PEACE-MAKER
Jose de Venecia Jr.Former Speaker of the House
We are saddened by the recent passing of our old family friend, spiritual adviser, and shepherd of the Roman Catholic flock in the archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan for 18 years, from 1991 to 2009, Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz.
He was such a fearless and outspoken prelate that he never minced words in blasting public officials, including sitting presidents, on matters of national concern like corruption, illegal gambling, charter change, divorce, the use of contraceptives, among many others. He also castigated priests and bishops who were involved in financial and sexual scandals in the Catholic Church.
Even we, as then Speaker of the House, were not spared by his stinging criticism whenever he disagreed with our stand on political issues and legislative initiatives.
Archbishop Cruz had an unequivocal stand on all issues besetting our Philippine society and he was intrepid in speaking his mind.
He was simply undaunted.
Beneath his tough public image, however, was a man with a compassionate heart and who deeply loved our country and people, especially the poor and oppressed.
On a more personal note, me and my wife Gina and our family will always be grateful to him for providing us spiritual solace during the lowest moment in our lives, when our 16-year-old daughter KC perished in a fire that gutted our Makati home in December 16, 2004.
Archbishop Cruz’s words of comfort and reassurance in the midst of our immense grief helped our family overcome the painful tragedy.
The man who wanted to be an agriculturist as a young man and whose father wished that he become a lawyer became a profound theologian, brilliant Canon lawyer, and remarkable president of the highly-respected Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
We in Dagupan and Pangasinan were blessed by God and the Blessed Virgin Mary of Manaoag for giving us the late Archbishop Cruz and his successor Archbishop Socrates “Soc” Villegas, who both truly loved the Church, our country and the Filipino people.
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We find deplorable the terrorist bombings in Jolo, Sulu a few days ago which, as of this writing, killed 17 people and wounded more than 70 others.
Like a thief in the night, the terror attack came at a time when our country, indeed the whole world, was in the midst of the battle against the Coronavirus pandemic which continues to claim lives and inflict damage to people’s health and well-being as well as the economy.
Like the raging Covid-19 plague, solidarity and cooperation among countries are needed as no nation can solely face the global threat of terrorism and violent extremism.
In the meantime, we hope that the people or group behind the despicable act in Jolo would be dealt with by the full force of law.