The Distant Church

Francisco Alcuaz

21 November 2007

Views Expressed by Francisco Alcuaz at meeting attended by different concerned and civil society groups and Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, Arch. Oscar Cruz , and Bishop Deogracias Iniquez

We are seriously concerned of the lack of activism of church leaders in relation to the moral bankruptcy - corruption, cheating and lying - of government officials. Priests have not reminded its members in their sermons that it is the duty of the faithful to be active in trying to stop corruption and to demand a higher level of good governance. The priests have not even done much to read in church or to distribute the pastoral letter of the CBCP demanding TRUTH and GOOD GOVERNANCE.

One of the greatest stumbling blocks to having an intelligent and free electorate to ensure the election of good leaders is the widespread poverty in our country. People in this situation can be easily bought and dictated upon by corrupt government officials and politicians. Poverty prevents them from mobilizing themselves spontaneously to show their indignation since they lack the necessary logistics.

Poverty has, therefore, to be drastically reduced for the Filipinos to resolve our recurring leadership problems. Some say that there are limitless hectares of farm area but they forget to factor in that there are not enough funds to irrigate and develop these with widespread and gargantuan scale of corruption in our government. We are left, therefore, with the substantial slowing down of our population growth as a practical approach.

But the priests have not been brave enough to use the pulpit and other means at their disposal to instill in its members specially those in the provinces the need to be rational and plan their family properly. They should strongly instill in its members conscience that bringing into this world children who they are unable to support and who will then end up as prostitutes in Malaysia and or Singapore and as exploited domestic help in other countries is wrong and even possibly sinful. They can even preach within the limits of natural family planning but they should contribute.

Evil at the highest level of government has spread out into all levels. In Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio, the crusading priest on leave, won against a jueteng lord known to be close to Malacañang and an ex- actor who appears to have pocketed hundreds of millions of pesos of quarrying fees.

In the first months of his term he already collected for the province more than his predecessors. ex- actor Lito Lapid or his son, collected in a year. This will be distributed to the province, municipalities and barangays for their projects. Good for the entire province.

But can you believe that all the mayors and provincial board members have ganged up on him to pass ordinances removing from the provincial government the authority of collecting these fees. Are they not happy that the provinces resources have multiplied, that hundreds of millions a year that was not being collected officially are now collected. No, they are not, and the only logical reason is that these officials from governor down to mayor were feasting themselves on funds which should have benefited all. Now their pockets are empty and they are crying blood. These Pampanga provincial board members and mayors display such callous behavior since they have no one else but the top official in Malacañang as their idol and example to follow.

It appears that many priest are concerned more with the superfluous” gold lacing” of churches which is not essential to the faithful. This is a throwback to the past with intricate and luxurious European churches now serving more as tourist sites than for prayer and worship.

Comments:
Advocates against family planning claim that countries which have adapted stringent family planning programs are now suffering from a lack of manpower and are having therefore to import workers. Imagine, what situation the Philippines would be in if these countries did not end up with a worker shortage. We would probably have most of these 8 million overseas Filipinos, unemployed here in the Philippines and the government not able to pretend that the economy is booming. Almost 20% of our gross national product is contributed by remittances from Filipinos abroad.

“Regalo sa Pangulo sa Pagkakanulo”

(Gift for President’s Betrayal of Public Trust)
Pagluluksa at Pag-Asa
Philippine Consulate, Hong Kong

Fr. Roberto P. Reyes

November 8, 2007

There was neither noisy and prolonged applause nor a standing ovation directed to either camp. Just as Gloria did not receive the noisy din of appreciative supporters after she pardons her nemesis, likewise, Erap also left his Tanay mansion and returned to his Greenhills palace amid very little fanfare. Why should they be applauded? Instead, there was the morgue like silence of apathy greeting the shameless pardon of a guilty president by another who is no less guilty. Such acts of moral turpitude reveal more and more the icy morgues of moral relativism and compromise, where the deadly grip of mammon chokes the last surviving strands of principle and integrity. They say that the pardon is unconditional, with no strings attached. It was for unity and peace that Erap was pardoned. With this pardon, a string of revolting pardons is in offing. Pardon awaits Garci, Bedol with their former boss Abalos, Bolante and of course, their grateful mentors and benefactors in Malacanang. It is not that we wish to be un-forgiving, we just refuse to be treated as fools. Yes Erap is seventy and so are hundreds of convicts in Philippine jails. Yes Erap has served more than six years but instead of a regular jail enjoys his comfortable Mansion in Tanay. Yes Erap promises not to run for public office and so did his pardoner in Jose Rizal’s home town a few years ago.

