Religious delusions
First posted 01:13am (Mla time) July 01, 2006
Inquirer
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=7563
Editor's Note: Published on Page A14 of the July 1, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
I AM living in the United States but I find the news item “Gov’t letting Lafayette rape us some more, says bishops” (Inquirer, 6/19/06) disturbing. It showed that some of our Catholic Church leaders are delusional -- they sound as if everything they say and do is correct and mandated by heaven.
Take Bishop Arturo Bastes. After being invited by the government to head the Rapu-Rapu Fact-Finding Commission (RRFFC), he now has nothing good to say about a ruling issued by the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on the matter.
It is the right of Bishop Bastes, and of any ordinary citizen, to disagree with the DENR. But without any real knowledge on mining and the environment, Bishop Bastes cannot be allowed to throw tantrums in his desire to superimpose his opinion over the scientific findings of the experts whom the DENR assembled to help it come up with the correct ruling.
With all due respect to Bishop Bastes, the days of Padre Damaso are long since over. At the very least, he should respect the constitutional principle of the separation of Church and State. What will he threaten us with next time? Excommunication?
The big mistake probably was that Bishop Bastes, a known anti-mining personality, was appointed to head the RRFFC. Had a more objective person been asked to head the commission, I believe that its report and recommendations would have been very similar to those of the DENR.
The DENR ruling calls for a 30-day test run to ensure that Lafayette adheres to environmentally sound mining practices and that there won’t be a repeat of the wastewater spills last year. If Lafayette flunks the test, out it will go. I see no better ruling than that, especially since the effects of the wastewater spills were grossly exaggerated by anti-mining forces.
Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes also whipped in shape the field men of the DENR as he acknowledged some lapses committed by them in monitoring Lafayette’s operation.
But as Sen. Edgardo Angara has said on Rapu-Rapu, “all’s well that ends well.” As long as the environment and mining communities are protected, there should be no reason for Filipinos not to be given the chance to benefit fully from the country’s rich mineral resources.
JENINA BANDY (via e-mail)
Inquirer
http://news.inq7.net/archive_article/index.php?ver=1&index=1&story_id=7563
Editor's Note: Published on Page A14 of the July 1, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
I AM living in the United States but I find the news item “Gov’t letting Lafayette rape us some more, says bishops” (Inquirer, 6/19/06) disturbing. It showed that some of our Catholic Church leaders are delusional -- they sound as if everything they say and do is correct and mandated by heaven.
Take Bishop Arturo Bastes. After being invited by the government to head the Rapu-Rapu Fact-Finding Commission (RRFFC), he now has nothing good to say about a ruling issued by the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on the matter.
It is the right of Bishop Bastes, and of any ordinary citizen, to disagree with the DENR. But without any real knowledge on mining and the environment, Bishop Bastes cannot be allowed to throw tantrums in his desire to superimpose his opinion over the scientific findings of the experts whom the DENR assembled to help it come up with the correct ruling.
With all due respect to Bishop Bastes, the days of Padre Damaso are long since over. At the very least, he should respect the constitutional principle of the separation of Church and State. What will he threaten us with next time? Excommunication?
The big mistake probably was that Bishop Bastes, a known anti-mining personality, was appointed to head the RRFFC. Had a more objective person been asked to head the commission, I believe that its report and recommendations would have been very similar to those of the DENR.
The DENR ruling calls for a 30-day test run to ensure that Lafayette adheres to environmentally sound mining practices and that there won’t be a repeat of the wastewater spills last year. If Lafayette flunks the test, out it will go. I see no better ruling than that, especially since the effects of the wastewater spills were grossly exaggerated by anti-mining forces.
Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes also whipped in shape the field men of the DENR as he acknowledged some lapses committed by them in monitoring Lafayette’s operation.
But as Sen. Edgardo Angara has said on Rapu-Rapu, “all’s well that ends well.” As long as the environment and mining communities are protected, there should be no reason for Filipinos not to be given the chance to benefit fully from the country’s rich mineral resources.
JENINA BANDY (via e-mail)
posted by lrcluzonblog at
12:26 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home