Be vigilant like Mary—bishop

A Catholic bishop urged his flock to place their trust in the maternal guidance of Mary in the face of uncertainties and fear spawned by proliferation of crimes around them.

Daet Bishop Gilbert Garcera, in a pastoral letter, exhorted the faithful to imitate the example of Mary, saying that “God will continue to lavish us with His choicest blessings through the powerful intercessions of Mary, our Mother.”

“Like Mary, we are being called to be vigilant lest evil forces overwhelm us. As a popular adage would put it ‘For evil to triumph, it is enough that good men do nothing’,” Garcera said.

“She guides and protects us as we tread the treacherous roads of this world that seek to draw us away from Jesus,” the bishop added.

Garcera noted that reports of a number of crimes committed within the province have been spreading in the past months sowing fear in people.

“Some of us must have experienced personally these crimes that disturbed our peace and our sense of security in the province of Camarines Norte,” he said.

The province has recently had a spate of robbery and murder targeting business establishments and businessmen.

Mining sites in the province particularly in the towns of Paracale, Jose Panganiban and Labo had also its share of violence and killing.

Garcera urged the people to do their share “in working for peace in our province and in our country by being pro-active.”

“Let us join hands with our local government and the different law enforcement agencies in driving away the dark clouds of evil from our midst so that justice and peace will reign once more in our locality,” he said.

“It seems that ours is a time that is constantly buffeted by the stormy winds of greed, violence and the unbridled quest for riches and power,” the bishop added.

The pastoral letter, released in time for the celebration of the Solemnity of Mary on January 1 and the World Day of Peace reiterates a previous papal message to ask Mary’s intercession for peace, especially where violence is rampant.

Garcera said the Filipinos’ devotion to Mary has reaped numerous benefits on the people.

He said this devotion is also manifest in the local Church of Daet, saying that the Vatican approval of the canonical coronation of Nuestra Señora de Candelaria during the closing ceremonies of the quadricentennial celebrations of the diocese’s first three parishes was in itself a distinctive gift that highlights the people’s love and devotion to the Blessed Mother.

As the diocese aims to accomplish two events for 2012 to revitalize the spiritual life of the faithful, Garcera hopes that the said occasions “will bring us closer to God’s plan for us.”

The diocese will celebrate in 2012 the Year on Liturgy which aims to bring the faithful to worship God “with more dignity and solemnity.”

Another event is the reorganization of the Parish Pastoral Councils and the Parish Finance Councils “to become more effective and efficient in responding to the peculiar needs and challenges of the present times.” (CBCPNews)

Bishop calls for communal action to protect environment

A Catholic bishop urged people to look deeply into the issue of environmental destruction that contributed greatly to the tragedy that struck the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan.

Iligan bishop Elenito Galido called for a communal action to protect and preserve the environment from further destruction.

Cagayan de Oro and Iligan were the two cities worst hit by typhoon Sendong in a flash flood that killed thousands and left hundreds missing.

“We must do more, as a community, to be in solidarity and work intensely to protect and preserve our environment,” the bishop said.

He lamented how greed pushed some people to illegally cut down trees all “for a quick gain.”

“Quarrying and mining indiscriminately also contributed to the destruction of nature. Loads of garbage are clogging our water ways. These are all man’s work so we suffer from nature’s wrath,” he added.

Even as he grieves for the sufferings and the loss of lives of many, the bishop also lauded the generosity of people in helping the victims.

“I am also consoled by the fact that this calamity has brought out the best in people, sharing generously their resources and efforts in whatever way they can to alleviate the suffering of the victims,” Galido said.

The diocese has put up an assistance center at St. Michael’s Cathedral to receive donations for the victims.

“I ask all our parishes, schools, organizations, and basic ecclesial communities to give the needed assistance or contribution to the victims,” the bishop added.

He also asked the people to continue to help and pray for the victims

“As they journey forward to rebuild their lives, they need strength and hope which can come from our help and most especially from God,” he said.

“My heart goes out to the suffering survivors of this terrible tragedy even as I deeply condole with the families whose loved ones perished. I commend their souls to the God’s mercy and I also pray that many more will be found alive and rescued,” Galido further said.

On December 17, flash floods triggered by large amount of rainfall brought by Typhoon Sendong submerged most barangays of Iligan City.

Worst hit were communities from San Lorenzo Parish that left several hundreds dead and hundreds more missing. (CBCPNews)

Bishop blames illegal logging, mining for flash floods

CAGAYAN DE ORO Archbishop Antonio J. Ledesma has blamed illegal logging and irresponsible mining activities for the massive flooding that submerged Cagayan de Oro and neighboring towns at the height of Typhoon Sendong, December 16.

