Our inherent
desire for heaven
By
Fr. ROY CIMAGALA, roycimagala@gmail.com
February 27, 2022
THAT’S true. Despite our
weaknesses, mistakes, sins, etc., we have in our heart of hearts an
inherent desire for heaven. As the Catechism would put it, “This
desire (for happiness) is of divine origin: God has placed it in the
human heart in order to draw man to the One who alone can fulfill
it.” (1718)
This truth of our faith is
illustrated in that gospel episode where a rich young man approached
Christ, asking what he had to do to gain eternal life. (cfr. Mk
10,17-27) As that gospel story unfolded, Christ told him first to
follow the commandments, and when the young man said that he had
observed all those, Christ then told him to “sell what you have, and
give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come,
follow me.”
Well, we know how the
young man reacted to that response of Christ. It was a sad ending,
precisely because the young man found it hard and was unwilling to
follow what Christ told him. That’s when Christ said, “How hard it
is for those who have wealth to enter the Kingdom of God!...It is
easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one
who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.”
We have to realize that to
meet our inherent desire for eternal happiness, for heaven, we need
to free ourselves from any attachments to earthly things, even as we
use them and even enjoy them in our earthly affairs. The things of
this world should be a means for us to be with God. They should not
be a competitor with God.
That is why we have to
live in the strictest sense possible the virtue of Christian poverty
that allows us to use the things of this world to give glory to God
and to lead us to heaven.
We cannot overemphasize
the strategic relevance of this virtue. With all the glut of
material and temporal things now on us, we need to be more conscious
and adept in living and developing this virtue of detachment.
I don’t think we can
afford to be casual about this concern anymore. The worldly things
are now so attractive, so tempting and so riveting that if we are
not careful, there’s no way but be swept away by its rampaging
worldly laws and impulses.
This virtue has the
primary purpose of emptying our mind and heart of anything that can
compete or, worse, replace the love for God and for others which is
proper to all of us.
It’s not about running
away from worldly things, much less, of hating the goods of the
earth and our temporal affairs, but of knowing how to handle them,
so as not to compromise the fundamental law of love that should rule
us.
To repeat, it is not just
a matter of emptying ourselves but rather of filling ourselves with
what is proper to us. In short, we practice detachment to acquire
and enhance the attachment that is proper to us as God’s image and
likeness and as God’s children.
It’s quite clear that a
requirement for entering heaven is detachment from earthly things.
This should be clear to all of us, and should guide us in the way we
use the things of the world. These things should lead us to God and
to others, not isolate us, building up our own world and destiny.
Commemorating
EDSA 1, the lessons we must learn
NCCP statement for the 36th year
commemoration of EDSA People Power Uprising
February 25, 2022
The National Council of
Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) is one with the Filipino people
in celebrating the 36th anniversary of the 1986 EDSA People Power
Uprising. This momentous event in history showed to the world how we
as a people acted valiantly together to put an end to a
much-abhorred dictatorship. As we commemorate this occasion, we
invite the faithful for a deep and meaningful reflection.
Those who stood their
ground during those dark times taught us that we should not take for
granted the basic freedoms that are now enshrined in our Bill of
Rights. We should never forget that during the dark days of Martial
Law, basic rights like the freedom of speech, freedom of the press,
and the freedom to peaceably assemble, to name a few, were violently
curtailed. The numbers speak for themselves: around 70,000 people
were imprisoned; 34,000 were tortured; and, 3,240 were killed.
While the people’s civil
and political rights were being violated, the country was being
robbed blind by the dictator, his family, and his cronies. These
were all documented and proven in court. Ferdinand E. Marcos and his
wife Imelda were even listed in the World Guinness Book of Records
with the dubious distinction of committing the “The Greatest Robbery
of a Government”.
Several administrations
have passed, and the promise that was the 1986 People Power Uprising
seems to have been squandered. Under the different post-Marcos
governments, the majority of our people remain mired in poverty
while only a handful became richer. Human rights violations also
persisted and the climate and culture of impunity worsened.
Under the present
dispensation, these problems became even more glaring and we have
been common witnesses to the erosion of human rights and the dignity
of the people. The War on Drugs that took thousands of lives, the
various reports of corruption, the militarized and unscientific
handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, the negligence during typhoons
and other natural catastrophes, and the special favors given to
Pres. Duterte’s friends and allies were all reminiscent of the dark
years of Martial Law.
Nevertheless, we must
never forget the courage and vigilance of the people that spurred
EDSA 1. Moreover, EDSA 1 taught us the lesson that if the state
fails to honor democracy and freedom that must be enjoyed in full by
its citizens, then it becomes the people’s responsibility to fight
for and restore it. It is a reminder for the sovereign people and a
warning to government officials that the people’s collective power
is capable of bringing down rulers from their thrones and sending
the rich empty (cf. Luke 1: 52-53), especially when human life,
rights, and dignity are threatened and disrespected. Denouncing
evils in our society is a sacred task and we must work collectively
to ensure God’s plan of ushering peace and justice in our land.
Now that the National
Elections is imminent, may we muster the same courage, vigilance,
and active participation of those who fought 36 years ago. Let us
choose candidates who have a proven record and platform for
respecting human rights, promoting peace, and advocating for
people’s economic agenda. We must resist any candidate that will
potentially bring back, in any form, the Martial law years. May we
continue to guard our democracy by making sure that no dictator or
those who benefited from the plunder of our nation, will ever gain a
foothold in Malacañang ever again. Let us continue to pray, act and
hold fast in protecting our rights and democracy. May the spirit of
those who fought for freedom during the 1986 People Power uprising
continue to guide us.
Love,
education and poverty
(Valentine ruminations)
By
JAIME ARISTOTLE B. ALIP, Ph.D.
February 12, 2022
There are many reasons to
celebrate this month. February 1 marks the Lunar New Year, also
known as Chinese New Year, which will be celebrated across the world
until February 15. Omicron may have given us an inauspicious start
in January, but I am so glad that we are kicking off the Year of the
Water Tiger with news that COVID-19 cases are declining nationwide.
February 14, of course, is
Valentine’s Day. Many lucky couples will celebrate this holiday with
love, flowers and chocolates. My wife and I will make do with our
usual morning tête-à-tête over kapeng barako and pandesal, our
weathered hearts full of celebrations past. With our kids and apos,
the love of friends and colleagues who are like extended family to
us, every day feels like Valentine’s. And we are grateful for that.
I am also praying that the
IATF will brighten our hearts on February 14, when it announces the
updated alert levels as it continues to monitor existing
restrictions in light of the decline in COVID-19 infections. The
Philippines is now back to moderate risk status, an improvement from
the previous high and critical risk classification. I hope that we
can all look forward to the reopening of the economy. Let us show
our love for others by following health safety standards like
frequent handwashing, observing physical distance, and wearing of
face masks.
There is another reason to
celebrate February 14. It is the 21st anniversary of the CARD-MRI
Development Institute (CMDI), a globally-recognized learning
institution grown from our humble corner of the world, the scenic
province of Laguna. How CMDI came about is also a love story, hewn
from our decades of rural development work with the marginalized
sectors.
CMDI began as the training
unit for personnel of the Center for Agriculture and Rural
Development (CARD), a non-government organization, which provides
microfinance and related services to poor women. As CARD grew into
several mutually-reinforcing institutions (MRIs) in response to the
needs of our expanding clientele, our capacity-building needs also
became more complex. We were rather naïve when we started CARD in
1986. Full of idealism, armed with limited funds and boundless hope,
we thought we only needed to provide microcredit to transform the
lives of our clients. But things were not that simple.
You see, poverty has many
roots, and lack of education is one of them. Working directly with
the poor --especially those in the rural areas -- we saw this
firsthand. Our clients suffer many forms of deprivation and their
needs go beyond microfinance. Providing them with funds for
livelihood is good, yes, but more is needed: financial literacy,
training in microenterprises, marketing support, microinsurance, and
a host of other things.
Thus, we established the
CARD Training Center in 2000 in Barangay Tranca, Bay, Laguna. In
there, we trained not just our staff, but our clients. Later on,
other organizations also approached us for their training needs. And
this is how our training unit evolved into the CMDI: a learning
resources network that provides an array of practitioner-led
training and education services to our staff and members, as well as
other microfinance practitioners seeking advanced education in
applied microfinance. It is now a government-recognized educational
institution with facilities in Baguio, Pasay, and Masbate, as well
as a campus in Tagum, Davao.
Nelson Mandela once said
that “Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the
world.” The story of CMDI certainly proves this truth. As of
December 2021, CMDI has trained 1,570,848 clients under its Credit
with Education (CwE) program. Imagine the multiplier effect that
more than a million individuals trained on health, business,
microinsurance, disaster preparedness, and credit discipline could
have on their communities. The impact of these trainings had been
felt not just by our clients and their families. Through many
disasters and emergencies, our clients have become community
leaders, sharing with others what they have learned from us.
To help break the
inter-generational cycle of poverty, CMDI now offers affordable
education to clients and their children. It offers Senior High
School, TESDA-accredited courses and baccalaureate programs. CMDI
has granted more than 15,000 educational scholarships to poor and
deserving students.
Why focus on education?
Education is crucial
because it directly correlates with many solutions to poverty,
including economic growth and reduced income inequality. It is also
the highest aspirations of our clients: that their children get an
education. To poor parents, sending their children to school is the
greatest act of love.
Many Filipinos lack access
to education. According to DepEd, more than 3 million were not able
to enroll last year, while the latest PSA data (2017) show that we
have 3.53 million out-of-school youth, half of them from families
whose income fall within the bottom 30 percent of the population.
Based on PSA’s 2018 Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), which
serves to complement the income-based measure of poverty, indicators
on educational attainment consistently had the highest incidence of
deprivation among Filipino families.
CMDI, then, is our humble
contribution to filling this educational gap. Providing training to
clients empowers and enables them to change their lives. We provide
affordable quality education to help our clients realize their dream
of securing their children’s future. It is also an act of love on
our part.
And because February is
the month of love, let me end with this quote from Brazilian
educator and philosopher Paulo Freire: “Education is an act of love,
thus, an act of courage.”
We are courageous in our
love.
Let’s go viral
and trending
By
Fr. ROY CIMAGALA
January 20, 2022
LIKE Christ, we should try
to attract as many people as possible in order to lead them to
Christ. In a sense, we should be like today’s influencers in the
media and the cyberworld who with their gimmicks manage to go viral
and trending with whatever messages they want to convey.
Of course, we should do
this with the proper rectitude of intention, which is that
everything should be done for the glory of God and to truly help
people in their spiritual life and in their relation with God and
with everybody else. We have to rid ourselves of any ulterior
motive.
In the gospel, we can see
how Christ managed to attract many people mainly due to his
tremendous power of preaching and the miracles he made. But in all
these, he always warned the people not to make him known. He did all
the wonderful things trying his best to pass unnoticed. This can be
observed, for example, in the gospel of Mark, chapter 3, verses 7 to
12.
We need to realize more
deeply that we are meant to have a universal sense of apostolate, of
helping lead people back to God. Let’s always keep in mind that
mandate Christ gave to his apostles before he ascended into heaven.
“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them
to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Mt 28,19-20)
It’s a mandate that is
actually meant for all the disciples of Christ and believers of God.
We have to have a universal sense of apostolate. As one saint would
put it, of 100 souls we should be interested in 100.
For this purpose, we cannot exaggerate the need for us to master the
teachings of Christ, the doctrine of our Christian faith. Of course,
we can only achieve that if we make the effort to identify ourselves
more closely with Christ, who is not only a historical character,
but a living person who continues to guide us and to share his power
with us.
We also have to learn how
to adapt our language to the mentality of the people, always taking
note of their culture, their temperament, and all the other
conditionings that describe them. Let’s remember that the Christian
faith is full of mysteries that certainly are over our head, and the
challenge is for us to know how to make them appreciated, loved and
lived. Obviously, we always need to beg for God’s grace for this
purpose.
But we have to know how to
convey the supernatural truths of our faith in a human and
attractive way, without compromising the integrity of these truths.
We should always be monitoring the developments of the world as we
go along, so that we would know how to present the Christian
doctrine in a way that flows with the wavelength of the people
today, especially the young.
This is when we can try to
use appropriate memes and other catchy slogans, so popular these
days. With rectitude of intention, let’s not be shy from making our
evangelization to go viral and trending.
Again, in all of these, we
should never forget that the first means we have to use are the
spiritual and supernatural ones: prayer, sacrifices, recourse to the
sacraments, continuing study of doctrine and formation, etc.
Best gifts for
the season
By
JAIME ARISTOTLE B. ALIP, PhD
December 23, 2021
Pandemic or not, the
Christmas season is here. With the cool amihan wind comes a hopeful
air, so soothing after almost two years of uncertainty and fear.
