October 2009 - IMPACT Magazine Online!

Vol. 43 No. 10 • OCTOBER 2009 

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“ 

Quote in the Act 

“Our efforts to attain the goal of denuclearising 

the peninsula remain unchanged.” 

Kim Jong-Il, North Korean leader; saying that his country will return to the 

six-party talks on its nuclear disarmament depending on the outcome of the 

discussions with the United States; which observers take with reservations. 

“If the government fails to enforce it, the 

government can be sued.” 

Gamawan Fauzi, Governor of Sumatra; in the aftermath of the 7.6-magnitude 

earthquake that rocked West Sumatra, the governor pledged to issue a law that 

would ensure all buildings in the province are rebuilt to withstand stronger quakes. 

““We are not out of the woods.” 

“Corruption was the lifeboats that should have 

been there but were not because the money had 

been stolen.” 

Conrado de Quiros, Columnist, Philippine Daily Inquirer; summarizing the 

bottom-line cause of government’s inability to respond to the cries for rescue 

and relief of almost half a million victims of tropical depression Ondoy into just 

one word: corruption. 

Stephen Harpe, Prime Minister of Canada; noted that while global economy is 

experiencing a mild, fragile recovery, one cannot really say that it has kicked in 

earnest until it starts to turn unemployment around. 

““If there were no graft and corruption in our 

government, our government would be more 

prepared to respond to such crisis.” 

Angel Lagdameo, archbishop of Jaro and president of the Catholic Bishops’ 

Conference of the Philippines; bewailing the government’s inutility in the face 

of the onslaught of tropical depression Ondoy that claimed over 300 lives and 

rendered thousands of people homeless. 

“The key in Afghanistan is to have a triad of things 

happen simultaneously: economic development, 

good governance and the rule of law.” 

James Jones, Jr., National Security Adviser of the United States; in the wake of 

President Obama’s meeting with top congressional leaders this October to discuss an 

overall strategy in Afghanistan that now appears to be at a potential tipping point. 

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IMPACT • October 2009

EDITORIAL 

Stewardship ....................................................... 27 

COVER STORY 

Filipino Seafarers: Sailing amidst turbulent 

waters ............................................................... 16 

ARTICLES 

CONTENTS 

Metro Manila flooding: A disaster of 

mismanagement and corruption .................... 4 

CARE (Clean, Authentic, and Responsible 

Election) is our mission .................................... 8 

Raining on the parade ...................................... 10 

IMPACT October 2009 / Vol 43 • No 10 

Greed, the guru of growth ............................... 12 

Charity in Truth ................................................. 21 

DEPARTMENTS 

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

News Features ................................................... 13 

Statements .......................................................... 22 

From the Blogs ................................................... 26 

From the Inbox .................................................. 28 

Book Reviews ..................................................... 29 

Entertainment .................................................... 30 

Asia Briefing ........................................................ 31 

The world was watching as 

the flash floods brought 

about by tropical storm 

Ondoy drove thousands of 

Metro Manilans to scamper for 

safety on their rooftops or swam 

to higher grounds. In minutes, 

SMS that carried texts, videos 

and photos were transmitted 

to relatives and friends abroad. 

And twitter rattled numerous 

twits of alarm and pleadings 

for help. 

Barely three hours from the 

onset of the flooding, relatives 

from all over the world were 

already calling Manila radio 

stations asking help on behalf 

of their relatives who were helplessly 

marooned precariously on 

top of their houses. 

Before darkness enveloped 

the pitiful victims of the raging 

floods on that fateful Saturday 

afternoon, the 26th of September, 

the internet was already 

spewing pictures and videos in 

youtube, facebook and other online 

social networking devices. 

As if on real time in a reality 

show, the global community 

was watching people disappear 

in the sea of raging waters, of 

cars being towed by the fierce 

floods like matchboxes, and of 

hundreds of people negotiating 

to safety in what looked like a 

river which earlier was actually 

the streets of Marikina. It 

also showed the embarrassment 

of the government 

that emerged more 

helpless than the victims 

themselves. 

Judging from the 

number of SMS transmitted, this 

may have been the most technologically 

covered catastrophe in 

history—after the one of the World 

Trade Center. The Chair of the 

National Disaster Coordinating 

Council (NDCC) had to ask people, 

though nonsensically, to stop sending 

text messages in order to declog 

the airwaves. That, of course, 

showed the folly of the government 

that was so far from realizing that 

the SMS was the only line for rescue 

available. 

At the backdrop of so much suffering 

during and after the floods 

when the victims had to huddle in 

hunger and discomfort in evacuation 

centers if not in what was left 

in their mud-filled houses, the world 

was mesmerized by the resilience 

of the Filipino. This was verbalized 

by an American soldier helping the 

relief operations who saw people 

still smiling and in better spirits— 

despite the catastrophe and the 

neglect of their leaders. 

But what stood out really were 

the heroism and the bayanihan spirit 

that is seemingly cultural to the 

Filipino. Or, perhaps, of a value 

system that has been nurtured 

through centuries of Christianity. 

Stories were told of people 

giving up their lives in order 

to save their neighbors. Stories 

were told, too, of the Bicolanos 

and many others trooping to 

Manila with heavy equipments, 

foodstuff and relief materials to 

give assistance to the suffering 

flood victims. And more stories 

of individuals who have parted 

with even the little they have 

just to give relief and comfort 

to those in distress. 

This issue opens with an essay 

that discusses a bigger catastrophe 

which is mismanagement 

and corruption in government 

that may have caused more 

agony to the Filipino people 

than natural calamities. Sr. 

Pinky Barrientos, FSP, writes 

the cover story titled “Filipino 

Seafarers: sailing amidst turbulent 

waters” and pursues 

the real “turbulence” that has 

driven more and more Filipinos 

to become seafarers in the first 

place. Read on. 

Volume 43 • Number 10 3

ARTICLES 

© Laura Sheahen / CRS 

4 


Metro Manila flooding 

By Pepe Quitorio 

© Laura Sheahen / CRS © Laura Sheahen / CRS 

Tropical storm Ondoy, internationally known as Ketsana, 

that hit mostly Central Luzon on September 26 

was not even a typhoon. It was all about a two-day 

torrential rain with barely a wind. But it left the country 

with 295 people dead and counting, hundreds injured and 

many more missing. 

Damage to property according to government reports 

is estimated at P9.767 billion which counts P3.412 billion 

in infrastructure and P6.354 in agriculture. The National 

Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) further reports that 

at least 828,380 families or 4,081,596 persons were affected 

in the entire Luzon, Cordillera, Western Visayas, Regions 9 

and 12, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and Metro 

Manila were affected. 

But these are government figures. And they are cold. 

What makes one shiver are the amateur videos in Youtube 

and maybe a million pictures on facebook that could paint a 

thousand words about nameless faces hugging on rooftops or 

wading through rising waters that could launch, with apologies 

to Bread, a thousand ships, but only three government 

rubber boats were actually available. 

Today, almost two weeks after the tropical storm, 1,786 

barangays are still flooded. According to reports, there are 

still 216,845 families or 1,092,827 persons that are holed 

up in evacuation centers. And 39,068 houses damaged with 

16,219 totally and 22,849 partially. 

While most of the survivors are clearing their houses 

thick with mud, finger-pointing seem to have become the 

order of the day. The political opposition and most of the 

general public are heaping curses over the inutility of the 

national government that was caught flatfooted. NDCC chair 

Gilbert Teodoro blames the local government units for not 

being prepared and not responding too soon. 

Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr., is filing a class action 

suit against those responsible for the allegedly “reckless 

release of water from the dams.” Another Senator, Miriam 

Defensor Santiago, said the mayors of areas gravely affected 

by tropical storm Ondoy, including Interior and Local 

Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno, should be suspended 

for negligence. 

Others surmised that maybe this misfortune is an act 

of God. Or perhaps because of the global warming and the 

consequent climate changes that are bringing about more 

rains and typhoons. But was it really? Could the massive 

flooding have been mitigated and lives saved? Whence came 

the real disaster? 

Global Warming and climate change 

Without rocking the boat on Al Gore who received a Nobel 

Peace Prize for just making a film “An Inconvenient Truth” 

and touring around the world brandishing his environmental 

niche, global warming until now is still a scientific theory. 

What is beyond theory is the environmental lobby that has 

become so successful in political fora and academic bodies 

so that both proponents and fans have fearlessly accepted 

it as gospel truth. 

Charles Darwin over 150 years ago has already showed 

that coral atolls grow on top of sinking volcanoes. He also 

observed that the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu which is 

in danger of sinking under the waves is so because the land 


ARTICLES 

beneath it is dropping due to factors not necessarily because 

of global warming. 

The same may be true with rising temperature, which, 

according to studies have done a roller-coaster even before 

industrialization began to add CO2 to the atmosphere. The 

earth, for instance, has cooled down between 1940 and 1976, 

warmed from 1976 to 1998 and has been cooling down since 

1998, according to scientific records. 

This, of course, is for experts. And a layperson may not 

dare question scientific findings which till this day are still 

being debated by the scientific community. But granting, for 

the sake of argument, that global warming is real, factoring 

it in the recent inundation of Metro Manila is a long shot. 

(Since I was a kid, the experience of flooding and typhoons 

had been common place in my province of Eastern Samar— 

even before global warming became a blockbuster!). 

Columnist Perry Diaz quotes an email that refutes it all 

saying that “It’s deemed impossible for the supposedly excessive 

amount of rainfall, equivalent to a month’s outpour 

condensed in six hours time, to be the main culprit.” He 

gives the following reasons: 1) The rain was not that strong; 

2) We’ve had worst rains before; 3) And why Marikina, 

Pasig and Cainta became water worlds in just an hour; and 

4) Why Moriones, Tondo, just several hundred meters away 

from Manila Bay was barely affected if nature did cause 

the rivers to swell, overflow and contribute greatly to the 

deluge. It makes sense. 

Besides, what happened to the much advertised disaster 

preparedness on expensive TV by the government and its 

Gilbert Teodoro? 

Gross neglect and mismanagement 

A more plausible factor is the gross neglect and urban 

mismanagement. Urban planner Felino Palafox was quoted 

lately as saying: “The flood disaster that struck Metro Manila 

over the weekend was not an act of God but a sin of omission 

by government and private real estate developers.” 

He said further that “a land use plan that took floods 

into consideration was drawn up as far back as 1977, titled 

‘Metro Manila Transport, Land Use and Development Planning 

Project,” sponsored by the World Bank.” The study he 

said “had already noted the possibility of heavy flooding in at 

least three sites of urban growth in the Philippine capital—the 

Marikina Valley and its northern and southern parts.” 

But nothing was done about it. Instead of considering the 

study, the government has built projects and allowed estate 

developers to indiscriminately build housing subdivisions 

on critical areas that in effect would block the natural flow 

of flood waters. 

The Manggahan Floodway was constructed precisely to 

mitigate the flooding in Marikina, Pasig and Cainta. This time, 

and maybe even before, it did not work. Reportedly, there was 

a mechanical or systems failure of the water pumping station, 

which has been left rusty because of gross neglect. 

Metro Manila is supposed to be blessed with wide rivers, 

tributaries and “esteros”. These are the natural floodways that 

have saved residents from killer floods years back. But this 

time, these tributaries are clogged and “cemented” with all 

kinds of garbage of all shapes and sizes from refrigerators 

to mattresses to human waste and name it. 

The growing population has often been blamed for the 

© Laura Sheahen / CRS 

6 


Metro Manila flooding 

litter that has contributed much to the inundation of Metro 

Manila. But Hong Kong, Tokyo and even Manhattan do have 

as much number of populations, yet they do not encounter the 

same problem as Manila does. Population management is the 

key. While centralization of population is indeed a problem, 

allowing people to build houses along waterways and under 

bridges is indeed the summit of population mismanagement, 

if not incompetence and social irresponsibility. 

Even if the population is reduced and decentralized to 

other provinces, the end result will still be the same if the 

government will not manage it rationally. 

Corruption, plain and simple 

In his statement issued shortly after the Metro Manila 

flooding, CBCP president and Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo 

bewailed, “If there were no graft and corruption in 

our government, our government would be more prepared 

to respond to such crisis.” That is mouthful enough. 

