SANGGUNIANG LAIKO NG PILIPINAS 23rd Biennial National Convention October 27-29, 2023
RESOLUTIONS
We, the 299 participants representing the 28 Lay Organizations and Movements (LOMAS) and the 37 Arch/Diocesan Councils of the Laity are gathered during the 23rd National Biennial Convention of the Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas held on October 27 to 29, 2023 in Tacloban City in the Diocese of Palo with the theme: ‘United in Mission as a Synodal Church’ which is held in time of the Synod on Synodality at the Vatican.
It is the first time the participants from all over the Philippines are gathered face to face after the pandemic caused by Covid-19 virus.
INTEGRAL FORMATION
As lay members of the Church, we are aware of the urgency to provide an integral, integrated formation for different age levels, cultures, languages, social classes, gender, etc. We are called to provide structures and spaces for this endeavor emphasizing the spiritual, doctrinal, and social dimensions, we resolve to:
Deepen our relationship with God through prayer, contemplation, and silence that disposes a discerning and listening heart in all our activities and gatherings.
Provide a common integral formation program on the role of the laity in the Church through the Apostolic Exhortation, Christi Fideles Laici that is made available for all Lay Organizations and Movements (LOMAS) and Arch/Diocesan Councils of the Laity.
CO-RESPONSIBILITY
We recognize that we all called to serve through the gifts we receive from the Holy Spirit. Each one has equal opportunity to serve for the mission. As lay, we need to find ways on how we can complement and not to compete with each other. We can only do this if we know who we are and where we are coming from, we resolve to:
Foster an environment of open dialogue and collaboration between lay and clergy for the fulfillment of the mission of the Church through listening, respecting each other and walking together.
Promote affective collegiality among members of the Church to bring about a sense of owning in its activities and life.
Journey together as a synodal Church with its structures of better listening that all voices are heard and valued.
2. INCLUSION
A great challenge of a synodal Church today is a desire to be converted from our own pre-judgements and see things in the eyes of God; to be firm in our faith, to do what we believe and be able to respect others. We are convinced that dialogue is a way of building bridges to break boundaries that divide and foster unity in the midst of differences, we resolve to:
Reach out and welcome everyone in the community; journeying with them in the different teachings and sharing our faith life experience.
Provide opportunities of participation and engage in the mission of the Church, the young people, those who are considered to be in the peripheries, and those with special needs.
Collaborate with people of other faith, Christian groups and denominations, and indigenous people in addressing our common concerns like working for peace, care for our common home, pursuit for good governance, and alleviation of poverty.
All these, we entrust into the hands of God with Mary as our icon of synodality to accompany us, as we commit ourselves, dedicate our time, and economic resources for the fulfillment of these resolutions in the next two years.
Archbishop Emeritus Fernando Capalla of Davao. DAVAO CATHOLIC HERALD
By Fr. Sebastiano D’Ambra, PIME January 7, 2024 Manila, Philippines
The news of the death of Archbishop Fernando Capalla on January 6 , 2024, who died at the age of 89 is a time of sorrow for all of us and for me also an occasion to remember him as a good friend who contributed a lot for the promotion of interreligious dialogue in Mindanao and on the national and international level.
When I started the Silsilah Dialogue Movement in 1984, he was happy of this new beginning to the point that when he was elected as chairperson of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) for the Commission on Interreligious Dialogue he asked me to be the executive secretary and allow me to have the office in Zamboanga near the office of Silsilah.
This great sign of trust and friendship helped me a lot to be challenged more in the mission that I started in dialogue with the Muslims in Zamboanga and along the years in Mindanao and on the national level.
Silsilah invited Archbishop Capalla in Zamboanga for some seminars and for the summer course. He was also with us the day that Fr. Salvatore Carzedda, PIME was killed in Zamboanga City on May 20, 1992. I can also recall a critical moment when in Davao I was rushed to the hospital and he helped me in many ways.
I believe many of us can say many things about the goodness and generosity of archbishop Capalla. I think he is well known for starting the Bishops Ulama Forum that after a few years was renamed as Bishops’ – Ulama Conference. I was at his side as executive secretary of the CBCP for the Commission on Interreligious Dialogue. I remember the first gathering in Cebu in 1996 and the many other gatherings in the different parts of Mindanao and Manila. For two occasions we also did the gathering of the Bishops-Ulama Conference in Harmony Village, Zamboanga City.