These days, Christmas carols play in malls and radio stations,
parols light the streets, and holiday decorations brighten our
homes. Many Filipinos, young and old, are preoccupied with gifts:
what to gifts to give, what gifts to receive, worries about being
unable to give to loved ones. The devastation wrought by Typhoon
Odette has put a damper on things, but, like what happened in the
wake of Typhoon Yolanda in 2013, the catastrophe has brought out the
best of the Filipino. People from all walks of life are trying to
chip in, with social media filled with news about donation drives,
prayers for those affected and a myriad of stories of how people are
reaching out to those affected.
Gift giving at Christmas
is a Christian tradition that is widely practiced around the world,
symbolic of the tributes made to the baby Jesus by the Three Wise
Men in the story of the Nativity. It is heartening to see that in
this difficult time, in the wake of Odette’s devastation, even with
the threat of Omicron and fears of another COVID-19 surge, people
are rising above difficulties to give the best gift of all:
themselves.
Unusual, but Necessary
Gifts
We all strive to give
gifts that our families and friends would appreciate. The internet
is full of lists of gift suggestions – food, toys, bags, shoes,
books, household, and office items. Everything from day-to-day stuff
to the bizarre and unusual is being offered. And there is also my
personal favorite, the list of gifts that give back. These are the
ones that support important causes, with proceeds going to
charities, non-profits, and communities.
This year, I hope we give
gifts that transform lives. We can still give our loved ones their
favorite stuff, but we can buy from sources where part of the
proceeds goes to charity. We can also make donations in the name of
our loved ones to support causes that are important to them.
Maybe,
instead of giving cash or toys to our inaanaks, we can open a kiddie
savings account for them, giving not just the monetary value of the
items we originally intended to give but also paving the way for
financial literacy. This is important, because recent studies show
that Filipinos struggle to understand basic financial concepts, with
a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) survey showing that 41% of
Filipinos can only answer one of three financial literacy questions
correctly and a meager eight percent can answer three. BSP data also
show that about 36.9 million Filipino adults have no bank accounts.
This significant number of unbanked Filipinos (48% of the country's
adult population) is brought on by factors other than low-income
levels. To address the situation, BSP is promoting financial
inclusion. The DepEd is integrating financial education in the K to
12 Basic Education Curriculum. The private sector is also helping,
with fintechs and banks reaching out to low-income groups and
helping microfinance institutions serve the poor in remote and
underserved areas. This Christmas, we can help their initiatives in
our own little ways. Aside from kiddie savings, we can get kids
started on financial literacy by giving them books or board games
that help explain basic financial concepts.
We can also give the gift
of education, probably the most transformative gift of all. We can
donate to scholarship funds. Finance a poor kid’s education for a
semester. Or enroll family members in online courses or projects
that will give them new skills – painting, designing, photography,
pottery, cooking, baking. The possibilities are endless.
The gift of livelihood is
another great offering. While not everyone is in the position to
offer direct employment to others, we can still open doors by giving
referrals and linking people to those with job openings. We can also
tell our kasambahays about government offices or MFIs that provide
livelihood opportunities so they can encourage their family members
to join. Maybe, we help someone turn their hobby into a business. If
your teenager enjoys writing fiction, you can give him a
subscription to online resources that would help him get published.
If your sister makes lovely artworks or handicrafts, you can enroll
her in courses that would help her sell her creations online. You
can help your titos and titas who like to bake get started on their
online food delivery business. Or you can refer them to
organizations like the Center for Agriculture and Rural Development
Mutually Reinforcing Institutions (CARD MRI), which supports
micro-small-and medium enterprises.
As we are now almost two
years into the COVID-19 pandemic, health is important. Let us give
loved ones gifts that will help them take care of their health. Give
healthier versions of your friends’ favorite foods. Give them
fitness tracker gadgets to help them monitor their daily goals. Or
give them yoga mats, water bottles, small exercise gears like
dumbbells and jump ropes. And because we live in the midst of a
pandemic, the best gift of all would be face masks. Washable ones,
so we can minimize the carbon footprint. In fact, it would be good
if we can give away face masks to strangers.
And in the wake of Typhoon
Odette which displaced hundreds of thousands of our kababayans, let
us give the gift of charity. Join one of the many donation drives to
assist victims. Government agencies and private sector have called
for volunteers. Many MFIs and mutual benefit associations are also
playing a big role in helping clients in relief and rehabilitation.
Let us all join these efforts and help affected communities in
Palawan, Southern Leyte, Eastern Samar, Agusan, Surigao, Cebu and
Bohol. They have lost their homes, livelihood, loved ones. The
communities are still submerged in floods, infrastructures had been
destroyed, and so they lack food, water, clothing, and other basic
necessities. Helping them would be among the best gift we can give
this Christmas.
Letting Gifts into Our
Lives
It has been a difficult
two years since COVID-19 entered our lives. Then, just as things
were beginning to improve, Typhoon Odette came. Yet, amidst its
devastation, the all-important Filipino value – malasakit – still
pervades. Filipinos are helping those affected by Odette, giving
their resources, time and effort to even in this difficult time of
pandemic. It is a giving of self that should be celebrated.
Gifts are signs of
affection. It is an important part of human interaction, defining
relationships and strengthening bonds. And it is often the giver,
rather than the recipient, who reaps the biggest rewards from a
gift.
And so, as we greet the
holidays, let us give the best gifts we can: gifts that will help
our loved ones cope with the changes and challenges of the times.
Let us give lasting gifts. The gift of hope. The gift of education.
The gift of trust. The gift of livelihood opportunities. The gift of
financial literacy. Gifts that contribute to people’s financial
security and health. These are unusual gifts, true, but they have
the greatest potential for transforming people’s lives.
Life itself is a gift. Let
us give gifts that will keep on giving.
Economic recovery
and going back to the basics
By
JAIME ARISTOTLE B. ALIP,
PhD
December 20, 2021
The sun always comes out
after a storm. The adage is true, as slowly, the country is moving
from a pandemic to an endemic mindset. All regions are now
classified as minimal to low-risk from COVID-19, and over 40 million
Filipinos (almost 40% of the population) have been fully vaccinated.
Herd immunity is becoming a reality, as the Government eyes a second
mass vaccination drive to raise the number of fully inoculated to 54
million before the year ends.
Truly, we have a lot of things to be grateful for as the Christmas
season approaches. Public transport capacity has expanded, the
economy is reopening, and quarantine requirements had been relaxed.
Already, economists and multilateral agencies have raised the
Philippine growth forecast for this year and 2022.
COVID is still around, yes, but we are learning to live with it. As
a social development practitioner and financial inclusion advocate,
I propose going back to the basics to sustain these gains. Finally,
we are on our way to rebounding from the deep economic contraction
in 2020. The challenge for us is to push the momentum towards full
economic recovery and social renewal.
Microfinance and Financial Inclusion
Going back to the basics means revisiting our roots. Nowadays, the
term “microfinance” is almost passé, having been swallowed by the
broader phrase “financial inclusion.” But microfinance practitioners
should rally behind the fact that microfinance is the heart and soul
of financial inclusion, since the industry pioneered the
transformative vision of making financial services accessible to
poor people. Much remains to be done to reach the unserved and
underserved. The COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated the situation,
with more people becoming poor, and the poor becoming even poorer.
While digital transformation among microfinance providers -- as well
as the rise of fintechs -- have improved access to financial
services, the digital divide remains a challenge among the poor
population.
Why is there a need to focus on microfinance? From a developmental
perspective, any improvement in capital markets reaching the margins
is a good thing. A lot of research has examined the positive impact
of microfinance on peoples’ lives and its positive benefits to the
country’s economy. At first glance, microfinance seems
counter-intuitive given its goal of facilitating poor people’s
access to much-needed financial services and integrating them in the
formal financial system. In a manner of speaking, the goal is to
‘graduate’ them from microfinance, and therein lies the rub.
Microfinance has a long way to go. Because the problem of the poor
is more than just access to financial services. Poverty eradication
advocates and microfinance advocates understand this. Giving
financial aid is crucial, but beyond that, the poor needs financial
literacy, capacity-building, marketing support, and a gamut of
services that will allow them to be productive members and
change-agents in their communities.
And how does microfinance relate to financial inclusion?
Microfinance -- the extension of financial and other support
services to low income groups -- is a very important economic
conduit designed to facilitate their inclusion in the formal
financial system and assist the poor to work their way out of
poverty. Financial inclusion aims to give everyone access to banking
and other useful financial tools, while microfinance seeks to ensure
that the use of those tools leads to positive benefits for the poor.
Simply put, microfinance aims to address more than the problem of
access; its ultimate goal is to give impoverished people an
opportunity to become self-sufficient. And that is why microfinance
is more important than ever.
Rural Development and Agricultural Financing
We also need to revisit the crucial role of microfinance in the
rural development process. Agriculture remains the backbone of the
Philippine economy, and 75% of poor Filipinos live in rural and
agricultural areas. The way is clear, as we should go where we are
needed – that is, towards providing financial support to help
farmers, agricultural workers and agri-preneurs. Agricultural
financing will help us make a dent in the country’s poverty
situation while also contributing to our food security. The latter
is especially important, as the COVID pandemic has disrupted the
food supply chain, which is everybody’s concern.
The Philippine Statistics Authority has reported that the
Philippines’ value of production in agriculture fell by 2.6% in the
third quarter of 2021. The drop was attributed to the decline in
production of crops, livestock and fisheries during the quarter. The
provision by the government of agricultural credit, the opening of
the economy and the relaxation of rules on travel and community
quarantine have given breathing space to farmers and fishers, but a
lot remains to be done to help them recoup their losses from this
year’s typhoons and the pandemic.
To respond to this need and also given its background, the Center
for Agriculture and Rural Development Mutually-Reinforcing
Institutions (CARD MRI) has always prioritized support for
agricultural and agribusiness endeavors. Its approach is holistic.
CARD MRI provides microcredit, microinsurance, capacity-building,
and market support to farming families, giving priority to poor
women in rural areas. Its agri-loan program finances agricultural
production and related activities, e.g., acquisition of farm
equipment, poultry and livestock, fishery products, crops, fruits
and vegetables production, seedlings and ornamental plants
production. In addition, the CARD Crop Assistance Program (CCAP)
assists clients whose agricultural business has been damaged by
natural calamities. It also implements a credit-with-education
program as part of its agri-loan product, and links clients to
individual and institutional buyers. Its business development
services include trade fairs for agri-preneurs and facilitation of
their clients’ partnership with industrial buyers. CARD MRI has a
long-standing partnership with the LBP, IFC, BPI, BDO, PNB, and
other commercial banks for the provision of microcredit to poor
people in rural areas.
Why Advocacy is Crucial
Be that as it may, and despite its outreach of 7.8 million clients
nationwide, CARD MRI is just one industry player in an ever-growing
sea of low-income agricultural families needing support.
Thus, we need to intensify our advocacy and place microfinance,
financial inclusion, and yes, agriculture, at the forefront of
policy debates as the country braces for the 2022 election. A
vibrant agricultural sector is the key to faster economic recovery,
and our next batch of leaders should be made cognizant of this, as
well as the crucial role that the microfinance industry plays in the
country’s development and in combating poverty.
Microfinance is important because we need more than just
institutions providing financial aid to the needy; we need a
transformative relationship that goes beyond access to banks or
credit provision. The government must ensure that those who are
marginalized even by the digital revolution are served. And we need
to stay the course, because when there are a lot of challenges, the
only way to go is forward.
We are now on the right track to economic recovery. Even with the
threat of new COVID variants emerging, the Philippines -- like the
rest of the world -- can move forward. We can do this if we will
just go back to the basics, and not lose sight of our poor brethren.
What really is
God’s word?
By
Fr. ROY CIMAGALA,
roycimagala@gmail.com
November 25, 2021
“HEAVEN and earth will
pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Lk 21,33)
With these words of
Christ, we should feel the need to know what exactly is God’s word.
Why will it not pass away?
The simple answer is that
God’s word is not just an idea, a doctrine, an ideology. It’s not
just a strategy, a culture or a lifestyle. Of course, God’s word
involves all these, but unless we understand God’s word as Christ
himself, the God who became man to reveal to us all that we need to
know, all that we need to do to be God’s image and likeness as God
wants us to be, we will miss the real essence and character of God’s
word.
We have to realize that
the word of God cannot be separated from God himself. That’s because
God is so perfect as to be in absolute simplicity. As such, God has
no parts, no aspects, no quality or property that are distinct from
his very being. His word and his being are just one. There is no
distinction at all in him.
Of course, from our point
of view, we cannot help but to describe God according to our own
terms and ways that cannot help but make distinctions between the
essence of a being and its properties and qualities. But in himself,
God does not have distinction between his essence and the properties
that we attribute to him.
Of course, this is a
mystery, a supernatural truth that our reason cannot fully fathom.
That is why we need to have a strong faith to be able to accept this
truth. And once we accept by faith the absolute unity between God
and his word, then we will realize that reading and meditating on
the gospel is actually having a living encounter with God through
Christ.