But the hard-hitting Philippine Daily Inquirer Columnist, 

Conrado de Quiros, says it his own way: “Corruption was 

the lifeboat that should have been there but were not because 

the money had been stolen. Corruption was the pile of relief 

goods that should have been there but was not because the 

money had been stolen. Corruption was the dams and garbage 

incinerators and drainage systems and relocation areas for 

those living beside the creeks that should have been there 

but were not because the money had been stolen.” 

As it appears, there has been a reduction of images in the 

government: from a much advertised, albeit costly, strong 

republic and super-regions, it has laid low to becoming a 

mendicant. Malacañang is begging for donors to help its 

strange relief operations that involve bringing well chosen 

flood victims to take refuge in Malacañang—making it the 

best evacuation center in the world. NDCC is also soliciting 

funds from its constituents for its relief work. Not to be 

outdone, the Department of Health is also soliciting medicine 

from the general public. It is the government now competing 

with non-government organizations in raising funds. 

Obviously, unless someone is spinning a trick somewhere, 

the government does not have ready funds for disaster 

assistance—which is worse. The Commission on Audit 

(COA) has recently reported that President Arroyo “has all 

but spent the P800 million contingency funds allotted to the 

Office of the President.” Moreover, COA has also reported 

that “nearly every peso of the fund had been used for her 

foreign junkets, on top of the more than P1 billion budget 

for her official travels.” 

And that, without even considering other anomalies 

where the office of the President, or the extended office of 

her family, had been accused of irregularities. 

That, indeed, maybe the biggest disaster that has been 

hitting the country for some years now. I 

Photo courtesy of Project Ondoy 

Photo courtesy of Project Ondoy 


ARTICLES 

CARE 

(CLEAN, AUTHENTIC, AND RESPONSIBLE ELECTION) 

IS OUR MISSION 

By Rev. Eutiquio B. Belizar, Jr., SThD 

“The characteristic implication of subsidiarity is participation which is expressed essentially in a series 

of activities by means of which the citizen, either as an individual or in association with others, whether 

directly or through representation, contributes to the cultural, economic, political and social life of the civil 

community to which he belongs. Participation is a duty to be fulfilled consciously by all, with responsibility 

and with a view to the common good.” 

Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, no. 189 

Clean, authentic and responsible 

elections are one such critical 

participation. Let’s consider the 

following. 

Situationer 

Maria (not her real name) confessed 

to her B.E.C. cluster community that in 

the 2007 elections she tried everything 

to avoid the rampant vote-buying in her 

neighborhood. In fact, after she and her 

husband voted early in the morning she 

left her house together with her whole 

family to her husband’s birthplace, a 

barangay seven kilometers away. To 

her family’s shock, when they returned 

home several envelopes and folded 

papers were strewn all over their front 

porch even if it was walled in by grills. 

They were filled with money from the 

leaders of the different candidates, 

urging the couple to vote for their bets. 

They tried to avoid vote-buying but 

vote-buying came to them. Still, husband 

and wife returned the money where 

they came from. They pointed to their 

commitment expressed in writing by a 

piece of paper posted on their doorway 

inspired by their parish PPCRV: “THIS 

FAMILY WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY 

MONEY TO VOTE FOR ANYBODY. 

THANK YOU.” 

This incident is repeated in various 

ways and in diverse places across our 

archipelago when election time comes. 

But, without a doubt, Maria and her 

husband are not the rule. They are the 

exception. Our mission is to help make 

as many Filipinos as possible take and 

live up to the same commitment. 

At this point three questions could 

be proposed for group reflection: (1) 

What election anomaly(ies) have I or 

other reliable person(s) been a witness 

to? (2) What did I do or did not do about 

it and why? (3) What consequences did 

my action or inaction have on me and 

the situation? 

Reflection 

Why must we overcome dishonest, 

dirty and irresponsible elections? 

1) They give us leaders with the most 

money and dirty tricks but not necessarily 

with the right qualifications; 2) They 

are a big factor behind some politicians’ 

thrust into graft and corruption, in part 

to recover lost money and to make a 

bigger profit for themselves; 3) They 

damage the voter’s character as a citizen 

and his/her sense of responsibility 

to self and country; 4) They stifle real 

participation since the people’s will is 

blurred or even reversed by dishonest 

elections; 5) The common good is not 

served when the right leaders are not 

elected and the exact count of votes is 

not reported. 

The expected first automated election 

in the country is, by and large, a 

source of hope for most Filipinos. But 

it can also be a cause of complacency; 

hence, a warning is in order. Not only is 

automated cheating a dreaded possibility. 

The readiness of election personnel 

and teachers who control and supervise 

both the equipment and the process, 

not to say that of the voting population 

itself, is still uncertain. This is all the 

more reason for us to CARE. That is 

to say, we must both aim at and work 

for a CLEAN, AUTHENTIC AND 

RESPONSIBLE ELECTION. 

CLEAN. There is no election unless 

it is clean which we must define 

here as uninfluenced, untainted and 

unmarked by cheating and other dirty 

tactics employed by certain political 

leaders and their agents in order to win 

an elected office. But why should we 

8 


CARE (Clean, Authentic, and Responsible Election) is our mission 

Catholic Christians and all Filipinos 

of faith commit ourselves to this principle? 

Because we cannot be who we 

are unless we repent and say no to sin 

in whatever form it takes, including 

those that emerge in the conduct of 

elections. “The kingdom of God is near 

at hand,” Jesus says at the start of his 

public ministry. “Repent and believe in 

the Good News!” (Mk 1:15). In Jesus’ 

own words we hear that before we can 

even listen to and follow the gospel we 

have first to repent, that is, to make an 

about face in our minds and hearts, in 

our words and deeds from sin in all its 

forms in order to turn to and follow Jesus 

the Master and Lord. As St. Augustine 

states: “We make a ladder for ourselves 

out of our vices if we trample the vices 

themselves under foot.” 

AUTHENTIC. When is an election 

authentic? If and when it reflects 

not only the people’s real choices but 

also true democracy’s principles of 

participation and freedom. Why is 

this significant to us people of faith? 

Because our God is Truth, our Savior, 

his Son, is “the Way, the Truth and the 

Life” (Jn 14:6). This must be reflected 

in us believers, his Son’s followers in 

what we say and what we do. Hence, 

our elections must also be authentic, 

true. Otherwise we cannot claim to 

be People of God, followers of Jesus 

Christ. We do not conduct elections 

despite being but precisely as Christians. 

When we renounce elections that are 

not true or those that do not proclaim 

who the people truly voted for, those 

that do not serve the true principles of 

democracy which are real participation 

and real freedom, then we confront a 

reality which is a direct affront to God 

and to his Son, as well as to ourselves. 

When elections are called upon not to 

determine the true chosen leaders of 

the people but to hide a despotic rule 

behind a mask of democracy, then democracy 

itself becomes a sham. To fight 

it is not only a duty but also a mark of 

discipleship. To work for its authentic 

form truly becomes an integral part of 

our mission to proclaim Christ and the 

Kingdom of God. 

RESPONSIBLE ELECTION. 

What makes an election responsible? 

When everyone involved in the process 

respond to its goal and purpose which, 

ultimately, is the common good, even if 

it means turning his back on himself and 

his own interests. Its Latin root ‘respondere’ 

precisely means to respond to or to 

answer. For example, when candidates 

run a campaign looking at an elected office 

not as an opportunity to power and 

wealth but to service in the direction of 

the people’s true welfare, when voters 

reject money and patronage politics in 

order to elect qualified leaders, when 

election personnel do everything according 

to law and morality, then they 

all answer and respond to the call of 

the common good. When election time 

comes, people participate in it in various 

ways but all must work to achieve 

this one goal. “Participation,” says the 

Compendium of the Social Doctrine of 

the Church, “is a duty to be fulfilled 

consciously by all, with responsibility 

and with a view to the common good” 

(CSDC, 189). 

When the Church defines the common 

good as “the sum total of social 

conditions which allow people, either 

as groups or as individuals, to reach 

their fulfillment more fully and more 

easily” (GS 26), it clearly includes clean, 

authentic and responsible elections. The 

reason is simple. Only when elections 

have these characteristics will there be 

a possibility for human fulfillment to 

become full and easier. 

Call to Action 

1) We must spearhead intensified 

voter’s education programs, particularly 

exposing not only the evils of votebuying 

and cheating but also the intimate 

connection between them and the sorry 

state the country is in; 2) We must call 

a spade a spade, we must call sin a sin 

especially in the conduct of elections: 

e.g., vote-buying because it desecrates 

the voter and suffrage itself; cheating 

because it is a gross injustice to one’s 

political opponents and to the country 

itself; and other election violations in so 

far as they impede the attainment of the 

common good; 3) The prophetic ministry 

also means that the Church must courageously 

and constantly call politicians 

and voters, hierarchy and lay faithful, to 

repentance and to reject sin in private and 

public life, especially in the conduct of 

campaigns and elections. Pastoral letters, 

homilies, chats and addresses must repeat 

this call just as Jesus himself did so; 4) 

The Church, that is, the hierarchy and 

laity, must use all available and legitimate 

CARE, page 14 

© www.flickr.com/photos/jobarracuda 


ARTICLES 

By Michael Cook 

Who is responsible for China's 

infamous one-child policy? 

Surprisingly, it is not 60 years of 

Communist rule. 

Today China celebrates the 60th anniversary of Communist 

Party rule. The Party is highlighting the nation’s 

huge and powerful military, its international influence, 

its towering role in the world economy, and its growing prosperity, 

at least in the large coastal cities. It has left behind the 

barbarities of Mao Tse-tung and has become a "civilized", 

"harmonious", "prosperous" and "democratic" country. 

But one barbarity persists: the one-child policy. On 

September 25, 1980, the Communist Party announced that, 

with very few exceptions, couples were permitted to have 

only one child. Party officials insisted that the population 

had to be capped at 1.2 billion by the year 2000. 

This policy has not only blackened China’s reputation 

as a human-rights abuser. It also is leading to economic and 

social disaster. China’s population is ageing so rapidly that 

caring for the elderly will impose a crushing burden on its 

economy. And because Chinese have a traditional preference 

for sons, infant girls are often aborted or murdered, 

which means that as many as 15 percent of Chinese men 

will never find wives. 

How did such an insane idea become official policy of 

the world’s largest nation? 

This is the question raised by anthropologist Susan 

Greenhalgh in her valuable book Just One Child: Science 

and Policy in Deng’s China. Greenhalgh reads and speaks 

Chinese and used to work for a US-based NGO, the Population 

Council. With this background, she won the confidence of 

many high-ranking government officials involved in forging 

the policy. Her detective work yielded a surprising answer. 

Most Westerners attribute the one-child policy to Com- 

munist ideology and its top-down authoritarianism. This is 

only partially true. Without the harsh discipline imposed 

by the Party, it would have been impossible to implement. 

However, population control is not a Communist idea. Karl 

Marx despised his contemporary Thomas Malthus and the 

Soviet Union was clearly pro-natalist. 

Until 1980, the attitude of the Chinese Communist Party 

was far from clear. Although birth planning was regarded as 

a solution to China’s economic problems in the 50s and 60s, 

the slogan was just "later, longer, fewer"—later marriages, 

longer spaces between children, and fewer of them, not "stop 

at one". The Great Helmsman, Mao Zedong, flip-flopped on 

population control. He was quoted as saying both "of all things 

in the world, people are the most precious" and, shortly before 

his death in 1975, "it won’t do to not control population". 

As late as 1974, Premier Zhou Enlai told the UN Population 

Conference in Bucharest that the notion of a population 

explosion was a capitalist plot: "Is it owing to overpopulation 

that unemployment and poverty exist in many countries 

of the world today? No, absolutely not. It is mainly due to 

aggression, plunder and exploitation by the imperialists, 

particularly the superpowers." 

Mao’s pragmatic successor Deng Xiaoping was clearly 

in favor of reducing population growth, but he never publicly 

committed himself to a one-child policy. 