Our friendship was expressed in many ways and he was an honorary member of the Board of Trustee of Silsilah, he encouraged me to continue the dream to start the Emmaus Dialogue Community in Zamboanga. In that occasion as chairman of the Episcopal Commission for Interreligious Dialogue of the CBCP he wrote: “The diocesan bishop is advised by the new Code of Canon Law:’to discern the new gifts of the consecrated life which the Holy Spirit entrusted to the Church (C.605). The Emmaus Dialogue Community is a new form of consecrated life in the local Church.’ I believe that this new community is a gift and a blessing to the local Church and to the Church at large. With dialogue as its primary objective it answers a long-felt need in this Church’s Ministry.”
Guided by this spirit and friendship with the new Emmaus Dialogue Community that after was renamed Emmaus Dialogue Community opening the charism to all in the Church, Archbishop Capalla volunteered to be the patron bishop of this new reality of Emmaus in the Church and was very happy when during one of my visits in Davao I shared to him that Emmaus Dialogue Movement is ground on and we opened an Emmaus College of Theology, major on Interreligious Dialogue.
This illustration shows a laptop user browsing the internet. According to a Statista report, as of October 2023, there were 5.3 billion internet users worldwide, or 65.7% of the global population. Of this total, 4.95 billion internet users, or 61.4% of the world’s population, were social media users, the site said. (OSV News photo/Yui Mok, PA Images via Reuters)
(OSV News) — The word “missionary” can conjure up in the Catholic mind a vision of saintly figures traveling to distant lands and enduring heroic hardships to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.
Nowadays, however, the mission field is just as likely to be found in cyberspace — a fact recognized by the Synod on Synodality, which concluded its first session in Rome and is set to resume in October 2024.
“Digital culture,” said the synod’s synthesis report from Oct. 28, “represents a fundamental change in the way we conceive of reality and consequently relate to ourselves, one another, our surroundings, and even to God. … Missionaries have always gone with Christ to new frontiers, while the Holy Spirit pushed and preceded them. It is up to us to reach today’s culture in all spaces where people seek meaning and love, including the spaces they enter through their cell phones and tablets.”
“We need to provide opportunities for recognizing, forming, and accompanying those already working as digital missionaries, while also facilitating networking amongst them,” the synod’s report added.
Statista reports, “As of October 2023, there were 5.3 billion internet users worldwide, which amounted to 65.7 percent of the global population. Of this total, 4.95 billion, or 61.4 percent of the world’s population, were social media users.”
OSV News spoke with three “digital missionaries” to hear their thoughts about forming disciples of Jesus into missionaries for online evangelization.
“In several dioceses there are already institutes for lay formation,” said Father Iván Montelongo, judicial vicar and vocations director for the Diocese of El Paso, Texas. “I know that we have one here in my diocese. It would be a great thing in those institutions to start offering courses — curriculum guided toward that; toward learning about the internet, perhaps the nature of communications and about the Gospel.”
Father Montelongo, who regularly posts on X (formerly Twitter), attended the Synod on Synodality in Rome, and will return in 2024. One of six non-bishop voting delegates from the U.S. chosen to represent North America, he’s also the synod coordinator for his diocese.
While formation classes could equip Catholics to evangelize digital spaces, Father Montelongo advised a community bond is also essential.
“The connection to a church is important, too,” he added. “We can learn a lot of things online; take a course; I’m sure there’s great resources out there. But it should be a community that sends us, too — and we should come back to that community. I think that is necessary in order to form missionaries.”
Community roots and reinforcement gain even greater importance considering the often strident tone of online polemics.
“It’s hard sometimes when we see those debates — especially some platforms that don’t make that connection with the physical world, and don’t foster that encounter,” Father Montelongo said. “They can just become nasty places.”
As Catholic journalist and author John L. Allen Jr., observes in “Catholics and Contempt: How Catholic Media Fuel Today’s Fights, and What to Do About It,” the experience of social media shows that “people will say terrible things anonymously that they would never dare utter face-to-face. … In a sense, social media is designed to bring out the worst angels of our nature.”
That doesn’t mean, however, that Catholics should avoid online engagement; indeed, Father Montelongo was encouraged by the digital emphasis at the synod.
