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 CONTENTS I MPAC T March 2008 / Vol 42 • No 3

EDITORIAL
Teaching fishers how to fish through
Moderating the greed ............................................. 27 microfinance .................................................... 11
COVER STORY Human rights, the real fulcrum of the new
Catholic-Muslim Forum ..................................... 20
Update on the National Rural Congress ............. 22

Cover photo by Denz Dayao / CBCP Media

DEPARTMENTS

Quote in the Act ....................................................... 2

News Features .......................................................... 13
Statements ................................................................ 23
Popular religiosity in the Philippines .... 16 From the Blogs ......................................................... 26
ARTICLES From the Inbox ........................................................ 28
The Philippine Church on Mining Issues ........... 4 Book Reviews .......................................................... 29
Peasant types and development thrusts for the CINEMA Review .................................................... 30
Church in Mindanao ............................................. 8 News Briefs .............................................................. 31

THE Sumilao farmers are back—and vowed to stay in

Manila until the promise committed to them by
Malacañang last Christmas gets more real than the
pledges politicians make during elections. The Yulo
farmers, petitioning that 3,811 hectares of the 8,000-
hectares Hacienda Yulo be covered by the Compre-
hensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), are now
on the march, too.
tesy. During martial law, institutional divisions and
Seemingly awakened by the obnoxious reek of the differences in political persuasions were dignified in
botched ZTE-NBN mess and the equally stinking the sense that they were ideological. This can be worse,
Spratly island deals in the offing, student organiza- if differences of the day are motivated by hefty finan-
tions and the urban youth are back on their feet. They cial favors and political comfort because such are
were mere fence-sitters and guilty bystanders, like devoid of ethics and conviction.
most of us, in the first wave of anomalies surrounding
the Macapagal Highway, the Fertilizer scam, the The country is in a political winter. It looks a little short
“Hello, Garci” tapes, and the Northrail project, not to of frightening if one would give a free reign to a sce-
mention extrajudicial killings and forced disappear- nario where power blocks are trailblazing uncharted
ances, which are beyond the ambit of a regularly schemes to set or unset the central power that slugs on
condoned anomaly. After martial law, they preferred an uneasy chair. The past EDSAs proved the Filipino
to be computer geeks rather than street parliamentar- to be non-violent. But it was otherwise in the battery of
ians. But this time they look geared up for a quarter- revolts during the Spanish regime and the Philippine-
storm. American war.
For the first time in Philippine history, cabinet mem- This issue opens with Charles Avila’s “The Philippine
bers and high-ranking government officials of past Church on Mining Issues.” When it comes to mining, the
and present administrations have banded together, Church today is one and quite tenacious, says Avila.
crossing political lines, and joined the fray in search Because it talks of morality, of ethics and of what is
for the “truth”—or better still, in search for a political right and wrong in the face of the government’s hold
solution to the present hitch. on legality and economics.
The biblical division among households in Matthew Quite on time for season of Lent and the Holy Week,
10:35 is, of course, exegetically different. But divi- Fr. Paul J. Marquez, SSP writes our cover story on
sions within highly-placed institutions in the face of popular religiosity in the Philippines. He talks about
the current socio-political crises are crises, too, that the Black Nazarene, the Santo Niño and the Holy Week
snapped revered traditions and professional cour- rituals. Read on.

Volume 42 • Number 3 3

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 ARTICLES

A
profound cleavage presently ob-
tains in the Philippine State that
divides Church and Government
on mining issues.
Government—from the Congress that

The Philippine
gave us the Mining Act to the Executive
Branch that so eagerly implements it and
the Judiciary that as brazenly upholds it—
forms one side of the divide.
The other side is the Church. Define

Church on
her in any way you want: as institution, as
people in civil society and ecclesial com-
munities, as Magisterium, that is, Pope
and Bishops together, or Bishops alone in
each diocese and as a group, or as a mixed

Mining Issues
commission of Bishops with their author-
ity and Religious Orders with their charisms
united in serving God’s people. When it
comes to the issue of mining, this Church
is, today, one and quite tenacious.
Government says that what they do,
what they propose, what they advocate in
the area of mining—are all legal. At one By Charles Avila
time the Supreme Court declared other-
wise, viz. that the whole thing was not legal
and not constitutional. However, it
changed its mind in record time: now ev-
erything is legal, and constitutional. After
all, the Supreme Court is supreme and,
right or wrong, the law is whatever that
Court says it is.
Unfazed, the Church, on the other
side, talks of morality, of ethics, of what is
right, and wrong—not only describing
what is, but prescribing what ought to be.
And it has come to this—that, in the area
of mining, what the Government calls le-
gal, the Church denounces as immoral.
We have here a situation reminiscent
of the early Christian era during the late
Roman Empire when both Western and
Eastern Church leaders denounced Ro-
man law, no less, as immoral in its idea and
practice of the absolute ownership of Earth
by a few for the benefit of a few at the cost
of nature’s destruction, in violation of the
integrity of creation and the intention of
the Creator.
From the Church’s viewpoint, what is
legal is a matter of factual contingency. It
is another thing to determine whether the
human legal arrangement is just. If it were
to be unjust, said Saint Augustine in the
fifth century of the Common Era, “What
would the great empires be but teeming
broods of robbers?” By “human law there-
fore—by the law of the Emperors” you can
do many things that you ought not to do.
Hence, past a certain threshold, when the
legal is patently immoral, all effective ef-
forts must be made to change the law—a
situation most Philippine bishops, now

4 IMPACT • March 2008

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 The Philippine Church on Mining Issues

see in the area of mining.

As exemplified by the interventions
of Bishops Arturo Bastes and Jose Rojas
in the Rapu-Rapu Commission, the Philip-
pine Bishops hold that in the course of
economic development and growth, many
human acts can be either right or wrong
relative to their effects on the house of life
we call the environment. They refer to
environmental ethics or “geo-ethics”.
Human acts are rarely value-free or ethi-
cally neutral. They are always either right
or wrong. And when they are wrong—no
matter what great profits they had brought
to some corporations, or revenues to some
governments, and prosperity to some in-
dividuals and social sectors—if and when
those human activities we refer to were
essentially wrong, they ultimately and in-
evitably would have to bring worse prob-
lems and deeper crises, for truth is one: the
truth of science, the truth of economics
and the truth of ecology are one many-
sided, non-conflictual truth.
For instance, a certain way of exploit-
ing some mineral resources could bring
irreparable, and therefore irreversible, MT. CANATUAN, SIOCON, ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE
damage to the environment. Any damage
to the environment in this way can in turn the exploitation of mineral resources can properties.
bring irreparable harm and injury to human be very dangerous indeed. The Philippines is a part of the earth
health. The Minamata disease in Japan Foreign spokesmen given exagger- that is so incredibly rich in gold, silver,
comes to mind, which took years and years ated hospitality in this country have been copper, nickel, chrome and zinc that the
to establish, before effects could be linked observed to keep repeating like a mantra, valuation of the mineral wealth within our
to original causes beyond reasonable Hitler-like, the line that the Mining Act territorial limits is more than a trillion dol-
doubt—just like what happened in the which the Philippine Church seeks to re- lars’ worth, at least.
Philippines at Marinduque and Rapu- view is “the best mining law in the world”, However, the Philippine Government
Rapu. while immediately hiding with malicious and the Filipino people do not seem to
Another fact is the non-renewability glee the enthymeme that yes, it is the best actively subscribe to the fundamental geo-
and non-inexhaustibility of mineral re- in the world for their interests, from their ethical principle of stewardship. In fact,
sources. Once they are depleted, there is point of view. they do not really manage and control
no way that they can be replaced or re- The Bastes Commission Report re- mining as a crucial part of basic industry.
stored. It is good to remember that the marked that people of earth have a duty to Stewardship, in general, means the
essential resources upon which progress govern the world with justice and har- protection, care and proper use of this
depends are not inherently and exclusively mony even as they use for themselves the world’s resources. According to this prin-
created by human technology. They are resources of nature’s bounty. Church lead- ciple, human beings are called by nature to
inherently natural in origin and are funda- ers are not—they could not be against nurture, protect, use, order, and adorn the
mentally in limited supply. mining per se. Mining has been an impor- earth and all living and nonliving creatures
The biology of natural systems sim- tant part in the historical development of in harmony with and obedience to the
ply does not exist within and is not subject civilizations—from first (agricultural) to fundamental laws written into the very
to human artifice. It is we who exist within second (industrial) to third (information) nature of all things. Thus, the steward is
and are subject to the natural setting. We wave of social formations. more a manager, and not an absolute owner.
do not exist apart from but as a part of the Industries need minerals to support We are called to care for the special
natural world. the production and flow of basic goods environment and biodiversity our country
A given mining operation, therefore, and services. The production and avail- has been gifted with, including all her
will have to be viewed by people and ability of a broad range of metals are essen- natural wealth and mineral resources—in
Government according to this perspective tial to modern life. Throughout human short, to be responsible as stewards for
and first be evaluated as either ethically history, economic progress has been de- the national patrimony towards the attain-
right or wrong, good or bad, before it pendent to a large extent on the availability ment of the common good.
could even be considered legal or illegal, and use of metals. For, no matter how huge our mineral
or before it can be judged economically The Church would lay accent on the deposits, they are finite. It would really
profitable or non profitable. Without a full fact that metals can be reused and re- make for good stewardship to develop our
respect for the principles of geo-ethics, cycled indefinitely without loss of their own basic and medium industries and make

Volume 42 • Number 3 5

vol42_no03.pmd 5 3/13/2008, 12:35 PM

 The Philippine Church on Mining Issues
sure we have enough for building a strong
industrial economy. We can’t just give up
on the possibility of seriously developing
in our country an integrated mining indus-
try. There is room for foreign investments—
room. It is crazy to give foreigners the
whole house. That would be tantamount,
again, to giving up on our stewardship
obligation and vocation.
Today, the Mining Act is quite de-
ceiving. It does not include the crucial
provision of the government’s pre-tax
share of the cash flow generated by a
mining project. In most countries around
the world where there is mining this pre-
tax share representing the national pat-
rimony averages a hefty 38% (Chile 15.00%,
Bolivia 27.06%, Venezuela 32.82%, Peru
6 IMPACT • March 2008
vol42_no03.pmd 6 3/13/2008, 12:35 PM
36.52%, United States 36.61%, Mexico
37.21%, Botswana 40.10%, Brazil 40.85%,
Argentina 46.13%, Canada 46.71%, Guyana
48.16%, Australia 50.60%)! In the Philip-
pines, the share representing the national
patrimony is exactly zero percent.
The government’s “share” in the min-
ing deals only includes taxes, duties, and
other fees paid by the contractors. And
the payment of these fees does not imme-
diately benefit the Philippines as the con-
tractors are given the privilege of first fully
recovering their pre-operating and prop-
erty expenses before paying their financial
obligations to the government, not to
mention the aggressive grant of tax holi-
days to foreign investors in mining, which
does not make sense at all since mining is
that kind of investment which is neither
market-seeking nor efficiency-seeking so
much as clear asset-seeking.
In mining, the Philippines is such a
give-away country—one wonders why
any one should even respect it as sover-
eign at all. The Mining Act expressly states
that the excise tax on mineral products
shall constitute the “total government
share in a mineral production-sharing agree-
ment,” which under the Tax Code is only
two percent of the market value of the
gross output of the minerals. In effect, the
government concedes to the foreign cor-
poration practically for free its beneficial
ownership over the mineral resources.
Curiouser and curiouser… is
Government’s effort in all three branches
to convince us that tax is the same as
ownership share!
What we should always make clear is
that, under the principle of stewardship,
mining projects that cannot absorb the
environmental and social costs of modern
mining should not be allowed to proceed.
Then we won’t have the case of a Lafayette,
such as we have seen for many years now.
Stewardship, true enough, is not only
about the preservation and conservation
of nature. It includes the creative transfor-
mation of nature, represented by human
ingenuity and technology. In performing
this task, however, human beings must
recognize that they can only proceed
within a certain limit. The resources with
which they must work are not necessarily
inexhaustible. Stewards should be co-cre-
ators, not exterminators.
Nature is to be creatively transformed,
not relentlessly exploited. Our slogan
should be, “Need rather than greed.” We
should not encourage people to be simply
driven by the desire to satisfy wants and
wantonly engage in research and experi-
mentation without taking into consider-
ation risks and negative consequences.
We need to underscore the present
situation in our country that needs to find
new ways of thinking and new ways of
planning and controlling mining activi-
ties. A considerable improvement of ethi-
cal climate is needed and hopefully some
of the principles of geo-ethics will go a
long way in dispelling muddled thinking
and giving new clarity of direction. It is not
always easy.
Despite its boast of legality, Govern-
ment does not always find it easy just to
follow the rule of law rather than the cul-
ture of privilege and impunity. In the case
of Rapu-Rapu, for instance, following the
spirit and letter of the law, DENR should

