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EDITORIAL ARTICLES
Volume 42 • Number 1 3
ARTICLES
A civil society
perspective
on mining
By Kawagi Fernan the skin and still call it a fruit? A mining itself by mining. In the Philippines, the
company will hollow out mountains and environmental costs of mining are com-
T
he great lynchpin of the govern- then cover them with dirt, and they will still pounded by their human costs.
ment pro-mining argument is that call it a mountain.” Even a mine relatively isolated can
they will only promote and permit What is considered as safe mining in affect the community, if only because of
sustainable mining, while severely pun- other countries is mining done with an eye the Philippine’s geography. We do not
ishing any company who does not live up to the environment in check, and so is have vast stretches of unbroken wilder-
to the high environmental standards set done in the far wilderness, in areas where ness. The areas that matter have been
by the Act. there is little or no human presence. While populated. The rivers that mining compa-
Unfortunately this argument is flawed this raises a host of other problems, no nies will utilize for their water and the
from the beginning, as there is no such human communities are at risk. forests they will need to clear have already
thing as sustainable mining. There is smart Contrast that with the Philippines. been claimed, years ahead, by the commu-
mining, there is mining that causes limited The mining sites that have garnered the nities living in the area. The ecosystem of
environmental damage, but these types of greatest attention—Rapu-Rapu, Didipio the Philippines features deep connections
mining are rarely of the large scale, thou- and Canatuan—are ones where the com- between the coastal lowlands and central
sand hectare coverage variety which the munity itself is rejecting the mine. Rapu- uplands. What happens in the far hills
government ceaselessly promotes as the Rapu’s operations affect not only the reaches to the shore, just as in the
hope of the future. stretch of the island but the waters upon Marcopper disaster.
Mining is among the most destructive which the municipalities of Sorsogon de- Similarly, the incidents at Rapu-Rapu
practices known to man. Mitigation is pend on for their fishing. Didipio, famous at the end of year 2005 were an example of
possible, replanting an area with forestry, for filing the case against the Mining Act, geography coming into play, alongside a
treating the tailings ponds and so on, but is an agricultural community that views display in a lack of common sense. The
an apt analogy given by a local anti-mining the coming mine as a risk to their already tailings ponds at the Lafayette site over-
advocate was: “if you peel the skin off a developed industry. Canatuan is a classic flowed when torrential rains flooded them.
fruit and eat the flesh, could you replace example of a community divided against As a country regularly struck by several
dozen typhoons per year, it seems more Not for legal or logistical purposes—as treated as “conflict diamonds” an indus-
than a little senseless that a company had proven by the case of Marinduque where try perpetuated by way of brutal military
not taken such an obvious consideration Marcopper/Placer Dome simply packed force and child slavery.
as the weather into their planning. up and fled the country to escape respon- The Philippines own history of min-
Among civil society, it has long been sibility for the mining disaster there—but ing has shown that the provinces—such
suspected that there is a disconnect in the for monetary reasons. Under the rules of as Agusan and Camarines Norte—which
government’s policies towards mining and the FTAA, all profits the company makes produced the highest amount of minerals
the reality of mining. Both the Act and the on its mine are for the company. It will not were among the nation’s poorest. Poverty
National Minerals Policy (NMP) seem to pay taxes for years. All its profits, all its alleviation from mining has not held true
be born of this disconnect, wherein the earnings may leave the country, be repa- and that was under conditions where the
government considers mining without con- triated to Canada, or Great Britain or Aus- government was guaranteed a share of the
sidering the Philippines geography or social tralia. For these very provisions, the Min- profits, when companies were sixty per-
status. ing Act of 1995 has been called the equal cent Filipino owned.
The economic considerations of the of the mining laws of such mining-inten- With FTAAs allowing totally foreign
mining act seem to be the source of this. sive countries as Australia, Great Britain, companies to extract, not to mention repa-
Money, particularly in the amounts prom- and Canada. triate all wealth or enjoy tax holidays, where
ised by the mining industry—estimates The connection is quite clear. then will the Philippines profit from its own
number in the easy billions of dollars—is Global studies on mining have shown mineral wealth?
an attraction enough as it is. An applica- that countries (such as several nations in If tons of gold are being shipped out
tion for an FTAA requires an investment Africa) who give their economy over to of the country and the companies are do-
of 50 million pesos. To a government mining remain poor unless they echo the ing this with the blessing of the govern-
whose desperation for funds is palpable, progression of the first world mining coun- ment, where will the promised riches come
mining is a windfall and it is easy to replace tries that developed industries around their from?
the reality with its promises. mineral extraction. Some of these coun- To explain at length is to enter a dis-
Everything about the Mining Act and tries, such as Sierra Leone and Congo are cussion of income transfers, excise taxes
the NMP screams “make more money.” If known for their “bloody minerals.” Sierra and the global economy. To make that
it did not, then companies would find no Leone has some of the richest diamond long story short, the government hopes to
reason to invest. If it actually promised to mines in the world, but their products are profit off a company’s crumbs. Since the
be stringent on mining, tough on violators
© Dennis M. Sabangan/epa/Corbis
Volume 42 • Number 1 5
A civil society perspective on mining
profits of a mining company under such would exceed a hundred million dollars. only receive permission from two levels of
laws will be so large, the relatively tiny This fine is not only ridiculous, but openly the LGU rather than all levels to begin
amount that the government will make will insulting to the people of Marinduque. mining. While the reality is that local gov-
still be substantial. This is among those Another example of this is the issue of ernment is indeed fractious and filled with
ideas that look excellent on paper but fail submarine tailings disposal as presented factional power struggles, this type of
to make the translation into reality. in the NMP. Tailings, the waste material decision-making renders communities
Hence, the disconnect among gov- generated through ore extraction, is one of moot. For it is communities, those directly
ernment officials. They base their ideas on the great problems of mines. It must be affected by mining that will protest it, while
a flawed system and introduce more flawed contained or disposed of. Since it can local and provincial authorities will find
ideas to prop it up. occasionally be toxic, separate facilities less to object to. Especially the money.
When the National Minerals Policy must be created for its management. On an This forced marginalization of oppo-
was developed, it was intended to give island area, this may prove to be trouble- sition ensures that when it comes to min-
focus to the country to welcome mining as some, but the government—perhaps aided ing everyone who isn’t coming with back
well as provide a starting off point for by input from the mining industry—pro- hoes and millions in foreign currency, re-
LGUs to welcome companies to their prov- posed the practice of Submarine Tailings ceives little or no attention. Unless that
inces. It echoed a great many of the state- Disposal (STD), a practice where tailings attention focuses on bringing them into
ments of the Mining Act, in some cases are pumped into deep waters off the coast conformity with mining, as with the ex-
going into more specific details. By these, where they vanish into the depths of the ample of indigenous peoples and the In-
it was undone, revealed to be yet another ocean. Out of sight, out of mind. Nowhere digenous Peoples Right’s Act.
part of the disconnect. in the NMP does it state that STD is
A perceived stance of a tough but outlawed across the globe, and the First The Indigenous Peoples (IPs) Oppo-
welcome approach to mining is flawed. World especially, condemns the practice— sition
The Mining Act is not tough on polluters. when done in its own territories.
One of its Implementing Rules and Regu- The government’s insistence that Entering law in 1997, the Indigenous
lations involves charging companies 50 companies can expect that the rules which Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) sought to
pesos per ton of spilled tailings, no matter so hindered their practices in their home give equity to the most marginal sector of
how much environmental damage costs. countries be absent here is the primary the country, the original Filipinos, those
Put in simpler terms, this means that draw for investment. STD is cheap. There who had, in their own way, successfully
Marcopper would be charged some eighty are no tailings ponds to maintain, manage resisted centuries of colonial interlopers.
million pesos for the estimated 1.6 million and clean up in the event the mine closes. The minerals of the Cordilleras would have
tons of tailings that spilled from its dam. Yet another provision that has been been tapped by the Spaniards had not
After the spill, international agencies esti- brought up regarding the Act is the provi- they been driven off by the tribes.
mated that rehabilitation of the Boac River sion that says a mining company need The IPRA’s passage was hailed for
the most part, as it allowed IP communities
to finally legally claim the land which they
had occupied and worked since, in the
IPRA’s terms, “time immemorial.”