“Sometimes we are a little bit behind in these things,” he said, referring to the Catholic Church. “Changing our perspective from the internet as a dangerous place to the internet as mission territory — that paradigm shift is already a huge improvement.”
Preparation is important — but missionaries also need to just take the first step, Father Montelongo emphasized.
“The disciples went out. Jesus gave them enough — and they also learned on their way, too,” he said. “That should be our attitude — whether in person, whether online — being missionary disciples who are still learning,” said Father Montelongo. “We haven’t figured everything out — but we’re going out without fear, knowing that God is accompanying us.”
Sister Orianne Dyck, a Daughter of Saint Paul who serves her order as U.S. and Canada social media coordinator, said while specific formation could be helpful to digital missionaries, the first thing for Catholics to remember is their baptism.
“You have people who enter into the online space on purpose as missionaries — that’s their ministry. But then you also have just the average Joe, who — by virtue of his baptism — will always be a missionary, no matter where he or she is,” Sister Orianne explained. “So I think in that sense, it’s actually more important for us to form one another as everyday, normal Christians, able to live in a missionary way all of our life — because then that will translate over to how we interact with people online.”
Catholics’ remembering their baptism also should shape their online exchanges, said Sister Orianne.
“Being able to understand we’re called to communicate out of this covenant relationship we’ve entered into with Christ — that we have died with Christ; that we can live with Christ — should change everything about how we intake communication, and also how we output communication,” she added. “Because it means that everything I’m filling myself with I want to be for the glory of God and the peace of mankind — and likewise, everything that I share I want to be for the glory of God and the peace of mankind. And online no less so.”
It’s something she always remembers in her own online messaging, said Sister Orianne.
“People will maybe leave kind of an angry comment under a video or whatever that I post, and I try to respond in charity,” she said. “And when they notice that I’m responding to them in a different tone than every other Christian they’ve encountered online, they’re surprised — and it shouldn’t be that way. Every Christian should be able to communicate in charity and know the importance of it.”
Echoing Father Montelongo, Sister Orianne also emphasized true community as the foundation of communication.
“We are able to literally grow together — and to form one another and to encourage one another — in a way that is not possible if it’s just seen as a dissemination of information,” she noted. “It’s much more communal — which is really beautiful, because it becomes an even deeper way of building up the body of Christ. So there’s a huge gift in that — although it certainly comes with its own challenges.”
One of those challenges, said Matthew Warner, founder and CEO of Flocknote, a member management and messaging tool created for churches and ministries, is authenticity.
“The better Catholics learn to integrate digital tools into their lives in healthy, authentic ways, the better digital missionaries they will be able to be,” Warner said. “It’s easy for the digital tools to become distractions or misrepresentations of our true selves, which hinder our ability to build the strong relationships which lead to effective evangelization.”
But again, real community is vital.
“Personally, I think we put too much stock in a need for most people to evangelize online,” Warner shared. “Don’t get me wrong — there is a distinct need for a presence there from the church. But I think the most powerful evangelizing occurs in personal relationships and offline.”
“In fact,” he reflected, “the increase in massive digital activity — by both culture and the church — has coincided with a great increase in broken families, more depression and anxiety, fewer closer relationships and an acceleration of people no longer practicing or believing their faith.”
In 2019, a poll conducted by the American Psychiatric Association revealed, “More than one in three adults (38%) see social media usage as harmful to mental health; nearly half (45%) see social media usage as having both positive and negative impact on mental health; only 5% see it as having a positive impact.”
Warner also reminded Catholics that as digital missionaries, the mission field they’ll encounter online will often be close to home — and so making time to go offline and cultivate those relationships in person is critical.
“If we are going to reverse the mass exodus of the next generation leaving the church,” he suggested, “I think it’s going to happen more fundamentally by Catholics realizing God has already placed their most urgent mission field right in front of them — in their homes, with their neighbor, with their coworker they talk to every day … If more of us focused more there — and spent less time online — I think big things would start to happen.”
Kimberley Heatherington writes for OSV News from Virginia.
The Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas has been seeing posts about Fiducia Supplicans, and the concern it has brought about in terms of shaking the foundation of marriage.
We would like to affirm the recent statements of His Excellency Socrates Villegas, Archbishop of Lingayen – Dagupan, and CBCP President His Excellency Ambo David, who have clarified this, and even have reiterated the importance and sacredness of marriage.