LAKE LUBO, KIBUNGAN, BENGUET
just have cancelled the Environment Clear-
ance Certificate (ECC) of a recidivist firm,
and if allowed to re-apply, let it undertake
the drawing up of an Environmental Im-
pact Statement (EIS) and propose an Envi-
ronmental Management System (EMS),
precisely as the law requires, and then let
an awakened citizenry watch a reformed
DENR do its job.
The Bastes Commission found strong
indications to believe that the firm
underreported its production of ores and
of processed gold and silver to the MGB or
Mines and Geosciences Bureau thereby
reducing the basis, and ultimately, the
value of the excise tax they would have to
pay the government.
Bastes warned that Lafayette only
wanted to have DENR hostage in their
threat that if their mining permit or ECC were
cancelled, they’d just walk away and leave
DENR with the mine tailings and the pollu-
vol42_no03.pmd 7 3/13/2008, 12:35 PM
tion and the crisis. And DENR was just too
weak to defend the environment and
people’s health and welfare. It surrendered,
in the name of attracting more investments—
of the credit card variety. This is the type
that brags, “Have permit and there will be
banks to give you a credit line.”
Now the Lafayette mine is more than
a financial mess. The poster boy of the
Administration’s foreign mining interests
has filed for bankruptcy! Worse—it is an
environmental and social failure. How many
forewarned the Administration and the
DENR that the project is not socially, tech-
nically, environmentally and financially
feasible but, still, they allowed it to pro-
ceed. Should they not be held accountable
along with Lafayette to rehabilitate the
island and compensate the local residents
for damages done by the mine?
And has the important lesson been
learned? A company that fails to obtain
ARTICLES
and retain a social licence to operate, in
other words one that operates without
community approval, is simply not vi-
able.
These are not the best of times. The
world’s demand for our minerals is at a new
high. And Government is at a new low—so
weak and so unwilling to put people’s
welfare and environmental conservation
above the fetish of investment promises
that become a source of even greater frus-
tration all around. These, however, are the
most challenging times. Maybe now bish-
ops and religious people may succeed in
the formation of enough numbers of the
lay faithful so that the latter can seriously
start transforming the world. I
Charles Avila has been with peasant organizing since
the early 1960’s and is presently the National Chairman
of the Philippine Association of Small Coconut Farmers’
Organizations. He is President of Great Work Movement
(Phil) and was Vice-Chairman of the Rapu-Rapu Fact-
Finding Commission.
Volume 42 • Number 3 7
 Peasant types and development thrusts for the Church in Mindanao
Peasant types and
development thrusts for
the Church in Mindanao
(Second of 2 parts)
By Archbishop Antonio J. Ledesma, SJ, DD
III. Some Development Issues conflicts have arisen between representa-
tives of the two economies, oftentimes to
After surveying these eight peasant the detriment of the smallholder.
types, three issues can be raised in the (2) Types 4-5 highlight the growing
form of questions. significance of landless agricultural work-
(1) Can and should a dual economy in ers – or the “proletarianization of the peas-
Philippine agriculture persist? Types 1-3 antry.” Indeed, landless workers (who
are often characterized as belonging to a neither own nor have tenants’ rights to the
“backward” subsistence economy in con- land) are becoming increasingly visible
trast to the more ‘’progressive’’ types 4 not only under types 4-5, but also in types
and 5 needed by the country for foreign 2-3 areas. What are the alternatives to-
exchange earnings. On the other hand, wards resolving the problems of landless-
with the reduction of the land frontier, land ness and rural unemployment?
(3) In the light of
population pressure and
advances in farm technol-
ogy, what are the realiz-
able models for agrarian
reform in the first decade
of this century? Can the
individual family-size farm
remain as the long-range
paradigm for agrarian re-
form? Or can agrarian re-
form models move more
flexibly among types 8, 7
and 6?
In many respects,
types 7 and 6 embody the
twin goals of rural devel-
Fig. 4 Development thrusts of church-related groups and NGOs opment for higher produc-
tivity and greater equity—
Note: Inside the arcs are representative activities of civil society groups.
Outside the arcs are activities and concerns linked to the challenges of i.e., by combining ele-
globalization. ments of a modernized
8 IMPACT • March 2008
vol42_no03.pmd 8 3/13/2008, 12:35 PM
agricultural technology, security of land
tenure, greater access to public services,
and, depending on local conditions,
small—or large-scale farming units. The
likely route for a dual thrust of agrarian
reform would be: counter clockwise, fol-
lowing a redistributive model, from types
2 and 1 to types 8 and 7; and clockwise,
following a collective model, from types 3,
4 and 5 to type 6.
To summarize, types 1-3 are arrange-
ments of the past, if public policy and
economic rationale are heeded. Types 4-5
continue to dominate the export crop
economy, but with serious implications
for the well-being and participation of
peasant households in their own develop-
ment. Types 6-8, on the other hand, could
reflect current thrusts for the development
of the Filipino peasant, according to his
own scale, tenure, technology, and sup-
port structure.
IV. Towards a Church of the Devel-
oping Poor
What then is the role of the Church in
the development of Mindanao’s rural sec-
tor? This sector is not only the most nu-
merous but also the primary sector in our
island economy for determining our food
security as well as environmental
sustainability and the beginnings of agro-
industrialization.
o ARTICLES
At the outset, it would be helpful to
remind ourselves that church related
groups are only a few of many other stake-
holders involved in Mindanao’s develop-
ment efforts - which include government
agencies, business enterprises, non-gov-
ernment organizations, people’s organi-
zations, and local communities themselves.
In a broad sense, the Church is present in
all of these if one counts all the Catholic
laity. In another sense, the institutional
Church—in terms of dioceses and their
social action centres—may simply be clas-
sified as non-government or non-busi-
ness, hence as part of what we now call
Civil Society.
Instead therefore of talking about
church-sponsored projects, it may be more
vol42_no03.pmd 9 3/13/2008, 12:35 PM
instructive to examine common goals and
areas of collaboration that church-related
groups share with other members of Civil
Society. These goals may be congruent
with those of Government or of Business,
or may be off tangent from them or even
opposed to them. We can point out four
major goals.
(1) People empowerment. Examining
once more the development variables, we
can add along the same continuum of
“access to support services” a comple-
mentary fifth variable representing a more
fundamental pre-requisite, i.e., “level of
organization.” (Fig. 4)
In this light, a principal goal for Church
involvement can variously be called “or-
ganization” or “participation,” or, more
currently, “people empowerment.” This
may take the form of building basic ecclesial
communities, organizing cooperatives,
setting up micro-credit programs, or enter-
ing into contract growing schemes, etc.
In terms of globalization concerns,
the competition for access to credit and
markets will likely have to take into ac-
count linkages with urban markets and
eventually, export markets. Small farmer
cooperatives, for instance, now have to
confront the competition of cheaper prices
of certain agricultural commodities from
other countries.
(2) Asset reform. Another major goal
in rural poverty eradication is asset reform.
For farmers, this means secure access to
the land they till.
Volume 42 • Number 3 9
 Peasant types and development thrusts for the Church in Mindanao

For native communities, this entails in Cagayan de Oro to prevent logging
recognition of their ancestral domain claims. trucks from bringing in cut logs from the
Two existing laws with social justice pro- Lake Lanao watershed area. Similarly, in
visions need to be implemented more fully other dioceses, protest movements
in this regard: the Comprehensive Agrar- against the entry of large-scale mining
ian Reform Program (CARP) and the Indig- companies have enabled local communi-
enous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA). ties to discern their positions with greater
Last year’s Freedom from Hunger ju- clarity, with an eye towards the long-term
bilee march in several dioceses, in collabo- ecological consequences of these extrac-
ration with several small farmers’ organi- tive activities.
zations, was a striking example of how (3) Sustainable agriculture. A third
concerted advocacy activities can be car- area of concern focuses on agricultural
ried out with imagination and wider mass technology. Ever since the Green Revolu-
media impact. Another instance would be tion days of chemical-based agriculture,
the Mapalad farmers’ hunger strike and concerned groups including churches
struggle to claim their agrarian reform rights have been wary of promises of increased
against an estate owner in Sumilao in the yields but at the price of higher costs, in
late 90’s. This struggle was backed up by terms not only of expenses for chemical
Malaybalay diocese and a coalition of inputs but also of irreversible damage to
NGOs at the local and national levels. the environment.
Although the Supreme Court issued an As an alternative, a number of NGOs
adverse ruling, the cause of the native and church-related groups have espoused
farmers received widespread support from the adoption of sustainable agriculture
cause-oriented groups and kept the issue practices. The planting of MASIPAG rice
of agrarian reform in the forefront. lines is one of these promising efforts. On
Another area for asset reform is the the other hand, the issue of genetically-
conservation of Mindanao’s remaining modified organisms (GMOs) introduced
forests and watershed areas from illegal by several multinational companies has
logging as well as large-scale mining con- lately surfaced. A choice of seeds carries
cerns. Here again, church support for with it far-reaching implications for the
front-line coalitions can be significant. food security of the country as well as the
At present, an anti-logging barricade is long-range welfare of Filipino farmers.
still being manned by civil society groups (4) The family farm. The final devel-
opment vari-
able we have
examined is
farm size. For
the most part,
this is related
to the imple-
mentation of
agrarian re-
form. The para-
digm envi-
sioned is that
of the family
farm, owned
and tilled by a
single house-
hold. On the
other hand,
the CARP law
allows other
models of
agrarian re-
form, includ-
ing coopera-
tively-run
large-size
farms which
provide an al-
Fig. 5 Church and Civil Society activities and goals in rural poverty eradication ternative to
multinational corporations. In one sense,
farm size may not be crucial; what is more
critical is the scale of farming –i.e., the
intensity of farming activities on a given
piece of land.
One advantage of the small family
farm, however, is the greater labour ab-
sorption it offers, which is along the prior-
ity objectives of the Arroyo administra-
tion for creating more employment—at a
time when the entire world may be heading
for a recession. The alternative would be
further out-migration from the rural areas
to the cities, and ultimately an increase of
overseas contract workers. Incidentally,
the type 7 small farm household consti-
tutes the predominant type of agricultural
activity in some of the more densely-popu-
lated, yet progressive, countries of East
Asia – i.e., Japan, Taiwan, and South Ko-
rea.
In summary, Fig. 5 gives us a graphic
view of how church-related groups to-
gether with other civil society organiza-
tions may work towards poverty eradica-
tion. In Mindanao, many dioceses have
been involved in conscientization pro-
grams, formation of BECs, setting up of
cooperatives, and adoption of participa-
tory methods. Starting from these various
approaches in people empowerment, one
path leads towards access to support ser-
vices such as credit and market, transfer of
technology, health care, and infrastruc-
ture improvements. These are necessary
for either private or social enterprises to
take off and flourish. Another path leads
towards the equity goal in terms of macro
level policy reforms—e.g., agrarian reform,
recognition of ancestral domain claims, or
environmental conservation: This requires
an advocacy agenda as well as continuing
action on the ground.
Eventually, both paths of micro-level
support services and macro-level policy
reforms are bound to converge on the goal
of increased growth and productivity
through various means such as sustain-
able agriculture, income – and employ-
ment – generating projects, and agro-in-
dustrial enterprises. This in turn leads
back to more participation and people
empowerment.
PCP II and NPCCR present a vision of
the Church where the laity are empowered
towards social transformation. They also
stress the need for integral evangelization
and being a Church of the Poor. If we heed
the development imperative in the
Church’s social teachings, we can thus
see ourselves in Mindanao as becoming a
Church of the Developing Poor. I

10 IMPACT • March 2008

vol42_no03.pmd 10 3/13/2008, 12:35 PM

 ARTICLES

By Gerald M. Nicolas

G
ive a man a fish and you feed him for
a day; teach a man to fish and you
feed him for a lifetime.” This popu-
lar Chinese adage sounds comically ironic
when alluding to an actual fisherman who
could be fishing his entire life. But when
seen against a backdrop of constant threats
in our marine resources and the palpable
neglect of the government to the fisherfolk
sector, the humor of the paradox wanes
and reality poignantly bites: the poverty
of the Filipino fishers is increasingly be-
coming severe. The fisher sure knows how
to fish, but what he catches now barely
feeds him and his family. How much more
for a lifetime?
Our fishers are aware that the bounty
of the sea is not infinite. In a sleepy coastal
town of Mercedes, Camarines Norte, for
example, around 600 fishers are pooling
their efforts together to rescue whatever is
left of the Lamon and San Miguel Bays,
their major fishing grounds. Collectively
known as the Inter-Island Management
Council (IIMC), they protect the marine
resources in collaboration with the local
government of Mercedes and the Ateneo-
based Institute of Social Order (ISO). They
are active in patrolling over the seas, look-
ing after commercial fishers who illegally
harvest from the municipal waters. A ma-
rine sanctuary has also been established.
It would, however, take some time for
the bays to be completely replenished.
Even if the waters attain a level of produc-
tivity sufficient enough to sustain thou-
sands of dependents coming not only
from Mercedes but also from neighboring
communities, life will still be tough for
fishers. Income from fishing fluctuates as
© Denz Dayao / CBCPMedia

the seasons change. When the rainy sea-

son comes in usually by August, small-
scale fishers have to content themselves
with what they can catch near the shores
than risk their lives braving the strong
waves and violent rains. Their traditional—

Teaching fishers
almost obsolete—and inadequate fishing
gears like fish traps and hook and lines
also yield very limited catch and profit.
Also, fishers are notoriously known (at

how to fish through

least in Mercedes) as “one-day million-
aires.” After a good catch, they usually
spend for drinking sprees and petty gam-

microfinance
bling. Without enough money saved, fish-
ers are forced to borrow from usurious
moneylenders come the proverbial rainy
days without realizing that this puts them
in greater debt in the long run.

