Wednesday, April 02, 2008 Father J takes the hot seat By May Anne Cadac
IT WAS a special Easter Sunday mass. There was the Father and His risen son. Their people. And then there was the priest given the honor -- yet heavy task -- of spreading the Word.
Rev. Fr. Jose Alipio, Father J to many of his parishioners at St. Joseph the Worker in Pacdal, celebrated the Salubong mass amidst the pine trees of Wright Park. He faced east where the sun rises and the first rays of sunshine shone on him just as he was performing the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Those who partook of communion may have felt the same sunshine bringing warmth to their hearts on that cold Sunday morning.
Born to educators, the middle child among a brood of nine (he has six other brothers and two sisters), Fr. Alipio claims to be the most balanced among his siblings although he gave out a hearty laugh after saying such.
Awarded as one of Baguio's most outstanding citizens in 2004 for community service, this Sun.Star Baguio columnist said he understood if he became quite unpopular for coming out into the open and declaring his admiration and support for the country's most controversial president to date, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
A firm believer in the power of the written word, Father J revealed that he expresses himself better through writing. Through his columns, Father J affirms his role as a spiritual leader but not as much as affirming the church's dynamic role in uplifting lives all over the world.
Today, the tables are turned as he takes the hot seat and shares his thoughts on the church, politics, morality, and life.
SSB: In your Easter Sunday homily, you described the three major characters who came to Jesus' tomb that Easter Sunday morning and found that He was not there. There was Simon Peter -- the one who wanted to believe in the Risen Christ but could not; Mary of Magdala -- the one who believed that there could be no more life after death; and John -- the firm believer. If Filipinos, as a nation, would go to that same tomb right now, do you think there would be more Simon Peters, Marys of Magdala, or Johns?
Father J: I believe there would be more Simon Peters. They want to believe but could not believe.
SSB: How come Filipinos find it harder to believe nowadays? They find it hard believing that there is a better life for them, for all of us. Where does the demoralization stem from?
Father J: it will not be easy to point to this or that factor. There are certainly a number of factors and it may be like which comes first, the chicken or the egg.
From my own observation and sensing, and I have lived through those years, before, during and after, the noticeable widespread erosion of socio-economic-political morality in the Philippines began in the sixties under the Marcos era.
Before this, there seemed to have been more sense of honor, self-respect, deference for the common good, fear and shame at doing wrong. The demoralization that followed the loss of freedom and the unbridled use of power and influence for self-aggrandizement by people close to the Marcoses may have something to do with this.
Poverty and the insecurity it engenders, plus the dismal economic situation of the country certainly had much to do with this. The helplessness and the bleak future fueled the survival of the fittest struggle, the dog eat dog stance and the each to his own outlook. A mood of despair, you may say.
SSB: Together with this demoralization is also the moral degradation of Filipinos. How much responsibility is shouldered by the church in the corruption of our values?
Father J: I would fault the church gravely. I readily admit that the Church has much to share of the blame for the moral malaise that has developed in our society. In all its emphases on religious devotions, personal piety, sexual morality and doctrinal and ritual propriety, it neglected to adequately impart to the faithful the social teachings of the church, to ingrain a social conscience in the faithful and inculcate Christian work ethics. Look into the various traditional novenas and catechisms, for instance, and this evidently checks out. There may be expression to love your neighbor but these are vague and uncontextualized to be meaningfully directive for concrete action.
SSB: Such moral degradation shrouds the government. Since you said that the church is also responsible for instilling in people a sense of social responsibility, social conscience, how far can it go in giving directions towards good governance?
Father J: The church should be the vanguard for the common good. In going about that it must avoid being caught up in what is divisive and that is partisan politics. And in facing issues the church should not be too rash and be judgmental. It must guide the people in sifting through these issues and help the people act on it.
Like for instance, in the case of the ZTE controversy, the CBCP made a statement saying that the church is not calling on the President's resignation but support the continued search for the truth. I believe this is the proper stance. The unkind reaction of the anti-Arroyos to the bishops' statement, including senators investigating the case, shows their bias, partiality and pre-judgment of the case. For the bishops to call on President Arroyo to resign without hard evidence would have been unjust and it meant crossing the line separating the state and church.
Also those unkind reactions showed a lack of understanding of the nature of the church and her prophetic role in society especially when partisan politics is in play. The church's nature and mission is spiritual and it should stick to that.
SSB: You're admittedly pro-Arroyo. What about Arroyo is most admirable?
Father J: I am an admirer and believer in Arroyo as a person and a leader -- a leader of the Philippines. You know, it is difficult nowadays to be a leader. Everybody has a say. You just can't please everybody. A lot had been dished out to demonize her. But I doubt if any of her detractors and enemies can be and do equally as good or better in the condition or situation of the Philippines and world today. And also to still get the trust and respect of world leaders and governments. The Filipinos, media, attitudes, values, and systems have changed so much since the times of our past presidents. It takes so much, much more today to be president, not to say, a good and effective president. But against all these odds and the added controversies and crises that dogs her trail, she has dignifiedly maintained her equanimity and her focus on what matters for country and people. And this is evidenced not by rhetorics but by her engagements in issues and concerns, her programs, and her constant immersion among the people in and out of electoral season.
SSB: Some people believe that Arroyo has remained in power simply because she has this certain hold on the military and that the authorities are just "paying their dues" to the President.
Father J: The military plays a crucial role certainly. But even the military is different now. They are more oriented towards the common good. What the anti-Arroyos perceive as being biased towards the President is actually (the military's) manifestation of being non-partisan. They are there to uphold our laws and maintain order in our society and they are doing just that.
SSB: You believe that Arroyo will remain in power until 2010 despite all these moves and calls for her to resign?
Father J: I am confident.
SSB: You've been emphasizing on the role of the church in upholding morality both in society and government and you've underscored the shortcomings of the church. Could it be because the church is undermanned? Why do you think there are few who want to take up the vocation?
Father J: Surely we lack priests. But it is not really about the number of priests that we have but the kind of priests that we are producing. Seriously, it's difficult to become a priest. It's counter-culture to get into this vocation. Our culture now just makes it more difficult to become a priest. There's a culture of hedonism that exists.
