03 MARCH 2019

More documents

Recommendations

Info

COMMENTARY 4 Sunday, 3 March <strong>2019</strong> Daily Tribune “Rody said the Roman Catholic Church will not survive long given the scandal that is engulfing it. Daily Tribune WITHOUT FEAR • WITHOUT FAVOR Ninez Cacho-Olivares Crispin G. Martinez Chito Lozada Dinah Ventura Aldrin Cardona John Henry Dodson Jun Vallecera Jaimes R. C. Sumbilon Larry Payawal Komfie Manalo Patricia Ramos Board Chair Willie Fernandez Publisher and President Founding Chair Executive Editor Managing Editor Associate Editors Business Editor Central Desk Special Reports Predators in robes A President who holds no fear nor favor from the Catholic Church and an activist Pope who wanted the rank of the priesthood cleansed may have emboldened the faithful in reporting abuses which are getting more beastly as days go by. In Negros Occidental, a parish priest was accused of molesting a four-year-old girl in Cadiz City. The victim was a pupil of the daycare center in the parish church where her mother works. The statement from the bishop said he is “greatly saddened and shocked that a young child is alleged to have been molested by one of our clergies.” He said the priest has been removed from the parish and that the clergy has offered assistance to the family of the victim but he added the priest will be presumed innocent until proven otherwise. Since the mother is a church worker, the outcome of the probe to be initiated by the prelates is too predictable. The worsening problem of the Church is seen in the backdrop of Catholic bishops calling for a Catholic vote in the midterm polls. Had there been a Catholic vote as what the bishops are imagining, President Rody Duterte would have not even been a Davao City mayor. Rody who had been consistently giving the Catholic Church a piece of his mind recently predicted that the cover-up of abuses will lead to demise of the religion in 25 years which is a bold prediction for a 2,000-year or so institution. With his usual profanities, Rody said the Roman Catholic Church will not survive long given the scandal that is engulfing it. “When they get horny, the sons of bitches, they go after nuns. If they’re gay, they go after young boys. Who needs a religion like that?” he said. Strangely, when Rody shocked the world with his rants and rhetorics against the most influential institution in the country, the Vatican started to pay attention to the allegations of sexual abuses from prelates. It is logical for Vatican to deduce that since the abuses that Rody had brought in the open giving himself as an example as he claimed to have been abused by a priest in Catholic school he went to, the incidences would be presumably widespread. Rody, however, professed his “highest esteem and respect” for Pope Francis, “Bishops during who he called a reformist for initiating the 2016 a crackdown on sexual abuses in the campaigns Church. called Rody The local bishops, however, are mostly a “morally of a different yellow breed who frequently reprehensible” upstart. prefers earthly pursuits to spiritual guidance of their flock. Church leaders have often said they found disturbing the lack of strong rejection by many Filipinos of the daily killings in the country. “To consent and to keep silent in front of evil is to be an accomplice to it,” a Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) pastoral letter said. “Let us not allow fear to reign and keep us silent,” it added. Filipinos, however, have not been silent about their overwhelming support on Rody which remains well above his predecessors considering that he is in the final half of his term. The letter said if “we consent or allow the killing of suspected drug addicts, we shall also be responsible for their deaths.” Rody due to his abrasive speeches, including those when he stated that he would like to kill all drug offenders, is being equated to the actual commission of a crime but the Palace repeatedly denied that his administration is behind the extrajudicial killings in the country. Bishops during the 2016 campaigns called Rody a “morally reprehensible” upstart and advised their flock not to vote for him. He won, convincingly. “The rule of moderation applies. “Ali was going to reinforce with fighting men his friend under attack. Devices off the table Growing up, meal times were always sacred times with family members. There were no cellphones then and landlines were left to keep ringing if we were having a meal. If a household staff answered such a call, they knew to get the details of the caller and politely say that their call would be returned at a later time as the family was in the middle of a meal. Nothing was allowed to disturb the family bonding time. That was Lolo and Lola’s rule. It was Mama and Papa’s rule and, ask my children, and you’ll know that this is also my strict rule. On the rare occasion when a very important call is expected or hoped for, the concerned family member may excuse herself or himself from the table and take the call. On school and work days dinner time was, and still is, the place and space to catch up on each other’s goings-on for the day. A precious opportunity