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" HONGKONG: Catholic Periodicals Subscription Office, Catholic Centre, 16, Caine Road, 11/F, Hong Kong for freedom of expression." INDIA: 1. Asian Trading Corp., 310, The Mirabelle, Lotus-House, 33A, Marine Lines, P.B. No. 11029, Bombay - 400 202; 2. Asian Trading Corp., European Union (EU) enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn, on 150 Brigade Rd., Bangalore - 56-0025 commending Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk's winning the 2006 INDONESIA: 1. Y.S.T.M. Jl. Gunung Sahari III/7 Phone: 021-354700 Jakarta Nobel prize for Literature. Pamuk stood trial earlier this year for Pusat; 2. YPD Jl. Veteran 7, P.O. Box 1066, Semarang 5010; 3. Biro Sosial, insulting his country after telling a Swiss paper that one million Jl. Taman Srigunting 10, Semarang. Armenians had died in Turkey during World War I and 30,000 JAPAN: Enderle Book Co. Ltd., Ichico Bldg., 1-5 Yotsudya Shinjuku-ku, Kurds had perished in recent decades. Tokyo 160, Japan KOREA: J. R. Heisse, C.P.O.. Box 206, Seoul, Korea MALAYSIA: 1. Anthonian Store Sdn. Bhd., Wisma Anthonian, 235, Jalan "Many people, even children, accept violence as an Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur 09-08; 2. Catholic Information Services 50 E&F, inevitable part of life. I urge states to prohibit all forms Penang Rd., Penang of violence against children, in all settings, including NEW ZEALAND: Catholic Depot Ltd., 64 Wyndham Street, Auckland PAKISTAN: Fr. Joseph Louis, 8-Katchery Road, Lahore all corporal punishment, harmful traditional PHILIPPINES: P.O. Box 2950, 1099 Manila practices—such as early and forced marriages, female SINGAPORE: Select Books PTE. Ltd., 215 Tanglin Shopping Centre, 2/F 19, genital mutilation and so-called honor crimes—sexual Tanglin Road, Singapore 10 TAIWAN: P.O. Box 8-146, Taipei 100 violence and torture and other cruel, inhuman or THAILAND: NASAC, 2 Saensuk, Prachasongkroh Road, Bangkok 10. degrading treatment or punishment." U.S.A.: c/o Mrs. M. Taranella, Walsh Bldg., 1st Floor, Maryknoll, New York 10545 Independent expert Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, author of the recently
" released 45-page U.N. study which revealed that, among Published monthly by others, 147 countries still allow physical punishment in schools and that up to 275 million children witness domestic violence CBCP COMMUNICATIONS DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION, INC. annually. OSCAR V. CRUZ, D.D. • ART T. NG • JO IMBONG E DITORIAL B OARD PEDRO C. QUITORIO III "It varies country by country. I would say that E DITOR - IN -C HIEF people in the Islamic world are not seeing enough BALTAZAR R. ACEBEDO images of the West and how we live and have ambitions. A SSOCIATE E DITOR DENNIS B. DAYAO In Iran, where people do have channels coming in from MANAGING E DITOR the outside, you can see people under their religious PINKY BARRIENTOS • EULY BELIZAR • ROY CIMAGALA gear wearing designer jeans. But the problem is with MIAMI EBILANE • ROY LAGARDE • LOPE ROBREDILLO other places, with the jihadists and the Wahhabi sect S TAFF W RITERS of Muslims. They're teaching and brainwashing kids at ROWENA DALANON S ALES & A DVERTISING a very young age nothing but their version of the Koran, ERNANI RAMOS hand in hand with terrorism and martyrdom." C IRCULATION Media titan Rupert Murdoch, Fox News founder and chairman of LEAH KATRINA CARIASO News Corporation, when asked if modern-day digital age would F INANCE O FFICER spell the end of totalitarianism.
Volume 40 • Number 10 3
Will information I gathered: that out of 224 UN-
Will recognized countries, Filipinos are in 193 of them. And probably Filipinos are al- ready in the remaining 31 countries and in
Filipinos Filipinos many others, but they are still arranging their entry visas, or are about to submit their documents.
People the People the It is amazing to know that 10% or more than 8 million out of the 80 million Filipinos are outside the country as residents or overseas contract workers. Some are say-
Earth? Earth? ing that at the rate Filipinos are leaving the country, for whatever reasons,—for ex- ample, 85,000 yearly are migrating to the United States alone, and many more to countries like Italy, Canada, Hong Kong, Middle East, Japan, etc.—it is possible that time may come there will be more (This piece was delivered at the Congress of Human Life International– Philippines held in Cebu City on Oct. 6, 2006—Ed) senior citizens than young Filipinos in our country. If that is the case, we ask again the same question: will Filipinos people the earth? By Archbishop Angel N. Lagdameo In the Philippines, there is the system- atic assault on the population and the China to Germany to Mexico will soon at the International UN Conference on family. The propaganda is disguised as have to worry about how to fill their facto- Ageing that indeed the world is ageing attempts at "human development" and ries, care for their elderly and pay for their inexorably. He revealed that the popula- "improvement of the quality of life." What militaries. Will they be ready?" (p. 40). tion aged 60 and above has today reached is the propaganda? In order to reduce Japan has already closed 2,000 10% of the world population; and by 2030, world poverty, reduce the number of the schools, because there are very few school world population aged 45 and above will poor. In order to improve the quality of life, children. In Germany, the net population be much larger than population 44 and family must act "responsibly" and not drop of 120,000 in 2002, has increased with lower. There would be more senior citizens have more than two children. a falloff of around 143,000 in 2003. With to take care of than young people to work The World Situation domestic population declining immigra- and earn. In fact it is already happening in tion advocates say that Germany will need European countries. Such is the case with the worldwide to open its doors to foreigners. In Russia, advocacy that there is an "exploding popu- population crisis is attributed to moral The Philippine Situation lation growth rate" and nations are poor degradation. Russian President Vladimir Putin maintains that population problem is While the whole world is suffering because of their "uncontrolled birth rates." Yet, the UN Population Division headed chiefly an economic one, while Orthodox over the social, cultural, political and eco- by Dr. Joseph Chamie, had already admit- Church Officials say "the main cause" of nomic impact of "demographic winter," of ted that "it was never about population the demographic crisis "is in the field of collapsing birth rates, the propaganda explosion but population implosion!" In morals." The Russian Orthodox Church about an exploding population in the Phil- 1999, Dr. Chamie already observed that in condemned abortion, contraception, and ippines keeps on coming up. For instance, 61 countries the birth rates had fallen so pre- and extra-marital sexual activity as our policy makers claim that there is an low that it was nearly impossible for these reasons for the collapse of the Russian exploding population growth at 2.36%, countries to replace their deaths with population." Singapore in the late 60s and have thus been advocating the pro- births. We have an aging world! A dying encouraged couples to have less children, posed 2-child policy. Our government world! "Stop at two." The success of the cam- policy makers (Congressmen, et al.) seem "Newsweek" of September 2004 ex- paign became so worrisome as family size to be unaware that while they are insisting pressed alarm over drop in fertility. "For dropped continuously, especially from on a population growth rate of 2.36%, both more and more countries the problem isn't educated Singaporeans. Over the last 20 the USAID and the UN—using the same having too many people, but having too years its campaign of "More is better" has census data—have arrived at very much few…Across the globe, while populations not succeeded. The mind and the attitude lower PGRs. In fact, as of December 2004, are still growing, people are having fewer refuse to change. Has it reached a point of the National Statistics Office has projected and fewer children. That means the world no return? a population growth rate of 1.99%. The faces a threat for which it is woefully un- Kofi Anan, Secretary General of the Philippines is slowly joining the countries prepared—depopulation. Countries from UN, stated in Madrid, Spain, in March 2004 mentioned earlier.
