong and heroes emerged
from the event. The surrender

of Bataan hastened the fall of


Corregidor. However, without
this stand, the Japanese might
have quickly overrun all of the
US bases in the Pacific. Bataan
forced them to slow down,
giving the allies valuable time
to prepare for conflicts such as
the Battle of the Coral Sea and
the Battle of Midway, which
followed closely thereafter. This
is the story behind the men of
valor of Bataan Death March.
Just like the heroes
of Bataan, at Knights of
Columbus Order, we have
two groups of people who
are known as the Men and
Women of Valor. They are
those who are committed to
the primary objective of the
Order, which is To provide
financial support to the
members and their immediate
family members. They are the
Fraternal Counselors or FCs

who conscientiously commit


themselves in providing
fraternal benefits to the
members of the Order, and
the Benefit Certificate Holders
who unfailingly avail, promote
and support KCFAPI fraternal
benefit plans. Fraternal
Counselors are considered
Men and Women of Valor
because despite numerous
rejections from their fraternal
service presentations during
council meetings and houseto-house visitations they
remain steadfast to their
service. Similarly, BC Holders
are Men and Women of
Valor because just like Fr.
McGivney they prioritize to
have life insurance coverage
over a luxurious gadget like
I-phone or a big LED TV. They
also exhibit extra ordinary
bravery and courageousness
in availing KCFAPI benefits

while other remains sceptics.


Both FCs and BC Holders
are heroes in their own little
way. Do you want to be a hero
like them? Do you want to be a
Man or Woman of Valor. Well,
as FC, perfect timing! KCFAPl
is looking for additional brave
men and women who will
provide fraternal service to
as many K of C members and
family members as possible.
Just contact FBG department
of KCFAPI for details. And
as a BC Holder, wonderful!
KCFAPI just launched its
latest yet very affordable
protection plans called the KC
Family Protect Series. With
these new fraternal service
plans you are guaranteed to
become the Hero for your
family in the future. Just
contact your council FCs and
request for a fraternal service
presentation. Vivat Jesus!

A Last Stand
IT is said that history is written by
the victors. Yet sometimes, people
perform such heroic and inspiring acts
that they become legendary parts of
history and culture even though they
were on the losing end of the battle.
Three examples of such events come to
mind: the Battle of Thermopylae, Third
Servile war, and the Battle of Bataan.
The Battle of Thermopylae tells
the story of the alliance of Greek city
states-led by King Leonidas of Sparta
who fought against the Persian Empire
of Xerxes I. The Greek forces were
estimated to be at a total of 7,000 men
who fought against an overwhelming
force of an alleged one million soldiers
of the Persian army. The battle was
fought in the narrow coastal pass of
Thermopylae where the small force led
by Leonidas was able to hold their own
during two full days of battle before
being betrayed by a local resident who

revealed a small path behind the Greek


lines. Knowing that they were being
outflanked, Leonidas dismissed most of
the Greek army and only 300 Spartans,
and a little over a thousand other Greeks
remained to guard the retreat. Most of
them were killed in battle. This is one of
historys most famous last stands and
has become a symbol of courage against
overwhelming odds.
The Third Serville War tells the
story of the major slave rebellion
that threatened the Roman Republic.
The rebellion was led by the famous
gladiator Spartacus, along with his
fellow gladiators: Crixus, Oenomaus,
Castus, and Gannicus. There were only
originally about 78 escaped slaves but
between 73- 71BC that number grew into
a band of 120,000 including women,
children and other non combatants. This
group showed that they could withstand
the Roman military. In many of their

battles, Spartacus proved himself an


excellent tactician that even though the
rebels had no military training, they
showcased a skillful use of available
local materials and employed unusual
tactics against the disciplined Roman
armies. Alarmed by the apparently
unstoppable rebellion, the senate sent 8
Roman Legions (one Legion consisted of
4,000 to 6,000 soldiers) led by Marcus
Licinius Crassus. In the end, the band
of rebels made their last stand but was
overwhelmed by the highly disciplined
and well trained Roman legions. This
rebellion is used as an example of an
oppressed people who valiantly fought
for their freedom and has become an
inspiration to many political thinkers.
Here in the Philippines, we
commemorate the Day of Valor during
April 9th of every year. You see, On
A Last Stand / C3

