223 Philippines active re Timor

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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