So who was responsible for the idea? Although many 

people had a hand in creating this cruel policy, Greenhalgh 

claims that the single most influential person was not a 

Marxist ideologue, but a brilliant computer expert named 

Song Jian. Song was a missile expert who had survived the 

10 


Raining on the parade 

Cultural Revolution because China needed a strong military 

even during the upheavals of the Cultural Revolution. His 

particular expertise was cybernetics and unlike many of his 

colleagues, he was able to travel overseas. 

In 1978 he attended the Seventh Triennnial World Congress 

of the International Federal of Automatic Control in 

Helsinki. There he met two Dutch control theorists who had 

contributed to the Club of Rome report, Limits to Growth. 

This was an influential computer program which forecast 

catastrophe if world population were not limited. Song found 

their work compelling and when he returned to China he set to 

work developing a population model for his own country. 

Unfortunately, Song was completely unaware of the hammering 

which Limits to Growth was receiving in the West. 

Greenhalgh says that he imported what had been merely a 

scientific exercise in Europe and transformed it into a concrete 

policy proposal for use on a real population. 

After the ideological lunacies of the Maoist era, Song’s 

supporters in the Communist Party were searching for scientific 

solutions to social problems. What Song offered them 

was confident precision. In their isolation from the West, 

these Chinese officials had never even seen computer modeling 

and graphs. They found ideas like "spaceship earth" 

and mathematical control of childbearing utterly compelling. 

Song once confided to a group of American population 

specialist that because he was a mathematician, anything he 

said would be believed. His models were real science, not 

social science or spurious ideology. 

The most trenchant opponents of Song’s mechanistic 

approach to social problems were actually Marxist theorists, 

but in the wake of the disasters engineered by Mao and the 

Gang of Four, no one listened. If Greenhalgh’s narrative has 

a hero, it is a Red Guard turned Party intellectual named 

Lian Zhongtang. 

Liang foresaw the problems that China faces today. 

"One-childization" would impose terrible social costs upon 

the peasants, he said in 1979. In several decades there would 

be 150 million "gloomy and lonely old people" and that 

China would become a "breathless, lifeless society without 

a future". "In the past," he wrote, "under the extreme leftist 

road, China’s peasants were subject to all kinds of coercion. 

We have made the peasants’ suffering bitter enough in the 

economic realm. We cannot make them suffer further [in the 

reproductive realm]." 

Alas, Party officials were mesmerized by computergenerated 

population forecasts based on a range of birthrates—even 

though Chinese population statistics ranged 

from fictitious to inaccurate. In December 1979 the Party 

sponsored a conference on population theory in the city of 

Chengdu, in Sichuan province, where Song finally won over 

influential party officials after intense lobbying. 

Greenhalgh cites a radio broadcast from early 1980 which 

shows Party officials were besotted with bogus statistics: 

"This reporter saw numerous figures typed on paper by 

electronic computers—the first fairly detailed, reliable data 

and prediction that have been made of our country’s population 

growth in the next 100 years. This dazzling data clearly 

shows the different results of population growth according 

to different plans... Their data shows that... if we vigorously 

encourage every married couple to have one child... [and 

can] achieve this goal by 1985... [this is] the most ideal way 

to solve our country’s population problem." 

Obviously this reporter had never heard of "garbage in, 

garbage out". 

Greenhalgh claims that Chinese officials even foresaw 

China’s incredibly distorted sex ratio at birth, which today 

stands at about 120 infant boys for every 100 girls. They 

knew that if couples were forced to stop at one child, some 

would kill their daughters. However, discussion of this sensitive 

topic was stifled. Instead, birth planning officials wrote 

articles denying that the sex ratio would rise. Researchers 

told her that they had been instructed to avoid investigating 

this issue and that newspapers and journals would refuse to 

print anything they wrote about it. 

So the real villain of China’s oppressive one-child policy 

is scientism, the belief that science and technology can solve 

all human problems. As Greenhalgh puts it, the Chinese 

of the post-Mao era had merely swapped one ideology for 

another. Today in China, she writes, "there is overwhelming 

acceptance of science as a new theology that can settle all 

problems, even scientific ones". 

Does this sound familiar? In the West we are grappling 

with similar issues in areas like stem cell research or climate 

change. Scientists are often applauded as experts even if 

they are abysmally ignorant of ethics and blithely ignore the 

social implications of their policy proposals. Like the most 

dogmatic Marxists, they are capable of stripping human beings 

of their dignity and treating them as nothing more than 

numbers. Greenhalgh’s research is a sobering reminder that 

obsequious reverence to shonky science has been responsible 

for one of the greatest human rights violations of the last 

hundred years. I 

(Michael Cook is editor of MercatorNet.) 

Volume 43 • Number 10 11 

© www.iisg.nl

ARTICLES 

Greed, 

© Bro. Gilbert Billena, O.Carm 

the guru of growth 

By Fr. Shay Cullen 

There were heroes who sacrificed their own lives while 

saving the weak and helpless during the height of the 

devastating tropical storm that brought rampaging 

flood waters cascading through Manila, sweeping all before 

them. A construction worker, Muelmar Magalanes,18, leap 

again and again into the raging torrent and saved over 30 

women and children until he was too exhausted to fight the 

current as he was saving a baby girl. He was swept away to 

his death. A Judge, Raph Lee, 49, of Quezon City took his 

Jet ski and later with two rubber boats rescued over a 100 

people in danger of being drowned by the rising waters. 

Hundreds of ordinary people took great risks as they carried 

their neighbors to safety. Thousands spent days and nights 

on their roof tops terrified as the water kept rising. 

Such terrible tragedies bring out the best in the Filipino 

as neighbors help one another. Mostly the poor helping the 

poor survive the turbulent torrent. The kind and generous 

people, non-government and church agencies are out day and 

night sharing food and dry clothing as I write this. 

Media commentators and editorials have lambasted 

politicians and government officials that were nowhere to 

be seen as they cowered in their mansions while the poor 

were carried away to their deaths. Disaster prevention and 

readiness was practically non-existent, there were no plans, 

no practice or preparation according to an opposition Senator 

Loren Legarda. “It’s plain incompetence of the leadership, 

and the government was absent. ...clearly it has no plan”, 

she said. 

The political fall-out in the Philippines as a result may 

well be like that of hurricane Katrina in the United States 

that brought election disaster to the Republicans because of 

the Bush administration’s inability to respond adequately. 

The need for change was apparent then as it is in the Philippines 

today. The world need to change too as Copenhagen 

gets ready to host the world conference on climate change 

in December. International agreements must be reached and 

signed to reduce CO2 emissions from power plants, factories 

and cars to save the planet. 

These terrific storms of growing intensity and frequency 

are evidence of the deadly effects of climate change due to 

the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. 

Soon we will reach the point of no return, a tipping point 

where a runaway chain of events will cause the planet to 

heat ever more quickly. The burning of fossil fuels have to 

be cut back and clean electrical generation must be harvested 

from renewable sources such as wind turbines, ocean tides, 

solar panels on houses and factories and arrayed across the 

hot deserts. 

There is much we can do to contribute to the reduction 

of CO2 in the atmosphere. We can recycle everything we 

can, reduce the use of our vehicles, get smaller electric 

cars, insulate our houses to reduce the need for heating and 

cooling and stop cutting and instead plant millions of trees. 

What we need also is to change the almost fanatical belief 

of our politicians and economists that consumerism is the 

engine of growth; that greed is good and we must shop til’ 

we drop. The world economy came to a shuddering halt as a 

result of this ideology that champions possession and power. 

The more we have, it says, the more powerful we are. The 

pursuit of riches is not the same as the pursuit of happiness 

and do we really need to pursue the goddess of growth? Do 

developed nations really need continual non-stop economic 

expansion? Are the rich never rich enough? 

Greed is the guru of growth but soon it causes us to burst 

our britches with the economic obesity that is alternately causing 

the planet to burn, the ice caps to melt, the oceans to rise, 

the land to perish in drought and then to drown in storms and 

typhoons. Millions of plants and animals are going extinct 

and poor hungry sick people, shrivel, starve, drown and die 

in their millions. Growth, is it worth it after all? I 

12 


NEWS 

FEATURES 

CBCP prexy scores slow 

response to killer flood 

MANILA, Philippines, Oct. 2, 2009— 

The head of the Catholic Bishops’ 

Conference of the Philippines expressed 

his frustration with the pace of relief 

efforts in the typhoon-devastated Luzon 

region. 

Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo 

said he can’t but register his deep concern 

at the unacceptably slow response 

to the grave humanitarian crisis. 

He said “depletion” of the government’s 

resources might have triggered 

the “slowness” in responding to the 

victims of the strong typhoon. 

What the church leader fear the 

most, he admitted, is the misappropriation 

of resources set aside for responding 

to calamities. 

“If there were no graft and corruption 

in our government, our government 

would be more prepared to respond to 

such crisis,” Lagdameo said. 

Survivors are angry at the lack of 

aid. Some of them reported that they 

were trapped inside their homes or on 

the rooftops but were ignored by rescue 

helicopters flying overhead. 

Record breaking 

Massive flash floods unleashed by 

Typhoon Ondoy swept across Metro 

Manila and nearby provinces on Sept. 

26 killing over 200 people and stranding 

hundreds on roof tops. 

The National Disaster Coordinating 

Council (NDCC) said the homes of 

nearly 1.9 million were inundated. 

The typhoon dumped 410.6 millimeters 

(16 inches) of rains on Manila 

that weekend in just 12 hours, breaking 

the previous single-day record of 334 

millimeters in July 1967. 

Major areas in Pasig, Marikina and 

Rizal, Laguna and Bulacan provinces 

were the hardest hit by the storm. 

Based on the initial report that 

reached CBCP’s National Secretariat 

for Social Action from its diocesan 

networks, Metro Manila has been the 

worst-hit in terms of flooding and 

damage, while Rizal province had the 

highest number of casualties due to 

landslide and flash floods. 

The Diocese of Antipolo is still in 

the process of gathering information. 

So far, a partial list of 5,452 affected 

families (including Marikina) has already 

been documented. 

In Bulacan, 22 municipalities (118 

barangays) were affected listing down a 

partial total of 13,576 families (44,178 

persons). “There were reported cases 

of 42 casualties but still has to be confirmed,” 

the NASSA reported. 

In Pampanga, the typhoon left 

in its wake 207 barangays in the 20 

municipalities/city submerged under 

1-9ft deep of floodwaters. Landslide occurred 

in Arayat, affecting 174 families, 

which are now temporarily housed in 

five evacuation centers mostly schools 

and chapels. 

NASSA said a total of 37,540 families 

(175,514 individuals) were affected 

in this province, 217 of which are staying 

in the evacuation centers. 

In Laguna, it also said, there were 

a total of 73,170 families (310,893 

individuals) affected with nine fatalities. 

In Cavite, there were 309 partial 

list of families affected from three 

municipalities. 

As of press time, the official death 

toll in the massive flooding has climbed 

to 240. There are nearly 380, 000 people 

in evacuation centers. 

Following the onslaught of the 

typhoon, survivors were found digging 

through the mud, desperately trying to 

find their loved ones. 

Dead bodies were also found everywhere—hanging 

in tress, floating 

in mucky floodwater, or buried alive 

by massive landslides. 

Compassion 

The current situation, Lagdameo said, 

is call to everyone for compassion. 

He also lauded the efforts by various 

groups and individuals who immediately 

responded to help the thousands 

of typhoon victims. 

“The pictures we have seen in the 

past few days are pictures of Filipinos 

responding to the call for compassion, 

of people willing to ‘suffer with,’ 

people with the spirit of ‘bayanihan,’” 

he said. 

“We bend our knees in prayer for 

salvation against natural calamities, but 

when they do come, we are not so helpless 

as not to respond with heroism.” 

“We have said it before and we 

say it again “In the Church, no one is 

so poor as to have nothing to give, and 

no one is so rich as to have nothing to 

receive,” he added. (CBCPNews) 

© Mark Christian Ribay 


NEWS 

FEATURES 

Vietnam officials continue confiscation of church land 

HANOI, Vietnam, Sept. 

