Tag Archives: Bishop Gerardo Alminaza

[Statement] on the murdered human rights lawyer, Rex Fernandez | by Bishop Alminaza

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Bishop Alminaza statement on the murdered human rights lawyer, Rex Fernandez

“There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” – John 15:13

On behalf of the Visayas Clergy Discernment Group (VCDG), a 2008 CBCP initiative to address social concerns, I express our grief over the senseless murder of human rights lawyer Rex Fernandez. He was killed last August 26, 2021 in Cebu City.

Lawyer Rex Fernandez, a former Redemptorist seminarian, had a heart for the people and had touched so many lives.

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[In the news] San Carlos bishop seeks release of political prisoners amid pandemic -INQUIRER.net

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BACOLOD CITY — San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza has asked the release of political prisoners to decongest the jails in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alminaza pointed out in a statement released on Saturday, March 28, the looming possibility that coronavirus would hit the highly congested jail facilities in the country.

“We must muster courage to address the glaringly high-risk of a COVID-19 outbreak, now forced upon those behind bars,” he said.

To help decongest the jails, he said the more than 600 political prisoners in the country should be prioritized for release as they had been detained on “questionable and dubious charges.”

Click the link below to read full story:

San Carlos bishop seeks release of political prisoners amid pandemic

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[From the web] Ring the Bells to Stop the Killings! Rings the Bells, as a call for Addressing the Roots of Armed Conflict!

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Is it not divine providence that the International Human Rights Day is observed during the Christian Season of Advent? We wait—like captive Israel of old—for a new dawning of God’s justice and peace. How befiting for human rights day to fall at this time!

The human rights situation in the Philippines is dismal.

In Negros alone, 87 extra-judicial killings have been documented since the beginning of 2017.

There are also 100 political prisoners in Negros, 95 of which were arrested during the present administration.

Nationally, at least 297 political extra-judicial killings, 429 frustrated killings, and 11 enforced disappearances are matched by thousands upon thousands of killings under President Rodrigo Duterte’s so-called “war on drugs.”

Evil has descended to hover like a dark night over poor and marginalized communities throughout the land.

We ring the bells each evening in Negros, as a reminder that life is sacred.

We wish to shake the conscience of those carrying out dastardly death operations, commanded from above. We wish to be like a balm of compassion for those who have had loved ones killed or who have been unjustly incarcerated. We wish to quicken the spirits of the faithful to stand with courage for peace based on justice.

As President Duterte has expressed a willingness to reopen peace talks with National Democratic Front in the Philippines, we continue to ring the bells as an encouragement. Addressing the roots of the armed conflict through peace negotiations is leaps and bounds better than continuing brutal and blatant killings.

We encourage both parties to return to peace negotiations and deliver meaningful change—including socio-economic reforms— urgently needed by our people. We encourage both parties to respect previously signed bilateral agreements, including the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and Interna’onal Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL), which will go a long way in addressing and mitigating violations of human rights and International Humanitarian Law.

We must open our hearts to build genuine peace and dare to dream of a better life and more just society for the toiling majority.

To spur the resumption of the GRP-NDFP peace talks, peace advocates are also calling for the release of NDFP peace consultants.

One such consultant is Francisco “Fr. Frank” Fernandez, Jr. from Negros island. He can be released on humanitarian grounds, as a 70-year-old in frail health.

Fr. Frank will do much more for peace outside the state’s prisons. His work as a peace consultant can help to enliven efforts to unearth, understand, and address the root causes of the armed conflict. Especially given the fabricated charges that have been lodged against him, he could also be released because he is protected under the Joint Agreement on Immunity and Security Guarantees (JASIG), a bilateral agreement to ensure the safety and security of those who participate in the peace talks.

We ring the bells because life is sacred! We ring the bells to awaken our people to work for justice and peace in the Philippines!

The killings must stop. The disappeared surfaced. Political prisoners released. We must dare to strive to a new dawning, where peace and justice thrive.

Like God’s people of old, we keep watch and hope that God’s saving grace will encompass us again, and we will be pulled toward a future truly based on justice, righteousness and peace.