Volume 42 • Number 3 11

vol42_no03.pmd 11 3/13/2008, 12:35 PM

 Teaching fishers how to fish through microfinance
Microfinance for fishers
All these factors prompted IIMC and
ISO to introduce a microfinance project that
will allow the poor fishers to augment their
small incomes from fishing and save money
at the same time. This project was cited in a
recent research conducted by the John J.
Carroll Institute on Church and Social Is-
sues which documented schemes, processes
and practices that fit (and do not fit) the
intricacies of agriculture. The study sought
to shed light on how to make microfinance
work for different agricultural sectors—rice
farmers, sugar workers, coconut farmers
and fishers—which are predominantly per-
ceived as risky by formal lending institu-
tions particularly in terms of cost effective-
ness and loan recovery.
Fishers, for example, have meager and
seasonal incomes, are vulnerable to natural
calamities, and are virtually isolated from
the mainstream of development. Delivering
financial services to them is hence an utter
disincentive for lenders. But IIMC and ISO
dared to give hope to these unbankable
fishers as they are among the sectors in our
society that experience the bleakest of pov-
erty: a small fisher takes home a measly
PhP3,000 every month based on estimates.
And microfinance may just be the means to
somehow help the fishers cope with their
unfortunate situation.
With a funding assistance from the
German Doctors, Inc., IIMC and ISO
launched a microfinance project called the
Small Enterprise Economic Development
Project or SEED Project. There is an existing
livelihood project where qualified members
can engage in supplementary activities such
as cattle dispersal, hog raising and fish
culture. This time around, however, IIMC
and ISO wanted to increase their outreach
by extending small loans with affordable
interest rates and which can be repaid in
shorter intervals. The lending procedures
12 IMPACT • March 2008
vol42_no03.pmd 12
are also streamlined—from requiring bor-
rowers a simple project plan to delivering
the loans right at their doorsteps.
Since July of last year, the project has
disbursed around PhP350,000 benefiting
almost 80 fishing households. The amount
borrowed—ranging from PhP1,000 to
PhP5,000—are used for fish smoking
(pagtitinapa), fresh fish vending or buying
a small, non-motorized boat. Borrowers also
engage in non-fishing livelihood projects
such as sari-sari stores, piggery and buy
and sell. Devoting time to these activities
will hence contribute in the rehabilitation of
the waters of Mercedes. Projects which will
use marine products like corals, shells and
mangroves are not approved to spare their
already depleted resource base from further
pressure.
Loans carry an interest rate of 1.5% per
month. Most borrowers interviewed for the
study cited this low interest as their main
reason for applying for loans especially
since it was way lower than the rates im-
posed by the informal lenders as well as
other MFIs based in Daet, the province’s
capital. Norma Viginia, 54, who borrowed to
add to their capital for their fish smoking
business, shared: “Sa microfinance ng
IIMC, mababa ang patong kumpara sa 5-
6 (a usurious money-lending scheme) na
araw-araw ang singil kaya mabigat (In
microfinance, the interest is low compared
to 5-6 in which you have to pay everyday).”
As expected though, slight delays in
repayment saddle the microfinance opera-
tions. This is mainly caused by uncontrol-
lable weather changes and lack of custom-
ers particularly in the islands. It is not be-
cause the fishers are terrible borrowers, as
formal creditors are made to believe. One
borrower strongly challenged this myth:
“Dapat kong masunod ‘yung obligasyon
ko. ‘Yung utang ko dapat kong bayaran (I
should meet my obligation. I must pay my
debt).”
3/13/2008, 12:35 PM
In terms of empowerment, Mildred
Loyola, IIMC’s finance officer, proudly
shared that their microfinance project has
somehow given the wives of fishermen a
chance to show that they too can decide for
their families specifically in terms of income
generation and financial management. They
no longer need to depend on their hus-
bands’ fishing. Their women members
have learned to tap their skills and use it to
engage in activities that will improve their
families’ income. In some instances, a fe-
male client shared, the husband appreci-
ates the initiative of the wife to look and
consult one another for supplementary
sources of income.
Creating ripples of change
The loan portfolio and outreach of the
SEED project may pale in comparison to
other established and well-known
microfinance institutions (MFIs) in the coun-
try, but IIMC and ISO believe that big
things start from small beginnings. And
soon the ripples the project is creating will
lead to waves of change as it continues to
reach a greater number of poor fishing
households as the months pass.
In the end, we are confronted by the
fact that the marginalized fishers (or any
sector) need not wait for mega-investments
and multi-million development infrastruc-
tures for food to get into their tables and for
them to be empowered. The impact of the
SEED Project on its borrowers may only be
a drop in the ocean, and its success still
modest as of the moment. But by making
credit available and more accessible to the
poor fishers as well as to other sectors, it
proves that it only takes a very small amount
of credit—not dole-out—to help the rural
poor improve their lot. I
(Gerald M. Nicolas is a research assistant at John J.
Carroll Institute on Church and Social Issues of the
Ateneo de Manila University.)
© Denz Dayao / CBCPMedia
 N E W S
FEATURES

Lagdameo leads
fight vs. Iloilo
coal-fired power
project
JARO, Iloilo, 5 March 2008—Thousands
of people have rallied peacefully Wednes-
day against the government’s proposed
coal-fired power plant in this city.
Led by Jaro Archbishop Angel
Lagdameo and other religious leaders,
organizers said the rally sends a strong
signal to proponents of the project that
they are not welcome in the area.
Hundreds of students from St. Paul’s
University formed a “QUIT CALL” sign to
call on local and national government of-
ficial to reject the planned 100-MW coal-
fired power plant.
Lagdameo, head of the Catholic Bish-
ops’ Conference of the Philippines, said Climate and Energy Campaigner of Over the years, the residents of Iloilo
the project was “vigorously” opposed by Greenpeace Southeast Asia Jasper Inven- and nearby Negros province have joined
the active and vigilant civil society groups tor, meanwhile, said the rally today com- Greenpeace in urging for a switch to clean
supported by the Church. memorates the fourth anniversary of the energy use in the country.
The Philippines ranked first on the rejection of the project that was shelved Greenpeace said the country’s wind
global climate risk index in 2007 because because of lack of social acceptability. energy potential is estimated to meet seven
the country is in typhoon belt and many of “Filipinos have realized that climate times the country’s total energy demand.
the low-lying islands are under threat from change is a real threat to the country and However, clean technologies such as
sea level rise. are rejecting coal, one of the major con- wind, solar and modern biomass represent
The international environment orga- tributors to global climate change. People less than 0.2% of the overall Philippine
nization Greenpeace said coal fired power instead seek for better solutions offered power mix in spite of promises from the
plants account for 36 percent of the by renewable energy from wind, sun or Arroyo administration to reduce green-
country’s total carbon dioxide. geothermal resources,” he said. house gas emissions.
“For the same scientific reasons, in- Other communities across the coun- “Instead of harnessing the growing
cluding ecological and health hazards we try have also rejected proposed coal-fired public opposition to climate damaging coal-
object the proposed project in Iloilo City,” power plants. fired power plants to help enable the shift
Lagdameo said. Negros province, in 2002, booted out towards greater use of renewable energy
Coal ultimately will be more expensive a proposed coal-fired power plant and led systems, the government sadly remains
to ecology and health, he said, than the to the declaration that the province be- fixated on prolonging the country’s deadly
expensive other renewable sources of en- comes a model for 100% renewable energy addiction to polluting energy plants,” said
ergy that are scientifically safe. development. Inventor.
“With the coal-fired power plant we And in 2006, the Philippine National “Climate change is far too great a risk
will be importing expensive coal and using Oil Corporation also stopped its coal fired for Filipinos that coal should altogether be
already getting-limited potable water,” he power plant project in Isabela after oppo- phased out of the country’s energy mix,”
said. sition from residents. he also said. (CBCPNews)

Volume 42 • Number 3 13

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 N E W S
FEATURES
Kidnappers
reaffirm their
demands in Mosul
archbishop’s
abduction
MOSUL, Iraq, March 7, 2008—
Exactly a week since the
Chaldean archbishop of
Mosul, Msgr. Faraj Rahho, was
kidnapped, concern for his fate
remains high. Last night his
kidnappers made contact after
three days of silence.
“They reaffirmed their
terms but still won’t allow us to
talk to the bishop,” sources
close to the negotiators told
AsiaNews. According to ru-
mors the ransom demanded is
“huge” and includes “politi-
cal” demands.
Although “difficult” nego-
tiations continue, there are
some aspects that have alarmed
the Chaldean community al-
ready so sadly accustomed to
confronting such crises.
First, there is the abduc-
tion itself. “It was very violent.
Last 29 February they waited
for the bishop to leave the
church and killed the three
people who were with him.”
Then there are the differ-
ences. “Unlike other abduction
cases involving clergymen, the
amount of money demanded this
time went up rather than down.”
Lastly, the kidnappers “did
not set any deadline or explic-
itly mentioned the release.”
In last night’s phone call
when mediators asked to speak
with the prelate, who is very ill,
the answer they got was that
he was getting “daily medical
care from a doctor.”
For sources in Mosul the
talks lack credibility and are
insufficient to allay fears about
the bishop’s conditions.
14 IMPACT • March 2008
vol42_no03.pmd 14
Archbishop Faraj Rahho
There are strong fears that
a terrorist group might be be-
hind the abduction and not sim-
ply common criminals trying to
extort money. This echoes a
statement the commander of
US troops in northern Iraq made
two days ago.
In any event hope is still
alive in the community whose
members continue praying.
Today around Kirkuk cathe-
dral a Via Crucis will be conducted
for Monsignor Rahho’s release.
“We are praying and hop-
ing that this crisis can end with
Monsignor Rahho’s return,”
said Msgr. Louis Sako, arch-
bishop of Mosul.
Strong expressions of soli-
darity and closeness as well as
statements of condemnation
and appeals for the prelate’s
safe return have come from
within the Muslim community.
Sources in Mosul told
AsiaNews that government au-
thorities are also involved in a
“serious way” in search opera-
tions. (AsiaNews)
Farmers expelled from their
land to give way to plant to
build world’s cheapest car
NEW DELHI, India, March 7,
2008—Farmers displaced to
give way to the Tata Motors
plant currently under construc-
tion in Singur (West Bengal) are
planning legal action and road
blocks. In the meantime a new
state-of-the-art factory will rise
on a 400-hectare area that once
was farmland; production of the
first 250,000 cars per year is
scheduled to start in October.
Unveiled in January as the
cheapest car in the world (US$
2,500), the Nano is already the
symbol of India’s emerging
industry and of the growing
affluence of its middleclass.
Tata says the project will
create more than 10,000 jobs
and bring prosperity to the
entire region.
Many farmers whose land
was expropriated have pro-
tested for the past year but as
the months go by their resolve
has gotten harder to maintain
because without land they can-
not make ends meet. Many
survive only thanks to neigh-
bors’ handouts. At least four
committed suicide.
The owners of 136 hect-
ares have rejected compensa-
tion. Interest paid on cash com-
3/13/2008, 12:35 PM
pensation packages do not
make up for returns on farms,
hitherto their only source of
income.
“It’s a battle of nerves.
They’re wondering how long
we can face these hardships,”
protest leader Prosenjit Das
said.
Villagers vow to be a head-
ache and generate negative pub-
licity for the car maker. They plan
to appeal to the Supreme Court
and blockade access roads.
The government favors
Special Economic Zones (SEZ)
on land ceded at favorable
prices and tax holidays to large
corporations, but the amount
available is limited and usually
already under cultivation.
Singur for instance is located
on a highway just an hour from
Kolkata.
Next year is an election
year in West Bengal and the
state’s ruling Communist Party
is at the centre of great many
controversies. Last year it gave
the green light for the estab-
lishment of a SEZ in Nandigram.
Farmers were thrown out at that
time causing a revolt that ended
in deaths and hurt people.
(AsiaNews/Agencies)
 N E W S
FEATURES

