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Tuesday, February 26, 2008

pEOpLe pOWeR w/ A diFfeRenCe..

Seeking the Truth, Restoring Integrity


(CBCP Stement)

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 integrity. These are moral values needing spiritual 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 allegations 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 government are being raised.

For this reason, we strongly:

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 combating 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 government, may be free to testify before the appropriate investigating bodies;

4. Ask the President to allow her subordinates to reveal any corrupt acts, particularly about the ZTE-NBN deal, without being obstructed in their testimony no matter who is involved;

5. Appeal to our senators and the ombudsman to use their distinct and different 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 without 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 Ecclesial Communities, recognized lay organizations and movements, religious institutions, schools, seminaries and universities. It is through internal conversion into the maturity of Christ through communal and prayerful discernment and action that the roots of corruption are discovered 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 Philippines 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 Lagdameo, D.D.
Archbishop of Jaro
President, CBCP
February 26, 2008

Monday, February 25, 2008

HoTtEst pLAcE iN heLL...

“The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crises maintain their neutrality”




Attributed to Dante Alighieri: (May14/June 13, 1265 -September 13/14, 1321), was an Italian poet from Florence. His central work, the Divina Commedia (Divine Comedy, originally called "Commedia"), is considered the greatest literary work composed in the Italian language.




It is either you believe in what GMA and her minions are telling you or you just don't give a damn if she is a liar or not.

On the NBN-ZTE issue we have heard that Neri told GMA that bribes were being offered and all that GMA could say is "Do not accept it", well, that's according to Neri (good thing he still remembers it).

And the other day we heard GMA admitting knowing irregularities in the deal but still continued with the project.

Use your common sense... do not create your own meaning of patriotism...
do not pretend to love this Country and has better things to do than talk about the NBN-ZTE deal...

pray... discern... stand up... speak up... fight for the truth...

Sunday, February 24, 2008

wALanG mAGawA?



Schedule of Activities for February 25, 2008

  • Mass Celebration at Baclaran Church 3 PM
    Pres. Cory Aquino and Mr. Jun Lozada will be attending
    Theme: “The Truth is our perpetual help” Organized by Black and White Movement
  • Akbayan/Laban ng Masa EDSA Celebration
    1 PM at the People Power Monument March towards Edsa Shrine to celebrate
    2 PM mass with KME 3 PM March to Ateneo to join Concert by Team RP
  • Kilusan ng Mamamayang Ekonomista (KME) *
    Celebration Mass to be celebrated by Bishops Bacani and Yniguez
    2PM at the EDSA Shrine
  • Bayan Muna Rally
    1 PM assembly at Welcome Rotonda March towards Mendiola. Rally up to 5 PM
  • Concert for Truth, Accountability and Reform *
    4 to 8 PM, Ateneo de Manila, Loyola Heights (between Gates 2 & 3)
    Organized by Team RP

* I will be attending these activities


Saturday, February 23, 2008

mAKiNig sA mGa naMAyaPa nA...


Ang isang Bayan ay sinusukat ayon sa uri ng mga taong kanyang dinadakila.

"Filipinas, farewell! Long live the Republic and may our independence be born in the future!" - Macario Sakay

"Yes, the Filipino is patient, but there is a limit to his patience. Must we wait until that patience snaps?" - Ninoy Aquino

"A man must die for his convictions and in the performance of his duty as he sees it... I will gladly die for my country." -
Jose Rizal

"
If it is a crime to love the poor and support them in their just struggles against injustice, then I am ready to fce the firing squad." - Fr. Zacarias Agatep

"Our economy is in shambles and our children are heirs to an almost unbearable national debt because good and decent citizens have abandoned politics to the corrupt." - Evelio B. Javier

"
Education is an important concern in our struggle for national liberation. We are determined to carry out the revolution in our country." - Edgar Gil M. Jopson

"We shall be judged by history... not by what we want to do and can't, but what we ought to do and don't." - Cecilia Munoz Palma

"The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. I would not want such a system to go on. There must be reforms. The poor need reforms..." - Dennis Rolando R. Deveraturda

"Human rights is at the core of the Gospel teachings... sufferings unite victims." - Sr. Mariani C. Dimaranan

"The matter with us is that we are too selfish and this is what makes our country tagnant..." - Ma. Antonia Teresa V. Vytiaco

"
I have more reasons to fight now. If I will not wage war against this oppressive system, my son will also suffer the same fate..." - Amado G. Bugay


Note: Many thanks to Bantayog ng mga Bayani's Souvenir Issue of 2006

Thursday, February 21, 2008

aNd GoD wEPt...


In the end, man destroyed the heaven that was called earth.
The earth had been beautiful until the spirit of man
moved over it and destroyed all things.

