Can political elites initiate reform?

Note: This is my spontaneous response to the article "Dagdag-bawas" of journalist Conrado de Quiros (PDI, 2 October 2012).

This is one article that I applauded (again) Conrado de Quiros. He writes what he thinks is right. Or at least, that's what he said he is as an opinion writer. Some comments, however, seek to clarify:

The one supraparty, proposed by JV Ejercito, is the most apt description of how our political leaders conduct politics today. The presentation of two contending parties (the LP conglomerate versus the UNA coalition) is a facade meant to trick the people to believe that authentic political and social change is within their reach, and all they need to do is to choose the better group. It's a market politics based on who are faster and more industrious to gain the winning spot, insensitive to the need of the people for real leaders who make things happen. It's a politics of opportunists based on lacking of arms not for a cause but for a strong financial and political machinery that operates nationwide ensuring more seats in Congress. It's a circus--it heightened the need for change as the elite politicians elbowing one another to get the best costume and mask for the people to rally behind their self-centered agenda. Today, they are singing and dancing around carrying the moral slogan "kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap" of the "daang matuwid" claiming that their group is better than the other group in making this vision of a new society a reality. Of course, the opposition verbalized the obvious by accusing the seasoned political butterflies as "political hypocrites" who once supported the former president and conveniently self-invent themselves as new reformers today. This capability of the politicians to transform themselves as "reformers" overnight is truly a disgusting feature of our politics. Conrado de Quiros observed,

Humanae Viate: 25 Years by McCormick

In our effort to understand the stand of the Catholic church hierarchy in the Philippines on reproductive health bill, I am gathering various articles dealings with the Catholic teachings on human sexuality. Studies on Humanae Vitae is vital in this effort. McCormick's article attempts to highlight some important data and studies on the controversial papal encyclical. This article is rich with information. Happy reading--jsalvador

'Humanae Vitae' 25 Years Later

Richard A. McCormick

July 17, 1993

Reactions to the silver anniversary of Humanae Vitae (July 25, 1968) will predictably vary as much as the recent reac­tions of two cardinals. At the 12th Human Life International World Conference held in Houston (spring 1993), Alfonso L6pez Trujillo, the president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, referred to the teach­ing of the encyclical as a "gift of God." In a debate with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (published in the monthly periodical, Jesus, in May 1992), Franz Konig, the retired Cardinal Archbishop of Vienna, referred to the "irritating distinction between ’artificial’ and ’natural’ contraception." Cardinal Konig stated: "Here [on birth regulation] we have ended up in a bottleneck above all because of the distinction (cast into doubt even by medicine) between ’artificial’ and ’natural,’ as if even from the moral viewpoint what is important is the ’trick’ of cheating nature."

Roman Catholic Sexual Ethics: A Dissenting View

This article was written in 1987 but its ideas are still fresh and though-provoking. This article, originally published Christian Century, can be accessed in Religion Online.—jsalvador

Roman Catholic Sexual Ethics: A Dissenting View

by Charles E. Curran

[Ed’s Note: In 1987 Charles E. Curran was visiting professor of Catholic Studies at Cornell University. This article appeared in the Christian Century, December 16, 1987, pps. 1139-1142. Copyright by the Christian Century Foundation; used by permission. Current articles and subscription information can be found at www.christiancentury.org. This article prepared for Religion Online by Ted & Winnie Brock.]

Issues of sexual morality, always significant ones in the Christian tradition, are among the most vital topics of debate and concern within the Roman Catholic Church today. The content of official Roman Catholic teaching in sexual matters is generally well known. It is equally well known that most Catholic believers disagree with the hierarchy’s absolute condemnation of masturbation, contraception, sterilization and divorce. Many Catholics also question church teachings on homosexuality and premarital sex. This general attitude has been documented in many polls, such as the recent survey conducted for Time magazine which found that only 24 per cent of Catholics consider artificial birth control wrong, despite the church’s condemnation.

