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Year: 2020

Church demands dismissal of charges against 42 mourners arrested on May 1, 2020

PCPR Statement

The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.  (Psalms 9:9)

The Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR) calls for withdrawal or dismissal of charges against 42 persons who sought to lay a wreath and light candles at the place where activist and aid worker Jose Reynaldo “Jory” Porquia was slain. The 42 member indignation caravan was composed of family, friends, and colleagues, including Fr. Marco Sulayao, chairperson for Panay and Guimaras, and two other members of the Promotion of Church People’s Response.

On their way to the place where Jory had been helplessly gunned down, the caravan was stopped by Iloilo police.  After three attempts to negotiate their passage, the caravan’s leaders decided to turn back; however, police in full battle gear surrounded the group to arrest them by force.  PCPR chairperson for Panay and Guimaras Fr. Marco Sulayao and also Iglesia Filipina Independiente priest sought intervene and reason out with the police, but instead Fr. Marco was shamelessly handcuffed and brought with the 41 others  to the Jaro Police Station.

This blatant violation of basic rights to redress further exacerbate indignation over the government’s failure to protect citizens like Jory Porquia.  The deep-felt need to express grief and outrage over such a brutal murder of a community leader has been rubbed raw with the heavy-handed response by police forces.  Jory Porquia was beloved by the poor, for whom he had been working to provide aid and food assistance before his slay.

The indignation caravan observed necessary physical distancing, even as they were compelled to engage a visible action to honor the memory of their admired friend and leader. Denying people the right to grieve is deplorable. Treating them like criminals and seeking to portray them as reckless violators of the law is not only false, it is both morally bankrupt and without compassion.  Enhanced community quarantine measures for physical distancing should not result in people being brutalized and then forced into close spaces as has happened in this case.

The caravan had resolved to turn back. Yet, the police, perhaps excited or even cajoled to catch alleged violators, misinterpreted the law and overbroad assumed powers, ultimately causing undue strife for people already beleaguered with grief and the injustice of the brutal killing of their loved one.

Jory survived the Marcos dictatorship, including multiple illegal arrests.  Now, those who are searching for truth and accountability are the ones to endure illegal arrest.  The inhumane and heavy-handed violence by the Iloilo police lays bare all-too-common abusive treatment by state forces, under the grossly mismanaged and militarized response of the Duterte government to the NCov-SARS2 pandemic.

Even as good-hearted persons demonstrated every intention to uphold community protocols to fight COVID-19, they were callously mistreated by heartless and vicious police actions.  In other places, such New Orleans and Chicago, USA, caravans have become an alternative for both grieving for the dead and lifting up the spirits of the living.  In this case, the compliant, yet indignant, arrest of Fr. Marco Sulayao makes clear that the voice of the people will not be silenced, even under arrest. Killings of activists and aid workers like Jory Porquia cannot be covered-up under a guise of misplaced and misapplied quarantine rules.

We join the call for justice for Jory Porquia and demand the withdrawal of all charges against the 41 arrested grieving friends, family and colleagues as well as their legal counsel.  We call for the arresting officers–whose inhumane and vicious response to a peaceful caravan and memorial has caused undue stress and psychological trauma to the victims—to be held accountable. We urge the Duterte government to address the spread of COVID-19 through health protocols, without violating the democratic and human rights of the Filipino people.

Without ceasing, we pray that the Filipino people will work together to fight the spread of COVID-19 while also safeguarding dearly held democratic and civil liberties.  It is never criminal to feed the hungry.  It is never illegal to express dissent.  We must be vigilant and persistent in doing what is upright and honorable, especially during this troubling and life-threatening pandemic that seems to have unleashed tyranny by state forces.

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Calls for prayers and action on International Labor Day

Church People- Workers Solidarity denounces worsening condition and injustice against workers amid Covid 19 pandemic

We, the Church People- Workers Solidarity, join the whole world in commemorating the International Labor Day. This day, we start with giving our highest tribute to all workers of the world who fought for human rights and social justice.