The Cross

C3

April 18 - May 1, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 14

Responsible Voting in the Light of the Ten Commandments


IN the light of the Ten
Commandments, let us discern
how to vote.
1. I am the Lord your God.
You shall not have strange
gods before me. Do not vote
for an atheist or for someone who
makes fun of the name of God. A
Catholic cannot support a candidate
who vows to wipe out religion from
public life.
While we expect every public
official to give life to the constitutional
posture of benevolent neutrality in
respect to the attitude of the State
towards religion, the Catholic voter
cannot and should not lend his
support to any candidate whose
ideology binds him or her to make of
the Philippines a secular state that
has no tolerance for religion in its
public life. Ang tunay na makabayan
ay makaDiyos.
A Catholic is not closed to the
candidacy of a non-Catholic. In fact,
there are worthy candidates from
other Christian communities and
other religions. Their qualifications
and aspirations must be given
serious heed by our Catholic voters,
their truly helpful plans and visions
must be supported.
2. You shall not take the
name of the Lord your God in
vain. Words are sacred. From
the abundance of the heart the
mouth speaks. When we utter words
of hatred, reproach or defiance
against God, we sin. The prohibition
of using disrespectful language and
cuss words extends to the Church
of the Lord, the saints and sacred
things.
Do not vote for candidates who
have a history of violating oaths they
have made. Our Catechism states
clearly A person commits perjury
when he makes a promise under
oath with no intention of keeping it,
or when after promising on oath he
does not keep it. Perjury is a grave
lack of respect for the Lord of all
speech. Pledging oneself by oath to
commit an evil deed is contrary to
the holiness of the divine name.
3. Remember to keep
holy the Lords Day. In spite
of economic constraints, public
authorities should ensure citizens
a time intended for rest and divine
worship.
If the candidate professes the
Catholic faith, how does this
candidate look at Sunday worship,
Sunday rest especially for the poor,
Sunday time with the family? Does

the candidate show, through his


life, belief in the grace of God at
work among his people or has
he fallen to the pursuit of some
sort of ideology of performance
introducing a harsh, impersonal and
self -centered utilitarian attitude
even for his subordinates? Has this
candidate contributed to the culture
of heightened anxiety, hyperactivism, and success-orientation
without God in public policies?
4. Honor your father and your
mother. How does the candidate
show filial piety to elders? How does
the candidate safeguard family life,
the protection of children and the
elderly and frail family members?
This commandment extends to the
duties of pupils to teachers, employees
to employers, subordinates to leaders,
citizens to their country, and to those
who administer or govern it. Has this
candidate been loyal to the country
and to the citizenry? A candidate who
fails in this commandment can harm
the basic unit of our societythe
family.
Related to this commandment is
the reality of political dynasties in
the Philippines. I reiterate what I
have advised our Catholic faithful
in the past: Do not vote for family
members running for the same
positions as family members before
them to perpetrate the familys hold
on public office. Christian voters
should prudently choose others
who may have equal if not superior
abilities and competencies for the
position. There is no monopoly on
ability for government, and truly no
one in government is indispensable.
5. You shall not kill. A Catholic
voter commits a grave sin in voting
for candidates who oppose the
Lords teachings on the sacredness
of human life from conception
to natural death. Please demand
that the candidates state in clear
terms their position on issues
such as abortion, the return of the
death penalty, euthanasia and extra
judicial killings.
Included in sins against the fifth
commandment are mutilation,
physical and mental torture, undue
psychological pressures. Has this
candidate been involved in these
acts which are ways of authoritarian
regimes?
What has the candidate done to
stop vices that destroy life such as
drug abuse, alcoholism and on a
lesser degree smoking?
What has the candidate done
about sins against human