to listen to and support one another. That is why I have consciously put my foot down from day one that there is to be no device allowed at the table. My fellow parents and I are very much aware of the need to develop these Last week we observed the EDSA revolt with less fanfare. Many felt sad because that was a defining moment for many Filipinos deserving importance. The public’s waning enthusiasm, however, doesn’t diminish the fact that the event has inspired world democracies and, in fact, has become a template to some longing a peaceful regime change through people empowerment. Many stories are told relating to this human drama, like the one I want to share with readers. The tale is based on factual events and had the potential then of altering the course of history, although I can’t help but feel that it is speculative bordering on farce. My story starts with the long friendship between Mohamad Ali Dimaporo and former President Ferdinand Marcos. From my perspective, being a relative and confidant of Ali the strong fraternal bond was not for political expediency although Ali wore many hats during the Marcos presidency, as governor, president of Mindanao State University (MSU) and member of the President’s Executive Council. who delivered the so-called “command votes” of Morolandia during the hustings. No, it was more of their common experience as soldiers of war — Ali as the unsung hero of the Battle of Fort Corcuera, in Malabang, Lanao del Sur as recorded in a US war history and Marcos with his Maharlika special forces battling the enemies in basic rules to support our growing children’s learning in this device and technology-laden world of ours. The rule of moderation applies. Not too little yet not too much time on gadgets such as cellphones, tablets and laptops. The trick lies in finding that middle ground within the wide spectrum with deprivation and overindulgence on opposite ends. Like it or not, this is the world that they and we will need to navigate. Much of what we do can be communicated, SOUTHERN VOICES Macabangkit B. Lanto marketed, accomplished, submitted, reviewed, assessed, tested, edited, completed, purchased, paid for, delivered and signed online. Much but never all. Face-to-face communication, good old catch-ups and, literally, seeing each other eye to eye, trumps most the hinterlands of Luzon (I am ready for brickbats and slur for this observation). Their friendship was likewise rooted on their original lofty desire to serve the people faithfully before its nobility was corrupted by time and circumstances. While Metro Manila was agog and on tenterhooks during the EDSA revolt, thanks to live coverage by trimedia, remote provinces experienced eerie calm. In Marawi there was no sign of tumult, the military and police did not show tension or conduct activity that was out of ordinary. In fact the only time I felt the seriousness of the situation (we were playing golf at Del Monte HALF FULL Lia Andanar Yu “I have consciously put my foot down from day one. An EDSA tale “My story starts with the long friendship between Mohamad Ali Dimaporo and former President Ferdinand Marcos. golf course in Bukidnon when the rebellion started) was when I was asked to attend a meeting of political leaders and relatives of Ali at the Summit Inn, the residence of the MSU President, where he held court. I saw that strongman Ali was in pain and feeling inutile to help his friend Marcos who was then teetering on the verge of being deposed. One scene on TV that unmasked Marcos’ loses of grip of power was when in Malacañang while General Fabian Ver was asking the President to give him authority to confront the EDSA crowd, the government TV station suddenly relationships built and solely maintained online. Keeping devices off the dining table is a tried and tested way of ensuring those communication lines between family members remain open. Here are a few of the helpful tips I recently got from primary and junior high school educators at a parent information session: a) Focus on quality online time, b) No double standards. If children cannot use devices at mealtimes, neither can you!, c) Have upfront and honest faceto-face conversations and, d) All laptops, computers and mobile devices should remain and be charged outside one’s bedroom at night (Top Ten Tips, Alannah and Madeline Foundation, amf. org.au). I have been partially successful with the latter strategy because even as I leave my laptop and tablet in our study room, my cellphone is always at my bedside table at the end of the day. In my defense, a weak one I will admit, I need it as my alarm clock. I have been using it for that purpose for at least the last seven years. Right, enough of this old and tired excuse. Time to hit the shops and find myself a proper alarm clock. No more excuses! Cellphones off the dining and bedside table. Hmmm, let’s see how I go with the latter! went pfft. That was unthinkable before. Anyway, during the meeting of his leaders Ali asked me to go down to Iligan City to negotiate with the Philippine Airlines Office for a charter of an airplane that will ferry him and his supporters to Manila. I thought they were not