WeGen Laudato Si announced that the Diocese Maasin in Southern Leyte will inaugurate the transition of the diocese’s 42 parishes to solar energy.

Maasin Bishop Precioso Cantillaas, SDB, D.D., will lead the inauguration on Aigist 14, 2018, the 50th Anniversary of the Diocese.

All the Parish Churches including the historic First Mass Chapel in Limasawa Island, have powered up the zPhoto Voltaic Systems, signalling their concrete response to Ecological Conversion as called forth by Pope Francis.

The Diocese of Maasin is most likely the first Catholic Diocese in the entire world with  all its Churches using solar power.

Jun Cruz/ Laiko

Duterte mulls sending in navy to help free three engineers abducted in July

Jose Torres Jr., | UCANews| Manila, Philippines
August 6, 2018

A Catholic bishop in the Philippines has expressed support for a government plan to rescue three Filipino migrant workers abducted in Libya last month.

Bishop Rufino Santos, head of the Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People, said he supports President Rodrigo Duterte’s proposal to send a frigate to help rescue the Filipinos.

“Yes we support,” said the prelate in an interview. “We should show our solidarity and [that] we are serious about the freedom of Filipino abductees,” said Bishop Santos.

The prelate also called on the Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs to do its best to help rescue three Filipino engineers and a South Korean who were taken from a water project site on July 6.

“We appeal to our [Foreign Affairs Office] to exhaust all means for the safe freedom of our three Filipino engineers abducted in Libya,” said Bishop Santos.

On Aug. 4, the Philippine Navy announced that its fleet-marine unit is preparing an “appropriate force package” to help the kidnapped Filipinos.

South Korea has already deployed the 4,000-ton warship Munmu the Great, which was part of anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden.

“Every life is important, precious. A single life is valuable,” said Bishop Santos, adding that the Filipinos in Libya “have only best intentions to serve the country where they are in.”

Last week, Duterte said the Philippines would send two warships to Libya to join efforts to secure the release of the kidnap victims.

“If they begin to hurt the three Filipinos there, I will send the frigate,” he said in a speech in the southern Philippine region of Mindanao on Aug. 3.

The three Filipino engineers were working as technicians at a water plant in Libya when they were abducted.

A video shared on social media showed the four kidnapped workers with an armed guard seen behind them.

Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Elmer Cato said his office has been doing its best to ensure the “safe and early release” of the Filipinos.

Meanwhile, Bishop Santos called on undocumented Filipino workers in the United Arab Emirates to avail of an amnesty program being offered by the host country.

“It is very beneficial and blessing for our undocumented [Filipino workers] to correct their immigration status or repatriate without penalty to our country,” said the prelate.

NO TO CHA-CHA COALITION / FEBRUARY 13, 2018 (L-R) Former Representative Neri Colmenares, Satur Ocampo, Lorenzo Tanada III, Sr. Mary John Manazan, Christian Monsod, Former Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr., and Bishop Deogracias Yniguez join forces with other personalities at the launching of the No to Cha-Cha Coalition at Malcolm Hall of the University of the Philippines-Diliman, Quezon City. INQUIRER PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

Why is the church meddling in politics? We often hear this question, with a tone of reproach in it. We need to clarify some basic understanding in this question. What is and who is the church? What is politics?

The church is the people of God, not only the bishops, priests and religious. In fact, the vast majority of the church is the lay faithful. All the baptized are mandated to continue the mission of Christ, which is to save the world. The world that needs to be saved includes such institutions as politics and economics. Pope Francis wrote: “No one can demand that religion should be relegated to the inner sanctum of personal life, without influence on societal and national life, without concern for the soundness of civil institutions, without a right to offer an opinion on events affecting society.” (Evangelii Gaudium 183)

In the homily that Pope Francis gave in Domus Sanctae Marthae on September 16, 213, as he was reflecting on those in authority, the Holy Father remarked that some say: ‘A good Catholic doesn’t meddle in politics.’ He said, “That’s not true. That is not a good path. A good Catholic meddles in politics, offering the best of himself, so that those who govern can govern well.” He even gave these very clear words: “None of us can say, ‘I have nothing to do with this, how they govern.’ … No, no, I am responsible for their governance, and I have to do the best so that they govern well, and I have to do my best by participating in politics according to my ability. Politics, according to the Social Doctrine of the Church, is one of the highest forms of charity, because it serves the common good. I cannot wash my hands, eh? We all have to give something!”

