Category: Documents

My dear People of God in the Archdiocese of Manila,

We all feel the great void of not being able to physically participate in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Surely the online Mass is not the same as going to Church to celebrate the Holy Mass. Perhaps this void should make us realize the great opportunity that we have here in the Archdiocese of being able to come to Mass regularly every Sunday, if not every day. This is not so in many parts of our country. Consider that in many small chapels in the provinces our fellow Catholics do not have mass every Sunday. It is good if they have one once a month or even a few times a year for lack of priests and the means of the transportation. They are not even able to follow online masses because of the lack of connectivity. In this extraordinary time we get a small taste of their ordinary fare.

But since we have the online mass, let us make the most of it. I give you some tips on how to profit better from this poor substitute. Since you know the time of the mass, prepare yourselves well for it. Do not watch it with a cup of coffee in hand. Before the mass read the mass readings to prepare yourselves to hear them better once they are proclaimed in the Eucharist. You can know the mass readings through the Catholic Bible Reading Guide, the Pandasal, the many books that give us the daily Bible readings and even some commentaries on them, or you can access these readings online. Have a few moments too to think what you are to thank the Lord for and what to offer to him in this mass. Remember that you are praying this Eucharist with many other fellow Catholics not only in your parish but all over the world.

Stay in a reverent gesture throughout the mass, standing or sitting up properly.  It would be good if the whole family in the house joins together in the mass. Do not just watch the mass. Join in it with your prayers, responses and singing. At the time of communion, make the spiritual communion. You can pray this beautiful prayer attributed to St. Alphonsus de Liguori:

My Jesus,
I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen

At the end of the online mass, take some moment of silence to read again the Scripture readings and reflect how, enlightened by the homily, you can live God’s Word that day.

I hope these simple tips can help in making the most of the online masses. Do not worry. This situation of not being able to come to Church for the mass is temporary. May this temporary deprivation bear fruit in a fuller appreciation of the great gift of the Eucharist that we in the archdiocese are privileged to participate in regularly. God bless you and let us be one asking the Lord to avert the pandemic caused by COVID 19.

Mother Mary Health of the Sick, pray for us!

Your Servant in the Lord Jesus,

+ Bishop Broderick Pabillo
Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Manila
March 15, 2020

There is a request from the Philippine Misereor Partnership, Inc. (PMPI) to consider signing on on the Global Principles for a Just Response to COVID-19.

Here’s a summary of the principles:

1. health is the top priority, for all people, with no exceptions
2. provide economic relief directly to the people
3. rescue workers and communities, not corporate executives
4. make a down payment on a regenerative economy, while preventing future crises
5. protect our democratic process while protecting each other

The response to global COVID-19 Pandemic and economic recession will take months, maybe years. The actions we take now will have an impact on people immediately and in the future. We do not have all the answers, and there will be many other fights to come, but we believe it is important that our voices are heard right now by decision-makers and the public. Building upon an initiative that has already gained robust support in the US across a wide range of constituencies and organizations, (see here https://tinyurl.com/tl4tkwn), we are looking to bring together civil society and movement voices to set a tone in this early stage.

Link : Principles for a Just Response to COVID-19 sign-on

To be involved in this, you need to sign by 9am UTC Tuesday 24th of March. Please consider signing on (quickly) to display a broad powerful voice and counter the corporate lobbyists already knocking on politicians’ doors.

As the entire country has just been placed under the state of calamity due to the escalating spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), we offer our prayers for our people, particularly the poor and most vulnerable sectors, who will bear the heavier burden caused by the present crisis.

With the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) we also acknowledge our responsibility to participate in addressing this national emergency: “This is a time of difficulty but also a time for growing in true discipleship as we strive to follow the Lord in selfless love and service of others.”

March 19, 2020

The Duterte regime’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic was too little, too late. While the epidamic was rampaging in China and nearby countries, government officials led by Duterte himself belittled the threat. A travel ban from China’s affected areas should have immediately been put in place. Government should also have made provisions for massive testing and extensive contract-tracing in preparation for the eventual arrival of the disease in the country. Measures should have been taken for the public health system, down to the community level, to prepare for the crisis. But these were not done.

By March 18, 2020, only 1,030 have been tested for COVID-19, a miniscule number compared to the 75,000 possible infections in the last three months, according to the DOH. Currently, more there are more than 200 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Philippines and the number is expected to grow dramatically in the coming days.

The current lockdown, euphemistically called “enhanced community quarantine” in Luzon is a result of the widescale neglect and late response to the crisis that was already foreseen in early February. Worse, government planners failed to take into consideration the conditions and needs of the sectors most vulnerable to the negative consequences of the lockdown.

There is an urgent need to halt or significantly delay the spread of COVID-19 considering it is incurable and will most likely cause many deaths of vulnerable sections of the population. This is the most immediate task that government has to address even as it needs to provide socio-economic support to those most affected by the lockdown.