Almost 20 women raped, killed, or fall

to suicide every day
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 8, 2008—
In 2007, serious violence against women in
Pakistan increased: according to the re-
port of the Madadgar Research and Data-
base Centre, there were 7,870 cases of
sexual violence with homicide, suicide,
and the application of the “hudood ordi-
nances” (according to which the woman
who is the victim of sexual violence can be
accused of “extramarital sex” and arrested),
as compared to 7,564 in 2006.
Firdous Chaudhry, coordinator of the
Pakistan Catholic Women’s Organization
(PCWO), says that this is one reason why
they have scheduled for today, Interna-
tional Women’s Day, in addition to exhib-
its and celebrations, also a debate on the
discrimination suffered by Pakistani
women. Under accusation are above all victims of violence. a critic, confirming that “women are still
the public authorities, who do not do “The women most at risk”, explains discriminated against at work, and are killed
enough. Jasmine Joseph, secretary of Caritas in in the name of so-called honour”. She says
“Christian women”, he explains, “face Faisalabad, “are housemaids and others that the amendments to the hudood laws
three-fold discrimination: they belong to a who work”. In addition to receiving low have only been “cosmetic”, and even the
religious minority, they live in an underde- pay, they are often subject to sexual abuse, 2006 law for the protection of women has
veloped society, and they are women”. which they must often tolerate in order not brought no actual improvements. In the
For this reason, the PCWO works to make to lose their job, while they lack any effec- legal tribunals, the testimony of a woman
women more aware of their rights and to tive legal protection. is still considered only half as valuable as
provide legal and social assistance to the Shazia Naz, a Christian lawyer, is also that of a man. (AsiaNews)

as the school and health re-

Columban nuns empower
indigenous people through
missionary work
MIDSALIP, Zamboanga del
Sur, March 7, 2008 — Mission-
ary Sisters of St. Columban
(SSC) make efforts to empower
“Subaneen” indigenous people
of Mindanao through mission-
ary work for last 25 years.
Serving Subaneen people,
one of the tribes of Midsalip,
Zamboanga de Sur, has been
one of the priorities of the con-
gregation, Sr. Katherine M.
Santiago, SSC, told CBCP News.
Midsalip is a two-hour
drive by public transportation
from the provincial capital,
Pagadian.
During last 25 years the
Columban Sisters have
launched several programs to
empower the Subaneen people,
such as health, education, live-
lihood programs, advocacy for
women’s education, agricul-
ture, justice, peace and integ-
rity activities.
Santiago said she worked
for two years among Subaneen
people helping their children in
education.
“Our missionary work and
presence also helped them to
become self-confident in their
lives,” the nun said.
One of the instances was
whenever the Subaneen people
went to market, they were very
hesitant to speak their own
Subaneen dialect among them-
selves due to fear/shyness or
inferiority complex, when there
were non-Subaneen people
around. But now, Subaneen
people have finally overcome
that shyness. They now talk in
their own dialect even if non-
Subaneen speaking people are
around, Santiago said.
Another instance is that
all the pastoral/developmental
programs of the sisters, such
lated activities are run and
managed by Subaneen people
themselves.
“It has been possible due
to tireless efforts of our Sisters,
who have lived with them thick
and thin, boosting their morale
and giving them sense of hope
to change their life for better
through catechesis, education
and empowerment,” said the
26 year-old Santiago.
Subaneen people are now
better conscious of their health
issues, education and take pride
in their distinct culture.
In the process of working
with Subaneen people, the sis-
ters also have learned a lot,
Santiago said.
The Columban Sisters first
arrived in Philippines in1937.
Today they have five houses
with 15 nuns (12 local and 3
foreign sisters). (CBCPNews)

Volume 42 • Number 3 15

vol42_no03.pmd 15 3/13/2008, 12:35 PM

 Popular religiosity in the Philippines

W
hen the Spanish conquistado-
res first came to the shores of the
Philippine islands, they found a
people that worshipped anitos or spirits of
their ancestors. Filipinos revered and of-
fered gifts to the anitos in exchange for
protection from evil, harm or danger. When
the Christian faith was introduced to early
Filipinos, they readily accepted the new
teachings about Christ, the Blessed Virgin
Mary and the saints. However, sociolo-
gists point out that what really transpired
was the Christianization of our animistic
beliefs. The power believed to be imma-
"The clamor of people towards a
nent in the anitos is now transferred to the
person of Jesus, Mary and all the saints; more vibrant, more inspiring and
rather than seeing them as models of a holy
life or paragons of virtues, these holy men
and women of our faith are seen in the same
hope-filled celebration remains a
light that early Filipinos saw the anitos—
as powerful gods, at times capricious whose tremendous pastoral challenge
anger needed to be appeased with atang
or offering.
We find traces of such folk belief in
for the Church and is a real
expressions of popular religiosity, and
these traces are found in every Filipino opportunity for growing together
religious celebration throughout the year.
Here, the author sketches only a few
samples of popular religious practices seen
in our Catholic faith."
in the first quarter of the year.

Black Nazarene

January 9 is a red-letter day for Filipi-

nos celebrating the feast of Señor Jesus
Nazareno. The centuries-old statue of the
Black Nazarene is paraded in the streets of
Quiapo and is carried and accompanied by
a majority of barefooted male devotees. A
rope is tied to the image and those who
could not get near the statue are just as
happy to hold on to the rope. The rope is
later cut into pieces and the participants in
the feast divide this among themselves.
The portion of the rope serves alternately
as a souvenir, a badge of honor or a lucky
charm.
Nobody wears slippers or shoes dur-
ing the procession. It is a gesture of show-
ing one’s respect to the sacred ground
although for practical reason, it is best to
join in the procession unshod otherwise
one’s footwear easily gets torn or lost in
the push and shove of the big crowd. To
refrain from wearing any footwear is also
to be considerate towards others as one
might step upon and do much harm to
others if one is wearing a heavy pair of
shoes.
The centuries-old image of Señor
Jesus Nazareno is said to have originated
from Mexico. The ship that ferried it to
By Paul J. Marquez, SSP
Manila caught fire and capsized but the
statue was salvaged although the heavy
smoke turned it black. Another theory
behind the dark image of the statue states
that its makers simply followed the dark
color of the Mexican Incas.
For many years now, the image of
Señor Jesus Nazareno has drawn a lot of
male devotees who are not regular church-
goers but mostly ordinary sun-burnt work-
ers living difficult lives. They can easily
identify with the Black Nazarene who is
bent by life’s troubles, and they get tre-
mendous assurance and hope knowing
how the Poong Nazareno shares in their
own sufferings. In short, it is an image that
truly speaks to their experience, an image
of God that they consider truly their own.
Another occasion of celebrating
Señor Jesus Nazareno is New Year’s Day.
In the afternoon after Mass, the image is
brought out of the Church for a thanksgiv-
ing procession. Here, one does not see the
multitude of male devotees one finds on
January 9 and there is no pushing and
shoving. Instead, the much smaller crowd
is a motley mix of different people of all
ages casually walking in their footwear.
They go about in a happy mood, thanking
God for the gift of a new year.
In stark contrast, Black Nazarene devo-
tees celebrate Good Friday in a somber
mood in keeping with the celebration of
the Lord’s Passion and Death. Devotees
join in the procession covering their head
and face with a black cloth called “paso”
and they also wear a crown of thorns. Such
is the devotees’ way of fulfilling their
“panata” or vow to God. Such participa-
tion also affords them the chance to join in

16 IMPACT • March 2008

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 C O V E R
S T O R Y

Popular
religiosity in
the Philippines Volume
Volume
42 42
• Number
• Number
3 3 1717

vol42_no03.pmd 17 3/13/2008, 12:35 PM

 C O V E R
S T O R Y
the “pakikiramay” or condoling with the
bereaved.
The fourth time that the Señor Jesus
Nazareno is paraded in the streets is on
every fifth Sunday in Lent, also known as
the “Lazarus Sunday”. The Way of the
Cross is a component part in the celebra-
tion and volunteers alternate in carrying
the image to the various Stations. The
crowd here is the regular Sunday crowd of
Mass goers and among the four Nazarene
celebrations, this procession is said to be
the most appropriate liturgically since the
celebration is directly supervised by the
Church from beginning to end.
Señor Santo Niño
If the men of Quiapo can identify with
the suffering Nazarene, people in the
Visayas find the Santo Niño very appeal-
ing. The jovial and fun-loving population
in Kalibo, Aklan is said to have celebrated
the first Ati-Atihan festival around the
year 1212 when a small group of Malay
datus who fled Borneo came to Panay
Island. The Ati, with dark skin and curly
hair, were the original inhabitants of the
18 IMPACT • March 2008
vol42_no03.pmd 18
island. There was much rejoicing on that
day when the Ati sold some land to the
datus who painted themselves black to
look like the Atis. Thus, Ati-Atihan liter-
ally means “to be like an ati”.
The festival now stretches for two
weeks although the most important cel-
ebrations are the last three days marked by
a parade where participants outshine one
another with their costumes. Originally a
pagan rite, the Church has adopted this
occasion of revelry to honor Señor Santo
Niño or the Child Jesus. In Cebu, the
Sinulog festival commemorates Ferdinand
Magellan’s gift of the image of the Child
Jesus to Queen Juana, wife of Rajah
Humabon. The image, which is said to be
very miraculous, is being kept today at the
Basilica Minore del Santo Niño in Cebu.
The festival in Aklan has morphed
into different versions in other key Visayan
cities: Dinagyang in Iloilo, Halaran in
Capiz, Binilirayan in Antique, Maskara in
Bacolod. The colorful and vibrant proces-
sions usually start from the church patio
with the cry: Pit Senor! Even non-Chris-
tians participate in the parades, dancing
and merrymaking. With its magnitude and
3/13/2008, 12:35 PM
with the interest it has generated espe-
cially from foreign tourists, Ati-Atihan
can easily be the Philippines Mardi Gras.
The devotion to Señor Santo Niño
has since spread across the archipelago
and even beyond our country, thanks to
overseas Filipino workers. In Filipino mi-
lieu, the child at home is very important
and can even become the center of
everybody’s attention. Thus, the Santo
Niño occupies a special place in the family
altar, usually with a green moneybag that
is supposed to enhance the family fortune.
While Filipinos correctly admire the Santo
Niño for his innocence and humility, there
is a very real danger that we reduce our-
selves to a feel-good acquaintance with
the Niño and turn him into a pet rather than
ourselves facing the challenge to grow in
age, grace and wisdom like Jesus. Nowa-
days, the Niño is seen in uniforms of varied
occupations like that of a doctor, a fireman,
a fisherman, police officer, baker and many
others.
Holy Week rituals
Filipinos have a distinct way in cel-
ebrating the passion, death
and resurrection of Jesus.
Passion Sunday is also Palm
Sunday and throngs of
people who come to church
on that day carry palm
fronds or palaspas de-
signed from coconut
leaves. These are used to
welcome Jesus in the per-
son of the priest who pre-
sides in the narration of
Jesus’ triumphal entry to
Jerusalem and Jesus’ pas-
sion on the Cross. After the
celebration, which usually
culminates in an evening
procession, the palaspas
is brought home and placed
by the window in the house
with the belief that the
blessed palm fronds will
ward of evil spirits or light-
ning.
The pabasa begins on
Holy Monday. Elder mem-
bers of the household usu-
ally lead in the chanting of
the narration of Christ’s
© Denz Dayao / CBCPMedia
passion. This is a long-held
tradition of many genera-
tions of families who con-
sider such practice as their
panata, a sacred vow that