28, 2009—Amid a continuing 

smear campaign 

against Catholics, local 

Vietnamese officials 

have confiscated 

a Catholic school while 

other church land has 

been appropriated for 

private investors. The 

school adjacent to the 

parish church of Loan 

Ly in the town of Lang 

Co (Hue province) was 

built by parishioners in 

1956, Fr. J.B. An Dang 

told CNA. It was used 

as a Catholic elementary 

and high school until the 

local government seized 

it after the communist 

takeover of South Vietnam in 1975. 

Since the seizure, Sunday catechism classes have been 

allowed under the condition they are conducted under a 

large picture of Communist leader Ho Chi Minh instead of 

under a cross. 

Local authorities have repeatedly attempted to convert 

the school into a hotel since 1999. Their efforts were previously 

stopped because of parishioners’ public protests. 

The most recent confiscation attempt came under the local 

chief secretary of the Communist Party, Ho Xuan Man, who 

wanted to annex the school to create his own hotel. On September 

13, a Sunday, local authorities along with the local, district 

and provincial police barricaded the building and prevented the 

children from coming to the school for their catechism classes. 

The occupants then built a makeshift fence around the 

school. Hundreds of protesters gathered at the school and 

some started pulling the fence down. 

According to Fr. An Dang, thousands of police and 

armed reinforcements rushed to the scene and attacked the 

parishioners with batons and stun guns. 

The two Catholic bishops of Hue expressed “shock and 

frustration” with the government action and its “employment 

of violence.” They also called for peaceful dialogue. 

CARE, from page 9 

means, including the internet, to teach 

morality and the mission of the laity to 

bring gospel values to politics, economics 

and other secular fields of action; 5) 

Maria’s and her husband’s commitment 

to reject vote-buying and other election 

malpractices should be elicited always 

through persuasion and prayer from as 

many more voters as possible. PPCRV, 

responsible citizens and the youth should 

campaign actively for such a commitment, 

e.g., through written and publicly 

displayed notices; 6) Politicians and voters 

must always be invited not only to 

© www.flickr.com/photos/38223790@N00 

Hue Television responded to their comments with a 

series of interviews in which government contractors posed 

as Catholics who verbally attacked the bishops. 

Newspapers have also made “fierce” attacks against Fr. 

Joseph Ngo Than Son, pastor of Loan Ly. They accused him 

of plotting and directing parishioners’ protest on Sunday. 

However, the priest had been in the hospital for weeks and 

was not at his parish when the incident took place, Fr. An 

Dang reports. (CNA) 

Japanese experts expect supertyphoons 

to cause a lot of 

damage due to global warming 

TOKYO, Japan, Sept. 30, 2009—Japanese weathermen 

predict that global warming will spawn ‘super-typhoons’ in 

the second half of this century that will hit coastal Japan, 

causing unprecedented damages. However, typhoons and 

tropical storms have already sown death and destruction 

in the Philippines, Taiwan, China and Vietnam. 

“If a super-typhoon makes landfall in Japan, the 

surges in tides could bring about more serious damage 

than the Isewan Typhoon,” said Katsuhisa Tsuboki, associate 

professor of meteorology at Nagoya University. 

The Isewan Typhoon struck the Ise Bay area in 1959, 

killing more than 5,000 people, many of whom were 

swept away in tidal surges. 

In August this year, researchers predicted that global 

warming would raise sea surface temperatures in the 

Western Pacific, leading to several super-typhoons with 

winds of more than 240 kilometers per hour from 2074 

to 2087. 

In May, an Environment Ministry team in an independent 

study forecast huge damages from surges in tides 

due to rising sea levels and stronger typhoons. ”Coastal 

structures will need reinforcement in 40 to 50 years,” 

said Nobuo Mimura, professor of coastal engineering at 

Ibaraki University. 

Only 65 per cent of the 13,792 kilometers of coastal 

embankments are high enough to handle tides caused by 

storms the size of the one that hit Ise Bay. (AsiaNews) 

discussion fora but also to recollections 

and prayer meetings for clean, authentic 

and responsible elections. Their commitment 

to such a goal must also be elicited 

and monitored; 7) While we do right by 

condemning wrongdoing by politicians 

and voters alike, we must also encourage 

those who do right, e.g., citing and 

giving awards to good and accomplished 

leaders as well as to responsible and 

exemplary citizens. 

What are we really saying? That 

Jesus Christ be realized among us even 

as we conduct politics and, in particular, 

our elections. We conclude where 

we started. It is Jesus Christ who saves 

us and calls us to his saving ways. It is 

the same Jesus Christ we follow and 

his salvation that we try to announce as 

covering all human beings and all human 

endeavors. That is to say, we engage in 

clean, authentic and responsible elections 

to signify his saving presence among us. 

That all of this forms part of a plan we 

want to serve. “A plan to be carried out 

in Christ, in the fullness of time, to bring 

all things into one in him, in the heavens 

and on earth” (Eph 1:10). I 

14 


COVER 

STORY 

By Pinky Barrientos, FSP 

The travails of Filipino seafarers 

invaded anew the consciousness of 

the Filipino people when in April 

2009, international attention was riveted 

by the dramatic rescue of American captain 

Richard Phillips from the hands of 

Somali pirates. 

The drama on the high seas was successfully 

executed through the combined 

efforts of France, European Union, Canada, 

China and some African countries, which 

sent their navy armada to resolve the 

crisis. 

At that time, there were about 228 

seamen of various nationalities being held 

captive by Somali pirates from 13 ships 

they seized on various occasions. Half of 

those hostages were Filipinos. 

The swift action of the United States 

in securing the release of Captain Richard 

Phillips highlighted the inadequacy of the 

Philippine government in ensuring the 

safety of Filipino seafarers when they fall 

prey to piracy and other dangers related 

to their work. 

Filipino 

Sailing amid 

Piracy on the high seas 

Considered the scourge of the maritime 

industry, piracy caught international 

interest when Maersk Alabama, a US cargo 

ship, was seized by Somali pirates off 

the Horn of Africa sometime in April and 

took hostage the ship’s captain, Richard 

Phillips. 

Piracy off the coast of Somalia is a 

booming business. With warlords offering 

protection, it has become too easy 

for pirates to pull off attacks in exchange 

for hefty ransom that runs to millions of 

dollars. 

Somali pirates have been attacking 

ships plying the Gulf of Aden in the Horn 

of Africa since the early 1990’s. 

Piracy in Somalia started off as an 

upshot against illegal fishing and dumping 

of toxic wastes by other nations into 

Somali waters. With no functioning central 

government, and a civil war to boot, 

there was much chaos around. The local 

fishermen banded together to protect their 

source of livelihood. And very soon after, 

they transformed themselves into pirates 

upon discovering that piracy is a lucrative 

business that pays in millions of dollars. 

International piracy experts have 

estimated that in 2008 alone, the pirates 

have gained at least $80 million dollars in 

ransom payments. 

Somali pirates have had at least 78 

piracy attacks since January this year, 

16 


Seafarers: 

San Miguel Corporation: A Brewing Storm 

st turbulent waters 

Volume 43 • Number 10 17 

Photo courtesy of Juanito Baria

COVER 

STORY 

Seaman Jonathan Luman-ag 

compared to 111 during the same period 

in 2008, according to a Malaysian-based 

International Maritime Bureau. 

In November of last year, Somalis 

took hostage a Philippine tanker and its 

23 all-Filipino crew. The longest in captivity 

so far, the ship and seamen were 

freed only on April 21 this year, after 

the ship’s company paid an undisclosed 

amount of ransom. 

Somalis however, are not the only 

pirates preying on merchant vessels plying 

the Gulf of Aden off North Africa. 

Nigerian militants are also involved in 

the lucrative business of piracy whose 

notoriety is second only to Somalis. 

Job benefits outweigh risks 

Filipino seafarers comprise about 

25% of manpower in around 80% of 

ships in the world today. Hailed as 

among the very best in the world, Filipino 

crews can be found anywhere— 

onboard transport ships, tankers, ro-ro 

ships, riggers, fishing vessels, luxury 

liners and yachts. It has been said 

that without the big percentage of 

Filipino seafarers working onboard, 

the global shipping industry would 

suffer a crisis. 

© Roy Lagarde / CBCP Media 

Seaman Hydee Denoy 

Seafaring, perhaps more than any 

other profession exacts a lot on the 

emotional and psychological wellbeing 

of the person and his loved ones. 

“It can be lonely sometimes, especially 

when you have to think of your 

loved ones left behind. But in my profession 

that is a sacrifice that you have to 

accept,” says Jonathan Luman-ag. 

Working as an able-bodied seaman 

(AB) in a salvage towing ship, Lumanag 

says his ship has traveled many times 

in pirate-infested waters of Africa and 

Malta. But he is not worried about 

dangers at sea. 

“God is there to protect,” he says. 

Indeed, life in the oceans is fraught 

with risks. Seafarers have to contend not 

only with their own personal struggles of 

being separated from family for a long 

period of time, but with other factors as 

well. Loneliness sometimes drives them 

into illicit relationships every time they 

call on every port. There are instances 

too when their salaries are withheld for 

months or they are not given sufficient 

food by their employers. At the top of 

it all is the problem of piracy which 

has been pillaging the high seas for 

years already. 

Notwithstanding threats of piracy 

or otherwise, Filipino sailors still are 

lured to seek a seafaring job because 

the profession pays far better than any 

other job they can find at home. 

Ordinarily, able seaman and oilers 

can earn as much as US$1,500 monthly. 

Bosuns earn US$1,700; chief cooks 

get a pay of US$1,600; and third and 

second engineer officers US$2,350 and 

US$2,500 monthly, respectively. 

Seafarer Hydee Denoy admits he 

also worries about being taken hostage, 

but says he is willing to take the risk. 

The Leyte native says he would 

rather stay in the country than board 

a ship if only he could find a job that 

pays as much as he gets as a seaman. 

Working in a product tanker ship, Denoy 

gets as much as P60,000 a month 

in salaries. 

“Life is really hard in the beginning 

because of adjustments, but after 

a few months you tend to get used to 

the routine,” he says in a mixture of 

English and Tagalog. 

Lack of opportunities at home 

Like thousands of other overseas 

workers who opted to leave the country 

© Roy Lagarde / CBCP Media 

18 


Filipino Seafarers: Sailing amidst turbulent waters 

and loved ones in search for better opportunities 

abroad, Filipino seafarers are 

mostly driven by the same motivation. 

Certainly, it is not all love for travel that 

moves them to endure the hard life at 

sea, separated from family for months, 

sometimes without the possibility of 

communication. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs, 

approximate the number of Filipino 

seafarers deployed all over the world 

at around 350,000, most of them on 

board ships that travel through African 

waters, particularly the Gulf of Aden in 

the Horn of Africa. 

According to the Philippine Overseas 

Employment Administration 

(POEA), since 1987 the Philippines has 

been the leading contender in the supply 

of manpower in the international shipping 

industry. In 2007 alone, 266,553 

seamen were hired to work in international 

passenger and cargo ships. 

Despite receiving pay less than what 

their contracts state, still the salary is 

bigger compares to what they will normally 

get if they worked in the country. 

To be able to sail around the world for 

free is also another plus factor. 

“Besides earning dollars, you can 

travel around the world,” says Lumanag, 

who gets a monthly salary of 

$1,500. 

Seafarers’ remittances make up 15 

percent of the $14.5 billion sent home 

by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). 

In 2007, the remittances sent home by 

seamen totaled around $2.2 billion. This 

amount went up in 2008. According to 

Central Bank, Filipino seafarers sent 

home $2.393 billion in the first nine 

months of 2008, a 43.35-percent higher 

than the $1.669 billion they sent in the 

same period in 2007. 

Demand remains high 

Although the demand for Filipino 

crews has remained high as shown 

by increase in deployment this year 

despite the global economic crisis, 

the emergence of other countries like 

China, Ukraine, India, Indonesia, Poland 

and Greece, as sources of labor 

can drastically cut the need for Filipino 

seamen. 

But ship owners still preferred 

Filipino seamen for various reasons. 