Our calls

The following are our demands in the light of the lockdown and other measures to address the COVID-19:

Medical measures:

1. Provide adequate funds for free testing, treatment and containment of COVID-19, as well as the rehabilitation of our health services. Immediately tap the P13 billion Contingency Fund, P16 billion Disaster Risk Reduction Management Fund, and the President’s more than P4.5 billion Confidential and Intelligence Fund, aside from funds alloted for counter-insurgency, tourism, debt servicing and others. Congress should immediately act on the  P1.6 billion  supplemental budget for COVID-19 measures.
2. Provide free and systematic mass testing. Test all those suspected of COVID-19 infection (Persons Under Investigation or PUI and Persons Under Monitoring or PUM) especially in high priority areas (surveillance or sentinel testing) to identify who are infected, where and how it is spreading in order to come up with concrete plans and measures against its spread. Priority should be given to those with symptoms like sore throat, colds, cough, fever, pneumonia – whether severe or not – and those exposed to confirmed COVID-19 victims. In relation to this, increase the number of available testing kits, build more testing centers and laboratories with trained personnel.
3. Provide hospitals with additional equipment, supplies and personnel. Assign COVID-19-specific hospitals (public and private) in Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao with adequate equipment, supplies and trained personnel to provide free treatment to suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients. Add isolation rooms and ensure no less than 3,000 ventilators to be distributed to various hospitals. Subsidize private hospitals if necessary. Implement mass hiring of nurses and other health workersto fill the  17,000 vacant plantilla positions in public hospitals and the 42,000 nurses needed to complement current health staffing in our community health centers. Tap those taking the March 2020 Medical Licensure Examination to complement the number of doctors.
4. Build community-based sanitation facilities and quarantine centers. Establish handwashing facilities, sanitation tents, disinfection facilities, and  quarantine centers at various levels – baranggay, municipality, city and region – to halt the spread of the disease and provide care to patients. Home quarantine is not realistic nor practical in our many small and crowded communities, aside from there being a lack of proper care and monitoring of PUMs and PUIs sent home.
5. Ensure support and protection to our frontliners. Provide adequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to health workers, doctors, nurses, medical and ex-ray technicians, and others directly involved in anti-COVID19 efforts. Provide them adequate transport services to and from work. Ensure safe and healthy working conditions – nutritious food, rest, hazard pay, free and regular COVID-19 testing, and other forms of support. This includes both hospital-based personnel, those in triage areas outside hospitals tasked to screen patients, and those deployed to collect specimens for testing. Community health workers that help in public information, education and sanitation drives should be provided PPEs like masks, alcohol, gloves, etc.
6. Improve systems and protocols to address COVID-19 down to the community level. Ensure correct, timely and understandable public information about COVID-19 and how to avoid infection. Provide clear instructions on the nearest and facility for suspected COVID-19 patients. Provide transportation to patients needing hospital care. Train Barangay Health Workers (BHW), relief and disaster management personnel, and volunteers for their effective participation in anti-COVID-19 efforts. Fix the loopholes and deficiencies in the unified and comprehensive health system and management of the crisis. Issue clear guidelines and support mechanisms from the national to the local governments, recognizing each LGU’s capabilities and limitations. Use persuasive and participatory mechanisms instead of repressive measures and intimidation for people to follow quarantine protocols.

Socio-economic measures:

The Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas at this time of crisis encourages all our Lay Organizations and Members to heed the call of the government to observe the Community Quarantine and to use this time by staying home and to build a stronger spiritual stamina.

Let us all pray for those affected, those at the front lines and those in government who are trying their best to stem the tide of this pandemic. We are also praying for the whole world, especially for those countries badly affected, that they might recover soon through the mercy of God.

Let us ask for the intercession of ST JOSEPH, Patron of the Universal Church, to GUIDE US, FROM CRISIS TO WHERE CHRIST IS. Lastly, pls join and pass this announcement for the Worldwide Rosary tonight.

For the Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas
Bro. Rouquel Ponte
National President

14 March 2020

Social Development Network advocates for clearer directives and comprehensive plan involving the poorest sectors and frontline health workers

Quezon City, Philippines – Rather than be enlightened and feel safe, people have become more frustrated and confused, following President Rodrigo Duterte’s press conference last night, 12 March 2020 as indicated in many social media postings. The press conference was most awaited given the prior announcement by the World Health Organization that the spread is now pandemic and the continuing increase of monitored numbers in the country. People expected to hear the government’s plans to manage the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The President declared a one-month community quarantine starting March 15 until April 12. However, he just read through the resolution proposed by the inter-agency task force on COVID-19 and promised that an executive order with more details will be released soon and giving to different government agencies the task of detailing measures of stopping the spread of the deadly virus.

“This is unacceptable. What we want to hear from a President is a decisive and concrete plan of action to stop contagion specially detailing measures for the most vulnerable constituents of his country. Giving a lead time to implement the lockdown is opening-up a wider window to spreading the virus all over the country and not containing it,” Yolanda Esguerra, PMPI National Coordinator said.

In the midst of the continuous and fast increase of the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, it seems the Department of Health (DOH) grapples at monitoring, tracing, reporting of cases.

“The Filipinos need truthful and fast reporting of cases. We understand the principle of confidentiality of those infected. But in the minimum, we expect a full disclosure of the location of these cases to make communities aware and take extra care in their social engagements,” Cecil de Joya of Medical Action Group said.

Citing positively the quick responses of schools and some local governments concerned, the group reiterated that children, senior citizens, persons with health challenges should be identified and taken-cared of in the barangay or local government level. Reporting and monitoring structure in the barangay level through the BHW’s should be incorporated in the plan.  Aside from the vulnerable groups in a community, the needs of the poorer communities and sectors like the urban poor, ordinary workers who will lose their daily wages because of the quarantine in NCR should receive support from government.