And man said, ...
 
Let there be darkness...and there was darkness.
And man liked the darkness ; so he called the darkness "security".
And he divided himself into races and religions and classes of society. 
And there was no evening and no morning on the seventh day before the 
end.
 
And man said, ... 
 
Let there be a strong government to control us in our darkness.
Let there be armies to control our bodies, so that we may learn to kill 
one another neatly and efficiently in our darkness. 
And there was no evening and no morning on the sixth day before the end.
 
And man said, ...
 
Let there be rockets and bombs to kill faster and easier;
Let there be gas chambers and furnaces to be more thorough.
And there was no evening and no morning on the fifth day before the 
end. 
 
And man said,....
Let there be drugs and other forms of escape, for there is this 
constant annoyance -- reality, which is disturbing our comfort. 
And there was no morning and no evening on the fourth day before the 
end. 
 
And man said, ....
Let there be division among the nations, so that we may know who is our 
common enemy. 
And there was no morning and no evening on the third day before the 
end. 
 
And finally man said, ....
 
Let us create God in our image. 
Let some other god compete with us. 
Let us say that God thinks -- as we think. 
                    hates  -- as we hates. 
                and kills  -- as we kill. 
 
And there was no morning and no evening on the second day before the 
end. 
 
On the last day there was a great noise on the face of the earth. 
Fire consumed the beautiful globe, and there was -- silence. 
 
The blackened earth now rested to worship the one true God. 
And God saw all that man had done,
and in the silence over the smoldering ruins, 
He wept. 



Wednesday, February 20, 2008

nASusUKa akO!!

Naalala ko nuong gumuha ang basurahan sa Payatas. Naghalo ang amoy ng bulok na basura at mga nabubulok na katawan ng tao. Talagang babaligtad ang sikmura mo kung mahina ka.

Parang ganito rin ang pakiramdam ko ngayon sa mga napababalitaang kalokohan sa ating Gobyerno.

Isipin mo na lang ang P500T na "pang-shopping" sana ni Lozada sa Hongkong na ibinigay ni Gaite galing sa kanyang bulsa... este... galing sa ibang tao... este... basta... ibinigay nila at kung saan nanggaling eh si Satanas na nakaka-alam nun!

Kalahating milyon pang-groceries? Anakanangteteng naman oh! Sino ginagago nila?

Isa pa yung P 50T na pautang ni Mike kay Lozada. Anangputek talaga! P50T nagkasya sa coin purse ng asawa niya?! Nyahahahaha! Gaguhin mo lelang mo Mike! (Joke lang... joke lang yung coin purse!)

Si Manong Ed binigyan rin diba ng P500T? Sino nga ba ang nagbigay? Basta sa kampo ni Gloria yung mga nag-aagawan sa karangalan na nagbigay nung 500T na yun!

Tapos ngayon may usapan nanaman na P20M para sa Patriotic Fund na para raw kay Neri. Pinagtatakahan ko lang bakit siya bibigyan eh "makakalimutin" nga siya at walang paki-alam sa Inang Bayan... paano magiging patriotic yun? Anyway, may mga "nagbabalak" raw na bigyan siya ng pera na ang dahilan at kung sino ay hindi niya masabi dahil siguro nakalimutan nanaman niya!

Hayop talaga! Parang winawalis lang nila ang pera! Samantalang ang daming nagugutom!

50,000
500.000
20,000,000

Daming zero ng mga iyan ah! Nakakasuka na kayong lahat! Mabuti pang lumayas na kayong mga mandarambong sa Gobyerno at isama na ninyo ang kunsintidora ninyong leader na si Gloria! Wala kayong mga puso at kaluluwa! Ngayon pa lang sinusunog na ang kaluluwa niyo sa impiyerno!

Teka... bakit nga ba ako nagwawala... mas mabuti siguro na dumikit na lang ang ako sa mga taong iyan para maambunan man lang ako ng pambili ko ng isang boteng SMB....

Sige... erase.. erase... erase... Gloria should finish her term upto 2010... kahit na siya pa ulit maging president beyond 2010... basta kalahati ng mananakaw nila sa Kaban ng Bayan eh ipautang nila sa Mamamayan... or better... ilagay na lang nila tayong lahat sa gas chamber para mamatay at sila na lang matira dito sa Pilipinas!



Sunday, February 17, 2008

Misa para sa Katotohanan....