The Filipinos’ ingenuity, flexibility, 

loyalty, willingness to work long hours 

and facility in English language are 

among the many positive factors why 

ship owners would choose Filipinos to 

© www.panoramio.com 


Filipino Seafarers: Sailing amidst turbulent waters 

man their ship. But ship owners also 

tend to exploit the seamen in many 

ways, like withholding their salaries for 

sometime or paying them less than what 

was stipulated in their contracts. 

Apostleship of the Sea 

The Church is deeply involved 

in protecting the welfare of Filipino 

seamen and their loved ones. To be 

able to assist the needs of mariners 

who are highly vulnerable to dangers 

and exploitation, the Church has established 

the Apostleship of the Sea 

(AOS) organization which gives all 

kinds of assistance to seafarers and 

their families. The AOS which is present 

in many countries works hand in 

hand with national and international 

organizations, private agencies and 

maritime institutions to protect the 

welfare of the estimated 1,200,000 seafarers 

worldwide, more than 300,000 

of whom are Filipinos. 

Magna Carta for Seafarers 

Recently, a bill providing a Magna 

Carta for Filipino Seafarers, which aims 

to improve the economic and social 

status of Filipino sailors has been introduced 

in Congress. Filed by Senator 

Edgardo Angara, the piece of legislation 

is touted to be a “major breakthrough 

in Philippine Maritime industry,” as it 

proposes better educational curriculum, 

employment system and post-employment 

support for Filipino seafarers and 

their families. 

Indeed, global competitiveness 

should push the country to improve 

the Maritime industry by creating policies 

that would safeguard the rights of 

Filipino seafarers. 

At the home front, the government 

may do well to urge for the revitalization 

of the country’s shipping industry 

so that Filipino mariners who may not 

wish to go out of the country at one 

point in their life will have an equally 

satisfying opportunities right within 

our shores. 

But with little possibilities offered 

to them at home, our seafarers may yet 

choose a riskier alternative. Brave it out 

in the pirate-infested waters of Africa 

where yet a number of Filipinos are 

being held hostage. 

While the Filipino seafarers in 

rough seas are living turbulent lives 

enough, the government seeming indifference 

to their plight is more than 

chaotic. But all that is nothing compared 

to the catastrophic turbulence of bad 

governance which is the root cause why 

the unwilling Filipino has to become a 

seafarer in the first place. I 

Photo courtesy of AOS 

Photo courtesy of AOS 

20 


ARTICLES 

Charity in Truth 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala 

Its original Latin rendition is “Caritas in veritate.” It’s the 

title of the third long-awaited encyclical of Pope Benedict 

XVI that just came out first week of July. 

When two years ago its idea was first brought up in 

public, the common attitude was that it was to be the papal 

social encyclical to tackle our festering current global 

economic crisis. 

Expectations and suspense ran high. What made it more 

so was that there were announcements 

that the document would 

come out last year. But it didn’t, 

thus, all sorts of speculations came 

thick and fast. 

So it was quite a major letdown 

that when it finally came out, only 

the “usual people” (ecclesiastics, 

Church commentators, seminary 

professors, etc.) were the ones making 

noise. Hardly anything came out 

from the secular press. It seemed 

that interest in the encyclical was 

restricted to a certain circle of 

people. 

Even in our country that’s supposed 

to be very Catholic, there’s 

almost total silence to its reception. 

The bishops preferred, it seems, to 

talk about politics or something else, 

though it must be said that what 

they said one way or another have 

some relation to what the encyclical 

is saying. 

This phenomenon has been 

hovering and bothering me at the 

back of my mind. Why is it like 

that? His second encyclical, “Spes 

salvi” (Saved by hope), despite its 

tremendous content, suffered more 

or less the same fate. It was only the first one, “Deus caritas 

est” (God is love), that caused some stir. 

Several reasons can be put forward. But I prefer to 

think that most people are not prepared for it. Many are 

those who do not know how to think theologically. They can 

think emotionally, rationally, sociologically, economically, 

politically, not but yet theologically. 

I’m afraid some have gone to the extent of considering 

documents like this as a foreign body to their system. They 

have already developed a certain allergy to any Church 

document. 

Underpinning this could be an attachment to the superficial 

aspects of the current situation, plus a certain soft or 

subtle narcissism that keeps one thinking of oneself only, 

or worse, a hostile attitude backed up by some ideologies 

like secularism, a wild liberalism, etc. 

Which is all a pity because the encyclical puts the whole 

issue of our current socio-economic-political predicament 

in its proper perspective. The Church has the duty and the 

charism to read the signs of the times, and this is what the 

Holy Father is doing in this encyclical. 

It does not offer technical solutions, but it points out the 

fundamental causes of our problems these days and the way 

to correct them. The Pope knows the vast scope as well as 

the limits of his authority. He toes 

the line. 

In this document, the Pope 

says that while truth always has to 

be pursued and given in charity, as 

St. Paul says, charity, which is the 

driving force of human development, 

should always be developed 

in the truth. 

Everyone, I suppose, wants to 

love. But we have to make sure that 

our love is in the truth, otherwise we 

would just be going in circles, pursuing 

a false and dangerous love. 

He defines what true integral 

human development is, grounding it 

on its ultimate source as a vocation 

coming from God and highlighting 

the spiritual component more than 

its material aspect. 

The Pope tries to highlight the 

connection between our earthly 

affairs on the one hand, and our 

origin and destination in God, on 

the other. 

Our usual problem is to understand 

our autonomy in our earthly 

affairs as total independence from 

God. They are just a human thing, 

we tend to think. God has no place 

in them. Wrong! We need to make drastic changes in this 

mentality. 

The Pope goes on to touch on a number of crucial elements 

regarding our earthly affairs that all need clarification. 

Among these are the social principles of common good, 

solidarity and subsidiarity as lived in the context of our 

present crisis. 

There are references to how international cooperation 

should be developed, and other issues like migration, aid to 

poor countries, care for the environment, delicate responsibilities 

in finance, etc. 

There’s one point that I find most interesting. It’s about 

how openness to life is at the center of true development. 

“If personal and social sensitivity toward the acceptance of 

a new life is lost, then other forms of acceptance valuable 

for society also wither away.” I 

© www.blackchristiannews.com 


STATEMENTS 

Epic Flood: A Call for Compassion 

The pictures we see in the newspapers and television 

screen in these days, after the epic flood brought about 

by devastating tropical storm “Ondoy” have many 

stories to tell which are beyond words. Many of the victims 

of super typhoon Ondoy has a scary experience to narrate. 

While we keep in our imagination the pictures that invite 

our deepest sympathy, and even listen in our hearts to their 

desperate cries for help, the victims agonizing and angry 

complaints at the slowness or absence of response from 

Disaster Preparedness Program, let us see in this situation 

a call to everyone for compassion. If there were no graft 

and corruption in our government, our government would 

be more prepared to respond to such crisis. 

Typhoon Ondoy’s destructive path may be the worst 

flood in more than half a century. Through the ravages of 

nature in the past, the Filipino sense of compassion, which 

we also call “bayanihan,” has been called forth. The pictures 

we have seen in the past few days are pictures of Filipinos 

responding to the call for compassion, of people willing to 

“suffer with,” people with the spirit of “bayanihan.” 

We pray against typhoons, earthquakes, floods and other 

natural calamities. But when they do occur, the heroism of 

the Filipino comes out. We salute, for example, to that 18- 

year old teen-ager, Muelmar Magallanes, who lost his life 

after saving more than a dozen neighbors, the last of whom 

was a six-month old baby. 

This one heroic example is an inspiration of our appeal 

with the CBCP National Secretariat for Social Action. The 

CBCP NASSA has been mobilized to help with its limited 

resources the victims of the flood. Relief goods have started 

to be gathered and distributed to the flood-affected provinces 

around Metro Manila. Caritas Manila has started to respond 

to the flood victims in Metro Manila. Compassion is drawing 

many Filipinos to unite with their unfortunate brothers and 

sisters. Social Action Centers of other Dioceses may join 

the campaign by sending to CBCP NASSA whatever they 

may collect. Profound gratitude to the Knights of Columbus 

Supreme Council and the US Bishops’ Conference—Catholic 

Relief Services. They were among the first to respond. 

Other Institutions like the RED CROSS, have also 

started to respond to the call for compassion, as we have 

seen in GMA network and ABS-CBN network in the spirit 

respectively of “KAPUSO” and “KAPAMILYA.” 

We bend our knees in prayer for salvation against natural 

calamities, but when they do come, we are not so helpless 

as not to respond with heroism. We have said it before and 

we say it again “In the Church, no one is so poor as to have 

nothing to give, and no one is so rich as to have nothing to 

receive.” We are humbled by the crises that come to us. We 

pray to God and appeal for our neighbor. 

+ANGEL N. LAGDAMEO 

Archbishop of Jaro 

CBCP President 

September 29, 2009 

© Bro. Gilbert Billena, O.Carm 

Statement against the slaying of Fr. Cecilio Lucero 

The CBCP-National Secretariat for 

Social Action–Justice and Peace 

condemns in the strongest terms 

the brutal murder of Fr. Cecilio Lucero, 

human rights activist, of the Diocese of 

Catarman, Northern Samar. 

The murder of Fr. Lucero comes 

in the wake of a series of unresolved 

extrajudicial killings and attacks on 

human rights defenders, journalists and 

NGO activists. These senseless acts of 

violence represent the antithesis of a 

people of life. The Filipino people, who 

peacefully pray and work every day for 

the protection of all human life, are 

rightfully aggrieved by this news. 

Our immediate thoughts are with 

Fr. Lucero’s family and parishioners. 

This is a terrible moment for them, in 

which their worst fears about the threats 

to Fr. Lucero’s life have been confirmed. 

We offer them our deepest condolences. 

Fr. Lucero is a well-known peace and 

human rights advocate who served 

as parish priest in Catubig town, and 

Chairman of the Human Rights Committee 

of the diocese. He was a tireless 

crusader for the rights and dignity of all 

individuals. He understood the danger of 

his work, but refused to be intimidated. 

Fr. Lucero’s remarkable courage and 

dedication are sources of inspiration; 

he will be truly missed. 

We fully support every effort to bring 

those responsible for this cowardly 

crime to justice. NASSA calls on the 

government and its law enforcement 

agencies to ensure a thorough, prompt 

and impartial investigation, and to 

leave no stone unturned in the hunt 

for his killers. The time for political 

statements and assurances has passed; 

only the swift delivery of justice will 

lend any credence to the authorities’ 

supposed commitment to justice. 

For the Social Action Network 

+ BRODERICK S. PABILLO, D.D 

National Director 

9 September 2009 

22 


STATEMENTS 

Be Responsible Creation Stewards 

A Reiteration of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines 

(CBCP) Pastoral Statements against large-scale mining in the Philippines 

In January 1988 the Catholic Bishops' 

Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) 

issued the Pastoral Letter on Ecology, 

“What is Happening to our Beautiful 

Land”, where we shared our anxiety over 

the “attack being made on the natural 

world” which was “endangering its 

fruitfulness for future generations.” 

On the tenth anniversary of that 

Letter, the CBCP released a “Statement 

of Concern on the Mining Act of 1995” 

to underline how concerned we were at 

the rapid expansion of mining 

operations arising from the 

said Act of 1995, asking for 

the repeal of Republic Act 

7942 known as the Philippine 

Mining Act of 1995. 

In March 2005, NASSA 

and the CBCP Episcopal Commission 

on Social Action-Justice 

and Peace issued “Nature 

is Groaning: A Statement on 

the Revitalization of Mining 

in the Philippines,” and 

observed that the continuing 

enforcement of an oppressive 

law is blighting our ecology. 

In January 2006 the CBCP re-affirmed 

our stand for the repeal of the Mining Act 

of 1995, contained in “A Statement on 

Mining Issues and Concerns,” believing 

that the said mining law destroys life. 

The right to life of people is inseparable 

from their right to sources of food and 

livelihood. Allowing the interests of 

big mining corporations to prevail over 

people’s right to these sources amounts 

to violating their right to life. Furthermore, 

mining threatens people’s health 

and environmental safety through the 

wanton dumping of waste and tailings 

in rivers and seas. 