cannot be broken lest kamalasan (misfor-
tune) or evil will come to the family. The
chanting follows a dragging rhythm and
the tune expresses sentiments of a
penitent’s plea for forgiveness. To listen
to old women’s non-stop chanting through
a loudspeaker system can be considered
enough penance for one’s sins, consider-
ing that the chanting goes on until mid-
night of Black Friday.
Since the story of man’s salvation,
won by Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross is
dramatic enough, expect the Filipinos to
dramatize this in an even more spectacular
way. Even before I started to read the
Bible, as a young child I was already ex-
posed to the senakulo, the story of the
Last Supper leading to Jesus’ arrest, pas-
sion and death. The characters in the Bible
were acted out on stage by amateur thes-
pians whose colorful costumes kept the
audience spellbound! Who would not cry
in pity for the Blessed Mother after Roman
soldiers had killed her son Jesus? Who
would not be disgusted with Judas? The
popular play never failed to touch a raw
nerve among the common people.
vol42_no03.pmd 19
Popular religiosity in the Philippines
If the senakulo generates strong emo-
tions among country folk, nothing else
beats the annual drama of the flagellantes
and the actual crucifixion of devotees in
Pampanga on Good Friday. In barangay
San Pedro Cutud, one can smell blood
mixed in sweat beneath the glaring sun.
Vendors hawk their goods while the local
settlers mingled and gawked at foreign
tourists. The penitents take center stage
and they come in three different catego-
ries. The most numerous are the so-called
“cross-bearers” or mamusan while the
“crawlers” or magsalibatbat are the least
in numbers. They crawl like worms, rub-
bing their skin against the dirt road cover-
ing their entire body with dust and soil.
The third kind of penitents, are the men
who are crucified known as the cristos.
The flagellantes and the cristos un-
dergo this annual form of sacrifice to be
sorry for their sins and to ask favors from
God. Their concerns vary widely—the good
health of a sick family member, to pass the
board exam, to win in the lottery or, as
presented in a Robin Padilla flick, to get a
US visa. They wear hoods and wreaths on
3/13/2008, 12:35 PM
© Denz Dayao / CBCPMedia
their head as they flagellate themselves
with bamboo reeds and use an instrument
called panabad to draw as much blood as
possible from previously-inflicted
wounds. They pass through the Via Cruces
(Way of the Cross), a 3-kilometer stretch of
dirt road before they reach the “Golgotha”,
site of the crucifixion.
Room for Growth
As pastors of the flock, the Catholic
Church hierarchy is careful to pass judg-
ment on the people’s popular religious
practices. For one, most of these practices
keep the faith of many simple people alive
and vibrant, something that the traditional
practices inside the Church fail to deliver.
However, the Church will also be remiss if
she does not speak against the abuses
committed in the pursuit of such practices.
The clamor of people towards a more vi-
brant, more inspiring and hope-filled cel-
ebration remains a tremendous pastoral
challenge for the Church and is a real
opportunity for growing together in our
Catholic faith. I
Volume 42 • Number 3 19
 ARTICLES
Human rights, the real
fulcrum of the new
Catholic-Muslim Forum
By Samir Khalil Samir, SJ
T
he Commission between Catholics
and Muslims, born on March 5th
(this year, at the Vatican Pontifical
Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, as an
aftermath of the visit by a delegation of
Muslim leaders) has been defined as “stable
and lasting” and will aim to “strengthen
love for God and for mankind”.
The primary principal at the basis of
this meeting was that of arriving at an
agreement on a common program and the
creation of a lasting dialogue Commis-
sion: not just an occasional event, but a
Forum similar to the one which already
exists between the Vatican and the Is-
lamic University al-Azhar. This new Jor-
danian reality presided over by the King
[who promoted the Islamic scholars letter
to Christian leaders, ed], aims to gather to
its core a vast number of Islamic religious
leaders and academics.
The creation of a lasting Commis-
sion—that meets every year, first in Rome,
then in Amman—is in my opinion, essen-
tial, because it avoids impulsive knee jerk
reactions, such as the threat of a break in
relations between Catholics and Mus-
lims. Moreover, the decision to call the
Commission whenever there is a need is
of notable importance.
The second matter of principal was
that of establishing the content of these
meetings. Participants decided that, by
and large, the dominant theme will be,
love for God and love for neighbour: in
this way the suggestions put forward in
the Letter by the 138 scholars—”A Com-
mon Word”—which places this concept
at the heart of relations between the two
religions.
Human rights and mutual respect
For its part the Church accepted this
20 IMPACT • March 2008
vol42_no03.pmd 20
point as fundamental, but it has added
two further points: human rights and
mutual respect. This because faith has
two dimensions: the theological and spiri-
tual dimension (understanding which
points the religions converge on), and a
more concrete dimension, dignity of the
person—this is fundamental, because it
is the basis for all human rights—and
mutual respect.
From a certain point of view, this
already has a theological dimension. In
fact from the Christian standpoint, man—
the image of God—has an absolute dig-
nity, even if atheist or sinner. It is co-
natural to man: he is the noblest being in
creation. Behind this concept lies the
entire program for dialogue.
Regarding mutual respect, this must
be the basis upon which relations with
other religions are built. The problem
remains this: we know we have diverging
dogma, even on some points, opposing.
So what can be done? Does this mean that
we cannot dialogue? No, dialogue is pos-
sible if and when both dogmas are re-
spected.
For example: Muslim, say that
Mohammad is God’s Messenger, even
the “Seal of the Prophets”: it is fully
within your rights to claim this, but you
must also recognize that for me Christian,
it is fully within my rights to say that
Mohammad is not the Messenger of God. “To you be your religion; to me my reli-
The parallel cilium that Christianity makes gion” (Koran 109:6), as Mohammad, the
is that Christ is the Son of God. This is his Muslim Prophet, said to the unbelievers
inalienable right, but at the same time no in Mecca.
one can oblige a Muslim to say that Christ Human rights therefore become the
is the Son of God. cornerstone, because the real point in
Mutual respect means: you have your common between Catholics and Mus-
principals and you have the right to ex- lims, between all mankind, is our human
press them, but you cannot force me to nature. With this collective concept ac-
recognize them as being valid for me. Let cepted by all, dogma and religious beliefs
us take the expression from the Koran: can be shared, but also not shared.
3/13/2008, 12:35 PM
 Human rights, the real fulcrum of the new Catholic-Muslim Forum
© Denz Dayao / CBCPMedia
Building together a common soci-
ety for all
This program will be of service as the
project of a society of shared vision is
slowly built. It is also of use, for example,
in the debate which has recently animated
Italy: at what point can we say that a fetus
is a human being, in the full meaning of the
word? If this is discussed within the con-
text of human dignity, then it is from its
vol42_no03.pmd 21
very beginning. In this way one’s opin-
ions are refined to the point where one can
say: let us live together as brothers, know-
ing that we are different.
This “principal of God” has at its core
love for God and love for neighbor. The
latter being a concept that needs refining:
who is my neighbor? In the Gospel, in
answer to a similar question posed by a
doctor of Law (“And who then, is my
neighbor?” Luke 15:29), Christ explains
that this is not the true question. The
question to be asked is: “How can I be-
come a neighbor to all men, even to my own
enemies?”
Therefore, by applying these distinc-
tions, the newborn Commission has placed
the cornerstone for what could become a
project for a society that is far wider in
breadth and scope, than the society from
which it was born.
Is it a dialogue with all Muslims?
All of this however must be inserted
into the context of the current Islamic
reality. Dialogue will never be possible
with a body that represents all the faithful
of Sunni Islam: there is no magisterium or
hierarchy in Islam. This detail likens the
Catholic-Islam dialogue to dialogue with
Protestants: who do we speak to? We
must have dialogue with each of the
groups, starting from the largest, but there
too we encounter difficulties. Once the
accord was signed with the Lutherans it
was not accepted by all of the faithful. One
central authority, for all to follow, does not
exist.
In a certain sense, the problem is the
same with Sunni Islam. Those who sign a
declaration can only claim to represent
themselves. In a certain sense, this group
does have moral authority, but not juridi-
cal. The group can serve as a source of
moral guidance to help others clarify con-
cepts and ideas. In this case, taking into
account the commitment of the Aal al-Bayt
foundation and of the vast number of
signatories, this group could play a far
greater role than its predecessors.
But sooner or later we will also have to
dialogue with the Shiites, because it is an
important branch of Islam (circa 15 % of all
Muslims), whose principals, from the in-
terpretative point of view, greatly diverge
from those of Sunni’s: they tend to give
greater importance to metaphysics and to
spirituality. Above all they have a hierar-
chical system that is unknown in Sunni
Islam and a different theological and ex-
egetic tradition. What’s more, the political
3/13/2008, 12:35 PM
and religious evolution of Shiites invites
others to create structured relations with
them. So much so, that sooner rather than
later, dialogue will have to begin with them
too.
In short, inter-religious dialogue is
something that is built one step at a time,
and requires decades. This is perfectly
normal; also because we have centuries of
parallel history with the Muslims, at times
even contrasting history.
As a result, if true dialogue is desired,
then first and foremost trust must be es-
tablished, because if trust is lacking then
the words themselves are empty. This
requires a journey that will take many years
to come: it is sufficient to see similar jour-
neys within the Christian family, to realize
how difficult it is. But it is this difficulty
which makes it all the more urgent that the
journey begins and on a solid basis.
Concluding Reflections
I would like to conclude with a ‘double’
reflection. The first, to note that this entire
process (the Letter by the 38 scholars, the
Vatican’s response, the letter by the 138
scholars, the Pope’s response through
Cardinal Bertone, the response in turn of
prince Ghazi and the following encounter)
all began with Professor Ratzinger’ ad-
dress (Pope Benedict XVI) in his old Uni-
versity in Regensburg, on September 12th
2006. Everything begun with a phrase of
Manuel II Paleologus in his exchange with
the Persian elder al-Mudarris). This one
sentence has provoked oceans of debate!
There are those who considered this
one phrase and the entire address an
error, there are those who considered it
a “felix culpa”, and then, there are those
who considered it as a “word of truth”.
Time and history will tell. What is cer-
tain, however, is that address, in its depth
and breadth, has forced everyone to
reflect. May God be praised! Wa-l-hamdu
li-llâh!
The second consideration is this;
thanks to the open hearts and open spirits
of many people, and in particular those of
the Aal al-Bayt foundation, a meeting of
minds is emerging from the initial clashing
of words. May God be praised! Wa-l-
hamdu li-llâhi dâ’iman!
Now, there is a truly beautiful road
ahead of us which will bring us to recognize
each other as brothers, even in our reli-
gious, cultural and spiritual differences. I
Fr. Samit Khalil Samir is an Egyptian Jesuit who is an
expert on Islam. This piece is reprinted with a general
permission by AsiaNews.
Volume 42 • Number 3 21
 ARTICLES
By Archbishop Antonio
J. Ledesma, SJ
DURING the general assembly
of the Catholic Bishops’ Con-
ference of the Philippines last
month, we reported that Phase
One of the National Rural Con-
gress is ongoing. During the
first quarter of this year, local-
level consultations on the role
of Basic Ecclesial Communities
Update on the National Rural Congress
in rural development are being
conducted in about 80 dioceses.
These are being coordinated by
the National Secretariat for So-
cial Action (NASSA), the Epis-
copal Commission for Indig-
enous Peoples (ECIP), and the
BEC Desk of CBCP.
At the same time, another
secretariat representing the
Philippine–Misereor Partner-
ship (PMP), the Association of
Major Religious Superior,
(AMRSP), and the Rural Poor
Solidarity (RPS) are holding
consultations in 14 sub-re-
gions of the country on rural
issues. Included in these con-
sultations are representatives
from the basic rural sectors of
small farmers, indigenous
people, small fishermen, etc. as
well as non-government orga-
nizations and social action cen-
ters. These consultations have
been scheduled in the five sub-
regions of Mindanao
(ZAMBASULI, KIDMACO,
DOPIM, CABUSTAM, and
DADITAMA); Central
Visayas, Samar, Eastern
Visayas, Panay-Romblon, and
Negros; Southern Tagalog,
Northern Luzon, Central Luzon,
22 IMPACT • March 2008
vol42_no03.pmd 22
and Bicol.
As foreseen, there is more
diversity of views being pre-
sented in these subregional
consultations. To enable all
views to be adequately ex-
pressed, the NRC Central Com-
mittee is asking each organiza-
tion to submit written state-
ments during or after the con-
sultations. This will also facili-
tate the consolidation of these
various perspectives—e.g., on
the causes of rural poverty, the
implementation of the Compre-
hensive Agrarian Reform Pro-
gram (CARP) the Indigenous
People’s Rights’ Act (IPRA),
etc., and calls for action.
The NRC Central Commit-
tee and Secretariats have also
issued three guidelines as a
framework for the conduct of
the NRC process. First we sub-
scribe to the moral principles
enunciated in the Social Teach-
ing of the Church in judging
the situation. Thus, we are
mindful of the dignity of the
rural poor, the common good,
protection of the environment,
and the demands of social jus-
tice in terms of labor and prop-
erty rights.
Secondly, we abide by the
Philippines Constitution, par-
ticularly its social justice pro-
visions. These enunciate the
spirit of social legislation that
enhances the rights of all basic
sectors to their human dignity,
reduce social and economic
inequalities, and diffuse wealth
and political power.
Thirdly, we adhere to non-
violent and democratic means
in our engagement with gov-
ernment and the various sec-
tors of society. We condemn
the extra-judicial killings of
peasant leaders in particular,
and we join the call for trans-
parency, accountability and
good governance in the con-
duct of public affairs.
The month of April will be
set aside for the consolidation
of the reports coming from the
diocesan and sub-regional con-
sultations. Research centers like
the Asian Social Institute (ASI)
and the School of Labor and
Industrial Relations (SOLAIR)
of the University of the Philip-
pines have signified their readi-
ness to help synthesize the sub-
regional proceedings.
Phase Two of the NRC
process will take place in is-
land–wide or regional con-
gresses, involving representa-
tives from the BECs, peasant
sectors, NGOs and social ac-
tion centers. In their regional
meetings last January, the bish-
ops expressed their readiness
to help organize these con-
gresses. The Western Visayas
region will hold its congress on
May 20-21 in Jaro, while Cen-
tral and Eastern Visayas will
have theirs on May 21-22 in
Cebu. The Mindanao bishops
have agreed to hold their con-
gress on June 18-20 in Cagayan
de Oro. Luzon North and Luzon
South regions will still have to
determine the dates and ven-
ues for their congresses.
Instead of one national
congress, the regional con-
gresses have been agreed upon
3/13/2008, 12:35 PM
to enable more active and wide-
spread participation by lan-
guage groups, as well as to mini-
mize transportation costs for
delegates. The deliberation and
action planning could also zero
in on localized issues. These
would then be the substantive
part of the NRC process.
Phase Three of the NRC
process will comprise the re-
porting of the five regional
congresses to the general as-
sembly of bishops. This will
take place on July 7-8, after the
regular bi-annual CBCP meet-
ing. The two-day gathering of
bishops and an equal number
of delegates will be the culmi-
nating activity of NRC, as well
as the commencement of the
action plans for the post-NRC
period.
But even as the NRC pro-
cess unfolds, small farmer or-
ganizations and NGOs, with the
help of several bishops, have
already been engaging gov-
ernment agencies in pending
rural issues—notably, the need
to extend the agrarian reform
program beyond June 2008, and
the resolution of urgent land
issues involving farmer-ben-
eficiaries in Sumilao,
Canlubang, etc.
A second bishops-legis-
lators’ caucus is being orga-
nized on February 27, and a
summit with government agen-
cies on rural poverty issues is
being planned in April. The
see-judge-act approach may
actually be taking place already
in a spiraling and reinforcing
direction. I