Amidst the Covid 19 pandemic, we share common goals: advancing universal health care, workers’ rights to better working condition, paid leave, job security; timely and adequate access to social services and participation in policy making.

Today is an opportune time to expose the worsening condition and the injustice being felt by our people including workers due to lack of concrete actions from the government to the Covid 19 pandemic. Many Filipinos were already infected with the virus as government did not impose travel ban of flights from China as early as January 2020. Mass testing was only implemented on the 3rd week of April when the virus has already reached many communities and has killed hundreds including frontliners. Moreover, our health care system is not also prepared for our battle against the pandemic as government funds were allocated for automatic debt servicing and military spending.

The lockdown was also implemented without prior notice and preparation. Thousands of commuters were possibly exposed to the virus as they were trapped in heavy traffic and long queue in checkpoints for many days. Workers are forced to walk many miles just to go home to their respective provinces while others are still stranded as of this moment. Government help which is only limited to few relief goods that obviously cannot feed a family only came two weeks after the lockdown.

Millions of workers and poor families did not receive the DOLE Covid 19 Mitigation Program and DSWD Social Amelioration Program 46 days since the lockdown. Clearly the fund is very small compared to the number of workers and families who are in need of assistance. Ironically, while Congress and the Palace are working on the P670 billion stimulus package for business corporation, we underscore the situation of our workers especially those working on contractual status, in sweatshops and so-called colorum establishments, those earning below the minimum wage and with no job security and not registered in the Social Security System. These workers surely cannot access the financial assistance from the DOLE as the agency’s requirement for employers to apply for the said assistance are payroll, SSS and BIR registration which many companies are not in compliance. Therefore, these already bad working conditions of our workers are being exacerbated by further negligence of the government in this time of pandemic.

In this light, we urge the government to do what is best for the common good of the people and not for the few. We reiterate our demands for free mass testing, universal health care, adequate and timely delivery of goods and services, immediate release of financial assistance to all workers and poor families, realignment of government budget to healthcare and other basic social services among others.

Lastly, as Pope Francis exhorts us not to lose hope in this time of crisis, we call on our brothers and sisters who are workers and their poor families not to give up. In prayers and in actions, let us all unite to fight against the Covid 19 and in advancing the common good, our human rights and justice.

Signed:

CWS Co-Chairperson

CBCP-ECPPC Statement

“I was imprisoned and you visited me” Mt. 25:36

STATEMENT

The COVID-19 global pandemic has adversely affected practically all the people in the world, rich and poor alike, regardless of race and creed. There is really a need for a united and concerted effort to curb this menace.

They say that critical times call for equally critical and drastic solutions. While we truly appreciate the government in its efforts in battling this pandemic, we wish to air the following concerns:

1. On the matter of the strict implementation of the ECQ rules:

State authorities have declared that they will be very strict in the implementation of the rules regarding the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the entire country, with violators being severely dealt with – with no chance for these to explain their side, and that they will just be apprehended, and detained with corresponding criminal charges filed against them in court.

While this hardline stance may somehow deter people from going out of their homes and venturing into the streets, we are concerned that this may pose more problems than solutions, mainly because of the big possibility that those who will be caught belong to the poor and indigent sector.

In certain areas we have learned, for instance, that many alleged ECQ violators were rounded up and brought to a sports complex where physical and social distancing was unfortunately not properly observed. We were informed that the detainees are not provided with food and water. The only way that they can be released is by posting bail with the courts for their temporary liberty. But where will they get the money to post bail, when these are mostly the poor? And since they are unable to bail themselves out, they eventually land in jail, thereby further contributing to the congestion in our prisons and exposure to the COVID-19 virus and other illnesses. But is this not the very purpose of the ECQ, i.e., to prevent the spread of the COVID virus through social distancing?

We are very concerned about the recent fatal shooting of an ex-soldier, who was said to have mental problems, after he allegedly tried to pull out a gun after being confronted by a police officer for violating quarantine rules. Even as we call for an in-depth investigation into this matter, we would like to appeal to our law enforcers to always exercise maximum tolerance and prudence in the performance of their duties especially during these troubled times.