Resume the GRP-NDFP peace talks! Address the roots of the armed conflict! Work for a just and lasting peace!

Reference:
+MOST REV. GERARDO A. ALMINAZA, DD, Bishop of San Carlos
Diocese of San Carlos
The Roman Catholic Bishop of San Carlos

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[Statement] A statement against the pork barrel scam- VCDG

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A statement against the pork barrel scam
by Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, D.D.
Auxiliary Bishop of Jaro and Visayas Clergy Discernment Group (VCDG) Head Convenor
August 21, 2013

Bp Gerardo Alminaza cropped

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” – Luke 16:10

We, bishops and priests of the Visayas Clergy Discernment Group, ask President Benigno Aquino III (PNOY), the Senators and Lower House Representatives to show to the Filipino people that they honor the martyrdom of Ninoy Aquino by taking steps in truly ending the culture of corruption and impunity in our country.

We join Luis Cardinal Tagle’s call for a thorough investigation, and appropriate punishment for the culprits of the Pork Barrel Scam. PNOY must go after the guilty lawmakers and other perpetrators, be they his allies or foes. Furthermore, we suggest the following: Take the budget for the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) amounting to P25.240 billion away from the hands of the Senators and Lower House Representatives. We also call on PNOY to give up his office’s corresponding “pork barrel” which the Commission on Audit identified as the Special Purpose Funds (P310.1 billion for 2014) and the Unprogrammed Funds (P139.9 billion for 2014), totaling P499 billion!

These funds must be entrusted to and managed by the sovereign people who are the REAL BOSS of our ELECTED SERVANTS. It is unfortunate that our elected servants can no longer be trusted with our people’s money; which we own. The pork barrel system is one of the ROOT CANCERS that breeds the other lethal diseases of corruption. It is not enough for the “Daang Matuwid” to run after corrupt people AFTER THE DASTARDLY DEED HAS BEEN DONE. IT is better to nip in the bud the ROOT of corruption. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.

Moreover, everybody knows that whatever guidelines Congress and the Executive might craft regarding the pork barrel WILL NOT WORK; the system itself, which was copied from the U.S.A., has been scrapped by their federal government.

During the World Youth Day in July 2013, Pope Francis urged the Faithful to change a world where food is discarded while millions go hungry, where politics is more associated with corruption than service.

We therefore call on all concerned sectors of the Philippine society to study and propose appropriate mechanisms to RE-CLAIM OWNERSHIP of, and MANAGE the “pork barrel” funds. The people’s money should be spent for the benefit of the majority; especially for lifting the poor out of poverty, as enjoined by our beloved Pope Francis.

Programs for genuine agrarian reform, decent shelter for the informal settlers, free education for our youth, and health services for our people must be prioritized.

As we commemorate the 30th anniversary of the assassination of Ninoy Aquino, may PNOY, the lawmakers and all of us prove that indeed, Ninoy was not martyred in vain; and that we are truly committed to a straight path by giving to the people, especially the poor, what is due to them.

As Christ lives,

BISHOP GERARDO ALMINAZA, D.D.
Auxiliary Bishop of Jaro/ Head Convenor of the Visayas Clergy Discernment Group (VCDG)
Tel. No. (033) 329-1625

VISAYAS CLERGY DISCERNMENT GROUP
E-Mail Address: visayasclergydiscernment@yahoo.com

All submissions are republished and redistributed in the same way that it was originally published online and sent to us. We may edit submission in a way that does not alter or change the original material.

Human Rights Online Philippines does not hold copyright over these materials. Author/s and original source/s of information are retained including the URL contained within the tagline and byline of the articles, news information, photos etc.

Message of Solidarity to HRonlinePH -Most Rev. Gerardo A. Alminaza, D.D. (VCDG)

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Message of Solidarity
Most Rev. Gerardo A. Alminaza, D.D.
Jaro Auxiliary Bishop and VCDG Head Convenor
March 30, 2012

Dear Brothers and Sisters of the HRonlinePH team,

On behalf of the Visayas Clergy Discernment Group, I would like to greet you on the First Anniversary of the HRonlinePH on March 30, 2012. We appreciate the valuable contribution of your website to the principles of truth, justice, human rights and the common good.