44 IMPACT •• October IMPACT October 2006 2006
Volume 40 Volume 40 •• Number Number 10 10 55
T o most of us, Restorative Justice neously—as modern-day biblical schol- Fernando Poe, Jr. seem to say that most may be a new paradigm. This may be ars have warned—as an endorsement of Filipinos are retributive in their sense of because apparently since time im- revenge. Yet the Bible has other stories justice. The typical FPJ hero leaves his memorial, it is the retributive type of justice that seem to say otherwise. Take the community after a group of powerful in- that we have known. Some say it is embed- parable of the Prodigal Son. And did not truders have plundered his village and ded in our culture, our Filipino lowland Christ himself forgive the sinful woman massacred his family or loved ones, only culture. This lowland culture, in turn, who was being stoned to death by an irate to come back after some time to annihilate borrows much from the Judeo-Christian public? The latter stories, of course, are the enemies single-handedly to liberate tradition that came to us via our Spanish found in the New Testament. Suffice it to his people. colonizers. say that in many cultures, the tradition of Yet, amidst us in this postmodern Even the Bible contains stories, espe- both the retributive as well as the restor- world, side by side with largely punitive cially in the Old Testament, that seem to ative justice exists. criminal justice, juridical, and penal sys- promote this kind of justice. The story of Our culture is no exception. If we are tems that tolerate incarceration as essen- Judith and King Holofernes readily comes to believe that genre films are a site of a tially punishment and suffering for the to mind. And of course, there is the biblical community's ideology or dominant cul- offender and even promoted death sen- passage "An eye for an eye and a tooth for tural values as some film scholars' claim, tence, we have conflict and dispute inter- a tooth," which has been interpreted erro- then the films of the late mythic icon, vention processes at the barangay level,
ovc.blogspot.com fellow at the Cultural Research Center in culture is compatible with the principles Tabuk, Kalinga wrote about it in her article and processes of Restorative Justice. In "Tongtongan, Gaygayam, Bagbaga: The her report on family conferences as prac- Indigenous Way of Achieving Justice, ticed in different parts pf the world, "Cross- Peace and Harmony." She wrote about ing Cultural Boundaries: The Experi- Philippine indigenous law, in general, and ence of Family Group Conferences," she the bodong, in particular. The latter is an said: The results of the experiments in a Ifugao dispute-settlement process char- variety of jurisdictions demonstrate that acterized by a series of talks among mem- the family group conferences can be suc- For Orders Contact: bers of the community of tribes in conflict. cessfully implemented in a variety of dif- We quote extensively from her work: ferent countries, by a number of different "Interestingly, in the inventory of cultural group and using an array of differ- National Matrimonial Tribunal cases done by the Institute of Philippine ent processes. Office Indigenous Law, U.P. College of Law, no A restorative option that was created Tel. No. (632) 5274160 death penalty is ever mentioned. There in New Zealand and was importantly influ- may seem to be no justice in their society enced by New Zealand Maori has found a CBCPWorld Office as all infraction is settled through all means place in cultures and societies that are Telefax (632) 4041612 except the meting out of death penalty. In different. fact they have no term for justice in their In part, this may be because it evokes Other books by language. They explained it thus: not just a past when the clan, the tribe, the village Abp. Oscar V. Cruz, JCD, DD the litigating families are involved but the or the community gathered to resolve entire community and the designated mun- among themselves the wrongs that could 1. Marriage Tribunal Ministry 2. Guide Documents on Parish, Vicariate and alon (go-between) to commence settle- otherwise threaten their cohesion. It is a Diocesan Administrative/Pastoral Concerns ment to forestall retaliation or feuding process that belongs to a time when the 3. Canon 290 CIC in the Service of Truth, between litigants. The proceedings may alternative to finding a restorative process Justice and Charity take days, weeks or months, but everyone was to face dissolution as a group that 4. Annotations on Rotal Jurisprudence on Canon takes unto himself/herself the responsibil- could effectively protect its own members 1097, 1098, 1102 ity to restore peace and harmony with the from external threats. 5. Annotations on Rotal Jurisprudence on Canon 1103 aggrieved and the aggressor and to the Echoes of the same system are to be © Rowena Dalanon / IMPACT 6. Annotations on Rotal Jurisprudence on Canon whole community. This to them is justice." found in the Polynesian cultures through- 1095 As Prof. MC Barrameda says: The out the Pacific, among the Aboriginal com- 7. Annotations on Rotal Jurisprudence on Canon Ifugao system of justice, for instance, can munities of South Australia, the Inuit of 1101 be described as the process by which Northern Canada, the Ojibway of Central 8. Evidence in Marriage Nullity Cases peace and harmony in the Ifugao commu- Canada, American Indian groups in the 9. Impediments to Canonical Marriage 10. Markers nity could be preserved and maintained, United States, the Bantu peoples of South 11. Penal Process for Dismissal from the Clerical through a peaceable resolution of a dis- Africa, and the Bedouin tribes of the Middle State pute over a wrong or wrongs that threaten East. 12. Provincial Council, Diocesan Synod, an eruption of conflict. This is based on Perhaps it is time to seriously con- Pastoral Assembly public determination of the truth concern- sider the recommendation of some promi- 13. CBCP Guidelines on Sexual Abuse and ing the alleged wrong or wrongs, partici- nent Filipino legal scholars and anthro- Misconduct: A Critique 14. Board of Conciliation and Arbitration pated in by the community or its represen- pologists, exemplified by the Perfecto 15. Viewpoints at the Onset of the New tatives, permitting a collective decision or Fernandez and E. Arsenio Manuel—that Millennium judgment of guilt or innocence, with ap- of indigenizing the Philippine legal sys- 16. Media in our Midst propriate sanctions, compliance of judg- tem, aware as they were during their life- 17. Administration of the Temporal Goods of the ment, and rituals for healing and restora- time of the inhumanities committed in the Church tion of social fabric. name of law. I 18. Curia Management 19. Clergy Compensation Vital to this justice system is the Ifugao (Mr. Rodolfo Diamante is the Executive Secretary of 20. Call of the Laity religion. It is their firm belief that justice is the Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care)
Volume 40 • Number 10 7
Background the region with a vibrant private sector, ECLA's Answer to a Call lively civil society organizations and vig-
W e should all know that the explo- orous media, Dr. Daboub concludes that Prior to the political upheaval result- sive combination of politics and our country is a fertile ground for good ing from the exposé on election cheating corruption in the Philippines has economic policies to flourish. However he highlighted by the Garci tapes and the caused grinding poverty among our also noted the weakness in the operation President's "I'm sorry" admission, the people. The funds pocketed by corrupt of our public institutions that makes it Arroyo administration already initiated officials resulted in the dearth of support difficult for potential investors to estab- moves to address the problem of graft and services for health, education and the non- lish businesses here. Lastly he stressed corruption. An expert from Hong Kong implementation of infrastructure needs of that the present state of governance was hired as a consultant to transfer the the local communities. These are the much steeped in corruption has undermined a anti-corruption technology. It is claimed needed funds for school buildings, farm- range of development objectives whose that within 7 years of implementation Hong to-market roads, bridges, irrigation sys- implementation are placed in jeopardy. Kong got rid of graft and corruption in tems, seaports and harbors, etc. government-business transactions. Our bishops have been ex- Hoping this may apply successfully pressing this concern repeatedly in to the Philippines, the President their pastoral exhortations. In 1997, adopted this anti-graft and corrup- they issued the Pastoral Exhorta- tion on Politics which state that "It is sinfulness that is tion measure. To support this drive, the Presidential Anti-Graft Commis- "Philippine politics has degener- ated into an arena where the inter- at the root of our socio- sion, (PAGC) was organized by Malacañang. Its mandate was to ests of the powerful and rich few, are pitted against the weak and economic and political establish improved systems of moni- toring budgeted expenditures by poor many….. The system is shot problems… Our way of introducing the new government through and through with oppor- accounting system, (NGAS) and tunities for corruption, influence life—our spirituality— setting up integrity circles. Together peddling and the indiscriminate with the office of the Ombudsman, use of public funds for partisan and for social PAGC initiated investigations of personal purposes." government personnel with unex- This was said 9 years ago! transformation is plained accumulated wealth and Have we improved since then? If we those found by COA of violating have changed, it is change for the nothing more than a the provisions of the Government worse. In a recent survey on cor- ruption world-wide, the Philippines following of Jesus-in- Procurement Reform Act, (GPRA). The Hong Kong Consultant esti- ranked number 3 among the South- east Asian Nations as the most mission. It is the mates that graft and corruption in the Philippines will significantly be corrupt—just a little above our two neighbors, Indonesia and Vietnam. spirituality of the reduced in three year's time, given the support of the private sector and Yes, corruption is a global issue not only with third world countries. In community of civil society. Recent reports indi- cate that cases have been filed, pre- a recent World Bank meeting in Singapore, the two issues, corrup- disciples." ventive suspensions issued and violators brought to court. tion and good governance were at With this as the background, the top of the agenda. It was the the Bishop-Businessmen's Confer- observation that all over the devel- ence, (BBC) in its General Assembly oping world, corruption is the direct cause While this assessment by visiting of July 8, 2004, invited Pres. Gloria of poverty and weakened public institu- executives is based on comparative statis- Macapagal-Arroyo to their annual meet- tions. It has deprived citizens of precious tical studies of countries in the developing ing. She addressed BBC members and bish- resources not to mention the much needed world, we in the Philippines after hearing ops in particular, to help her administra- money for payment of the nation's long agonizing sermons of this nature have tion in the implementation of the new Gov- term foreign debts. instilled in the minds of the laity a determi- ernment Procurement Reform Act also Dr. Juan Jose Daboub, managing di- nation to change the present situation— known as Republic Act 9184. The law rector of the World Bank, in his recent visit from a sense of hopelessness to a resolve required all Bids and Awards Committees to the Philippines, invited all those in- to rise and fight for our people's survival. of government institutions including volved in anti-graft and corruption advo- We still believe that a small step can still barangays to invite two Observers, one cacies to a lunch meeting last September ignite a spark among our concerned citi- representing a Non-government Organi- 12. He had observed the significant im- zens to champion advocacies for renewal zation (NGO) and another representing a provement of our economy, due to the towards a better future. The laity, inspired Professional Organization in addition to Administration's fiscal management and by our bishops has made an initial move the presence of a representative from the reforms. He also praised the capability of with the hope to catalyze a change to- Commission on Audit, (COA). our people to excel in work and services. wards social transformation—the advo- Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas (LAIKO), Having one of the most open societies in cacy for good governance. NASSA and Barug Pilipino of the Arch-