Hans Küng: Putinization of the Catholic Church

This interview of Spiegel with Hans Küng was occasioned on the scheduled visit of Pope Benedict XVI in Germany in September 2011. You can access the interview in Spiegel Online International. -- jsalvador

'A Putinization of the Catholic Church'

"The Church is sick, and it's the sickness of the Roman system," says theologian Hans Küng.

Editor’s Note: On Thursday, Pope Benedict XVI arrives in Germany for a long-awaited visit. Prominent Swiss theologian Hans Küng explains to SPIEGEL why the papal visit will do little to help the crisis in the Church and compares Benedict to Vladimir Putin in the way he has centralized power.

***

SPIEGEL: Professor Küng, your former faculty colleague Joseph Ratzinger is coming to Germany this week for a state visit. Do you have an audience scheduled with him?

Küng: I didn't request an audience. I am fundamentally more interested in conversations than audiences.

SPIEGEL: Does Benedict XVI even talk to you anymore?

Küng: After his election to be pope, he invited me to his summer residence, Castel Gandolfo, where we had a four-hour friendly conversation. At the time, I hoped it would mark the beginning of a new era of openness. But that hope has not been fulfilled. We correspond with each other once in a while. The sanctions against me -- the withdrawal of my permission to teach -- still exist. (Ed's note: The Vatican revoked Küng's permission to teach Catholic theology in 1979 after he publicly rejected the dogma of papal infallibility.)

 

SPIEGEL: When was the last time Benedict wrote to you?

Küng: Through his private secretary (Georg) Gänswein, he thanked me for sending him my latest book and sent me his best wishes.

SPIEGEL: In your polemic book "Ist die Kirche noch zu retten?" ("Can the Church Still Be Saved?"), which was published earlier this year, you harshly criticized the pope for his anti-reformist policy. 

Küng: I find it very gratifying that he hasn't ended the personal relationship despite my criticism.

The Grisez's documents

Last year, 2011, Moral Theologian Germain Grisez decided to disclose documents pertaining to the controversial "Majority Report" versus "Minority Report" of the Pontifical Commission on Population, Family, and Birthrate (1963-1966). 

Dr. Grisez worked closely with the eminent Jesuit moral theologian John C. Ford who defended the Catholic traditional teaching on contraceptives. Needless to say, Dr. Grisez was with the minority group supporting the traditional teaching of the Church.

You can access the documents from his web site, including the controversial four leak documents in 1967. Since it includes both the majority and the minority reports, Grisez hopes that readers will have a better understanding on how Pope Paul VI made his decision in writing Humanae Vitae (1968). He said: “It would help the Church now, if people had a more sound notion of what did happen – an understanding of Paul VI's actual mentality, wanting to study the question without intending to hand over his authority.”

I included here the news report of Benjamin Mann (CNA) and the  interview of Dr. Grisez in 2003 concerning Humanae Vitae. I included here his previous interview to point out his consistent view on Humanae Vitae.

GMA-7 RH Bill Grand Debate

Here's the RH Bill debate sponsored by GMA-7 held last 22 May 2011. The GMA YouTube channel (www.gmanews.tv) divided the debate into 8 parts for easier viewing.

Part 1
 

A Borderless World

This is the winning piece of Patricia Evangelista during the 2004 International Public Speaking competition conducted by the English-Speaking Union (ESU) in London. Tricia won the Best Speaker award and bested 60 contestants representing 37 countries. The theme of the competition was “A Borderless World”. Tricia is a columnist of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

BLONDE AND BLUE EYES

By Patricia Evangelista

WHEN I was little, I wanted what many Filipino children all over the country wanted. I wanted to be blond, blue-eyed, and white. 

I thought -- if I just wished hard enough and was good enough, I'd wake up on Christmas morning with snow outside my window and freckles across my nose! 

More than four centuries under western domination does that to you. 

I have sixteen cousins. In a couple of years, there will just be five of us left in the Philippines, the rest will have gone abroad in search of “greener pastures.” It's not just an anomaly; it's a trend; the Filipino diaspora. 