This was all well and good until it
came to the attention of concerned parties
that a great many of these ancestral lands
were adjacent or on top of the richest
mineral deposits, bringing them into terri-
torial and land use conflict with the mining
firms.
This lead to what is known as the
attempt to harmonize the IPRA to the Min-
ing Act, in an effort to remove the barriers
the IPRA presented to mining. This ech-
oed in an attempted harmonization of the
National Integrated Protected Areas Sys-
tem (NIPAS) and the LGU code, to also
“grease the wheels” for the entry of min-
ing.
In the case of the IPRA, it was the
concept of Free Prior and Informed Con-
sent (FPIC) that was hamstrung. As the
government recognized that the IPs may
very well wish to allow firms access to their
© Paul Almasy/CORBIS
© Ted Spiegel/CORBIS
first.
The struggle is between the riches we
think we can make, and the riches we fail to
use ourselves. What is the worth of the
world, our world, our nation?
The messages the government is send-
While it remains in place today, its sponded to the complaint. In 2007, this ing out are not simply mixed but largely
effective implementation is in question. came to a head when a delegate from the negative.
The trend of the mining act is for the United Nations Committee for the Eradica- If you are marginal, your input on
government to wilfully weaken its own tion of all forms of Racial Discrimination mining is not only unwelcome, but possi-
regulatory functions and encourage self- (UNCERD) found considerable merit to bly seditious and illegal. The words “eco-
regulatory mining. This benefits no one the anti-mining argument and took the nomic sabotage” will be used. They will be
but the miners. In the case of the IPRA and government to task for their inaction. used liberally.
the cases made for its “harmonization” it Yet in the interim, the pro-mining side If you raise a complaint against min-
all but screams a removal of the rights of has claimed victory, and TVI’s operations ing, you are “anti-development” because
IPs to self determination. are in full swing. Militarization of the area all development is generated by the whim
An interesting side effect of this is is increasing, with Special CAFGU (Citi- of the government and the communities
again, the timing. The attacks on the IPRA zens Armed Forces Geographical Unit) must stick to this single plan, and not
came before it passed into law and contin- Active Auxiliary or SCAA units patrolling deviate from it. If there is no room for a
ued after, spearheaded by the mining in- the land. tailings pit, then tailings will go into the
dustry. This was in 1997, two years after IP groups are wary that this will soon ocean. Fishermen and farmers will learn to
the passage of the Mining Act and not be the way of doing business across the work beneath the earth, because mines
long after the Marinduque disaster. country—with marginal groups cruelly need unskilled workers to operate complex
In a way it helped to organize the IP robbed of promises of their rights to land, machinery.
groups against mining as the National life and self determination by the combina- In exchange for what can never be
Council of Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) tion of industry, wealth and greed. replaced there will be billions of pesos
were the first to leap to the IPRA’s de- funnelled into the coffers of the national
fence. Moreover organization is indeed The Final Analysis government, maybe. Probably not. In any
needed and necessary. case, those billions will be wisely spent by
The case of Canatuan is an infamous A desperate country seeks wealth at the national government, in the same way
one which displays the outer limits of the any cost, inspired by tales of far off lands it has done so for the past years of eco-
FPIC. grown rich and decadent off the wealth nomic stagnation and rising cost of living.
An inept bureaucracy and the con- buried beneath their soil. The state of Philippine mining is this—
cerns of marginalized peoples do not mix Yet these tales are in a certain way, with the money involved, the billions upon
well. Canatuan and the mining firm with fantasy, lacking descriptions of the reper- billions, discussion is not an option. There
interests in the area—TVI—have helped cussions or comparisons to the reality is only lucre, there is only profit. Discus-
to explode the area’s native Subanen popu- within which the country must operate. sion and doubt must be avoided because
lation. The community is split in two, with It may be no surprise to anyone but they hinder profit.
pro and anti-mining community members the reality on the mountainside, in the Cui bono—that most cynical of Latin
squaring off. The anti-mining side claims quiet provinces that no one truly bothered phrases—is translated simply as, “who
that non-native Subanen managed to pass with or cared about until the wealth under profits?”
of their FPIC as one for all of Canatuan. The them was calculated, their reality is far In the end, will it be the Filipino people?
government acted with all speed on this removed from the one the decision makers Such has been the promise. But without
pro-mining choice, but has barely re- in the capital inhabit. But it is the capital discussion, how can anyone be sure? I
Volume 42 • Number 1 7
ARTICLES
Saved by Hope
By Dr. Jeff Mirus
H
aving just finished my first reading their hope (1 Pet 3:15), that is their faith; performative. Hope brings a change of life
of Pope Benedict’s second encyc- and St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians that and an active commitment to whatever
lical, Saved by Hope (Spe Salvi), I before Christ they were “without hope and leads to this ultimate future, this salvation,
can pass along a summary of its riches, without God in the world” (Eph 2:12). this fulfillment and happiness.
without obscuring them through exces- Benedict points out that from the first a The Pope argues persuasively that
sive personal commentary. As the title “distinguishing mark of Christians” was Christian hope should have the same dra-
indicates, this encyclical is devoted to the “the fact that they have a future” (#2). matic impact on the contemporary world
signal importance of hope to God’s plan. The pope notes the electrifying im- that it had on the equally materialistic
Benedict’s central thesis is that Christian pact this had on people in the earliest world of the ancients. In one of many
hope utterly transforms human life. period as they abandoned the various particularly fine passages he writes: It is
pagan religions, which offered no credible not the elemental spirits of the universe,
Hope and Faith claims about the ultimate destiny of man, the laws of matter, which ultimately gov-
in favor of Christianity. The same is still ern the world and mankind, but a personal
The Pope begins by remarking on the true today for many who can find no ulti- God governs the stars, that is, the uni-
close relationship between hope and faith mate meaning in life until they encounter verse; it is not the laws of matter and of
in Scripture. The Letter to the Hebrews the light of Christ. Benedict further insists evolution that have the final say, but rea-
links the “fullness of faith” (10:22) to “the that the role of hope is vital, for faith can son, will, love—a Person. And if we know
confession of our hope without waver- be interpreted (wrongly) in a merelyinfor- this Person and he knows us, then truly the
ing” (10:23); in his first letter, Peter urges mative sense, whereas genuine hope al- inexorable power of material elements no
Christians to be ready to give a reason for ways goes beyond the informative to the longer has the last word; we are not slaves
of the universe and of its laws, we are free. secularists turn and accuse Christians of gues that the Christian notion of the Last
In ancient times, honest enquiring minds seeking only a private and selfish salva- Judgment is rooted not in terror but in
were aware of this. Heaven is not empty. tion. But the restoration promised by Christ hope, hope not just for individual salva-
Life is not a simple product of laws and the is not a private and individualistic restora- tion but for the restoration of the entire
randomness of matter, but within every- tion, for Christian hope always has a cor- order of things. This hope can be fulfilled
thing and at the same time above every- porate dimension. only by God, for the programs of mere men
thing, there is a personal will, there is a The Pope reviews the ways in which cannot usher in a perfect world without
Spirit who in Jesus has revealed himself as first rationalism, then science and technol- eliminating human liberty, and even then
Love. (#5) ogy, and finally politics have become ve- the sins of the architects would ensure the
hicles of corporate hope, vehicles which world’s continuing imperfection. In con-
The Reality of the Kingdom of God cannot ultimately go where they need to go trast, hope in future justice can fulfill man’s
to satisfy both the necessary freedom and deepest desire while providing a spur to
In the course of his discussion, the intrinsic longing of the human person. the conversion of hearts here and now.