Governance to this cause, we assign NASSA, our social action arm, and the Council of the Laity of the Philippines to lead in implementing Church initiatives against graft and corruption." With this explicit mandate from CBCP, By Jose B. Lugay LAIKO convened an Ad Hoc Committee to spell out the strategies and action plans duties, business permits and licenses, etc. The scope of the activity for good gover- to undertake such a huge undertaking. These are not covered in the much lauded nance is nationwide, hence the committee The Committee deliberation focused on procurement reform law. saw this as necessarily linked with its 5- identifying the problem of graft and cor- Obviously, LAIKO, representing year work on training of archdiocesan and ruption in the context of a bigger picture— CBCP-ECLA while working in partnership diocesan lay leaders. The training module the failure of governance by the country's with government in the fight against cor- "Lay Leadership Training Towards Be- administrators. Graft and corruption, the ruption must have the resolve to be vigi- coming a Community of Disciples" was Committee concluded, is a result of a defi- lant and not become "deodorizers" of a imparted in 12 sessions for dioceses in cient system of governance where there is defective law and its implementing rules Luzon and Visayas. There is no advocacy lack of transparency and too much discre- and regulations. The Committee did not group of civil society that can match the tion of underlings to charge penalties for lose sight of the fact that the root cause of reach of the Catholic Church to cover all delayed payments to government. While graft and corruption lies in the person's government institutions down to the the new Government Procurement Reform moral and ethical values and as PCP II barangay level. In fact the Basic Ecclesial Act addresses the bidding process to pre- says, "It is sinfulness that is at the root of Communities organized by parishes in all vent corruption in procurement of goods our socio-economic and political prob- ecclesiastical provinces are ready spiritu- and services, consultancy services and lems…. Our way of life—our spiritual- ally to embark on activities for social trans- infrastructure, it does not address the ity—for social transformation is nothing formation, of course, only with the Bish- corruption that happens afterwards—dur- more than a following of Jesus-in-mis- ops' support, specially in the year 2006 ing implementation of the awarded con- sion. It is the spirituality of the community which is declared by CBCP as the Year of tract like the delivery of purchased mate- of disciples." Social Concern. rials and goods; the quality of the infra- With these circumstances as the back- Composed of committed lay execu- structure and its timely completion; etc. ground situation, the Ad Hoc Committee tives with corporate, political and advo- Additionally, the corrupt practices per- organized the Archdiocesan/Diocesan cacy experience, the ADCGG set the fol- vade in the collection of taxes, customs Councils for Good Governance, (ADCGG) lowing objectives:
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W hen our alumni visit the univer- Institutional commitment to the service of gelization, and commitment to service. sity after forty or fifty years, they the people of God and the human family in often comment that things have their pilgrimage to the transcendent goal Establishing our Catholic changed so much. Some lament that we which gives meaning to life. Identity: Key Elements of a have lost some of our Catholic traditions, Fr. Daniel Patrick Huang, provincial of Catholic School like the intense devotion to Mary and the the Philippine province of the Society of carrying of rosaries in our pockets. Given Jesus, also sees the mission of a Catholic Even as it was founded in 1859, the these expectations and the changing cul- university as evangelization. He quotes Ateneo Municipal de Manila was clearly a ture of our youth, the question is precisely from the Society of Jesus General Congre- Catholic school run by the Jesuits for the what makes us a Catholic institution. gation, Doc 2, No 3 as follows: "The Church, City of Manila. Today, the vision of Ateneo Pope John Paul II, in his August 1990 whose mission we share, exists not for de Manila University is seen in its motto, apostolic exhortation (Ex Corde Ecclesiae, itself but for humanity, bearing the procla- Lux in Domino, which takes inspiration 13) challenges Catholic universities to mation of God's love and casting light on from the Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians have four essential characteristics: (1) a the inner gift of that love. Its aim is the (5:8). It captures the aspiration of the uni- Christian inspiration not only of individu- realization of the Kingdom of God in the versity to emerge from darkness to make als but of the University community as whole human society, not only in the life God the center of a person's life, to find such; (2) continuing reflection in the light to come but also in this life." ways to reflect this in one's life, and in of the Catholic faith upon the growing Thus, how Catholic we are can be doing so, illuminate a world that seeks treasury of human knowledge, to which it seen in the institution's inspiration and meaning and purpose. seeks to contribute by its own research; scholarly work in the light of Catholic faith, Thus, the challenge is to understand (3) fidelity to the Christian message as it fidelity to the Christian message in the Christ's mission in terms of what the univer- comes to us through the Church; (4) an context of the Church's mission of evan- sity can do to form persons who would
Volume 40 • Number 10 11
the students. The Grade School also begins Ateneo Catechetical Instruction League they learn, especially in moral norms and to expose its older students to recollections (ACIL). Many other student activities and ethics, such as the acceptability of cheat- and special programs, like Bigay-Puso, en- organization promote faith and justice rooted ing, and pervasive sexual permissiveness courage social engagement. in spirituality in different spheres of soci- and materialism in modern society. There is One of the major programs of OMIOD ety, such as terminally-ill children, street also the challenge to understand faith and for the community is the Ignatian spiritual- children, urban poor, GK villages, prison- justice in the light of what an individual can ity in Education Workshops (ISEW) for all ers, public schools, and indigenous peoples. do within one's professional career. Fi- new faculty members of the university, at all nally, being a Catholic community means levels from the Grade School to High School Promoting a Catholic Culture: having shared experiences, images or sym- to the Loyola Schools and the Professional Challenges bols, stories, and rituals, just as the Jewish Schools. The staff, coaches, and profes- and first Christian communities once had. sionals each have their own versions of the However, despite all these efforts, we This means looking for activities beyond ISEW. This workshop introduces the life realize that we face some challenges. In one individual discernment toward more com- and mission of St. Ignatius of Loyola, ex- of the discussions with the Ateneo's Catho- munity-oriented, scripture-based practice. poses them to different modes of prayer, lic Identity discussion Group, Fr. As a Catholic university with a desire and asks them to reflect on their role in the Bienvenido F. Nebres, SJ, presented as- to get best students from a diversity of realization of the vision-mission of the pects of being a Catholic university, includ- backgrounds, we have to deal with a plural- Ateneo de Manila. Other OMIOD efforts ing the intellectual aspect; students' lives ity of cultures resulting from the exposure include the publication of the talks and and practice vs. morality and ethics; faith of our students and their parents to the reflections in workshops (Revisiting Our and justice; spirituality, prayer, and sacra- Internet, cable TV, economic pressures, Roots, Facing Our Future), the publication mental life; community culture and ritual. international cultures, and changing value of interviews documenting the generosity Some highlights of his discussion are out- systems. There is also the need to pursue and involvement of icons in the university lined below. ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue, if (University Traditions), and promotion of At their developmental stage, students we are to truly understand how different prayer and devotion through its University question their faith especially in relation to cultures are part of the graces and love of at Prayer service. what they learn in the natural and social the same God. The Colloquium on the Ministry of sciences, e.g., the rationality of their be- In the end, perhaps our success in pro- Teaching began decades ago to introduce liefs; the Church's stand on population, moting Catholic culture and cascading our conversations among different generations birth control, and matters of sexuality. There vision-mission could be measured only many of teachers and to focus on the vocation is a need for more integration or dialogue years later, when we see what our students and ministry of teaching. Because of the between faith and other disciplines like have made of their lives, what our faculty do ISEW, the Colloquium was modified to serve science, business, economics, and politics. with their gifts, and how our community pro- as a follow-up to the ISEW, to serve as a At this stage, there is a tendency to "fall off ceeds in its life in the Spirit. I venue for conversations between veteran sacramental practice" and, thus, a need to (Dr. Ma. Assunta Cuyegkeng is currently the Vice faculty members and the next generation of give students the tools or processes that President for Loyola Schools of the Ateneo de Manila would-be leaders of the community. they can use when they come out of this University, Quezon City. The foregoing article is her paper presentation during the 65th national convention Because of the thrust of the ISEW, all period of their life. There is the tension of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines departments and offices promote the between what students experience and what held last September 13-15 at the Manila Hotel – Ed.) university's vision-mission in different ways. The Catholic identity, however, is promoted especially by the Campus Minis- try Office through daily masses and confes- sions, recollections, retreats, spiritual di- rection, and regular liturgical celebrations like the Mass of the Holy Spirit, Feast of St. Ignatius, Feast of the Immaculate Concep- tion, Christmas Mass, and Ash Wednes- day. There is also a special recollection program for students in collaboration with the Theology Department. Aside from formation programs, role models among faculty and students are encouraged. Awards are given annually for leadership and service, and these highlight the generosity of the students and the social impact their efforts contribute. Other organizations also actively promote Catho- lic culture in the community; among these are Ateneo Campus Ministry Group (ACMG), Ateneo Student Catholic Action (AtSCA), Ateneo Christian Life Commu- nity (ACLC, formerly the Sodality), and the
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T he Philippines being one of the most mineralized countries in the world The Rapu-rapu Case: would naturally need laws to regu-
an Imperfect System unanimously passed by 215 members of the House of Representatives during the 9th congress and consequently approved by the senate with 19 out of 21, one ab- staining and one opposing. The act declares mineral resources as being owned by the state and their explora- By Joyce Palacol tion, development, utilization, processing and conservation being under its full con- trol and supervision. It empowers the gov- ernment to directly undertake these activi- ties, grant mining permits, or enter into mineral agreements with private entities. Consistent with the 1987 Constitu- tion, it provides for a new mode of mining rights in the form of Exploration Permit (EP), Mineral Production Sharing Agree- ment (MPSA) and Financial and Technical Assistance Agreement (FTAA). In addition to the mining act itself, there are pertinent laws relevant to the implementation of said act such as the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA) of 1997 which provides for the Free and Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) of the Indig- enous Cultural Communities prior to imple- mentation of any projects within the an- cestral domain; the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS) of 1992 which provides for forest occupants sur- vey, an ethnographic study and protected area resource profile; and Presidential Decree 1586 or an Act Establishing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) System which provides for a system of acquiring social acceptability. Rapu-Rapu is an island municipality opment project sites. sectors particularly the host community. spinned off from the municipality of Prieto LPI submitted the required documents Working ahead of its approved Explo- Diaz in the province of Sorsogon when it to and approved by Mines and Geo- ration Work Program (EWP) and Environ- was declared separate and independent sciences Bureau (MGB) and Environmen- mental Work Program (EnWP), the com- by Governor Arlington Betts in 1901. In tal Management Bureau (EMB) both of pany started its operation in the island of those days, it was a haven for flora and which are under the Department of Envi- Rapu-rapu, Albay in 1998 and struck its fauna that had a thick forest and vegeta- ronment and Natural Resources (DENR), first gold July of last year. tion. Early settlers came mostly from nearby for the application of Exploration Permit Amidst heavy downpour in October island of Catanduanes and in later years, (EP), Mineral Production Sharing Agree- 11 last year, the discharge pump malfunc- from Sto. Domingo, Bacacay and Tabacco. ment (MPSA) and Environmental Compli- tioned which resulted to an overflow of As far back as residents can remem- ance Certificate (ECC). A scrutiny of the cyanide laden tailings that found its way ber, gold mining has been practiced in this approved documents revealed that while to the gold processing area into the island by small scale miners. When PGMA the presence of the indigenous people Pagcolbon and Alma creeks. On the after- initiated the revitalization of mining indus- "Taboi" was noted in the EIA report, there noon of the same day, various species of try with the issuance of Executive Order was no record of FPIC obtained from the fishes, crustaceans and mollusk were 270 and 270-A, Rapu-Rapu Polymetallic said tribe. Moreover, the scoping report found dead at the mouth of Alma creek. Project of Lafayette Philippines Incorpo- submitted to, accepted and approved by The company voluntarily stopped its op- rated (LPI) was chosen with other twenty EMB-R5 lacks social acceptability because eration to give way to clean up and repair three (23) others as priority mining devel- it encountered opposition from various of its malfunctioned discharge pump. On