Politics is not bad. In fact it is a vocation, a call from God. Again Pope Francis wrote in the encyclical Evangelii Gaudium: “Politics, though often denigrated, remains a lofty vocation and one of the highest forms of charity, inasmuch as it seeks the common good. We need to be convinced that charity is the principle not only of micro-relationships (with friends, with family members or within small groups) but also of macro-relationships (social, economic and political ones).”(205)

The Church, especially through the lay faithful, should be directly involved in politics to bring it to the service of the common good for the benefit of all. On receiving the bishops of Paraguay in September 2008, Pope Benedict XVI said, “A big part of the vocation of Christian laypeople is their participation in politics in order to bring justice, honesty and defence of true and authentic values, and to contribute to the real human and spiritual good of society. The role of the laity in the temporal order, and especially in politics, is key for the evangelization of society.” In the same vein, Pope Benedict unequivocally wrote: “It is the primary task of the lay faithful, formed in the school of the Gospel, to be directly involved in political and social activity. Hence they need suitable formation in the principles of the Church’s social teaching.” (Verbum Domini 100)

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“In the heart of this world, the Lord of life, who loves us so much, is always present. He does not abandon us, he does not leave us alone, for he has united himself definitively to our earth, and his love constantly impels us to find new ways forward. Praise be to him!” (Laudato Si, 245)

Our country has been blessed by God with an abundance of natural resources especially water, but for many factors, we are now faced with the concrete reality of managing our water especially for the next generation.

After listening to the strong opposition to the construction of the New Centennial Water Source Kaliwa Dam Project, we too express our opposition to the said project and strongly recommend to look for alternative sources to the Kaliwa Dam for the following reasons:

1. It will inundate the ancestral domain of the Dumagat-Remontados, uprooting them from the Sierra Madre where their ancestors lived for centuries enjoying a symbiotic relationship with the earth like the children to their mother. Undeniably, until now the indigenous people have not given an FPIC (Free Prior and Informed Consent) to the Kaliwa dam project as required by R.A. 8371.
2. Kaliwa dam to be constructed over the Infanta Fault will be a “sword hanging over the head” of 100,000 people living downstream the Kaliwa River. Etched in their memory is the 2004 flash flood that left 1,000 killed and over million worth of properties destroyed.
3. Climate change and its ill-effects are the ‘new normal’ that could no longer be ignored yet we do not know of any study made on climate and the Kaliwa dam. The ambivalent nature of climate change can cause random and sudden flooding. Japan with its highly advanced technology was devasted by the earthquake in 2011. The catastrophic collapse of the dam in Laos last July 25, 2018 has a message to all of us.
4. Global warming was 0.8 degree centigrade when Yolanda struck us with 315 ph winds. This year we have reached 1 degree centigrade. How much rainfall can this dam hold when another Yolanda comes in Quezon? About the landslides?
5. NEDA has kept the data on Kaliwa dam secret with the word “confidential” despite the much publicized Freedom of Information E.O. No. 2, series of 2016.
6. This project which is connected with the Laiban dam has been in the pipeline for 30 years, yet until now it does not even have the necessary Environment Compliance Certificate (ECC) as mandated by R.A. 7586.

In 2000 the World Commission on Dams (WCM) mandated by the World Bank and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) reported that while “dams have made an important and significant contribution to human development, and benefits derived from them have been considerable… in too many cases an unacceptable and often unnecessary price has been paid to secure those benefits, especially in social and environmental terms, by people displaced, by communities downstream, by taxpayers and by the natural environment.”