2. On the matter of the transfer of PDLs with COVID 19 to the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa:

We are deeply concerned about the report that the COVID positive female PDLs of the Correctional Institution for Women (CIW) were ordered transferred to the New Bilibid Prisons – Medium Security Camp, an all-male facility. We believe that transferring female PDLs to this male camp is not advisable. At present, there are more than 7,000 inmates in this camp and this transfer will put other PDLs and even the prison officials and personnel in great jeopardy. Also, aside from PDLs, there are many residents in the area near the facility and the probability of transmission is very likely.

3. On the matter of moves calling for the release of PDL’s with minor cases to help in jail decongestion:

We join the call from other cause-oriented human rights groups for the expeditious release of vulnerable inmates who are ill, old, as well as the youth in conflict with law, and low-risk offenders. We all know the general condition in our country’s detention facilities (cramped, overly-congested and mostly unkempt) hence the probability that one will get infected and in turn infect other fellow detainees as well as the jail personnel manning the facilities, is very high. We call on the jail and prison authorities to implement this with great prudence, always taking into consideration the best interest of all PDLs.

Allow us then to make the following recommendations:

1. We beg the police to observe the proper rules of engagement and show utmost respect for the human rights of those under investigation and/or accused persons under our laws. Detainees should be provided with basic needs, e.g., food and potable water, a decent sleeping gear and be detained in a place where proper physical and social distancing can be observed. A good number may be turned over to their respective Barangay officials who will then check the individual stories of those arrested. Alternatives to detention should be considered, such as education of the violators and community service upon their release.

2. We propose that in releasing qualified PDLs to decongest our jails and prisons, priority should be given to the elderly, those who are sick, the youth, as well as those existing PDLs who were earlier granted release through the benefits of the good conduct time allowances (GCTA), but were subsequently ordered re-arrested; and finally those who are already qualified for Executive Clemency and favorably recommended by the Board of Pardons and Parole.

Needless to say, we also ask that support services be given to those who will be released, like those national prisoners who will have to travel back to their provinces. This can be in the form of transport services and inclusion in the Pantawid Buhay program of the government.

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Kairos Palestine: The Dire Consequences of Israel’s “Coalition Government”

IMEMC News| May 1, 2020| By Kairos Palestine: April 30th, 2020:

Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. (Amos 5:23-24)

The board of Kairos Palestine raises an alarm regarding the consequences of the third failed Israeli election in less than a year.  The resulting coalition entered on April 20, 2020, combines two of the most right-wing parties—Bennie Gantz’s Blue and White and Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud—in a deal that directly threatens Palestinians’ freedom, health, and human rights.

Described as an “emergency government” to address the impacts of COVID-19, and under the cover of a so-called “coronavirus cabinet,” the State of Israel is empowered to continue its policies of home demolitions, closures, arrests, child detention, and settler violence.

Furthermore:

As a result of the political arrangement, Gantz gave up his campaign promise to amend Israel’s Nation-State Law which legalizes institutional discrimination in Israel, East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

In the deal for a joint government, Gantz relinquished his commitment not to pursue annexation in the West Bank without international consensus, freeing Netanyahu to pursue his long-standing promise to annex substantial portions of the West Bank as early as July 1.

While the “emergency government” may only take up legislation related to the coronavirus, an exception was agreed upon to consider bills related to U.S. President Trump’s so-called Deal of the Century.

According to international law, an occupier is mandated to see to the health and welfare of the occupied, but a lack of medical supplies, the complete blockade of Gaza, Israel’s control of the Palestinian economy, piracy and theft of Palestinian tax money and increased restrictions on movement put Palestinians at a greater risk of suffering from COVID-19.

For the past few years and especially during the administration of both Trump and Netanyahu the foundations of the peace process between Palestinians and Israelis have been sabotaged by the different policies and announcements that both administrations have unilaterally adopted. This annexation is only one of these moves. While we see that the equation of land for peace have lost its credibility and now look impossible for a two states solution, we at KP are committed for our people and churches to continue to struggle for the values that make for peace. Equality and Justice are our beacon.

