Lagdameo's call: Be agents of hope and poverty alleviation
Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) President and Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo has called on the people to be “agents of hope and poverty alleviation” in the new year.
In his New Year's message, Lagdameo said that while everybody would be hoping for a happy and prosperous year, concern should be focused on the “poorest of the poor.”
“There is so much to be hoped for, or there is much to be worried about in the New Year 2009. Where should New Year’s resolutions go?” said Lagdameo in a message posted at his blog.
The prelate said that while poverty alleviation is one of the Church’s social action programs, much is to be expected from government because of the Church's limited funds.
Lagdameo who has repeatedly spoken out against corruption and injustice said that government appropriations for social programs should not only be “acts of charity only, but as acts of justice and honesty.”
“The extreme poverty of the poorest of the poor is neither natural nor normal: it is man-made and can be overcome or eradicated by acts of justice, honesty, compassion and charity,” he said.
The prelate pointed out that Christian teachings encourage the faithful to look at one's blessings amid “many human negativities, accidents, cruel poverty and broken promises.”
But he said God’s countless blessings “have been and are obstructed or hindered from reaching their respective targets.”
He cited an unnamed study that has shown that for every P100 of the national budget, P40 go to debt servicing while only P15 pesos is alloted for education, P1.40 for health services and 18 centavos for housing.
The same study said that for every P100, P43.42 “become the object of greed, fraud, plunder and corruption,” according to Lagdameo.
“Recently it was said that the 23 million “poorest of the poor” have increased to 27 million, most of whom are victims of their neighbors’ greed,” he added.
While God’s blessings are “unlimited and countless,” Lagdameo said it is “unfortunate that they become limited through selfishness, injustice and corruption.”
He said it remains to be seen if the year 2009 will be a better year for the “poorest of the poor” and will depend on the society, the Church and government.