Angat and IPO dams supply Metro Manila with 4,000 MLD of water but a big percentage of this is lost due to leaks. With the P18 Billion budget for constructing Kaliwa Dam, there can be alternative sources of water, many of which are being advocated now:

1. Launch a massive education campaign to convince the 13 million Metro Manila residents to learn “water management”. This would reduce water consumption significantly. This could be bad news for business but best for the environment.
2. Harvest rain water which flood us perennially and implement the pertinent provision of the National Building Code of the Philippines (RA 1096).
3. Fast track the recovery of the NRW (non-revenue water) through fixing leaks;
4. Rehabilitate the Pasig-Laguna River Basin which would cost only P13 Billion (estimated by Dr. Esteban Godilano, an environmental scientist).
5. Adopt the Singapore New Water technology which treats wastewater to become potable.
6. And most importantly, protect and expand our dwindling forests that serves as our largest watershed and these would refill our underground aquifers which are now over extracted.

All of us – government and the people – have to work together to resolve our water issues. Hence as pastors of the faithful we

1. Support a transparent dialogue with MWSS and NEDA and the stakeholders of the Kaliwa dam making available all the pertinent documents;
2. Support the initiative in Congress and Senate to make an inquiry into the Kaliwa Dam; and
3. Encourage all to “rethink how to use water” in terms of the demand-side and consumption and protect our environment.

World Commission on Dams sees that “the future for water and energy resources development lies with participatory decision-making, using a rights-and-risks approach that will raise the importance of the social and environmental dimensions of dams to a level once reserved for the economic dimension.”

Pope Francis warns that: “Caring for the ecosystems demands farsightedness, since no one looking for quick and easy profit is truly interested in their preservation.” (Laudato Si #36)

For the Clergy of the Prelature of Infanta:

+BERNARDINO C. CORTEZ, D.D.
Bishop-Prelate of Infanta
26 July 2018
Feast of Sts. Anne and Joachim

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August 5, 2018

This Sunday is dedicated by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines as St. John Mary Vianney Sunday in honor of the patron saint of all diocesan priests. He is a model of sanctity in his devout celebration the Eucharist and in his patient hearing of confessions. He did all these with remarkable humility and simplicity, a manner of serving and living which God’s people are happy to see in their priests.

We are also at the midpoint of the celebration of the Year of the Clergy and Consecrated Persons. We are aiming at the integral renewal of values, mindsets, behaviors and lifestyles of the clergy and consecrated persons. Consecrated persons are the religious sisters, brothers and members of secular institutes.

In the context of today’s celebration, the readings remind us to value the vocation to priesthood and consecrated life. We are thankful to the Lord for them. In the first reading from the book of Exodus (16:2-4, 12-15), the Israelites complained about the lack of food in the wilderness, “Would that they had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt when they sat by the pots of meat and they ate bread to the full.” They talked about sufficient bodily food in their slavery in Egypt. In response, God gave them manna for bread and quail’s meat. Today, God continues to give us food, a more valuable food that gives us eternal life, the body and blood of Jesus in the Eucharist. Intimately connected with the Eucharist are the priests who make present the last supper of Jesus where he gave the disciples his body and blood in the form of bread and wine. Through the ministry of priests, we receive the bread of life, Jesus himself, who transforms us after we have received him prayerfully in holy communion.

In the second reading (Eph. 4:17, 20-24), St. Paul describes those who have encountered Jesus and received his teachings. With Jesus, we lay aside our old selves “corrupted by the lusts of deceit.” We are “renewed in the spirit of our minds” and we “put on the new self, created in God’s righteousness and holiness of truth.” Such encounters happen effectively in the sacraments. There we are made children of God, forgiven of our sins, fed with the body of Christ, united by Christ in marriage, strengthened in our sickness and assisted in our hope for life eternal. Christ acts in all of these through the priest.

In the Gospel (Jn. 6:24-35), Jesus reminds us not to follow the example of the Jews who were after the food that perishes. He urged them but to seek the food which endures to eternal life. This food is Jesus himself, he is the food that comes down from heaven and he gives life to the world. Those who come to Jesus will not hunger; those who come to him will never thirst. And who makes these words of Jesus a reality for us today? The priest. Jesus acts through the presence, gestures and words of the priest.