Thus, we urge all churches to support these values in every means. We urge them to say no to injustice of any illegal political move and building for a future of equality on this land between all the peoples, no matter what the political frame it brings at the end.  We struggle for democracy and the natural human rights in this land, that no people are under occupation or discrimination or siege. That people enjoy their self-determination without prejudice to their religious, national or ethnic origin. This land has been blessed by its multicultural, multi- faithful and multi- national identity. This is how it should look like in any solution.

In this struggle, Kairos Palestine calls on people of faith and all those of conscience around the world to:

Plead with your elected representatives to hold the State of Israel accountable to international law and human rights;

Demand that your governments do not recognize Israel’s annexations of East Jerusalem and the Syrian Golan, that your governments express their disapproval of Israel’s further plans of annexation, and that your governments pressure Israel with concrete measures to comply with international law and UN resolutions. All know what is due to the Israelis, and what is due to the Palestinians. Clear decisions are already taken by the UN. So why further waiting to apply what is already decided? Just comply with what you have decided. Take concrete measures which compel Israel to comply with your own decisions.

Protect Palestinians’—and all people’s—right to resist, including Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, until Israel complies with its obligations as an occupying power.

Our plea is rooted in what is described in the Kairos Palestine document as “the logic of love”—a concern for the life and future of both peoples with a firm hope for the day when both oppressor and oppressed create a new society for all the people of the land.

“Kairos Palestine, the most extensive Palestinian Christian ecumenical non-violent movement, is based on Kairos Palestine document: A Moment of Truth, launched in 2009, affirming that the Palestinian Christians are part and parcel of the Palestinian nation, calling for peace to end all suffering in the Holy Land by laboring for justice, hope and love, embraced by the Christian community, signed by all historically recognized Palestinian Christian organizations, and endorsed by the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem”.

“CBCP Official” fake FB Page

 Circular No. 20-25
April 30, 2020

To All Bishops and Diocesan Administrators Your Excellencies & Reverend Administrators,

 This is to bring to your attention a fake Facebook (FB) page “CBCP Official” now in circulation. We would like to share with you an advisory on how to address this concern. There are two ways to stop this:

1. Do a mass report to FB. If we can gather about a hundred people, or more, reporting this to FB, FB will take it down. We have attached below a simple instruction how to do this. Your social media staff may be instructed to report this fake page.

2. We report this to NBI’s cyber crime division. But it will take long, especially at this time.

Moreover, Your Excellencies are respectfully asked NOT to post a notification or statement about this fake FB page. That will trigger attention and curiosity, consequently draw more people to that page.

Thank you. Stay well and keep safe.

Sincerely yours,
Fr. Marvin S. Mejia
Secretary General, CBCP

Review of the ADB Clean Energy Program

Overall, the Clean Energy Program achieved the target of investing $2 billion annually in clean energy starting 2013, as indicated in the ADB Energy Policy 2009.34 Total clean energy investment in 2018 was about $1.4 billion. This was due to the declining cost of renewable energy, and the maturity of the renewable markets with increasing commercial financing. At the same time, ADB increased its financing on transmission and distribution networks that are needed to integrate more renewable energy.

Annual investment in clean energy averaged $2.01 billion annually from 2008 to 2018, which is higher than the $700 million baseline.35 Cumulative investments in clean energy amounted to $22.12 billion for the said period.

Renewable Energy.

Investments in renewable energy had the biggest share at 58.7% of the total investments in clean energy for 2008 to 2018, while energy efficiency had 38.0% and cleaner fuel 3.3%. Cumulative investments in renewable energy amounted to about $12.99 trillion from 2008 to 2018.

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Laiko Leaders Hold Virtual Conversation Mid-COVID19

The leaders of Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas decided to have a virtual meeting via Zoom on April 25, 2020 to update each other on how the organizations adjust to the COVID-19 pandemic situation and what they think the future holds for the Filipino Catholic Church.

