NATIONAL
Advocates Philippines
CBCP Commission Joins NTF-ELCAC
Photo credit: CBCP
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), an ecclesiastical organization, comprising 31 Commissions, Committees, and Offices, is taking a proactive approach to address important issues by engaging with the government on various levels of dialogue. Specifically, the Episcopal Commission on Public Affairs, led by Chairman Bishop Reynaldo Evangelista and Executive Secretary Fr. Jerome Secillano, has been playing a crucial role in fostering communication between the Church and government bodies.
This Commission's primary task is to facilitate dialogue with government entities over significant concerns, and it encourages parishes to participate in this dialogue at the grassroots level through the Ugnayan ng Barangay at Simbahan (UBAS) program.
One of the recent developments is the Commission's engagement with the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), a government body tasked with addressing insurgency issues. The Commission's involvement is focused on addressing specific Church-related concerns, including the controversial issue of red-tagging certain cause-oriented groups and Church organizations by NTF-ELCAC.
It is important to note that the Episcopal Commission on Public Affairs is representing the private sector in its interactions with NTF-ELCAC, rather than the entire CBCP as a body. This role grants the Commission direct access to NTF-ELCAC's Executive Committee, providing them with a unique opportunity to voice the Church's concerns. This Commission's overarching mandate is to act as a liaison between CBCP and the public and private sectors while advocating for the Church's social concerns and issues. They also intend to provide moral and ethical approaches to addressing the problem of insurgency.
The Commission is now actively seeking to address the matter and aims to arrive at a concrete resolution during the forthcoming meeting of CBCP's Permanent Council. The key question they are exploring is whether they can continue engaging in dialogue with NTF-ELCAC without becoming a formal member of its Executive Committee, remaining as private sector representatives.
This Commission's primary task is to facilitate dialogue with government entities over significant concerns, and it encourages parishes to participate in this dialogue at the grassroots level through the Ugnayan ng Barangay at Simbahan (UBAS) program.
One of the recent developments is the Commission's engagement with the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), a government body tasked with addressing insurgency issues. The Commission's involvement is focused on addressing specific Church-related concerns, including the controversial issue of red-tagging certain cause-oriented groups and Church organizations by NTF-ELCAC.
It is important to note that the Episcopal Commission on Public Affairs is representing the private sector in its interactions with NTF-ELCAC, rather than the entire CBCP as a body. This role grants the Commission direct access to NTF-ELCAC's Executive Committee, providing them with a unique opportunity to voice the Church's concerns. This Commission's overarching mandate is to act as a liaison between CBCP and the public and private sectors while advocating for the Church's social concerns and issues. They also intend to provide moral and ethical approaches to addressing the problem of insurgency.
The Commission is now actively seeking to address the matter and aims to arrive at a concrete resolution during the forthcoming meeting of CBCP's Permanent Council. The key question they are exploring is whether they can continue engaging in dialogue with NTF-ELCAC without becoming a formal member of its Executive Committee, remaining as private sector representatives.
Sep 1, 2023