Ateneo Faculty on Conscience and Faith

Statement of Catholic Theology Teachers on Conscience and Faith

August 28, 2012

The Feast Day of St. Augustine, patron saint of theologians

We, the undersigned, speak only on our own behalf as Catholic theology teachers, and speak in no capacity either for Ateneo de Manila University or for its Theology Department, or for any other members of the Ateneo community.

Conscience allows God’s voice, not one’s own voice, to echo in one’s depths (cf. GS 16; CCC 1776). It subjectively applies transcendent moral norms. This subjectivity means that we apply the transcendent moral law within the given situation whose details, motivations, and ends we must discern truthfully and to the best of our ability (cf. CCC1780). Thus conscience involves the apprehension of transcendent truth, and is never simplya matter of one point of view versus another. For the well-formed Catholic, these transcendent moral truths are transmitted in the Tradition of the Church and are taught by its Magisterium (cf. CCC 2032-2036). Thus a good conscience is truthful and seeks the right, and a well-formed Catholic conscience seeks guidance for doing right in the authoritative teachings of the Church (cf. CCC 1783). But should any figure urge one, as a Catholic, to go against these transcendent norms which one has received and in which one has been well-formed, then it is better to disregard that figure than to disregard one’s Catholic conscience.

Separation of Church and State: A Perspective of a Catholic Lay

This legal principle of the "Separation of Church and State" is often used by anti-Church crusaders who preached a dualist worldview of the separation of the sacred and the profane-- the church deals with the sacred and politics with the profane. In so doing, they attempted to delimit the church activities within the realm of the spiritual, the sacred reality; to confine the church ministries within the altar and other sacramental activities which concerns only to the salvation of the soul. Christian evangelization does not hold such a worldview as it speaks of holistic and integral evangelization which concerns itself of total human development and social justice. 

However, Atty Jo Imbong did not argue on this integral evangelization approach where the church is not only concern with the spiritual well-being of the human persons but also to their material needs. Instead, she recognized the distinct role of the State and the Church: "(The Church and the State) may differ in their domain and purpose, but they do not necessarily antagonize or cancel each other.  In fact it is only through their co-existence and harmony that the well-being of man is achieved, that is, the State providing for the material goods of man and religion ministering to man’s spiritual needs. This co-existence comes about because they have a common form of reference–man’s well-being."

***

Separation of Church and State

Atty. Jo Imbong
PRO  BONO

Separation of Church and State

SEPARATION of Church and State is a legal principle misunderstood and wrongly invoked to discredit the pro-life agenda. This is unfortunate, for the principle actually protects the realms and mandates of those two institutions which are both oriented to human good. To dispel the error, I am posting a refutation of U.P. Professor Florin Hilbay’s Paper that was published in a broadsheet on June 7, 2012.

What the Constitution says on the principle of separation is, One, the State cannot establish a national religion, and Two, the State cannot interfere in the free exercise of religious belief of its citizens.

Another AteneoFaculty Statement on RH Bill

Another position paper promulgated by the faculty of the Ateneo de Manila University, one of the prominent Catholic universities in the Philippines, who actively support the proposed RH Bill in Congress. However, the 160 faculty only speak for themselves, individually or collectively, and "in no way speaking for the Ateneo de Manila University, the Society of Jesus, or the rest of their colleagues." In the statement below, it stated:

"As members of the academe who value academic freedom and responsibility, we wish to put knowledge at the service of national development goals that promote the wellbeing of the majority of our people. In so doing, we seek to ground our claims on the current scientific consensus and empirical evidence, including the lived experience of the poor and marginalized."

The 2012 statement further explained: "Having read and studied HB 4244 (the Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health and Population and Development Bill) as well as the proposed amendments by the bill’s authors, we conclude that it is rights-based; supportive of State obligations to protect and promote health under the Philippine Constitution and international covenants and conventions; and in accordance with what Filipinos want, the vast majority of whom consistently say in surveys that they support the RH Bill."