21 Catholic lay organizations, archdiocesan and diocesan councils of the laity from Luzon, Metro Manila, Visayas and Mindanao were represented in the conversation, which was spearheaded by Bishop Broderick Pabillo, Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas spiritual director, and the Chairperson of the Episcopal Commission on the Lay Apostolatte .

Following is the video of the conversation.

At the close of the virtual meeting, the Laiko Board members were very enthusiastic about using the teleconferencing technology to continue with the quarterly board meeting.

Pastoral Statement: Consecration of the Archdiocese to the Blessed Virgin Mary

My dear people of God in the Archdiocese of Manila,

We have started the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ESQ) last March 15. Now the month of May is upon us. We never thought then, that the quarantine would be so long. We have accepted the lockdown for the sake of the common good, though by now it is taking its toll on us. There is restlessness, and even fear, mostly because of its economic effects. Many people are unsure of their future. It is in this situation that we need to be strong with the strength that comes from above. St. Paul wrote: “When I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10). This strength no longer comes from him.

As we enter the month of May, what comes to our mind is the Blessed Virgin Mary. May is the month of Mama Mary. We have many fiestas of our Lady on this month. We have the Flores de Mayo celebrations. We will all miss these this year. Nevertheless, let us keep the month of May as a Marian month. During this month let us intensify the devotion to our Blessed Mother in our homes. We can decorate the altar of Mama Mary. We can daily pray the Holy Rosary as a family. We may not be able to offer flowers but we can daily offer some small good deed to Our Mother.

As we try to do these individually in our homes, let us also do something together as an Archdiocese. The main patron of our Archdiocese is the Immaculate Conception. We are a Marian local church. On May 13, which is the 103rd anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady at Fatima, at 12 noon, we will have a Holy Mass in the Manila Cathedral during which we will consecrate the whole Archdiocese of Manila to the Blessed Virgin. The prayer of consecration will be done by all of the faithful of the Archdiocese to be led by the mayors of the five cities that comprise the Archdiocese: Manila, Mandaluyong, Pasay, Makati, and San Juan. It will be beautiful when all the people God, led by their civil and religious leaders, put themselves under the protection of the Blessed Virgin.

In order that this act of consecration be meaningful, from the first week of May, there will be a series of catechetical instructions online explaining the meaning and implication of such consecration. Then from May 10, we will start a triduum (three days) of daily penance and rosary which will culminate on the common Act of Consecration on the 13th. We do this to implore the protection of the powerful intercession of our Blessed Mother in this difficult time, especially as we move to the transition to a new way of life after the quarantine. We need strength from above, and we have a powerful intercessor in Mama Mary to get that heavenly help.

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Outspoken Cardinal Bo won’t be silenced

After calling out China, he is backing the pope’s call for a ceasefire as the world fights Covid-19

Armed rebels belonging to the Kachin Independence Army move toward the front line near Laiza in Kachin State in this 2016 file picture. Myanmar has been racked with conflict for the entire 72 years of its independence. (Photo: Hkun Lat/AFP)

UCAN News
Michael Sainsbury
Myanmar
April 24, 2020

Unbowed, indeed perhaps emboldened, by the ill-informed attacks on him for calling out China for its role — by withholding information — in assisting the spread of Covid-19 and for its repressive murderous regime, Myanmar’s Cardinal Charles Bo has joined Pope Francis and others in calling for a global conflict ceasefire during the pandemic.

Just as he understands China better than his critics, the president of the Asian Federation of Bishops’ Conferences is also all too familiar with conflict. The country whose Church he has led so well as archbishop of Yangon for 17 years has been racked with conflict for the entire 72 years of its independence.

“I am convinced that continued military operations, precisely when the whole nation is suffering a crisis, will have catastrophic consequences for our nation,” the 71-year-old cardinal wrote in just the latest of so many missives he has released on the topic of peace.

“Now is the time for decisions that will build Myanmar as a united, peaceful, prosperous nation and member of the family of nations. Conflict makes Myanmar especially vulnerable.”