Thus, St. Jerome, a father
of the Church, once said that to read the Scripture is to converse
with God—“If you pray, you speak with the Spouse. If you read, it is
he who speaks to you,” he said.
Only when we realize that
God’s word is Christ himself and that reading it is like having an
encounter with Christ can God’s word truly be as the Letter to the
Hebrews described it: “Alive and active. Sharper than any
double-edge sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit,
joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the
heart.” (4,12)
Of course, we have to be
that good, rich soil referred to in that parable for God’s word to
take root in us and be fruitful. Otherwise, no matter how powerfully
effective God’s word is, if the reader of that word does not have
the right condition, that word would have no effect. It would fail
to produce fruit, “thirty, sixty and even a hundredfold,” as Christ
assured us.
That means that we should
handle the word of God with great faith and piety. We should not
just treat it as some literary or historical or cultural reading. We
have to realize that we are listening to Christ and that what we
hear from him should be taken very seriously.
That means that we have to
involve our whole being when reading God’s word. It should not just
be an intellectual affair, though we have to make full use of our
intelligence and all our other faculties when reading and meditating
on it.
An urgent call
for the full transparency on the sale of the Malampaya natural gas
resource
A press statement by the
Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP)
November 24, 2021
The Malampaya Deepwater
Gas-to-Power Project under Petroleum Service Contract (“SC”) No. 38
is a vital resource in the country’s energy mix. The project employs
deepwater technology to draw natural gas that fuels three gas-fired
power plants and provides 30% of Luzon's power generation
requirements. Data from the Department of Energy (“DOE”) indicate
that given the present production level and continuous decrease in
reservoir pressure, the drop in supply is expected by 2022. SC 38
will expire in 2024 with no certainty of an extension. Only through
further exploration will the extent of Malampaya’s life is
determined.
It is thus with deep apprehension and concern that the Integrated
Bar of the Philippines view the latest developments surrounding the
ongoing divestment being done by two parties, Chevron Malampaya LLC
(“Chevron”) and Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. (“SPEX”), the
operator, under the Joint Operating Agreement (“JOA”) of SC 38.
There have been numerous allegations against the assignment of
Chevron’s 45% interest to a subsidiary of Udenna Corp. and the
ongoing divestment of SPEX’s 45% in favor of another Udenna
subsidiary. The assignment of interests, which will ultimately
enable Udenna to takeover the Malampaya facility is allegedly
detrimental to national security and interest. Regarding the
transfer of Chevron’s 45% interest to Udenna’s subsidiary, UC
Malampaya, a criminal complaint was filed with the Ombudsman on 18
October 2021 against officials of the DOE, Udenna, Chevron, SPEX,
and the state-owned Philippine National Oil Corporation (“PNOC”) and
its subsidiary PNOC-Exploration Corporation, alleging among others:
• Udenna’s subsidiary is financially and technically unqualified to
be the as- signee of the interest;
• The DOE and PNOC grossly and inexcusably neglected government’s
right to match Udenna’s offer to buy out Chevron’s 45% interest; and
• Officials of the DOE and PNOC criminally conspired with the
private respondents to give unwarranted benefits to Udenna and its
subsidiary causing undue injury to the government arising from the
questioned sale transaction.
In light of the strategic importance of the Malampaya energy
resource to national security and economic interest, the Integrated
Bar of the Philippines (“IBP”) supports the ongoing Senate Committee
on Energy’s investigation in aid of legislation on the interest
divestments to the Udenna subsidiaries. The ongoing Senate
investigation will determine if the DOE was transparent in
determining the financial and technical qualifications of the Udenna
companies to acquire the 90% interest in SC 38. In the meantime,
while the Senate investigation is ongoing, the IBP calls on the DOE
to:
• rescind its approval of Chevron’s transfer of its 45% interest in
Malampaya to Udenna’s subsidiary, UC Malampaya; and
• hold in abeyance, its approval of SPEX’s transfer of its 45% to
another Udennna subsidiary, Malampaya Energy XP.
The IBP also calls on the DOE to thoroughly review, study, and
consider the extension of SC 38 in favor of the original Malampaya
consortium – SPEX, Chevron, and PNOC EC. In this way, the original
consortium will be able to conduct further exploration on SC 38 in
light of the forthcoming depletion of the Malampaya natural gas
field. The extension will also incentivize the original consortium
to continue operating SC 38 with their proven technical and
financial track record in petroleum exploration and development in
contrast to a buyer with no proven experience in operating a
highly-technical and capital- intensive operation.
In the event that Chevron and SPEX proceed with their plans to
divest their respective interests in Malampaya, the IBP calls for
PNOC to exercise its right to match any offer laid before Chevron
and SPEX under the JOA. The IBP believes that PNOC being a
state-owned petroleum company has the mandate and wherewithal to
raise funds for acquiring the controlling interests in Malampaya. A
PNOC takeover of SC 38 will be financially advantageous to the
Philippine government since Malampaya is a producing field with an
existing infrastructure for other petroleum discoveries. In view of
this, the IBP calls on Philippine legislators to review and amend
the possible legal restrictions imposed by various legislations on
PNOC-EC as a government-owned and controlled corporation, such as
Republic Act (“RA”) No. 9184, “Procurement Law”, and RA 10149, “the
Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations Governance Law”.
Malampaya’s 500-kilometer gas pipeline to mainland Luzon is a vital
link to the possible development of potential natural gas resources
in the Recto Bank, located within the disputed West Philippine Sea
maritime area. With PNOC assuming control of the Malampaya
operations, the Philippines can be assured that its energy resources
will be protected from any possible foreign interference inimical to
national security and interests. To fund further exploration and
development, a buyer who is not technically and financially capable
of operating Malampaya may tap companies from foreign countries
having adverse interests in the West Philippine Sea dispute. This
will place our strategic energy resources and infrastructure in the
hands of hostile foreign interest.
Finally, the IBP calls on the Office of the Ombudsman to
expeditiously resolve the complaint against the officials of the
DOE, Udenna, Chevron, SPEX, and PNOC in light of the fact that this
matter is of utmost economic urgency since the Malampaya field is
nearing its depletion and the DOE appears to have no viable
alternative to replace a major source of power for Luzon. The DOE
must exercise transparency in evaluating transactions in relation to
critical energy resources and ensure that developers are financially
and technically competent. In this way, the government can forge a
sustainable balance in creating a stable investment climate and
establishing good governance practice in the management of the
country’s energy resources.
Hope on the
horizon: Amidst COVID, microinsurance protects the poor
By
JAIME ARISTOTLE B. ALIP,
PhD
October 26, 2021
With 2,643,494 recorded
cases and 39,232 deaths as of October 8, 2021, COVID has wrought
unprecedented hardship for the Philippines – despite the adoption of
stringent lockdowns since the pandemic started in 2020. The spikes
in COVID cases, especially the recent surge caused by the Delta
variant, not only placed pressure on the national health care
system, it also hampered plans to expand health insurance coverage
due to the ensuing economic challenges. It highlighted the insurance
gap in the Philippines, where penetration stands at around 1.71
percent of GDP.
But there is a silver
lining. With the health crisis came an increase in insurance
awareness and greater demand for health insurance. Even those from
low-income groups now understand the need for financial protection
against unexpected shocks, recognizing that an illness or death in
the family could bring them deeper into poverty. Last May, the
Insurance Commission (IC) reported that the number of lives covered
by microinsurance products in 2020 hit 50.35 million, an 11.56
percent increase from 45.13 million in 2019. Amidst the COVID
pandemic, microinsurance has become a lifeline for Filipinos, even
those with low income and limited access to mainstream insurance
services.
Clearly, the government
needs to support microinsurance and facilitate protection coverage
to the most vulnerable sectors. This is crucial, especially during
this pandemic.
Microinsurance MBAs
Poverty alleviation is
central to our development agenda, as outlined in “AmBisyon Natin
2040” and the “Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022.” This involves
building people’s socioeconomic resilience through the provision of
universal and transformative social protection, including insurance
mobilization. Unfortunately, health insurance under PhilHealth, with
its limited coverage and benefits, remains inadequate, while
mainstream insurance companies have failed to penetrate the
low-income and poor market segment.
Enter microinsurance. As
the name suggests, this pertains to affordable insurance products
intended for the poor and low-income families. These are usually
offered by mutual benefit associations (MBAs) which must register
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and apply for
license from the Insurance Commission (IC) as a non-stock, nonprofit
association and insurance provider in line with Sec. 404 of the
Revised Insurance Code. The IC laid down the policy framework for
microinsurance fifteen years ago, through Memorandum Circular
9-2006, which introduced Microinsurance Mutual Benefit Associations
(Mi-MBAs). These are member-owned and governed microinsurance
providers that offer insurance to members, pay claim faster (within
a few days from the date of claims notice), and distribute products
using the social distribution network of partner microfinance
institutions (MFIs). This Circular regularized previously informal
MFI and NGO arrangements in microinsurance provision, and Mi-MBAs
eventually became key drivers of microinsurance development,
providing simple, affordable, and accessible microinsurance products
to low-income families.
The 2010 National Strategy
and the Regulatory Framework for Microinsurance facilitated further
growth of the microinsurance industry, with rural banks, thrift
banks, and even mainstream insurance outfits and fintech companies
becoming players. Within this ecosystem is a niche for Mi-MBAs, led
by the Microinsurance MBA Association of the Philippines (MiMAP),
which presently covers 62 per cent of the microinsurance market.
A total of eighteen
Mi-MBAs under MiMAP have a combined outreach of 7 million individual
members nationwide, majority of whom are micro-entrepreneurs, small
farmers and fishermen. As microinsurance coverage is extended to the
members’ families (with 4 as average family size), MiMAP currently
insures 28 million Filipinos. The Mi-MBAs provide basic life family
microinsurance plans and a range of optional life plans that include
coverage for health and retirement. In 2019, the mobilization of
such membership accumulated a total of P4.81 billion in
contributions and premiums, paid P1.43 billion in claims benefits,
and reserved P1.95 billion in refundable equity value to members.
These Mi-MBAs have significantly contributed to greater financial
inclusion and financial literacy for poor and low-income Filipinos.
Tax Exemption
Mi-MBAs are crucial to
financial inclusion, as they are community-based organizations able
to penetrate hard-to-reach and frontier areas where conventional
insurance providers dare not go. During this period of pandemic,
Mi-MBAs helped in alleviating the plight of the poor and those most
vulnerable to economic shocks. Even as they suspended the collection
of contributions and extended the grace period for payments, Mi-MBAs
continued to pay claims benefits. Under very difficult operational
and business circumstances during the first five months of community
quarantine from March to August 2020, Mi-MBAs paid a total of 27,657
death claims worth P613.54 million, 667 of which are COVID-related
deaths.
Since Mi-MBAs are
non-stock, non-profit microinsurance providers that operate for the
exclusive benefit of their members, they are exempted from paying
tax on corporations, tax on life insurance premiums and documentary
stamp tax under the Insurance Code and the National Internal Revenue
Code. Unfortunately, not all Mi-MBAs are able to avail of these
exemptions as tax authorities vary in their interpretation of the
applicable provisions. MiMAP reports that some of their members have
been issued notices of tax deficiencies, while others were denied
tax exemption status. Many Mi-MBAs, in fact, are still waiting for
the BIR ruling on their application for tax exemption.
This is sad, since Mi-MBAs
already operate on very thin margins because of their restricted
capacity to spend only up to a maximum 20% of their contributions
for administrative and operating expenses. The situation exacerbates
their resource constraints, inhibiting them from optimizing or
upgrading their management information systems.
It behooves the government
to ensure that Mi-MBAs enjoy the tax exemptions granted to them
under the law. Mi-MBAs, after all, are managed by grassroots
organizations composed of low-income families. Their members and
target clients are also poor, mostly belonging to the informal
sector. They provide necessary financial services to the most
vulnerable, contributing to poverty alleviation and financial
inclusion. Mi-MBAs could serve more Filipinos if they can fully
enjoy their tax exemptions, which could help them digitize their
operations – a necessity given that mobility and face-to-face
interaction are greatly limited by the pandemic.
Tax Reduction for Non-Life
Insurance
Tax rules also impede
market development with respect to non-life insurance. Usually, as
the market matures, a more diverse range of products is expected, to
serve broader customer needs and to diversify insurers’ risk
portfolio. This is not the case here, because general taxation for
the non-life insurance sector reaches as high as 27 percent, one of
the highest in Southeast Asia. This discourages insurers from
offering complex products, such as disaster and agricultural
insurance, both highly relevant to the low-income population. The
tax on nonlife insurance products, including crop insurance, should
be reduced to 2 percent, or the current rate imposed on life
insurance products. Cutting the tax on non-life insurance premium
will significantly raise the number of private insurance offerings.
There will be no need for government to subsidize agri-insurance
because the regime will be market-driven.