31 October, 13 days after resumption of The dermatology experts from UP PGH tal Impact Assessment particularly the LPI's operations, the company deliber- who conducted a study on skin disorders scoping process and standards on sedi- ately released cyanide laden tailings. It suffered by a number of residents con- ment, water and air. was to prevent the containment wall from cluded that the cause of said disorders Modification of the Mine Rehabilita- bursting because of excessive rainwater were fungal and bacterial in nature. tion Fund (MRF) which should brought by heavy rainfall. The discharge It is interesting to note that from the becommensurate with the commercial or was channeled to Hollowstone and very start, LPI had not denied responsibil- market value of the minerals processed. Malobago creek causing another fish kill ity and expressed willingness to help and .Strengthen governance and sanc- the morning after. payback the damages created by the spills. tion government units, local and national Various organizations and institutions They have openly admitted certain viola- that may have violated pertinent laws. including Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic tions that led to the incidents. Notably, Inclusion of trust fund for areas with Resources (BFAR), University of the Phil- violations of the ECC conditionalities as IP group, recognized or unrecognized, for ippines-Marine Science Institute (MSI), specified by EMB were publicly admitted social, cultural and educational develop- NSRI and INECAR conducted tests on by an authorized representative of project ment purposes. Failure of IPs to apply for water, sediment and fish samples to deter- proponent. This would have been a suffi- the rights mandated by IPRA law should mine the real cause of the fish kills, to cient ground for the cancellation of its ECC not deter them from enjoying or benefiting determine the extent of contamination and which was not done by Environmental from the proceeds of mining activities. to establish culpability. Tests however Management Bureau as provided for by Revision of incentives granted to were not conclusive and some were even the mining act. mining companies such as tax holiday. conflicting. With the question of suitabil- For non inclusion of Taboi tribe in the An administrative investigation on ity for human consumption all public officers involved in of catch from the affected the licensing, monitoring, waters, the fishing industry "It is our duty as a people to management and regulation of the residents was ad- versely affected so much so safeguard, conserve and utilize of LPI operations is highly recommended. that some fishermen migrated to other places for lack of wisely these resources not just It is recommended that government officials and em- food and livelihood. With the growing con- for ourselves but for the future ployees who failed to perform his/her mandate through will- cern and the broiling issues generations. " ful negligence shall be of adverse effects of mining stripped of all benefits which operation in the country, includes retirement, social se- PGMA formulated and issued Administra- scoping process, the required Free and curity and others and be disbarred from tive Order (AO) 145 on 11 March 2006, a Prior Informed Consent (FPIC) which is of holding any public office. day after the "Dialogue with the Presi- prime importance proved to be inadequate In summary, the issue of account- dent" organized by CBCP-NASSA in com- and the EIA report commission by the ability remains in question whether the memoration of the 11th year anniversary of company failed to obtain social accept- proponent and/or the EIA preparer com- the passage of the Philippine Mining Act ability from the stakeholders during series missioned by the company should take of 1995. Said Administrative Order created of consultations and scoping process. It is full responsibility in case of incidents. the Rapu-Rapu Fact Finding Commission a question of why the Environmental Would putting criminal liability to the (RRFFC) tasked to investigate the effects Management Bureau granted the Environ- EIA preparer and the project proponent on people's health and environment im- mental Compliance Certificate inspite of effectuate a more ecologically responsible pact of the reported cyanide spillage. The lack of representation from stakeholders. extraction of mineral resources? Would cyanide spill, which resulted to fish kills, For working ahead of the approved putting administrative liability to gov- was said to be attributed to the mining Work Program, LPI was not able to com- ernment officials and officers effectuate a operation of Lafayette (LPI). plete the mitigating measures as required more effective performance and discharge The two months investigation was in the conditionalities of the ECC which of duty by the same officials? done thru a series of public hearings, ocu- triggered the emergency that resulted in All extractive activities depletes re- lar inspections, interviews and analysis of the spills. Although such violations merit sources, irreversible and to a certain extent subpoenaed documents. From the forego- cancellation of ECC, LPI did not render any destructive. While the Philippines is one ing, it was established: penalty due to non-monitoring of the of the more blessed country in terms of That the fish kill was a direct company's operation by MGB and EMB. mineral resources, such endowment will consequence of the cyanide spill; This clearly shows the inability of the run out in time. It is our duty as a people to That both cyanide spills were due government agencies concerned to imple- safeguard, conserve and utilize wisely to insufficient mitigating measure ment and impose penalty on violations these resources not just for ourselves but placed by the project proponent; committed by LPI. for the future generations. If God cared for That there was no conclusive evi- In the light of the ineffectiveness of our land, we, His people should also have dence to correlate the skin diseases the implementation of the law and the this sense of ecological responsibility. I and other ailments to the cyanide spill loopholes of the law itself, it is perceived (Joyce Palacol is the project coordinator of Indigenous nor the mining operation of LPI, Rapu- that the following revisions be made: People (IP) and Ecology Protection and Promotion of rapu Minerals Inc. (RRMI) and Rapu- Revisions of Department Administra- the Integrity of Creation programs of the National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace of the rapu Processing Inc. (RRPI). tive Order implementing the Environmen- CBCP.)
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T he Aetas of Botolan, Zambales at in having produced seven college gradu- sardines in exchange for vegetables and the foot of Mt. Pinatubo is a commu- ates who are currently working with non- fruits they brought to the market to sell. nity of 150 families, numbering about government organizations; while others However, a whiff of change came in 700. The leader of the group, 50 year-old are still in college and the rest in secondary 1982 when the Franciscan Sisters (FMM) Carling Dumulot did not have a formal and elementary school. came to live among them. The Sisters orga- education, nonetheless, he is literate and But such was not always the case. As nized the community and taught them how a very articulate person. In fact, he has a matter of fact, the community's liberation to read, write and count. been invited abroad to speak on diverse from the bondage of illiteracy and exploi- Literacy not only provided them with issues that affect the lives of indigenous tation was an arduous journey character- skills how to be self sufficient but also communities in the country. As a leader of ized by hard work, commitment and trust. brought them a sense of freedom from LAKAS (Lubos Alyansa ng Katutubong Carling painfully remembers how cun- politicians and people of their kind who Aeta ng Zambales), an organization of ning lowlanders exploited their commu- come around every election time to court Aetas in Zambales, he is frequently asked nity because nobody among them knew their votes. to speak in various seminar-workshops how to read, write and count. The wisdom "Ang isa pa naming problema, kasi for indigenous people in different parts of of their elders did not offset their lack of pagdating ng eleksiyon, iyong gusto the country. His present community, al- literacy. Carling tells of their experience of naming iboto, ipapasulat namin, though not yet high in literacy, takes pride sometimes being paid only with a can of pagdating naman doon ang isinusulat
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nila ay iyong gusto nilang tao," Carling Struggle to live in peace and While others were assimilated into the says. (Election time also creates another harmony mainstream society, there were also those problem for us since we cannot write down who did not submit to the colonizers' evan- the names of those we want to vote for. Down through the centuries, the story gelizing activities and opted to move fur- Those who write for us usually put the of indigenous people (IP) was one of ther away from other communities thus names of their candidates.) struggle, a struggle to live in peace in their preserving their culture, traditions and Inevitably, the nightly literacy ses- own land and in harmony with their fellow rituals in the process. sions, and effective community organiz- humans. The earth is an integral part of the However, the promise of economic ing conducted by the Sisters paid off. In indigenous people's existence. They are growth brought by industrialization dur- due time the community found their voice born to it, nurtured by it, and returned to ing the time of Marcos led to the displace- and their strength as a group. Accord- it. It is a God-given gift. So much so, that ment of indigenous peoples from their ingly, it was also unavoidable to escape its purity is akin to the sacredness of ancestral lands. As multinational corpora- the scrutiny of the military. human life. The intrinsic relationship that tions encroached on ancestral domains, "Sabi nila sa amin ay lalaban kami exists between indigenous peoples and the IP's moved further away into hinter- sa gobyerno, dahil tinuturuan kami ng the earth is so sacred that they regard it as lands, uprooted from their land and source mga madre. Iyon ang akusasyon sa amin. a desecration when they are displaced of livelihood. Their inability to read and Dinadala pa nga kami sa headquarters." from their lands due to development ag- write, and to understand the Filipino lan- (They accused us of plotting against the gression and other factors. guage led others to take advantage of government, because the Sisters are teach- By and large, indigenous peoples, them. ing us. They even brought us to headquar- whether home or abroad, are unjustly clas- In order to bring into the national ters for questioning.) sified as backward by most people despite consciousness the predicament of the in- Carling credited it to the efficient or- the rich cultural heritage they possess and digenous peoples, the Catholic Bishops ganization learned from the Sisters that their innate wisdom nurtured by their natu- Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in their community is still intact even as other ral affinity with the earth. Their colorful 1978, proclaimed the second Sunday of Aeta communities were dispersed due to costumes and traditional practices and October as Indigenous Peoples Sunday. the eruption of Mount Pinatubo. rituals provoked endless curiosity among Hence, the annual celebration has opened "Siguro kung hindi kami nabigyan people who have little knowledge and the eyes of millions of Filipinos and brought ng seminar at hindi nag organisa, maaari understanding of their culture. awareness on the plight of indigenous sabog kami." (Perhaps, we would have The coming of the Spanish and Ameri- peoples and the reality of neglect, preju- been dispersed, had not the Sisters given cans had marginalized and divided the dice, exploitation and land grabbing they us seminars and taught us how to organize.) indigenous communities in the country. suffered from the hands of their exploiters.
