Opening Message

Your Eminences, Your Excellency Abp. Charles J. Brown, Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, my brother Archbishops and Bishops, very Reverend Diocesan Administrators:

Welcome to the 122nd Plenary Assembly of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines! This is our second and last Plenary Assembly for the year 2021. This is also our second Plenary done virtually via zoom platform. During our January Assembly, we welcomed His Eminence Jose Cardinal Advincula as the new Cardinal of the Archdiocese of Capiz. Today, in this 122nd Assembly, we welcome him as the new Archbishop of Manila. Cardinal Joe, magtinagalog na gid kita subong. We also thank Cardinal Advincula for allowing Fr. Carlos del Rosario, a priest of Manila, to continue his work as Assistant Secretary General of the CBCP.

We congratulate Bp. Broderick Pabillo; he is now the new Bishop of the Apostolic Vicariate of Taytay. Our congratulations also to Bishop-elect Noel Pedrigosa, the new Bishop of Malaybalay.

We welcome also a new face, the Archdiocesan Administrator of Capiz, Rev. Fr. Cyril B. Villareal.

On a sad note, we had the deaths of two (2) brother-bishops not too long ago, the Bishop-Emeritus of Mati, Bp. Patricio H. Alo, and the Bishop-Emeritus of the Apostolic Vicariate of San Jose, Occidental Mindoro, Bp. Antonio P. Palang, SVD. Both passed away in April this year.

I continue by saying that it is not an exaggeration to say that the past year 2020 and the present year 2021 will be especially and strongly etched in our memory as times of darkness, of misery and suffering, times of terrible sickness and death. We were so worried to know that some bishops were stricken with Covid-19, and we were deeply saddened that some priests and religious lost their lives – all because of this dreaded virus that we continue to endure up to today, a great suffering to everyone but especially to the most poor and vulnerable among us. Sad memory indeed, but the fuller grim picture of this pandemic will take more time to unfold and to be told. This memory can easily envelop us, capture our hearts and minds and lead our spirits into a kind of practical hopelessness and desperation.

But we say to ourselves and to our people that our memory is not simply all of death and suffering.

In faith, we prayed. In faith, we have not forgotten that we belong to the family of the Church. In faith, we struggled to do good deeds, especially for the most suffering among us. In faith, we realized how present God is among us.

I was so inspired to recall what Pope Francis told the Argentinian bishops in a video message on May 7, 2021 as the Argentinian people prepared for their turn to pray the rosary, heeding the call of the Holy Father for a worldwide prayer of the Rosary, and interceding the Blessed Mother for the end of the pandemic. In part the Holy Father said,“A strong memory guarantees a secure future.”

I would like to believe that the Church in the Philippines tried her best, through us bishops, our clergy and religious, our lay leaders, to complete and make the memory of our people strong. In our devotions and in our liturgies, especially the Eucharist, we kept the faith of our people in the ever-abiding presence and accompaniment of the Lord during these very trying times. In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, in the Sacrament of the Sick, as difficult as it was to celebrate them, we let our people experience theLord’s mercy and forgiveness and healing comfort. We kept his loving memory alive.

In the midst of many limitations, we celebrated and remembered the beginning of the 500 Years of Christianity in the Philippines on April 4, Easter Sunday, when we recalled the first Eucharist, an Easter Mass celebrated in our islands. On April 14, the Archdiocese of Cebu prepared so well the commemoration of the 500th Anniversary of the First Baptisms in our islands. In our continuing suffering, we were given by the Holy Father the comforting figure of St. Joseph, when he proclaimed the Year of St. Joseph. And how about the food packs that our parishes are continuing to give to the most needy families; the community pantries that good-hearted people have organized; the parish and catholic school facilities that we have offered as vaccination centers.

In giving much comfort and encouragement to our people, last June 12, we led our people in making our National Act of Consecration to our Blessed Mother, reminding ourselves that we are indeed El Pueblo Amante de Maria,because truly, we believe that she is our Mother!

And we remember early on, at the start of this pandemic, we fervently prayed in our OratioImperata that vaccines may be invented and produced. And before the end of last year, we received news that vaccines are coming. Even people among the medical and pharmaceutical circles were unbelieving at first that this is true. Vaccines cannot be produced this fast. But yes, we have the vaccines.

