Filipino Translation “Hindi na Sapat ang Mangarap; Kailangan Nang Magtaya”

Pahayag ng Kagawaran ng Teyolohiya, Pamantasan ng Ateneo de Manila Tungkol sa Halalan 2022

Ang parating na halalan sa Mayo ay isang napakahalagang pagkakataon sa ating kasaysayan. Ang ating walang katiyakang kinabukasan ay pagpapasyahan ng ating pagpili sa mga bagong mamumuno. Samantala, ang social media ay pinuputakti ng salu-salungat na tinig na humihingi ng ating suporta – mula sa mga mabulaklak na pangako ng mas matiwasay na bukas, sa mga tinig ng di-matitinag na disiplina at integridad, hanggang sa mga boses ng mga walang tunay na plataporma o plano maliban sa mabababaw na pakulo para umano sa ikabubuti ng bansa. Sa ating mga online classrooms at social media, maririnig natin ang tinig ng mga kabataan, mulat sa iba’t ibang kalagayan ng mga sektor ng lipunan, may paninindigang  nagsasalita, tumataghoy, at kumikilos nang may pag-asa para sa pagbabago.

Marami ang nangangako ng pagbabago, ngunit anong direksyon ang dapat nating tunguhin at kaninong plataporma ang dapat nating suportahan? Bagaman pinaninindigan namin na walang sinuman ang maaaring piliting kumilos o magpasya nang labag sa kanilang konsensya, dapat nating hanapin ang katotohanan at gumawa ng mga pasya na naaayon dito sapagkat kung “walang pagtitiwala at pagmamahal sa kung ano ang totoo, walang panlipunang konsensya at pananagutan.” Ang dangal ng konsensya ay nalalabag kapag wala itong malasakit na hanapin kung ano ang totoo at mabuti. Ang pananagutang sundin ang ating konsensya ay may katumbas na obligasyon na hubugin ito ayon sa paghahangad ng Diyos sa katarungan at ingklusibong pag-ibig na ipinahayag sa Ebanghelyo.

Kaya naman, hinihinging pagnilayan natin ang kinabukasang ibig natin para sa ating henerasyon, isang bukas na “maaasahan, maginhawa, at siguradong buhay… panatag dahil alam natin na laging may sapat para sa ating pang araw-araw na pangangailangan at mga di-inaasahang gastusin, na nakapagpaplano at nakapaghahanda tayo para sa kinabukasan natin at ng ating mga anak” tulad ng paglalarawan ng NEDA. Gaano tayo kasigasig sa pagkamit ng mga pangarap na ito? Pinagtiisan natin sa nakalipas na anim na taon ang isang gobyernong nauugnay sa garapalang pagdepensa sa mga tunay na may-sala, talamak na korapsyon, pamumunong walang kakayahan, at kulang sa maasahang kilos para matupad ang mga dapat at totoong pagbabago. Panahon na para harapin ang kinabukasan nang may tapang.

Hindi na sapat ang mangarap, kailangan nang magtaya.

Sa kabila ng mga kapangyarihan at pwersa na pumipilit sa ating lumimot, at bilang pagtutol sa mga ito, kailangan nating alalahanin ang mga mapanganib na ala-ala ng kalupitan ng Batas Militar, at gumawa ng mahihirap na pasya, sa kabila ng panganib na mahusgahan o hindi tayo maintindihan. Kailangan na natin kumilos ngayon kahit maraming nag-iisip na walang patutunguhan ang ating mga pagsusumikap. Sa kabila ng halaga na hinihinging kapalit nito, patuloy tayong nangangarap hindi lamang para sa ating sarili kundi para sa lahat na naniniwalang “ang isang bagong mundo ay hindi lamang posible, ito ay paparating na” (Arundhati Roy).

“Anong klaseng mundo ang nais nating ipasa sa mga susunod sa atin, sa mga batang lumalaki na ngayon?” Para sa kanila, nangangarap tayo ng mundong may katarungan at pagkakataon para sa lahat na makilahok sa mga makabuluhang pagpapasya ng lipunan, may pagtataguyod sa kabutihang panlahat, at pagkiling sa mga nangangailangan at naisasantabi. Nangangarap din tayo para sa kapakanan ng kalikasan sapagkat may kaugnayan sa kabuohang pag-unlad ng tao ang pagkalinga sa mundong ating tahanan. Kaya naman, naghahangad tayo na magkaroon ng mga pinunong handang makinig sa panaghoy ng mga dukha at ng kalikasan. Sa pangangarap nating ito, patuloy tayong kumakapit sa pangako na nagsimula nang maganap sa muling pagkabuhay ni Kristo; sa pangako na papahirin ng Diyos ang ating mga luha at mawawala na ang kamatayan, dalamhati, pagtangis, at paghihirap sapagkat lumipas na ang lumang kaayusan (Pahayag 21:4).

