BishopAccountability.org
	Nalzaro: Church's Pro-Active Stand By Bobby Nalzaro Sun.Star October 7, 2007 http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2007/10/08/oped/bobby.nalzaro.saksi.html Indeed the world stopped yesterday when people from various continents watched the much-awaited rematch of Filipino boxing sensation Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao against Maxico's well-respected boxing icon Marco Antonio Barrera at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Spectators and TV viewers were really satisfied with the outcome because it reached the scheduled 12 rounds and every round was full of thrill and excitement. I watched the live feed of Solar Sports at the Parklane Hotel, which also offered a free buffet. Together with me in the table were Globe executives Jerry Yntig and lawyer Mac "The Flash" Gordon, columnist Eddie Barrita and broadcaster Choy Torralba. Every time Pacquiao hit Barrera, Mr. Yntig would stand up, shout and cheer for the "Pambansang Kamao." But many observed that Barrera did not give his best shots as he kept on running. Maybe he learned his lesson from their previous fight and acknowledged that Pacman is no ordinary boxer. He even hit Pacman as the referee already signaled the end of the round. Well, I don't want to go into the details of the fight because I'm sure almost everybody, especially boxing aficionados, watched it on TV even if the delayed telecast was full of commercials. Again, the Pacman has brought pride to the country and has united Filipino people. Mabuhay ka, Manny. ***** I appreciate the church's pro-active stand on some issues confronting our society and the government. The Dilaab Movement through Rev. Fr. Carmelo Diola is now very active in various causes, like the drug awareness campaign, protection of human rights and the fight against graft and corruption. While others view this as intervening in the affairs of the state and a violation of the constitutional provision that separates the church and the state, I still believe it's a welcome development. The church, as guardian and promoter of our moral values, should not only focus on spreading God's teachings and to guide us in a moral recovery program, it should also actively involve itself in the affairs of our government. Church leaders have great influence over our political leaders. So the Dilaab Movement has supported the causes of some concerned individuals that exposed shenanigans committed by some of our politicians and government officials, like the overpriced decorative lampposts, the construction of the Cebu International Convention Center and the allegations of money-making ventures of Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Arturo "Boy" Radaza. The mayor is accused of demanding huge amounts of money from investors in the city and being involved in the overpriced purchase of computer units. But why is the movement mum on issues confronting the church? We didn't hear it comment about the case of Fr. Ben Ejares. In fact, members refused to reveal the identity and whereabouts of Ejares. What about the controversial case involving some parishioners in Pardo against their parish priest and his assistant. It has been more than a year since the parishioners sent a petition to Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal asking him to transfer Msgr. Constantino Diotay and Fr. Domingo Tapic because of alleged graft and corruption involving church donations. The allegations against the two priests were very serious. The petitioners claimed that Diotay and Tapic have enriched themselves by buying properties which they placed under their names using church's money. I don't know if there was an investigation. But I never heard the action of the cardinal and Dilaab's stand on the matter. There is that old saying that "before we clean other people's backyard, we should clean first our own backyard." Just an unsolicited advice from me. bgnalzaro@gmanetwork.com/09182198333
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