"We stand in solidarity with the communities which are hit by coal power projects," said Father Warren Puno, director of the Ministry of Ecology in south-central Luzon.

"This is a matter of life and death. We cannot simply stand by and watch our community suffer," added the regional coordinator of the South Luzon Eco-Convergence Hub of Caritas Philippines.

Puno told UCA News on April 23 that they were pushing for remedies for all coal-affected communities.

"We are seeking compensation for damages, health care support, and a just transition to clean energy," he said.

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Save the Children Philippines drew attention to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) recording 3,135 cases of adolescent pregnancies among young girls aged 10-14 in 2022, which was a 35 percent increase from the 2,320 cases recorded in 2021.

The organisation said this was an "alarming trend" and called on the government and families "to join forces in educating children about their rights and reproductive health."

The PSA has noted a concerning upward trend in teenage pregnancies under the age of 15 since 2017, it said in a March 1 statement ahead of International Women's Day.

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The Santo Tomas cemetery in Daet province, southern Luzon, and the Holy Redeemer cemetery in Benguet province, northern Luzon, have made it mandatory for visitors to carry vaccine cards to enter and pay tributes to their loved ones.

"Vaccine cards should be presented at the gate. No vaccine cards, no entry. This is for the safety of everyone- not just those who were not vaccinated but also those who have co-morbidities," Holy Redeemer cemetery executive director Paul Monzon told UCA News.

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The Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP) have made a statement denouncing the criminal charges filed by the country's Department of Justice.

None of the allegations and charges were based on solid evidence. They "demonise the works of our religious congregation", a statement from the nuns says.

They describe the allegation of terrorist financing as "preposterous".

"All our projects and activities are well-documented, reported and accounted for.

"The accusations have negatively affected our various ministries in sustainable agriculture, education, health, environment protection and defence of humans.

"When our fight for the common good is at stake, especially the interests and rights of the poor and the marginalised, we must speak."

The criminal charges have been filed against 16 individuals including five RMP nuns.

The "non-bailable offence" alleges the nuns were donating and soliciting funds for the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People's Army.

The Justice Department defended pressing the charges. It says they are a result of the sisters failing to refute the allegations and charges against them.

The prosecutor was therefore led to believe there was probable cause to indict them of the charge, the Justice Department says.

The nuns however said their indictment was part of government repression to silence dissenters. It particularly silences critics of two political families accused of massive human rights violations.

It's part of the worsening state of repression against human rights defenders, they say, with the government using all its available resources to shut down the congregation for good.

The nuns are concerned about testimonies from two former members of the New People's Army. They allege their congregation had been helping terrorists in exchange for the release of the informant's mother.

They also noted that the method of extracting information from purported former communist members was a technique of the former Duterte administration against its critics.

The Marcos Jr's government is doing the same thing.

"They're demonising legal democratic organisations such as RMP which provide much-needed services to the people, and by putting its members in direct harm's way" the nuns' statement said.

Retired Bishop Arturo Bastes says by charging the nuns, the state is sending a "chilling warning" to Marcos and Duterte dissenters within the Catholic Church.

"The message is very clear. Those who want to criticise the present (Marcos) administration should think twice or suffer the consequence of facing criminal prosecution" he says.

Source

• Crux
• UCA News

Jessie, Jestonie and Jerson Avenido, members of the Sacred Stigma of our Lord Jesus Christ congregation, an Italian order, were all ordained priests by Archbishop Jose Cabantan of Cagayan de Oro on Sept. 8.

The ceremony took place at the Saint Augustine Metropolitan Cathedral in Cagayan de Oro City, drawing praise from Catholic organizations across the country who said three brothers entering the same religious order and being ordained at the same time was an extremely rare, if not unprecedented, event. Continue reading

Bishop Alberto Uy of Tagbilaran said they planted a variety of fruit-bearing and hardwood trees.

The initiative was one of many activities of the Philippine Catholic Church during the worldwide ecumenical Season of Creation, from September 1 to October 4. The Church in the Philippines has extended the period by a week to October 11. Read more

Vatican officials have released a document offering a guide for Catholics on how to take care of the earth as God's creation and man's "common home," citing the diocese's response to Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si'.

Maasin Diocese in Leyte province has installed solar panels in 42 churches to generate electricity in its fight against global warming and environmental abuse. Read more

Journalist Arnold Clavio on April 11 posted on social media that bodies have been "piling up" in the hallway of a "certain hospital in Metro Manila."

Clavio did not disclose his source or the name of the hospital but posted reports saying there were "not enough body bags" and bodies were being "left along the hallways," exposing health workers to a high risk of being infected by Covid-19. Read more

About a dozen Catholics regularly have themselves nailed to wooden crosses on Good Friday as penance for their sins. The event attracts thousands of tourists.

