National Laity Week Celebration 2021

July 29, 2021

To: All Laiko Members: Arch/Diocesan Councils of the Laity & National Lay Organizations
Dear Brothers & Sisters:

The peace and love of the merciful Lord be with you!

The Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas will once again celebrate the National Laity Week on September 18 to 25, 2021. Despite the present situation, we believe all the more that we have to highlight the indispensable role of the laity in the life and mission of the Church in the most feasible ways.

This year’s theme is: “Celebrate as One in 2021 – the Gift of Christianity, The Gift of Mission and the Gift of Unity”

The Opening Celebration on September 18, 2021 will be hosted by the Archdiocese of Cebu, while the Closing Event on September 25, 2021 is to be hosted by the Diocese of Baguio.

As in the past, we encourage you, in coordination with your Bishops, Priests & superiors to organize Laity Week related activities in your respective Arch/Dioceses, parishes and communities.

We will update you on the details of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies once they are finalized so that you can actively participate.

Thank you. Once again, we count on your utmost support and active participation.

Sincerely in the service of the Lord,

Noted by:

+MOST REV. BRODERICK S. PABILLO, D.D.
Chairman
CBCP Episcopal Commission on the Laity

Human Trafficking, Why so Few Convictions?

Fr. Shay Cullen
6 August 2021

The recruitment and sale of humans is an age-old crime against the rights, freedom and dignity of everyone exploited and forced to work for little or no wages and controlled and trapped by their traffickers and slave-masters.Young women and boys are especially targeted and offered fake jobs and given empty promises to get them to sign documents that put them in debt and under the control of their recruiters. Worse, when trafficked to work in the Philippines or abroad, they are forced to work in brothels, as domestics, in factories and are living mostly in sub-human conditions and are underpaid. Many are brought to brothels and sex parlors, sexually abused and trapped in sex work from which few escape.

The “Not for Sale Fund,” an international charity says, “Today, there are approximately 45.8 million people caught in the trap of modern slavery around the world. This includes 10 million children, 15.4 million people in forced marriage, and 4.8 million people in forced sexual exploitation. However, it is difficult to determine exact statistics because so many cases of human trafficking go undetected and unreported.”

Poverty and the desire for a life of economic liberty and well-being of one’s family make poor men and women vulnerable and in danger of a life of slavery. Human trafficking is a form of modern slavery and it is facilitated in the Philippines by individuals’ and syndicates aided by corrupt officials. It is a global business worth billions of dollars to traffickers around the world. It is a crime that will never be vanquished unless the victims are healed and cared for and the criminals convicted and jailed. Most criminals operate with impunity and walk free. Only 89 were convicted in 2019 and 73 were convicted in 2020 in the Philippines.

The Philippines is considered a hot spot for human trafficking and slavery and while hundreds of suspected traffickers are arrested, few are convicted. The US Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report for 2020 points out how very few convictions there are in a population of 110 million people.

In part the report says, “The government convicted 73 traffickers under the anti-trafficking act and related laws (89 traffickers in 2019). Most of the convicted traffickers subjected children to sex trafficking, including 25 who sexually exploited children online (compared to 32 in 2019); three committed labor trafficking (five in 2019).”

This low conviction rate is because some investigators, government social services and rescue NGOs have limited facilities and therapeutic centres to protect, treat and empower the rescued victims of sexual abuse, exploitation, and trafficking. Many victims after giving statements, staying a few days or weeks in a temporary shelter without therapeutic and psychological intervention, are sent home, traumatized. There, the relatives and friends of the accused trafficker threaten them not to testify. Protection, healing and empowerment are the most important services needed to help the victims and stop human trafficking but they are not available in most cases.

When a case does get to court, the delaying tactics by the defence, where endless postponements, allowed by complicit judges, frustrate the victim witness and they give up attending hearings not having testified.They are vulnerable to threats or a payoff. As a result, hundreds of legal cases are dismissed- for lack of evidence- to the frustration of law enforcers. Some other traffickers can recruit the victims again and they return to sex work to pay off debts. The anti-trafficking law needs review and a new section must be added that says victims must be given specified therapeutic care, protection, and professional intervention. This has to be for a time and the victim financially compensated while in the therapeutic centre for a longer period of time until they have healed and are empowered to testify in court. Then they will be provided with aftercare, education and livelihood.

