(January 13, 2009) – It was a welcome dialogue with the Mayors of Batangas for Archbishop Ramon C. Arguelles!
“I had no idea that I will be the topic for that dialogue. Mayor Tita Reyes, the league’s president, approached me and requested for this dialogue with the Mayors after our conference with our guest speaker in the morning. I even went around to encourage the mayors to stay and designated the refectory as our venue for this dialogue because the BBC-Lipa Chapter had its own business meeting at the hall, after lunch. It turned out that I was the topic of the dialogue.”
It seemed that the Mayors’ League passed a resolution last year, questioning the whereabouts of P20M, allegedly given by Mr. Ramon Ang to the Archdiocese. The resolution apparently casted doubts on the integrity of the local church’s leadership, the Archbishop in particular. It is common knowledge that the Archbishop is on a head-on collision with Asturias Mining, a firm owned by Mr. Ang, who is also president of the giant San Miguel Corporation.
The Archbishop told the group of mayors who attended that dialogue that he learnt about that money during their meeting at Malacanang. Mr. Ang allegedly gave that money for the Sumilao farmers of Bukindnon, as he said at that Malacanang meeting. ”It was meant to embarrass me, I think!” opined Archbishop Ramon. When he finally got to talk to the Cardinal, he was told that that was the money he (Cardinal Rosales) gave to the Seminary (Theology). The Cardinal informed him that it was a donation given long shortly before he (Archbishop Arguelles) took over the reins of the local church.
“I would not have accepted that if given during my time because of the moral issue we are fighting him in the Baha-Talibayog case,” the outspoken prelate said. This he clarified to the mayors present at the dialogue. ”I did even see whether that was a cheque or cash donation,” he continued. ”It was the Cardinal who gave this to the Seminary administrators. I have nothing to do with that.”
According to him, he assured that mayors that the local church is not against development. ”What we are fighting for here, especially in Baha-Talibayog, is for our small people, who are victims of injustice. The case of the Sumilao farmers is very different from the Calatagan farmers. Our farmers have emancipation patents in the first place. They are victims of the powerful who were able to secure a re-classification of the agricultural land that was already given to them through the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform of our government.”
The local government of Calatagan is pushing for the Asturias plan to put up a cement plant in the area. However, it appears that Asturias has more plans than just the cement factory. It wants an eco-park in that area. Envronmentalists oppose this on the ground that it would destroy the balance of nature in the area.
There is an on-going negotiation between Asturias and the farmers, who are supported by NGOs, especially the local church. Malacanang is brokering the said negotiations. Cardinal Rosales has written President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to intervene, as she did in the Sumilao case.