Lest we forget, first and foremost, all the baptized share in the priesthood of Christ. All are called to holiness, to praise and glorify God in all aspects of our lives. The priests among us are called to serve the baptized in their journey towards communion with God and with one another. One does not acquire a higher status by becoming a priest. On the contrary, he shares the identity of Christ as one who serves the flock.

Serving in the person of Christ demands from the priest way of life that is Christ- like. It embraces his whole person, including his faults and weaknesses. Therefore, the faithful whom he serves must pray for him that he becomes true to his identity as a faithful disciple of Christ.

Pray for us priests that like St. John Mary Vianney we faithfully and meaningfully celebrate the sacraments especially the Eucharist and confession.

Pray for us priests that like St. John Mary Vianney we refuse to seek riches, power, comfort and pleasure.

Pray for us priests that we become examples of communion among ourselves, that we live as brothers and that we do not separate ourselves from the lay faithful especially from the poor and the marginalized.

Pray for us priests that we remain faithful to our promises of chastity, simplicity of lifestyle and obedience to the bishop.

Pray for us priests that we attain transparency and accountability in our financial management. Pray too that after 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines we abolish all forms of commercialism in the celebration of the sacraments.

Pray for us priests that as people are murdered daily we denounce violations of human rights especially the right to life. Pray that we become more concerned about protecting others than protecting ourselves. Pray that we introduce programs that will keep our people away from illegal activities.

Pray for us priests that we may truly dedicate ourselves to the Gospel despite discouragement, loneliness, and threats to our lives. Pray that we find greatest honor in the sharing the offering of Christ.

Holy Mary Mother of Priests. Please pray for us! Amen.

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Homiliya

Linggo ni San John Mary Vianney
Agosto 5, 2018

Itinalaga ng Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines ang linggong ito bilang St. John Mary Vianney Sunday upang parangalan ang patron ng mga paring diyosesano. Siya ang huwaran ng kabanalan sa kanyang mataimtim na pagdiriwang ng Banal na Eukaristiya at matiyagang pagpapakumpisal. Ginawa niya ang lahat ng ito nang may kahanga-hangang kapayakan at kababaang-loob, ang pamamaraan ng paglilingkod at pamumuhay na kinagigiliwang makita ng mga tao sa kanilang mga pari.

Tayo rin ay nasa kalagitnaan na ng ating pagdiriwang ng Taon ng mga Pari at ng mga Nagtalaga ng Buhay sa Diyos. Ninanais nating magkaroon ng ganap na pagpapanibago sa mga pagpapahalaga, kaisipan, asal at paraan ng pamumuhay ng mga pari at ng mga nagtalaga sa Diyos, ng mga brothers at mga kasapi ng mga secular institutes.

Sa diwa ng pagdiriwang sa araw na ito, ipinaaalala sa atin ng mga pagbasa ang kabuluhan ng bokasyon sa pagpapari at sa buhay pagtatalaga sa Diyos. Dahil dito’y tumatanaw tayo ng utang na loob sa Panginoon. Sa unang pagbasa na hango sa aklat ng Exodo (16,2-4. 12-15), umangal ang mga Israelita dahil sa tila kalulangan ng pagkain sa gitna ng ilang, “Mabuti pa sana’y pinatay na kami ng Panginoon sa Egipto. Doon, nakakakain kami ng karne at tinapay hanggang gusto namin”. Ang tinutukoy nila’y ang pagkaing nakapupuno ng kanilang sikmura habang sila’y alipin sa Egipto. Bilang tugon, binigyan sila ng Diyos ng manna at mga pugo. Sa kasalukuyan, patuloy tayong binibigyan ng Diyos ng pagkain, pagkaing higit na mahalaga ‘pagkat ang dulot sa ati’y buhay na walang hanggan, ang katawan at dugo ni Hesus sa Eukaristiya. Kadugsong ng Eukaristiya ang mga paring nagdadala sa ating piling ng Huling Hapunan ni Hesus kung saan ibinigay niya sa kanyang mga alagad ang kanyang katawan at dugo sa anyong tinapay at alak. Sa pamamagitan ng paglilingkod ng mga pari, napapasaatin ang tinapay ng buhay, si Hesus mismo, na nagpapabago sa atin matapos na siya’y ating tanggapin sa banal na pakikinabang.