There are some success stories, however. Most of the girls in the Preda Foundation Home for trafficked and abused children belong to dysfunctional families and were victims of domestic abuse and violence from an early age. These neglected and abused children then take to the streets to survive and to find freedom from the beatings and sexual abuse in their homes. On the streets, they are most vulnerable to unscrupulous traffickers who pick them up, offer them money, food, clothes, jobs and cheap smart phones. That puts them in the power of the traffickers.

When five girls aged 14 to 16 were trafficked by Michael Macaranas in Subic, he brought them to his house and with other men abused them sexually many times. After a tip off, they were rescued by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and put under the protective custody of the Preda Foundation. They were protected, cared for, had many months of therapy and were healed from trauma and empowered to testify against their trafficker Michael Macaranas. He was convicted on two counts of trafficking and was sentenced to life in prison and to pay his victims moral and exemplary damages which he never did. The Preda aftercare helped the victims finish school and lead a happier, better life. That was one more conviction in the annual success rate of an average of 15 convictions by the Preda children.

That’s because the victims were healed after a few months of Emotional Release Therapy and were self-confident and changed young girls. Their testimony was direct, clear and convincing.

In her decision dated October 7, 2019, Judge Ma. Cristina J. Mendoza-Pizarro conducted a no-nonsense speedy trial, brooked no delaying tactics and noted that the defence of consent did not apply as the minors were forced and tricked into the sexual exploitation, a noteworthy decision.

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Call for Signatories: Junk Permit for Commercial Propagation of Golden Rice

Oppose all developments that will advance the green revolution and the corporate capture of food systems

Aug 4, 2021
MASIPAG Advocacy

Greetings!

Last July 21, 2021, the Department of Agriculture of Philippines approved the permit for the commercial propagation of the highly contested GM yellow rice, called ‘Golden Rice’ (GR). Several CSOs, experts, and other concerned individuals gathered to craft an action plan on how to combat Golden Rice in different areas and platforms.

We attached a unity statement reiterating our calls to junk the recently approved and railroaded permit, oppose other advances of the Green Revolution in the country, and end the corporate capture of our food and agricultural systems. We request that you and/or your organization become a signatory. We also request that you and/or your organization help us reach out to other audiences and potential allies in this campaign. This statement will be posted on our social media pages and website. This will also be presented in our activities.

For individual signatories, sign here: https://forms.gle/13GRghpY2aVcMS177

For organizations, you may upload your logos here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Oewj6Z28bZPz6GDa11Tw5ElGxwMJkc8M?usp=sharin or you may send it directly to us.

The deadline for signing is on August 8, 8:00 PM.

Thanks,

MASIPAG

Last July 21, 2021, the Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Plant Industry (DA-BPI) approved the commercial propagation of GR2E, a genetically modified type of rice that it calls Golden Rice due to its yellow color. The approval blindsided the broad coalition of Filipino farmers, consumers, scientists, lawyers, and the general public who have been campaigning for greater public participation, transparency in the results of the biosafety process, and independence in the risk assessments of this GM product given rice is a daily staple in the Philippines and its production has profound impacts on health, the environment, the economy, and Philippine society and culture. Neither Da-BPI nor the Philippine Rice Research Institute has given any in-depth satisfactory response to the Filipino public’s request.

On August 9, 2021, 10 AM, the Stop Golden Rice! Network is hosting a press conference to provide various perspectives on this surprise approval of GMO rice for production and consumption. The Philippines is being hailed for being the first government and country in the world to commercially grow, distribute and eat this GMO rice. Is it really a cause for celebration…or concern? Did the joint agencies follow regulatory procedures or were there lapses? What are the legal implications of this latest move from DA-PhilRice? What are the immediate and long-term impacts of GMO rice in the Philippines on Filipino people, especially the local rice farmers and poor households who are at the crosshairs as the growers and consumers of this GM food? How does this affect the local rice industry on top of the Rice Liberalization Law? Are there other sectors that may be gravely affected by the GR2E propagation?

To offer a holistic perspective, the press conference will be joined by doctors, scientists, lawyers, consumers, farmers, and local government leaders.

