On November 18, 2016, the dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. was buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB). On this tragic day, people spontaneously expressed dissent, outrage and indignation at this betrayal of our beloved country by going out into the streets. We went out because we had not forgotten.…
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INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS are a glaring manifestation of poverty and inequality amid the growth and prosperity brought by urbanization, the spatial concentration of diverse populations and economic activities. Meeting the housing need of informal settlers, who make up a significant proportion of the urban population, has been and remains a daunting…
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After that terrible week in August in which the police killed 81 drug suspects, a Roman Catholic friend announced she was about to “excommunicate” herself from her parish. Bishop Honesto Ongtioco had told parishes in his diocese of Cubao to toll their bells each night in memory of those killed…
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In one of the lectures featured in the Talakayang Alay sa Bayan (TALAB), a one-day event featuring lectures, workshops, and guided tours for the students and alumni of the Ateneo de Manila University held last October 14, Atty Christian S. Monsod spoke about the threats posed by charter change to…
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Eight years ago, almost 80 percent of Metro Manila went under water after Tropical Storm “Ondoy” unloaded a month’s volume of rain in just six hours. Almost two million people were affected by the widespread flooding that killed hundreds, rendered thousands of families homeless, and caused a leptospirosis outbreak. Believing…
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As the bloody campaign against illegal drugs and crime continues under the present administration, the Church in the Philippines is addressing the mounting mortality by establishing community-based drug rehabilitation programs as a form of compassionate care and systematic intervention in order to reduce those who are being killed. Read the…
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“Duck, cover, and hold.” We are now familiar with this stratagem, thanks to the regular drills of the Metro Manila Development Authority. This concrete and practical tip may spell the difference when our lives are on the line. But what do we do when tyranny threatens to snuff out the…
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On September 15, 2017, the Department of Sociology and Anthropology of Ateneo de Manila University’s Loyola Schools and JJCICSI hosted a roundtable discussion on “Climate Change Policies Without Eviction”. The roundtable discussion brought together NGO practitioners to share the issues and concerns of urban informal settlers in areas affected (or…
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LORD HEAL OUR LAND (cf. 2 Chronicles 7:14) Our brothers and sisters in Christ: Kian, Carl, Reynaldo…they were young boys, enjoying life, loving sons of parents who doted on them. Now an entire nation knows them by name because their lives have been snuffed out so cruelly, their dreams and…
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Moral fallacies
Can a Christian support the government’s war on drugs that has already claimed thousands of lives? If the surveys are to be believed, the majority of this predominantly Christian nation has spoken. Despite the Fifth Commandment, which they have memorized since childhood, and the often-heard Church’s teaching that killing is…