CBCP Statement: A Matter of Fairness

CBCP Statement on the recent voting in the House of Representatives ending the debates on the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill

It was not supposed to happen. The agreement was to vote on August 7, 2012, when every side would have been ready and prepared to defend its cause as in any democratic setting.

Unfortunately, in a move remarkable in its stealth and swiftness, the ruling group of the House of Representatives, on August 6, 2012, managed to force a vote that terminated the period of debates on the RH Bill. It came a full day too soon, just when “no one was looking”. Except for the cabal of schemers, people were caught off-guard by the suddenness of the execution, especially those who oppose the Bill on faith or principle.

We are dismayed by the display of naked power. We lament the unilateral disregard of prior agreement in the pursuit of selfish goals. We detest the unbridled resort to foul tactics. We denounce the brazen disregard of the basic tenets of fair play and attempt to railroad the passage of the Bill. Not least, we question the surrender of legislative discretion to an intrusive President, reminiscent of the events leading to the impeachment proceedings.

The Catholic Church and those who are similarly minded ask for nothing more than fairness. After all, we have as much right to expose the dangers and ills of the Bill as those who promote it. So much is at stake in this fight for life: protection of women’s health against harmful contraceptives; preservation of parental authority over minor children; protection of the youth against valueless sex education; wrongful discrimination of the poor; wasteful disbursement of billions of pesos for contraceptives while many of the poor die of cancer, tuberculosis, dengue and other ailments without the benefit of medicine; suppression of dissent and civil liberties through threatened imprisonment and gradual annihilation of the Philippine race through systematic reduction of maternal fertility rate.

Emil Jurado: Overpopulation is a fallacy

In the mainstream media, more voices supporting the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill are arguing the case by pounding biased criticism and rhetoric against the Church leaders instead of educating their readers concerning the proposed bill in Congress. A reader can easily identify the anti-Church sentiment of these writers. They usually asked the Church leaders as moral guardians to self-examine their ad intra problems like how they dealt with the cases on child molestation by homosexual priests and the covered-up of these cases by the bishops worldwide.  If ever they presented the side of the Church, they tend to distort the message of the Church and attack her for being unmindful of the sad flight of the poor, as if the bulk of the problem of the historical poverty of the Third World countries, like the Philippines, is caused by the moral teaching of the Church on contraceptives. 

RH Bill: From the Economists' Viewpoint

This article, written by 30 economics faculty of the University of the Philippines published in PDI (7/28/2012), "is an updated and abridged version of an earlier paper first issued in August 2008 and reissued in February 2011. It also partly derives from an older paper titled “Population and Poverty: the Real Score” [December 2004]." The reference to former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's stand on the RH Bill provides a historical input regarding the nuances in the discourse of RH Bill issues and concerns.

POPULATION, POVERTY, POLITICS AND RH BILL

CHILDREN on NIA Road in Quezon City. JOAN BONDOC

The population issue has long been dead and buried in developed and most developing countries, including historically Catholic countries.

That it continues to be debated heatedly in our country merely testifies to the lack of progress in policy and action. The Catholic Church hierarchy has maintained its traditional stance against modern family planning (FP) methods, particularly modern (also referred to as “artificial”) contraceptives.

Selected Writings of Prof. Dan Maguire

Poverty, Population and the Catholic Tradition

Daniel C. Maguire, S.T.D. (Doctor of Sacred Theology)

The following address was delivered on May 19, 1993 as part of the Panel on Religious and Ethical Perspectives on Population Issues convened by the NGO Steering Committee at Prepcom II of the International Conference on Population and Development at the United Nations.

 

Because I speak as a theologian trained in Rome in the Catholic tradition, it might seem that my testimony is unnecessary since the Vatican is represented here in the dual roles of a nationstate and a non-governmental observer. Since, however, Catholicism is considerably richer than any segment of it, including the Vatican, and since it is essential for the preparatory committee to understand that in order to avoid sociological naivete, my testimony from the field of Catholic theology will not be seen as superfluous. Although many of the views that I will express - particularly in the areas of artificial contraception and abortion - are not the views of the Vatican, they are the dominant views of Catholic theology and this Preparatory Committee must be aware of that if it is to do justice to the Catholic peoples and to Catholic thought.