"Do not retreat, confront them for as long as the sun rises…" The Challenges of S uch were the words of Tao-buhid* ancestors to the younger Indigenous System of generations of Mangyans, in the face of crisis after crisis that was afflicting their community. Today's parents and grandparents of the Tao-buhid live this admonition and continue Education the struggle their ancestors started. With cultural erosion fast disintegrating indigenous communities, the Tao-buhid, together with other indigenous cultural communities (ICCs) in the country By Lourie Victor do not only persevere in asserting their rights over their ancestral domains. They have decided to take on a struggle that involves the minds, hearts and souls especially of the younger genera- tions: they are now struggling for an educational system they can call their own. Education has always been viewed as a fundamental strat- egy in social transformation and has been popularized as the key to a better life. No doubt, it has the capacity to mold hearts, minds and souls of the youth. For this reason, education has been used to attract indigenous peoples into the fold of mainstream society. The country's ICCs have experienced what entering the mainstream educational system can do in reality. While success stories of individuals coming from the very small percentage of indigenous peoples (IPs) who have finished high school or college have been cited—increased literacy and numeracy, plus graduates who have become recognized in their fields of en- deavor like IP lawyers, politicians, doctors, educators, religious— the damage, while unpublicized, has been devastating at the
community level. tral domains? What will happen to the rich and millennia- In exchange of individual success stories is community old culture of the tribes? And yet, education as a process is disintegration in many ICCs across the nation, and with this necessary to navigate in today's world and in the ongoing follows continued exploitation and oppression, and the demise movement to defend, protect and nurture the ancestral of one tribe after another. domains and IP culture… It has been noted that the kind of education IP's received led This thought-provoking analysis on the effect of main- to break-up of intergenerational relationships, identity crisis, stream educational system on the cultural values of IPs, prompted abandonment of communities and betrayal of communities' several ICCs in the country to take a radical yet necessary step interests and concerns. Accordingly, younger generations view to address the problem. They decided to set up their own schools/ their elders and parents' opinions as backward and insignificant. education programs that provide an education which is culture- There is also a sense of loss since connectedness to the ancestral based and oriented towards forwarding the self-determination of domain, the values of the community, the indigenous knowledge IPs. systems formed through the centuries, and the spirituality that Currently, this initiative has various faces across the Philip- gave life to them are devalued and cast away. pines. Some efforts focus on basic literacy-numeracy whose The elders in ICCs who have analyzed this situation do not content are culture-based and non-formal in method, while others blame the education process per se. What they identify as the add a subject on culture aside from the usual subjects from the culprit is the kind of education that the younger generations Department of Education (DepEd) which are modified according receive which in general, is discriminatory of IP culture and to the ICC's context. Some have schools equivalent to elementary heritage (espousing the idea that IPs and IP culture in general is and/or high school that follow the DepEd curriculum but subjects backward, etc). Mainstream education also introduces a value are taught in the context of the ICC's culture and context. Other system and way of life which focuses on a non-IP context (usually schools have attempted to come up with their own curriculum the urban industrial setting), hence, contradicts IP values and based on discussions within the ICC on what they believe should way of living. Another factor is its insensitivity to the community be taught. realities and concerns of ICCs, particularly the relational dynam- Similarly, other indigenous groups in different parts of the ics of IPs. world are likewise responding to the same situation analyzed by Asked the elders, with this kind of education, how can our ICC elders. Indeed, the basic right to an indigenous education the IP youth become defenders and caretakers of the ances- is even enshrined in the Indigenous People's Earth Charter
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long after IPRA took into effect a certifi- encroaching on ancestral domains is an- in the bosom of the IP's ancestral waters cate of ancestral domain title (CADT) was other problem that many indigenous com- in Bugsuk island in the southernmost tip awarded to Bakun Indigenous Tribes Or- munities have to contend with. The of Palawan. Jewelmer cordoned the pearl ganization (BITO), composed of the Pala'wan (Palawan IPs), for instance, is farm area thus preventing the IP's to fish Kankanaey and Bago peoples of the one particular group that is currently fight- and pass through it. SAMBILOG Benguet province. In 2002, the National ing a lonely battle against what can be (Samahan ng mga Katutubo sa Dulo ng Council for Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), considered an environmental plague. In Timog Palawan) asserted its claim to the the government agency responsible for its issue of March-April 2005, the ECIP's ancestral domain by applying for a Certifi- the formulation and implementation of all newsletter Tribal Forum reported the claim cate of Ancestral Domain Title (CADT) programs concerning the rights and well- of the Pala'wan that the mining activities with NCIP. On its part, the company peti- being of ICCs/IPs; handed the group with of Rio Tuba Mining Nickel Corporation tioned the court to indefinitely ban any- a CADT covering 29,444.34 hectares. The (RTNMC) which had been in operation one from entering the pearl farm. Jewelmer breakthrough was achieved through the since 1977, caused environmental degra- argues the farm is a conservation area, as technical support of the International La- dation and health problems among resi- agreed upon in a contract with the munici- bor Organization (ILO) and funding from dents, both IPs and non-IPs alike. Atty. pality of Balabac, hence the company has the Cordillera Highland Agricultural Re- Jose Florante, legal counsel to the IPs, told a right to protect it. sources Management Project. Impact magazine that the mining opera- Like the puny David fighting the giant Just recently, NCIP released a report tions are done in the center of the forest Goliath, the IP of Palawan fights an uncer- stating that there are 46 CADTs that have which leads to ecological waste of trees tain battle. Notwithstanding, Church- been approved nationally, covering and other vegetative species. Despite the based groups, NGOs and human rights 890,891.02 hectares. Expectedly, the ap- existence of the law that safeguards core groups throw their support to Palawan proval of these CADTs generates opti- zone areas to be protected from any human IP's in their continuous struggle to reclaim mism in the hearts of the indigenous disruption and consumptive activities, still, their ancestral domain. peoples. However, the process of getting "all mining applications are located within these CADTs into the hands of the indig- core zones," Florante pointed out. Divide and rule enous communities will surely take time On top of mining in a restricted forest considering the many requirements to be zone, is yet another activity that deprives "Ang mining ay isang malaking met and battles to be won. the IP's access to traditional fishing problema para mawatak ang kultura ng grounds which they believe to be part of isang tribo" (Mining is a grave problem Mining on Ancestral Domains their ancestral domain. In 1982, Manuel since it destroys the culture of the indig- Cojuangco and Frenchman Jacques enous peoples), says Armando Quezon, a The presence of mining companies Branellec set up Jewelmer Pearl Farm right Pala'wan from the municipality of Bataraza.