Illegal logging and mining activities have caused the degradation of the environment and the siltation of the river bed, said the archbishop in a pastoral letter released December 21.

“The continued hydraulic flush mining along Iponan River has likewise caused widespread flooding of the Canitoan-Iponan areas of the city,” he added.

Ledesma said it is important to boost the Cagayan de Oro River Basin Management Council to protect and conserve Cagayan de Oro’s river system, “our most precious natural resource after our human resources.”

Earlier, multi-sectoral groups led by Ledesma has petitioned President Benigno Aquino III to create the Cagayan de Oro River Basin Management Council that will oversee the protection of the city’s watershed area.

The resolution urged Aquino to prioritize the completion of the River Basin plan and to mandate the immediate coordination among responsible agencies and officials for its finalization.

“We also encourage the President to certify as urgent the pending legislative measures in Congress regarding the creation of the said River Basin Management Council and to implore the members of Congress to hasten the passage of such bill into law, which is tied to the adaptation strategy which is embodied in the national climate change action plan which the President signed last November 24, 2011,” the resolution partly read.

The entire river basin area of Cagayan de Oro River extends to the northwestern part of Bukidnon and surrounding areas. (CBCPNews)

Archdiocese helps re-build lives in the face of grief

CHRISTMAS is a time of rejoicing, but for thousands of families in Cagayan de Oro City, it’s a time of grief, of rebuilding lives and homes.

With thousands of families huddled in evacuation centers, the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro is faced with the great challenge of helping families re-build their lives and homes after rampaging flash floods destroyed properties and killed many.

In a pastoral letter, Archbishop Antonio J. Ledesma expressed solidarity with the victims saying that the tragedy has indeed brought intense sorrow for everyone.

“[But] even as we grieve with those directly affected by this tragedy, the challenge for us now is to help re-build the lives and broken homes of the survivors,” he said, adding that “evacuation centers are slowly being organized in the distribution of relief goods – in particular, water, food, medicine, mats, blankets, etc.”

The archbishop lauded volunteers and organizations who have shared their time, energy and resources to help the victims.

He said social workers and parishes affected by the floods have collaborated with government agencies in running the evacuation centers in the City Central School, West City Central School, Macasandig, Bulua, Kauswagan, Iponan, and others.

The city’s 14 centers have been providing shelter and basic needs to more than 7,000 families and 43,000 individuals.

Ledesma said the longer-term challenge is to help these families re-build their present homes or re-locate to safer grounds.

Earlier, President Benigno Aquino has visited the areas battered by the typhoon and declared a national state of calamity. He also instructed city officials not to allow any family “to return to extremely dangerous areas.”

Ledesma said that almost everyone in the city has lost some relatives or personal friends in the tragedy.

“Schools have lost some students and staff; officemates have not reported because of the condition of their homes; and a number of unidentified bodies still await a dignified burial in a common resting place,” he said.
The sudden rise of flood waters evening of December 16 have caught people unaware. Many lost their lives, either trapped by rising flood waters inside their homes or washed away by rampaging waters.

Floating bodies were retrieved in nearby towns, with many still unaccounted for.

As of Friday morning, death toll from the floods has reach 1,080, based on the data released by the National Disaster Coordinating Council. (CBCPNews)

Mindanao bishops reject Tampakan mines; urge govt to protect people’s interests

Three Mindanao bishops called on the government to protect and promote the interest of the people and not of mining companies.

Kidapawan Bishop Romulo dela Cruz, Marbel Bishop Dinualdo Guetierrez and Digos Bishop Guillermo Afable, in a collective statement, urged for protection of the environment and promote sustainable development.

The prelates reiterated their opposition to the Tampakan Copper and Gold Project of London based XSTRATA/SMI, which has a $5.6 B worth of mining investment in the country.

Mining will bring irreversible damage to the environment, the bishops stated, as they call for a moratorium from mining activity.

They added that they are particularly concerned of “the biodiversity and the last remaining forest, livelihood, food security, health and of the poor communities both of the IPs and the down-stream communities.”

Bishop Dela Cruz said he is not convinced “that the good which can be expected of the project will outweigh the harm it brings to man and nature alike.”

The prelates also called on authorities to respect the indigenous people’s right to self-determination. The Tampakan project is situated on ancestral lands belonging to B’laan communities.

Fr. Rey Ondap, a Passionist priest who works at the Catholic Mission on Indigenous Peoples, said that because of strong opposition from IPs to the project, “tensions are prevalent.”