Microinsurance has come a
long way in the Philippines. From a coverage of less than three
million low-income Filipinos in 2007, the number has surged to more
than 50 million last year. Microinsurance MBAs, in particular,
significantly contribute to poverty alleviation, financial inclusion
and literacy by providing affordable and relevant risk protection to
poor and underserved households. But millions of poor families
remain unprotected and vulnerable. With natural disasters always a
possibility given climate change, and the threats posed by the COVID
pandemic, we should find ways to support the growth of the
microinsurance industry. As the 2022 election draws near, those who
aspire to be the country’s next leaders should champion financial
inclusion for the poor, and include microfinance and microinsurance
in their battle-cry. Their campaign to provide affordable and
relevant risk protection to millions of Filipinos from low-income
families would serve them well come election time.
On the proposed
directive in barring cabinet members from attending the hearings in
the senate
A press statement by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines
October 5, 2021
It is the objective and
purpose of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines to uphold the rule
of law, improve and assist in the administration of justice and
foster and maintain high ideals of integrity, public service and
conduct. This call to service is engraved not only in its By-Laws
but in the very Rules of Court (Section 1, Rule 139-A).
In view of the brewing
conflict between the Executive and the Legislative branches of the
government, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines calls for calm,
sobriety, and unity among the said two (2) branches of government
and its agencies, and for the same to cooperate and work together to
combat corruption and abuse.
It is imperative for our
government to fight corruption, wherever it maybe, and to assist,
rather than obstruct, any investigation that seeks to identify the
root of corruption and the perpetrators behind them.
Corruption is measured not
just in the billions of pesos of our taxpayers’ money lost to
government malfeasance, but more importantly, in the deficiency of
effective healthcare and medicine that could have saved the lives of
many of our countrymen, as well as financial assistance to
households and businesses in distress due to the pandemic.
A transparent government
is one of the hallmarks of a truly republican state. The only way to
succeed is for all branches of government to work together in
combating corruption and abuse.
We call on the President
to heed the words of the Supreme Court in the case of Senate vs.
Ermita (G.R. No. 169777, April 20, 2006) which provides as follows:
Ultimately, the power of
Congress to compel the appearance of executive officials under
Section 21 and the lack of it under Section 22 find their basis in
the principle of separation of powers. While the executive branch is
a co-equal branch of the legislature, it cannot frustrate the power
of Congress to legislate by refusing to comply with its demands for
information.
We thus urge the President
to reconsider his decision to bar his Cabinet from attending the
Senate investigation on the alleged irregularities in the Department
of Health (DOH) spending related to the COVID-19 pandemic program.
It is only by granting our Congress free access to information that
we can empower them to formulate policies that fully reflect the
will of our people.
The true nature
and purpose of marriage
By Fr.
ROY CIMAGALA,
roycimagala@gmail.com
October 1, 2021
THERE is no doubt that we
need to revisit the true nature and purpose of marriage, since this
basic human and Christian institution is now besieged with so many
misconceptions and malpractices. What the gospel once narrated about
some leading Jews asking and testing Christ whether divorce was
lawful (cfr. Mt 10,2-12) is now being played out even in our own
country.
With all the forces and
elements now undermining the true nature and purpose of marriage,
there is an urgent need to clarify and show the real face and beauty
of this human, natural as well as supernatural institution.
Countries and nations,
supposedly developed and quite rich, are now legalizing forms of
marriage that really have nothing to do with marriage. Same-sex
unions, divorce, civil marriages among Catholic, temporary unions
and cohabitations are not only spreading but are also getting
legalized.
There are those who are
quite convinced, and wrongly convinced, if I may say, that marital
problems can be solved by legalizing divorce. We need to talk a lot
about this issue.
Our problem is that we now
have a world culture that has lost the capacity to think deeply and
thoroughly. It’s an ethos that is held captive by the quick and easy
way of thinking and reacting, dominated mainly by worldly values
like convenience, practicality, popularity, etc.
The full and global
picture of who and what we are is ignored if not ridiculed. This, of
course, determines our proper attitude and praxis about marriage and
the other institutions related to it—family, education...
The spiritual and
supernatural dimension of man is set aside. Instead only the
material and social aspects are considered. The dynamism of today’s
world, now heavily dependent on new technologies, has made people to
be thinking, studying and praying less, and to be just more
practical, if not more self-absorbed and self-seeking.
There is a need to realize
and appreciate more deeply that marriage, not only as a natural
institution but also and especially as a sacrament, is a path to
sanctity not only for the husband and wife but also for the family,
and from the family, for the society and the Church in general.
We need to see the organic
link among these key elements: the marriage between man and woman,
and the family they generate, as well as the society of which the
family is the basic cell and the universal Church of which the
family is considered the domestic church.
Seeing that link, we would
appreciate the crucial and strategic role that marriage plays in the
life of men and women in the world. We would appreciate the
tremendous potential good that marriage can give to all of us.
That is why everything has
to be done to make marriage achieve its fullest dignity. And that
means that we have to purify and elevate the love that is the very
germ of marriage to the supernatural order.
That love has to develop
from simply being natural and body-emotion-world reliant to being
more and more spiritual and supernatural, driven by grace rather
than by mere natural forces.
With the sacrament of
marriage, the love between husband and wife is already guaranteed to
have all the graces needed to make that marriage reach its fullness.
What is needed is the faithful and generous correspondence of the
parties concerned to those graces.
Angels are real
By
Fr. ROY CIMAGALA,
roycimagala@gmail.com
September 28, 2021
ON the Feast of the
Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael (September 29), we are
presented with that amusing gospel episode about the calling of
Nathanael. (cfr. Jn 1,47-51) We might be wondering how Nathanael’s
vocation is related to the existence of angels.
My personal take on this
question is that Nathanael, whom Christ described as a man without
guile, must have been enabled to recognize Christ as the Son of God,
the King of Israel, through the help of the angels.
When Christ told him, in
response to Nathanael’s question about how Christ knew him, that
Christ saw him under the fig tree before Philip came, some angels
must have been involved in that event.
We can somehow support
that speculation by referring to the fact that at the end of gospel
episode, Christ told Nathanael, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will
see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on
the Son of Man.” What Nathanael was doing under the fig tree must
have something to do about who the Son of Man is, and about heaven
and angels.
In any event, our faith
tells us that angels are real and that they are our great ally,
helping us in all our needs, from the most trivial to the most
important. Yes, angels exist. They are real. We need to say this now
since angels, if they are ever referred to nowadays, are often
considered as mere figments of our imagination that at best can be
used as literary and sentimental devices.
Obviously, faith is needed
to believe in angels. They are creatures whose presence goes beyond
what our senses can perceive. They can however assume bodily forms
as mentioned several times in the Bible. But essentially, they are
pure spirits. As such, they are readily available to help us, since
they are not limited by time and space.
We have to develop and
popularize a devotion to angels, especially to the archangels. They
are great allies that we can count on especially during our
difficult moments. They are so close and so identified with God that
we can refer to them as God’s organic or vital extensions of his own
self, if we may describe them that.
Remember what Christ said
about angels in general? It was when he talked about the angels of
little children whom the disciples wanted to shoo away from Christ
for being a disturbance. “See that you do not despise one of these
little ones,” he said. “For I tell you that their angels in heaven
always see the face of my Father in heaven.” (Mt 18,10)
Our guardian angels, for
example, are very helpful to us in our task of navigating the most
tricky spiritual and supernatural realities. When there are strong
temptations, or when some unknown evil spirits seem to bother us, or
when we are undertaking a spiritual and supernatural project like
coming up with an apostolic initiative, our guardian angels make
themselves available to help us in any way.
It’s important that we be
aware of the existence of these very powerful angels who, for sure,
would be most willing and most happy to help us in their own way. We
just have to enliven our faith in them and develop the appropriate
devotion.
Many great saints have
benefited from the help of the angels. It would be good if we train
ourselves to develop an intimate relationship with them. To be sure,
only good things can come out of such relationship!
Measuring the
impact of advocacy programmes
By
BASIL FERNANDO
September 3, 2021
“He who has a why to
live can bear almost any how.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
The word advocacy is used
for various purposes and in each case, there is a different
connotation attached to it. Commercial advertisements advocate the
buying of their products and the promotion of other
commercially-related objectives; political parties use the ideas of
advocacy very often to promote their parties with the view that the
voters may select them when there are in an electoral contest;
politicians who are pursuing modernisation policies would use the
word advocacy to mean greater industrialisation and improvement of
modern technology in their countries within a given period of time;
a dictator like Adolf Hitler would use advocacy to promote his
reasons for going to war and to create public support for their
approach; and an authoritarian, totalitarian leader like Joseph
Stalin would use advocacy to mean the brainwashing of the entire
population not only for a political programme but to completely
change social relations and to justify extreme forms of repression.
Thus, in each area of
human activity, there is an element of advocacy, and more and more
with communication-related changes, and especially with modern
communication, it changes what is meant by the term advocacy with
various other names and plays a central role in almost every
activity.
In this short essay, we
use advocacy to mean those efforts to promote understanding and to
win support for matters relating to human dignity, equality before
the law and respect for human rights. This unique use of the meaning
of the term advocacy needs to be thoroughly grasped in attempting to
evolve the methods pertaining to the various measures that are taken
for such advocacy.
This general theme of the
promotion of human dignity, the rule of law and human rights is
broken down to separate aspects when people have to work at
particular times, under particular historical circumstances and on
particular types of changes that are needed to achieve the overall
goal. Thus, each project to use the term that is usually used in
modern funders jargon has a specificity.
In measuring a particular
advocacy programme, the first issue that needs to be grasped is what
is specific to this project. Some examples will be useful. Respect
for equality before the law is a general objective. Winning equality
for the coloured people in the US, particularly those who are called
the black people is a specific issue. The promotion of women’s
rights is a general issue. However, getting the right to education
for the girl child in a particular society is a specific objective.
The prevention of torture
is a general human rights objective. However, the prevention of the
torture of political prisoners is a specific project. Preventing
torture in normal criminal justice processes by the police is again
a specific objective within the general framework. The promotion of
the freedom of expression, association and assembly is a general
objective. Dealing with persons who have been persecuted for the use
of the freedom of expression within a given political regime is a
specific objective. Similar examples can be given in various areas.
Distinguishing the
specific and the general in terms of the actual work is at the core
of effective advocacy. For example, the US Constitution guarantees
the freedom of expression to everyone. However, for many centuries
that ‘everyone’ only meant the white people of the US. If the
advocacy is done to promote the freedom of expression of the black
community who are now called African-Americans, that is an extremely
unique historical task beset with extremely unique problems relating
to repression, the law, police behaviour and above all relating to
the attitude of the different communities. On that specific issue, a
larger section of the white community would think in one way and the
Afro American community would think and experience it in a different
way.
By merely promoting the
freedom of expression in the US, we cannot address the issue of the
problem relating to the freedom of expression in the black
community, and nowadays in other communities from other parts of the
world who have since come to the US. If we cannot understand that
specificity, we simply cannot understand the particular struggle of
that particular people.
This brings us to the
issue that every serious advocacy issue in terms of human dignity,
equality before the law and human rights is very specific in nature.
It is a historic task. The history of every country and every
locality is unique and specific. What that means is that there are
unique problems in particular societies and particular communities
at particular times. The geographical, cultural, political and other
sociological boundaries including the psychological factors of the
human attitudes are all uniquely expressed within unique contexts.
This brings us to a very
vital issue as to who is an outsider to a struggle and who is an
insider to a struggle. Depending on whether one is an outsider or
insider, one’s view will take a different shape.
Let us once again go back
to the issue of the black people (African-Americans now) in the US.
Frederick Douglass, a former slave who escaped after suffering
during the early part of his life as a slave, brought into the
movement against slavery the unique perspective of an insider. He
was the product of the very problems that he was struggling against,
The manner in which he articulated the problem could not be
articulated by anyone else even if he/she was sympathetic to the
cause because they did not have the existential experience of being
a part of the problem as well as the existential experience of being
a part of the struggle. Any advocacy programme that loses this
distinction about the work of insiders and that of the outsiders,
the latter who may be sympathetic or not, misses the point of an
advocacy programme.
We may explain this
insider-outsider perspective from another well known historical
example, this time from South Asia. Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was
from an untouchable family which means people who were so completely
discriminated that they were considered to be so contemptible that
no kind of contact could be had with them. He grew up with all the
experiences and the sufferings associated with untouchability as a
schoolchild and even after being qualified with two doctorates from
Europe and England. When a very sympathetic ruler gave him a
position, none of his subordinates wanted to come close to him.
Nobody was willing to rent him an apartment. He had to pretend to
have a different name and be of a different caste in order to even
get a place to stay. And of course, these are simply lists of such
desperation that goes into thousands of things that he went through
all his life.
He emerged as the leader
of these people and he even changed the name of the untouchables to
Dalit, meaning those who are engaged in a struggle. In all his
contributions, both as a legislator, the secretary of the committee
drafting the Constitution and the Law Minister and above all his
organisational work and writings, he articulated the perspective of
an insider giving guidance to his people as to how they could
struggle to liberate themselves from their historical social
imprisonment.