Sa ikalawang pagbasa, (Efeso 4,17. 20-24), inilalarawan sa atin ni San Pablo kung sino ang may pakikipagtagpo kay Hesus at tumatanggap ng kanyang aral. Kay Hesus, isinasantabi natin ang ating lumang pagkatao “na napahamak dahil sa masamang pita”. Tayo’y dapat magbago ng “diwa at pag-iisip” at ating angkinin ang “bagong pagkatao na nilikhang kalarawan ng Diyos, kalarawan ng kanyang katuwiran at kabanalan”. Ang pakikipagtagpong ito’y nagaganap sa mga sakramento. Sa pamamagitan nito ay ginawa tayong mga anak ng Diyos, pinatawad ang ating mga kasalanan, binubusog ng katawan ni Kristo, pinag-isa ni Kristo sa kasal, dinadamayan sa ating mga karamdaman at pinatibay ang ating pag-asa sa buhay na walang hanggan. Ginawa ni Kristo ang lahat ng ito sa pamamagitan ng pari.

Sa ating ebanghelyo (Juan 6,24-35), pinapaalalahanan tayo ni Hesus na huwag tularan ang mga Hudyong ang nais lamang ay ang pagkaing napapanis. Tinuruan niya sila na ang hanapin ay ang pagkaing nananatili hanggang sa buhay na walang hanggan. Ang pagkaing ito ay si Hesus mismo, siya ang tinapay na bumaba mula sa langit na nagbibigay-buhay sa mundo. Sinumang lumapit kay Hesus ay di magugutom ni mauuhaw kailanman. At sino ang nagpapaganap ng mga salitang ito ni Hesus sa atin ngayon? Ang pari. Kumikilos si Hesus sa pagkatao, kilos at salita ng pari.

At huwag nating kalilimutan na ang lahat ng binyagan ay nakikibahagi sa pagiging pari ni Kristo. Lahat ay tinatawagang maging banal, na magbigay-papuri sa Diyos sa bawat larangan ng ating buhay. Ang ating mga pari ay tinawag upang paglingkuran ang mga binyagan sa kanilang paglalakbay patungo sa pakikipag-isa sa Diyos at sa kapwa-tao. Ang pagiging pari ay hindi ang pagkakaroon ng mataas na posisyon na titingalain ng mga tao. Subalit, dapat niyang pagsumikapang tularan si Kristo sa paglilingkod sa kawan.

Ang pagtulad sa paglilingkod ni Kristo ay nag-uudyok sa pari na mabuhay katulad ni Kristo. Ang buhay na ito’y yumayakap sa kanyang buong pagkatao kasama na ang kanyang kahinaan at karupukan. Kung kaya’t marapat lamang na siya’y ipagdasal ng mga mananampalataya na kanyang pinaglilingkuran upang siya’y maging tapat at totoong alagad ni Kristo.

Ipanalangin ninyo kaming mga pari upang katulad ni San Juan Maria Vianney ay maipagdiwang naming matapat at makahulugan ang mga sakramento lalo na ang Eukaristiya at ang kumpisal.

Ipanalangin ninyo kaming mga pari upang katulad ni San Juan Maria Vianney ay iwaksi namin ang makamundong yaman, kapangyarihan, sarap ng buhay at kalayawan.

Ipanalangin ninyo kaming mga pari nang kami’y maging mabuting halimbawa ng pagkakaisa, nang kami’y mamuhay bilang mga magkakapatid at huwag kaming lumayo sa mga layko lalo na sa mga dukha at sa mga minamaliit.

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We condemn the issuance of arrest warrants by the Palayan, Nueva Ecija court for former Makabayan representatives Teddy Casino, Satur Ocampo and former DAR secretary Rafael Mariano and current NAPC Convenor Sec.Liza Maza.