Benedict develops the important point that He notes that in the course of time “it has
faith, by opening us here and now to what become clear that this hope is constantly Final Notes
we hope for, enables us to experience the receding. Above all it has become apparent
reality of God’s kingdom in this present that this may be a hope for a future genera- Near the end of the encyclical,
life. This experience in turn becomes the tion, but not for me” (#30). This brings Benedict incorporates a highly relevant
final proof to us that what we hope for is Christian hope back to center stage. explanation of purgatory, which is an es-
real and true. The sential component of
pope thus expli- Christian hope pre-
cates the seem- Spe Salvi is a rich reflection on hope in a cisely because many
ingly illogical
power of faith to
relatively small package... Its theme of hope people’s lives are
characterized by a
confirm itself. Be- as the key to salvation is particularly rel- desire for the good
cause faith en-
ables us to experi-
evant and reassuring in our own times, which that is never com-
pletely extin-
ence and partici- might truly be described as an age of false guished, despite
pate in that king-
dom for which we
hope, or even of hopelessness. many weaknesses
and sins. Few of us,
hope, we are able perhaps, are per-
actually to know from this present experi- Settings for Hope fectly ready for God or have completely
ence that God’s promises are true. This, rejected him, and so we hope also in a final
Benedict argues, is no mere wish fulfill- The pope identifies three “settings” period of purgation, in which even our
ment, but a legitimate fruit of faith, which for learning and practicing hope. The first hopes will be purified. Benedict also weaves
is already in some measure the substance is prayer, in which “we must learn that we our very prayers and sacrifices for others,
of things hoped for. cannot pray against others. We must learn including those in purgatory, into his the-
Another important aspect of our par- that we cannot ask for the superficial and sis on hope: “Our hope is always essen-
ticipation in the Kingdom of God is that our comfortable things that we desire at this tially also hope for others; only thus is it
hope is not purely individual, but directed moment—that meager, misplaced hope truly hope for me too” (48).
always toward a union with Christ, and that leads us away from God” (#33). While As is frequently the case with docu-
through Christ to one another. For the lesser legitimate hopes are also important ments of this type, the Pope concludes
Christian, salvation is always a social real- to us, we must ultimately move beyond with an invocation to Mary. This takes the
ity. The inexpressible fulfillment and joy even these to the ultimate hope which form of a moving prayer highlighting
promised by our hope is made possible grounds our faith in God. Mary’s own personal hope, the hope that
precisely by a community of love. We The second is action. Benedict sees a enabled her to embrace her new role as the
cannot prepare ourselves to receive this serious and important relationship among Mother of the Church, even when all
gift unless we abandon our own self- hope, suffering and significant action. He seemed lost at the foot of the cross.
centeredness and open ourselves to the notes that only those who are full of hope Benedict concludes by reminding us that
other and to others. can accept suffering, and even turn it into Mary is indeed the star of hope, asking her
This is an important point for Benedict a hymn of praise. Therefore, it is hope that to “shine on us and guide us on our way!”
because he sees clearly that religion has enables us to bear witness to the truth for (#50)
retreated in the modern period into a sort the good of man, despite the suffering this Spe Salvi is a rich reflection on hope
of private world. He explains that moder- may bring. Moreover, a society whose in a relatively small package. The entire
nity has put its faith in technology and members are incapable of accepting their encyclical can be read in an hour, though
politics as the means for the perfection of own suffering will also be incapable of any an extended meditation by way of spiritual
the world, leaving only private and other- sort of solidarity with the suffering of reading would certainly be appropriate. Its
worldly considerations to the domain of others. Only those strengthened by hope theme of hope as the key to salvation is
religion. Infected by these same attitudes, can both accept their own sufferings and particularly relevant and reassuring in our
Christians have too often learned to frame also share in the sufferings of others, in an own times, which might truly be described
their aspirations and activities in personal, extension of Christ’s redemptive love. as an age of false hope, or even of hope-
individualistic and private terms. Then The third is Judgment. Benedict ar- lessness. I
Volume 42 • Number 1 9
Biofuel: ‘the cure worst than the disease’
F
rom hereon, the whole world will have 2007, 32(3).
to face the challenge on how to ad- Biofuel production is a typical agri-
just to the continuing increase in oil cultural crop production venture. As such,
price. The main reason is over consump- biofuel production requires land, water
tion. All the people on Earth use 80 million and crop production inputs. Biofuel pro-
barrels a day, or about 29 billion barrels/ duction inevitably influences priorities
year, a utilization rate which took Mother setting on resource use and utilization by
earth to form and store in nine million years producing countries as it is happening
since the Silurian period (Rodolfo, 2007, already. A clear consequence, it dichoto-
BP Global Statistical Review of World mizes agricultural crop production into 2
Energy, 2007). Its tight and declining sup- major ends: food and fuel. First and fore-
ply provides clear signal that the era of most, it should be pointed out that all prime
cheap oil is gone! (Campbell and Jean, agricultural lands have been cultivated or
1998). Compounded by the rising demand developed to produce the current supply
for oil due to the winters in the North, the of food. Future expansion will already
double digit growth in China and also the encroach on fragile and less favorable
booming economy of India and other coun- agro-environments which are too steep,
tries have altogether propelled the increase too dry, or with barren soils (Buringh,
in oil consumption. As a whole, economic 1989). In the Philippines, as early as the
growth was accompanied by a growing oil 1970s, all the prime agricultural lands (10
consumption. For instance, an increase in Mha) have already been cultivated. Biofuel
world GDP by 0.1% leads to an increase in production will inevitably use additional
final energy demand of about 0.2% (Zittel lands over and above the existing agricul-
et al., 2007). In addition, the reduction in tural lands that are devoted to food crop
Nigerian oil output and the disturbance in production The Philippines is already A
the Middle Eastare further fueling oil sup- NET FOOD IMPORTING COUNTRY.
ply uncertainties. The Energy Watch Where shall we grow biofuel crops with-
Group (EWG) of Germany had projected out threatening further the country’s food
that the global oil supply will only be 58 security?
Mb/d by 2020 and it will only be reduced Second, biofuel production will pro-
further to about 39 Mb/d by 2030 (Zittel pel water scarcity into crisis proportion in
et al. , 2007). 2 ways: a) feedstock production shall use
Our current lifestyle revolves around tremendous amounts of water putting se-
oil. Oil accounts for 95% of the global vere pressure on water allocation for food
energy used for transportation and 11% of or for biofuel crop production, b) process-
generated electricity. It is the energy form ing shall produce voluminous liquid
used in the manufacture of many products wastes polluting both surface and ground like Australia. More people in the world
(plastics, chemicals, road asphalt, cement, waters, thus, reducing further the supply now eat meat as they become more pros-
fertilizers, pesticides, to name a few of clean and potable water which in turn, perous. In turn, more grains are fed to
(Rodolfo, 2007). Food abundance is due to shall heighten the need for expensive animals to support the growing popula-
oil as growing food crops is so dependent bottled water that only moneyed people tion of meat-eaters. High oil prices have
on oil based chemical inputs (fertilizer and could afford. doubled shipping and transport costs. This
pesticides) and the various post-produc- The biofuel mania is occurring when is critical among net food importing coun-
tion stages (processing, packaging haul- the world food supply is dwindling rapidly tries like the Philippines. A complex issue
ing and distribution). It is no surprise that and food prices are soaring to historic is directly related to the use of crops to
any increase in oil price is triggering a levels, food price index rose by more than make biofuels.
chain reaction in the prices of various 40 percent this year, compared with 9 per- Producing biofuel could decrease fur-
commodities and services. cent the year before, “a very serious risk ther the availability of adequate food sup-
Globally, biofuel as renewable energy that fewer people will be able to get food,” plies in 2 direct ways: 1) feedstock produc-
source is being peddled as the humanity’s particularly in the developing world, said tion for biofuel will divert the lands, water
salvation to the energy problems. Is biofuel Jacques Diouf, head of the UN Food and and other resources away from food crops
the solution to the oil crisis? If it is the Agriculture Organization: http:// production as pointed out earlier. For fi-
solution, are there no problems that may www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/17/europe/ nancial viability considerations among
result from its break-neck pace of imple- food.php. This food situation was attrib- investors, biofuel production will be car-
mentation? In a developing country like uted to the following interrelated factors: ried out in agricultural lands with devel-
the Philippines, is biofuel solution com- global warming, food crops diverted to oped infrastructures. Private capital will
patible to agrarian reform and rural devel- biofuel and meat production, high ship- not be used in road and bridges construc-
opment initiatives? Briefly this paper is ping costs due to high oil prices. Global tion as this will erode their profit besides,
written to address these questions. More warming decreased crop yields in other- it is not their duty. As such, lands with
detailed discussions can be read in the wise food surplus producing countries developed infrastructure will be the inves-
disease’
(GWP). For every 1 kg nitrogen, more than
10 kg CO2 equivalent is emitted in the
atmosphere; d) using cellulosic biomass
to avoid the critique that producing
bioethanol competes with human food,
shall deplete the soil with organic carbon
tors’ choice for quick pay-off or short pay- Biofuels is now starving enormous so essential in maintaining soil fertility. If
back period and high internal rate of re- number of people considering its effects done, however, it will backfire as the farm-
turn, and it is happening now and, 2) the on food prices and the low food purchas- ers will compensate the nutrient lost by
biofuel industry directly competes with ing capacity of many people in the world applying more expensive oil produced
the food industry for raw materials. In turn, (OECD Rprt. http://www.spiegel.de/inter- chemical fertilizers.