formulated in 1993, asserting that: opportunities to the ICCs/IPs through the educational Indigenous peoples should have the right to their own system, public or private cultural entities, scholarships, knowledge, languages and culturally appropriate educa- grants, and other incentives without prejudice to their right tion, including bicultural and bilingual education. Indig- to establish and control their educational systems and enous peoples must have the necessary resources and institutions by providing education in their own language, control over their own education systems. Elders must be in a manner appropriate to their cultural methods of teach- recognized and respected as teachers of the young people. ing and learning (Section 30). Indigenous wisdom must be recognized and encouraged. Even before IPRA, various Indigenous Peoples Apostolate In the Philippines, the Indigenous Peoples' Rights Act (IPAs) and religious congregations involved in IP work have (IPRA) recognizes the efforts of communities to formulate their been responding to this need. In its November 2005 National own educational system: Convention, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines The state shall provide equal access to various cultural Episcopal Commission on Indigenous Peoples (CBCP-ECIP) has finally decided to make IP education a focal concern of the Commission by making it a national project, the first step being the consolidation of efforts being done by the IPAs and congre- gations. For the past year and a half, several activities have been done to this end: regional consultations on IP education in South- Central Luzon and Mindanao, trainings for facilitators, and workshops on cultural process research. It is hoped that through these activities, a deeper understanding and articulation of what it means and what it takes to establish an IP educational system will be achieved. It is a pioneering path with no immediate answers, needing constant dialogue and reflection, and the patience of a farmer © Dean Conger/CORBIS
A "There is really an outright ICCs meant much more than just s of current estimate, there are about disinformation going on," confirms mastering numbers or learning how 12 million indigenous peoples (IPs) Florante. He explained that the lack to read or write. For them it is para- in the Philippines which consist roughly of of opposition from some IPs might mount that education should be 16% of the country's population. The IP's comprise have stemmed from their sense of based and rooted in indigenous about 110 major ethnic tribes that are scattered all gratitude to the company for what culture and traditions, or else, their over the country's 7 major ethnographic regions. it had provided the community, such identity as a people is lost forever. as hospital building and scholar- Carling and the community of Cordillera & Region I Dumagat ship fund for deserving students. Aetas he belonged to recognize Remontado Bontoc, Balangao Bugkalot, Cimaron Quezon contends that Rio the importance of education in up- Isneg, Tinggian Tuba's 30 years of operation did lifting the community's living stan- Kabihug, Pullon Kankanaey Tabangnon not improve at all the community's dards and in achieving self-deter- Kalanguya standard of living. There was an mination. Obviously, he does not Abiyan (Aeta) Karao, Ibaloi Isarog, Itom outbreak of skin lesions last year see any incompatibility in preserv- Ayangan among residents in the mining com- ing one's cultural identity even if Ifugao munity which was attributed to leak- one is living in mainstream society. Eastern & Southern Kalinga, Apayao Mindanao age of sulfuric acid from the hydro- However, he ruefully admits that Bago, Gaddang metallurgical processing plant of media have also somehow influ- Manobo, Mandaya Rio Tuba. However, the company enced them, especially in wearing Island Groups Mansaka, Dibabawon denied it, and washed its hands of clothes that lowlanders wear. Banwaon, Bagobo responsibility claiming, that, "it Carling's community pro- Agutaynon Ubo Manobo, (skin lesions) was merely caused motes their culture to mainstream Tagbanua Tagakaolo by the unhygienic practices of the society through street theater. This Dagayanen Talaingod, Langilan people," according to Florante. activity also serves as an identity Tao't Bato, Batak Mamanwa, Higaonon booster to their youth. Referring to To call attention to their plight, Palawanon B'laan, T'boli the Palawan IP's organized the big- their students off in college, Carling Molbog says, "Iyon ay di dapat kalimutan. Kalagan, Tagabawa gest mobilization in their history as Iraya Mangyan Manobo B'lit, a community, when they marched Dapat balik tanaw sila doon," Hanunuo Mangyan (They should not forget who they Matigsalog from Bugsuk to Puerto Princesa in Alangan Mangyan Tigwahanon, Sangil protest of the encroachment of mul- are. They should always take pride Buhid Mangyan tinational corporations on ances- of their culture.) Tadyawan Mangyan Central Mindanao tral domains and degradation of The students are required to Batangan Mangyan environment caused by unabated go back home on week ends to Gubatnon Mangyan Aromanon, Tiruray mining activities. work in the farm. Back in the com- Ratagnon Mangyan Bagobo, Ubo munity, they shed off their city Ati, Cuyunon Manobo Low literacy clothes and don their g-string. The Sulod/Bukidnon Higaonon, Subanen wages they earned working in the Magahat, Korolanos Maguindanao Low literacy rate is yet one big farm are spent for their educational Ata, Bukidnon Maranao, Iranon problem that goes to the roots of expenses. I Escaya, Badjao Karintik, B'laan Lambangian, Region 2 Dulangan Ivatan, Agta Northern & Western --- ERRATUM --- Kalanguya Bugkalot Mindanao Gaddang Talaandig, Higaonon Aggay, Tsina Matigsalog, The title of Prof. Emma R. Roxas' article (IMPACT, Dumagat Umayamnon September 2006 issue, p.9) should be read as "The Ibanag, Itawis Manobo, Kamigin International Debt Problem...", not as "The Internal Yakan, Sama Debt Problem..." Our apologies for the error -- Rest of Luzon Badjao/Sama Laut Editor Kalibugan, Jama Aeta, Negrito Mapon Baluga, Pugot Abelling, Agta Source: CIPRAD-PANLIPI
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T he Lumads are known to be the of new farming technology have caused the peace and moral upliftment that original settlers in various parts dislocation of Subanen and pushed them strengthens political, social, spiritual, of Mindanao. The varied exist- away from their ancestral home. This con- and economic stability geared towards ence of native communities in the coun- dition has posed a serious concern among progress and sustainable development. try had created a diverse cultural heri- the tribal leaders in the province. To ad- Towards this end, the PGS conducts tage. The Subanen indigenous people dress the problem, the prelature of Ipil ini- intensive and scientific research and are the first inhabitants in Zamboanga tiated the establishment of Phesalabuhan documentation regarding customary Peninsula covering the provinces of Guhom Sibugay or PGS (Council of Elders laws, tradition and practices of the IP- Misamis Occidental, Zamboanga del Sur, of Sibugay), through its Indigenous Peoples Subanen; facilitates trainings and Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga City, Apostolate (IPA) Ministry. Added to the awareness seminars that strengthen the part of Basilan, and Zamboanga Sibugay. significance in the formation of PGS is the values, skills and capability of the tribal Subanen are known to be peace loving approval of R.A. 8371 or the Indigenous leaders; assists Subanen in all transac- people, and the caretaker of natural Peoples' Rights Act of 1997 which gives tions related to the government pro- world. Their community illustrates an recognition, protection and promotion of grams and privileges granted to them; environment of dynamism, cooperation, the rights of indigenous cultural communi- and consolidates the Indigenous and harmonious co-existence. ties. The PGS covers seventeen municipali- Knowledge Practice System (IKPS), Like the rest of IP communities in ties: Tungawan, R.T. Lim, Ipil, Titay, Naga, towards their own aspirations and con- Mindanao, the culture and identity of Kabasalan, siay, Imelda, Payao, Alicia, cept of sustainable development. the Subanen tribe in Zamboanga Sibugay Diplahan, Malangas, Mabuhay, and Buug Since its creation in 2003, the PGS are at risk of being lost due to the inter- in the province of Zamboanga Sibugay; has engaged in massive advocacy for vention of the foreign colonial powers and Bayog, Kumalarang and Lakewood in the implementation of the IPRA and from the Spanish period in the 15th cen- Zamboanga del Sur. mobilized IP-Subanen communities in tury, American in the 19th century until The PGS envisions building a harmo- the struggle for ancestral domain claims the installation of the Philippine Repub- nious interaction among the Guhom for a as well as in the fight against large- lic in 1946. Such aggression continues better understanding, cooperation and scale mining operations. The PGS has up to the present in the form of "devel- unity in order to render effective, system- and is still working towards building a opment." The entry of big logging and atic and appropriate services for the IP- culture of peace among the tribal people mining companies, and the introduction Subanen communities. It also fosters in the province. I
D uring the Philippine Revolution against Spain, a few Filipino Catho- lic priests played crucial roles which, of course, were conveniently condemned as political and revolutionary because of their dual consequence for both Church and State. The Spanish Crown exercised both Prophet and political and ecclesiastical powers in all her colonies. Both civil and ecclesiastical offi- cials recognized the Spanish King as ulti- mate authority, perhaps more than the Pope. Thus, whatever excesses were committed by Martyr the Spanish civilian authorities, were tacitly and naturally condoned by their religious counterparts, the Spanish friars. At best, the friars had to learn how to best reconcile their ambivalent roles of Catholic missionaries and colonial functionaries. At some point, the Spanish ecclesiasti- cal authorities decided to develop the indig- enous clergy. When local priests were finally ordained, they were however treated as sec- ond class to indefinitely serve as vicars or mere assistants to Spanish friars who en- Fr. Roberto P. Reyes joyed the exclusive right to be parish priests. In time, the local clergy developed and pro- movement. Aglipay and de los Reyes began have become the doorway from which duced holy and intelligent men who began the reform of the Philippine Clergy within Bishop Ramento's valiant spirit has been to challenge the racist and political handi- their newly established church (1902) along poured out and shared to many." (cf. State- cap imposed on them. Foremost of these was clearly articulated nationalist lines. Aglipay ment of Philippine Independent Church, Fr. Jose Burgos who became more and more ceased to recognize the spiritual authority signed October 4, 2006 by Godofredo J. vocal in his criticism of the discriminatory of the Pope (Leo XIII) and allowed his priests David, 11th Obispo Maximo.) attitudes and policies of both ecclesiastical to marry. The newly created church enjoyed In life, Bishop Ramento faithfully lived and civil authorities towards the local clergy. numerous recruits especially in the North out his prophetic vocation received by all Fr. Jose Burgos had two other priests com- because of its explicit nationalist orientation, Christians at baptism. Recall how all Chris- panions, Frs. Mariano Gomez and Jacinto which endures up to the present time. tians have been baptized in the Father, Son Zamora. The three became prominent lead- Last October 3, 2006 in the wee hours and Spirit and received the holy anointing ers in the budding Filipinization or of the morning, former Obispo Maximo (Su- of the spirit of Jesus, priest, prophet and Indigenization of the Clergy. The leadership preme Bishop) Alberto Ramento was king. Sadly, many Christians exchange the and prophetic witnessing of these Filipino stabbed to death in his house in Tarlac. Mo- fullness of life offered by the triple gift and clerics did not fail to catch the attention of tives for the murder are highly suspicious mandate of Jesus with the petty and pass- the increasingly suspicious and insecure belying reports that robbery was the sole ing conveniences and the passing joys of Civilian and Ecclesiastical authorities. Thus, motive. Bishop Ramento has consistently the world. Instead of priests, we have man- when a rebellion erupted in Cavite, a town fought for rights of farmers and workers, agers. Instead of wise and compassionate south of Manila, the three priests were im- which earned him their love and respect. kings we have rapacious and arrogant dicta- mediately implicated, tried, condemned and Recently, he has been in the forefront of the tors. Instead of prophets, we have charla- put to death by strangulation (garrote). move asking President Arroyo to resign in tans parroting the official line of institutions, Their execution, which took place on the light of the 2004 election scam. The state- governments and global conglomerates. February 17, 1972, became a watershed in ment of the Aglipayan Church about the Holiness of life is overshadowed by the bril- the history of the Philippine Revolution. The murder of Bishop Ramento underscores the liance of worldly success. Just and honest young Rizal wrote how the execution of the value of his prophetic life and martyrdom: governance is replaced by the blind wor- three innocent Filipino priests opened his "The people behind his death might ship of power and dominance. Either the irri- eyes and changed him forever. It was no ac- think they have silenced him and maimed tating static or hypnotic drone of politically cident that Rizal dedicated his first novel, the prophetic voice of the Church. They or commercially controlled electronic media Noli Me Tangere to the memory of the three are mistaken. His death has become a drowns the firm and clear voice of truth. martyr priests (GOMBURZA) whose pro- candle in a burning incense, sparking more Suddenly, there is attentive stillness phetic lives fueled the flames of revolution- fire, enflaming the hearts of the clergy and in the spilling of the innocent blood of a ary fervor. A few decades later, shortly after the faithful of the Iglesia Filipina man of God. By his death, we can see more liberation from Spain and during the initial Independiente to remain faithful to her pro- clearly, hear more distinctly and follow more years of the vigorous take over of the Ameri- people and pro-labor heritage. Indeed, we courageously Jesus, our Priest, Prophet cans, another nationalist priest, Fr. Gregorio grieved over his death, but we celebrate his and King. Aglipay together with Isabelo de los Reyes life. They may have taken his life by open- Bishop Alberto Ramento, true and faith- became a prominent figure in the Nationalist ing his body with wounds, but these wounds ful Christian, prophet and martyr thank you! I
Volume 40 • Number 10 23
U nconscionable—this is sumption that the government the only right word to use in looking at the Unconscionable would shoulder the expenses which are even tax payer's Malacañang decision ordering money. the retake of the nursing licen- It is only in downright con- sure examinations for all the 2006 spiracy that the crime of one is graduates. There were but a the crime of all. It is elementary handful who authored the leak- that only those proven guilty of age of some test questions. misdeed are penalized. But to There were but some who ben- punish even those precisely efited from the shameful mis- presumed innocent is the height deed. Yet all the examinees with- of injustice and the utter lost of out exception are unjustly pe- the sense of basic equity. nalized for the dishonesty of It is a given that the real and but certain individuals. These biggest commerce of this coun- were bluntly told to have a "re- try is exporting people—from take". There is neither rhyme ordinary to super-maids and nor reason to this Malacañang other service professionals. For intervention—even in the as- the present administration, there is no business like people business. In fact when the na- just and unacceptable when tional leadership goes abroad, Integrity the cheater has advanced education, wields power and it is people who are offered for export—among some little local influence. The cheater then products.