#DefendOurRice
#FightForOurRights
#FoodSecurityForAll
#StopGoldenRice

Marriage is the icon of God’s love for us- Pope Francis

Vatican News- English

“Marriage is a precious sign. It is an image of God’s love for us. This does not mean that the love spouses have for each other must be perfect… No love is perfect. But the love spouses have for each other is a dynamic process that progresses and improves with time over a lifetime. This is why marriage requires fidelity. Marriage lasts forever”. The Holy Father speaks  about “foreverness” in marriage, in this fifth video of the 10-part series prepared as part of the celebration of the «Amoris Laetitia Family» Year. This time Pope Francis addresses himself particularly to spouses.

“Don’t be afraid to fail: fear is the greatest obstacle to welcoming Christ and His plan for our lives! Be careful of fear!”, the Holy Father powerfully warns us.

The Holy Father’s reflection is this time accompanied by the personal testimony of Donato and Francesca, an italian couple. Donato: “The gift of His Love makes the ‘forever’ possible of two fragile, limited and wounded creatures”. Francesca: “Our forever is a gift above all. We as a couple are especially aware of this when we struggle in building our loving relationship, but it is precisely here that we see the intervention of Grace” –  the spouses say.

A series of 10 videos inspired by different chapters of the Apostolic Exhortation “Amoris Laetitia”, encourages to re-read this papal document and to rediscover the family as a gift for its members, the Church and society.

Each video, accompanied by a pastoral guidebook divided in four parts, can be used flexibly either by families or by various ecclesial groups to nurture reflection, dialogue and pastoral practice as well as to families in their spiritual and concrete daily lives.

This pastoral resource is an initiative of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life in collaboration with the Dicastery for Communication, as part of the initiatives of the Amoris Laetitia Family Year.

Voters Education of the CBCP -Episcopal Commission on Youth through Young Davids Program

Diocesan Youth Councils
National Councils of FNYO Member Organizations

Dear fellow youth ministers,

Greetings in our Lord Jesus!

The Young Davids program of the CBCP-Episcopal Commission on Youth is conducting a non-partisan voter registration and education campaign.  The CBCP-ECY seeks to partner with you to promote value-based civic engagement to prepare our young people for this coming May elections.

Our voter registration campaign is based on the “Tamang Kandidato sa Eleksyon 2022” (or “TamaKa”) module of Bawat Isa Mahalaga citizen’s movement for godly governance.  The TamaKa module is a 2-hour interactive and facilitated voter education session.  Its aim is to lead young learners to appreciate the value of voting as their right and responsibility as Filipino citizens, and of democracy as a gift and a stewardship from God as followers of Christ.

We offer to share the TamaKa module for implementation in your setting.  A commissioned team of facilitators will train leaders of your ministry to implement the module among your members (young people/ youth leaders/ youth ministers).  This is free of charge without any obligation on your part.

For your reference, please find attached:

1. concept brief for the TamaKa voter registration module

2. some photos of TamaKa workshops for different churches and religious organizations

May we hear from you: kindly read and then fill up this sign-up form to signify your interest in this offer–

https://forms.gle/7A8nJxPFWaAE3onJ7

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Stop 174-Ha. Reclamation in Dumaguete City

The Philippine Misereor Partnership, Inc. (PMPI) raises grave concern to the proposed 174-hectare reclamation project and construction of the “Smart City” in Dumaguete City. The P23-billion Private-Public Partnership (PPP) project between E.M. Cuerpo Inc. and Dumaguete City Government is questionable at best, and catastrophic at worst.

The establishment of the “Smart City” mainly for profit-generation to the detriment of Dumaguete City’s marine biodiversity and which can lead to increased vulnerabilities to disasters, is not a smart move at all.

The evident disregard for nature masked as ‘development’ effort shall only add to the deep-seated problems in our environment in the long run. The pending destruction of Dumaguete City’s marine biodiversity, including whale sharks, coral reefs, and seagrasses, as well as alteration of its coasts is also a natural, man-made, food security, health, and waste management disaster in the making.

Reclamation activities disrupting the balance of marine ecosystems exacerbates impacts of climate change and weakening the city’s natural defense against it.

Displacement of sea creatures will adversely impact the natural food supply chain as well as their increased exposure to marine viruses that could give rise to potential zoonotic diseases, the same nature as the COVID-19.