this will cause severe cost pressures to the national/europe/0,1518,508089,00.html). Proponents of biofuels argue that fuel
food industry. This is already happening The world’s poorest already spend 50- crops planted on ecologically degraded
as it is pushing crop prices for wheat, corn, 80% of household income on food. They lands will improve rather than destroy the
and practically all commodities. Caloric suffer more now because high fuel prices environment. When the government of
consumption declines as price rises by a push up food prices. There are 2.7 billion Brazil re-classified some 200 million hect-
ratio of 1:2. people in the world living on less than $2 ares of dry-tropical forests, grassland and
Volume 42 • Number 1 11
Biofuel: ‘the cure worst than the disease’
© Dennis M. Sabangan/epa/Corbis
marshes as degraded but apt for cultiva- ian reform achievements of many Third profits. Profit motive is at the distal end of
tion; in reality, these are the bio-diverse World countries including the Philippines. environmental protection, equitable, and
ecosystems of the Mata Atlantica, the While biofuel production can create jobs socially-just societal goals. Laws and stan-
Cerrado and the Pantanal, occupied by in impoverished rural areas, where the bulk dards based on limiting lands planted for
indigenous people, subsistence farmers of the world’s poor and hungry live, pro- biofuels are simply myths and preventing
and extensive cattle ranches. The intro- ducing biofuels favor large-scale produc- the concentration of supply chain and
duction of biofuel plantations in these tion, meaning small-scale farmers could be distribution channels among few players-
ecosystems will push further the indig- pushed off their land. Smallholders will be the TNCs and MNCs is illusory rather than
enous people, subsistence farmers and forced out of the market and off the land real.
extensive cattle ranches to the agricultural (UN Energy, 2007). An icing of the biofuel During this transition stage to more
frontier of the Amazon jungle. As corn cake, many big land owners are influenc- renewable, stable and enviroment-friendly
price increase, more farmers now in the ing AR policies that lands intended for energy alternatives, extra care and precau-
Philippines grow corn in the rolling to biofuel feedstock production are exempted tions are necessary to avoid falling into the
sloping uplands .While it is good for them from coverage under the agrarian reform trap of having a “cure worst than the dis-
initially, the long term consequences as in program of the Philippine government. ease – the biofuel malady!” There are many
land slide when heavy rains occur is dif- The strength and tentacles of biofuel lobby options to reduce oil consumption and they
ficult to imagine. may extend further to the point that CARP as they are as follows: improve energy
On the socio-economic side, biofuel may no longer be extended or renewed in efficiency, shift to organic agriculture and
production is neither pro-poor nor pro- the country due to the technical, manage- adopt vegetarian diet or less meat diet,
small farmers in the Third world countries rial, and financial viability requirements of adopt ecological lifestyle, minimize the use
like the Philippines. As an agri-industrial biofuel production. of cars!—walk/bike ride, shift to real and
production set-up, biofuel production Another aspect of biofuel production more renewable and environment-friendly
thrives on large scale monoculture planta- which should be examined is its structure. source of energy like solar, wave, and wind
tion. Scattered small farms planted to Biofuel is a typical agro-industrial produc- energy. The Philippines is a sunshine-rich
biofuel is difficult to coordinate to assure tion–cum processing systems and it country. Right now, imported oil supplies
stable supply of feedstock. Cost of haul- thrives best on economies of scale. This 36.8% of our total energy bill (2004, DOE as
ing will be prohibitively high. This will leads to the consolidation of the biofuel cited by Lee, 2005). We still have the time to
trigger land concentration which shall dis- supply and distribution linkages, which in shift our energy sources to these real re-
place agrarian reform beneficiaries, thus, turn, provides ample space for maneuver newable energy sources, thus, avoiding
reversing the gains of redistributive agrar- and control by big corporations to extract the biofuel malady. I
J
ust learned that the second national rural
congress will be convened by our bish-
ops sometime this year. The first one was
held, hold your breath, 41 years ago!
When the announcement came in a
priestly gathering recently, I could not
help but detect traces of a defense mecha-
nism trying to cover and make up for the
apparent neglect.
Could it be that our Church had been
indifferent to the plight of our rural poor?
I have my doubts. Even if we have
been committing all sorts of mistakes and
our inadequacies are too obvious to be-
labor, to think that we have been indiffer-
ent to the rural poor would not be quite
right.
We have been with everyone. We
may have our deficiencies and excesses,
still the fact is that we have been enjoying
and suffering life with everyone.
© Francis Malasig/epa/Corbis
Rural poor
As it is, it’s already a tall order: “to facili-
tate the opportunity for the rural poor to
voice out their concerns and their experi-
ences of rural poverty and be heard by the
Church.”
We have to be wary of the temptation
to turn the occasion into a binge of blam-
ing the usual suspects: the rich, the gov-
ernment, the powerful, etc. This way of By Fr. Roy Cimagala
resolving problems should be a thing of
the past. It’s largely useless, making more lems we have to our ultimate supernatural and the not-so-normal, since many had
enemies than friends. calling. This can never be considered handicaps, if not physical then mental. I
We have to guard against the tricks irrelevant. had friends who were hunchbacked, hare-
of ideologues and the media who will try It is to echo what St. Paul said: “I lipped, cross-eyed, retarded, etc.
to make capital out of this event. We have have learned, in whatever state I am, to be But we were all happy. Hardly any-
to be ready to pacify the waves of hype, content. I know how to be abased, and one felt like an offender because hardly
flimflam and gamesmanship that will likely how to abound. In any circumstances I anyone felt offended. Our conflicts and
accompany this conference. have learned the secret of facing plenty mistakes were settled spontaneously.
Most relevant in this kind of collec- and hunger, abundance and want. I can Poverty was all around and yet ev-
tive exercise is the virtue of prudence, one do all things in him who strengthens me.” eryone worked hard and was always hope-
that always goes with sobriety that seeks (Phil 4, 11-13) ful. Occasional heartbreaks occurred as I
to know everything needed to be known, All of us have our own personal lost some friends just because of com-
and that blends the demands of charity experiences of rural life. In my case, I mon illnesses like diarrhea, flu, chicken-
and justice well. consider it as an unforgettable part of my pox.
It is the prudence that goes with growing-up years. Summers were spent The folks treated my father like a
restraint, patience, discretion and good in a fishing village, my father’s birth place. demigod expected to solve their prob-
manners. It requires studying, consult- We used to hike some distance to lems. I heard and saw them cry. And yet
ing and dialoguing about possible op- reach it from where the bus would drop us when I would ask what was wrong, they
tions and scenarios, focusing more on off. It was then a place with no running would just smile and spare me the details.
what unite rather than on what divide, on water, no electricity. I had to help fetch “There’s God and an afterlife,” they
what build rather than on what destroy. water from the well, gather firewood, do would say, giving me a glimpse of their
Never to be forgotten is the distinc- laundry in a nearby spring, tend the chick- faith. It is this faith that has to be pro-
tive contribution of the Church, which is ens and pigs. tected at all costs, whatever the social
to relate whatever social issues and prob- My friends were all sorts, the normal condition. I
Volume 42 • Number 1 13
N E W S
FEATURES
NSO junks
seminar for
priests
MANILA, January 11, 2008—A provision
requiring solemnizing officers to un-
dergo seminar before they would be al-
lowed to conduct wedding ceremonies
has been cancelled.
The National Statistics Office made the
revocation following a strong opposition
from the Roman Catholic Church and
other religious sector.
“We realized that it has sparked pro-
tests, so we have decided to revoke that
particular provision of the administrative
order requiring an orientation seminar,”
NSO administrator Carmelita Ericta said
in a news report.