serious. But he explained to me that I was chosen because I was a close friend of then PAL branch manager, Rogelio “Boy” Javier, now deceased, and being a lawyer equipped with enough knowledge of the intricacies of the transaction. Ali was going to reinforce with fighting men his friend under attack. He told his leaders that he is unable to contact Marcos even when he went to the Military Camp, now Kampo Ranao to use military communication system. Readers, at that time Ali was a favorite media copy and tagged as a fierce warlord with his dreaded Barracuda of armed-fighters. Sensing that Ali and his leaders were serious about reinforcing the loyalist troops of Marcos, I went down to Iligan. Javier told me that it was not easy and quick to charter a plane and will take days to consummate. He assured me though that he can block at least 10 seats for every PAL flights to Manila which I conveyed to Ali. My greatest fear at that time was for Ali and his group trooping to the Cagayan de Oro Airport to hijack a plane. Luckily he didn’t pursue the plan. The rest is history. What could have happened if Ali and his armed men succeeded in chartering a plane or hijacking one? Email: amb_mac_lanto@yahoo.com Published daily by the Daily Tribune Publishing Co., with offices at 3450 Concept Bldg., Florida Street, Makati City • Editorial: (02) 831-0496 • Administration: dailytribune@tribune.net.ph, (02) 833-7085 / (02) 551-5148. To advertise and subscribe: ads@tribune.net.ph, dailytribune@tribune.net.ph, (02) 833-7085 / (02) 551-5148. To submit an opinion article, email opinion@tribune.net.ph. To submit a letter to the editor, email: letters@tribune.net.ph • News: news@tribune.net.ph • Metro: metro@tribune.net.ph • Lifestyle: lifestyle@tribune.net.ph • Business: biz@tribune.net.ph • Sports: sports@tribune.net.ph • PR: pr@tribune.net.ph.
Sunday, 3 March <strong>2019</strong> Daily Tribune “Such sad episodes in this period of its existence of 2,000 years is not only humbling but, indeed, humiliating. In less than two weeks, two top leaders of the Catholic Church fell from the graces of men and laws, but not necessarily from the grace of God, for ultimately, it is God who would judge all of us, sinners. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of the Archdiocese of Washington was defrocked by no less than the Pope himself after the Vatican investigation found him guilty of sexually abusing altar boys and seminarians decades ago. The decision was definitive in nature. A few days ago, another prominent cleric, Archbishop George Pell of the Archdiocese of Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, was convicted by the court of sexual abuse and is awaiting sentencing. At the time of his conviction, he was prefect of the secretariat for the economy of the Vatican and a member of the council of Cardinal advisers to the Pope — both trusted positions in the Roman Curia, the central government of the church. Presently, some 120 bishops, mostly presidents of their respective bishops’ conferences, are cracking their heads and Last year, Patricia Fox, an elderly Australian nun who delighted in participating in anti-government protest activities in the Philippines, was deported. This year, it’s the Australian parliament that’s meddling in Philippine domestic affairs. On 18 February, the Australian parliament passed a resolution “Without truly understanding what happened in the De Lima case, this Australian politician dared to interfere. “ This writer attended that ceremony as a guest of two of the graduates that year. calling on the Australian government to “use all its diplomatic measures” to urge the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte to release Sen. Leila de Lima from her detention cell at Camp Crame in Quezon City. The resolution was sponsored by Chris Hayes of the Australian Labor Party who visited the Philippines last year. Hayes told the parliament that De Lima is under detention because of her open criticism of President Duterte’s unrelenting war on drugs which, Hayes claimed, led to the deaths of drug suspects and small-time drug pushers. He also alleged that Philippine law enforcers used “untested statements by convicted drug lords, police officers and prison officials” to keep De Lima behind bars. To justify his interference in Philippine affairs, Hayes said an attack on human rights is an attack on collective humanity. Hayes’ accusations are groundless and are based on his very limited appreciation of why De Lima was detained by the Philippine government. Without truly understanding what happened in the De Lima case, this Australian politician dared to interfere in a local concern of the Philippines. The rude and irresponsible behavior of Hayes is an outright insult to the sovereignty of the Republic and Manila should give the Australian ambassador to the Philippines a dressing down. From the sweeping generalizations Hayes said to the Australian parliament, it is obvious that either he was fed the wrong information, or he did not bother verifying the information he obtained. The humiliation of Catholic Church TABLETS OF STONE Larry Faraon Hayes may have visited the country for a brief