RECLAIMING OUR HUMANITY

MASS FOR JUN LOZADA

LA SALLE GYMNASIUM, GREENHILLS

17 FEBRUARY 2008

On this Second Sunday of Lent, during which we are asked to reflect on the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ, I wish to touch on three themes that have to do with our moral transformation as a people: first, Ascertaining Credibility; second, Rediscovering our Humanity; and third, Witnessing to the Truth. In so doing, I hope to invite all of you to reflect more deeply on how we, as a nation, might respond to the present political crisis in which our identity and ethos, our convictions and integrity, in fact, who we are as a people, are at stake.

I. ASCERTAINING CREDIBILITY

Jun, as Sen. Miriam Santiago has grilled you to ascertain your credibility (or was it to undermine your credibility?), allow me to raise some important questions to consider in the very process of discerning your credibility. Allow me to do so by drawing on my own counseling experience.

Very often, a young rape victim initially suppresses his or her awful and painful story, indeed wills to forget it, in the hope that by forgetting, he or she can pretend it never happened. But very often, too, there comes a point when concealing the truth becomes unbearable, and the desperate attempts to supposedly preserve life and sanity become increasingly untenable.

At this point the victim of abuse decides to seek help. But even after having taken this step, the victim, devastated and confused, will tell his or her story with much hesitation and trepidation. It should be easy to imagine why. In telling the truth, one risks casting shame on himself or herself, subjecting oneself to intense scrutiny and skepticism, and jeopardizing one's safety and those of his or her loved ones, especially when one dares to go up against an older or more powerful person.

Similarly, it is easy to imagine why Jun would initially refuse to challenge the might of Malacanang. Who in his or her right mind would accuse Malacanang of crimes against our people and implicate the First Family in a sordid tale of greed and corruption, knowing that by doing so, one endangers one's life and the lives of his or her loved ones? We are, after all, living in dangerous times, where the government has not hesitated to use everything in its power to keep itself in power, where it has yet to explain and solve the numerous cases of extra-judicial killings.

But Jun is in his right mind. His story rings true especially in the face of the perils that he has had to face. And by his courage, Jun has also shown that it is not only that he is in his right mind; his heart is also in the right place.

Hence, my personal verdict: Jun, I believe that you are a credible witness. And if hundreds have gathered here this morning, it is probably because they also believe in you. Mga kapatid, naniniwala ba kayo kay Jun Lozada? Naniniwala ba kayo sa kanyang testimonya? Kung gayon, palakpakan po natin ang Probinsyanong Intsik, si Mr. Jun Lozada.

Jun, we hope that by our presence here, you may find some consolation. Pope Benedict XVI writes that "con-solatio" or consolation means "being with the other in his or her solitude, so that it ceases to be solitude." Jun, be assured that your solitude is no longer isolation as we profess our solidarity with you. Hindi ka nag-iisa. We are committed to stay the course and to do our best to protect you and your family and the truth you have proclaimed.

II. REDISCOVERING OUR HUMANITY

What makes Jun a credible witness to us?

I think Jun is credible not simply by virtue of his being an eyewitness to the unmitigated greed of some of our public officials. Perhaps more importantly, Jun is credible because he has witnessed to us what it means to be truly human.

Which leads me to my second theme: What does it mean to be human? How might we rediscover our humanity?

Allow me to quote Pope Benedict XVI, who in his latest encyclical, Spe Salvi, has written: "the capacity to accept suffering for the sake of goodness, truth and justice is an essential criterion of humanity, because if my own well-being and safety are ultimately more important than truth and justice, then the power of the stronger prevails, then violence and untruth reign supreme. Truth and justice must stand above my comfort and physical well-being, or else my life becomes a lie. . . For this … we need witnesses—martyrs …. We need them if we are to prefer goodness to comfort, even in the little choices we face each day."

Our Holy Father concludes, "the capacity to suffer for the sake of the truth is the measure of humanity."

Isn't this the reason we emulate our martyrs: Jose Rizal, Gomburza, Evelio Javier, Macli-ing Dulag, Cesar Climaco and Ninoy Aquino? They have borne witness for us what it means to be truly human—to be able to suffer for the sake of others and for the sake of the truth.

I remember Cory recalling a conversation she had with Ninoy while they were in exile in Boston. Cory asked Ninoy what he thought might happen to him once he set foot in Manila. Ninoy said there were three possibilities: one, that he would be rearrested and detained once more in Fort Bonifacio; two, that he would be held under house arrest; and three, that he would be assassinated.

"Then why go home?" Cory asked.

To which Ninoy answered: "Because I cannot allow myself to die a senseless death, such as being run over by a taxi cab in New York. I have to go home and convince Ferdinand Marcos to set our people free."

Witnessing to one's deepest convictions, notwithstanding the consequences, is the measure of our humanity. Proclaiming the truth to others, whatever the cost, is the mark of authentic humanity.