Vietnamese Catholics
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP), meanwhile, said they
“are all happy about this turn of events.”
protest stealing of
“I am thankful that the NSO listened to
our prayers to cancel the requirement,”
said Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo,
Buddhists in
prayer for Sir
Edmund Hillary,
the “Father of
KATHMANDU, Nepal, January 12, 2008—
As soon as news came of the death of Sir
the Sherpas”
Edmund Hillary, the hero of the Himalayas,
Nepal’s Buddhists lit candles in their homes
and monasteries, to remember the man
who more than any other helped the popu-
lation and the Buddhist religion in the
northern part of the country.
Hillary, the only honorary citizen of
Nepal, died yesterday at the age of 88. In
1953, together with the Sherpa Tenzin
Norgay, Hillary climbed to the summit of
the world for the first time. Since then, his The Nano makes Indians dream,
efforts on behalf of the Nepalese, and in a
particular way for the Sherpas (“climb- leaves Westerners skeptical
ers”), never ceased: he created an interna-
tional fund for the construction of schools NEW DELHI, India, January 11, 2008— pany will likely have to make major
and hospitals in the country, and he al- India’s Tata Motors unveiled yester- technical improvements in safety and
ways remained close to the population. day the world’s cheapest car, one that pollution controls which would raise
The lama Ringboche Namang Tenzing the company promises will revolution- its price.
Norgay, abbot of the Longbuche Stupa ize the auto industry by bringing car And environmentalists cringe at
monastery, has asked all the faithful of the ownership within reach of tens of mil- the idea that millions of Nanos might
country to honor their “father” by placing lions of Indians but which has sparked take to the road in India.
a lit candle in their windows. According to a lively debate among motor experts, Chief United Nations climate sci-
Nun Lama, Hillary “was like a godfather for environmentalists and car aficiona- entist Rajendra Pachauri, who shared
us, as he helped to establish monasteries dos. last year’s Nobel Peace Prize, said last
and schools for the monks, which paved The four-door subcompact Nano month “I am having nightmares” about
the way to Buddhism for many people.” has a two-cylinder 0.6 liter gasoline the low-cost car.
Kami Temba Sherpa, the director of engine with 33 horsepower, giving it a The forecast for India’s fast-paced
the hospital of Kumbu (founded by Hillary top speed of about 100 km/h (60 mph), economic development includes a sub-
in 1976), says “The fund that he directed according to Tata. It gets 21.2 km per stantial growth in the number of cars.
opened 27 schools, 2 hospitals, 9 health litre (50 miles per gallon). It would be By 2016 car sales should reach US$ 145
clinics, and a few monasteries. For the sold for US$ 2,500. billion, four times the current volume.
Nepalese, and in a special way for the The basic version has no radio, air Presently, the Nano’s “revolution-
Sherpas, he was a godfather of rare gener- conditioning, passenger-side mirror, ary” success lies more in marketing and
osity.” central locking or power steering and image than in economic output.
Thongboche Sherpa, a resident of only one windshield wiper. “It will be very difficult for them,”
Khumbu, adds “The minority Sherpa Tata says its “people’s car” will said Darius Lam of Autocar Interna-
groups living in the Khumbu area (the area conform to European emission stan- tional. “They will have to ramp up
nearby Mt. Everest), were deprived of basic dards and plans to sell it in Western production [...] and sell lots of these
needs, and Hillary tried his best for the markets. For some observers that will before they make any money from it,”
people here in terms of education, health, be a difficult task, achievable only by on the condition that consumers actu-
transportation and even Buddhism and sacrificing safety and quality. To be ally go for the people’s car. (AsiaNews/
local culture. So, we regard him as godlike approved for sale in Europe the com- Agencies)
figure.” (Kalpit Parajuli /AsiaNews)
Volume 42 • Number 1 15
C O V E R
S T O R Y
The
Politics of
World Peace
by Lope C. Robredillo, SThD
I
s the heart of man in his weapons? The their military storehouses. If they are not religions. Jews expect the fulfillment of the
statistics is staggering. Despite all the in open war, they continue to engage in divine promises about the final peace (cf
effort to limit or abolish war, it seems arms race, war of nerves, psychological Zec 9:9). Christians affirm that when Jesus
that war is more normal than peace. For warfare, war of ideology, cold war! Who comes again, peace will be established (cf
instance, from 1496 AD to 1861, it is claimed can blame Karl Marx for viewing history as Col 3:15). International peace is one of the
that the world knew 3,130 years of war and a history of class warfare? 10 basic principles of Baha’i faith. Bud-
only 227 years of peace. From 1945 until dhists look forward to world peace once it
the 1980s, there have been more than 150 The Heart of Man is not in His Weap- is established within individuals.
conflicts throughout the world. How nor- ons Indeed, even ideologies accept peace
mal war is could be gauged from the fact as part of their goal. Socialism, as well as
that in the last 400 years, European na- For all that, however, the heart of man communism, postulates that once the state
tions, it is noted, have signed no less than longs for peace. That yearning is classi- withered away after a period of proletariat
8,000 peace treaties. One can easily recall cally expressed by the Prophet Isaiah: dictatorship, there will be a classless soci-
Bernard Shaw’s observation in his play, “They shall beat their swords into plow- ety where peace will be achieved. In fact,
“Man and Superman”: in the arts of life, shares and their spears into pruning even those who wage war have no other
man invents nothing; but in the arts of hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword purpose than peace. For even they who
death—well, look at his inventions for against another, nor shall they train for war make war,” writes Augustine of Hippo in
murder and mass destruction; they be- again” (Is 2:4). Understandably enough, his classic, City of God, “desire nothing
come more sophisticated as years go by. this hope for peace, this pining for a con- but victory—desire, that is to say, to attain
Nations continue to allot huge budget for flict-free human experience, is central to all peace with glory. For what else is victory
Volume 42 • Number 1 17
C O V E R
S T O R Y
retaliation for what they perceive as injus- should be a cold war relic, a forgotten
tices done to the poorer nations. Why insurgency rotting away in the Southeast
most organized terrorists come from Arab
countries may be an indication that for
Asian jungle. Instead—and despite its
bloody purges, its ‘sparrow unit’ death ‘Unite the
Church
them the imperialist countries have for squads, and its defunct ideology—it re-
decades done them great injustice that has mains an enduring symbol of the failure of
to be corrected if the world is going to successive governments to improve the
survive and experience authentic peace.
But others have recourse to another
lives of ordinary Filipinos.”
against
way to gain leverage with the powerful
countries: going nuclear. For possessing
Is Real World Peace Possible?
Volume 42 • Number 1 19
The Politics of World Peace
plex and difficult, but because peace—not the Transcendent, the promotion of the that all beings cherish happiness and do
sword—is in the heart of man, it is possible human person, and respect for the world of not want suffering. It then becomes both
and plausible. Some scientists have ob- nature is shared by all.” He continues: morally wrong and pragmatically unwise
served that there is now a growing con- “There will be peace only to the extent that to pursue one’s own happiness oblivious
sciousness in the current generation that, humanity as a whole rediscovers its fun- to the feelings and aspirations of all others
unlike centuries before, does not accept damental calling to be one family, a family who surround us as members of the same
war as a necessity or source of glory. in which the dignity and rights of individu- human family. The wise course is to think
als—whatever their status, race, or reli- of others also when pursuing our own
The Fundamental Principle: Hu- gion—are accepted as prior and superior happiness…. We are facing problems be-
manity is One Family to any kind of difference or distinction. cause people are concentrating only on
He goes on: “For this to happen, a their short-term, selfish interests, not think-
But where do we start? As can be complete change of perspective will be ing of the entire human family. They are
gleaned from what has been noted so far, needed: it is no longer the well-being of not thinking of the earth and the long term
the fundamental defect of the politics of any one political, racial, or cultural commu- effects on universal life as a whole.”
