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Jesus Was With The Poor, Where Are We?
First Published: Reflections - Philippine Daily Inquirer Publication Date: 19th September 1991 Author's Name: Father Shay Cullen SSC When Jesus Christ, Son of God, became man to save all people from the power of evil he became the son of a poor carpenter and took his stand with the poor and oppressed . He called the rich to repentance, and the poor to the Kingdom which he said was for them. They were blessed he said and would inherit the Kingdom of justice and love, the rich who failed to change and act justly would be put down from their thrones and would be sent empty away, according to the gospel. The poor too were challenged to be just and love and serve each other. All true Christians are called to imitate His example and when some do they are frequently called subversives, communists and like Jesus and the early Christians are criticized, persecuted and branded for extermination by the merchants of death. When the Catholic Archbishop Jesus Tuquib ordered last May 19 that all catholic services be cancelled and the altars be stripped in the parish churches of Salay, and Binuangan, Cagayan De Oro, he did so because the people of the parishes did not support their priest Fr.Mario Valmorida. He had taken an option to serve the poor and the oppressed rather than spend his time teaching the church choir new hymns. Father Mario had long been criticized by the rich and local politicians of neglecting them and spending his time helping internal refugees who had been driven from their villages by military counter - insurgency operations. Father Mario said ; "I cannot allow the church to be just for ...the rich or the political leaders and the privileged of the town." The military alleged that Fr. Mario had aided the rebels, a charge that he stoutly denies. Placards criticizing the priest for helping the refugees were posted in the town. Like a modern day Jesus he has been driven from his "Nazareth" where he heroically proclaimed the Gospel. Many Priests, pastors and church workers in the Philippines have been killed in recent years allegedly by military sponsored death squads. Fr. Mario's Parish workers had been harassed, threatened and their houses have been attacked and fired on. The six year old child of one parish worker was killed in one such attack. Three weeks ago gunmen opened fire the parish rectory and threw a grenade into the Salay church. Archbishop Tuquib said that he had to close the parishes; "In the midst of all this, the people did not care, did not support their priest....because of all this I have decided to take away Fr.Mario Valmorida. Silay and Binuangan had become a battle ground between the demands of the rich and the suffering of the poor and is urgent reflection for us all on the meaning of the Gospel and the mission of Jesus Christ. A reign of police terror has broken out in Olongapo. Last May 13 a young 21 year old, Ruel Ganac Ramos, of Santa Rita parish surrendered to an Olongapo City police squad led by a Jail Warden, was told to lie on the ground and was then allegedly shot to death in the back . Allegations of such summary, back street executions, abound as the only explanation for the deaths of those suspected of petty crimes over the past years. Youths are detained without warrant and even children as young as six year old are condemned to a traumatic experience behind bars in Olongapo holding cells. Columban Father Donal Bennett, condemned the brutal murder and said at a parish mass for the victim that ,"because of this (killing) all of us here at the Santa Rita Parish church are in danger and afraid lest this will happen to us also, to anybody,to me, to your children,to your brothers and sisters and to your friends and relatives." In a strong sermon stressing the value of every human life he said the boy was killed as if he was not even a human being. Mrs. Belen Ramos, Ruel's mother said that her son was arrested by the police February 1 this year as a suspect and she bailed him out. He was again arrested "without any reason or a warrant of arrest" she told reporters. He was held in jail for three months without any charge being filed against him but escaped with seven others on May 12 and the police went to hunt them down. Several witness saw Ruel surrender with his hands raised and then being shot dead. Last May 8 Bishop Camilo Gregorio of Bacolod told a huge crowd of 10,000 people most of them squatters that he and Bishop Fortich had come to the impoverished church of Sigay, Magsungay on the outskirts of Bacolod City, Negros Island to honor the poor and out of compassion for the six victims of the massacre. "We must try to be a church that defends and vindicates the Rights of the poor even when doing so spells for herself alienation or persecution by the rich and powerful." "Wherever people are suffering the church must be there with them ," said Bishop Emeritus Antonio Fortich as he condemned the brutal killing of a family of five and a neighbor who were rebuilding their typhoon damaged shack on the old city dump, land which is being claimed by a powerful clan. The family, Flaviano Alvarado (58) and his wife Manuela (55) their two sons Will and Arnold, and one year old granddaughter Marillyn and a neighbor Antonio Alisbo were shot to death on may 5th allegedly by Sergeant Fernando Halaghay of the Philippine National Police who used his M16 armalite and his wife who allegedly shot at the family with a forty-five caliber revolver. 32 empty bullet casings were found near the bodies according to a police report. Halaghay was allegedly advised by the administrator of the "Progressive Development Corporation", to get more police to deal with the squatters and Halahay called Pfc.Sergio Pormiento and two civilian volunteers from police precinct 8 and ordered the Alvarado to stop rebuilding their hut. When they continued allegedly he and his wife opened fire. Aileen Alvarado, a married daughter of Flaviano and Manuela was nearby and threw her body over her children but one year old baby Marilyn was torn apart by three bullets in the stomach. During a mass of solidarity one priest told the people; "Perhaps the offering of these six lives will call attention to the iniquitous situation here where people try to build tiny houses and squat on the fringes of the city, in fact on the old city dump, and are being forcibly driven off by the National Security Forces in the pay of the rich people like those who have occupied most of the rest of Negros". Is there anybody listening ?
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