Prof. Dan Maguire's Letter to the US Bishops

Letter from a Catholic Theologian to All 270 United States Catholic Bishops

By Daniel C. Maguire, Marquette University.
maguired@juno.com

 

In what may be considered an act of undefeatable hope, I decided to write to all 270 U.S. bishops. Beyond a doubt they could be among the most influential religious leaders in the nation if only they could get off what I call the pelvic issues and address, in prophetic style, the basic biblical concerns of poverty, justice, and peace on an imperilled earth.

Even though the bishops are not theologians, they pontificate on theology and bring their form of theology into the political arena, forbidding Communion to pro-choice politicians but posing for pictures with war-making presidents and legislators. The pastoral letter on Peace in 1983 "The Challenge of Peace," spelled out the criteria for a "just war." George Bush's invasion of Iraq violated all of its criteria, the pope called the invasion "a defeat for humanity," and yet the bishops and most Catholic theologians and laity stand meek and mute throughout this disaster. The press then consider the bishops' statements to be "Catholic teaching." The press tend not to understand the difference between Vatican theology and Catholic theology---the latter being more broadly based and more infused with the "wisdom of the faithful" (sensus fidelium).

A Response to Church-Despiser

One cultured despiser of the Church, brunogiordano, whom I suspect to be a member of Filipino Free Thinker, recently quoted a paragraph from Prof. Daniel Maguire, which highlighted among others that "(The Catholic Church) has a strong 'pro-choice' tradition and a conservative anti-choice tradition. Neither is official and neither is more Catholic than the other."

Prof. Maguire sent two pamphlets--(1) "The Moderate Roman Catholic Position on Contraception and Abortion"; and (2) "A Catholic Defense of Same-Sex Marriage"-- to the US bishops urging them to listen to the voice of Theologians and the wisdom of the laity (sensum fedilium). These two voices--the theological magisterium (teachings of the theologians) and sensus fedilium (experience-fed and graced-wisdom of the faithful)-- can complement and correct the hierarchical magisterium (teachings of the Pope and the bishops).

The AIDS Epidemic – why blame the Church?

The penchant of anti-Church writers to put blame to the Catholic church the ills in society, particularly the recent editorial of the Philippine Daily Inquirer blaming the Catholic church for the AIDS epidemic in our country, is disturbing. I recently found the article of Sr. Verzosa dealing with the said editorial. Here she published the full text of Fr. James McTavish in response to the PDI editorial. I also included below the editorial for easier reference.--jsalvador

The AIDS Epidemic – why blame the Church?

Sr. Mary Pilar Verzosa, RGS

Lovelife

BEING a member of PHILCHAN (Philippine Catholic HIV AIDS Network), I am always on the lookout for any publications on the topic dealing with HIV-AIDS.  This group was started over a year ago with Bishop Broderick Pabillo as chairman because this advocacy is part of some NASSA projects. I was quite peeved then when I came across the Editorial of Phil. Daily Inquirer last July 8, 2012 titled “Overlooked Epidemic” because once again, the bias of some writers against the Catholic Church was evident. I alerted members and indeed, quite a few responded immediately. I would like to quote from this letter made by Fr. James McTavish, a physician and moral theologian, to make sure that it will reach many people since, in our experience,  we are never sure if a letter we send to a newspaper will ever get published.

The Power of the Pork Barrel

Below is the editorial of The Daily Tribune commenting on how the Aquino Administration maneuvered the closure of the interpellation of the proposed Reproductive Health (RH) Bill in the House of Representatives. As expected, the subservient House members to the whim of BS Aquino displayed the tyranny of numbers. Some congressman thought that the RH Bill has been exhaustively debated for more than a decade. However, if one read the various opinions of the columnists, the intellectuals in society, there are grey areas that remained largely misunderstood. For example, we still find columnists criticizing the Church for equating contraception to abortion, without exploring the reasons provided for by the Church. In so doing, they urged people to read the RH Bill, as if they alone have the time to read, arguing that the RH Bill was clear on its language that abortion is unlawful. But the Church is aware of this provision. The Church does not refer to direct abortion but on the use of contraceptives which are abortifacients. I think the debate, for a long time, has been confined within the four corners in Congress and the Church’s plenary assembly. The majority of the people are not involved in the debate. In fact, both sides are accusing each other for misinformation to the public. 

