Open Letter to CBCP: Donate One Billion to the Victims of Sendong

Dear CBCP,

Yesterday, your Pope prayed “for the people without homes and for the many missing,” assuring the victims of his “closeness” to them. I don’t know what he prayed for, but surely he didn’t just ask God for more people to pray for the victims. In addition to spiritual assistance, the Pope probably asked God for people to give material assistance, too.

One of your priests, Fr. Anton Pascual, executive director of Caritas Manila, was more explicit in his request for material assistance:

“In the spirit of Christmas, I am appealing to our countrymen that if they have excess money, they just give it to our countrymen who were affected by the typhoon.”

So in the spirit of Christmas, I humbly ask that you answer the Pope’s prayer and Fr. Pascual’s request by donating to the Sendong victims one billion Pesos.

This should be easy. According to Philippine Stock Exchange records, you have at least 18 billion Pesos invested in various corporations as of July 2011. What is one billion when you’ll have 17 billion left?

Your former president, Oscar Cruz, said in an interview that the 18 billion has been there since the time of the Spanish occupation. If it’s been sitting there unused for so long, every peso invested is just the kind of excess money Fr. Pascual is requesting. Cruz also said that you can’t simply do what you please with the money, implying that donations such as what I’m asking for won’t be that easy.

But recently, former archbishop Rosales allegedly sold more than a million shares of Philex Mining Corporation (PX) in April and May this year to Manny Pangilinan.

Regardless of whether you really did sell stocks to Mr. Pangilinan, it shows us that it’s possible to acquire (and therefore sell) more than a million shares in the span of a couple of months.

With the extent of the damage done by Sendong, recovery will surely take more than a few months — even more than a year — and rebuilding will take millions of pesos. This should give you enough time to sell enough shares to make the one billion peso donation.

Your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, said: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven (Matthew 19:21).” Is it so hard to imagine Him telling you to sell some of your stock and give to the victims of Sendong?

He also said that you cannot serve both God and Money (Matthew 6:24). Bishops of CBCP, show us once and for all which is your master. Donate one billion to the Sendong victims and prove that you are truly a Church of the Poor.

Sincerely,
Red Tani

44 comments

  1. The issure here is how we can help those flood victims. It’s so sad to know maraming tao dyan na nag aantay lang ng panahon makapanira sa kapwa. ginagamit nila itong kadahilanan upang tirahin ang simbahan. Reaksyon ko lang para kay Tani ay ito: UNA bata kapalang yung simbahang tinitira mo ay Matanda na, kamangmangan kung ang isang matanda ay magpapa oto sa isang isip bata. PANGALAWA kung sakaling i donate nga yung 1 billion at ang sabi mo may 17 billiones pa e pano kung may panibagong kalamidad nanaman di maghahamon kananaman ng isa pang biliion? Kalukuhan. PANGATLO lahat ng pagmamay ari ng simbahan ay kusang binibigay at hindi sapilitan na kapag umabsent ka magmumulta kana.PANGAPAT ang pera ng simbahan ay alay namin at hindi sa inyo bat parang may interest ka ata makiparte dito. PANGLIMA may pinaglalaanan ang simbahan charities na hindi na namin ibig ipaalam sa iyo kasi baka pagnanashan mo lang. The Church is doing its part and it is just urging for us true Christian to extend our belt. In fairness sa lahat kaya nga ayaw kung magbigay ng donations doon sa hindi ko tiyak kung kasapi ba sila ng Iglesia Katolika ay sa katuwirang balat kayo sila paawa effect para mabigyan humihingi sa mga Katolika tapos Katoliko rin ang binabatikos. Iyan ba ang turo ng inyong simbahan? Kawawa-an ka sana ng Diyos at huwag sana Niyang ipataw sayo ang puot na iyong nilikha.

  2. Eh Ang (INC)Corporation Sole ng mga Manalo? Trillion ang pera ng mga nun, dollars pa! Asan????????????? Piso lang, asan?????? Nakakabili nga ng bayan sa amerika.

  3. Further, the CBCP and the devout Catholic Pinoys shouldn't be worried about their cult wasting a billion here and there during disasters (that their so called god could have prevented but did not) – anyway, their god is omnipotent, he can give money to the church when it needs more for investment (couldn't it?).

  4. The CBCP is again full to the brim and outpouring with contradictions. These maladjusted virgin men in white dresses have constantly promoted the value of working for SPIRITUAL rewards in their so-called afterlife…meanwhile, in this life, they heavily invest in MATERIAL wealth, and dare not spend a large amount from their billions of pesos.

  5. Ah, yes. The product of religious zealotry, nation! Graceful charity, a calm demeanor, a serene and sincerely helpful spirit, and… oh, wait. Dammit.

  6. //You have to lift from anti-Catholic trashy sources that no one, not even the enemies of the church take seriously.//

    This, from the guy who cites the Family Research Council, Human Life International, and NARTH as credible sources for his arguments. Pardon me – my irony meter has blown a fuse.

  7. Hey fundies remember Japan? Goddidit.
    Now CDO. Goddidit too and he loves you so much.

    We're just cleaning up after him. now why donate to an organization that works for him?