Negative socio-cultural impacts are also in line as local communities are displaced along with their home environment and livelihood that depends on it. Additionally, increase in urban population and consumption also means increase in wastes and pollution.

To aggravate the situation at hand, just below the tip of the iceberg nestles a governance and sovereignty issue. The company E.M. Cuerpo Inc. is reported to have a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a Chinese, non-SEC registered entity Poly Changda Overseas Engineering Co., granting the latter to be a sub-contractor of the reclamation for the so-called Smart City. A confidentiality clause was also reported to have been agreed upon by both parties, wherein all information should be kept confidential, and any disputes should be resolved in Singapore. Further, the meager Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) of the PPP agreement is yet to elucidate its sketchy provisions citing that the Dumaguete LGU will not be able to have a say on who will own almost half of the reclaimed area [1]. This is a clear manifestation of either a sloppy leadership or a selfish, greedy governance that prioritizes money over the health of the environment and its constituents.

WE CALL THE ATTENTION OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT OF DUMAGUETE TO RETHINK AND RECONSIDER their decisions over the irreversible damage of the reclamation project not only on the coastal and marine ecosystem of Dumaguete, but from where those materials will be sourced out. The environmentally-conscious people of Dumaguete would not want mountains, hills and rivers in other parts of the country to be desecrated for their comfort.

WE CALL THE ATTENTION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES (DENR) to study thoroughly the impacts of this reclamation project and UPHOLD YOUR MISSION in protecting, conserving, and managing the environment and natural resources for the present and future generations.

WE CALL FOR TRANSPARENCY and initiation of real and inclusive public dialogues and consultations to hear what the people on the ground has to say.

WE DEMAND FOR AN ECOLOGICALLY-JUST GOVERNANCE that recognizes the intrinsic value and Rights of Nature, and thus puts forth sustainable and people-centered development over profit generation.

WE REITERATE the SECTION 2 of CODE OF CONDUCT AND ETHICAL STANDARDS FOR PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND EMPLOYEES that the public officials and employees shall at ALL TIMES be ACCOUNTABLE TO THE PEOPLE and shall discharge their duties with utmost responsibility, integrity, competence and loyalty, act with patriotism and justice, lead modest lives, and UPHOLD PUBLIC INTEREST OVER PERSONAL INTEREST.”

WE SUPPORT THE CALL of different groups, individuals and the scientific community to hold public consultations in order to make informed and coordinated decisions regarding the outcomes and impacts of the proposed project to the people and environment of Dumaguete City.

LOOK and CONTEMPLATE on environment-friendly and less destructive development projects.

LISTEN and HEAR the voice of your constituents, the scientific communities and experts.

STOP and SCRAP the proposed 174-hectare reclamation project now!

[1] Pal, I. F. (2021, July 19). China firm tapped in Dumaguete reclamation project. INQUIRER.Net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1461167/china-firm-tapped-in-dumaguete-project

Invitation to Good Governance Webinar on National Situation

27 July 2021

Dear mission partners,

Greetings of peace for Good Governance.

Understanding the existing condition on our socio-economic and political situation at the national level is very important to know what we would like to change in making our vote in the coming 2022 elections. 

Therefore, we have invited the Executive Director of IBON, Sonny Africa, to share with us the prevailing political and economic realities of the country based on their research and documentation, and how these influence the social, cultural and environmental aspects of our lives.

You are invited to join our Social Action Network in the Webinar on: National Situation – the context of our Vote in the 2022 Elections (NASSA/ Caritas Philippines Good Governance Webinar) on Thursday, 29 July 2021 at 9:30am – 12:00noon (zoom link will be provided to registered participants)

This Webinar is part of the series of CBCP-NASSA/ Caritas Philippines Good Governance webinars aimed at facilitating social consciousness towards establishing principled communities/ society.

For participation, please send the names and contact details of participants (mobile number and/ or email address) to our Good Governance Program Team at cbcp.nassajp@gmail.com or 09053519411 for zoom participation on or before 28 July to facilitate admission. The webinar will also be livestreamed in the NASSA/ Caritas Philippines Facebook Page.

Thank you and hope to hear from you!

CBCP-NASSA/ Caritas Philippines Good Governance Program Team
CBCP-National Secretariat for Social Action-Justice and Peace

Program for July 29 GG Webinar on National SituationDownload