The advisory from Bishop Ambo David, “ON THE POSSIBILITY OF BLESSINGS FOR COUPLES IN IRREGULAR SITUATIONS AND FOR COUPLES OF THE SAME SEX,” he says:
“The document has an introduction where the Prefect of the said dicastery, Victor Manuel Cardinal Fernandez points out that “this declaration remains firm on the traditional doctrine of the Church about marriage, not allowing any type of liturgical rite or blessing similar to a liturgical rite that can create confusion.” “
This, along with the statement from Archbishop Soc Villegas, “BLESSINGS OF MERCY: EPISCOPAL GUIDANCE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF FIDUCIA” which says about these spontaneous blessings:
“This blessing of mercy is not and cannot be a blessing of sanctification since we cannot ask God to bless something that, as Fiducia supplicans explains, is not “conformed to God’s will, as expressed in the teachings of the Church” (no. 9). Priests who are invited to bless couples in irregular situations should choose the appropriate words to reveal this intent of the Church.”
And even reminds us that we should lead those in these irregular unions to conversion, in order to make right their relationships:
“Therefore, when a Catholic priest prays a blessing of mercy on a couple in an irregular situation, who “desire to entrust themselves to the Lord and his mercy, to invoke his help, and to be guided to a greater understanding of his plan of love and of truth” (no.30), he is asking God to have pity on both of them and to give them the grace of conversion so that they can regularize their relationships.” “
As members of the Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas, we staunchly uphold the sanctity of marriage. Our commitment remains steadfast in advocating and enlightening the laity about its profound significance.
Additionally, we extend our prayers for couples in irregular situations and couples of the same sex, hoping they find solace in the Lord’s compassion and embark on a path towards spiritual transformation.
An Interview with Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, part 2
On the possibility of blessings for couples in irregular situations and couples of the same sex, the president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said in a statement on Wednesday that “the document speaks for itself and therefore does not require much explanation.”
Pablo Virgilio David, also the Bishop of Kalookan, referred to the Declaration entitled “Fiducia Supplicans,” which was released on December 18 by the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith with the approval of Pope Francis.
“It is clear in its content and intent. Basically, it elaborates ‘On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings’,” said David. He cited paragraph 41 which says “What has been said in this Declaration regarding the blessings of same-sex couples is sufficient to guide the prudent and fatherly discernment of ordained ministers in this regard. Thus, beyond the guidance provided above, no further responses should be expected about possible ways to regulate details or practicalities regarding blessings of this type.”
Speaking for the CBCP, David gave the link to the document for those interested to know and understand what the document itself is saying https://www.vatican.va/…/rc_ddf_doc_20231218_fiducia…
He described the document with an introduction where the Prefect of the said dicastery, Victor Manuel Cardinal Fernandez pointed out that “this declaration remains firm on the traditional doctrine of the Church about marriage, not allowing any type of liturgical rite or blessing similar to a liturgical rite that can create confusion.”
What Cardinal Fernandez considers as unique value of this document is that “…it offers a specific and innovative contribution to the pastoral meaning of blessings, permitting a broadening and enrichment of the classical understanding of blessings…”, said David.
Pope Francis (R) greets pilgrims during his weekly general audience in Paul-VI hall at the Vatican on December 13, 2023. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP)
Pope Francis on Wednesday closed his catechetical series on apostolic zeal, delivered during his recent general audiences, by noting that the attitude of being open is a duty for every Christian and a precondition for authentically announcing the Gospel.
“The Christian must be open to the Word of God and to the service of others,” the pope said during the audience. He went on to juxtapose this notion of openness with a mentality of “closure,” noting that the latter contradicts the central message of the Gospel and allows people to fall into ideological ways of thinking.
“Closed Christians always end up badly, because they are not Christians, they are ideologues, ideologues of closure,” the pope said.
The pope highlighted this openness by pointing to the Gospel of Mark when Jesus performs the miracle of healing a deaf-mute man, using “the decisive word” of “effatà,” which the Holy Father noted means “open up” in Aramaic.
“And for this reason, this effatà, this ‘open up,’ is an invitation to all of us to open up,” he continued.
While acknowledging the condition of “physical deafness,” the pope noted that in the biblical context, it assumes a metaphorical character, conveying that “one who is deaf to the word of God is mute, who does not communicate the word of God.”