  8. Hahahaha I can't believe Tani reads Jack Chick books. I guess any anti-Catholic material you can hold on to is reference for you like the calumnious video of the LaSalle talk you guys gave and never refuted. What a bunch of liars and fabricators. jack Chick…. LOL so much for being rational and reasonable and Freethinking!

  9. I dare Tani to go to CDO and work alongside the priests and religious and the Bishops who are right now up to their legs in mud! Puros ka lang salita at criticism. There are other ways in which the church helps other than money. Many of them are in the actual calamity area giving themselves. How about you?

  10. You Hypocrite, tumulong ka na lang instead of criticizing those already helping! Why don't you go to CDO and for once put your money and work where your mouth is and spend a week with the Bishop and his people who are working there. Puros kayo salita at criticism! Without Tani calling on Filipinos to help marami nag tumutulong! The Catholic schools, as early as sunday night, have already started while all you guys do is post arrogant accusations.

      • I think you should ask that of yourself and Tani. I don't have any obligation to justify any of my deeds to you but you being arrogantly critical, should! Look at the beam in your eye before you do your neighbor's!

    • //! The Catholic schools, as early as sunday night, have already started while all you guys do is post arrogant accusations. //

      Actually, we're posting arrogant accusations AND making donations while we're at it. It's the age of multitasking, grandpa – what makes you think we're only doing one of the two? 😉

  11. Stop yappin and just give. Isn't that everyone's sickness, to point the finger at who is supposedly not doing enough. The Church is the single biggest donor to charity worldwide. it has other pressing concerns worldwide other than this. It has mobilized what it can for this calamity but the other needs in other places in the world also need to be taken cared of. So instead of just saying to everyone, "thank you for what comes from the heart", you have the hypocrisy, self-righteousness and gall to demonize them.

    • //The Church is the single biggest donor to charity worldwide.//
      It's also one of the causes for the AIDs epidemic in Africa, and why RH programs are being stalled in countries with drastically high maternal death rates.

    • //The Church is the single biggest donor to charity worldwide//
      eehh wrong! and citations please 🙂

      how about Warren Buffette USD$30.7 billion

      try again.

      • My friend, your figure on Buffet is only in the U.S. When we talk about being the biggest (worldwide!), we not only talk about money but resources and manpower given! If you consolidate, year to year, the amount of donation in cash, kind, resources all the umbrella organizations, i.e. hospitals, schools, organizations, parishes and the Vatican itself, and quantify this in terms of actual money, it will dwarf any known private foundation in the world. It only takes a little common sense. The actual figures have not been calculated by anyone because it is difficult to quantify the data but I suppose it is easy to extrapolate it. In the U.S. alone Catholic Charities (the institution) gives around 3.4Billion a year. The Vatican alone gives approximately 40-80B a year disbursed for it's charitable work. Now multiply that what I mentioned above and you'll get the picture. The church has no interest in publicity and citations that is why it never says how much it gives.

        • "40-80B a year disbursed for it's charitable work." I hereby challenge the Vatican to do this "charity" work without proselytizing and coerced conversion…

          • Ahhh so we are adding another issue here. If you're stymied with the issue, maybe you should just keep quiet instead of digging a bigger hole for yourself.coercion, proselytizing…bwahahaha I think you confuse us with the INK. One basic example is my involvement in scholarships given by CAtholic schools never ever requires the recipient to be Catholic nor undergo any lessons. Only malicious minds create this scenario.Good Day!

    • Oh no. The Catholic Church is far richer than the FF. Well yes, we can individually give, but your pope is too stingy, so no.

    • That's great and all but the thing is about the Bishops and their treasures instead of the followers of the church.

      "He who wishes others to donate should cast the first peso" or something.

  12. Don’t worry, bago ka pa manawagan, tumutulong na ang simbahan. Sinusunod lang kasi ang utos na ‘ang ginawa ng kanang kamay, di dapat malaman ng kaliwa’. Isa pa, kung ilalagay sa pagtulong sa kalamidad ang lahat ng pera ng simbahan, paano na ang mga ampunan,home for the aged, mga pabahay, feeding programs, scholars at iba pang institusyong tumutulong sa mga tao mula sa simbahan? Ikaw, ano na nagawa mo? Sana yung letter mo, panawagan na lang sa kapwa natin na tumulong din. Sayang.

    • //Isa pa, kung ilalagay sa pagtulong sa kalamidad ang lahat ng pera ng simbahan, paano na ang mga ampunan,home for the aged, mga pabahay, feeding programs, scholars at iba pang institusyong tumutulong sa mga tao mula sa simbahan?//

      And what makes you think any of the Church's billions are going into the programs you mentioned?

  13. Dear CBCP,

    Your compatriots managed to rustle up millions of dollars in legal settlement fees during their sex abuse cases. It took them a few weeks to round up that money.

    Surely, you can do better, given how much more grave our situation is, hmmmm? 😉

  14. In addition, I also suggest that the CBCP designate 100% of THIS Sunday’s collections across the country to the relief fund. After all, it’s CHRISTmas! One Sunday in a year won’t make the church poor, would it?

  15. One billion will not be enough. For sure catholics will gather more than that. We need not to limit the generosity of catholics and men of good will; better than words.

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