Mahatma Gandhi was also
sympathetic towards the untouchables. He considered the existence of
untouchability as one of the greatest sins of Indian civilisation.
However, he was not able to provide the kind of vision and guidance
to the Dalit population as Dr. Ambedkar did. Dr. Ambedkar is still
the main inspiration of the Dalit movement in India and he has also
influenced other movements like the black movement in the US. His
was an insider’s vision, somebody who knew the problem from the
existential point of view and was looking for an existential answer.
Gandhi was a well-meaning good person who wished these others well
and did whatever he could.
However, when it came to
the Independence struggle, Gandhi was an insider. Gandhi was a part
of the people who were subjugated under a colony. The British Empire
dominated their lives. Their country belonged to the British crown.
In that, his vision was to gain Independence from Britain at all
costs. In that struggle, he was an insider. Colonialism was an
existential problem for him and Independence was an existential
solution to that problem.
The philosophical
explanation of the insider-outsider perspective
Friedrich Nietzsche
famously said something to the effect that if a person knows why
he/she could do anything. Knowing why you do something is the most
essential philosophical question that is associated with an advocacy
programme.
The same idea was later
rearticulated many times by Viktor Frankl, the former concentration
camp survivor who wrote the famous book Man’s Search for Meaning and
articulated the problem of the search for meaning, reducing it to
knowing why. Martin Luther King Jr. in the US further elaborated the
problem by saying that if anyone could answer why they would find
the how. Thus, when assessing an advocacy programme, the most
important issue that should be considered is why this programme was
developed and whether it is justifiable to answer partially or fully
that question as to why this is being undertaken. If that point is
missed, then everything is missed. In terms of a particular project,
unique to a particular country, what should be asked is why that
project should be undertaken under those particular historical
circumstances. If our project is about dealing with the
institutional backwardness or obstructions to access to justice as a
methodology to deprive all rights including the defeat of all
attempts to improve the conditions of the poor, then the question
that should be asked is whether this is a fundamentally valid idea.
When we say fundamentally
valid, it does not merely mean a good idea or something that is
alright but something which is far more fundamental. That is, do the
historical conditions of this particular country or particular
countries justify the selection of this particular objective as an
answer to a problem that requires an answer? And it does not merely
require some answer but it requires an answer without which the
society cannot achieve the overall objectives of human dignity,
equality before the law and human rights. Thus, we come to the core
of ourselves. In short, it means that the objectives articulated in
Article 2 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights (ICCPR) {State Parties undertake to respect and ensure to all
individuals within its territory and subject to its jurisdiction the
rights recognized in the present Covenant, without distinction of
any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political
or another opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or
another status} and the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 of the
UN for 2030 {Promoting just, peaceful and inclusive societies with
peace, justice and strong institutions} are so fundamental to these
societies, that without which, not a single step can be taken
forward in achieving the other overall goals.
Therefore, considerable
time should be spent on measuring the validity of this project. That
means the validity of the answer to why meaning the justification
for the particular objective in the particular historical context in
the particular society.
Who would answer that
question as to the validity of these objectives? Above all, those
who can answer that are the insiders, meaning those who live in
these countries and who suffer from the absence of the realisation
of these objectives. They have an existential experience as to
whether one could achieve respect for human dignity if for example
the policing system of the country is so backward and it relies
heavily on the use of torture and ill-treatment of the poor as their
tool for investigating into crime and also of social control. It is
only an insider who knows what it means to go to a court which will
frustrate all his/her requests for justice and instead push them
back to a worse position than from where they started.
It is a rape victim who
would know whether the justice system in her country would be able
to grant justice. It is a young woman who has to go out of her house
for education, or to the office for work, or for social purposes who
could answer the question as to whether they feel safe and protected
outside their homes.
It is the trade unionists
of a particular country who answer whether the rights of trade
unions are respected in that country or not. It is the people
engaged in media work that could assess whether they are exposed to
direct or indirect censorship and other kinds of punishments if they
engage in the free exercise of their profession. To this we can add
a whole other list.
For an insider to answer
these questions, they do not need to read books or engage in any
other kind of references. They can talk about these problems from
their life experiences. If their life experiences show that
everything is fine and that all these rights are guaranteed, then
the insider story is one that affirms that the system is working
well. But if the general will of the insider is such that it is
negative, either completely or to a great degree, that means that
the proper problem has been understood in terms of advocacy work to
change it.
Therefore, any proper
measurement or evaluation must first answer the question: is the
objective of pursuing Article 2 of the ICCPR and SDG 16 valid and a
fundamentally important issue to be pursued in the particular
context in which this project is being operated. Without answering
the why, going into all other factors will only be a diversion of
the discussion towards trivialities rather than to the fundamentals.
Always go to
Christ
By
Fr. ROY CIMAGALA,
roycimagala@gmail.com
August 31, 2021
Especially when we find
ourselves in some difficult, if not impossible, situations, we
should readily go to Christ to seek at least some relief. He always
gives it, perhaps not in the form we want, but always in a way that
would be beneficial to us.
This can be the lesson we
can learn from that gospel episode where Christ went to St. Peter’s
house where he was presented with Peter’s sick mother-in-law whom he
readily cured. After that, all those in the neighborhood who had
some sickness were brought to Christ for curing. And he did! (cfr.
Lk 4,38-44)
We have to learn how to
deal with the difficult and the impossible things in our life. Let’s
remember that as long as we are here on earth, we have to contend
with all sorts of difficulties, trials and temptations.
And as if these are not
enough, we also have to contend with the truth of our faith that
tells us that we are meant to pursue a supernatural goal that
definitely cannot be achieved simply with our own human powers, no
matter how excellent they are.
The secret is always to go
and to be with God through Christ in the Holy Spirit who can make
the impossible possible. In all our affairs and situations in life,
we should always go to God to ask for his help and guidance, and to
trust his ways and his providence, even if the outcome of our
prayers and petitions appears unanswered, if not, contradicted.
This should be the
attitude to have. It’s an attitude that can only indicate our
unconditional faith and love for God who is always in control of
things, and at the same time can also leave us in peace and joy even
at the worst of the possibilities.
We just have to remember
that Christ never abandons us and is, in fact, all ready and prompt
to come to our aid, albeit in ways that we may not realize, at
first, just like what happened in that story of the two disciples
who were on their way to Emmaus. (cfr. Lk 24,13-25)
We should not allow our
feelings of sadness to be so dominant and pervasive that we shut off
Christ’s many and often mysterious ways of helping us. If we do not
pose a deliberate impediment to Christ’s ways, there is always hope.
In our darkest moments, some light will always come piercing and
dispelling the darkness away.
In so many ways, Christ
will remind us, as he did to the two disciples, about the meaning of
all human suffering, and of how our suffering can be a way to our
joy, to our fulfillment as a man and as a child of God. He will
explain to us why we have suffering in this life and how we can take
advantage of it to derive something good from it.
Our difficulties and
problems, including our failures and sins, can be good occasions to
get close to God and to draw his mercy and grace to keep us moving
on with renewed spirit.
God is always with us. He
continues to guide us all throughout our life. As creator and
savior, he is actually shaping our life. Anything that happens in
our life, including the negative ones, serves some purpose in God’s
loving providence over us.
Inclusive
Economic Recovery 101: Why helping MSMEs and strengthening the FDA
is crucial
By
JAIME ARISTOTLE B. ALIP, PhD
August 27, 2021
Like a bad refrain, strict
quarantines were declared again in response to the surge of COVID
cases from the highly infectious delta variant. While
government-mandated quarantines are essential to contain the
pandemic, the economy suffers, leading to business closures and loss
of jobs. The pandemic’s impact on micro, small and medium
enterprises (MSMEs) has been excruciating. This is worrisome, as
MSMEs account for 99.5 percent of all businesses in the country.
Recently, quarantine
classifications had been relaxed, in line with efforts to regenerate
the economy and prop up MSMEs. Unfortunately, those in the food
processing industry face a perennial bottleneck: licensing and
registration. This has been a continuing challenge for the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA), the agency tasked to ensure that all food
and medicines used in the Philippines are safe for public
consumption. The FDA is under the Department of Health (DOH) and
very much in demand, as it also reviews medicines for use in COVID
vaccination programs.
Clearly, there is a need
to strengthen the FDA to enable it to fulfill its urgent mandate in
these trying times.
Burden of Regulatory
Compliance
Enterprises with an asset
size of up to PhP100 million and less than 200 employees are
classified as MSMEs. The sector is responsible for 40 percent of our
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and plays an important role in our
economy. MSMEs pave the way for new entrepreneurs and help in
poverty reduction by creating jobs for our growing labor force. As
suppliers and providers of support services, MSMEs serve as valuable
partners to large enterprises. MSMEs stimulate economic development
in rural and far-flung areas. Overall, MSMEs employ more than 5
million workers or approximately 63 percent of the country’s
workforce.
Many MSMEs are into food
production and processing and are required to get a license to
operate (LTO) and a certificate of product registration (CPR) from
the FDA. MSMEs selling food products without FDA registration are
subject to sanctions. The FDA is empowered to issue a
cease-and-desist order, as well as impose fines, to prevent the sale
of unregistered products. It also issues a public warning against
products that are not registered.
To ensure public health
and safety, as well as to protect consumer rights, the FDA, and the
business sector, including MSMEs, have a mutual interest in ensuring
that regulatory requirements are met. This is especially important
at this time of pandemic when business processes are being
reengineered to respond to the new normal of limited mobility and
human contact. Unfortunately, the difficulties that MSMEs face in
FDA registration hinder the industry’s growth and potentials.
Perennial Backlog
The backlog in FDA’s
processing of applications for license and registration had been the
subject of lamentation for years. The agency has tried to address
this, with the FDA Director-General even instituting an agency-wide
“Project Backlog” in 2018, to settle some 80,000 pending
applications. That year, FDA also piloted a program with the
Department of Trade and Industry to fast-track the permit process
for micro-enterprises producing low-risk food products.
However, the problem
persists. In Nov. 2019, the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA)
instructed FDA to address its backlog of 11,000 CPR applications.
Then, in Feb. 2020, the ARTA pushed for the deputization of local
government units (LGUs) to conduct inspections on food-processing
MSMEs with low-risk products. This program was pilot implemented in
Quezon City, where LGU inspectors were trained and provided with the
standard checklist for conducting inspections in line with FDA Good
Manufacturing Practice (GMP) regulations.
MSMEs in the provinces
face even more difficulties. While applications may now be submitted
online, the approval process still takes time because FDA’s system
remains highly centralized. Laboratory tests and nutritional value
analyses for products are done in Manila, due to lack of laboratory
facilities in FDA regional offices. The situation is aggravated by
lack of manpower.
Social media is rife with
tales of start-up businesses who experience difficulty in getting
their FDA licenses and certificates of registration. Those in the
microfinance industry also know that their clients who engage in
food production or food processing are usually stymied by the
complex and lengthy FDA registration process, sometimes leading to
the discontinuance of their micro-enterprises.
Reforms Needed
The FDA has adopted
measures, including automation, to improve its processes. However,
as people explore alternative sources of income due to the pandemic,
more applications are filed, and efficiency becomes more important.
The government must invest
in updating FDA’s information technology (IT) infrastructure, to
enable it to cope with the rising number of license and registration
applications online. The approval of FDA’s pending request for the
hiring of additional inspectors and evaluators should also be
prioritized. It would be good for FDA to roll out the pilot programs
implemented in NCR, where DTI Negosyo Centers and the LGU were
deputized to conduct inspections. FDA should also consider
alternative tools, such as remote video and other digital channels,
to facilitate remote and live interactions in inspecting products
and establishments.
FDA’s centralized
registration process also needs to be reexamined. It could delegate
to the regions the approval of micro-enterprises engaged in the
production of low-risk food products, for instance. FDA should also
consider partnering with academic and other institutions with
facilities and technical expertise for laboratory testing and
inspection at the local level. It could even partner with the
private sector, such as the Philippine Food Processors and Exporters
Organization Inc. (PhilFoodEx), to facilitate testing procedures.
MSMEs play a crucial role
in our economic recovery. Looking for solutions is surely a better
option than tolerating an untenable situation where FDA is swamped
with backlogs and MSMEs are forced to operate outside the ambit of
regulations or discouraged from continuing their enterprises. We
need to help MSMEs flourish even as we ensure compliance to
regulatory requirements. The best way to do this is to make the
licensing and registration process easier.
Church group
decries Duterte government’s litany of corruption: ‘immoral, unjust
and a betrayal of public trust’
A press statement by Promotion of
Church People’s Response on government corruption
August 22, 2021

Take
no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose
them. (Ephesians 5:11, NRSV)
“One whiff of corruption
and you’re out.” Five years ago, then president-elect Rodrigo
Duterte vowed to stamp out corruption in government.
