Atty. Aurora A. Santiago
Duc in Altum
SAN Francisco, California. At 10:00 o’clock in the morning of June 08, 2013, all cathedrals, shrines and chapels in all archdioceses, dioceses and apostolic vicariates in the Philippines celebrated the national consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It reaffirmed that our country is indeed “pueblo amante de Maria” (the country that loves Blessed Mary). Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, said that the event is part of celebrations of the Year of Faith and the nine-year preparation for the 500 years of the coming of Christianity in the Philippines in 2021; it is also one way to strengthen the Church’s advocacy on family and life issues as we look forward to the 2016 International Eucharistic Congress
In a circular, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle enjoined all parish priests to ring the bells in churches and chapels for the Angelus at noon on Saturday.
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Was the May 2013 election really clean, honest and reflected the voice of the people? No less than Archbishop Jose Palma called on the Commission on Elections to give a detailed account about the glitches encountered in the recent midterm elections. The Comelec has the responsibility to clarify the concerns of ordinary people, various poll watchdogs and even IT or information technology experts. The malfunctioning of the PCOS machines, the corrupted CF or compact flash cards, transmission failures and non-compliance of election laws made the result of the election a mockery and not credible. Many voters were disenfranchised, one of them is my niece in Quezon City. All these things make everyone thinks the need to have a parallel count of the ballots which were put inside the PCOS machines.
Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. is being over-sensitive to criticisms. The people cannot be cowered and silenced by his angry words. The people have the right to know the truth. The Comelec officials are accountable to the people for all their acts. Why not give an explanation, unless they are hiding massive cheating? Why tell the bishops to just attend to matters of religion? Being a lawyer, Chairman Brillantes must know that bishops are Filipinos who have the constitutional right to vote and the right to know if their vote is counted. Do the Comelec officials want to be sued for election fraud, like what they did to former President Gloria Arroyo? People cannot be intimidated if their rights are trampled upon by the very government officials in charge of election.
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Archbishop Palma believes that divorce and gay marriage are so hard to pass in the country. The Church continues to gain ground in its fight against abortion and other measures that attack the sanctity of life, marriage and family. Of those members of the House of Representatives who voted against Reproductive Health Bill, 55 won and 9 lost. Of the pro life partylists, 8 won, 2 were disqualified but case still pending at the Supreme Court, 5 lost.
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Happy 96th Birthday to my Mother, Gloria Angeles Vda. de Santiago, on June 13 – the Feast of St. Anthony of Padua. Our family is very thankful to the Lord for giving us a very loving Mother. She is widowed 28 years ago when our Father, Benito Espiritu Santiago, Sr., joined our Creator. It was very difficult for us to accept, especially my Mother, the passing away of our Father. We did our best for our Mother to move on and by continuously showing her our love and care, which old people like her needs. So friends, make sure you show your love and care to your parents while they are still around. It will definitely make them stronger and healthier, more than what medicines can do.
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The Philippine Football Federation must protest the racial abuse made against Filipinos by Hong Kong football supporters during a friendly match earlier this week. The Philippine National Anthem was disrespected when it was played, Filipinos were insulted by being called derogatory names, plastic bottles and garbage were thrown at them. The barrage of discrimination worsened after the Philippines won the game 1-0. We cannot earn the respect of the international community if we would not take any action against this racial discrimination.
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Happy Birthday to my brother Benito “Benny” Santiago, Jr. Happy Birthday to Most Rev. Francisco de Leon, Apostolic Administrator of Kalookan and Auxiliary Bishop of Antipolo; and Belated Happy Birthday to Most Rev. Jesse Mercado, Bishop of Parañaque. Also Belated Happy Birthday to Fr. Medardo “Ardy” Ong and Happy Sacerdotal Anniversary to Fr. Joel Sabijon and Fr. Mario Cueto of the Diocese of Kalookan.