peace in our time is that it is premised on nity that must prevail, but rather the good This principle is enormously impor-
greed, selfishness and self-interest—there of humanity, expressed in the recognition tant, and its significance cannot be over-
is peace if my own country prevails and and respect for human rights, sanctioned estimated. If this fundamental basis is
lives in peace, if my country reigns su- by the Universal Declaration of Human recognized, it will become clear why, for
preme, is sufficient in all its needs, and has Rights of 1948. It is necessary, then, to instance, an offense against human rights
access to the sources of what it wants, abandon ideas and practices—often de- is an offense against humanity itself, why
without having to be concerned that this termined by powerful economic interests— earth resources have a universal destina-
entails domination, exploitation, destruc- the political, cultural, and institutional di- tion, why real peace is intertwined with the
tion of other nations. For this reason, the visions and distinctions by which human- integral development of the poor and dis-
fundamental basis for real world peace is ity is ordered and organized are legitimate advantaged countries and why these coun-
to think and act in terms of the whole insofar as they are compatible with mem- tries have the right to share in the enjoy-
humanity as one family. bership in the one human family, and with ment of material goods, why disarmament
Says John Paul II in one of his mes- the ethical and legal requirements which is in accord with human solidarity, why the
sages for World Day of Peace: “This seek- stem from this.” poor must be the agents of their own
ing of peace must be based on the aware- From a Buddhist perspective, the same development, to mention a few. Of course,
ness that humanity, however much marred fundamental basis of real world peace is an understanding of the consequences of
by sin, hatred, and violence, is called by echoed by the Dalai Lama in his article, “A this principle requires a change in our
God to be a single family. This divine plan Human Approach to World Peace”: “A perspective, even a paradigm shift. But it
needs to be recognized and carried out universal humanitarian approach to world will definitely imply a tectonic shift in the
through the search for harmonious rela- problems seems to be the only sound way we do the politics of world peace, if
tionships between individuals and basis for world peace. What does this such peace is to satisfy the longings of
peoples, in a culture where openness to mean? We begin from the recognition… humanity’s heart. I
by Sandro Magister
S
ince the day following the feast of
Epiphany, 226 Jesuits from the five
continents have been meeting in
Rome in a general congregation, the thirty-
fifth since Saint Ignatius of Loyola (in the
illustration, with pope Paul III) founded
the order in 1540.
The assembly will elect the new supe-
rior general of the Society, in the place of
the outgoing Peter-Hans Kolvenbach.
And on February 21, Benedict XVI will
hold an audience with the newly elected
head, together with the delegates who
have come to Rome representing the al-
most twenty thousand Jesuits all over the
world.
Moreover, the congregation will dis-
cuss a report on the Society’s strengths
and weaknesses, and a dozen questions
concerning the identity and mission of the
Jesuits in today’s world. Including their
vow of special obedience to the pope.
Society of Jesus—
cated with words that were sometimes
harsh, in the homily for the Mass that
opened the session on January 7, from an
to obedience
authoritative non-Jesuit: Cardinal Franc
Rodé, prefect of the congregation for insti-
tutes of consecrated life.
It is easy to guess that Cardinal Rodé
expressed the thought and expectations
of Benedict XVI. One thing that preoccu- diminishing in some members of religious under the watchful care of the sacred teach-
pies the Church’s leadership is the influ- families.” ing office of the Church, to an exploration
ence that the Jesuits have on the bearing And again: “With sadness and anxi- and exposition of the divine writings. [...]
of the other religious orders, and on the ety I also see a growing distancing from May those who have to oversee the doc-
formation of priests and theology stu- the hierarchy. The Ignatian spirituality of trine of your magazines and publications
dents in the many schools and universi- apostolic service ‘under the Roman Pon- do so in the light of and according to the
ties that the Society operates all over the tiff’ does not allow for this separation.” rules for ‘sentire cum ecclesia,’ with love
world, beginning with the Pontifical And further on: “The doctrinal diver- and respect.”
Gregorian University, which prepares sity of those who at all levels, by vocation It is no mystery that of the last seven
many future bishops. and mission are called to announce the theologians scrutinized by the congrega-
“It is with sorrow and anxiety,” Rodé Kingdom of truth and love, disorients the tion for the doctrine of the faith, four
said in the homily, “that I see that the faithful and leads to a relativism without belong to the Society of Jesus: Jon Sobrino,
‘sentire cum ecclesia’ of which your limits. [...] The exegetes and theological Roger Haight, Jacques Dupuis, and An-
founder St Ignatius frequently spoke is scholars are involved in working together thony De Mello. I
Volume 42 • Number 1 21
STATEMENTS
enough, not touching our hearts, consist- demand of this reconciliation is this: the Cor. 5:20). But full reconciliation will take
ing only in the observance of external rites. sinner reconciled by God cannot render to place only when we do what God requires
This is what the prophets and our Lord Him a pleasing worship or sacrifice if he us: to do what is right, to show constant
Jesus precisely condemn. We do well to does not first of all reconcile himself with love and to walk humbly with Him. May
remind ourselves what God, through the his fellow human beings (Mt 5, 23 f). Mary, “the mirror of justice”, intercede for
verse quoted above, wants us to do if we For our country to achieve peace or us so that our country will finally enjoy the
have true faith in Him manifested by a “shalom”, the elusive dream of our land, all peace of all God’s children.
genuine practice of religion. Only if we Filipinos must learn how to reconcile with
fulfill what God requires of us, marvel- each other, forgiving one another from Most Rev. Arturo M. Bastes, SVD, DD
ously summarized by Micah, can we elimi- their hearts just as “God no longer takes Bishop of Sorsogon
nate injustice in our midst. Injustice, a account of the trespasses of men” (cf. 2 Chairman of ECBA-CBCP
situation where human persons are not
given what is due to them, causes division,
conflicts and even fratricide. The insur-
gency that has been going in our country
for 38 years, the deep political rupture and
the pervading economic inequality are
among the signs that our country is in a
situation of injustice.
We have been longing for peace, the
biblical “shalom”, which does not mean
only the absence of war or trouble but the
enjoyment of all what is good, a foreshad-
owing of the dawning of God’s kingdom.
But peace cannot take place unless we are
fully reconciled to God and to all our broth-
ers and sisters.
Already within the Old Testament,
God has prefigured the reconciliation of
human beings with Himself in not ceasing
to offer them His pardon. He is “the God of
tenderness and of pity” (Ex 34:6). But the
perfect and definitive reconciliation has
been accomplished by Jesus Christ, for it
is an important aspect of Christ’s work of
redemption. By Christ’s redemption we
have become a new creation, fully recon-
ciled to God as St. Paul says: “So whoever
is in Christ is a new creation: the old things
have passed away; behold, new things
have come. And all this is from God, who
has reconciled us to himself through Christ
and given us the ministry of reconciliation,
namely, God was reconciling the world to
himself in Christ, not counting their tres-
passes against them and entrusting to us
the message of reconciliation.” (2 Cor. 5:
17-20).