Fast forward to today, the continued coddling of Department of
Health Secretary Francisco Duque by Pres. Duterte and the latter’s
tirades against the Commission on Audit (CoA) highlights
government’s continued lip service to good governance. Duterte has
not only ordered the agencies to ignore the CoA reports, he has
‘ordered’ the body to stop publishing their initial findings that
purportedly create impressions that they are corrupt.
CoA is an independent constitutional body responsible for checks and
balances in the handling of public funds. It is mandated to publish
its reports and is not accountable to the country’s Chief Executive.
An emotional Duque utterly failed in explaining the misuse of some
PhP67 B funds before an ongoing Senate inquiry. This demonstrates
the height of incompetence, at the helm of the main agency
supposedly directing the country’s battle against the pandemic. It
also sorely lays bare the Duterte government’s brazen lack of
accountability, of hurling vitriols and attacks against critics
(including activists exercising basic rights and in this case, COA,
for performing its mandate), and promotion of widespread
disinformation that paints a narrative starkly different from ground
realities.
Based on the latest CoA reports alone and as reflected in various
news reports, the stench of anomalies extends to other agencies and
instrumentalities as well. Some of these include:
Dept. of Budget and Management (DBM) – questioned for securing
Covid-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) and other supplies,
buying high-priced ones from private suppliers that are slow moving.
These are now in the depots because client agencies do not want to
buy them anymore.
Dept. of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) – CoA has suspended DPWH’s
disbursements worth more than P4.2 B for various infrastructure
projects made ‘without proper and complete supporting documents.’
State auditors noted that 3,283 infrastructure projects worth over
P108 B have been delayed or are no longer implemented due to the
“absence of proper coordination” with local government units and
other government agencies. COA also noted that government lost over
P681.9 M of advance payments to contractors.
Dept. of National Defense (DND) – bought P14.5 M worth of
surveillance and security equipment without producing some necessary
documentary requirements provided for under RA 9184 or Government
Procurement Reform Act. It also did not submit the basis for the
contract’s approved budget. CoA likewise flagged the agency for its
20 unauthorized bank accounts worth P1.8 B and dozens of
incomplete projects amounting to P6.8 B. [In 2020, COA questioned
the agency for spending P6.4 M for costly air-conditioning units and
showers in its comfort rooms.]
Dept. of Interior and Local Government (DILG) – over P3 B worth of
projects across many years have not been completely liquidated. This
included fund transfers to local government units worth P2.6 B (the
biggest chunk) for projects supposedly for poor and
conflict-affected communities, including war-torn Marawi. Of the
P372 M unliquidated by national government agencies, P223 M was
transferred by the DILG between 2011 and 2019.
Technical Education and Services Development Authority (TESDA) –
despite the absence of authority, transferred P160 M to the
NTF-ELCAC (EO 70). The biggest chunk (P41 M) went to its regional
office in Davao, an act COA found “highly questionable”. TESDA’s
budget did not include activities for the NTF-ELCAC, which
constitutes grounds for technical malversation. Technical
malversation is a crime of corruption, punishable under the Revised
Penal Code.
Dept. of Social Welfare and Development (DWSD) – disbursed P1.28 M
for 330 supposed rebels under the Enhanced Comprehensive Local
Integration Program (E-CLIP), while P4.4 M was released for the
Livelihood Settlement Grant (LSG) assistance with inadequate
documentation casting doubt on the validity of the transactions.
This includes absence of government-issued IDs to determine veracity
of the rebels. The so-called validity is limited to a certification
by the Joint AFP-PNP Intelligence Committee.
People’s Television (PTV4) – the state media network was called out
for granting P1.8 M in salaries to employees without seeking for
approval from the Office of the President, as required by law. A
total P7.4 M was also unliquidated cash advances for travel and
other expenses.
Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) – was asked to
explain expenditures worth P1.2 M for the purchase of sanitary
napkins, hygiene kits and thermal scanners, alas, from a hardware
store. Upon the audit team’s ocular check of the hardware store, it
was nowhere to be found. Among OWWA’s administrators is a rabid
spreader of false information, Mocha Uson.
Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) – its training compound in San
Fernando, La Union spent P6.5 M on an infinity pool and jacuzzi.
Other amenities worth P10.8 M included guest rooms, pergola, and a
decorative rockwall. The budget was "realigned from a supposed new
port development project" in Camarines Sur.
The list goes on. And it is not only about the past year but also
the previous ones, which can be listed altogether. This immoral,
unjust betrayal of public trust must end. Public money badly needed,
especially during these times, has been pilfered and squandered.
This is totally unacceptable. We must persist to hold leaders to
account, no matter their crocodile tears or expletives.
As the pandemic rages on, we reiterate the need for an overhaul in
the government’s response starting with removing Duque and retired
military generals from directing a health crisis. We stress the
urgent need to strengthen the public health system (especially at
community levels), ramp up targeted, free mass-testing, conduct
serious contact-tracing, hasten vaccine roll out, and deliver
expediently just compensation for health workers and other
frontliners. Much-needed economic aid must be provided for all those
affected by the endless lockdowns: healthworkers, workers (including
those in the informal economy as well as displaced or stranded
Overseas Filipino Workers), farmers, teachers, and students. The
rights of the people, at all times, must be upheld; however, attacks
continue, including a most recent illegal arrest and detention of
farmers in Southern Tagalog. Militarist lockdowns – that penalize
people and fail to see them as central and most important in any
policy or program – must end.
These glaring reports of a daylight robbery of the people’s
resources for almost six years make clear that the people have lost
much. We must lend our voices in saying NO to this regime.
Christian poverty
By Fr.
ROY CIMAGALA,
roycimagala@gmail.com
August 17, 2021
“IT will be hard for one
who is rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it
is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for
one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.” (Mt 19,23)
For sure, everytime we
read these words of Christ, we can have the same reaction as his
disciples had. “Who then can be saved?” To which, Christ answered,
“For men this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”
We need to understand this
message from Christ well, especially nowadays when there are many
indications we are not living this Christian spirit of poverty. Many
of us are trapped with their perishable treasures on earth when the
real treasure is in heaven.
The big problem of the
rich of this world is his attachment to his wealth such that he
cannot give himself fully to God. He may give the appearance that he
is giving a lot, but if it is not the whole of himself, then it is
not total self-giving which God deserves and expects from each one
of us.
Let us always remember
that God wants the whole of ourselves. He wants our entire heart,
not a divided heart. He wants to be everything to us, the first and
the last, the Alpha and the Omega. He wants to be given priority
over everything else, including our own life.
This is not selfishness on
his part, an act of ego-tripping. It is simply in recognition of the
basic truth that everything, including our life, comes from him and
also belongs to him. We have no right whatsoever to expropriate as
our own what actually comes and belongs to God.
We need to understand that
our intelligence and will, our freedom and rights that enable us to
be and to do what we want, and to be rich in many ways, also come
from God and belong to him. They can only be properly exercised when
used in accord with God’s will and ways.
And to be rich here does
not mean only those with a lot of money and resources. It can mean
those who are well-endowed in the other aspects of life—power, fame,
health, intelligence, luck, etc.
We need to remind
ourselves constantly that even if we can say we are the owners of
such wealth, resources, talents, power, fame, and indeed of our
whole life, we actually are at best only stewards who have to give
account to the absolute owner and source of all these things that we
possess.
Our total self-giving to
God and to others is when we start entering the supernatural
character that our life possesses, since we are the very image and
likeness of God, children of his, meant to share in God’s very life
that obviously is supernatural.
We are not meant to live a
purely natural life. There is no such thing. Our nature opens us to
make a choice between a supernatural life with God or an
infranatural life. But make no mistake. Our supernatural life with
God does not eliminate or suppress what is natural in us. What it
does is to purify and elevate to the supernatural order what is
natural in us. Christian poverty actually enriches us. That’s when
we achieve our human and Christian perfection!
Financial inclusion and
Shari’ah financing
By
JAIME ARISTOTLE B. ALIP,
PhD
August 2, 2021
President Rodrigo Duterte
delivered his last State of the Nation Address last week, but
economists say poverty and unemployment will remain high even after
his term ends. The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)
projected the country’s poverty rate to average between 15.5% and
17.5% this year, partly due to the coronavirus pandemic’s adverse
effects on the economy. NEDA also noted that joblessness will remain
elevated at around 7% to 9% by 2022.
These projections
highlight the need for financial inclusion – that state wherein
everyone, especially the poor and vulnerable, have effective access
to financial services that could help improve lives. Millions of
Filipino families are poor, while economic and social inequality
remains a challenge. This is especially true in the case of Muslim
Filipinos, who comprise 10% of our population. The three poorest
provinces in the country are predominantly Muslim.
We must strive to enable
our Muslim brothers and sisters to lift themselves from the quagmire
of poverty. One way of doing this is by giving them access to
financial services that are in accord with their laws and
traditions.
Most Impoverished
The poorest regions, based
on PSA’s 2018 Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES), are ARMM,
Region 9, Region 8, CARAGA, and Region 12. Four of these regions are
in Mindanao, but the most impoverished is the Bangsamoro Autonomous
Region, which has a whopping 61.3% poverty incidence. This means
that 3 out of every 5 persons in the region are poor. The situation
is even worse in the provinces of Lanao del Sur, Sulu, and Basilan,
where nearly 2 out of every 3 people are poor.
The situation is
aggravated by the fact that many Muslim Filipinos do not have access
to financial services which could help raise their productivity and
standard of living. Islam prohibits interest charging, as this
equates with usury (riba); forbids speculative transactions
involving risks (gharar); and avoids transactions on sinful things (haram),
such as pork, alcohol and gambling. With these tenets, Muslims’
participation in the formal financial system remains low.
Shari’ah-Compliant
Financing
Sharīʿah (also spelled
sharia) is the Islamic religious law that governs the day-to-day
life of all Muslims. As it covers all aspects of life, a truly
inclusive financial system necessitates Sharia-compliant financial
services for Muslim Filipinos.
In recent years, there has
been much interest in Islamic financing in the Philippines.
Conferences on the topic, initially led by civil society
organizations, were held as early as 2015, followed up by forums
sponsored by international financial institutions and government
agencies. In 2018, the Bangsamoro Organic Law mandated the
development of an Islamic banking and finance system in the country.
This was strengthened by the passage of RA No. 11439 in 2019, which
allowed the operation of domestic and foreign Islamic banking
players, to facilitate the development of Islamic finance in the
country.
Despite these laws,
however, there remains only one Islamic bank in the country, the Al-Amanah
Islamic Investment Bank. There are reports that foreign Islamic
banks – including Qatar Bank and Malaysian institutions CIMB Islamic
and City Credit Investment Bank – had expressed an interest in
setting up operations here, but these are yet to come to fruition.
In the meantime, a few microfinance institutions, such as the Peace
and Equity Foundation, the ASA Philippines Foundation, and the
Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (CARD) are filling in
the gap, making financial services such as banking, credit,
microinsurance, remittance, and other services available to Muslim
communities.
The Paglambo Project
The Paglambo Project is a
Sharia-inspired microfinancing program that CARD started in 2018. It
was the product of a series of dialogues and learning visits between
two Ramon Magsaysay awardees: the Dompet Dhuafa, an Indonesian
non-profit organization, which won the Magsaysay Award in 2016, and
CARD, which won the Magsaysay Award for Public Service in 2008. The
Dompet Dhuafa ran a very successful Islamic microfinance and banking
scheme, which inspired CARD to develop a similar Sharia-compliant
program for Muslims in areas where they operate.
Initially, Paglambo only
had two units in Marawi, Lanao del Sur and Shariff Aguak,
Maguindanao. However, the program expanded quickly, proving the need
for microfinance to serve Muslim communities. The project grew from
only 56 Muslim families as members to 4,182 after only a year of
operation. Following a visit by project staff to Dompet Dhuafa’s
offices in Indonesia, the project introduced an education loan
program which uses the Murabahah concept of the Islamic financial
system. The Murabahah concept allows the borrower to obtain money
from the lender to buy goods for his or her business. The parties
agree on the mark-up on the goods, thus, the lender gets a fixed
profit based on the agreement, and eliminates the interest system
which Islam prohibits. Since many Muslim families needed help to
support their children’s schooling, a Kafalah Islamic contract was
added to the existing Sharia financing contract. This is just one of
many ways by which CARD redesigned its financial products to respond
to the needs of the community.
To date, the Paglambo
Project has 35 units in Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Zamboanga City,
Basilan and Tawi-tawi. Its client-members number 43,000, with a
capital build-up of P76.5M. The average loan repayment rate is very
high, at 96.54%. Notably, its unit in Kapatagan, Maguindanao had a
100% repayment rate despite the COVID pandemic.
Among the contributory
factors are cultural sensitivity and respect for the community.