Jun, we know you have feared for your life and continue to do so. But in transcending your fears for yourself and your family, you have reclaimed your humanity. And your courage and humility, despite harassment and calumniation by government forces, embolden us to retrieve and reclaim our humanity tarnished by our cowardice and complicity with sin in the world. You have inspired us to be true to ourselves and to submit to and serve the truth that transcends all of us.

III. WITNESSING TO THE TRUTH

This leads us to our third and last theme: witnessing to the truth. In his encyclical, Pacem in Terris, Pope John XXIII exhorts that it is the fundamental duty of the government to uphold the truth: "A political society is to be considered well-ordered, beneficial and in keeping with human dignity if it grounded on truth." Moreover, the encyclical explains that unless a society is anchored on the truth, there can be no authentic justice, charity and freedom.

Every government is therefore obliged to serve the truth if it is to truly serve the people. Its moral credibility and authority over a people is based on the extent of its defense of and submission to the truth. Insofar as a government is remiss in upholding the truth, insofar as a government actively suppresses the truth, it loses its authority vested upon it by the people.

At this juncture, allow me to raise a delicate question: At what point does an administration lose its moral authority over its constituents?

First, a clear tipping point is the surfacing of hard evidence signifying undeniable complicity of certain government officials in corruption and injustice, evidence that can be substantiated in court.

Hence, during the Marcos Regime, the manipulation of Snap Election results as attested to by the tabulators who walked out of the PICC was clear evidence of the administration's disregard for and manipulation of the collective will of the people in order to remain in power..

During the Erap Administration, the testimony of Clarissa Ocampo, claiming that Pres. Erap had falsified Equitable Bank documents by signing as Jose Velarde, was the smoking gun that triggered the rage of our people.

Allow me to respond to the same question by pursue an alternative track of argument: an administration loses it moral authority over its people when it fails in its fundamental duty to uphold the truth, when it is constituted by an ethos of falsehood. When a pattern of negligence in investigating the truth, suppressing the truth and harassing those who proclaim the truth is reasonably established, then a government, in principle, loses its right to rule over and represent the people.

Regarding negligence: Do the unresolved cases, such as the the failed automation of the national elections, the fertilizer scam, the extra-judicial killings, and the "Hello, Garci" scandal, constitute negligence on the part of the GMA Administartion to probe and ferret out the truth?

Regarding covering-up the truth: Does the abduction of Jun Lozada and the twisting and manipulation of his narrative by Malacanang's minions constitute concealment of the truth? Was the padlocking of the office of Asst. Gov't Counsel Gonzales who testified before the Senate regarding the North Rail project anomaly an instance of covering-up the truth?

Regarding the suppression of the truth: Does the issuance and implementation of E.O. 464, which prevents government officals from testifying in Senate hearings without Malacanang's permission, constitute suppression of the truth? Was the prevention of AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Senga and six other officers from testifying before the Senate with regard the "Hello, Garci" scandal tantamount to a suppression of the truth? Was disallowing Brig. Gen. Quevedo, Lt. Col Capuyan and Lt. Col. Sumayo from appearing before the Lower House an instance of hindering the truth from surfacing?

And regarding harassment of those who proclaim the truth: Are the abduction of Jun Lozada and the decision to court-marshall Gen. Gudani and Col. Balutan for disregarding Malacanang's order not to testify before the Senate examples of punishing those who come forth to tell the truth?

By conflating one's responses to all these questions does one arrive not at hard evidence showing culpapility on the part of some government officials, but a ghestalt, an image which nonetheless demands our assessment and judgment. I invite all of you then to consider these two methods of evaluating and judging the moral credibility of any government, the moral credibility of our present government.

Allow me to end with a few words about an Ignatian virtue, familiaritas cum Deo. To become familiar with God involves the illumination of the intellect, coming to know who God is and what God wills. But it also involves the conversion of the affect, the reconfiguration of the heart. Becoming familiar with God entails trasforming and conforming my thinking, my feeling and my doing in accordance to the Lord's, which can only be the work of grace.

Familiarity with God thus entail rejoicing in what God delights—the truth; abhoring what God detests—falsehood; being pained by what breaks the heart of God—the persecution of truth-seekers. Familiary with God means sharing the passion of God for the truth and the pathos of God whenever the truth and the bearers of truth are overcome by the forces of the lie.

On this Second Sunday of Lent, as we contemplate the transfiguration of Jesus Christ on Mount Horeb, we pray that our hearts and minds be so transfigured and so conformed to the mind, heart and will of the Jesus, our way, our life, and our truth.

May the Lord bless and protect you, Jun, and your family. May the Lord bless and guide us all into the way of truth. Amen.