--oOo—

Devil and the deep blue sea

It would be an unenviable situation that congressmen allies of Noynoy will find themselves in today as the House votes on the Reproductive Health (RH) bill since it seems that they are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.

Their position becomes more precarious as the House majority leader pushed nominal voting for the bill instead of the mere raising of hands.

On Local Issues

Below were two of my commentaries on articles in the local newspaper written by Bobby Nalzaro: Capitol's tv ad and Playing safe?.

--oOo--

I became interested in the local media when Bobby Nalzaro accused Governor Gwen Garcia, who will be running for senator in 2013 elections, for using the TV Ad of the province of Cebu for her exposure at the national level. The TV Ad, focused on Gov. Gwen Garcia, will be aired on national television. For Nalzaro, the ad was not really intended to promote Cebu but to sell Garcia to the Filipino people using the people's money. I thought that was my first and last comment. However, his recent tirade against Congressman Osmena and criticism against the Catholic church call for another comment.

On Congressman Osmena: Playing safe?

His sour relationship with Cong. Tomas Osmena, as far as I recall, has a long history when the latter was then the Mayor of Cebu. I think his attack against the congressman is a continuing tirade and as such I need not react.

As reported, Cong. Osmena will abstain from voting of the RH Bill in Congress today. "I told Raul, I am in favor of the RH bill, but I value our alliance more, so I will just abstain,” he said.

Open Letter to BS Aquino by F. Sionil Jose

Dear Noynoy,

You are now swamped with suggestions and advice, but just the same, I hope you’ll have time to read what this octogenarian has to say.

You were not my choice in the last election but since our people have spoken, we must now support you and pray that you prevail. But first, I must remind you of the stern reality that your drumbeaters ignore: you have no noble legacy from your forbears. It is now your arduous job to create one yourself in the six years that you will be the single most powerful Filipino. Six years is too short a time — the experience in our part of the world is that it takes at least one generation — 25 years — for a sick nation to recover and prosper. But you can begin that happy process of healing.

BS Aquino Mental Health--Revisiting the Bulatao Report & Pedrosa's Challenge

I got this copy of the controversial Bulatao report concerning the mental health of BS Aquino. The article was written by The Daily Tribune columnist Jonathan de la Cruz, in his Crossroads, last 22 February 2012. The said report was denied by Fr. Jaime Bulatao, SJ himself and was criticized by the Aquino group as a bad campaign and propaganda by the Villar group against BS Aquino during the last presidential elections in 2010. News has it that Manny Villar's NP and BS Aquino's LP (along with Danding Cojuango's NPC) will be forming a coalition in the coming 2013 elections. Will NP deny its role in the dissemination of Aquino's psychiatric report? The unconventional, even disturbing, behavior of BS Aquino in confronting his critics, particularly his recent tirades against TV Patrol newscast and its anchor Noli de Castro, can be viewed from his mental health. (I'll be writing another article on the said incident.) I also include here the video of the respected Philippine Star columnist Carmen Pedrosa concerning the mental capability of BS Aquino to lead the country as its president.

---oOo---

The Bulatao report

Jonathan de la Cruz

Crossroads, The Daily Trinue

2/22/2012

Dive documents are supposed to be the complete psychiatric evaluation conducted on patient, Benigno Aquino III born on Feb. 8, 1960 with MRN 084 which we downloaded from the blog “goodmorningclass.wordpress.com.” We are excerpting significant entries in this evaluation report now commonly known as “The Bulatao Report” which was taken more than 30 years ago on Aug. 9, 1979 by Fr. Jaime Bulatao, S.J., who was then connected with the Ateneo de Manila University Central Guidance Department for the benefit of our readers and students of psychology and public policy.