period, but unless he went around to interview President Duterte, the secretary of Justice or the It should be obvious by now that Imee Marcos, the eldest daughter of the late President Ferdinand Marcos, is running for the Senate in the coming elections. No less than President Rodrigo Duterte himself is campaigning for her. The surveys consider Imee Marcos as a likely winner in the senatorial race, and the Marcos camp is confident that she will win in the May polls because of the longevity of her incumbency as an elected official. Imee’s staunch supporters believe she will win also because the Marcos name has regained widespread public acceptability, as demonstrated by the 2010 senatorial victory of her brother, ex-Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and his near victory in the vice-presidential derby in 2016. It cannot also be discounted that their mother, former First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos, has held elective public office numerous times since the post-Marcos years. As in any election, candidates are vulnerable to issues. For Imee Marcos, the issue is about her academic credentials. The news media has created quite a hearts on how to address the biggest crisis ever to hit the Catholic Church since the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. In the words of Cardinal Blaise Cupich, a member of the executive committee, the purpose of the summit would be to “advance a framework of protocols for responding to allegations of clergy sexual abuse, including identifying concrete steps required to implement practices that safeguard children and to bring justice to victims in a way that is responsible, accountable and transparent — even in cultures where law enforcement or the government may not be reliable partners.” For the Catholic Church, which is holy, one, apostolic and universal, such sad episodes in this period of its existence of 2,000 years is not only humbling but, indeed, humiliating. Matters concerning sexual aberrations inflict a more or less permanent sting than, for instance, graft and corruption, especially for persons who are expected to take the prosecution witnesses, the information he got is one-sided and unreliable. What Hayes did is sloppy and reckless research. Just because he is a politician from a wealthy and powerful country does not excuse him from checking the veracity of what he was told. T h i s “The information he got is one-sided and unreliable. politician conveniently overlooked that De Lima was detained not because she is a critic of President Duterte, but because of the evidence obtained by the Department of Justice that seriously implicates her in the illegal drug trade at the national penitentiary, when she was still the secretary of Justice under then President Benigno Aquino III. As the secretary of Justice, De Lima had direct authority over the national penitentiary. Hayes also failed to consider that it was the news media which first exposed the glaring higher ground of moral ascendancy. Of course, sexual abuses committed by the clergy, like those committed by ordinary people, are private in nature. The Church, like any other organization, has its own internal mechanism which includes conviction and punishment in addressing such problems between its clergy and the Christian faithful. Depending on the nature and gravity of the offense, the punitive actions range from a simple suspension of ministries to being defrocked, meaning the permanent deprivation of one’s priestly ministry. Of course, romantic relationships with women, including paternity issues, are violations of the priestly celibacy, but still are considered within the purview of the “normal” dispositions of a healthy male. “Pedophilia, however, is neither normal nor outside the normal. Sexual relationships with the same sex, although loathsome, could still be subject to internal processes and resolutions, but are considered as “outside the normal” dispositions of the male kind. Most often, cessation of the exercise of one’s ministries Imee Marcos’ UP graduation issue stir when they questioned Imee’s announcement that she graduated from the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law in April 1983. From what the news media have so far gathered, Imee’s name is not in the university’s record of graduates as attested to by a top official of the state university. It is also reported that although Imee’s name does not appear in the 1983 yearbook of the UP College of Law, she is prominently featured in a publication marking the 25th anniversary of the college’s graduating class of 1983. In support of the assertion that Imee graduated from the UP College of Law, her camp has shown to the news media photographs which show that she participated in a college ceremony held at the Meralco Theater in the Ortigas Center in Pasig in April 1983. This writer attended that ceremony as a guest of two of the graduates that year. One was an executive of the Philippine THE SCRUTINIZER Victor Avecilla anomalies in the national penitentiary, particularly the special treatment detained drug lords were getting from prison authorities for extended periods. The