Pointing out that it is Jesus “who is capable of opening his ears and mouth,” the pope noted that this mandate to be open in evangelizing comes for all Christians at the moment of baptism when the priest, “touching the ears and lips of the baptized person,” says: “May the Lord Jesus, who made the deaf hear and the mute speak, grant you to quickly listen to his word and profess your faith.”
“We too, who have received the effatà of the Spirit in baptism, are called to open ourselves. ‘Open yourself,’ says Jesus to every believer and to his Church: Open yourself because the message of the Gospel needs you to be witnessed and announced,” Francis continued.
The Holy Father closed his remarks by suggesting that before becoming a witness to the Gospel, it is critical to have a moment of reflection and ask ourselves a series of key questions.
“Do I really love the Lord, to the point of wanting to announce him? Do I want to become his witness or am I content with being his disciple? Do I take the people I meet to heart, do I bring them to Jesus in prayer? Do I want to do something so that the joy of the Gospel, which has transformed my life, makes their lives more beautiful?”
During his greeting to the Italian pilgrims gathered for the audience, Pope Francis recalled that Dec. 13 is the feast day of St. Lucy, a virgin and martyr of Syracuse, Sicily, who was martyred in the fourth century during the Christian persecutions of the Roman Emperor Diocletian.
“In some areas of Italy and Europe it is customary to exchange gifts for the upcoming Christmas on this occasion,” the pope said. “I would like to invite all of you to exchange the gift of friendship and Christian testimony — which is a beautiful gift.”
Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of San Carlos (center) with Rodne Galicha of Living Laudato Si Philippines (left) and Gerry Arances of the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (right) during a post-COP28 press briefing in Manila on December 14. Photo by Syrel Espineda/Caritas Philippines
The head of the National Laudato Si’ Program of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) expressed optimism that all 86 dioceses can establish their “Ecology Desks” before the next climate summit.
In a post-COP28 press briefing in Manila on December 14, Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of San Carlos vowed to continue lobbying at the bishops’ plenary for the full implementation of the Ecology Desk in each diocese.
“We will aim for 100 percent – that all dioceses can create the Desk and fully engage in the ecological campaign of the Catholic Church,” said Bishop Alminaza, who is also the Vice Chairperson of Caritas Philippines.
Ecology Desk is one of the 10 points in the 2019 CBCP pastoral letter titled “An Urgent Call for Ecological Conversion, Hope in the Face of Climate Emergency” aimed to make the protection of the environment a special concern in all dioceses.
It is a response to the call for activating climate action “on behalf of voiceless people and the planet,” which is one of the central messages of Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment – the Laudato Si.
Bishop Alminaza attended the 28th Conference of Parties (COP28) in Dubai with other Filipino climate advocates as the official representative of the Catholic Church in the Philippines.
For the first time, the CBCP has sent an official not only to observe but also to engage in various side events and participate in the dialogue.
“Our task is to serve as the voice of the vulnerable communities. We must bring the stories of the communities that are gravely suffering due to the climate crisis to the negotiation table,” the prelate said.
Bishop Alminaza encouraged his brother bishops “to advance the synodal process” and “let the ‘Cry of the Poor and the Cry of the Earth’ be heard in all avenues”.
During the press conference, civil society leaders expressed support for the ecological program of the Catholic Church and noted the importance of the combination of “data-driven, scientific evidence and moral grounding”.
Gerry Arances, executive director of the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED), said his organization “will continue working” with the Catholic Church on various climate-related issues.
“The collaboration between the Church and the CSOs is vital not only in the climate talks but in empowering vulnerable communities to the impact of the climate crisis,” he said.
Arances vowed that CEED will continue to provide “essential and relevant scientific research and studies” that organizations, including the Philippine Church “can use to advance the discourse on climate change”.
Note signed by Cardinal Víctor Fernández, dicastery prefect, published Dec. 12 said it was approved by Pope Francis
The offices of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. (Photo: Vatican News)
By Carol Glatz, OSV News Published: December 13, 2023 05:19 AM GMT
The Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has upheld a rule mandating that the ashes of the deceased be preserved in a consecrated place, but it also said family members could request “a minimal part of the ashes” be kept in a sacred place “of significance for the history of the deceased person.”
The dicastery also said a parish or diocese could establish “a defined and permanent sacred place” where the cremains of multiple people would be commingled and preserved together.
