Resist the culture of corruption and graft, prelate exhorts
By Natalie Hazel Quimlat, MD
Former Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) President Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas released a pastoral commentary yesterday, January 15, regarding the newly passed 2025 National Budget. The prelate wrote to the faithful of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan, “As your Archbishop, I admonish you to study diligently, judge critically and act with vigilance on the moral concern of the 2025 National Budget. It is a grave social matter.”
According to Villegas, “The reason this is a moral concern is that the budget is an issue of what Catholic social teaching calls ‘distributive justice’ -the fair, reasonable, equitable distribution of the nation’s resources, as well as its burdens.” Thus, the prelate exhorted that a conscientious examination of the said Budget be done, which he said must be representative of a democratic consensus.
Villegas raised concern regarding the lack of funding or budget cuts in the following sectors: health, education, social services, and economic services -the latter two include agrarian reform and agriculture. The prelate further expressed his concern for the welfare of farmers; for him, farmers are already in a difficult situation to begin with. “Their fortunes are bound to the uncertainties of weather and climate, as well as to man-made burdens such as the uncontrolled importation of agricultural goods that cause the prices of farm-products to hit rock-bottom,” he said.
The Lingayen-Dagupan prelate closed his pastoral commentary by calling on the nation’s leaders: “In the name of God, do what is right and just, beneficial and promising for our people.”
The pastoral commentary draws inspiration (among other encyclicals quoted) from Pope Benedict XIV’s encyclical letter in 2005 entitled “Deus Caritas Est”, wherein the late Pontiff said that “the Church wishes to help form consciences in political life and to stimulate greater insight into the authentic requirements of justice as well as greater readiness to act accordingly”.
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