Ang mundong pinapangarap natin ay kabaliktaran ng Pilipinas na mayroon tayo sa ngayon. Maraming dukha ang naging biktima ng war on drugs. Samantala, isiniwalat naman ng pandemya ang pagkukulang ng mga pangako ng isang papyulistang pangangampanya. Ang mga kakulangang ito ang nagpalala ng karukhaan at hindi makataong kalagayan ng mga mahihirap. Marami sa kanila ang nawalan ng seguridad, hanapbuhay, at mga mahal sa buhay. Bukod dito, ang mga taong nagsasalita laban sa mga kakulangang ito ay itinuturing na mga rebelde at terorista. Patuloy namang binabalahura ang mga kababaihan sa mga pampublikong diskurso. Patuloy rin ang pagpapasasa ng mga may kapangyarihan na pinagbabayaran ng kalikasan, mga katutubo, magsasaka, at mangingisda. Ang ating pangako na “never again”, kung saan di na natin papayagan ang karahasan at pang-aapi, ay tila ba atin nang nalilimutan. Ang kalagayang ito ng ating bansa ay hudyat ng kasalukuyang panahon na tumatawag sa ating maging mga propeta at manindigan para sa katotohanan kahit na magmukha tayong salungat sa pagkakaisa. Sapagkat hungkag ang pagkakaisang taliwas sa mga prinsipyo ng Mabuting Balita. Tunay lamang ang pagkakaisa kung nakasalig ito sa katotohanan, katarungang para sa lahat, at pamamahalang tapat. Samantalang maraming tinig ang nanawagan ng pagbabago at higit sa isang kandidato ang may mga platapormang sumasalamin sa mga prinsipyong nabanggit at pag-asang tinatanaw, pinili namin sina Leni Robredo at Kiko Pangilinan mula sa mga ito, sapagkat kinakatawan nila ang huwarang pamumuno na walang bahid ng kurapsyon at ang mga katangiang may kakayahang tumugon sa mga suliranin ng lipunan. Ang aming boto para sa tambalang Robredo-Pangilinan ay hindi lamang dahil sa tsansa nilang manalo. Higit sa lahat, kinakatawan ng aming boto ang masidhing pagsalungat sa pagbabalik sa kapangyarihan ng mga pamilyang Marcos at Duterte na syang sumira sa pagkakaisa ng bansa. Ang aming boto ay isang maalab na pagtuligsa sa mga kandidatong walang pakundangan sa kalikasan at karapatang pantao. Ang aming boto ay mariing pagtutol sa mga mandaraya at mga mapagpamihasa sa mga hindi makatarungan at mapang-aping sistema at balangkas ng lipunan na patuloy na nagpapahirap sa maraming Filipino.

Kay Leni-Kiko tayo magtaya ngayong halalalan. Mangarap para sa Pilipinas, magtaya para sa Pilipinas.

English “Hindi na Sapat ang Mangarap; Kailangan Nang Magtaya”

Statement of the Department of Theology, Ateneo de Manila University
about the May 2022 Election

The upcoming May election is a critical moment in our history. Our precarious future will be determined by our choices for new leaders. In the meantime, social media is being bombarded by discordant voices vying for our support – from flowery promises of a more prosperous future to voices of steely confidence of discipline and integrity to the voices of those with no real platform or thought offered beyond superficial slogans for the good of the country. In our online classrooms and social media spaces, we hear the voices of the youth, awakened to the plight of various sectors of society, speaking up, clamoring, and working with hope for change.

Many are promising change, but what direction should we pursue and whose platforms should we support? While we uphold that no one is to be forced to act in a manner contrary to their conscience, we must seek the truth and make judgments according to it for “without trust and love for what is true, there is no social conscience and responsibility.” Conscience’s dignity is compromised when it shows little concern to seek what is true and good. To follow our conscience equally requires the obligation to form it, anchored in God’s vision of justice and inclusive love revealed in the Gospel.

