MANILA, Philippines. — The ongoing violence in Sabah could be rooted in the rich oil and gas reserves in the disputed territory. This was reported  by Iris Gonzales in Philippine Star early last month. (more…)

The law requires government health centres to hand out free condoms and birth control pills, benefiting tens of millions of the country’s poor who would not otherwise be able to afford or have access to them. (more…)

January 15, 2013. 1800 hrs. I received a call from a woman reader who did not want to give her name. When asked, she merely identified herself as a Filipino Muslim.

She referred to a story published in the January 2013 issue about an Afghan girl who was killed over her refusal to marry. (more…)

An investigation regarding the origin and proliferation of news about the alleged abolition of the Filipino Chaplaincy has been traced to a non-Filipino priest. It turned out that he was the same person who later dismissed the news as “mischievous rumours,” in an attempt to save face.

Further enquiries revealed that the Bishop of Parramatta was not even aware of the alleged plan.

In an interview conducted by another newspaper, the bishop confirmed that the Filipino Chaplaincy in the diocese is here to stay. Fr. Renato Elago, from New Zealand who was originally perceived to be the new Filipino Chaplain could not be reached for comment.

There are unconfirmed reports about a plan by the Diocese of Parramatta to discontinue the Filipino Chaplaincy because Filipinos are already well integrated into the different parishes. I speak only for the Filipino community and not for the other ethnic communities.

I am not privy to what other reasons the Catholic hierarchy might have for this plan but my main concern is the preservation of our culture. (more…)