Our memory includes countless people who, we know, witnessed to the light, who witnessed to love in the midst of darkness. In the words of Pope Francis, in his Apostolic Letter PatrisCorde, “… we experienced, amid the crisis, how “our lives are woven together and sustained by ordinary people, people often overlooked. People who do not appear in newspaper and magazine headlines, or on the latest television show, yet in these very days are surely shaping the decisive events of our history. Doctors, nurses, storekeepers and supermarket workers, cleaning personnel, caregivers, transport workers, men and women working to provide essential services and public safety, volunteers, priests, men and women religious, and so very many others. They understood that no one is saved alone… How many people daily exercise patience and offer hope, taking care to spread not panic, but shared responsibility. How many fathers, mothers, grandparents and teachers are showing our children, in small everyday ways, how to accept and deal with a crisis by adjusting their routines, looking ahead and encouraging the practice of prayer. How many are praying, making sacrifices and interceding for the good of all.”

The Holy Father was admitted to the Gemelli Hospital in Rome and underwent a scheduled surgery for colon diverticulitis yesterday, July 4, 2021.

The Vatican reported that Pope Francis “responded well” to the said surgery affirmed by the Director of the Holy See Press, Matteo Bruni in a written statement. On behalf of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, I enjoin everyone to pray to the Lord and beg for our Blessed Mother’s intercession for the speedy recovery of Pope Francis.

We remember his beautiful and very inspiring Apostolic Visit to our county in 2015. We continue to feel his love for the Filipino people. In this particular time, let us show our love and affection for him. Let us pray together – clergy, religious and consecrated persons, our covenanted communities, our lay faithful, – for the complete recovery of Pope Francis.

We bring all our prayers to the Lord and to our Blessed Mother.

05 July 2021

It is with great sadness that we, your bishops, received the news of the crash of a C-130 aircraft in Jolo, Sulu. The Armed Forces of the Philippines said the plane was transporting troops from Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao to Sulu province when it missed the runway on the island of Jolo. The soldiers on the flight were “fresh graduates and had just completed military training” and were “supposed to join other soldiers in the fight against terrorism.”

As your pastors, we share the pain of loss that this recent news has brought us. We condole with the families and friends of the several soldiers and civilians who were killed by the crash.

To our merciful Lord we commend the souls of our departed soldiers, and we invoke His healing hands upon those who have survived and who have sustained injuries.

We enjoin all our sisters and brothers – Christians, Muslims, as well as all people of good will – to continue to be united – in solidarity and prayer – with the search and retrieval team of our armed forces, those who are recovering in hospitals, and the families of the deceased.

In this time of sorrow, may we find consolation in the words of the apostle Paul: “We know that in everything God works for good.” (Rom 8, 28)

Assuring you of our prayers and solidarity in this time of grief, I remain For the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines:

EILER
6 July 2021

Citing the ITUC Global Rights Index 2021, a labor NGO laments that the country’s labor rights situation worsened under the Duterte administration.

The Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research emphasized that the Philippines has been listed as second-worst worldwide for environmental and land rights defenders, and the deadliest country for journalists.

“The key issues mentioned by the ITUC Report through the years included extra-judicial killings, red-tagging and union-busting. These have been more prominent with the government agency NTF-ELCAC harassing and forcing workers to disaffiliate from progressive unions and federations,” said EILER Executive-Director Rochelle Porras.

Several families in the towns of Agoncillo and Laurel, which are considered “high-risk areas,” have already been evacuated

Jose Torres Jr.
July 5, 2021

A child rights organization has raised concern for the safety of children and families in the province of Batangas as Philippine authorities warned of the imminent eruption of Taal volcano.

Several families in the towns of Agoncillo and Laurel, which are considered “high-risk areas,” have already been evacuated.

Reports said more than 7,000 residents in Laurel town and nearly 14,500 people from Agoncillo are already affected by sulfur dioxide emissions from the volcano.

“If the volcano erupts again, it could be deadly,” said Jerome Balinton, humanitarian manager at Save the Children in the Philippines.

He said thousands of families and children who have been forced to evacuate their homes are already temporarily sheltered in evacuation centers.

“We are also concerned that, amid the chaos of the evacuations, families will be unable to follow social distancing guidelines and are at risk of being infected with [COVID-19],” said Balinton.

At least 16 active cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Agoncillo and Laurel towns.

“If the evacuation of families becomes overwhelming, it may contribute to the spread of the virus,” warned Balinton.

“With the country still reeling from the fallout of COVID-19, a life-threatening volcanic eruption is the last thing these areas need,” he said.

Many families in the province of Batangas lost their homes and their livelihoods after Taal volcano erupted in January last year, covering several towns with ashes and sand.

Lawyer Albert Muyot, chief executive officer at Save the Children in the Philippines, appealed to local government units in the area “to ensure the safety and protection of children and their families.”

He said Save the Children’s humanitarian teams are on stand by and ready to respond, and provide displaced families with temporary shelters and other essentials, as needed.