This year's rituals were planned for farming villages around San Fernando city, north of the capital Manila on April 10, but local officials have stopped the event to prevent mass gatherings and a potential spread of the virus. Read more

Speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony in the City of Naga, Cebu, Duterte linked the arrival of Christianity to colonialism. "Why would I celebrate the arrival of the Spanish here? Why would I?" he said.

"You know, they came to this country as imperialists. We are not Spanish and they subjugated us for 300 years. That's painful for me… And yet I was asked for a commemoration for the 500 years since they arrived here," he added. Read more

Bishop Arturo Bastes of Sorsogon said the sinking of a Filipino fishing boat and the abandonment of its crew by a Chinese vessel last week was a "manifestation" of China's lack of respect of Philippine sovereignty.

"They have no respect for our territory nor respect for Filipino lives," said the prelate.

On June 9, a Philippine fishing boat sank near the Reed Bank in the South China Sea after a Chinese fishing vessel reportedly hit it while it was at anchor. Read more

Duterte earlier drew flak for calling God "stupid", for cursing at Pope Francis and for issuing death threats against Roman Catholic bishops who allegedly plotted to oust him.

By attacking God and Jesus Christ, the Filipinos' identity of being molded by faith and values is also being attacked by the President. Read more

After calling the country's Catholic bishops "useless fools" who should be "killed," Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has now warned anyone against harming priests and prelates.

The president made the warning after being told that people close to his family have threatened bishops and priests critical of his administration's policies. Read more

"When someone is baptised, you have to pay…when someone dies, you have to pay," he says.

"Build your own chapel in your own house and pray there. You don't have to go to church to pay for these idiots," he is reported to have said.

Duterte's slighting comments follow months of putdowns targeting the Church and senior clergy.

Last week, for example, Duterte accused Filipino Bishop Pablo Virgilio David (a vocal critic of Duterte-sanctioned drug-related killings in the Philippines) of giving church donations to his own family. He offered no supporting evidence for his accusation.

David denies Duterte's accusations. "People who are sick sometimes do not know what they are talking about," he says.

This week, Duterte says he thinks David might be into drugs.

"I'm telling you, David. I wonder why he goes around in the evening. I suspect that he might be into drugs," he said.

Reacting to Duterte's statement, David posted on Facebook: "No sir, I'm not into drugs of any sort, whether legal or illegal. Never been.

"I only help in rehabilitating people addicted to drugs … Thank God I am not even taking any maintenance drugs yet.

"I only take vitamins with fruit shake blended (with moringa) in the morning. You might want to try it, sir. It will do you a lot of good. God bless you."

Filipino Bishop Arturo Bastes says people should disregard the president's statement.

"Every Filipino with the right mind should only ignore this nonsense," Bishop Bastes said. "I don't want to comment on this crazy idea. I am tired of his stupid remarks."

Bishop Ruperto Santos of Balanga said the president's statement is "very irresponsible and heartless" and could sow division.

Earlier this week Duterte lambasted the bishops for believing in an "archaic" church that is good only at making money.

"The Catholic Church and Bishop David are clinging to a belief 3,000 years ago," he said. "How can people 3,000 years ago predict what is happening today?"

Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo of Manilla said Duterte's ranting "will have no effect."

Source

• Catholic News Agency
• The Catholic Register
• Catholic Philly
• Image: UCAN Directory

The massacre occurred during the Philippine-US War (1899-1902).

At present, two of the bells are displayed at the US 11th Infantry Regiment's former base at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base. Another bell is displayed at the US 9th Infantry Regiment at Camp Cloud in South Korea.

Even as long ago as 1911, Filipino officials were questioning the propriety of taking church bells as war souvenirs.

Since then, numerous people, including Philippine's President Rodrigo Duterte, the country's military ambassadors and the Catholic Church - have sought their return.

One who lobbied for the bells' return was former President Fidel Ramos, who in 1998 asked US President Bill Clinton to help.

Clinton refused the request, citing the National Defense Authorization Act which prohibits "the return of veterans' memorial objects to foreign nations without specific authorisation in law."

Others in the US argue the bells should stay where they are, including Stephen Kravitsky from the Wyoming Veterans Commission. He says local vets see the bells as a memorial.

" I think there's an emotional attachment to them," he says.

Despite objections from some people, US Defense Secretary James Mattis has told Congress the bells must be returned.

He and the Philippine ambassador to the US, Jose Manuel "Babe" del Gallego Romualdez, are planning to hold a ceremony at Warren Air Force Base to start the process of formally returning the bells.

