Sunday, September 18, 2005
Archbishop wants to see frat bosses
By Lovely Lady Villanueva
Sun.Star Correspondent
Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal is appealing for an end to the hostilities in two cases: one between two fraternities and one between two veteran politicians.
“Maturity solves the problem. They should trust their maturity and consider the good of the community. They are already too old to have such an immature fight,” he said.
No, he wasn’t talking about the frats, but about Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and Rep. Eduardo Gullas (Cebu, 1st district). The two have been squabbling in recent months over ownership of some 53 hectares in the 295-hectare South Reclamation Project (SRP).
The cardinal also hopes to have a dialogue between the Alpha Kappa Rho and Tau Gamma Phi fraternities to settle their feud.
“I am horrified when I hear of another killing between these two fraternities,” he added, on the heels of the Cebu provincial police chief’s plan to declare both groups as criminal gangs.
Cardinal Vidal wants to learn from the leaders of both frats the root causes of their feud and to help them reconcile.
He’s worried that youth violence may have been influenced by movies that glorify revenge, or by the need to belong and gain superiority.
“They should listen to the Word of God. They should seek the support of their family and true friends,” Cardinal Vidal said.
The cardinal also appealed to the police to be more vigilant in saving lives.
“Sometimes the police force is successful in suppressing the violence between the fraternities. But sometimes, they are not really that focused on their jobs to prevent further killings,” he said in an interview.
As for the row between Gullas and Osmeña, too many people “have suffered greatly” because of their fight, the archbishop added.
Whenever he visits a member of his diocese in the south, the cardinal said he has to wake up extra early to beat the traffic.
“Since traffic going to the south is extremely heavy, we have to leave early,” the cardinal said.
He has decided, despite advice, against asking for a Cebu City Hall pass that would let him use the South Coastal Road and cut travel time to Talisay down to 15 minutes.
Some of the priests have these passes, though, the cardinal admitted.
“I will pass through the SRP when everybody’s car is able to pass through, without any special permits,” Cardinal Vidal added.
Earlier this year, Osmeña closed the South Coastal Road, citing security and construction work on an access road leading to it. A lawsuit that seeks to have him reopen the road to traffic is pending in court. |