The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (CSDC) recognizes that the rapid means of communication offered by information technology makes it possible to establish relationships between people who are separated by great distances and are unknown to each other. At the same time, despite the advances in technology, there persist stark inequalities stoked by various forms of exploitation, oppression and corruption (cf. CSDC, 192).

The Pontifical Council for Social Communications thus exhorts for a commitment to the common good and for the realization of justice, to close the gap between the informationrich and the information-poor in today’s world (cf. The Church and Internet, 12). We are pleased that the HRonlinePH publishes online the news and press releases on issues concerning the marginalized sectors in our society.

May Jesus, the perfect communicator and prophet who announced the Kingdom of justice, peace and love be your guide. May Mary, our Mother, help us communicate with joy and courage as we work for the fulfillment of human rights and the common good.

As Christ lives,

BISHOP GERARDO ALMINAZA, D.D.
Auxiliary Bishop of Jaro/
Head Convenor of the Visayas Clergy Discernment Group (VCDG)

VISAYAS CLERGY DISCERNMENT GROUP
E-Mai l Address: vi sayasclergydi scernment@yahoo.com
“Information Technology Must Promote the Common Good”

[Press Release] Visayas Clergy, Bishops’ Lenten Message: Aquino Government Should be Concerned with the Poor’s Welfare

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Visayas Clergy, Bishops’ Lenten Message: Aquino Government Should be Concerned with the Poor’s Welfare

Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, head convenor of the Visayas Clergy Discernment Group (VCDG), in a Lenten Message, called on the Aquino Government to show its concern for the poor Filipinos by taking steps to address the unabated oil price increases.

Quoting Pope Benedict XVI’s Lenten message to be “concerned for each other, to stir a response in love and good works,” Bishop Alminaza said that “being concerned means being responsible for our brothers and sisters and not being indifferent to their plight.”

The priests and bishops of the VCDG said that in the Philippine society where many are hungry, jobless and homeless, the occurrence of the “unabated oil price increases result to the skyrocketing price of basic commodities, which in turn, add a heavier burden to our already suffering people.”

As Pope Benedict XVI exhorted in his Lenten message that Christians must not remain silent before evil, Bishop Alminaza said that we share in God’s work of salvation; therefore, we have to struggle untiringly for the total salvation of all.

Bishop Alminaza is concerned of reports that oil companies have overpriced the pump price of diesel by 8%-43%;  and that the government is said to have benefited from the unregulated oil price increases as it earned revenues of P48 billion pesos annually or a total of P239.6 B in the last five years due to the 12% VAT on oil.

Quoting Pope Benedict XVI’s Caritas in Veritate,  VCDG said that governments must safeguard and value the human person who is the source, the focus and the aim of all economic and social life.

VCDG is urging the Aquino Government “to manifest that it is indeed concerned with the well-being of the Filipino people by taking steps to alleviate their sufferings such as: regulating the oil industry so that oil companies will be stopped from overpricing the price of oil; removing the VAT on oil; and instituting price control over basic commodities.”

VCDG  hopes that Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection inspire all people “to work for a transformed world: a new heaven and a new earth where all people enjoy the fullness of life, truth, justice and genuine peace.”

For reference:

BISHOP GERARDO ALMINAZA, D.D.
Auxiliary Bishop of Jaro/ Head Convenor of the Visayas Clergy Discernment Group (VCDG)
Tel. No. (033) 3291625

VISAYAS CLERGY DISCERNMENT GROUP
E-Mail Address: visayasclergydiscernment@yahoo.com

Press Release
March 20, 2012

[Statement] A statement on the Corona impeachment proceedings by Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, D.D.

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A STATEMENT ON THE CORONA IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS
by Bishop Gerardo Alminaza, D.D.