Although there has been no official word of the bells' return, the parishioners of Balangiga are looking forward to it.

"It's a welcome development. The parishioners ... have been patiently waiting for its eventual return," says Msgr Pedro Quitorio III of the Borongan diocese.

The bells will be returned to the St Lawrence the Martyr Parish in Eastern Samar.

"The physical church of Balangiga is ready for the return of its bells. It was reconstructed after it was devastated by super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in 2013. It has two belfries. The other one is empty but awaiting for the return of its bells," Quitorio says.

Source

• KALW
• Canadian Enquirer
• Image:MetroCebuNews

Christian churches in the Philippines are working with the government to shut down "all forms of child violence," especially online sexual exploitation.

Online sexual exploitation of children has become a major problem, says Bishop Ruperto Santos.

"What we need is partnerships [with various groups] and more prosecutions."

One of Santos's particular concerns is for children being exploited online by their own parents or relatives.

Records from the Christian church groups helping to combat the live-stream trade show that 72 percent of the perpetrators during the rescue operations were found to be parents or relatives of the victims.

An ecumenical summit on how to protect children from online sexual exploitation took place in Manila last week.

"We are worried that without jobs and livelihood opportunities, more people will resort to doing something negative," Santos says.

Rescue and arrest operations related to the cybersex trade in the Philippines went up from 17 in 2015 to 51 in the first nine months of 2018, according to the International Justice Mission.

"Girls and boys are forced to perform sex acts on themselves or each other, are molested by an adult, or are abused in other degrading ways," says Sam Inocencio, national director of the International Justice Mission.

In 2016, UNICEF said the Philippines is the "epicentre" of the live-stream sexual abuse trade and the "number one global source of child pornography."

Source

• UCA News
• MillHill Missionaries
• Image: Get Real Post

The president shocked many in Asia's largest Catholic country last week by describing God as "stupid."

The next day, he said that he was not talking about his God and was instead insulting the God of his critics.

"Mine has a lot of common sense," the president said.

Duterte says he would meet the church and other religious groups in talks to defuse the affront.

Through his spokesman, the president says he realises he needs to mend bridges with the church.

His spokesman will hold a seat on a committee created to communicate better with the church.

"The President thought to open the dialogue because there is only one society served by both the government and the church," he says.

His offence came last week in a speech.

He criticised the Bible's creation story. He said, "Adam ate (the apple), then malice was born. Who is this stupid God?" he asked, according to Philippine state media.

Catholic outrage

There was widespread outrage in the devout, majority-Catholic nation.

Government officials defended the speech. They said it was Duterte's "personal belief."

Finally, CNN Philippines says the president said, "Your God is stupid. Mine has a lot of common sense."

His spokesman suggested that Duterte's claims that a priest molested him as a high schooler may have motivated his remarks.

Archbishop Socrates Villegas rebuked Duterte but called for prayers for him.

"He must have received so much rejection and hurts in the past that he blurts out so much hatred and angst now."

Lawmakers also criticized Duterte.

One senator who has defended Duterte in the past said given a choice between following the president and God, there was no choice. "May my God forgive him and make him atone for all his sins."

Sources:

• Asia News
• CNN

Image: Asia News

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Addressing a summit in Davao City last Friday, the president began by saying that he found it foolish for God to create something "perfect" and then allow the first humans, Adam and Eve, to ruin it by bringing sin into existence because of the forbidden fruit.

He continued: "That son of a bitch is stupid if that's the case."

"That was your mother and father's deed," Duterte said, adding "you weren't born yet, but now you have original sin. What kind of religion is that? I can't accept it."

Duterte claimed however that he does believe in a "universal mind."

"I believe there is a universal mind. But [to] what extent is the influence of the — I cannot picture him as a human being […] But I really believe, I have this faith and abiding thing about — but don't believe in religion," he stated.

Duterte's comments about God come in the wake of the recent killing of three priests in the Philippines.

Three days prior to these comments Duterte had responded to critics and claimed he respects the Catholic Church.

He denied persecuting priests, saying that his administration "does not have a policy against priests" and he could not order the killing of church leaders.

"As a matter of fact, I respect the church," the president said in a speech in Iloilo province on June 20. "The truth is, I cannot order the killing of priests, women and children."

He then went on to talk about priests having sexual relations with women. He said some ended up baptising their own children.

In May, Duterte claimed that slain Catholic priest Mark Anthony Ventura had romantic relations with eight women.

Source

• indianexpress.com
• sputniknews.com
• www.ucanews.com
• Image: gmanetwork.com