dignity such as subhuman living


conditions, arbitrary imprisonment,
deportation, prostitution? Even
degrading working conditions can
seriously threaten the quality of
human life when men and women
are treated as mere tools for profit
rather than as free and responsible
persons (GS 27). Has the candidate
done something beyond promises
to protect the dignity of the poor?
6. You shall not commit
adultery. We must liberate our
nation from two tyrannies about
sexual moralitythe tyranny of
puritanical attitudes with misguided
taboos and the tyranny of indecency.
The Churchs position on marriage
and human sexuality is positive and
uplifting. Breaking through both
tyrannies, the Christian view of
sexuality and marriage presents the
dignity and authentic freedom of
single and married life that is truly
fulfilling, desirable, and fruitful.
How does this candidate view
marriage and sexuality? How does
this candidate live the marriage
commitment? What is his position
on divorce? Does he mock the
institution of marriage?
The population problem is not
primarily one of numbers, but
of the care of persons, and the
improvement of the quality of human
life. This involves not only food,
clothing and shelter, but spiritual
endowments such as conscience
and freedom and moral integrity.
Would it not be the height of folly to
strive for greater material prosperity
at the cost of violence done to
personal conscience, freedom in
decision making, and the exercise
of moral integrity? The key to the
problem is not in external means
of control through mechanical and
chemical contraceptives, but rather
in the development and maturation
of inner mastery of ones sexual
behavior in the chastity and selfcontrol demanded by the stable
commitment of marriage.
How does the candidate look at
this teaching?
7. You shall not steal. Is
the candidate committed to the
common good? Has this candidate
stolen public money and remains
obstinate and stubborn in making
the required restitution of stolen
goods?
There are plenty of thieves from
above. Has the candidate favored
exorbitant interest rates being charged
by banks and insurance firms?
When rich landowners and

multi-national corporations take


advantage of the small farmer
or businessman, what did the
candidate do? What has he done
for land reform?
Was the candidate charged for
government graft and bribery and
violation of business contracts?
Has he supported big business
refusal to pay just wages, engaged
in tax evasion schemes and
falsification of documents? What is
the candidates position with regard
to the promotion of government
sanctioned gambling and illegal
gambling operations?
Was the candidate ever involved
in these?
Finally, the dominion over the
environment and the resources
of Mother Earth cannot be
separated from our obligations for
the generations to come. Neglect
of the environment is robbing
future generations of a clean and
beautiful land. Does the candidate
have a program of care for the
environment?
8. You shall not bear
false witness against your
neighbor. Lying is the intentional
misrepresentation of the truth by
word, gesture, or even silence. To
deliberately intend to mislead other
persons who have the right to know
the truth can do real violence to them.
For it denies them the knowledge
they need to make their judgments
and decisions (CFC, 1233).
The campaign period is a good
time to see the different forms of
lying. There is pasiklab, exaggerating
ones qualities or actions to gain
favor with others (cf. CCC 2481).
Other lies are caused palusot, or
for saving face to preserve ones
supposed good image before others,
or avoiding possible recriminations.
Sometimes it is just a case of sabisabi or bola.
But other lies can be of a more
serious nature. Lies told from
malice, to harm others; lies of
propaganda by candidates which
intentionally deceive and lead
others into error; lies of hypocrisy
or of half-truths by which the truth
is twisted or slanted to seem to say
something which is not so.
Contrived flattery of others
can be lying when it is obviously
exaggerated in order to gain undue
favor of voters, or win favor with
another in personal relations or in
politics (cf. CCC 2480).
Even silence pa-simple can be a
lie when it is the cowards refuge
to avoid trouble or to support

The Gentle Warrior


Part II of Chapter Two of The Gentle Warrior series
CHAPTER TWO
--------.--------The Battleground

It takes a month for a letter to go from


Manila to New Haven, and another
month for the answer to come back!
One Knight, the historian who
found the thoughts of President
McKinley, said: I think that
they consider us as a colony. The
Philippines is a colony of the United
States. And Manila Council 1000 is
a colony of the Knights of Columbus
in the United States. We are called
an associate council! We are still
under the jurisdiction of California!
Sometimes I get the impression that
they regret setting us up, at all!
They feel that we are too far away
to control.
The men spoke of a wonderful young
secular priest who was organizing the
Knights of Columbus in the north. His
name was Father Isaias Edralin.
But we can only establish Centers!
the Knights said. There is a need for
the Knights all over the 7000 islands,
and there is a hunger among our men
for an organization like this.
To be continued
Visayas / C1

Luzon / C1

were Bro. Vincent A. Pacis,


Membership and Program
Consultant, Philippine
Jurisdiction; Bro. Hans T.
Sy, Adviser to the Board
and former president of
SM Investments Corp;
Bro. Arsenio Isidro G.
Yap, Chairman of the
Knights of Columbus