Seeking the truth, restoring integrity
(A CBCP Pastoral Statement)
Beloved People of God:
Greetings in the peace of the Lord!
Today in the midst of restlessness
and confusion, we come to you as pastors,
for that is our precise role. We do not come
as politicians whose vocation it is to order
society towards the common good. Our
message contributes to the flourishing of
a democracy which must not be built only
on political formulae.
We face today a crisis of truth and the
pervading cancer of corruption. We must
seek the truth and we must restore integ-
rity. These are moral values needing spiri-
tual and moral insights.
Therefore, we address this pastoral
statement to everyone particularly you
our beloved people and in a special way to
our political rulers and officials.
We are convinced that the search for
truth in the midst of charges and allega-
tions must be determined and relentless,
and that the way to truth and integrity
must be untrammeled, especially at the
present time when questions about the
moral ascendancy of the present govern-
ment are being raised.
For this reason, we strongly:
vol42_no03.pmd 23
1. Condemn the continuing culture of
corruption from the top to the bottom
of our social and political ladder;
2. Urge the President and all the branches
of government to take the lead in com-
bating corruption wherever it is found;
3. Recommend the abolition of EO 464 so
that those who might have knowledge
of any corruption in branches of gov-
ernment may be free to testify before
the appropriate investigating bodies;
4. Ask the President to allow her subor-
dinates to reveal any corrupt acts,
particularly about the ZTE-NBN deal,
without being obstructed in their tes-
timony no matter who is involved;
5. Appeal to our senators and the om-
budsman to use their distinct and dif-
ferent powers of inquiry into alleged
corruption cases not for their own
interests but for the common good;
6. Call on media to be a positive resource
of seeking the truth and combating
corruption by objective reporting with-
out bias and partiality, selective and
tendentious reporting of facts;
For the long term we reiterate our call
for “circles of discernment” at the
grassroots level, in our parishes, Basic
3/13/2008, 12:35 PM
STATEMENTS
Ecclesial Communities, recognized lay or-
ganizations and movements, religious in-
stitutions, schools, seminaries and uni-
versities. It is through internal conversion
into the maturity of Christ through com-
munal and prayerful discernment and ac-
tion that the roots of corruption are dis-
covered and destroyed. We believe that
such communal action will perpetuate at
the grassroots level the spirit of People
Power so brilliantly demonstrated to the
world at EDSA I. It is People Power with a
difference. From the grassroots will come
out a culture of truth and integrity we so
deeply seek and build. We instruct our
CBCP Commissions to take active role
including networking for this purpose.
May the Lord bless us in this sacred
undertaking to build a new kind of Philip-
pines and may our Blessed Mother be our
companion and guide in this journey to
truth and integrity.
For and on behalf of the Catholic
Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines:
+ANGEL N. LAGDAMEO, D.D.
Archbishop of Jaro
President, CBCP
February 26, 2008
Volume 42 • Number 3 23
 STATEMENTS
‘Mother nature is speaking,
are we listening?’
A Pastoral Letter on the
Samar and other parts
Beloved People of God:
It is with sadness and deep compas-
sion for our people, especially for all the
flood victims in our communities; that we
speak out. In the past few days, heavy La
Niña rains caused flooding in our rivers,
streams and seas, claiming precious human
lives, sweeping away houses, domesticated
animals and bridges as well as inundating
farms and making impassable a number of
our roads and highways. We thank the
generosity and sacrifices of ordinary citi-
zens as well as government and non-gov-
ernment groups that have responded to our
people’s most basic needs.
At the same time, this tragedy compels
us to look more deeply into our circum-
stances.
1. We have suffered severe flooding in
Eastern Samar but also in other parts of
Samar and Leyte, the likes of which
have never been seen or experienced
before. These could indicate ominous
conditions in the future. We must ask:
Are we adequately and effectively pre-
paring ourselves and our people to
respond to emergencies such as this
24 IMPACT • March 2008
vol42_no03.pmd 24
flooding of Eastern
of Samar Island
most recent calamity? Do we truly un-
derstand what we have been through
and do we know what to do in re-
sponse? If results are any indication,
we still have a long way to go.
2. From what we see, it is without a doubt
that these floods have also been exac-
erbated by many of our depleted for-
ests, damaged mountains and natural
landscapes due to irresponsible log-
ging and mining. At times it seems
everything we have lost is beyond
recovery. But we must do our part in the
urgent task of saving what we can. This
means that we must decide for the
restoration, preservation and protec-
tion of our forests, mountains and what
remains of our natural wealth.
3. We also need to identify the sources of
damage and abuse to our forests and
mountains, no matter how the truth
may hurt. By necessity we must point
to loggers, miners (small-scale or large-
scale) and irresponsible citizens among
us who prefer personal profit to com-
mon benefit.
4. Apart from the evils wrought on our
3/13/2008, 12:35 PM
land, we note that environmental abuse
for money, such as what we see from
logging or mining, gives only minimal
compensation and temporary employ-
ment to our poor. According to the
Church document Economic Justice
for All, “the Church has affirmed that
misuse of the world’s resources or ap-
propriation of them by a minority of the
world’s population betrays the gift of
creation since whatever belongs to God
belongs to all” (EJA 34). Logging and
mining, for example, only benefit a few,
namely, the big-time loggers and min-
ers themselves, together with some
unscrupulous politicians and business-
men. Worse, some concessions are
granted under dubious circumstances
at the expense of poor communities.
Moreover, in the last one hundred
years, responsible mining is virtually
non-existent in Philippine history while
the results of irresponsible mining are
very visible and form permanent scars
in our landscapes.
5. Finally, although we deeply appreciate
outside help, we must see ourselves as
primarily responsible for finding our own
solutions. Pope John XXIII in Mater et
Magistra aptly says that “the locals are
in the best position to decide on devel-
opment strategies that best respond to
their needs and conditions” (MM 55). It
is the locals who suffer when commercial
logging depletes natural habitats, drain
water and forest resources and flood
lowland communities. It is the locals,
therefore, who must find ways and means
to conserve their natural resources for
their common benefit and those of future
generations.
When God “took man and placed him
in the garden of Eden”, Genesis tells us that
he did so for man “to cultivate and take care
of it” (Gen 2:15). Cultivating and caring,
then, are from God while abusing and de-
stroying our environment must be pointed
out as contrary to his will and plan for the
earth. Mother Nature, in fact, is speaking
the same message these days. If we care for
her, she will care for us. If we abuse her, we
reap destruction. We must make wise
choices. As Moses reminded Israel to
“choose life that you and your descen-
dants may live” (Dt 30:20), so we your
pastors urge you to choose life by protect-
ing and preserving our land from the abuses
of logging and mining.
+CRISPIN B. VARQUEZ, DD
Bishop of Borongan
And clergy

A call for emancipation from
the bondage of corruption
LENT is a season of reflection,
penance, and self-renewal. Can
it be providential that during
this time of lent, we are hounded
once again by deep and dis-
turbing scandals affecting us
individually as citizens and
collectively as a nation?
The dismal state of cor-
ruption in government as re-
vealed by recent revelations
should now impel us to seek
and pursue the truth. Actually,
the truth is out. Corruption is
rampant: in the use of public
funds, among friends, in our
dealings with foreigners, in
public offices, among high and
low officials.
The essential thing now
is for us to reflect on what has
become of us Filipinos. And
by “us” we mean all, both in
and out of government, pri-
vate and public individuals.
For there seems to be a pre-
supposition that corruption is
bred by government and gov-
ernment alone. Nothing can
be farther from the truth. Cor-
ruption exists even in the pri-
vate sector which should like-
wise get its share of condem-
nation. Corruption is present
even in churches and schools,
among adults and youth.
Moreover, like cancer it is not
confined to just one part. It
affects and pains from wher-
ever it emanates. Rizal, a cen-
tury ago, once alluded to a
metaphor of the motherland as
being sick. Did we ever reflect
and ask ourselves why until
this very day we have the same
diagnosis?
vol42_no03.pmd 25
STATEMENTS
“For authority was given you by the Lord, your kingship is from the Most High…” Wisdom 7:3
On a brighter side how-
ever, we are grateful to God.
With His grace, we still exist as
a nation. Many times over, we
have been given another lease
on life as Filipinos, with our
country – the Philippines. But
our nation is still a work-in-
progress. We have had numer-
ous pre-colonial uprisings,
modern day coup d’états, and
people power revolts. We seem
to be endlessly rolling the rock
of Sisyphus up and down the
hill of our destiny. But by the
grace of God, we have sur-
vived.
And so we ask: Why are
we corrupt? Why do we have
this debilitating and enslaving
sin? And this question we can
only ask ourselves. Is it just
our leaders? How about us?
Do we put the blame on others
only?
Are we indeed sovereign
and responsible citizens? her very family. The allega- herself wanting, then in all
There is among us a cry of tions are very serious and even humility, let her resign as an
dismay over corruption. And point to her as being the core act of penance, and pave the
there is a growing clamor for of all the anomalies happen- way for national self-renewal
both immediate and long term ing in her government. We ask eventually to evolve into a re-
actions. But before we leap, let her, devout Catholic as she is, newed nation embarked on
us pause to reflect, to discern, to level with us her people, to high moral grounds and not
to do penance, and pray for take us into her confidence in just of power and self aggran-
renewal done on a national level the spirit of lent, with God as dizement alone.
during this time of lent. Let us her witness—but spare us the We pray that in this sea-
resolve to emerge from this legal/technical jargons of poli- son of lent, we can reflect more
period, discernment renewed ticians. We ask her to share on the causes of sin, do pen-
at Easter time. her innermost sentiments and ance, and collectively renew
We respectfully request reflections with the people. our life as a nation by eradicat-
President Gloria Macapagal- What has she to say about ing corruption around us in our
Arroyo who is conscience why our country has become personal life and in the life of
bound as a symbol of our sov- so corrupt? Let the blind eyes the community.
ereignty, to pronounce her- of justice prevail. If she’s still
self on the allegations hurled worth being our president, +ANTONIO J. LEDESMA, S.J.
against her administration and then let it be. But if she finds Archbishop of Cagayan de Oro
Volume 42 • Number 3 25
3/13/2008, 12:35 PM
 FROM THE
B L O G S