BS Aquino Speech at 25th Anniversary of the Philippine Star

Speech
of
His Excellency Benigno S. Aquino III
President of the Philippines
At the 25^th Anniversary of the Philippine Star

[Delivered at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel on July 28, 2011]

Earlier this year, we celebrated the 25^th anniversary of People Power—of millions of Filipinos flocking to the streets of Manila to overthrow an oppressive regime. We celebrated our freedom from a dark period in our history, where our hopes were trampled upon, and where our right to speak was stifled.

It was five months after that revolution when the Philippine Star was established. While it was one of many other newspapers sprouting up after the winter of oppression, to many, it was a symbol of the recovery of free speech. And today, this recovery of free speech is what we are commemorating.

But today should remind us not just of the freedom our press enjoys—not just of our victories—but also of the challenges we face in the present. I know and am grateful for your ability to protect the public’s right to voice an opinion and to guard our freedoms. I know and commend you for your ability to report with integrity the events that occur in this country.

BS Aquino Speech at 25th Anniversary Philippine Dialy Inquirer

Speech

of

His Excellency Benigno S. Aquino III

President of the Philippines

During the 25^th Anniversary of the Philippine Daily Inquirer And Launching of the coffee table book, “From Ninoy to Noynoy: 25 Years of The Philippine Daily Inquirer”

[December 1, 2010, Rizal Ballroom, Makati Shangri-La]

Vice President Jejomar Binay; Ms. Marixi Prieto, Chair of the Philippine Daily Inquirer; Ms. Sandy Prieto-Romualdez, President; Ms. Letty Jimenez-   Magsanoc, Editor-in-Chief; former Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban; Excellencies of  the Diplomatic Corps; Mr. Manny Pangilinan; Mr. Ramon Ang; Mr. Andrew Tan; Don Jaime Zobel de Ayala; Fernando; Mr. Tony Tan  Caktiong; Mr. Lance Gokongwei; Atty. Gozon; Tessie Sy and a lot of others that I didn’t see, I apologize; honored guests; mga minamahal kong kababayan:

Magandang gabi po sa inyong lahat.

Isang karangalan po ang maging bahagi sa silver anniversary ng Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI). Maging hudyat sana ang inyong ika-dalawampu’t limang taon, hindi lamang sa pagbuhos ng mas marami pang biyaya at tagumpay para sa PDI, kundi maging ang patuloy ninyong pagpapatibay sa patas at walang-kinikilingang pamamahayag.

Nagpapasalamat din po ako sa lahat ng taong nasa likod ng inilulunsad nating coffee table book: “From Ninoy to Noynoy: 25 years of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.” Dahil sa napapanahong paglilimbag ng librong ito, naniniwala ako sa kakayahan nitong ipamulat sa mga Pilipino, lalo na sa mga kabataan—na sektor po namin ni Vice President—ang mga pinagdaanan ng ating bayan sa nakalipas na dalawampu’t limang taon. Mula sa mga orihinal na litrato noong martial law, hanggang sa mga matatapang na editoryal na nagtulak sa People Power revolution, nanindigan kayo sa tapat na pamamahayag. Mula sa mga balita sa nagbabantang pagputok ng Pinatubo, hanggang sa mga artikulong bumabandila sa husay nila Manny Pacquiao at Efren Peñaflorida, naihatid ninyo ang lahat ng ito nang buo sa publiko. Samakatuwid, bawat pahina ng aklat na ito ay magsisilbing inspirasyon upang manatiling buhay sa alaala natin ang mga madilim, gayundin ang mga maliwanag na bahagi ng ating kasaysayan. Ang mga karanasan at aral nito ang magtutulak sa atin upang higit pang bantayan at patuloy na ipaglaban ang tunay na demokrasya.