Auxiliary Bishop of Jaro and Visayas Clergy Discernment Group (VCDG) Head Convenor
February 21, 2012


In Mark 4:22, Jesus said, “Whatever is hidden away will be brought out into the open; and whatever is covered up will be uncovered.”

This year, the Church celebrates the Year of Faith with the motto: Living truth in charity. I am praying with the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI for truth to be held supreme… “Since God is love, truth is expressed in charity, and charity in turn reveals the truth.”

Likewise, the Holy Father reaffirmed the need for a profound conviction of the truth of God’s revelation in His Son Jesus Christ, because “if there is no truth, we have no compass and do not know where to go.” Life can be rich and beautiful only if there is truth. This conviction for truth makes it possible for the Church to re-evangelize humankind today.

Thus, I am praying that the Philippine Senate as an impeachment court against Chief Justice Renato Corona will unravel the “truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

I am praying that the impeachment court exhaust all available means to ferret out the whole truth.

Furthermore, I am praying that the court remain vigilant and prevent any attempt to suppress, hide or dilute the whole truth.

I am praying that the senator-judges, as elected servants, look at the truth from the point of view of the sovereign people of the Philippines, their Boss. Therefore, I am praying that they become aware of any personal, political or other vested interests that might becloud their lenses as jurists.

I am praying that the final verdict would always be for the Common Good, never for the benefit of just a few.

I am praying that the final verdict is reached as early as possible. Therefore, if there is enough evidence to warrant a fair, just and loving decision, I pray that this final verdict be pronounced the soonest possible.

I am praying that after giving a swift, objective, and pro-people decision on the impeachment proceedings, the senator-judges and the members of the House of Representatives, as an act of charity, return immediately to their respective legislative houses so that the many bills that are for the Common Good are passed after sufficient study, and with reasonable speed.

May the Holy Spirit of Wisdom, Justice and Love guide us. May Mary, our mother and all the saints support us.

In the Holy Spirit,

BISHOP GERARDO ALMINAZA, D.D. (SIGNED)
Auxiliary Bishop of Jaro/ Head Convenor of the Visayas Clergy Discernment Group (VCDG)
Tel. No. (033) 3291625

[Press Release] Human Rights is the Way to Peace– Bishop Gerardo Alminaza

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In his statement for the December 10, 2011 human rights day celebration, Jaro Auxiliary Bishop and Visayas Clergy Discernment Group (VCDG) Head Convenor Bishop Gerardo Alminaza said that the defense and promotion of human rights is the way to achieve peace.

Bishop Alminaza condemned the culture of death and impunity as shown by the extra-judicial killings, Maguindanao massacre, and killing of innocent civilians in the war in Mindanao and the rest of the country.

He asserted that environmental destruction, landlessness, homelessness and joblessness are violations of the people’s right to development.

Quoting papal encyclicals and other church documents, Bishop Alminaza said that the defense of human rights or of the dignity of the human person will promote justice and equality, which in turn, will build lasting peace, since “Peace is the fruit of justice.”

“A just society can become a reality only when it is based on the respect of the transcendent dignity of the human person.”

Bishop Alminaza also explained that the people themselves must be the “principal architects of their own social and economic development,” and the role of civil authorities is to facilitate the exercise of the “people’s rights and duties” for the common good.

He asked government officials to become genuine servants of the people by promoting human rights and by not seeking personal benefits or prestige.

As “peace is not a mere absence of war”, Bishop Alminaza called on concerned groups and institutions, that in the peace talks, foremost to be addressed must be the defense and promotion of human rights.

Bishop Alminaza emphasized that the church involves in the “just ordering of society” through the promotion of human rights, since God revealed himself in the Old Testament as the “liberator of the oppressed and the defender of the poor.”

He also exhorts the faithful to offer prayers, sacrifices, and good works on December 10, Human Rights Day, which is also the 63rd anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

For reference:

BISHOP GERARDO A. ALMINAZA, D.D.
Auxiliary Bishop of Jaro, and Head Convenor of Visayas Clergy Discernment Group
Tel. No. (033) 3291625

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