I
t started rather well. The perceived cul-
prit eventually left Malacañang. His
constitutional successor took the reign
of governance. In fact, not only during the
latter’s public and official swearing into
office were the people feel rewarded by
their crusade and jubilant in their victory.
The truth is that Filipinos became
even more impressed and gratified when
the then incumbent successor Chief Ex-
ecutive likewise publicly and officially said
that running for elections for the Office of
the President in 2004 was not an option.
The possible presidential candidacy was
graciously waived for three dear and en-
dearing reasons, viz., to unite the people,
to improve the economy, to revamp the
Commission on Elections.
Had the admirable personal decision
been kept and the selfless pronouncement
been observed, the Philippines could have
been a blessed country and the Filipinos
might have been a fortunate people. Then
EDSA 2 would have been a much treasured
phenomenon and a continuously remem-
bered socio-moral success.
Then People Power could have been
a much inspiring and edifying reality for
the Filipinos to recall and for the world to
remember with awe and admiration. The
nation today might be free of increasing
popular dissent, loud and repeated calls
for the resignation of the now considered
over-staying Malacañang occupant.
‘God spoke to me!’
But sooner than later, a markedly dif- an ignominious chapter of Philippine his-
ferent song was heard and a very disturb- tory still in the making. Would that it might
ing claim was made. The successor said: I eventually have a redeeming end.
am running for the Presidency. The reason For normal individuals, it is a grave
given: God told me! And the way of the moral blunder to invoke the name of God in
cross for Juan de la Cruz started. Among vain. Those who do so, ultimately pay
the thorns immediately placed and the very dearly for it—together with all those
nails deeply driven into the heart and soul whose lives are impacted by their blasphe-
of the Filipino people were the odious mous crime and consequent censurable
Garci tapes—something even made much behavior. But for abnormal persons, the
Had the admirable personal decision been kept and the selfless
pronouncement been observed, the Philippines could have been a
blessed country and the Filipinos might have been a fortunate
people. Then EDSA 2 would have been a much treasured phenom-
enon and a continuously remembered socio-moral success.
worst by the much rehearsed claim of false Good Lord is compassionate. He knows
sorrow. The former were hideous. The better. He readily understands. No moral
latter was repulsive. To these days, the liability is appended to the abnormal. In
passion of the nation continues. The cru- such an unfortunate case, no personal
cifixion of the people endures. Their pains guilt is incurred, and no social penalty is
are deep. Their cries are loud. imposed.
And it all began with the supreme Lesson: As a matter of principle, people
vanity or downright blasphemy of “GOD should immediately shun any politician
SPOKE TO ME!”—with the over-all clincher who claims that God talks to her or him!
after the highly suspect 2004 presidential This is a dangerous gambit, a fatal claim.
election “God placed me here!” The rest is ovc.blogspot.com

Think positive
bad news in the Philippines. And
this is why the time has come to
assiduously look for, note well
and emphasize much the truly
ACTION: No comment.
DEDICATION: It has to be
conceded that the said national
public servant is busy inaugu-

T
ime and again, sincere and
genuine efforts are delib-
eratelyexertedtothinkposi-
tive and to speak well about the
present government, the ruling
administration, the Malacañang
occupants. In plain and simple
language, this is an honest and
persistent endeavor in order to
joyfully discover and proudly
speak of what is true and honest,
admirable and commendable, vir-
tuous and exemplary about the
national leadership which has
already been in governance for
some six long years.
In short, this is an affirma-
tive venture to see the good plus
the best in the words and deeds
of the incumbent “NUMERO
UNO” in the country whose acts
of commission and omission
cannot but have their big and
lasting impact on the present
and the future of the Filipino
people.
Needless to say, there has
been and there is still the re-
peated mention of the practi-
cally endless litany of hideous
graft and corrupt practices,
anomalous transactions and
fraudulent deals—all clearly and
loudly attributed to the national
leadership with the company of
its ever loyal allies presumably
for certain big, fat and regular
considerations.
Tri-Media are certainly not
wanting in their daily broadcasts,
telecasts and newspapers—not
only for local but also interna-
tional consumption. This is why
even Filipinos in foreign lands
and distant soils remain well in-
formed of apparently unending
good news about and from
Malacañang.
After much reflection and
deep soul-searching, there seem
to be at most three apparent posi-
tive features that can be predi-
cated of and appended to the
highest office holder in the land:
First is its vision. Second is its
dedication. And third is its deter-
mination.
VISION: It has to be admit-
ted that the Chief Executive is
visionary. There is the projec-
tion of “super regions”—not to
mention the contemplation of
“super maids”. Furthermore there
is the prediction of the Philip-
pines being a “first world coun-
try: by 2030. Meantime, there is
the continuous forecast of
avowed elimination of graft and
corruption on government. RE-
rating a road, a school, a water
pump here and there. There is
also much time spent in going
from one province to another,
inclusive of one country to an-
other to the extent of having
chartered flights with family
members and dear friends, inclu-
sive of lodging in the finest for-
eign hotels—to promote Philip-
pine economy. RESPONSE: No
need!
DETERMINATION: It has
to be accepted that the same
national public figure is deter-
mined to exercise any possible
authority, to use ordinary and
extraordinary powers, to use all
the available resources for one
distinct and determined goal—
to stay in office until 2010 and
beyond. COMMENT: What for?
ovc.blogspot.com

26 IMPACT • March 2008

vol42_no03.pmd 26 3/13/2008, 12:35 PM


Moderating the greed
THE now infamous, if actually seemingly official injunc-
tion, “Moderate their greed!” says a mouthful about the
ruling administration. Some of its key officials and close
associates in the matter of wheeling and dealing big, fat
and juicy government contracts—be this done entirely
in the national scene or consummated with foreign
governments—still thought of tempering wholesale heist
with moderation. But the order is very revealing. The
charge is very disturbing.
Among other realities, the following appear to be
more odious from where conclusions can be readily
drawn: First, detestable graft and unconscionable cor-
rupt practices with direct or indirect Malacañang inter-
vention, has become systemic and wherefore also
endemic to highly overpriced government transactions.
Second, as the culture of graft and corruption in high
national public offices has become well engrained, the
abominable handling and use of public funds has also
gradually but firmly taken deep root in practically all
local government units—the barangay units included.
Third, that it stands to reason that while the abandon-
ment of the offices of the Chief Executive may be the
call of the day, the cleansing or even considerable
decrease of casual graft and corruption in government
will need sustained rectifying attention and pursuant
organized expurgating effort from vigilant citizenry.
Think about the Malacañang, speak about many of
its highly placed allies, and consider its big beneficiaries
from the national, regional and local levels—and a
vol42_no03.pmd 27
EDITORIAL
rather big number of adult and young people almost
immediately have corruption unlimited in mind. Huge
commissions made at the expense of the citizens, and
billions of public funds pocketed to the loss of millions of
direct and indirect tax payers. This is how bad it has
become. The rampant equation these times sounds:
“Administration equals corruption.”
And this national situation which is not only degrad-
ing but also devastating for the country and its people,
precisely finds its cause in greed. Incidentally, the
ignominious vice of greed is a deplorable sickness of the
human spirit, a disgraceful disease of the human heart.
Greed basically implies quality, not quantity. It is a
forceful inner want that is never satisfied, a potent
interior longing which is never satiated. This is why
greed is a capital sin because it is the fertile origin of
other heinous sins—such as licentious lying, flagrant
stealing, gross cheating and other erratic actuations that
betray a dysfunctional conscience.
In this sense, greed is not really subject to modera-
tion. That is why moderating greed is but wishful
thinking. For that reason, a greedy bunch simply feels
and entertains bigger and bigger greed. It gives the
heartrending image of a bucket used to draw water with
its bottom completely gone. And because greed is such,
at the end of the day, someone greedy while already
wallowing in wealth plus the power that goes with it
eventually goes to the grave still greedy—still wanting
but paradoxically still suffering from deep emptiness.
Volume 42 • Number 3 27
3/13/2008, 12:35 PM
 FROM THE
I N B O X

The wise old man

A wise old gentleman, Ahmad, retired
and purchased a modest home near a
secondary school. He spent the first few
After a few days, the old-timer greeted
the kids again, but this time he had a sad
smile on his face.
weeks of his retirement in peace and con- “This recession’s really putting a big
tentment. Then a new school year began. dent in my income,” he told them. “From
The very next afternoon three young now on, I’ll only be able to pay you 50
boys, full of youthful, after-school enthu- cents to beat on the cans.”
siasm, came down his street, beating mer- The noisemakers were obviously dis-
rily on every trash can they encountered. pleased, but they accepted his offer and
The crashing percussion continued day continued their afternoon ruckus. A few
after day, until finally Ahmad decided it days later, the wily retiree approached
was time to take some action. them again as they drummed their way
The next afternoon, he walked out to down the street.
meet the young percussionists as they “Look,” Ahmad said, “I haven’t re-
banged their way down the street. ceived my pension check yet, so I’m not

© Floris Leeuwenberg/The Cover Story/Corbis

Stopping them, he said, “You kids are going to be able to give you more than 25
a lot of fun. I like to see you express your cents. Will that be okay?”
exuberance like that. In fact, I used to do “A freakin’ quarter?” the drum leader
the same thing when I was your age. Will exclaimed. “If you think we’re going to waste
you do me a favor? I’ll give you each a our time, beating these cans around for a
dollar if you’ll promise to come around quarter, you’re nuts! No way, dude. We quit!”
every day and do your thing.” And the old man enjoyed peace and
The kids were elated and continued to serenity for the rest of his days.
do a bang-up job on the trashcans. rowena.dalanon@cbcpworld.net

The
woodcutter
O nce upon a time, a very
strong woodcutter
asked for a job from a tim-
ber merchant, and he got it.
The pay was really good
and so were the work con-
ditions. For that reason, the
woodcutter was deter-
mined to do his best.
His boss gave him an
axe and showed him the area
where he was supposed to
work.
The first day, the wood-
cutter brought 18 trees.
“Congratulations,” the
boss said. “Go on that way!”
Very motivated for the
boss’ words, the woodcut-
ter try harder the next day,
but he only could bring 15
trees. The third day he try
even harder, but he only
could bring 10 trees. Day
after day he was bringing
less and less trees.
“I must be losing my
strength”, the woodcutter
thought. He went to the
boss and apologized, say-
ing that he could not under-
stand what was going on.
“When was the last
time you sharpened your
axe?” the boss asked.
“Sharpen? I had no time
to sharpen my axe. I have
been very busy trying to cut
trees...”
rowena.dalanon@cbcpworld.net
The house of
1000 mirrors
L ong time ago in a small, far
away village, there was a
place known as the House of
back and visit it often.”
In this same village, an-
other little dog, who was not
1000 Mirrors. A small, happy quite as happy as the first one,
little dog learned of this place decided to visit the house. He
and decided to visit. When he slowly climbed the stairs and
arrived, he bounced happily hung his head low as he looked
up the stairs to the doorway of into the door. When he saw the
the house. He looked through 1000 unfriendly looking dogs
the doorway with his ears lifted staring back at him, he growled
high and his tail wagging as at them and was horrified to see
fast as it could. 1000 little dogs growling back
To his great surprise, he at him. As he left, he thought to
found himself staring at 1000 himself, “That is a horrible
other happy little dogs with place, and I will never go back
their tails wagging just as fast there again.”
as his. He smiled a great smile, All the faces in the
and was answered with 1000 world are mirrors. What kind
great smiles just as warm and of reflections do you see in
friendly. As he left the House, the faces of the people you
he thought to himself, “This is meet?
a wonderful place. I will come rowena.dalanon@cbcpworld.net

28 IMPACT • March 2008

vol42_no03.pmd 28 3/13/2008, 12:35 PM

 B O O K
REVIEWS

Film and Faith

Peter Malone, MSC
An Australian Missionary of the Sacred Heart, and
an internationally-known film critic, Malone, had
been captivated by the world of cinema at the age
of eight, and had been reviewing films for the past
40 years. This book, an updated and expanded
version of an earlier work titled The Film, con-
tains new ideas and film examples that have
been used as materials in various film seminars
he has given in many parts of the globe.