The alleged harassment of the military in the IP communities prompted Marbel Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez to urge concerned parties to “avoid the escalation of violence.”

The bishops also denounced the country’s skewed mining policies which favor foreign investors to the detriment of the environment and the people’s health and livelihood.

They argued that after many years of mining the country’ minerals, only hazardous waste will be left to the Filipinos.

“The countries metallic minerals will be all gone and our laws only [required] pitiful taxes [from the company], but its destruction of the watershed, protected areas and agricultural zones are irreversible,” the bishops said.

XSTRATA/SMI is only required to pay the government a 2% excise tax and other local taxes during its operation.

But the bishops said the taxes “which the mining companies are boasting are all fictitious because of its very minimal contribution of the mining industry to the Gross National Product (GNP).”

They also pointed out that the Tampakan Copper and Gold Project go against President Benigno Aquino’s seven strategic priorities to combat climate change, namely: 1) food security, 2) water sufficiency, 3) ecosystem and environmental stability, 4) human security, 5) climate smart industries and services, 6) sustainable energy, and 7) knowledge and capacity development.

“Above all, it goes against the Philippine Constitution which declares as a state policy “to promote healthy and balance ecology,” they added.

With a life span of about 17 to 20 years, the XSTRATA/SMI Tampakan project will extract around 6.375 tonnes of copper (375, 000 tonnes per annum) and 6.120 million ounces of gold (360, 000 ounces per annum of gold) in concentrate.

For his part, Digos Bishop Guillermo Afable voiced his concern on the impropriety of constructing facilities like fresh water dam and tailings dam at the Mal River Catchment, noting that these huge storage facilities are directly under criss-crossing fault lines.

His apprehension was seconded by the reviewer of the EIS of the company saying that “[t]he Tampakan mine has a high potential for loss of life and high environmental damage if a failure of Dams or Rock Storage facilities occurs.”

The bishops’ statement also noted that “the $76M Environmental Impact Assessment cost of the XSTRATA/SMI is not enough to study the impact of mining on this one of the most bio-diverse area comprehensively. It still leaves five general impacts that are not adequately answered: 1) the displacement and resettlement of onsite households, 2) the loss of onsite forest lands and biodiversity resources, 3) the diversion of surface and groundwater for the use of the mine and the displacement of existing in-stream and off stream users, 4) the acid drainage, spillage, leakages, overflows and the pollution of natural water source; 5) the risks of a tailings dam failure or collapse.

On November 9, the prelates sent a letter to the President asking for a meeting to discuss the issue of “open pit mining that is very destructive” because it is situated “in the heart of Quezon Mountain Range and at the heart of our forest and watershed,” but they did not receive any reply on the request.

The three dioceses of Kidapawan, Marbel and Digos have gathered some 108,424 signatures to back up their campaign against the mining project.

The CBCP-National Secretariat for Social Action (NASSA) submitted the signatures to Malacanang on Dec. 14.

Bishop tells govt: promote and defend human rights

Being at the service of the people, government officials are duty bound to promote and defend human rights, a Catholic bishop said.

As public servants, government officials must have as their goal the common good and not their own personal gain, said Jaro Auxiliary Bishop Gerardo Alminaza.

Alminaza, who is also head convenor of Visayas Clergy Discernment Group made the statement in anticipation of the 63rd anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, also celebrated worldwide as International Human Rights Day.

Denouncing the culture of death and impunity, he noted how justice has remained elusive to the victims of human rights violations.

“We condemn the extra-judicial killings, whose latest victims in Mindanao include our brother priest Fr. Fausto Tentorio and peasant leader Ramon Batoy. The culture of impunity hounds us, as two years after the Maguindanao Massacre, justice remains elusive,” the statement partly read.

Alminaza said social doctrines consistently promote and defend the dignity of the human person and denounce human rights violations because “a just society can become a reality only when it is based on the respect of the transcendent dignity of the human person.”

He pointed out that without justice, peace will remain elusive because “peace is the fruit of justice.”

“We are then reminding concerned groups and institutions that peace is not a mere absence of war. Rather, a peaceful society is fulfilled through the defense and promotion of human rights,” he said, quoting Church documents.

The prelate also said that “human rights include the people’s right to development,” citing environmental destruction, landlessness, homelessness and joblessness, as some of the social problems that keep many people from living a dignified life worthy of a human person.

“We assert that economic development which is a right of all people, necessarily includes environmental protection,” he said.

He stressed the need for government to respect the rights of the people because peace is not possible if there is a continuous violation of human rights.