H onesty or upright gruous to call a thief honest or ness as a personal to consider the same as upright. better knows the evil of It is also given that it is in the completeness or to- In the same way, when one who cheating and becomes commercialization of people that tal reality—this is the stan- cheats, the person remains a thereby more accountable. this government makes the most dard concept or total reality— cheater. It is contrary to elemen- When a child cheats, there money in terms of big and regu- this is the standard concept tary logic and fundamental eth- is still cheating though less lar dollar remittances by thou- and common understanding ics for a cheat to claim honesty responsible and punishable. sands of OFWs—who are even of integrity. It is a wholeness and uprightness. When an educated adult daily increasing in number. This that accepts no breakage One who steals and man- cheats, this is more despi- is why the country is said to such that it is whole or bro- aged to keep what the same stole, cable and abominable. have but a service economy such ken—never both. Thus: wa- remains thief. The fact that was A cheat in the elections as demonstrated by the many ter is either clean of dirty. is stolen remains kept—little remains a cheater even if the big call centers in the country— When water is a little dirty, though this is— in no way can- he or she cheated but a little with others still in the offing. dirty it remains as it is not cels the fact of thievery. In the and thereby announced as It is wherefore also a given clean. In the same way, a plate same way, someone who cheats the winner. This event could that this administration wants to is either whole or cracked. remains a cheater no matter how be understandable if there is have quality people exports. This Once its but a little cracked, it little is cheated. Even if the an election law that allows is the ultimate rationale behind is not whole anymore, no mat- cheater is not caught cheating. candidates to cheat a little. the "retake" of all 2006 nursing ter what one thinks and says. No one is allowed to steal a little. The fact remains that to cheat graduates. This iniquitous move Someone who steals no In the same way no one is either little or much in elections is is to assure that there would be matter how little is a thief. The permitted to cheat a little. unethical, and wherefore un- no doubt about their export qual- person who steals is dishon- Cheating becomes more acceptable among decent ity as a whole. Never mind who est and crooked. It is incon- serious and culpable, more un- and civilized electorate. honestly passed the licensure Even if everybody is said exams, who but doubtfully to cheat in elections, this in passed them, and who down- no way makes cheating right. right cheated to pass them. If the A winning cheater has no government cannot even make moral claim to a public office. such a distinction among the In the same way, a cheat win- examinees, what is it doing with ning an election in no way its multi-billion intelligence fund, makes the same worthy of its multi-branched intelligence public trust. The mixing of agencies? cheated and non-cheated There is something funda- votes comes up with a mentally wrong with an adminis- cheated count. This is the tration that does not even know only conclusion by applying the elementary dictates of jus- the principle of integrity. tice, the basic norms of prudence. www.ovc.blogspot.com www.ovc.blogspot.com
Volume 40 • Number 10 25
W e, participants of the Mining Study Conference from the Phil- Mining Study Conference ippine Misereor Partnership October 3-5, 2006 Sacred Heart Pastoral Centre Southern Tagalog Cluster, representing the Boac, Marinduque 4900 Philippines communities directly affected by mining, various Peoples Organizations (POs), So- cial Action Centres (SACs) of affected dio- ceses, Non Government Organizations (NGOs,) Local Government and Church Leaders headed by His Excellency, Most BOAC DECLARATION 2006 Rev. Reynaldo G. Evangelista, D.D. Bishop of Boac, together with His Excellency Most Rev. Edgardo S. Juanich, D.D.,Vicar Apos- tolic of Taytay, priests and representatives who care for and defend the environment and our national patrimony, gathered to- gether from 3-5 of October at the Sacred Heart Pastoral Centre, Boac, Marinduque, hereby declare the following: The Present Situation Under The Min- eral Policy Revitalization Programme of The Government We witness the continuous displace- ment of our Indigenous Peoples (IPs) in many parts of the country and the serious disregard of their human rights and disre- spect concerning their rights over their Ancestral Lands and right to self-determi- struction of the environment, as well as Programme of the Government, in spite of nation non-existent justice for victims underlined the serious opposition from the people We witness the continuous destruc- by what is happening in Aurora and other and the Government's supposed commit- tion of natural water bodies that are sources Southern Tagalog Provinces. ment to revise these anti-people and anti- of livelihood for many of our fishermen due Filipino policies. Moreover, such entities to the toxic mine waste (tailings) that have Unified Assessment of Our are pushing for changes to the Constitu- been dumped in water bodies like Calancan Situation tion which will only profit and further serve Bay and municipal waters in the municipali- the interests of Mining Transnational ties of Sta. Cruz , Boac and Mogpog in Our joint study, sharing and assess- Corporations (MTNCs), foreign investors Marinduque. ment of our situation revealed that our and a few local corporations favoured by We witness the dislocation of our farm- experiences are not different or isolated the government. ers and the effects on their lives of the from those of our brothers and sisters in We also witness how the Government destruction of their farmlands caused by many other parts of the archipelago. Min- has become continuously insensitive and siltation and mine waste. ing in the Philippines is neither motivated deaf to the appeal of ordinary people such as We witness the evil effects of mining by the need to improve the country's farm workers, fisher folk, indigenous peoples, on the health of our people that have con- economy or a genuine desire to improve other workers and sectors of society. tinued to claim lives as evidenced by the the distressing plight of the Filipino people, victims of heavy metal contamination in who are living in extreme poverty. Instead, Our Unified Demands and Sta. Cruz and the sustained threat to people the interests of the large foreign corpora- Challenge in Boac and Mogpog in Marinduque and tions, in their constant quest for profit, are the health victims in Bataraza, Palawan. always the focal point of mining in the The people of Marinduque, led by the We witness the massive destruction Philippines. We have observed many of Diocese of Boac, in the spirit and inspiration to many of our forests, water sheds, moun- the resulting tragic experiences of our of this "Year of Social Concerns" and the tains, fields, seas and natural sources of people due to the mining operations car- sustained and fearless struggles of the life and habitat of our people, flora and ried out by Marcopper-Placer Dome in peoples of Mindoro, Aurora and Palawan, fauna, many of which are endemic to sev- Marinduque and Lafayette Mining Lim- continue to challenge us to strengthen and eral of our towns and provinces, including ited in Rapu-Rapu, Albay. broaden our alliance and agreement to stop Palawan, the remaining frontier in the coun- In these cases, we witnessed how the the greedy, anti-people and destructive try. national and local government, the na- programmes, policies and mining operations We witness serious human rights vio- tional police and military, judges and leg- in the country, particularly in the Southern lations, prevalent cases of kidnapping and islators have all served the interests of Tagalog Region and Aurora province. summary executions of environmental ac- foreign corporations. These groups des- We strongly face the new challenges tivists and people who directly oppose perately pursue the Mining Act of 1995 of the present situation with renewed mining operations and the wanton de- and implement the Mining Revitalization strength and creativity, to pursue the fol-
lowing demands: 1. Exclude from the Arroyo administra- tion list of priority mining areas, the BISHOPS -ULAMA CONFERENCE provinces of Marinduque and 6th Floor, Elena Tower Inn, Tibanga, P.O. Box 43836, 9200 Iligan City Mindoro and commence the long de- Tel.: (063) 223-2928 / Telfax: (063) 223-8120 layed search for justice for due com- e-mail: email@example.com pensation for all the affected popula- tion in the province of Marinduque with the needed environmental reha- bilitation; 2. Make the Mining Transnational Cor- A JOINT APPEAL OF THE porations (MTNCs) accountable and cancel the mining permits and con- BISHOPS-ULAMA CONFERENCE tracts of foreign and local mining cor- porations that violate the rights of the TO THE GRP-MILF NEGOTIATING people and give rise to massive de- struction of the environment, seriously PANELS affecting the lives of our people; 3. Condemn and address corruption and make concerned government officials particularly of the Department of Envi-