The permission came in a “note” from the dicastery in response to a letter from Italian Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Bologna requesting clarification about the preservation of the ashes of the deceased after cremation. The Vatican published the note signed by Cardinal Víctor Fernández, dicastery prefect, on Dec. 12; it said it was approved by Pope Francis on Dec. 9.
Cardinal Zuppi said in his letter, dated Oct. 30, that his archdiocese had been seeking “to give a Christian response to problems arising from the increasing number of people desiring to cremate the bodies of the deceased and scatter their ashes in nature.”
An archdiocesan commission he set up to study the matter wanted to ensure people were not compelled to scatter ashes due to the economic costs of burial, and it wanted to give guidance regarding what to do with ashes once the term for their preservation in a cemetery loculus or niche had expired. In most Italian cemeteries, if a family does not renew the lease on a burial spot, the bones or ashes are transferred to a communal ossuary or cinerary.
The cardinal asked that given “the canonical prohibition against scattering the ashes of the deceased, is it possible to prepare a defined and permanent sacred place for the commingled accumulation and preservation of the ashes of the baptized, indicating the basic details of each person so as not to lose the memory of their names, similar to what occurs in ossuaries.”
He also asked if a family may be allowed “to keep a portion of their family member’s ashes in a place that is significant for the history of the deceased.”
Referring to its 2016 instruction, “Ad resurgendum cum Christo” (“To Rise with Christ”), regarding the burial of the deceased and the conservation of the ashes in the case of cremation, the dicastery’s new note upheld its recommendation to preserve ashes in a special urn and to keep ashes “in a sacred place, such as a cemetery, or in an area dedicated to this purpose, provided that it has been so designated by the ecclesiastical authority.”
“An attitude of sacred respect” must be had toward the ashes of the deceased person, which are to be kept in “a sacred place suitable for prayer,” it added.
The faith teaches that “the body of the resurrected person will not necessarily consist of the same elements that it had before it died. Since it is not a simple revivification of the corpse, the resurrection can occur even if the body has been totally destroyed or dispersed,” it said. This is why “in many cinerary urns, the ashes of the deceased are conserved together and are not stored separately.”
Therefore, the dicastery said, “a defined and permanent sacred place can be set aside for the commingled accumulation and preservation of the ashes of deceased baptized persons, indicating the identity of each person so as not to lose the memory of their names.”
In addition, it said, “the ecclesiastical authority, in compliance with current civil norms, may consider and evaluate a request by a family to preserve in an appropriate way a minimal part of the ashes of their relative in a place of significance for the history of the deceased person.”
However, the authorization can be given only if “every type of pantheistic, naturalistic or nihilistic misunderstanding is ruled out and also provided that the ashes of the deceased are kept in a sacred place,” the dicastery said.
The dicastery had issued an instruction in 1963 permitting cremation as long as it was not done as a sign of denial of the basic Christian belief in the resurrection of the dead. The permission was incorporated into the Code of Canon Law in 1983 and the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches in 1990.
However, since church law had not specified exactly what should be done with “cremains,” the dicastery provided further guidance with the 2016 instruction, “Ad resurgendum cum Christo” (“To Rise with Christ”).
That instruction emphasized the Catholic Church’s recommendation to follow “the most ancient Christian tradition” of the pious practice of burying the dead in cemeteries or other sacred places, as it is considered one of the corporal works of mercy and, mirroring the burial of Christ, more clearly expresses hope in the resurrection when the person’s body and soul will be reunited.
Anonymous burial or scattering of ashes is not compatible with the Christian faith, according to the instruction. Preserving the ashes of the departed in a sacred place “ensures that they are not excluded from the prayers and remembrance of their family or the Christian community” and “it prevents any unfitting or superstitious practices.”
This photo taken on November 10, 2023 shows China coast guard personnel sailing an aluminum hulled boat at Second Thomas Shoal in the disputed South China Sea. (Photo by JAM STA ROSA / AFP)
The best defense is offense. China schemes to steal oil and gas in Recto Bank within the Philippine exclusive economic zone. To avert that, the Philippines must extract the fuel for itself.
It can be done; it has been done. Up to two years ago, China coveted Malaysia’s offshore petroleum. The latter held naval patrols with America and Australia while drilling for oil. Indonesia requested a US aircraft carrier sail by as it drilled as well in Natuna Isles that China was grabbing.