As the title suggests, the book offers a Christian

view of films. Film, being an excellent means of
communication, speaks to us a lot about our-
selves and life in general. Malone says “today’s
films contribute to the questioning of life and its
values, and, therefore, form an important part of
the search of God. In so far as they communi-
cate to worldwide audiences who can, in turn,
communicate their response to one another,
many films aid people in their search. The shock,
the challenge to values, [offered by films] means
that for the audience that responds to the chal-
lenge, the search is on.”

Presented in nine chapters, the book opens with

the basic question of “facing up to films”; its place
in modern society and its essential role as
means of communication. Why we respond in a
particular way to certain films and “how their con-
tent appeals to our basic human drives” are also
discussed in the succeeding chapters. The final
chapter takes the idea of films as modern
parables that speak to us of life and values. Claim-
ing the book only to be an essay, Malone says his
attempt is only “to develop a reasonable approach
to films along Christian lines. Films are an out-
standing means of communication. It would be a
pity if they did not broaden our horizons, if they did
not help us communicate with one another.” This
book is published by Communication Founda-
tion for Asia.
Danger Signals
For Marriage Intents and Purposes
Oscar V. Cruz, JCD, DD
Having worked in Church Marriage Tribunals for
34 years, Archbishop Cruz indeed has a wealth
of advice to couples contemplating marriage.
Danger Signals does not in anyway ask couples
thinking of tying the knot to forego the idea, rather
it presents essential reasons why for some indi-
viduals marriage is not advisable. The author
goes on to discuss various factors that can be
considered danger signals for marriage such as,
personal circumstances, personality disorders
and circumstantial factors. For those pondering
to get married it is maybe advisable to look into
these considerations in order to make a wise
decision. This present volume is the 27th title pub-
lished so far by Archbishop Oscar Cruz.
Sing, O Barren
One…
and other Essays on
Biblical Themes
Helen R. Graham, MM
A compilation of previously published
articles, this book published by
Claretian Publications presents a
wealth of materials on biblical
themes. The articles are grouped into
four topics—War and Peace, Social
Justice, Biblical Women, Church and
Mission—subject matters that are
truly significant at this time as
marginalized sectors continue their
struggle on issues of human rights
and social justice. A Maryknoll mis-
sionary in the Philippines for over four
decades, Graham’s interest in the
bible and theology started early in life.
This childhood curiosity later on de-
veloped into a continuous pursuit of
biblical knowledge. Her passion and
mission in life which she fervently
shared with her students through the
years are well reflected in this collec-
tion of essays. An excellent resource,
this volume gives relevant insights
to current issues confronting people
today.
How Each Child
Learns
Using Multiple
Intelligence in Faith
Formation
Bernadette T. Stankard
“What can you do about the boy in your
religion class who is always hum-
ming a tune, or a girl who just can’t sit
still and loves to move around the
room? How do you reach the thinker,
the poet, and the artist with the basic
teachings of the faith and insure that
their experience of God is positive and
nurturing?” Teaching children is defi-
nitely a challenge that requires not
merely knowledge on the part of the
teacher but also a deeper understand-
ing that each child is unique. Multiple
intelligence theory is an effective way
of discovering and nurturing the gifts
and talents that each child pos-
sesses. In this book the author shows
how the theory can be applied in
teaching religion to children. The
method can be used not only in the
classroom, but also at home and in
the parish. Suggestions and practi-
cal techniques are given. Published
by Paulines, this volume is filled with
stories that would aid parents and
teachers to teach children creatively.

Volume 42 • Number 3 29

vol42_no03.pmd 29 3/13/2008, 12:35 PM

 ENTERTAINMENT
CATHOLIC INITIATIVE
FOR ENLIGHTENED
MOVIE APPRECIATION
Title: 10,000 B.C.
Running Time: 109
mins
Lead Cast: Steven Strait,
Camillia Belle, Cliff
Curtis, Joel Virgil
Director: Roland
Emmerich
Producers: Roland
Emmerich, Mark
Gordon, Michael
Wimer
Screenwriters: Roland
Emmerich, Harald
Kloser
Music: Harald Kloser,
Thomas Wanker
As the movie’s
title says, this is story
of a mountain hunt-
ing tribe long before
the dawn of history.
A young blue-eyed
girl, Evolet, is pre-
dicted by the high
priestess to have a
crucial role in the fu-
ture of the tribe. At-
tracted to her is a
young boy, D’Leh,
whose father is
known as a coward,
having abandoned
the tribe to save him-
self. Young as they
are, the two believe
that they are destined
to be a pair. Years
later, the young man
D’Leh (Steven Strait)
slays a mammoth
singlehandedly,
prompting the chief-
tain to bequeath to
him the white staff,
the symbol of tribal
leadership. Soon af-
ter a band of warlords
on horseback raid the
village for slaves, and
one of them fancies
Evolet. Learning
about the abduction,
D’Leh decides to res-
cue her alone, but two
30 IMPACT • March 2008
vol42_no03.pmd 30
Editor: Alexander
Berner
Genre: Adventure/
Drama
Cinematography: Ueli
Steiger
Distributor: Warner
Bros. Picture
Location: Namibia
Technical Assess-
ment: zzz
Moral Assessment:

CINEMA Rating: For
viewers 14 and
above
other hunters join
him. From now on,
they say, they would
be warriors, not hunt-
ers; soon they dis-
cover a teenage boy
following them, want-
ing to join them. This
unlikely band of four
then brave the harsh
winter in the wilder-
ness in pursuit of the
marauders. In the pro-
cess they discover a
lost civilization.
Realistic is the
word that keeps pop-
ping up as one views that could kill you other technical as- geous or merely impul-
the movie. The mam- with a flap of their ear; pects like cinematog- sive? Ponder, too,
moths—hairy el- then the giant birds raphy, music, sound how the people’s ac-
ephants with long that look like over- effects, editing, etc. tions are dictated, and
curved tusks—are sized ostriches but also contribute to the lives are shaped, by
definitely CGI (com- have a taste for hu- movie’s overall ac- oracles and signs from
puter generated im- man flesh. Add to ceptability. the heavens. The hero
ages), since they died that the saber- Values that may here is motivated by
out more than 10,000 toothed tiger four be gleaned from the gut feel, whether he is
years ago. Unlike times the size of the story are loyalty, self- promising undying
other CGI-aided mov- zoo variety but which confidence, self-re- love to a girl he hardly
ies that bank on wiz- is so intelligent it can spect, bravery, perse- knows, or is negotiat-
ards, people flying honor a debt of grati- verance, reverence for ing a deal with a tiger
and all sorts of phe- tude. It is to these the unseen power. ten times his size. The
nomena possible CGI creatures that Teenagers may ben- story may satisfy the
only in the realm of the movie owes it efit from discussion teen crowd or movie-
the imagination, appeal. The non-Hol- with elders on topics goers who can enjoy a
10,000 BC simply pits lywood actors are like courage and re- screen adventure that
mere humans against relative unknowns al- sponsibility: how can doesn’t burden its au-
fantabulous animals. though they deliver a one tell when one is dience with profun-
First the mammoths fair performance. All being truly coura- dity.
3/13/2008, 12:35 PM
 N E W S
BRIEFS

CHINA IRAQ NORTH KOREA Thalladi, killing 6 soldiers.

The portico and entrance to
China to keep one- Terrorists abduct North Korea, world’s the shrine were seriously
child policy bishop no.1 persecutor damaged.

The government will Chaldean Catholic A US-based evangelical

maintain its one-child policy
for at least another decade.
Family Planning Minister
Zhang Weiqing said scrap-
ping the policy would cause
“serious problems and add
extra pressure on socioeco-
nomic development. The
law, begun in the 1970s, bans
couples from bearing more
than one child.
HONG KONG
Priest shortage in HK Solidarity
Christians needed
Catholic Church officials
admitted the diocese of Hong
Kong suffers from priest
shortage, arising from the
growth in the Catholic popu-
lation. Fr. Lawrence Lee,
chancellor of the Hong Kong
diocese, attributed the lack
of growth in priestly voca-
tions to the influence of a
secularized culture. Over the
past 7 years, only 10 men
have been ordained to the
priesthood.
INDIA
Gov’t mulls paying
cash to foil abortion PM won’t quit over Bishops hits artillery
vote debacle
The Indian government
is considering giving cash
incentives to the families of
baby girls to limit the num-
ber of abortions of females
due to a preference for sons.
The financial aid would be
given to families to “encour-
age them for better upbring-
ing of girl child and to edu-
cate her”, said women and
child development minister
Renuka Chowdhury.
Bishop of Mosul Paulos
Faraj Raho has been ab-
ducted by suspected terror-
ists last Feb 29. Reports said
the kidnappers already con-
tacted the Chaldean church
to make a ransom demand.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al
Maliki had already ordered
an all-out effort to secure
the release of the prelate.
LEBANON
with
Some nations warned its
citizens against traveling to
Lebanon following a violent
escalation recently in
Lebanon’s protracted politi-
cal crisis. Christians con-
tinue to play a unique role in
the multi-cultural and reli-
giously varied country, as
Lebanon’s Foreign Minister
Tareq Mitri has called on
the need for greater solidar-
ity with Middle Eastern
Christians.
MALAYSIA
shelling of shrine
Prime Minister Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi has no plan
to step down after leading his
ruling coalition to its worst-
ever poll disaster in which
opposition won control of 5
of the nation’s 13 states.
Abdullah is not quitting, de-
spite urging by predecessor
Mahathir Mohamad that he
must take responsibility for
the election defeat.
group marked North Korea
as the world’s leading per-
secutor of Christians. Open
Doors USA, listed North
Korea on top among 8 na-
tions guilty of “severe per-
secution.” Saudi Arabia
ranked second on the list,
followed by Iran. The other
countries included in the list
are: Maldives, Bhutan,
Yemen, Afghanistan and
Laos.
PALESTINE
Israel, Palestine vow
talks despite attack
The recent bloody attack
by terrorist group Hamas on
a yeshiva in Jerusalem that
killed 8 Orthodox Jewish stu-
dents will not stop Israeli-
Palestinian talks. The attack
came just after Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas
agreed to resume negotia-
tions with Israel. Both na-
tions insisted to go with the
talks despite the violence.
SRI LANKA
Roman Catholic bishops
here appealed to the au-
thorities to do something so
that all worship places are
kept free of violence and
bloodshed, as they condemn
the Feb. 12 attack on a shrine
outside Mannar town. Bish-
ops were shocked by the
attack in which artillery
shells, fired by Tamil rebels,
hit St. Anthony’s shrine in
THAILAND
Forced repatriations
should end
The Thai government
should stop forcibly return-
ing Hmong asylum seek-
ers to Laos without inde-
pendent monitoring or refu-
gee screening, Human
Rights Watch said. On Feb.
27, Thai soldiers used po-
lice dogs to force 12 Lao
Hmong from a camp in
Petchabun province onto
trucks for repatriation to
Laos. The military authori-
ties later allowed a mother
of five to return to the
camp and call to her chil-
dren over a megaphone,
but the children hid from
the authorities.
ISRAEL
Revenge attack plot-
ted— report
Ultra-nationalist Jews
have planned a revenge at-
tack after a Palestinian gun-
man killed 8 students at their
school in Jerusalem re-
cently, Israeli public televi-
sion reported. Two influen-
tial rabbis, including one
from the targeted Mercaz
Harav religious school, met
with a group of former stu-
dents who have combat ex-
perience, the TV station
said. One of the revenge
targets was allegedly an
Arab figure linked to the
Al-Aqsa mosque compound
in Jerusalem, Islam's third
holiest site. The school de-
nied the report.

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