special treatment included air-conditioned accommodations, catered restaurant food and unbridled access to mobile phones, laptop computers and other electronic devices. A raid subsequently conducted by prison National Bank and the other later became a commissioner of the National Labor Relations Commission. Another invited guest was my fellow law student, Dennis Socrates, who is now the vice governor of Palawan. President and Mrs. Marcos, together with Bongbong, were present at the ceremony, and sat at the front row. The President and his family arrived in a black limousine. On the stage throughout the ceremony was Dean Froilan Bacungan of the UP College of Law. The guest speaker of the occasion was then Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Hermogenes Concepcion Jr., whose speech was about the constitutionality of executive warrants of arrest. Other important personalities who also “Honors were given to the outstanding students present at that ceremony. sat in the front row were SC Chief Justice Enrique Fernando and Court of Appeals Justice Serafin Cuevas. Every graduate went on stage for the usual ritual. Honor graduates were given special acknowledgment on the stage. Imee was given honors. The ceremony started around 8 in the COMMENTARY 5 while undergoing intensive psycho-spiritual treatment to reorient the cleric is applied more commonly. Pedophilia, however, is neither normal nor outside the normal, but obviously “criminal” and, therefore, the external recourse to civil courts would be required. There are already cases of clerics serving time in jails. Unfortunately, publicity, mostly negative, both from the multimedia and social media is prejudicially maligning and hurting the image of the Catholic Church and even experts in damage control are whirling their heads on how to beat the cracks. Those who are neutral, biased, judgmental, vindictive or indifferent over such flagrant issues, probably are coming from what President Duterte often says: That the “Catholic Church is the most hypocritical institution in the world.” And the humiliation it now faces is welldeserved, so to speak! Yet, as in the past, in the midst of such unfortunate turn of events and trying moments, the Church which remains as a society of human beings, subject to weaknesses and limitations would still come out much better, for the better. That meddling Australian parliament authorities revealed the presence of narcotics, firearms, gambling equipment, electronic entertainment devices and plenty of money. The extent of the special treatment was so conspicuous that if De Lima conducted unannounced inspections of the national penitentiary, it would have been impossible for her not to have noticed the anomalies. Law enforcers have linked De Lima to the drug mess also through different witnesses, including her own driver, who was allegedly her bag man. The news media likewise asserted that her driver was also her lover whom s h e showered with expensive presents. Under the Constitution, bail is a matter of right, except when two conditions concur — the crime charged in not bailable and the evidence of guilt is strong. Serious drug offenses like the ones De Lima is facing, are not bailable under Philippine law. The initial evidence obtained against De Lima has been assessed by both the prosecution and the judiciary as sufficient enough to pursue anti-narcotics raps against her. These are the reasons why De Lima remains detained at Camp Crame and not those imagined by Hayes. Instead of recklessly meddling in Philippine affairs, Hayes should first do something about the way Australia treats its own aborigines. These native Australians are treated like second-class citizens there. morning, and ended long after lunch. President and Mrs. Marcos posed for photographs for some of the guests. Withal, the big mystery concerns the status of Imee Marcos as a graduate of the UP College of Law Class of 1983. If Imee Marcos is not in the official roster of graduates of the UP, why did the UP College of Law hold a college graduation ceremony at the Meralco Theater in April 1983, with Imee and the members of her family, the college dean and the entire graduating class in attendance? To repeat, honors were given to the outstanding students present at that ceremony. What will be the status of those honors if the ceremony is bogus? It isn’t going to be easy for the news media to assert that Imee is not a graduate of the UP, because there was a graduation ceremony held at the Meralco Theater. In the same vein, Imee will have a difficult time insisting she is a graduate of the UP because her name is not in its roster of graduates. Difficult situations like this allow only one practical way out. The voters should decide, not so much as regards the academic credentials of Imee Marcos, but as to whether or not they want her as senator.
Page 1 and 2: PERFECTION SUNDAY ENDING I.S. WORK
Page 3: Sunday, 3 March 2019 Daily Tribune
Page 7 and 8: Sunday, 3 March 2019 Daily Tribune
Page 9 and 10: MOST INNOVATIVE BROADSHEET 2018 44T
Page 17 and 18: KINGS GUN 3RD STRAIGHT P18 LOYALTY

03 MARCH 2019

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?