Today we are saddened to see many of 

our recommendations have been ignored 

and the broken promises have continued 

to multiply, including the claimed investments, 

revenues, jobs and the promise of 

development. 

With the current speed and scale that 

mining is being aggressively promoted 

in the Philippines, the vast deleterious 

impacts to our already fragile ecology is 

quickly becoming a bitter reality. 

We remember the fears that were 

outlined by CBCP ECSA-JP in 2005, 

that “Mining has given the Philippines 

a scarring experience: mine tailings 

flooding villages and killing individuals, 

depletion of natural resources, ill effects 

on health, fabricated social acceptability, 

polarization among locals, unjust labor 

practices, delays in or non-payment of 

taxes due the local government, abandoned 

mines that continue to harm the 

environment and inhabitants long after 

operations have ceased, displacement 

of indigenous communities, unfulfilled 

promises of community development, 

militarization, intimidation and threats.” 

It seems that our fears have come true 

only after three years. We reiterate 

the recommendations of the 1998 CBCP 

Statement wherein, i) we asked for the 

“repeal of Republic Act 7942 known as 

the Philippine Mining Act of 1995,” ii) 

the “recall of all approved Financial or 

Technical Assistance Agreements (FTAAs) 

and other mineral agreements, and to 

disapprove the pending ones,” and iii) we 

expressed “support for the petitions of 

some sectors to close down several mining 

operations in various communities that 

confronted this extractive industry.” 

These calls were again highlighted in 

2006, wherein we called all our religious 

leaders: 

1. To support, unify and strengthen 

the struggle of the local Churches and their 

constituency against all mining projects, 

and raise the anti-mining campaign at the 

national level; 

2. To support the call of various sectors, 

especially the Indigenous Peoples, 

to stop the 24 Priority Mining Projects 

of the government, and the closure of 

large-scale mining projects, for example, 

the Rapu-rapu Polymetallic Project in 

Albay, HPP Project in Palawan, Didippio 

Gold-Copper Project in Nueva Vizcaya, 

Tampakan Copper-gold Project in South 

Cotabato, Canatuan Gold Project in Zamboanga 

del Norte, and the San Antonio 

Copper Project in Marinduque, among 

others; 

3. To support the conduct 

of studies on the evil effects of 

mining in dioceses; 

4. To support all economic 

activities that are life-enhancing 

and poverty-alleviating. 

Given the many unresolved 

issues and concerns about largescale 

mining, it is clear that the 

present Mining Law (Republic 

Act 7942) does not regulate the 

rational exploration, development 

and utilization of mineral 

resources, and fails to ensure 

the equitable sharing of benefits for the 

State, Indigenous Peoples (IPs) and local 

communities. 

As we have said in our 1998 statement, 

even our best efforts will come 

to nothing without the help of God, our 

Creator. We invoke upon you the grace 

of the Holy Spirit who renews the face of 

the earth. With gratitude in our hearts we 

ask the intercession of Mary, the Mother 

of Jesus and our Mother, to obtain for us 

a renewed land and a converted people. 

“At the cross her station keeping, stood 

the mournful Mother weeping, close to 

Jesus to the last.” 

© CBCP/NASSA 

For the Episcopal Commission on Social 

Action, Justice and Peace (ECSA-JP) 

The National Secretariat for Social Action-Justice 

and Peace (NASSA) 

+BRODERICK S. PABILLO, D.D. 

National Director 



STATEMENTS 

For Good or Evil, For Better or Worse 

The issue of good and evil in governance starts with responsible 

and irresponsible citizenship. Leadership in 

governance starts with leaders as citizens. Responsible 

citizens produce good leaders, good leaders produce good 

citizens. Leaders and citizens are linked to each other; they 

influence each other for good or evil, for better or for worse. 

Leaders and citizens must work jointly for the common good. 

Sadly, however, the common good is very often being subordinated 

to private good, to the good of one’s own self, party or family. 

While it is true that we cannot be blind to the evil or wrong 

around us, we must have the wisdom and fortitude to correct it. 

We need to exercise our social conscience by owning our social 

evils and wrongs and by owning as well the tasks of fighting these, 

and of pursuing the common good, individually or collectively. 

Before condemning others, let us first look at ourselves, because 

we may be guilty of the same or similar. No person is completely 

evil that there is nothing we can do to correct him or her. 

Corruption, we have said many times before, is the greatest 

shame and problem of our country. Our government has not 

eradicated it, because it is involved in corruption itself. 

To help pursue the good and fight evil, the CBCP has 

recommended and undertaken “communal actions,” we “pray 

together, reason together, decide together, act together towards 

a more vigorous work for good governance and a more active 

promotion of responsible citizenship in our society.” May I 

repeat here that in view of the national elections next year, 

“we call upon those who are competent, persons of integrity 

and committed to change to get involved directly in partisan 

politics and become candidates for political election, aware 

that the common good is above the good of vested interests. 

We remind the laity that it is within their right as their duty to 

campaign for candidates they believe to be competent, honest 

and public-service minded in order to reform our country.” 

Our question that needs to be posed to all those aspiring 

for the presidency and other government elective positions is: 

how are you going to eradicate graft and corruption in your 

level of governance? We, citizens, are urged to examine their 

plans, and in conscience choose and support those who will 

lead us to the good, onward to the better. 

+ARCHBISHOP ANGEL N. LAGDAMEO, DD 


President, CBCP 


Reiterating CBCP Position on Family 

With the introduction of the Reproductive 

Health Bill 5043, 

a.k.a. Reproductive Health 

Bill, in Congress, truth and morality, 

the value and dignity of life, family and 

marriage are sadly made to depend on 

human laws. That is what is implied in the 

Reproductive Health (RH) Bill presently 

under discussion in Congress. 

It appears that Congress even plans 

to shorten the discussion in order to have 

the R.H. Bill passed before the end of 

October. We hope that the normal process 

of discussion and interpellation be 

observed, that the Congressmen who 

have signified to interpellate on the 

R.H. Bill be honored and given the opportunity 

to interpellate. To shorten the 

period of interpellation would give the 

impression that the passage of RH Bill 

is “lutong makaw”, not judiciously and 

sufficiently discussed. 

As Catholics and Christians we are 

against the passage of the RH Bill 5043 

of Congress for reasons we have already 

enunciated and I now summarize: 

1. The Bill dilutes and negates Section 

III (1) Article XV of the Constitution which 

provides “The State shall defend the right 

of spouses to found a family in accordance 

with their religious conviction and the 

demands of responsible parenthood.” 

2. The Bill seeks to legalize surgical 

procedures that the Catholic Church has 

denounced as immoral, except for serious 

health reasons: tubal ligation, vasectomy 

and abortion. 

3. The Bill requires mandatory reproductive 

health education from Grade 

V to Fourth Year High School without 

consideration of their sensitivity and moral 

innocence. The moral law and the Constitution 

recognize the right of parents to be the 

primary educators of their children. 

4. The Bill recommends having two 

children only per family as the supposedly 

ideal family size. There is no moral or 

scientific basis for this recommendation. 

It puts the State above the family. The 

natural right of couples to have as many 

or as few children as possible, pursuant 

to their understanding of responsible parenthood, 

is in our view already protected 

by Section 12, Art. 2 of the Constitution, 

which recognizes the “sanctity of family 

life” and protects the life of the mother 

and of the unborn. 

5. The Bill states that those who “maliciously 

engage in disinformation about 

the intent of provisions of the bill” shall be 

punished with imprisonment and/or fine of 

P10,000 to P50,000. This includes those 

who will teach contrary to the bill (after 

it is passed) and speak about its immoral 

provisions. Such provision is a clear 

violation of the freedom of speech and 

of the right to religious conviction. Only 

totalitarian states have such policies. 

We thus reiterate our categorical 

and unequivocal opposition to any attempt 

at controlling the exercise of the 

God-given rights of human persons to 

enter into married life, procreate and 

raise families according to the provisions 

of the Constitution and their religious 

convictions. 

We appreciate and are grateful to 

the members of the Legislature who seek 

to understand the will of the Supreme 

Lawgiver whose laws are beyond our 

limited human competence to repeal or 

amend. We recognize and likewise thank 

the individuals and groups who support 

our pro-life, pro-women, pro-marriage 

and pro-family advocacy. We raise in 

prayer all their efforts for continued 

guidance and strength from the Lord 

and Giver of Life. 

For the Catholic Bishops’ Conference 

of the Philippines: 

+ANGEL N. LAGDAMEO, DD 


President, CBCP 


24 


STATEMENTS 

The Liturgical Year and 

Inculturation 

13th Asian Liturgy Forum (ALF) 

South-East Asian Region, 

September 16-20, 2009 

Bahay Pari, San Carlos Pastoral Formation Complex, 

Edsa, Makati City 

We, the delegates 

to 

the 13th 

Asian Liturgy Forum 

of South-East 

Asia, met from September 

16-19, 2009 

to discuss the timely 

and urgent topic 

of Liturgical Year 

and Inculturation. 

The meeting was 

held in Bahay-Pari 

of San Carlos Pastoral 

Formation Complex, 

Makati City, 

Philippines, under 

the auspices of His 

Eminence Gaudencio 

B. Cardinal Rosales, 

Archbishop 

of Manila to whom 

we express profound gratitude. The delegates 

to the meeting came from Brunei, 

Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, 

Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. 

We are now pleased to share the result 

of our three-day meeting. 

1. The history of the liturgical year 

shows that the calendar of feasts has 

been constantly adjusting itself to political, 

cultural, and religious environment 

of local Churches. This should serve 

as a guiding principle in our work of 

inculturating the liturgical year. 

2. We note that inculturation normally 

takes place within the framework 

of approved liturgical books, whereby 

the substantial unity of the Roman Rite 

is preserved. Hence, the inculturation 

of the liturgical calendar does not result 

in a totally new calendar that is an 

alternative to the typical edition of the 

Roman Rite. 

3. However, we acknowledge that 

inculturation might not always be sufficient 

to address certain local needs. 

We would not preclude the creation of 

particular liturgical calendars while 

retaining the register of feasts of the 

Roman Rite. 

4. Roman traditional liturgical symbols 

may need to be adjusted in accord 

with the seasons of the year in the local 

Church. This would be applicable, for 

example, to liturgical feasts like Christmas 

and Easter whose original symbols 

do not correspond to existing seasons of 

the year in a particular Church. 

5. Inspired by liturgical history, 

we recognize the role of local cultural 

and social traditions in the institution 

of some liturgical feasts like the Chair 

of St. Peter in Rome, which originated 

in the ancestral feast of ancient Rome 

called parentalia. In accord with liturgical 

norms, local Churches could institute 

feasts derived from 

their traditional 

and other established 

practices. 

6. Likewise, 

the cycle of human 

work has shaped 

some liturgical celebrations 

like Rogation 

and Ember 

days. We believe 

that in the industrial 

world marked by 

the rhythm of work 

and rest, production 

and consumption, 

and strikes 

and negotiations, 

the Church should 

similarly establish 

pertinent liturgical 

feasts. 

7. In regions where popular pious 

exercises abound and continue to be 

meaningful to the faithful the liturgical 

calendar can be enriched by the integration 

of popular religious practices with 

the liturgical feasts. 

8. Sometimes political situations 

have left their mark on the liturgical 

calendar as witnessed by the institution 

of the feasts of Christ the King and St. 

Joseph the Worker. Local Churches may 

propose similar feasts to accompany the 

faithful across political systems. 

© Noli Yamsuan / RCAM 

In conclusion, given that time is 

relative, that situations are provisional, 

and that culture and traditions are in 

constant evolution, the Church should 

continue to revise, reinvent, and create 

liturgical feasts that meet the actual 

needs of the faithful. 

That in all things God may be 

glorified. 


FROM THE 

BLOGS 

Three signal 

attributes of a worthy 

presidential candidate 

The election fever has started. Political gimmicks are all 

over the country. Camouflaged, ambivalent or obvious 

campaign advertisements have long since invaded particularly 

the radio and TV stations. The common tao are already 

anticipating and salivating for the fiesta atmosphere of the 

forthcoming elections. But more than them, there are political 

candidates who will spare no costs and will adopt all conceivable 

means to get their monies back by landing their eagerly 

opted political positions. These are good times. These are bad 

times. It is a good time because money, food and drinks will 

flood the country. It is a bad time whereas bad people appear as 

if from nowhere to sow fear and bring havoc to many otherwise 

peaceful communities in all the regions of the land. 