There is no justifiable reason for the order of Judge Evelyn A. Atienza-Turla dated July 11, 2018.

The arrest warrants against the four comes ten years after Turla found no probable cause to uphold ridiculous charges of murder. The latest order comes without any explanation for the reversal despite being based on the same evidence, facts and circumstances.

There was no murder case to begin with as far as one supposed target, Jimmy Peralta, died in a vehicular accident, as attested by police spot reports.

That the four lawmakers ordered the killings of Peralta and one Carlito Bayudang to ensure Bayan Muna victory is an outright lie, a concoction by military handlers of false witnesses.

Prosecutors failed to subscribe the affidavits of complainants and their witnesses. They failed to validate or confirm preposterous claims that parroted each other..

Judge Atienza-Turla should have dismissed the obvious fabricated murder charges adecade back.

That it comes amid rising tyranny of the Duterte administration only casts suspicion on the use of the judiciary for political persecution.

The reincarnation of the old Inter-agency Legal Action Group (IALAG) under then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as the Inter-Agency Committee on Legal Action (IACLA) is part of the Duterte regime’s assault on pro-democracy forces, which includes efforts to proscribe as terrorists more than 600 individuals, including legal personalities like Ocampo.

We urge Judge Atienza-Turla to reverse a clearly unjust order. Various courts and agencies have already thrown out similar or related cases. Bayan Muna has even been awarded damages on the perjured statements of witnesses.

We demand an end to the persecution of Satur, Liza, Teddy, Paeng and all victims of trumped-up charges.###

Within the two weeks that we stayed at the Diatagon gymnasium we were treated as if we were not human by the military. The 75th IB along with Marcos Bocales, leader of the bandit paramilitary Magahat-Bagani; PNP-Lianga and Lianga MSWD controlled the relief goods that were meant for us. The municipal LGU did not give us assistance because according to them, there was no calamity.

Our situation at the evacuation center in Brgy. Diatagon was difficult. We lacked water because every time we tried to fetch some we were not allowed to pass by the soldiers guarding all the entrances and exits of the gymnasium. We tried buying drinking water but the stores had nothing because the military did not allow them to sell water. There were no toilets. It was overcrowded and very hot inside the gym. We were getting sick, especially our children. In addition, every now and then, our leaders and the teachers who were helping us, received death threats through phone calls or text messages or were directly threatened.

The officials of Brgy. Diatagon and Lianga were stifled. The civilian government was ineffective because the 75th IBPA was pressuring and controlling them. They were like puppets doing whatever the military commanded them to do.

Amidst such inhumane conditions, we, the 1,607 evacuees, decided to look for a safer place. Thus, on July 30, 2018, carrying our belongings, we hiked to look for a place where we will be treated as humans. The military continued to follow us. The road in Davisol was blocked by their two six by six trucks, they took photos and videos and mocked us.

When we reached San Agustin, there were several soldiers and policemen with shields waiting for us, the road was blocked by their military trucks and there was a firetruck, as though ready to spray us with water if we try to pass. Here, the provincial government of Gov. Pimentel called for a dialogue which was attended by 401st Brigade Commander Col. Maurito Lucudne and 75th IB Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Jaime Datuin, PSSUPT Francisco Dungo, Sr., vice-governor Manuel Alameda, church people led by the Friends of the Lumad in Caraga and community representatives.

We agreed upon the following:

1. Dismantle the detachment in Simowao and 75th IBPA troops withdraw from Km. 9
2. As their mandate, the military may launch military operations in areas where there were NPA or armed groups
3. Hold a fact finding mission in the area to check for military presence as the evacuees are ready to return to their communities   Continue reading

Pope and Holy See Continue Tireless Effort to Help Victims

July 30, 2018 06:00 Jim Fair | Human Rights And Justice

Pope Francis and the Holy See continue to press for an end to the horrendous practice of human trafficking today, July 30, 2018: World Day against Trafficking in Persons.