Beijing shrieked. Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta coolly recited portions of Manila’s 2016 arbitral victory at The Hague against Beijing’s illegal claim over the entire South China Sea.
“Now China is quiet, while Malaysia and Indonesia enjoy their oil,” notes former Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio. “We should also invite naval allies to joint exercises while we drill in Recto.”
Recto has proven reserves. In 2013, the US Energy Information Administration estimated it at 5.4 billion barrels of oil and 55.1 trillion cubic feet of gas. That’s 63.5 times more oil and 20.5 times more gas than Malampaya, which will run out between 2024 and 2027.
National existence hangs on Recto replacing Malampaya. The latter fuels 40 percent of Luzon’s electricity. With no alternative, Luzon and parts of the Visayas will plunge into darkness.
Imagine the disaster. Water service, factories, offices, shops, telecoms, trains, schools, hospitals, hotels, diners, cinemas, and churches will close—no work or classes from home either. Foreign investors will leave. Jobs will vanish.
Recto is within the Philippines’ 200-mile EEZ a hundred miles from Palawan. It’s 650 miles from China’s southernmost province Hainan, thus outside its EEZ. The Hague Arbitral Court affirmed. China can’t claim it by imagined “nine-, ten- or 11-dash line.”
Although China snubbed the hearings, it’s bound by The Hague verdict under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Its state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corp. has no right to drill there.
CNOOC cannot subcontract to private exploration firms, says Carpio. Shell, Occidental, and Exxon, among others, are bound by international law, so will shun CNOOC.
Manila discovered gas in Recto’s Sampaguita fields in 1976. Three wells at 250 feet proved productive. The government awarded Service Contract-72 in 2002. Britain’s Forum Energy took interest in 2005. China repeatedly menaced its survey vessels.
Filipino magnate Manuel V. Pangilinan bought Forum to extract petroleum once and for all. Twice the Duterte admin delayed him to let CNOOC in, only to realize that the Chinese-state firm was only dribbling the ball. The Philippines also ran out of time.
Recto Petroleum is why China strives to dislodge BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal. Ayungin (international name: Second Thomas) is at the entrance of Recto (Reed). The Philippine Navy beached its vessel there in 1999 to counter China’s 1995 occupation of nearby Panganiban (Mischief) Reef.
China’s Communist Party has long been craving Recto. Despite posing China as an ancient civilization, the CCP acts uncivilized.
Sierra Madre’s dozen or so Marines need regular supply and rotation. China Coast Guard gunboats ram and water cannon Filipino wooden civilian bancas ferrying food and other basic needs. The latest barbarism was on Dec. 10, the 75th anniversary of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
China’s coast guards report to CCP’s military commission. They shouldn’t be in Panganiban or anywhere in or near Ayungin, or Rozul (Iroquois) and Escoda (Sabina) Shoals in Recto’s west and east sides.
“We should repair Sierra Madre,” says international maritime lawyer Jay Batongbacal, Ph.D. But China bars it, so the World War II vintage ship and Filipino defenders would crash into the sea.
CCP mobilizes jingoist Chinese for aggression. Among the blockers of last Sunday’s Ayungin resupply were a Chinese cargo ship and two maritime militia trawlers.
The previous day, other militia trawlers assisted Chinese coast guards in water cannoning two Philippine government vessels near Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources was only bringing fuel and food to Filipino catchers outside the shoal, which China grabbed in 2012.
On Tuesday, Dec. 5, Chinese cargo steel ship M/V Tai Hang rammed a Filipino wooden boat. The sun was bright at 4 p.m. and the sea calm when – Huang! One of the five Filipinos thrown overboard was able to video two Chinese crewmen on deck ascertaining the hit-and-run.
At Recto in June 2019, a Chinese militia trawler switched off its light and then rammed an anchored Filipino boat at midnight. It switched its light back on momentarily to check if the 26 Filipinos had fallen into the sea, then fled.
It’s time Filipinos took the offensive.
Jarius Bondoc is an award-winning Filipino journalist and author based in Manila. He writes opinion pieces for The Philippine Star and Pilipino Star Ngayon and hosts a radio program on DWIZ 882 every Saturday. Catch Sapol radio show, Saturdays, 8 to 10 a.m., DWIZ (882-AM). The views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of LiCAS News.