While all political candidates—specially those aspiring for 

the highest office in the land—are decidedly saying anything 

and doing everything to sell themselves to the voting public, 

there are however three pivotal questions that both the young 

and old committed and serious voters keep on asking more 

frequently and insistently as election time draws nearer. One, 

whom will they vote for? Two, why will they vote for him? 

Three, will he be able to reform the malevolent Philippine 

politics and transform an ethically dying and wherefore morally 

bankrupt present government? These are not only legitimate 

but also timely questions. Why? 

After the long infamous martial law regime, not only a 

pious person and thereafter a brave figure, not merely a popular 

individual followed by a haughty character as well, were 

all one after another elected to lead in the governance in this 

other blessed country. The over-all lamentable result of their 

combined some two decades of administration need not really 

be mentioned at all. Reason: Reciting their long litany of their 

respective outrageous personal conduct and official nauseous 

actuation can readily be considered as sadism—something like 

adding barrels of salt to a big and still fresh national injury. 

The mere recall of what their individual presidency stood 

for—with the still ruling administration deserving a special 

mention—is enough to make the brave surrender in desperation 

and the courageous to give up with disgust! 

INTEGRITY, that keeps someone fair, just and upright, 

notwithstanding all arguments to the contrary. CHARACTER, 

that makes the same individual stand still, and thereby exercise 

the right and sound political will despite all representations 

and pressures in favor of the opposite. COMPETENCE, that 

empowers the same person with the knowledge of and aptitude 

for governance, without necessarily being perfect or altogether 

unerring; with good intentions however never wanting. These 

are the key attributes demanded from the in-coming President 

according to the signs of the times. Note: Truth to tell, there is 

one distinct and singular personality already in government who 

for all intents and purposes, has the integrity and the character 

and the competence for eligibility and election to the Office 

of the President of the Philippines. Why not check attentively, 

look closely and vote for him accordingly? 

www.ovc.blogspot.com 

Key enemies of 

good government 

Considering that good government demands good 

politics which in turn stipulates good politicians, 

the main social enemies of this triple goodness are 

the following: One, poverty. Two, credulity. Three, passivity. 

All these realities have been long since obtaining 

on the part of a good number of Filipinos in their roles as 

citizens and voters in this supposedly democratic country. 

Otherwise, it would be practically impossible to explain 

particularly the incumbent administration during the past 

eight years—an administration which has been long since 

in effect equated with deception and corruption. 

The ground truth of such a partisan politico-national 

disaster is the combined by-product of a people who are 

by and large poor, credulous and passive. More than a 

composite socio-ethical fault on their part, they are instead 

continuous victims of flagrant thievery, gross deceit 

and ultimate pitiful submission—courtesy of the ruling 

administration with an odious and devious destructive 

staying power. The bigger the “trapos” are in government, 

the more poor, credulous and passive a large portion of 

the Filipinos become. 

To start with, an impoverished people are not really 

free precisely because they are chained by their 

unmet basic needs and unsatisfied necessities. Time 

and again, it is rightly said that genuine democracy and 

real poverty cannot co-exist. In line with the dictum 

that beggars cannot be choosers, so it is that poor and 

hungry people are readily bought, reigned and silenced 

by political dole outs which can be readily equated with 

social bribery. This is precisely why truly evil political 

figures prefer to govern people wallowing in poverty as 

these become not only simple in thinking and submissive 

in behavior. 

And there is the added social liability that poor people 

readily believe that heavenly promises of politicos, well 

disposed to cling to and depend on their delirious commitments 

to common good and public welfare. What 

can a very thirsty and hungry man do if not immediately 

listen to and hope for the loud and repeated vain avowals 

of fresh water and abundant food made by abominable 

if not also delusional “professional” politicians? These 

are elective or elected individuals who simply love and 

enjoy having credulous and obedient constituents. 

Being thus afflicted by continuous poverty and consequent 

credulity in the world of rapacious and deceptive 

“expert” politicians, people eventually become afflicted 

too with passivity. Being poor is considered as a way of 

living and being credulous is felt as a means of hoping 

and coping, what else is in store for such people if not 

to be passive in life and thus indifferent to the sociopolitical 

pathetic national situation and to the persevering 

dreadful local conditions. 

Come to think of it, a government can be the life or 

death, the blessing or curse of the people it rules over. 

www.ovc.blogspot.com 

26 


EDITORIAL 

Illustration by Bladimer Usi 

Stewardship in general refers to someone acting as 

an overseer, a supervisor, a deputy or a trustee of 

certain resources, certain agenda or assigned work. 

In the temporal world, a steward is a caretaker of material 

resources that he or she does not really own but simply 

manages in the name of someone else. In other words, a 

steward has really no dominion over the assets the same 

is commissioned to supervise, to safeguard, improve and 

even upgrade. The striking reality of stewardship has continuous 

relevance and practical application at all times and 

in all places. The truth of stewardship specially comes to 

mind during these days of one big calamity after another 

in the country. 

People are stewards of creation. Nature and its resources, 

the environ and its benefits, the wealth of the land and the 

bounty of the sea, the benefits of clean and fresh air—all these 

are entrusted by their Creator to men, women and children to 

care for and to benefit from. Woe therefore to people if they 

merely exploit such wealth and potentials of nature. What a 

pity if they abuse and misuse the earth’s natural resources, 

thus leaving them wasted and destroyed. It is no secret that 

even silent nature and the patient environ can roar, rebel 

and hit back with a vengeance when so much ill-treated or 

maltreated by their own stewards who precisely are meant 

Stewardship 

to care for and preserve them. 

People are but stewards of what they have, such as those 

temporal goods called their possessions in cash and/or in 

kind. This is why even their so-called private properties 

have ingrained social dimension. The truth is that no one, 

absolutely no one has absolute ownership of anything he/ 

she has—even those stored in their vaults, deposited in their 

banks or brought to foreign investment houses. The underlying 

reality behind this apparently curious if not cryptic 

truth squarely consists in the long known and obvious fact 

that no one, no one at all, can bring and keep a miserable 

centavo with him or her when stiff dead. 

The above simple observations and plain reminders 

bring to fore the following pretty good reminders: First, more 

people respect and care for the earth and its environ, the 

better for them, their children and their children’s children 

to continue enjoying and benefiting from them. Second, 

more people share possession with others in need, the more 

their resources become useful and profitable as such goods 

are made to spread their beneficial purpose and attributes. 

Third, more people become generous not stingy, some kind 

of a Santa Claus instead of a Scrooge, the bigger they look, 

the taller they stand before God and man. 

Stewardship is not an option but an imperative. 


FROM THE 

INBOX 

From the e-mail messages of lanbergado@cbcpworld.net 

The miracle of a brother’s song 

Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another 

baby was on the way, she did what she could to 

help her 3-year-old son, Michael, prepare for a new 

sibling. 

They found out that the new baby was going to be a girl, 

and day after day, night after night, Michael sang to his sister 

in mommy’s tummy. 

He was building a bond of love with his little sister 

before he even met her. The pregnancy progressed normally 

for Karen, an active member of the Panther Creek United 

Methodist Church in Morristown, Tennessee. 

In time, the labor pains came. Soon it was every five 

minutes, every three, every minute… But serious complications 

arose during delivery and Karen found herself in 

hours of labor. 

Would a C-section be required? Finally, after a long 

struggle, Michael’s little sister was born. But she was in 

very serious condition. 

With a siren howling in the night, the ambulance rushed 

the infant to the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Mary’s 

Hospital, Knoxville, Tennessee. The days inched by… The 

little girl got worse. The pediatrician had to tell the parents 

there is very little hope... Be prepared for the worst. 

Karen and her husband contacted a local cemetery about 

a burial plot. They had fixed up a special room in their house 

for their new baby but now they found themselves having 

to plan for a funeral. 

Michael, however, kept begging his parents to let him 

see his sister. I want to sing to her, he kept saying. Week two 

in intensive care looked as if a funeral would come before 

the week was over. 

Michael kept nagging about singing to his sister, but 

kids are never allowed in Intensive Care... 

Karen decided to take Michael whether they liked it or 

not. If he didn’t see his sister right then, he may never see 

her alive. 

She dressed him in an oversized scrub suit and marched 

him into ICU. He looked like a walking laundry basket. 

The head nurse recognized him as a child and bellowed, 

“Get that kid out of here now. No children are allowed.” 

© wherewiller.wordpress.com 

The mother rose up strong in Karen, and the usually 

mild-mannered lady glared steel-eyed right into the head 

nurse’s face, her lips a firm line. 

“He is not leaving until he sings to his sister,” she 

stated. 

Then Karen towed Michael to his sister’s bedside. He 

gazed at the tiny infant losing the battle to live. 

After a moment, he began to sing in the pure-hearted 

voice of a 3-year-old, Michael sang: 

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me 

happy when skies are gray.” 

Instantly the baby girl seemed to respond. The pulse 

rate began to calm down and become steady. 

“Keep on singing, Michael,” encouraged Karen with 

tears in her eyes. 

“You never know, dear, how much I love you. Please 

don’t take my sunshine away.” 

As Michael sang to his sister, the baby’s ragged, strained 

breathing became as smooth as a kitten’s purr. 

“Keep on singing, sweetheart,” Karen said. 

“The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I 

held you in my arms.” 

Michael's little sister began to relax as rest, healing rest, 

seemed to sweep over her. 

“Keep on singing, Michael.” 

Tears had now conquered the face of the bossy head 

nurse. Karen glowed. 

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. Please don’t 

take my sunshine away.” 

The next day... the very next day the little girl was well 

enough to go home. 

Woman’s Day Magazine called it “The Miracle of a 

Brother's Song.” The medical staff just called it a miracle. 

Karen called it a miracle of God's love. 

Heart warmers 

A 

four-year-old 

child had a next-door neighbor, an 

elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. 

Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into 

the old gentleman’s yard, climbed onto his lap, and just 

sat there. 

When his mother asked him what he had said to the 

neighbor, the little boy just said, “Nothing, I just helped 

him cry.” 

***** 

Teacher Debbie Moon’s first graders were discussing 

a picture of a family. One little boy in the picture 

had a different hair color than the other members. 

One of her students suggested that he was adopted. A little 

girl said, “I know all about adoption, I was adopted.” 

“What does it mean to be adopted?” asked another 

child. 

“It means,” said the girl, “that you grew in your 

mommy’s heart instead of her tummy!” 

28 


ook 

Reviews 

Natural Family Planning 

Values, Issues, and Practices 

Chona R. Echavez & Estrella E. Taco-Borja, Editors 

The book is a compendium 

of stories, articles and research 

outputs clustered into 

four sections. Section one, 

“Catholic Church Teaching,” 

articulates the teachings of 

the Catholic Church on responsible 

parenthood and 

NFP based on Humanae 

Vitae and other church documents. 

The second section, 

“NFP and SDM: Issues and 

Reflections,” explains what 

constitutes natural family 

planning and presents the 

various modern NFP methods 

including the controversial 

Standard Days Method. Section 

three, “Church and Government 

on Population and 

Poverty,” situates the significance of NFP pastoral program in 

the contentious issues of population and poverty and the roles of 

the church and government. The final section, “NFP in Practice 

and Lessons from the Field,” presents actual experiences of NFP 

program from three areas—a rural setting, an urban slum area, 

and an archdiocesan context. The articles that comprise the book 

are related but independent works by several authors. Hence the 

various perspectives are best woven along a discernible problem 

to which they all seem to contribute in one way or another. The 

heart of the book is Christian responsibility to the family planning 

needs of Filipino couples. It calls for pastoral innovation in order 

to effectively mainstream the Natural Family Planning program 

as a proactive and moral alternative to contraceptive and abortive 

practices in Philippine society. 