She lies, he steals. He lies, she steals. Lying and stealing are both crimes and sins but obviously pardonable through an act of presidential prerogative. God does pardon but not without inviting us to learn from our sins and weaknesses first. What has Erap learned in his Tanay mansion? What has Gloria learned in Malacanang? I am afraid both have learned little and their behavior betrays an identical moral and spiritual bankruptcy.

But if our leaders refuse to learn and use power to bend the law and prostitute morality, then the people do not only have a right but a duty to denounce official hypocrisy and depravity. If some of us came out denouncing the brutality of General Than Shwe towards the freedom loving people and Buddhist monks of Burma, we should also express our anger and disgust at Erap’s pardon.

With Erap’s pardon, morality and decency are moribund. GMA and her spin doctors should be denounced and made to see their crime of the systematic and vigorous murder of morality. Shortly after Erap’s pardon, money went around in Malacanang. A former Mayor could not have described the situation better, “It is normal.”

Yes it is normal for the corrupted and corrupting to spread corruption. No, it is not normal for those who have been working for the thorough cleansing of the nation.

Today, in solidarity with the Black and White Movement, we present a “gift” to Gloria, “Regalo sa Pagkakanulo ng Pangulo.” We wrap the Philippine flag in white. We would have wrapped the Philippine flag in black if we were in the Philippines. But in Hong Kong and China, White and not Black is the symbol of death and mourning. Indeed, with Erap’s pardon, we mourn the deliberate, pre-meditated murder of morality and decency. But we put the Philippine Flag wrapped in the white of mourning in a box wrapped in green. For even as we mourn (white), we are not hopeless (green), we do not despair. Even as we mourn and denounce murder, we hope and continue the peaceful, parliamentary struggle for change.

We distribute white and green ribbons and invite all to wear these (white and green ribbons) to express both our deep sorrow and our unshakeable hope.

Gloria, Stop the Hypocrisy! Stop the Compromise! Stop the Corruption! Stop the Murder of Morality and Decency! Stop the Murder of Democracy! Resign!!!

Beyond Erap

Atty. Luke Espiritu

If something good has come out of Erap’s pardon, that is the fact that the oust Gloria movement has at last been purged of a fake symbol who represents neither the masses nor the idea of good government.

Prior to the pardon, several known oppositionists had engaged in the futile exercise of make-believe trying to prop up Erap as the rallying figure against Gloria’s evil regime. They had hoped that Erap’s following among the masses, or what remains of it, could strengthen the fledging anti-Gloria forces. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” so they might have thought.

This country is hungry for any modern day martyr that many were prepared to manufacture one whose only claim to suffering is to be confined to a private mansion where he could gorge on a sumptuous feast of lechon while playing hero to the outside world.

But, alas, Erap’s true color has unraveled. Trembling from the prospect of spending a single night in Muntinlupa, Erap has sought executive clemency and is now singing a different tune --- he will not join mounting calls for Gloria’s resignation.

Such a turnaround only confirms what has been clear from the very beginning. Erap can never be a driving force against corruption for he himself is corrupt. He cannot usher in a new type of governance for he is an old trapo. He cannot rail against criminals in public office for he has been a proven plunderer.

In other words, Erap is no different from Gloria. And with Erap and Gloria together, like old school chums suddenly finding love, this awful truth has become incontestable.

In a sense, this will prove beneficial to advocates of real change. For, they will no longer be burdened by a gaping contradiction, the kind witnessed in Teofisto Guingona who batted for Erap’s freedom several years after his stirring “I Accuse” speech that eased the ex-President’s downfall.

For a time, Gloria’s strategy of identifying with Erap’s camp all the progressive elements seeking her ouster was effective in keeping those individuals who are repugnant with trapo politics away from the mass actions.

But with Erap under her leash, Gloria has deprived herself of a convenient boogeyman. This time, she cannot attribute the widespread hatred of her regime to the alleged machinations of a political rival. She can no longer make a sweeping charge that everyone who opposes her is an Erap restorationist. She can no longer dismiss the brewing discontent as political bickering.

Ironically, Gloria does not realize the double-edged sword she is dangling over the people’s heads. The country must move on, she says. And indeed, the country is moving on, without Erap, in opposing her. The struggle will finally go beyond the irrational personality politics of the Erap fanatics.

The pardon will pave the way for national unity, Gloria further proclaims. And indeed, the nation --- strengthened after the exorcised demon of a convicted plunderer has gone to her side --- is as united as ever in seeking her ouster.

Among the anti-Gloria forces, the chaff has been separated from the grain. Erap may have compromised, but not the nation.