On God’s part the entire work of sal-
vation and reconciliation is already ac-
complished. However, reconciliation
among human beings is far from being
accomplished. Thus St. Paul defines apos-
tolic activity as “the ministry of reconcili-
ation”, which may last till the final coming
of God’s kingdom. Following the example
of St. Paul, Christians must ever be mindful
of the “ministry of reconciliation”, making
great efforts to be the architects of peace
among all brothers and sisters, bringing
them into full harmony with God through
the redeeming act of Christ. The profound
Volume 42 • Number 1 23
STATEMENTS
DECLARATION
WE, the 202 participants—23 priests, 16 be desperate. But we believe that our justice that makes the offenders ac-
religious sisters, and 163 lay workers in solidarity does not end in pain but that countable for what they have done; a
prison service—from 55 arch/dioceses, this empathy will drive us to alleviate justice that provides restitution to the
prelature, apostolic vicariate and 5 reli- the suffering and bring about healing; victims who are most of the time ig-
gious groups and organizations, came to- - That we are called to be “heralds of nored and forgotten by the current
gether to the 7th General Assembly of Chap- God’s infinite compassion and for- justice system; a justice that engages
lains and Volunteers in Prison Service from giveness” the community in facilitating the heal-
November 27-30, 2007 in Bukal ng Tipan, The assembly provided us with infor- ing process, thus leading to the re-
Maryhill, Taytay, Rizal, to share our expe- mation and insights from practitioners on integration of the victim and the of-
riences and deepen our understanding of the many aspects of correctional systems, fender to the community;
“Discovering the Face of Christ Among basic human needs, community engage- 3. That we who, despite our limitations
the Prisoners”. ment, human rights, and pastoral care to and countless problems, are able to
In this assembly we were given the prisoners, and ministry to the released work to make God’s love visible. We
opportunity to understand the meaning of prisoners and restorative justice. offer various services through our
the following: The assembly addressed the issues Integrated Prison Pastoral Care Pro-
• God has preferential option for the and concerns affecting the prison ministry gram that support and nurture the pris-
poor. This option is grounded not on and the challenges and the struggles that oners’ faith, respond to their material
who the person is but on who God is; many of us experience as we minister to our needs and provide assistance to safe-
• God is a benevolent God who desires brothers and sisters in prison. guard their fundamental rights and
fullness of life for all; In the light of the aforementioned, dignity;
• God is against poverty and oppres- we declare: 4. That we can be of better service to the
sion, injustice and dehumanized con- 1. That many jails and prisons are not members of the prison community if
ditions; able to answer the basic services that we are united, equipped and encour-
• God’s love for humanity, the poor prisoners are entitled to. Most jails aged. We can do this by having better
especially, goes beyond the moral dis- and prisons are overcrowded and the coordination, undergoing capacity and
position of the poor, whether they take prisoners are abused. These inhuman development programs and coming
advantage of those poorer than they situations must be rectified. We will together in fellowship, undergoing
are, whether prisoners are repentant or advocate and lobby for penal reforms theological and pastoral updating and
not. Nothing in them (and for that and will continue formulating programs caring for each other;
matter, in us), can diminish this love; that will address this deplorable con- 5. That we are aware that much is still to
• That prisoners, with few exceptions, ditions in accordance with the Gospel be done to seek alternatives and better
are poor both materially because of values and the local laws and the many approaches in addressing the prob-
their dismal, subhuman conditions in UN Standards and Norms in the field of lems in the criminal justice system.
prison and sociologically because of crime prevention and criminal justice; We ask for the grace that our involve-
their marginalization from the rest of 2. That our present justice system fails ment in prison ministry that is rooted in
society; to address the needs of prisoners, God’s benevolence, be guided by a stead-
• That to minister to the prisoners is to victims and the community. We advo- fast hope in a transformed situation, a
channel God’s benevolence, compas- cate that programs, laws and systems stubborn hope in a future and a radiant
sion and mercy; to enter the despair be put in place to implement a shift of hope in promised healing and wholeness.
and hopelessness of another and to paradigm from punitive, retributive With the help of God, through the
allow ourselves to be affected, to be system to restorative justice¯a justice intercession of our Mother, Mary, we con-
distraught, to be confused and even to that restores, heals and protects; a secrate all our efforts to this end.
Pastoral Letter
Volume 42 • Number 1 25
FROM THE
B L O G S
Electoral reform
IT is a widely and wildly known fact that Philippine
elections have been anything but honest, orderly and
peaceful. There is no need really to mention the usual loss
of lives plus the standard loss of ballot boxes, the counting
of ordinary votes cast by the living plus the extraordinary
votes cast by the dead, the anticipated burning of pre-
Sinister years
cincts plus the expected burning of certificates of can-
vass, together with the failure of elections here and there
plus the failure of re-elections now and then.
In other words, lying, cheating and stealing, postur-
ing, shouting and fighting, add hereto the loud accusa-
PHILIPPINE history is certainly not miracle or a vague mystical event tions and louder counter-accusations—these are con-
without its sinister years, i.e., spe- happened. The same subject party stant accompanying elements of the local, regional and
cific time frames that have either claimed that no less than God spoke national elections in the country. This is saying nothing
caused serious and lasting socio- to her. This was even supposedly about the non-mystery of vote buying, vote padding and
moral turbulence in the political situ- followed by the advisory of a Pope— vote switching. And there is the perpetual difficulty of
ation of the country, or foreseen to who was in fact then already dead. vote counting. In plain language, it would be a first class
bring about much disturbing and The avowed over-all heavenly mes- miracle of some sort, were Philippine elections altogether
truly laudable and really tenable.
enduring political liabilities with sage was that she must run for the
Year 2010 is not that far. Yet even this early,
alarming immoral undertones with Office of the President because the expressly and publicly, aspiring presidential candidates
big adverse impact all over the land. nation needed her. And again, in the from the opposition, from the administration and from
With malice towards none but with spirit of a proclaimed heroic deci- nowhere are already being slowly but surely heard and
truth in mind, the marked suffering sion, she did. Thus began the pain- numbered. There are even reports to the effect that
of the people in the recent past ful and pitiful calvary of the Filipino election propaganda materials are in one way or another
years and the already perceived people. already being heard and seen in certain places. In other
distinct political disorder yet to come words, there are marked indications that 2010 is certainly
some two years from today, can be 2004 an election year.
What is however truly strange about the over-all
thus noted—more for remembrance This was a bad, bad, bad year.
picture of 2010, as a signal election year is the practically
and caution than simply a pessimist Would that it were possible to for- complete stillness and silence about the imperative of
approach. get this year, to remove it altogether electoral reform this country badly needs. There is the
from Philippine history. But there urgent question about the personalities in the Commission
2001 were events that took place in full on Elections from top to bottom of the election personnel
This otherwise apparently view of the people, not to mention in the country. There is the pressing matter of cleaning the
promising year, all began when Fili- with full details and in full color. Lest Voters’ Lists of long dead and buried individuals, of gross
pinos were then rejoicing for the exit it become too cruel to national multiple registrations together with disqualified voters.
of a profoundly disgraced and ef- memory, it will be enough to men- And there is the compelling need of automation about
which millions of pesos have already been spent, thou-
fectively dismissed Chief Executive. tion but three famous—or quite in-
sands of voices have been raised—and there is still
Replaced according to the Consti- famous—quotations that say : nothing categorical that can be said about it, neither
tution by his second in rank, there “Hello, Garci!” “I am sorry.” anything concrete seen about the same.
was reasonable national anticipa- “Noted.” And that is enough to No wonder then that not few people appear con-
tion of ethical revival and moral re- make people cry or laugh, to launch vinced that 2010 could be anything but an honest-to-
covery in national governance. This a thousand and one funny or sick goodness election year. And this perception is not only
great expectation was in fact further text messages. premised on the utter lack of serious and deliberate moves
enhanced with the official pro- in undertaking electoral reform. This “stand down” pos-
nouncement made precisely during 2010 ture is particularly true on the part of the ruling government
the National Hero’s Day by the suc- Enough to say that this forth- that is supposed to have the mandate and the needed
logistics, to act accordingly as late as now.
cessor of the eventually impeached coming year though still far ahead, Or is it true after all that “NOEL” is a distinct possibility
President. She loudly and clearly is already creating a good amount of precisely when presidential elections among others are
renounced the pursuit of the presi- worries and fears. There is no stop- mandated by the Philippine Constitution? Would there be
dential office. Reasons invoked: To ping it from coming. In the same instead a Charter Change? Or would the State of Emer-
unite the people. To undertake elec- way, neither is there the least certi- gency be then declared for reasons deliberately staged?
toral reform. To work for national tude about the good or the evil na- If so, would the people in general simply keep quiet, merely
development. tional and local politics have in store stay still? While it is possible that there are some individu-
But not long after the popular for the people. One thing is sure: the als whose imagination is not only fertile but also wild, and
rejoicing and clapping for such an year can be anything but promising whose thoughts wherefore are along the lines of the
apparently generous and even he- in social justice and peace. previous queries, it is however a given that it has become
so hard to trust the present administration, to believe that
roic option, some kind of an alleged www.ovc.blogspot.com
it will do what is right, true and just.
Volume 42 • Number 1 27
FROM THE
I N B O X
Worry not
bug
F
or months I notice the painted
rock that sat on Karen’s coffee
table. The rock was painted
and its face had a smile that just
The window
made you smile when you looked at
it. I examined the rock and painted on
the bottom was “why worry”. Curi-
ous I asked Karen where she got the
T
wo men, both seriously ill, occupied should he have all the pleasure of seeing rock.
the same hospital room. One man everything while I never get to see any- She told me that during a very
was allowed to sit up in his bed for thing? It didn’t seem fair. As the thought stressful time in her life, a friend that
an hour a day to drain the fluids from his fermented, the man felt ashamed at first. she worked with gave her the rock.
lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only But as the days passed and he missed Her friend told her that when she
window. The other man had to spend all seeing more sights, his envy eroded into looked at this rock, she was to re-
his time flat on his back. resentment and soon turned him sour. He member not to worry so much. Her
The men talked for hours on end. began to brood and found himself unable friend called it her “worry not bug”.