Hence, we are called to reflect on the future we want for our generation, one that is a “strongly rooted, comfortable, and secure life….secure in the knowledge that we have enough for our daily needs and unexpected expenses, that we can plan and prepare for our and our children’s future” as described by NEDA. How committed are we to realize that dream? For the past six years, we have endured a government associated with rampant impunity and corruption, incompetent leadership, and the failure to deliver real change. It is now time to face the future with courage.

Hindi na sapat ang mangarap, kailangan nang magtaya.

Over and against power that forces us to forget, we have to remember the dangerous memories of the atrocities of Martial Law, and make hard choices, even at the risk of being misunderstood or judged. We have to act now even if others think our efforts may prove to be futile. Despite the price we have to pay, we continue to hope not only for ourselves but for everyone who believes that “another world is not only possible, she is on her way” (Arundhati Roy).

“What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up?” For them, we envision a world where there is justice and social participation for all, commitment to the common good, and special care for the vulnerable and marginalized. Integral human development includes not only care for the human person but also for the Earth, our common home. We hope for leaders who will hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. We continue to hope in the promise already accomplished by Christ’s Resurrection that “God will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

The world we envision stands in contrast to the Philippines today. Many poor Filipinos have fallen victim to the war on drugs. The pandemic exposed the limits of populist campaign promises. Institutional gaps in our economic, social, and health care systems worsened an already dehumanizing poverty. Countless more have lost their security, their livelihood and their lives. Courageous voices of dissent are red-tagged. Women are ridiculed in public speeches. Our economic and political elites continue to prosper at the expense of our natural resources, our indigenous peoples, and our farmers and fisherfolk. We have seemed to have forgotten our vow to never again tolerate impunity and oppression.

The signs of the times call all of us to prophetically defend the truth, even at the risk of being labelled “divisive.” The call for “Unity” is empty at the expense of Gospel values. Authentic unity is grounded in truth, inclusive justice, and good governance. While there may be a myriad of voices calling out for change and more than one candidate and their platforms espouse the principles and vision of hope, we strongly endorse the candidacies of Leni Robredo and Kiko Pangilinan, which embody the ideals of exemplary leadership untainted by corruption and the needed competence to address society’s many social ills. A vote for the Robredo-Pangilinan tandem is not just a vote for viable candidates, but it is also a vote for the ultimate good of our nation. One such vote is a vote for candidates who espouse the Gospel and Filipino values. It is a vote against the return of the Marcos and Duterte Dynasties in power which destroyed much of the nation’s social fabric. It is a vote against those candidates who destroy the integrity of creation and the dignity and rights of peoples, distort the truth, and perpetuate unjust systems and structures that continue to beget the kinds of evil that continue to oppress the Filipino.

Kay Leni at Kiko tayo magtaya. Mangarap… magtaya para sa Pilipinas.

As mission continues, CBCP head calls to include ‘those on fringes’

Photos By Sammy Navaja
By CBCP News
April 25, 2022
Manila, Philippines

The Philippine Catholic Church on Sunday officially ended its celebration of the quincentenary of Christianity in the Philippines by emphasizing the need for the Church to turn towards the fringes of society.

Echoing Pope Francis, the episcopal conference’s president, Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, said that the church does not even have to go distant places to engage in mission.

“The ones we are sent to might not even be very far from us— they are around us, in the peripheries,” David said in his homily during the closing Mass at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral.

“We are never to allow it to happen that those kept at the fringes of society are also kept at the fringes of the Church,” he said.

Citing the Catholic social teachings, he said the only “civilization” that Christians should aim to build is something that “aims to raise our level of humanity” by caring for the poor and the vulnerable.

There is nothing Christian, according to him, in works that exclude the majority and treat the poor like “disposable trash”.

“In a truly humane society we are mindful of the common good; we protect and empower the weakest. Everyone matters. It is what being in mission means,” David said.

The last week of the year-long celebration was capped with the virtual 2nd National Mission Congress in two parts: the International Missiology Symposium and the National Mission Forum.

Among those who graced the Mass were 12 bishops, including Archbishop Charles Brown, the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, and Bishop Socrates Mesiona, head of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Mission.

The Vatican envoy encouraged the faithful “to keep our faith strong” and share it to other places in the world.

He also paid tribute to the parents “who give the light and life of the Catholic faith to their children”.

“There are no more important missionaries than fathers and mothers,” Brown said. “So, parents, grandparents, remember that you are missionaries in the most profound sense of the world.”

The gathering was also highlighted with the mission-send off rites for 5 priests, 5 religious women and several members of lay group Couples for Christ who are off to various missions in the Philippines and overseas.

