Subject: 'austraLasia' # 223
PHILIPPINES ACTIVE RE TIMOR
Francis Gustilo
MANILA: 16th Sep --Yesterday, feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, 3,000 gathered
at the Saint John
Bosco Parish in Makati City for a peace rally for our East Timorese brothers
and sisters. The gathering was made up of the different reliigious
congregations in the Philippines, those with Filipino missionaries in East
Timor as well as those who belong to the Association of the Maj0or Religious
Superiors of the Philippines.
We began with the Mass in honor of the Blessed Mother, led by the Auxiliary
Bishop of Manila, Tom Yalung DD. The homily was preached by no less than the
Cardinal himself, Jaime L. Sin. He used the eastern image of a family that
does not sleep until all the children and members of the family are at home.
He said that we in Asia have not been sleeping for a long while now, since
one member of the human family has not 'come home'. Our vigilance and prayer
is that one day, and soon, this family member of ours of East Timor may all
come back to their homeland that we may have peace in this family of
nations.
After the eucharist, everyone marched through the streets, holding placards
blaring the cause of East Timor: food and aid for the victims, international
peacekeeping forces and entry of foreign journalists in East Timor. The
Salesians (SDB, FMA, Cooperators, EPCs, teachers, students) were the
marshalls and main organizers of the peaceful march that proceeded to the
Indonesian Embassy where a short program of speeches were made by East
Timorese religious brothers and nuns. This was capped by a prayer and a
song: Let there be peace on earth. A member of the Indonesian Embassy
received the messages delivered and responded what had transpired in the
meeting of the UN Security Council, regarding the entry of a multinational
peacekeeping force.
The group continued its march to the United Nations headquarters in Makati.
A Salesian East Timorese delivered the groups message to the UN which
consisted once more of these points:
a. the sending of an international peacekeeping force
b. the entry of froeign journalists and NGOs, specially the Red Cross
c. the repatriation of all East Timorese who have been displaced.
The speech reminded the UN that they are to be held responsible for the
present situation in East Timor becuase they have assisted the process of
democratization through the holding of a referendum and the counting of the
ballots. The UN cannot just back off from this present disastrous result.
With this done, the crowd peacefully dispersed.
(A BY-THE-WAY NOTE) This rally came from a meeting called by the salesians
(SDB and FMA) to all religious congregations with confreres in East Timor.
It was only held last Saturday, September 11, and the offshoot is a calling
to mass action of all religious congregations in the Philippines to speak
out their concern and indignation over the events occurring in East Timor.
Moreover, the Saturday group was able to formulate that same day the demands
to the Indonesian Government and to the United Nations. In fact, the same
evening the message for Sec. Kofi Annan was already faxed to New York and a
salesian alumnus personally went to the UN Headquarters to deliver the
message. We also formulated a letter to our Superior Generals asking them to
mobilize the different communities in their jurisdiction to do some mass
action in the different Indonesian Embassies in the world. Since the group
was made up of international Congregations like the Dominicans, the
Claretians, the Jesuits, the Canossians, the Carmelites and the Salesians,
we felt we had the resources to make an international pressure on this
issue. The Rector Major phoned me in fact last Tuesday stating that he
received my letter and was accepting the suggestion.
_____________________________________________
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