Fraternal Association of
the Philippines, Inc; and
Luzon South State Officers
Bonifacio B. Martinez,
Danilo A. Sanchez, Conrado
S. Dator, Jr, Edwin B. Dawal,
Elmer Z. Eroles, Isagani B.
Maghirang, Saturnino J.
Galang, Jr, among others.
(LuzonNews)

Association of the
Phils. Inc. (KCFAPI)
was in full support to
the convention, present
were: KCFAPI Chairman,
Bro. Arsenio Isidro G.
Yap who delivered an
inspiring, informative,
remarkable KCFAPI
report; Fraternal Benefits

Group headed by Bro.


Gari M. San Sebastian,
Vice President; Bro.
Michael P. Cabra,
Manager, Fraternal
Benefits Services Dept.
Fraternal Counselors,
AUMs were also around
as part of the event. State
Dinner culminated the

9. You shall not covet


your neighbors wife. Does
the candidate treat women with
respect? In providing sex education
for children, does the candidate
promote healthy interpersonal
relationships and proper bodily
expressions? Does the candidate
promote an adulterous lifestyle
by his life example? Does the
candidate support or promote the
ideology of a homosexual lifestyle
without respect for modesty and
right conduct?
10.You shall not covet your
neighbors goods. What has he
done for the poor? Has his programs
for the poor led to the liberation
of the poor from the shackles
of poverty or has this candidate
promoted a culture of patronage so
that the poor may be perennially
dependent and hence easier to
manipulate? Stealing begins in the
heart. Do we see signs of unjust
craving for victory in elections,
envy at the success of others similar
to Cains pattern of envy-hatredmurder? A candidate who has thus
far spent his time demolishing the
reputation and tarnishing the good
name of fellow candidates must
be suspect. He may have nothing
positive to offer, and he debases the
level of political discourse by calling
attention to the shortcomings of his
rivals and competitors, rather than
on programs.
Be careful in choosing leaders. I say
it againbe careful. Do not choose
depending on who is topping or
trailing in the surveys. You are called
to be authentic Catholic voters who
decide from prayer and conscience.
You are called to take courage and
make moral decisions. Your vote can
make heaven come down and make
our country beautiful and good as
God desires it.
Be free from the tyranny and
pressure of trends and herds. Do it
right! Choose what is right according
to the Ten Commandments. Lord
guide us with your grace. Amen.
Please pray for me. Daily I pray
for you and for this nation, Gods
gift to us.
From the Cathedral of Saint
John the Evangelist, Dagupan City,
March 31, 2016.
+SOCRATES B. VILLEGAS
Archbishop of Lingayen Dagupan

A Last Stand / C2

By James B. Reuter, SJ

GEORGE brooded over that. The


Knights were really a strong defensive
force. When they picketed a theater
that was screening objectionable films,
the objectionable films were removed.
When they protested Masonic
domination in the appointment of
government officials, at least the
Government listened. They were really
trying to campaign against poverty.
They proclaimed the principle that
those who were blessed with this
worlds goods should share these with
the poor. But they did not know how
to do this. The campaigns really ended
with a package drive giving food
and clothing to the destitute. It was
a stop-gap. But it did not change the
climate of poverty. It did not remove
the squatters shacks.
The men said: We have to expand!
We are about 700 Knights now, but
there are thousands of men who
would join, if we could accept them!
New Haven will not allow us to set up
a new council. They think that we are
too far away, too remote, inaccessible!

something known to be wrong.


Beware of liars. Lying is a devil
with many faces. Be wise. Watch
out. Do not vote for liars.

affair where Most Rev.


Jose S. Palma, D.D.,
Archbishop of Cebu was
the Keynote Speaker.
The three-day
event ended with a
Thanksgiving Mass at
St. Anne Parish, Molo,
Iloilo City followed by
raffle draw.