BS Aquino Speech at 25th Anniversary of BusinessWorld

Speech
of
His Excellency Benigno S. Aquino III
President of the Philippines
At the 25^th anniversary of BusinessWorld
[Delivered at the Marriott Hotel, Pasay City, on July 27, 2012]

Secretary Albert del Rosario; Secretary Mar Roxas; Secretary Ramon Carandang; Secretary Butch Abad; Secretary Kim Henares (I think you are a favorite of this crowd); of course, Mr. Vergel Santos; ex-Prime Minister Cesar Virata; Mr. Anthony Cuaycong; Mr. Manny Pangilinan; Mr. Washington Sycip; other members of the business community present; other officials and staff of the BusinessWorld Publishing Corporation; fellow workers in government; honored guests; ladies and gentlemen:

Good evening.

Twenty-five years ago today, this newspaper began anew. During Martial Law, it was known as BusinessDay; and under the leadership of Mr. Raul Locsin, this paper took great effort to deliver fair, balanced reporting in an environment where the news was heavily monitored and censored as a dictator sought control of society. When Martial Law finally ended, and democracy was restored, BusinessWorld became part of what was supposed to be the renaissance of free media—free to pursue the integrity, accuracy, and balance that Raul Locsin had long espoused as a journalist.

That was the vision back in 1986; sadly, the general state of our national media makes us aware that its full realization has yet to be achieved. Nevertheless, there are those who we can always count on to fight the good fight. BusinessWorld, for example, now being steered by the steady hand of Vergel Santos, still adheres to its founder’s memory and vision.

BS Aquino's Speech at 25th Anniversary of TV Patrol

Talumpati

ng

Kagalang-galang Benigno S. Aquino III

Pangulo ng Pilipinas

Sa ika-25 anibersaryo ng TV Patrol

[Inihayag sa Manila Hotel noong ika-27 ng Hulyo 2012]

Mr. Gabby Lopez; Mrs. Charo Santos-Concio; Ms. Ging Reyes; Senator Frank Drilon; Senator Loren Legarda; Secretaries Mar Roxas, Greg Domingo, Ricky Carandang; Chairman Francis Tolentino; Bangko Sentral Governor Sy Tetangco; Mayor Alfredo Lim; Representative Sonny Angara; Commissioner Ruffy Biazon; Commissioner Kim Henares; Chair Sixto Brillantes; past and present officials and staff of TV Patrol and ABS-CBN; fellow workers in government; honored guests; mga minamahal ko pong kababayan:

Magandang gabi po sa inyong lahat.

Dito po magkakaaminan: Noon pong kabataan ko, wala pang ANC, wala pang CNN, at aaminin ko po, sa totoo lang, wala pang cable TV. Kung kailangan mo ng instant news, halimbawa, kapag may bagyo, nawalan ng kuryente, ang tutok namin noong mga panahong iyon: Radyo Patrol. Sa pag-usad ng panahon, mas naging moderno ang pagbabalita; ang tinig na rumoronda sa himpapawid, nadadagdagan ng biswal na elemento. At narito na po tayo ngayon, ipinagdiriwang ang Silver Anniversary ng isa sa mga pinakamatibay na institusyon sa pagbabalita: Ang TV Patrol.

Sa loob ng dalawampu’t limang taon, kinilala ang TV Patrol sa tapang at sigasig ng paghahatid ng impormasyon sa mamamayang Pilipino. Sa tuwing may sakuna, naroon kayo upang magbigay ng kaalaman kung paano umiwas sa peligro at disgrasya. Sa tuwing may agam-agam ang publiko ukol sa isyu, kayo ang takbuhan para sa tapat na pag-uulat. Kaya naman, sa lahat ng bumubuo ng inyong programa, mula noon hanggang ngayon, sa harap man o sa likod ng kamera: talaga namang pong isang mainit na pagbati sa inyong ikadalawampu’t limang anibersaryo.

Kapag katotohanan ang pinag-uusapan, lagi kong naaalala ang isang sikat na police drama noong ako po’y bata pa. Dragnet ang pangalan po ng programa. At sa pagkalap ng kaalaman, ang bukambibig noong isang bida, and I quote, “Just the facts, Ma’am.”