The missionaries were also conferred with a “mission cross” by the papal nuncio.

Priests, religious urged to take ‘active role’ in Philippine elections

Priests and religious have reportedly “forgotten to be prophets” and have not helped people to work for “principled political participation”

Marielle Lucenio
April 22, 2022

Members of the clergy in the province of Bataan have openly endorsed the candidacy of Vice President Leni Robredo during a political rally on April 19, 2022. (Photo by Jire Carreon)

Members of the clergy and the religious should take an “active role” in politics, especially during the national elections on May 9.

The call was made by Vincentian priest and theologian Daniel Franklin Pilario during an online forum hosted by the Conference of Major Superiors in the Philippines on April 22.

Without naming names, Father Pilario said priests and religious should “promote efforts against some candidates” and “endorse others who can protect us” from atrocities like what happened during the years of martial law in the Seventies and the Eighties.

He said Church people should take a stand against “atrocious crimes,” such as human rights violations committed during martial law and in the recent “war on drugs” of the government.

The priest noted that many among members of the clergy and the religious have “forgotten to be prophets” and have not helped the lay people to work for “principled political participation.”

“If we are followers of Christ, why were we silent in times of killings?” said Father Pilario in Filipino.

Statements made by several Church leaders, who endorsed candidates for the coming elections, have become the subject of discussions within and outside the Church in recent weeks.

“We should have moved and taught people how to engage in partisan politics,” said the Vincentian theologian.

“We have to remember that peace and harmony should be based on justice, and if there is no justice and if [people] are killed, then you have [not achieved peace],” he said.

He then reminded priests and religious that “not working for the Gospel is not preaching it,” adding that “If you want to preach Jesus, be political.”

In a pastoral letter released in March, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines called on voters to elect candidates who will improve people’s lives, especially the poor and the vulnerable.

“We need competent leaders and lawmakers with sincere intentions to serve the welfare of our communities,” read the bishops’ statement.

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FFF Condemns Assault on Leody De Guzman and Unarmed Lumads in Bukidnon

Urges President Duterte, Zubiris to Enforce IP Rights in Ancestral Lands

(April 20, 2022)

          The Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) condemned the assault on presidential candidate Leody de Guzman and unarmed lumads (indigenous peoples)  – including women and children – in barangay San Jose, Quezon, Bukidnon last April 19 by security guards of an agribusiness corporation allegedly owned and controlled by Mayor Pablo Lorenzo III of Quezon municipality.        

          At the same time, FFF Board Chairman and former Agriculture Secretary Leonardo Q. Montemayor urged President Duterte, Bukidnon Governor Jose Zubiri, Jr. and his son – incumbent Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri – to act decisively to prevent further violence and to enforce the ancestral land rights of lumads.

          Five (5) persons were reportedly wounded by the security personnel of the Kiantig Development Corporation (KDC), using shotguns, M16 and M14 high powered weapons.  De Guzman was unhurt in the incident.  Police and military personnel, who were in the vicinity during the shootings, reportedly did not intervene.

         Earlier on April 18, Supreme Datu Rolando Anglao of the Manobo-Pulangiyon tribe met with Mayor Lorenzo, Chairman Allen Capuyan of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and other government representatives.  He informed them that the lumads  would be reclaiming the 1,111-hectare area in barangays Butong and San Jose that was officially recognized last October 6, 2021 by the NCIP as the ancestral domain of the tribe – being the “rightful owner and possessor” thereof.

         Since 2017, about a thousand lumad families have encamped in tents and makeshift shelters along the national highway in Quezon just outside their ancestral land, which have been fenced off by the KDC and planted to pineapple previously for Del Monte Philippines and lately to Lapanday Corporation.

          According to FFF Board Chairman Leonardo Q. Montemayor, the disputed area in sitio Kiantig had been originally leased to the Montalvan Ranch in the 1960s.  Somehow, the KDC under Lorenzo managed to secure leasehold rights over the property.   In 2018, the 25-year lease period ended, and the area was reclassified as forest land under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.  During the Ramos presidency, top DENR officials declared that the area was part of the ancestral domain of the Manobo-Pulangiyon, pursuant to the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997 (Republic Act No. 8371).

          Montemayor called on Governor Zubiri to live up to his title, “Datu Intunda” (Chief Guardian Angel), which was conferred on him by the Seven Tribes of Bukidnon in the 1970s.