The day is promoted by the United Nations. Pope Francis noted it after praying the noonday Angelus on July 29, 2018, with a crowd of 25,000 pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square:

“This plague reduces many men, women, and children to slavery for the purpose of labor and sexual exploitation, the sale of organs, of vagrancy and forced delinquency, also here, in Rome. Migration routes are also often used by traffickers and exploiters, to recruit new victims of trafficking. It’s the responsibility of all to denounce the injustices and to oppose firmly this shameful crime.”

Human trafficking is a crime that exploits women, children, and men for numerous purposes including forced labor and sex, according to the United Nations. The International Labour Organization estimates that 21 million people are victims of forced labor globally. This estimate also includes victims of human trafficking for labor and sexual exploitation. While it is not known how many of these victims were trafficked, the estimate implies that currently, there are millions of trafficking in persons victims in the world.

Every country in the world is affected by human trafficking, whether as a country of origin, transit, or destination for victims, the UN claims. Children make up almost a third of all human trafficking victims worldwide, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Global Report on Trafficking in Persons. Additionally, women and girls comprise 71 percent of human trafficking victims, the report states.

In 2010, the General Assembly adopted the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons, urging Governments worldwide to take coordinated and consistent measures to defeat this scourge. The Plan calls for integrating the fight against human trafficking into the UN’s broader programmes in order to boost development and strengthen security worldwide. One of the crucial provisions in the Plan is the establishment of a UN Voluntary Trust Fund for victims of trafficking, especially women and children.

At the same time, the Holy See has been outspoken in its concern about trafficking. During the May 28-29, 2018, meetings of Session I of the 1st Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting (SHDM) of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), held in Vienna, Monsignor Janusz S. Urbańczyk, the Holy See’s permanent representative to the OSCE, stressed two key elements:

1) “Strengthen education and awareness-raising efforts, including human rights education, and develop and implement empowerment programmes which take into account the particular needs of women, men, girls, and boys, in order to enhance the capacity to recognize, prevent and fight human trafficking within communities”  Continue reading

At least 15,000 people leave shelter in village gymnasium alleging further persecution by Philippine military

Ben Serrano, Surigao del Sur, Philippines
July 30, 2018

More than 1,500 tribal people in the southern Philippines, who fled their homes early this month due to alleged harassment by soldiers, were on the move again July 30 at the start of another exodus.

From a village in the town of Lianga, Surigao del Sur province, the tribal people began a 90-km walk to the provincial capital city of Tandag.

They claimed they could no longer take continuing pressure from the military, who have accused them of being rebel sympathizers.

In a statement, human rights group Karapatan said the people had to leave because of “escalating military persecution.”

“We can no longer bear the difficulties inside the gymnasium,” said Sandy Sanchez, spokesman of the tribal group Mapasu.

He said the people had no access to water of food in the village gymnasium where they had taken refuge and which was surrounded by soldiers. “We decided to leave the area,” Sanchez told ucanews.com.

“We cannot return home because of the presence of the military in our villages. We don’t want to be caught in the crossfire [in clashes with rebels],” he said.

About 1,600 tribal people fled their homes in 15 communities in the towns of Lianga and San Agustin on July 16 and sought refuge in the village of Diatagon in Lianga.

They said they were forced to leave their communities because soldiers, who set up camp in their communities, had been “spreading fear” among residents.

Even in the evacuation center, the people claimed the soldiers followed them, and prevented food and water supplies reaching them.

“The military had virtually taken control of the evacuation center. The [tribal people] felt that they were not safe there,” said Bishop Rhee Timbang of the Philippine Independent Church.

The prelate, who is the local head of human rights group Karapatan, said people are taking a “communal journey.”

“They are to walk literally to a safer place, a secured sanctuary,” he said. “It does not matter how many days it takes them to walk,” the bishop added.

The march started about two o’clock in the morning. “We will rest when we get tired,” Sanchez told ucanews.com by phone.

Authorities said they had no idea what prompted the people to leave and march to the provincial capital.

“We only learned early today that the evacuees had left,” said Merlyn Layno, disaster management officer of Lianga town.

It was not the first time that the tribal people have fled their homes. In 2015, they fled after gunmen executed their tribal leaders.

In 2017, they left their communities due to military operations against communist rebels in the area.