Catechism on Consecrated Life 

Based on the Code of Canon Law 

Archbishop Leonardo Z. Legaspi, O.P., DD 

This book is a significant reference 

material for especially for 

members of religious communities. 

Given in a question and 

answer format, the Catechism 

delves on selected topics like 

“matters that define the identity 

of the consecrated life, issues 

that relate to the rights and 

obligations of religious communities, 

and matters relating 

to religious institutes, secular 

institutes and societies of 

apostolic life. Based on the 

Code of Canon Law, the book 

provides a clear understanding 

on the “richness of consecrated 

life” and the “role of religious 

communities in the service of 

the Church.” The Catechism is 

also an expression of gratitude 

by the Archbishop to the religious communities serving in the 

Archdiocese of Caceres in various capacities: schools, mass 

and social communications, hospitals and health care for the 

dying, elderly, the specially disabled, youth ministry, rehabilitation 

of abused women, orphanages, literacy and livelihood 

programs and tribal promotion. The volume is a publication of 

the University of Santo Tomas. 

The Making of a Local Church 

Francisco F. Claver, SJ 

In his book ‘The Making of a Local 

Church’, Francisco F. Claver, 

SJ having served as a former 

bishop of the Diocese of Malaybalay 

and the Apostolic Vicariate 

of Bontoc-Lagawe, shares his 

experiences on his journey with 

his flock as well as his insights 

in building up a local church 

revitalizing the Vatican II teachings. 

His approach is wholistic, 

dealing with the totality of the 

person as well as the community 

in shepherding aimed towards 

our salvation. The book gives 

insights in response to incarnating 

the church through the local 

church which he had developed 

during his teaching experience 

as a professor at a pastoral institute 

in Ateneo and his hands-on 

ministry in his diocese. He describes the history and development 

of the local church and discusses about the ‘ecclesiologies’ that 

developed as a response to “aggiornamento teachings of Vatican 

II.” He writes about the basic ecclesial communities, the “expression 

of the local church in its most fundamental form” which are 

present in numerous parishes of poor countries. He also discusses 

the role of the social apostolate, confronting the problems on justice 

and human rights in forming the local church as well as the 

relation of social change in its task of evangelization. Endorsed by 

several prelates as a “vademecum” for priests in their shepherding, 

the volume is co-published by Claretian Publications and Jesuit 

Communications. 

Living Your Strengths 

Discover Your God-Given Talents and Inspire Your 

Community 

Albert L. Winseman, D.Min., Donald O. Clifton, Ph.D. & Curt 

Liesveld, M.Div. 

Each of us has been endowed 

by God with talents uniquely 

ours. But for most people their 

talents remain unrecognized 

and untapped because they are 

not aware of their gifts or simply 

they don’t focus on cultivating it. 

This motivational book will help 

people discover and develop 

their signature talents. A product 

of Gallup research on the 

incredible potential each person 

possesses, the book explains 

that anyone can be successful 

in any endeavor as long as the 

person builds on one’s greatest 

natural abilities rather than 

on one’s weaknesses. How 

does one discover what his/ 

her strengths are? The authors 

encourage readers to take the 

Clifton StrengthsFinder, an online talent assessment before reading 

the book. The tool assessment will help them discover what their 

innate talents are. In each chapter of the book are stories from 

people who have discovered their signature talents, who have 

built on their strengths not only to develop themselves into a better 

person, but also to become effective ministers in their parishes. 

Living Your Strengths is an edition of Claretian Publications. 


ENTERTAINMENT 

Ca t h o l i c INi t i a t i v e fo r 

Enl i g h t e n e d Mov i e App r e c i a t i o n 

Cast: Ogie Alcasid, Michael V., Iza Calzado, Aiko Melendez, 

Jomari Yllana, Leo Martinez, Roxanne Guinoo, Sheena 

Halili, Victor Aliwalas 

Director: Mike Tuviera 

Producers: Jose Mari Abacan, Ogie Alcasid, Mike Tuviera, 

Michael V. 

Screenwriters: Ogie Alcasid, Michael V., Uro Q. dela Cruz 

Genre: Comedy 

Distributor: GMA Films 

Location: Manila 

Running Time: 100 min. 

Technical Assessment: ••½ 

Moral Assessment: 

CINEMA Rating: For viewers age 13 and below with 

parental guidance 

Bagama't may angking talino ay labis naman ang 

kapilyahan ni Angelina (Ogie Alcacid) kung kaya't 

walang tumatagal ditong yaya. Matapos ang pagkuha 

ng ilang mga yaya para kay Angelina, tanging si Yaya Rosalinda 

(Michael V.) lamang ang makakatagal sa kakulitan 

ng alaga. Sa umpisa'y maayos ang pakikisama ni Angelina 

kay Yaya Rosalinda, ngunit hindi magtatagal ay magiging 

sunod-sunod na rin ang kapilyahang gagawin nito sa yaya 

hanggang sa dumating ang araw na mapilitan rin ang mga 

magulang ni Angelina na palayasin si Yaya Rosalinda. 

Ngunit isang araw ay kakailanganin ni Angelina ang tulong 

ng yaya nang ito ay makidnap ng mga teroristang gustong 

patayin ang bibisitang Dukesa ng Wellington. Makaligtas 

kaya sila at magkaayos pa kaya silang dalawa? 

Kahanga-hanga ang talino ng dalawang pangunahing 

tauhan na sina Michael V. at Ogie Alcacid na mga mismong 

nakaisip ng karakter ni Yaya at Angelina. Mula sa mumunting 

mga kuwentong mag-yaya na sumikat sa telebisyon ay 

nagawang pelikula na ang kanilang mga likhang tauhan. 

Nakakaaliw silang makita sa sinehan lalo pa't kilala na ang 

kanilang tambalan. Maayos at manlinaw ang kuha ng kamera 

at mahusay maging ang pagkakaganap ng mga pangalawang 

tauhan. May mga mangilan-ngilan ding nakakatawang 

eksena. Ngunit pawang nasayang ang pelikula dahil hindi 

nito napalawig ang kuwento at relasyon ng mag-yaya. 

Tulad sa palabas sa telebisyon, nanatili itong mababaw na 

walang hinangad kundi ang magpatawa. Hindi naghangad 

man lang ang pelikula na maglahad ng mas malalim at mas 

makabuluhang kuwento maliban sa pagpapatawa. Marami 

pa sanang pwedeng gawin sa kuwento ngunit nakuntento 

na lamang silang manatili sa manipis na hibla ng kwentong 

mag-yaya. 

Bagama't lumaking spoiled brat at may kapilyahan, 

kitang dalisay naman ang puso ni Angelina. May taglay 

man siyang kakulitan, hindi naman niya sinasadya ang 

mga nagagawang pananakit. May ilang eksena nga lang 

na nakakababahala tulad ng mga pagsabog at pananadyang 

pananakot at pagpapahiya sa kanyang mga yaya. Hindi 

ito dapat tularan ng mga bata at dapat silang magabayan 

sa panonood. Higit na kahanga-hanga si Yaya Rosalinda 

na nanatili ang malasakit sa- alaga sa kabila ng kakulitan 

at kapilyahan nito. Hindi sumusuko si Yaya Rosalinda sa 

alaga kahit pa hindi niya ito kadugo. Bagay na mahirap 

hanapin sa mga kasambahay at yaya sa kasalukuyang 

panahon. Ang nabuong relasyon sa mag-yaya ay dapat 

magsilbing halimbawa na wala sa dugo ang pagmamahal 

at pagmamalasakit, bagkus ito ay kusang tumutubo basta't 

mayroon pagmamahal at mahabang pang-unawa ang mga 

higit na nakakatanda. Hindi rin magtatagumpay kailanman 

ang kasamaan sa kabutihan. Kahit pa walang armas, ay nagawa 

nila Yaya at Angelina na labanan ang mga armadong 

terorista sa masama nitong binabalak. 

30 


ASIA 

BRIEFING 

N. KOREA 

Gov’t ready to return 

to talks 

North Korea is ready to 

return to international talks 

aimed at ending nuclear 

program, but it wants negotiations 

with the US first. 

The country walked away 

from the talks with five 

regional powers on ending 

its nuclear weapons 

program late last year, 

and since then had repeatedly 

said the format was 

dead. 

PAKISTAN 

UN shuts office 

The UN World Food 

Program has temporarily 

closed its office here after 

a suicide bombing Oct. 5, 

a day after Taliban’s new 

leader vowed fresh assaults 

on western targets. 

Authorities said a suicide 

bomber struck the lobby 

of the heavily fortified UN 

headquarters in Islamabad, 

killing 5 people. 

JAPAN 

Authorities probes PM 

over fund raising 

Prosecutors are investigating 

the fund-raising 

activities of new PM Yukio 

Hatoyama’s office. In 

June, he admitted keeping 

accounts for his fundraising 

body, which reportedly 

included the names 

of dead people and those 

who had denied giving 

money. His former accountant, 

he said, was behind 

the problem, in which a 

total of US$235,000 was 

recorded incorrectly since 

2005. 

LAOS 

Typhoon Ketsana kills 

24 

After raging havoc in 

the Philippines, typhoon 

Ketsana killed at least 24 

people in Laos recently with 

massive flooding hitting 

several areas; the worsthit 

Attapeu region could 

only be reached by helicopter 

and boat. The UN 

said canned goods and rice 

have now been delivered to 

storm survivors. 

INDIA 

Floods displace thousands 

In southern India, hundreds 

of thousands of people 

have been displaced 

and evacuated after torrential 

rains and floods swept 

away their homes. At least 

207 people have died, with 

the state of Karnataka bearing 

the brunt of the disaster. 

An estimated 100,000 

people have been made 

homeless. 

BURMA 

UN calls for Suu Kyi’s 

release 

The UN Human Rights 

Council urged Burma’s 

authorities to release prodemocracy 

leader Aung 

San Suu Kyi. A resolution 

adopted by the Council 

expressed "deep concern" 

at the recent sentencing of 

Suu Kyi to further house 

arrest. The court ruling 

means the Nobel Laureate 

will not be able to 

contest national elections 

next year. 

CAMBODIA 

Thousands lose jobs 

due to economic downturn 

At least 20,000 workers 

have lost their jobs in the 

country’s garment industry 

this year because of 

the global economic crisis, 

Cambodia’s Labour Ministry 

said. The garment industry 

is Cambodia’s largest 

source of income, providing 

80 percent of its foreign exchange 

and employing an 

estimated 350,000 people 

last year. 

AFGHANISTAN 

Recount underway in 

presidential poll 

Election workers here 

have begun recounting ballots 

following the disputed 

presidential poll in August. 

A UN-backed commission 

ordered a partial recount 

to resolve allegations of 

widespread fraud. The recount 

could result in a runoff 

between President Hamid 

Karzai and his rival, former 

foreign minister Abdullah 

Abdullah. 

MALAYSIA 

Islamic group pushes 

polygamy 

Malaysia's Ikhwan 

Polgygamy Club is trying 

to match several women to 

one husband, in the name 

of Islam. They said it's a 

way to help women who are 

isolated or marginalized— 

like widows and reformed or 

former sex workers—and to 

promote positive values. It 

was founded last month by 

Hatijah Aam, who said she 

wants polygamy to be seen 

as something beautiful. 

SINGAPORE 

Ms. Singapore quits 

after criminal record 

revealed 

The pageant here has 

been rocked by scandal, 

after it emerged that Miss 

World Singapore 2009 has 

a criminal record. Ris Low, 

a 19-year-old student, then 

give up her crown after being 

exposed as a credit card 

cheat when she worked as 

a receptionist. 

VIETNAM 

Govt rejects UN proposals 

to improve rights 

record 

The Vietnamese gov’t 

has rejected calls to improve 

its deteriorating human 

rights record raised 

during the UN Human 

Rights Council's Universal 

Periodic Review process 

that ended this recently, 

Human Rights Watch said. 

"Shockingly, Vietnam denied 

to the Human Rights 

Council that it has arrested 

and imprisoned hundreds 

of peaceful dissidents and 

independent religious activists," 

said Elaine Pearson, 

HRW deputy Asia 

director.

October 2009 - IMPACT Magazine Online!

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