Civil society asks bishops to lead ‘communal action’
MANILA, Philippines -- Civil society groups that have been organizing ‘communal actions’ against the Arroyo administration are urging the country’s bishops to lead the protest movement.
Groups from various sectors -- religious, business, politics, and the academe -- gathered for a dialogue with Iloilo Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz, and Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez on Tuesday in a bid to ask for a “clearer leadership” from them.
The civil society groups in the meeting included representatives from the Black & White Movement, Bayan, the Makati Business Club, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, Kubol Pag-Asa, Gabriela, Muslim Legal Assistance Foundation (MUSLAF), Bangon Pilipinas, National Council of Churches of the Philippines (NCCP), United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), the Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines (AMRSP), Solidarity Philippines, and the La Salle Brothers.
“They want clearer guidance and leadership. They want to see us with them,” said Cruz, when asked what the civil society groups sought from the bishops.
He said the Bishops listened to the various groups in order to know the "what, how and when" of their planned communal actions.
But even Lagdameo’s presence in the meeting did not signify that the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has already joined the mass movements.
Lagdameo, the current CBCP president, clarified in an interview on Tuesday that he attended the meeting only as the archbishop of Jaro.
“That’s why I attended this meeting, because I will bring this message to my brother bishops,” said Lagdameo.
Cruz said that no clear action resulted from the meeting.
Both sides, he said, only committed to a continuing dialogue and will definitely come out with a more concrete agenda soon.
“This is not the end of this. Our agreement does not stop here. And this will not be just talking but definitely there will doing and acting,” said Cruz.
On Monday, Lagdameo lauded the successful string of “communal action” initiated by civil society since last week in response to the bishops’ call.
He said when the bishops called for “communal action” as part of their moral guidance to their flock, they wanted civil society to do its part in identifying steps to achieve good governance.
He told reporters on Tuesday that the challenge to Filipinos now was “how to express its new brand of People Power.”
Lagdameo said he was optimistic that the civil society groups the bishops met with on Tuesday may have already found some of the answers to this challenge.
He said the new People Power should also provide the satisfying result that the first People Power Revolution gave the country.
Lagdameo said EDSA2, unfortunately, brought the Philippines “from one frying pan to a worse frying pan.”
“It disappointed us because People Power 2, with the help of the Church, installed a President who was later on judged by the SWS survey as the most corrupt President,” said Lagdameo.
