The population of the Philippines topped 100 million on Sunday with the birth of a girl called Chanolyn in a Manila hospital. The baby girl was given a cake, infant clothes and other gifts by health and population commission officers. She is the daughter of Dailin Cabigayan, a resident of Sampaloc, Manila. Baby Chonalyn is Read more
Health care workers in the Philippines can refuse on conscience grounds to provide state–mandated contraception to patients, the nation’s bishops say. And these workers may also refuse to refer a patient to anywhere else contraception may be obtained, the bishops said in a statement. On July 9, the Philippines’ bishops’ conference issued what they called Read more
A priest in the Philippines who scolded and harangued an unwed teenage mother at her baby’s Baptism has apologised, but may face sanctions. A video of the incident at a church in Cebu province was posted on Facebook by the 17-year-old’s grandmother. The video was also posted on Brute Show’s YouTube account, which provided an English Read more
An image of the Child Jesus stands in the midst of the rubble, leaning – naked and homeless – against a wall that is about to be torn down. Images of the Child Jesus, popularly known as the Santo Nino, have been dislodged from their altars as the shanties of slum dwellers in five villages Read more
A mysterious death threat turned Filipino priest Fr Elric Jorquia’s path towards New Zealand. A young priest from a sleepy town in Malaybalay, Southern Philippines, Fr Jorquia was surprised by a call from a journalist friend who informed him of the threat. In October 2012, the Malaybalay police conducted an operation where a killer for Read more
The world’s largest Buddhist charity is helping rebuild a Catholic Church in the Philippines that was badly damaged in Super-typhoon Haiyan last year. The Tzu Chi Foundation is donating US$670,000 for the reconstruction of the Santo Nino parish church in Tacloban City. This show of generosity has been warmly welcomed by the Church. As many Read more
A cross stands high over the city of Palo, a little askew and battered by the wind but holding on strong – a symbol of hope. Much has been written about Super Typhoon Haiyan and the destruction it left in its wake. The destruction is as bad as I’ve seen, and I’ve been to many Read more
The new head of the Catholic bishops’ conference says Church leaders in the Philippines have failed to evangelize the faithful despite there being large numbers of Filipino Catholics. “Many of our people do not even know the fundamentals of our faith,” Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan said in a pastoral letter on the Year of Read more
Mulvarosa Pibilra Perote is one of more than 500 survivors of Typhoon Haiyan who are taking shelter in a seminary in Tacloban city. The building has been turned into an evacuation centre, where Caritas and its partners are delivering aid. Mulvarosa, a 57-year-old grandmother, was at home when the storm hit, along with five of Read more
Armistice Day 2013 was particularly sobering. The traditional memorials were kept, all with solemnity due in honouring memory of the dead, the witness of veterans and laments for current conflicts. Sadly, however, evidence would suggest that war will remain a means for political ambition and solution for impasse. Hope for better may be forlorn. Perhaps Read more