CARD’s staff made courtesy calls to Muslim elders to introduce the
program. They also coordinated with village leaders and like-minded
organizations in the area. Communication was key, as attested by the
manager in Kapatagan, whose unit members grew because she was able
to explain that the financial products under Paglambo is halal or in
accord with Islamic faith. When the pandemic hit the region, they
had initial setbacks, but she created a viber group to keep
communication lines open. This spelled the difference, as daily
interaction in the group made the members feel a sense of unity and
encouragement, which supported them through the challenges of the
pandemic. She said that this was the key to their 100% loan
repayment rate.
Call to Action
Islamic microfinance can
deepen financial inclusion. Not only because it delivers Sharia-compliant
products for Muslim communities, but also because it is specifically
created to support the needs of the poor and underserved. The need
for public and private financial institutions to offer Islamic
banking and financing service is urgent, especially amid the
pandemic that is wreaking havoc on the lives of the poorest and most
vulnerable. Islamic financing can help micro, small and medium
enterprises offering Halal products and services. With more
providers, we can help our Muslim kababayans thrive even during this
pandemic.
* * * * *
Dr. Jaime Aristotle B.
Alip is a poverty eradication advocate, with more than 35 years of
experience in microfinance and social development. He is the founder
of the Center for Agriculture and Rural Development
Mutually-Reinforcing Institutions (CARD MRI), a group of 23
organizations that provide social development services to 7.4
million economically-disadvantaged Filipinos nationwide and insuring
more than 28 million lives. CARD’s innovative financial and
enterprise development services targeting the poor has won many
accolades, including the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service in
2008, and for Dr. Alip, the prestigious Ramon V. del Rosario Award
for Nation Building in 2019. Dr. Alip is an alumnus of the Harvard
Business School, the Southeast Asia Interdisciplinary Development
Institute and the University of the Philippines.
The many benefits
of prayer
By
Fr. ROY CIMAGALA,
roycimagala@gmail.com
August 2, 2021
“After he dismissed the
crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.” (Mt 14,23)
Let’s take note of how
Christ himself always gave priority to prayer, despite the hectic
schedule he had to follow during his preaching trips. He found not
only time for it, but also the appropriate place for it. In spite of
being God himself who became man, Christ always felt the need to
pray and did his best to meet the relevant requirements for prayer.
He is actually showing us
how to carry out a very important duty that is incumbent on all of
us if we want to keep our humanity intact, let alone, our
Christianity. It is the duty to pray always because that is our
fundamental way of being in touch with God, our Creator and Father.
We need to be always with God. We will only have trouble when we
lose touch with him.
God, being our Creator, is
not only the giver of our existence but also the keeper or
maintainer of it. As such, he is always with us, trying to shape us
the way he wants us to be, that is, to be his image and likeness,
children of his, sharers of his divine life.
But he does this,
respecting always our freedom, precisely because being like him, we
have to freely correspond to God’s will for us. This is a
fundamental truth about ourselves that we should never forget. In
fact, we should try our best to faithfully, consistently and
generously act on it.
And that correspondence to
God’s will for us is basically done through prayer. We have to
understand that prayer is our first way to connect ourselves with
God. It is so basic that we have to learn to turn everything in our
life, from our thoughts and intentions to our words and deeds, into
some form of prayer. That’s how important prayer is!
When we pray, we start to
share what God has with us—his knowledge, his wisdom, his power,
etc. We get to see and understand things the way God sees and
understands them. When we pray, we get to see his will and ways, and
learn how to follow them. When we pray, we can manage to handle any
kind of situations and predicaments, challenges, trials,
difficulties, etc., properly.
When we pray, we would be
more able to love everyone, including our so-called enemies, just as
God himself, as shown in Christ, loves everyone. We would learn how
to be patient and merciful, how to be “all things to all men,” how
to be both strong and tough, on the one hand, and also gentle and
tender, on the other hand.
And if God would grant us
the honor and the privilege, we can be empowered to do some
extraordinary things like performing some miracles and receiving
some special charisms that would redound to the good of everyone.
Prayer makes our faith active, our hope alive and our charity
burning.
Of course, we also have to
understand that prayer can lend itself to many different ways.
There’s vocal prayer, mental prayer, contemplative prayer,
liturgical prayer, etc. It can adapt itself to different situations
and conditions.
The absolutely important
thing that makes prayer real prayer is when we manage to give all
our mind and heart to God in whatever thing we do or in whatever
situation we may find ourselves in. It need not be expressed in
words or deeds. It should start and end with our desire to be with
God!
Let the victims’
voices lead the way

Philippine Interfaith
Movement Against Human Trafficking (PIMAHT) statement in observance
of WDAT 2021
July 30, 2021
"He heals the
brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of
the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty
in power; His understanding has no limit. The Lord sustains the
humble but casts the wicked to the ground." (Ps. 147:3-6 NIV)
PIMAHT joins the global
community in observing World Day Against Trafficking today, July 30.
We especially affirm this year’s theme, ‘Victims’ Voices Lead the
Way,’ upholding the dignity, desires and dreams of our brothers and
sisters who have fallen victim to human trafficking. Truly, they
should be included, heard, and involved as we seek to address this
social problem.
Even with the current
status of the Philippines as a Tier 1 rank by the US Department of
State TIP REPORT, human trafficking still thrives in the crevices of
poverty, hunger, and massive joblessness. This is even aggravated as
majority of the population are poor families struggling to survive
from the economic backlash of the pandemic. Early this year, we have
witnessed the exposition of well-coordinated trafficking of women in
Syria, although reports were already made that all the victims were
already repatriated back home. What was alarming was it involved
officials in the government bureaucracy that made it a large-scale
scheme.
Since the pandemic,
thousands have been repatriated or have returned back to the
country, facing the cyclical problem of unemployment, hunger and
poverty, the same reasons why they had to leave our country. They
join the many other Filipinos who are grappling against the economic
impact of the prolonged lockdown in the country, unable to support
their families who are relying on them. In a study released by IOM
Philippines in May 2021, 83% of those who were able to return home
remain unemployed. These are the Filipinos who became victims of
human trafficking. At the same time, the Philippines recorded a
significant increase of 264% cases of online sexual exploitation of
children (OSEC) according to the Department of Justice, Office of
Cybercrime (DOJ-OOC).
This affirmed our concern
that when a humanitarian crisis breaks out under extreme conditions
of poverty, social problems like OSEC thrive. Children become easy
prey in times when families are barely surviving and grappling with
hunger. Thus, government agencies, churches, faith communities and
organizations must work hand in hand to support and protect
vulnerable groups like children and make communities safer for them
especially at this time of pandemic.
PIMAHT, with its mission
to see Filipino communities of faith working together to eradicate
human trafficking in the Philippines, is continuously tapping other
organizations for partnerships in strengthening awareness and
prevention campaigns against human trafficking and providing
assistance to those at-risk, victims and survivors.
The organization,
spearheaded by its three executive members: Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), National Council of Churches
in the Philippines (NCCP), and Philippine Council of Evangelical
Churches (PCEC) together with member organizations, Philippine
Children’s Ministries Network (PCMN), International Justice Mission
(IJM) Philippines, and Talitha Kum Philippines (TKP), vow to prevent
and serve as a shield against human trafficking through awareness
campaigns, consultations, and provision of social services to assist
and bring justice to survivors. In addition, the organization and
its partner churches always open their doors to provide a safe space
and sanctuary, help the survivors restore their life through
psychological and financial support, and accompany them to a journey
of healing caused by the nightmares of human trafficking.
As PIMAHT, we call on the
faith community to keep extending mercy, compassion, and solidarity
to the victims of human trafficking. Let us offer our spaces and
resources for their needs. Let's continue accompanying them in their
quest for justice and accountability. As the faith community has a
strong presence in the local communities, we encourage our churches
to also strengthen the information drives to increase the awareness
of sectors of the community as a pivot on preventing human
trafficking.
We call on our government
to intensify its campaign against human trafficking. We especially
hope that it will finally address the root causes of trafficking -
create life-sustaining jobs at home and extend basic social services
to the poor to enable them to better their situations. We also call
for the government to justly prosecute its officials involved in
these schemes.
As PIMAHT, we continue to
pray and extend our acts of solidarity to those who have fallen
victims. Though all may come from different faith or religion, the
passion and eagerness to cease human trafficking in the Philippines
binds us together. United in faith through service and advocacy, we
can provide justice and restore the dignity of the oppressed.
* * * * *
PIMAHT is
composed of the 3 largest Christian Church Councils in the country
-The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP),
National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), and the
Philippines Council of Evangelical Churches, together with Talitha
Kum - Philippines, International Justice Mission Philippines, and
the Philippine Children’s Ministries Network (PCMN). It is committed
to stand against human trafficking in all its diverse forms and to
support victims of human trafficking to reclaim their dignity and to
seek justice, affirming the basic human right that every person
bears ‘to life, liberty and security’ and that ‘no one shall be held
in slavery or servitude’.
Why education
matters
By
JAIME ARISTOTLE B. ALIP, PhD
July 27, 2021
July started with a bang
for the Philippine education sector with the publication of a World
Bank (WB) report lamenting that Filipino students do not meet
learning standards. Education Secretary Leonor Briones immediately
took WB to task, stating that the report lacked historical context
and failed to include corrective measures by the government. Groups
advocating reforms chided the Department of Education (DepEd),
reiterating the need for improvement in our educational system. The
WB has apologized and removed the publication from its website, but
the debate on issues plaguing Philippine education rages on.
Beyond the issue of
education quality, however, lies an even deeper problem: inequality
and access. Out-of-school youths (OSYs) continue to increase,
particularly at this time when inequities are aggravated by the
Covid-9 pandemic. DepEd data show that close to 4 million students
were not able to enroll last school year. The good news is that last
June, DepEd reported that 4.5 million learners registered early for
SY 2021-2022, achieving a 99% turnout compared to last year’s
figure. Nevertheless, in a country with high poverty incidence and
where income inequality correlates with educational inequality, all
efforts must be extended to ensure access to education.
Poverty, like a tree, has
many roots. By ensuring education for all, we can cut down one of
the root causes of poverty in the country.
Education and Poverty
According to UNESCO, if
all students in low-income countries had just basic reading skills,
an estimated 171 million people could escape extreme poverty. If all
adults completed secondary education, we could cut the global
poverty rate by more than half.
Education directly
correlates with many solutions to poverty, including economic
growth, reduced income inequality, reduced infant and maternal
deaths, reduced stunting, reduced vulnerability to HIV and AIDS,
reduced violence at home and in society. For this reason, UN has
made education as the fourth Sustainable Development Goal. SDG 4 of
the 2030 Agenda aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality
education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.”
Inequity and Access to
Education
In the Philippines,
unemployment is high, inflation is high and there is a huge income
inequality. The Labor Force Survey of the Philippine Statistics
Authority (PSA) in May 2021 places the country’s unemployment rate
at 7.7%. This translates to 3.73 million unemployed individuals who
are 15 years old and above. In June, inflation was at 4.1%, much
higher than the 2.5% level last year, which reflects the continuing
rise in the prices of goods and services. The poorest 20% Filipinos
own less than 5% of the country’s total income, based on data from
the Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES). This is
unfortunate, as studies have shown that income equality directly
correlates with educational inequality. Education defines living
standards: lack of education of the household head limits the
earning potential of the household.
Many Filipinos lack access
to education. Apart from DepEd’s report that more than 3 million
were not able to enroll last year, the latest PSA data on OSY places
them at 3.53 million in 2017. Financial concerns, or the high cost
of education, was among the most common reasons given for not
attending school. Around 50% of OSYs belong to families whose income
fall within the bottom 30% of the population.
The PSA also reported that
Filipinos are most deprived in education. This is based on the 2018
Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), which serves to complement the
income-based measure of poverty. Out of 13 indicators, educational
attainment consistently had the highest incidence of deprivation
among families.
Breaking
Inter-generational Poverty
Grassroots organizations,
microfinance institutions (MFIs), NGOs, and others working with the
poor are aware of this sad reality. The Center for Agriculture and
Rural Development (CARD) saw firsthand how socially-and economically
marginalized families yearn for their children to finish school,
hoping for better things for their progeny. CARD has been providing
much-needed financial services to the poor for more than three
decades, but as our understanding of our clients grew, so did our
services because we had to respond to their needs.
Since our aim is to break
inter-generational poverty, we wanted to make education accessible
to our members’ children. In 2011, I was talking to my friend and
mentor, Dr. Washington SyCip, who is known for his philanthropy and
advocacies of poverty alleviation and quality education for all.
Both of us believed that education is the pathway to breaking the
poverty cycle, so we conceptualized a program that would help
children of poor families to at least finish elementary. With his
help, CARD started the “Zero Drop-out Program,” which is a microloan
facility offered to support children’s school expenses. Its
objective is to encourage members to continuously send their
children to school, by providing support without depriving them of
funds needed for their basic necessities. Over the years, the
elementary student-beneficiaries graduated to high school, thus, the
program extended its support to high school and senior high school
students, consistent with the advocacy of zeroing the school
dropouts. This program has assisted 1,220,476 students so far.