W e are the 23 Catholic bishops, impasse, from the moral and spiritual ronment and Natural Resources, Mines 18 Protestant bishops and point of view, the peace negotiators may and Geosciences Bureau (DENR-MGB) pastors, and 24 Muslim Ulama find a breakthrough towards a mutually accountable for negligence and/or members of the ten-year old Bishops- agreed solution. We know that such connivance with erring Mining TNCs. Ulama Conference. moral and spiritual insight is found some- 4. Pursue proper investigations and bring All the Christians, Muslims and where in the collective and religious to book concerned erring National Indigenous Peoples of Mindanao are consciousness of our tri-people in Commission for Indigenous People constituencies of the Moro Islamic Lib- Mindanao who are believers in the Al- (NCIP) officials and employees for their eration Front and of the Government of mighty who guides our destiny. In the granting of falsified Certificates of Pre- the Republic of the Philippines respec- search for that wisdom and insight we Condition; tively. They are also our own constitu- wish to offer our services. 5. Implement a Moratorium in granting encies including the members of both In this humble offer we are moti- mining permits and ban large-scale negotiating panels. vated by the words of the Holy Bible: mining operations and other mining We and our people have waited "Therefore, everyone who listens to activities that cause destruction to the with interest the results of the peace those words of mine and acts on them environment; negotiations since they started. We are will be like a sensible man who built 6. Enact and implement an alternative dismayed and concerned that they have his house on rock." (Matthew 7:24) and pro-people and pro-environment min- been discontinued due to an impasse or the Holy Qur'an: "Which then is the ing/mineral policies; an unresolved bone of contention. best?—he that layeth his foundation 7. Scrap the Mining Act of 1995 and Stop Urged by the urgent needs of our re- on piety to God and His good plea- the present Charter Change initiative. spective constituencies, we respectfully sure?—or he that layeth his founda- appeal to both peace panels to return as tion on an undermined sand-cliff ready Signed this 5th day of October 2006. soon as possible to the negotiating to crumble to pieces? And it doth table and resume talks through peaceful crumble to pieces with him, into the Signed by: and respectful dialogue. fire of Hell. And God guideth not people It is our firm belief that dialogue that do wrong." (Surah 9:109) which His Excellency however long and tedious is the only compare a strong society to a building MOST REV. REYNALDO G. human and humane way of resolving built on the moral law. EVANGELISTA, D.D. human issues and problems. We also Bishop of Boac believe that these matters can be re- FERNANDO R. CAPALLA Bishop's Residence solved within the moral and spiritual Archbishop of Davao Boac, 4900 Marinduque framework— not just within the legal Co-Convenor, BUC one. For the urgent needs of our people, His Excellency including those of the peace negotia- DR. MAHID N. MUTILAN, PhD MOSTREV.EDGARDOS.JUANICH,D.D. tors, whether social, economic, political President, Ulama League of the Vicar Apostolic of Taytay and cultural, are underpinned by moral Philippines, Co-Convenor, BUC Bishop's Residence and spiritual values. Sta. Monica, Taytay 5312 Palawan While we do not claim exclusive HILARIO M. GOMEZ, PhD monopoly of moral and spiritual wisdom, Bishop Emeritus, United Church of 55 other Participants we believe that looking again at the bone Christ in the Philippines From Southern Tagalog Cluster of contention, that is, the reasons for the Co-Convenor, BUC Philippine Misereor Partnership
Volume 40 • Number 10 27
I ICE sn't it true that we all carry
O nce upon a time there But one continued higher numbers belong to our near and was a bunch of tiny and higher and higher. This dear ones? frogs who arranged a one wouldn't give up! At the Let us for a moment create running competition. The goal end everyone else had given a scenario wherein (God forbid) was to reach the top of a very up climbing the tower. Except We are involved in an ac- high tower. A big crowd had for the one tiny frog that, after cident or had a heart attack and gathered around the tower to a big effort, was the only the people attending us get see the race and cheer on one who reached the hold of our mobile phone but the contestants. top! don't' know which number to The race began. Then all of the call to inform our family mem- No one in crowd re- other tiny frogs bers. Yes, there are hundreds ally believed that naturally of numbers stored but which the tiny frogs wanted to one is the contact person in would reach the know how this case of an emergency? was a nationally recognized top of the tower. one frog managed For this reason, we must name for this purpose. One would to do it. A contestant have one or more telephone Following a disaster in hear statements asked the tiny frog numbers stored under the name London , the East Anglican such as: how he had found the ICE (In case of Emergency) in Ambulance Service has "Oh, way strength to succeed our mobile phones. launched a national "In case of too difficult!" and reach the goal. As cell phones are carried Emergency (ICE)" campaign. "They will It turned out that by majority of the population, In an emergency situation, never make it to the winner was all you need to do is store the Emergency Service personnel the top." Or DEAF! number of a contact person or and hospital staff would then "Not a chance that The wis- person who should be con- be able to quickly contact your they will succeed. The dom of this story tacted at during emergency as next of kin, by simply dialing tower is too high!" is: Never listen to other people's "ICE" (meaning: In Case of the number stored as "ICE" The tiny frogs began col- tendencies to be negative or Emergency). For more than one contact lapsing one by one, except for pessimistic, because they take The idea was thought up name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 those, who in a fresh tempo, your most wonderful dreams by a paramedic who found that and ICE3 etc. This is a good were climbing higher and and wishes away from you— when they went to the scenes idea that will make a difference! higher. the ones you have in your heart! of accidents, there were always Let's spread the concept The crowd continued to Always think of the power mobile phones with patients, of ICE by storing an ICE num- yell, "It is too difficult!!! No words have. Because every- but they didn't know which ber in our mobile phones to- one will make it!" thing you hear and read will number to call. day! Please forward to your More tiny frogs got tired affect your actions! He therefore thought that all nearest and dearest. and gave up. firstname.lastname@example.com it would be a good idea if there firstname.lastname@example.com
A A person requirements, please." "Oh, good looking, polite, humor- perfect match can only be found between a blind wife and a deaf husband, because the
Perfect ous, sporty, knowledgeable, blind wife cannot see the faults good in singing and dancing. of the husband and the deaf Willing to accompany me the husband cannot hear the nag-
Match whole day at home during my ging of the wife. Many couples leisure hour, if I don't go out. are blind and deaf at the court- Telling me interesting stories ing stage and dream of per- when I need companion for petual perfect relationship. conversation and be silent Unfortunately, when the excite- when I want to rest." The ment of love wears off, they matchmaker listened carefully wake up and discover that mar- and replied, "I understand you riage is not a bed of roses. The need television." nightmare begins. There is a saying that a email@example.com
28 28 IMPACT •• October IMPACT October 2006 2006
Volume 40 Volume 40 •• Number Number 10 10 29 29
ANSWER TO LAST ISSUE: KEEP ON ADDING, KEEP ON WALKING, KEEP ON PROGRESSING: DO NOT DELAY ON THE ROAD, DO NOT GO BACK, DO NOT DEVIATE. -- ST. AUGUSTINE (Qoutes in Quiz book and booklets available at National Book Store and Booksale outlets.
Volume 40 • Number 10 31


text:
Death penalty in Nebraska was abolished in May. Yet it seems that neither the Governor or the Pro-death penalty activists are willing to settle that easily. A fundraising race is trying to bring the penalty back throughout a statewide vote. Pro and anti penalty activists are fighting a fierce battle to either bring it back or forget about it for ...Read More »
Zuckerberg Says Facebook's Name Policy Works for Transgender People
It seems Facebook will continue to use its controversial real-name policy. Last week, the company's CEO Mark Zuckerberg made it clear that they have no intention to change it in spite of the complaints from the transgender community. The creator of the social network publicly defended the policy by stating that "it can work for trans people". The question is … can it ...Read More »
The Chinese Crisis You Missed While Watching Greece
While all eyes were focusing on the economic crisis in Greece, China was having its very own financial meltdown. Over ten million investors with little to no financial experience plowed their savings into the stock market only to witness its collapse just a few months later. Chinese leaders are taking on desperate measures to restore people's confidence and to get the market back on ...Read More »
In Spite of Supreme Court Decision, Women Will Still Get Access to Birth Control
Women's sexual and reproductive health have always been a hot topic of debate. Activists and women's rights organizations all over the country fight relentlessly to ensure that reproductive healthcare medications are covered by employers and health insurance. The US Affordable Care act passed in 2012 heard women's claims and included a provision that compelled employers to cover contraception at no ...Read More »
UPDATE – Recently Passed Science Research Funding Bill
The House of Representatives has recently passed a funding bill to support scientific work on the field of bio-medicine. The 21st Century Cures Act (aka HR 6) will direct a significant budget to promote the work of bio-medical research agencies. Although the new measure is still pending approval from the Senate and must by reviewed by the appropriations committees, prospects for its ...Read More »
Largest Hack in US Government History Affects 20 Million
Hackers infiltrated the government's database and stole personal information from more than 20 million former and current federal employees, including social security numbers and an estimated one million fingerprints. The cyber attack also breached through information regarding health, criminal and financial history. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) had originally reported a figure close to the 4 million. Unfortunately, there ...Read More »
Days After "NO" Vote, Greek Lawmakers Approve the Bailout Proposal
In the midst of a deep economic crisis, Greek lawmakers finally approved the controversial legislation which will once again bail the country out of a billionaire debt, with 229 votes in favor, 64 against and six abstentions. The bill basically imposes austerity in every major Greek economic practice, just a few days after the Greek population had overwhelmingly voted ...Read More »

subset: commoncrawl


text:
April 4, 2019
Brands should reevaluate how they track consumer journeys. Image credit: IWC.
By Sarah Ramirez
NEW YORK – Despite brands continuing to invest billions in technology to improve the consumer journey, customers still have to navigate different experiences across channels, leading to frustration.
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