April 9, 1942, Major General Edward P. King,


Jr. was forced to surrender more than 79,796
starving and disease-ridden soldiers consisting of
about 68,000 Filipinos and 11,796 Americans to
the Japanese Imperial Army. The Filipino troops
where then forced to endure the hellish 140 Km
Death March. They were beaten randomly and
denied promised food and water. Those who
fell behind were usually executed or left to die.
The sides of the roads were littered with dead
bodies and those moaning for help. Thousands
of Filipinos died before they could reach their
destination.
Valor is defined as showing great courage in
the face of danger, especially during battle. The
battle of Bataan was fought from January 7- April
9, 1942. It was the most intense phase of Imperial
Japans invasion of the Philippines during World
War II. General Douglas MacArthur gathered all
of his Luzon-based units in Bataan to face the
Japanese invaders. At the time, the Japanese had
controlled nearly all of South East Asia. The only
remaining allied strongholds in the area were the
Bataan Peninsula and the Island of Corregidor.
Despite having a lack of supplies Filipino and
American forces managed to fight the Japanese for
a lengthy 3 months and 2 days. As our combined
forces made a last stand against our conquerors,
it cost the Japanese valuable time and prohibited
immediate victory across the Pacific.
While our history will mark the date of April
9th as the day that Bataan had fallen, we
commemorate it as the Day of Valor because it was
until this day that our forces showed unbelievable
courage and fought until the bitter end despite the
overwhelming odds.
You see, sometimes, we have to fight losing battles
because theyre worth fighting for. The Japanese
forces defeated us, they tortured us, they oppressed
us, they made us march to our death but we endured.
Many died, and we may never know their names but
the memory of their courage lives on through this
day. They broke our bodies, but they never broke
our Spirit. In our lives, we will come across a point
in time when we will be faced to make one of two
choices, surrender or make a last stand.
I hope we demonstrate valor as these heroes
did, for while history may not remember us like
it did the three battles mentioned above, we can
keep our head held high knowing we fought for
what we believed in. (Erwin John B. Mallari)

C4

April 18 - May 1, 2016 Vol. 20 No. 14

The Cross

More than 100 fraternal counsellors attended the soft launching of KCFAPIs new products held last April 13, 2016 at 3rd Flr. KCFAPI Bldg. Intramuros Manila. Guest speakers of the said events were: Executive Vice President Ma. Theresa G. Curia and KCFAPI Chairman
Arsenio Isidro G. Yap who gave inspirational talks.

2016 KCFAPI New Product Series Launched

Vice President FBG Gari M. San Sebastian and FBSD Manager Michael P. Cabra gave an award to Central Luzon
Believer Bro. Lauro Evangelista for being a consistent annual awardee. This took place last April 13, 2016 during the
2016 KCFAPI New Product Orientation.

THE Fraternal Benefits


Group soft-launched the
2016 new plans of KCFAPI
to its sales force last April
13, 2016 at the 3rd floor
Social Hall, KCFAPI
Center. The program
started with the reading
of a poem written by EJ
Mallari of Underwriting
Department. The poem
summarized the features,
advantages and benefits
of all new plans. A more
detailed presentation
of the plans was clearly
explained by Bro. Migz
Cabra, Manager of the
Fraternal Benefits Service

Department. The program


was graced with the
presence and inspirational
messages of EVP Ma.
Theresa G. Curia and
Chairman Arsenio Isidro
G. Yap.
Ms. Curia ended her
short but meaningful
message with a simple
line I will begin now
which she asked the sales
force to repeat in unison.
What she means is that
with KCFAPI new plans,
sales force can already
start insuring more KC
Members and family
members. Chairman

Yap, on the other hand,


reminded the sales force
that a BC holder does
not purchase a BC once
in their life-time, rather
one should continuously
upgrade or add-on new
insurance protection for
every life changing event
like school graduation,
marriage, first child,
promotion from work,
retirement, etc.
The event was attended
by 120 sales force from
the Metro Manila areas
and other neighbouring
provinces. (Michael
Migz Cabra)

DISCOUNTED RATES


GROSS SINGLE DOUBLE
Standard
Php2,000.00 Php999.00 Php1,600.00
Premium
Php2,500.00 Php1,800.00
Family Php3,500.00 Php2,500.00
Free shuttle service
Free breakfast will be provided based on occupancy. One free breakfast
for single occupancy, two free breakfasts for double occupancy, and
maximum of four free breakfasts for family room. Additional breakfast
will be charged Php200.00
Additional bed will be charged Php400.00

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