Gradually, CARD ventured
into providing affordable education. Initially, we only had a
training unit for our personnel. Then, we began training our members
on financial literacy and microenterprise development. Later on,
MFIs and other organizations approached us, and so, in 2000, we
formally established the CARD Training Center in Bay, Laguna. This
was transformed into the CARD MRI Development Institute (CMDI) in
2005. CMDI now has facilities in Baguio, Pasay, and Masbate, as well
as a campus in Tagum, Davao.
As of June 2021, CMDI has
trained 1,237,897 under the Credit with Education (CwE) training
program. This is a training program on health, business,
microinsurance, disaster preparedness, and credit discipline –
skills needed by our members, mostly rural poor women, to help them
become change agents in their communities.
In line with the goal of
providing affordable education, CMDI now offers Senior High School,
TESDA-accredited courses and baccalaureate programs. Being a
practitioner-led and practice-based learning institution, CMDI’s
focus is on business courses, entrepreneurship, microfinance, and
information management. It strives to make educational opportunities
accessible to the poor by accepting DepEd vouchers and offering
scholarships. CMDI has granted 15,761 educational scholarships to
poor and deserving students, especially the children of CARD’s
members. It has already graduated 9,783 scholars.
CARD MRI has also
partnered with PHINMA Education, which caters to first-generation
college students who would otherwise not be able to afford private
education. Its Laguna Network, which includes Rizal College of
Laguna and Union College of Laguna, offer Flex and RAD learning
programs on Criminology, Accounting, Business Administration, and
Education. They also provide scholarships to qualified students.
CARD MRI encourages its members and their children to study in
PHINMA schools to avail of these scholarships. The partnership also
allows PHINMA students to benefit from CARD MRI’s loan programs,
internships, and employment opportunities.
Education matters. It is
often referred to as the great equalizer, because it offers doors to
skills, jobs and resources that a family needs to not just survive
but thrive. It is my fervent hope that there will be more providers
of affordable, quality education for our marginalized youth. After
all, investing in their education is investing in our country’s
future.
* * * * *
Dr. Jaime
Aristotle B. Alip is a poverty eradication advocate, with more than
35 years of experience in microfinance and social development. He is
the founder of the Center for Agriculture and Rural Development
Mutually Reinforcing Institutions (CARD MRI), a group of 23
organizations that provide social development services to 7.4
million economically disadvantaged Filipinos nationwide and insuring
more than 28 million lives. CARD’s innovative financial and
enterprise development services, targeting the poor, has won many
accolades including the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service in
2008, and for Dr. Alip, the prestigious Ramon V. del Rosario Award
for Nation Building in 2019. Dr. Alip is an alumnus of the Harvard
Business School, the Southeast Asia Interdisciplinary Development
Institute, and the University of the Philippines.
Increasing lawyer
killings a cause for alarm
A press statement by
Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) on the killing of Begtang
July 24, 2021
The Integrated Bar of the
Philippines (IBP) condemns the brazen and shocking murder of Deputy
City Prosecutor Victor Begtang Jr. in the afternoon of June 23, 2021
right inside the comfort of his home in Conner, Apayao. Prosecutor
Begtang is the ninth prosecutor to be killed during this
administration.
With the recent killing of
Atty. Sitti Gilda Mahinay-Sapie in Davao City on July 14, 2021, this
now makes the death toll of lawyers killed during this
administration at 63.
The IBP extends its
deepest condolences to the family, relatives, and friends of
Prosecutor Begtang and will endeavor to immediately process the
release of the IBP benefits due to his heirs. It will likewise
assist in, and monitor the investigation and prosecution of his case
so that the perpetrators can be identified and prosecuted to the
fullest extent of the law.
The IBP grieves and is
appalled by the increasing and sheer number of assassinations of
lawyers, judges, and prosecutors with impunity.
In stark contrast, the
number of lawyers killed during the previous administrations
stretching way back to 1972 was no less than 10 for each
administration, with one administration even having no lawyer death
ever recorded. Indeed, the numbers, as these now stand under the
present administration, have alarmingly increased by as much as
500%.
As such, the IBP will
continue to work with the Supreme Court, the Department of Justice,
the National Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National
Police to address and arrest these rising attacks against its
members just as it calls upon our police and investigative agencies
to formulate and implement specific measures to improve the security
of lawyers, judges and prosecutors and to expeditiously resolve its
investigations on these killings so that the perpetrators are
swiftly and truly held accountable.
Closing the door
to a peaceful resolution
Statement of The Philippine
Ecumenical Peace Platform (PEPP) over the designation of the NDFP as
a terrorist group by the Anti-Terrorism Council
July 21, 2021
The Philippine Ecumenical
Peace Platform (PEPP) joins all peace advocates in sounding the
alarm over the designation of the National Democratic Front of the
Philippines (NDFP) as a terrorist group by the Anti-Terrorism
Council (ATC). This designation tragically closes the door to what
is truly called for: a peaceful resolution of the Government of the
Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and NDFP conflict.
Sadly, with this action
the ATC buried 29 years of laborious and painstaking agreements and
gradual steps toward peace. The government seems to be ignoring that
peace is a sacred right of all people and guaranteed as a
fundamental duty of the state.
It also confirms that the
Anti-terrorism Law (ATL) is a huge hurdle to the promise of peace
for everyone as it is being used as a weapon in a total war against
so-called terrorists. The case against two Aetas, which thankfully
was dismissed, shows that the terror law can be used to fabricate
charges and arbitrarily designate persons and groups.
The ATC designation
demonstrates that the government is using its full resources to
subdue the CPP/NPA/NDF. It does not fully recognize that violence
will not resolve the conflict, that the most judicious way to
address its roots – poverty, landlessness, inequitable access to
resources – is to resume the formal peace talks. The designation and
the present course that relies on the use of violent means only
increase the likelihood of more violations in human rights and
international and humanitarian law.
We are therefore greatly
concerned about the escalation of civilian populations being harmed
as seen in the rising cases of killings, threats, harassment, and
restriction of movements of farming and indigenous communities in
remote rural areas.
This latest designation by
the ATC also begs the question: Are groups supporting or calling for
the resumption of the formal peace talks with “designated
terrorists” next in the ATC’s crosshairs as well? It is not
far-fetched since they unjustifiably froze the accounts and
properties of church ministries like that of the Rural Missionaries
of the Philippines (RMP) and the Haran Center of the United Church
of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) in Davao City, allegedly for
supporting terrorist activities.
This also comes after the
ATC designated 19 individuals, including peace consultants, as
terrorists a few months ago. The list includes peace consultants Rey
Claro Casambre of the Philippine Peace Center and Vicente Ladlad.
Their assets were simultaneously frozen by the Anti-Money-Laundering
Council (AMLC). Mr. Ladlad’s bank account contains the funds awarded
by the Human Rights Claims Board while Mr. Casambre’s were savings
from his allowances as an NGO worker, various honoraria and gifts
from family members. It is not enough that they, and other peace
consultants, are languishing in jail right now after trusting the
government that they were supposed to be covered by their mutual
agreement, the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG),
but their savings cannot be accessed by their families as well.
As church leaders, we are
highly alarmed at these developments. However, we will not falter in
our belief and call that the most viable option for a just and
lasting peace is through a negotiated peace settlement coupled with
meaningful social and economic reforms. We affirm that a peace
process that addresses social injustices is the will of God and we
will not stop working for it.
We appeal to the
government to rescind its designation of the NDFP as a terrorist
organization and recognize the lasting devastation this will have on
the Filipino people’s trust in the government’s competence to
resolve internal conflicts through peaceful negotiations.
We continue to appeal to
both parties to return to the negotiating table. We also call on our
people to pray and work for peace and support prospective candidates
in the coming elections who are committed to genuine peace. Let us
find inspiration in these words from the Bible: “Peacemakers who sow
in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.” (James 3:18, NIV).
Issued and signed this
21st day of July 2021.
Do we really know
Christ?
By
Fr. ROY CIMAGALA, roycimagala@gmail.com
June 28, 2021
WE really need to know who
Christ is. That’s question that Christ asked his disciples and
should be rightly answered by us, the way Peter answered it. “Who do
people say that I am?” This is very important for the simple reason
that we are supposed to be “another Christ,” if not “Christ
himself.” We are meant for nothing less than that.
As we all know, most of
his disciples only had some general and vague idea of who Christ
really is. “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others
Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” It was Peter who hit it bull’s
eye. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
We have to be clear about
this point. We are meant to assume the identity of Christ. And that
is not a gratuitous, baseless assertion, much less, a fiction or a
fantasy. It is founded on a fundamental truth of our faith that we
have been created by God in his own image and likeness. We are meant
to be conformed to Christ who as the Son of God is the perfect image
God has of his own self.
Since we have been made in
the image and likeness of God, we have to understand that we have
been patterned after Christ, the Son of God who became man to
recover us from our state of alienation from God due to our sin.
So we have been patterned
after Christ, and if Christ is truly alive and is actively
intervening in our life lives, we should ask ourselves if we manage
to see him and deal with him today and always. We know all too well
that very often we are good in words only, but not in deeds, in
theory but not in practice. We need to close the gap.
Let’s remember that Christ
himself said: “I am always with you until the end of time.” (Mt
28,20) If we have faith, these words should never be considered as
mere bluff. They are true and operative. We have to learn to conform
ourselves to that reality and to behave accordingly.
Christ should not just be
a Christ of faith or a Christ of history, as some theologians have
described him. The Christ of faith and the Christ of history is one
and the same person, and he continues not only to be with us but
also to work with us, showing us the way how to live, how to work,
how to decide, how to choose, etc.
We need to be clear about
who we really are. Before we identify ourselves by the name we bear,
or by the many other data that describe our identity, like our
gender, our nationality and legal status, our place and date of
birth, our residence, etc., we have to know that we are first of all
creatures of God, raised to be his image and likeness, children of
his, and in spite of our defects and mistakes, redeemed and
continually loved by him.
This is our core identity
on which all the other specifications of our person are based and
through which they are all animated. When we identify ourselves or
distinguish ourselves from everybody else, we should not forget that
we are first of all creatures and children of God.
Our proper relation with
God can only take place when we assume the very identity of Christ!
Beware of false
prophets
By
Fr. ROY CIMAGALA,
roycimagala@gmail.com
June 22, 2021
THAT’S what Christ told
his disciples. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s
clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves.” (Mt 7,15)
We have to be wary of
these characters because the world is now awash with false prophets
and demagogues. It even looks like we have an infestation. Whether
we look at the fields of politics, business, the sciences, sports
and entertainment, and yes, even in religion, we can readily find
dishonest and corrupt leaders, false prophets and lying teachers.
It actually should be no
surprise. Since time immemorial, and even during the time of Christ,
demagogues proliferated. Our human condition, if not grounded on
God, is vulnerable to it. We can´t help it. Our world can easily
produce the pertinent elements and factors that give rise to them.
And we can never run out of potential materials.
In this, we have received
enough warnings from Sacred Scripture. “Beloved,” St. John, for
example, in his first letter tells us, “do not believe every spirit,
but test the spirits to see whether they are of God; for many false
prophets have gone out into the world.” (4,1)
There are many kinds of
spirits roaming around the world, and we have to learn how to
discern them. There is the spirit of God, the spirit of Christ as
opposed to the antichrist. There is also the evil spirit, and the
spirit of the world that is dominated by the evil one. There is also
the spirit of the flesh.
St. John was explicit as
to which spirit is proper to us. “By this you know the Spirit of
God: every spirit which confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the
flesh is of God, and every spirit which does not confess Jesus is
not of God. This is the spirit of antichrist, of which you heard
that it was coming, and now it is in the world already.” (1 Jn
4,2-3)
And among the most
dangerous false prophets we can have today are those clerics who get
into partisan politics. They clearly would not be following the
teaching and example of Christ who, even if he knew the shenanigans
in the political world of his time, did not make any definitive
stand on a specific political issue.
That’s because, I suppose,
Christ knew he would be adding unnecessary division among the people
if he would get into partisan politics. Politics is such a
complicated area where things can never be black and white, totally
right or totally wrong. It’s always grey, since the issues involved
are matters of opinion and preferences that can give rise to a
variety of different and even conflicting positions of the people.
The mixture of good and
evil in politics, benefits and dangers are so intertwined that to
separate one from the other would practically be impossible and most
likely be more harmful than helpful.
Perhaps that’s one of the
reasons why Christ talked about the parable of the wheat and the
weeds. (cfr. Mt 13,24-30) It would not be wise and prudent,
according to the lesson of that parable, to uproot the weeds at the
moment since the wheat may also be uprooted. We just have to wait
for the harvest, the final reckoning, when the due separation can be
made.
In the meantime, we just
have to be patient, even as we also should try to purify and clarify
things, but done always in a Christian spirit, that is, with charity
and cordiality, with willingness to suffer the consequences of evil,
without bitterness, anger and the impulse for revenge.