Cardinal Bo’s concerns, as a prince of the Catholic Church and leader of its Asian bishops, of course extend beyond the borders of his own country and across a region where peace has so frequently been interrupted.

His bid for peace in Myanmar has arguably been the most consistent thematic of his time as a prelate. In 1990, he was ordained as bishop of Lashio in Shan state, which shares a long border with China. It is a hub for trading with the Middle Kingdom, a battleground for drug lords — part of the notorious Golden Triangle — and home to several militias including the United Wa State Army, which has been reported to have 25,000 fighters but has now had 30 years of peace with the country’s military.

It is important to understand that Myanmar is the nation in South and Southeast Asia that has been most tortured by conflict since the Second World War. Civil wars have raged on and off for seven decades between dozens of ethnic militias, mainly in the seven ethnic-based states that surround the center of the country where the majority ethnic group, the Bamar, live.

Some critics of Cardinal Bo’s full-frontal speaking of truth to the power of the Chinese Communist Party did not take the time to understand how China is seen in Myanmar as a putative economic and cultural colonist.

Bo himself put it very neatly in a presentation he made in July 2019.

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Stay, Protect, and Work with our Mother Earth

This is no ordinary Earth Day to celebrate. We are now both in a climate and health crisis. Each crisis threatens humanity’s existence.

WE are being asked to STAY. In the context of the health pandemic, we are being asked to limit movements and manage social distancing and STAY home. In the context of a climate crisis, we are being asked to be with our mother earth and to make it STAY.

As we are being asked to STAY, we are called to be still and reflect on what we have been doing to nature and how and why have reached this almost point of no return, where we, the human species are being threatened.

Planet Earth is a huge living organism composed of different lifeforms. It is alive. It is breathing. We humans are part of it. We are connected to other beings in this whole living system. Staying with planet Earth means we need to be with them – wildlife, rainforest, mountains, rivers, oceans and seas and animal’s habitat, with awe and reverence. To experience and understand their life dynamics. To ensure that we all STAY in good health and shape. To meld and blend with our surroundings of green, blue, brown and with all the wonderful colors in it and away from human activities that brings them destruction.

We are being called to PROTECT it. We are to kin of and stewards of our planet. Yet, we have failed nourish and nurture them. We brought them to a state where they are forced to take away our precious human lives through many natural disasters. We push them to deny us enough food, plenty of water or clean air, when we wantonly clear the forest, paved our mountains, or pollute our rivers and marine ecosystem in the name of profit and development. We forced them to give us deadly diseases when we tinker with the animals and wild. We cannot sit idly by and let the future generation suffer the consequences of our reckless and selfish actions.

We admonish all to WORK hard to change our ways. We cannot go back what is “normal” or what we use to do. What is normal is unsustainable. We cannot go on wantonly using earth’s natural resources like it will not suck dry. We cannot continue massively producing technology and machines from extracted minerals. We cannot push for human development without considering other sentient beings.

We, from the Philippine Misereor Partnership, Inc. (PMPI), a network of civil society organizations is pushing for a Paradigm Shift, in the way we relate and behave towards nature.

We are called to uphold an integrative sense of justice, “to hear the cry of the poor and the cry of mother earth. To have an awareness of our common home, of our mutual belonging and a future to be shared by everyone.” 

We aim for a fundamental shift in economic and social governance structures, a new legal framework recognizing the Rights of Nature and a change in our personal habits and way of living. The shift requires a recovery of the lost paradigm believed and practiced by our indigenous brothers and sisters and our ancient religions.

Only when we can truly STAY with nature, PROTECT it unselfishly and WORK tirelessly towards a more harmonious, connected, inter-dependent life with other beings, will the celebration of an Earth Day become more meaningful.

 “Lack an awareness of our common origin, of our mutual belonging, and of a future to be shared with everyone.” He calls for strengthening “the conviction that we are one single human family.

PMPI is a social development and advocacy network of 250 plus Philippine church/faith-based groups, non-governmental organizations and people’s organization spread all over the country, in partnership with Misereor, a social development arm of the German Bishops based in Aachen, Germany.