Spirituality Reformation is Required in Philippines
The Universe
(June 27, 2004)
A CATHOLIC priest has
called on the Guinness Book of Records to award the dubious prize for
the slowest elections in the world to the Philippines.
The incumbent President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo,
declared victory on June 21, 42 days after the votes were cast. The
bitterly contested elections has caused an economic down turn and deeper
resentment among the people.
The loser, who protested and challenged the
election result every step of the way is Fernando Poe, a popular actor
and friend of deposed actor and former president Joseph Estrada. He in
detention undergoing trial for plunder after a disastrous two years of
alleged corrupt mismanagement and allegations of being a puppet of
shadowy masters and corrupt business moguls.
The military are paid
like a private security force to protect not the people but the assets
of the rich. 211 police and military were killed in the six months’
run-up to election by rebels opposed to the corruption in government.
Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales of Manila, who replaced Cardinal Jaime
Sin last November, has declared a loss of trust of the people in their
political leaders. A World Bank study claims that as much as 40 percent
of the Philippine annual budget siphoned off into the pockets of corrupt
politicians. The politicians, the emotional archbishop said, courted the
poor for votes and then ignored their plight.
The archbishop launched a foundation to help the
poor, calling on every one of the eight million Catholics in the
archdiocese to contribute loose coins to the scheme, which will address
the problems of the poor who are by passed almost non-existent social
services. ”Jesus started with people. He served to educate people,
purify their intentions and clarify their values. This will change the
perception of what a country ought to be,” He said.
Politicians and
officials in positions of power cannot seemingly resist the temptation
to get their kickbacks and award bloated contracts to their friends and
relatives. A recent survey says it all. 57 percent of business managers
polled in a survey said they paid bribes to get a government contract,
while 26 percent said most, if not all, companies used bribes to get
private contracts.
The archbishop couldn’t be more right. We need a spiritual reformation as much as a social one in the Philippines.
Fr. Shay Cullen is a Columban missionary: PREDA Centre, Kalaklan, Olongapo City. www.preda.org