They spoke of their wives and families, to sleep. He should be by that window— There was a poem with the rock, she
their homes, their jobs, their involvement and that thought now controlled his life. went and got it and as I read the
in the military service, where they had Late one night, as he lay staring at the poem I thought how true it was:
been on vacation. And every afternoon ceiling, the man by the window began to • Why Worry by Author Unknown
when the man in the bed next to the win- cough. He was choking on the fluid in his • 40% will never happen, for anxi-
dow could sit up, he would pass the time lungs. The other man watched in the dimly ety is the result of a tired mind,
by describing to his roommate all the things lit room as the struggling man by the • 30% concerns old decisions
he could see outside the window. window groped for the button to call for which cannot be altered,
The man in the other bed would live help. Listening from across the room, he • 12% centers in criticism, mostly
for those one-hour periods where his never moved, never pushed his own but- untrue, made by people who
world would be broadened and enlivened ton which would have brought the nurse feel inferior,
by all the activity and color of the outside running. In less than five minutes, the • 10% is related to my health
world. The window overlooked a park coughing and choking stopped, along with which worsens while I worry,
with a lovely lake, the man had said. the sound of breathing. Now, there was and only
Ducks and swans played on the water only silence—deathly silence. • 8% is “legitimate,” showing
while children sailed their model boats. The following morning, the day nurse that life does have real prob-
Lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers of arrived to bring water for their baths. When lems which may be met head-on
every color of the rainbow. Grand old she found the lifeless body of the man by when I have eliminated sense-
trees graced the landscape, and a fine the window, she was saddened and called less worries.
view of the city skyline could be seen in the hospital attendant to take it away—no Karen went on to explain that
the distance. As the man by the window words, no fuss. As soon as it seemed she used to worry about everything
described all this in exquisite detail, the appropriate, the man asked if he could be and everyone. She now uses the
man on the other side of the room would moved next to the window. The nurse was rock as a reminder not to worry about
close his eyes and imagine the pictur- happy to make the switch and after making the things she cannot change. She
esque scene. sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. also went on to tell me that when she
One warm afternoon the man by the Slowly, painfully, he propped himself finds herself worrying, she asks
window described a parade passing by. up on one elbow to take his first look. herself what percentage this worry
Although the other man could not hear the Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it is? Most of the time she found what
band, he could see it in his mind’s eye as all himself. He strained to slowly turn to she was worrying about was the
the gentleman by the window portrayed it look out the window beside the bed. It 40% things that will never happen.
with descriptive words. Unexpectedly, an faced a blank wall. rowena.dalanon@cbcpworld.net
alien thought entered his head: Why rowena.dalanon@cbcpworld.net
Transforming Society
Reflections on the kingdom and politics
Melba Padilla Maggay, Ph.D.
Just how possible is it to trans- to seek justice and meet the egies, dangers and traps in the
form Philippine society? To free face of Christ in their suffering arena of social involvement…
it from the culture of corruption neighbor. In her introduction, it offers a timely reminder to
that continually feeds the per- the author uses the story of keep our focus on God and His
petuation of dehumanizing Lazarus as a springboard to work in the world…” Grounded
poverty? Although this book highlight her point, thus chal- in Scriptures, these sociologi-
posits no definite answer to the lenging readers to reflect on cal reflections surely challenge
question, it however, “shares what each can do to bring the Church and each one of us
perspective and lessons about change and transforma- in particular. The book dares
learned out of hard-won tion in Philippine society. Fr. us to look deeply into our hearts
struggle.” Maggay goes on to Bienvenido Nebres, SJ pro- and see what and how, we as
say that the book serves as poses his own insights by say- an individual and as a church
“signposts for fellow travelers”, ing, “the book offers useful re- have to do to bring transforma-
a guide for those who continue flections on attitudes and strat- tion to society.
Volume 42 • Number 1 29
ENTERTAINMENT
Ex-PM charged with Youth crime rises Attacks on Christian Nationalists earn land-
extortion churches persist slide victory
The number of juvenile
A metropolitan trial criminals in China has Fear haunts Iraqi Chris- Taiwan’s opposition
court has formally doubled to 80 thousand tians as attacks on nationalists, who favor
charged Former Prime over the past 10 years. churches continue, Fides closer ties with China
Minister Sheikh Hasina Blame goes to China’s one- service reported. On Jan. won a landslide victory in
with extortion for alleg- child policy, creating a 9 in Kirkuk, two car bombs parliamentary elections,
edly receiving $440,000 generation of single chil- exploded close to the boosting their party’s
from a businessman when dren who are unable to Chaldean church and the chances of regaining the
she was still in power. respond to social chal- Syrian Orthodox church of presidency in March. The
Her sister, Sheikh Rehana lenges. But analysts argue Mar Ephrem. No one was win by the nationalist
and cousin Sheikh Selim, that rather than the said reportedly hurt. Kuomintang dealt a dev-
who was also a former policy—the education sys- astating blow to the party
minister, were likewise tem and social environ- INDIA of President Chen Shui-
charged for their partici- ment should be blamed. bian.
pation in the alleged ex- BURMA
Business embracing
tortion. Eastern philosophy PAKISTAN
US to boost sanctions
Multinational corpora- Abducted Christians
E. TIMOR tions are turning to eastern
The US gov’t will lead a released
Australian PM visits global campaign to step up philosophies to counter
sanctions against Burma’s work related stress. Christians abducted last
Timor military rule if it persists to Vedanta, an Indian philoso- Jan. 4 by alleged Taliban
snub calls for a transition phy, is now being taught at militants in Waziristan
Australian PM Hon institutions such as Colom-
Kevin Rudd visited East to democracy. At least 31 province were freed on Jan
people were killed and hun- bia Business School and
Timor to lend his support 13. Asianews said the vic-
dreds more missing, after London Business School. tims were freed after an
to efforts to stabilize and
rebuild the nation after last the military cracked down intense “political pressure”
year's violence. More than on protests last year led by CAMBODIA on the kidnappers. Altaf
2,000 Australian-led inter- Buddhist monks. Masih, Babar Masih,
national forces and UN NEPAL HRW urges gov’t to en- Emanuell, Sakhawat Masih
police remain on patrol, sure safety of Buddhist and his son Imran Masih
deployed to restore and Probe Kathmandu ‘kill- monks were traveling to Wana a
maintain calm after un- ing field’ Der, when the abduction
rest flared on Dili's A human rights group happened.
streets. The government’s fail- urged the government to
ure to protect the site of ensure the safety of Bud- IRAN
PHILIPPINES alleged army killings in dhist monks whom police
Kathmandu signals an un- attacked during a recent Iran to answer nuke
Catholic Priest killed in willingness to probe past peaceful protest against questions
RP atrocities, Human Rights the imprisonment of
Watch said. “This site may monks in Vietnam to the Officials here will be
A Catholic priest has reveal horrific killings Vietnamese Embassy in answering all the remain-
been killed in the South- linked to the Nepali army, Phnom Penh. HRW said ing questions from the UN
ern Philippines on Janu- and the government has the gov’t should “emulate” nuke watchdog related to
ary 15. Oblates of Mary got to move more quickly the police involved for the country’s controver-
Immaculate (OMI) mis- to investigate,” said HRW. what they did. They are sial atomic program next
sionary Fr Reynaldo Roda Officials earlier made fine- Cambodian citizens month. “We will try to
was shot dead inside a sounding statements on (monks) who deserve pro- solve all the outstanding
Catholic school in human rights, “but when tection, not more mistreat- questions by mid-Febru-
Tabawan, in Tawi-tawi it comes to actual cases ment, from the Cambo- ary,” said Gholam Reza
province. The incident is it’s doing precious little to dian government,” the Aghazadeh, Iran’s atomic
under investigation. investigate effectively.” group said. energy organization head.
Volume 42 • Number 1 31