A non-government organization recently attributed
the lack of employment opportunities as the main reason why many Filipinos,
particularly the young people, are seeking jobs in other countries.
This was a rejoinder to the statement of Fr. Edwin Corros,
executive secretary of the Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants
and Itinerant People of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
(CBCP), who voiced concern over reports that Filipinos seeking jobs abroad are
getting younger.
Francisco S. Javier, secretary of the Penpower for
Democracy and Good Government (PDGG), said that instead of helping provide jobs
for our young people, some bishops and priests had been working for the closure
of mining firms and other manufacturing industries giving revenues to the
government and thousands of
employment.
He cited a recent open letter to President Gloria
Mapacagal Arroyo that appeared in a national newspaper signed by the bishop of
Tandag who is also CBCP’s vice president, the parish priest of Bislig City
and two other church people seeking the closure of a wood-based industry there
over unfounded and baseless charges.
He pointed out that the
signatories included known illegal loggers with many pending cases against them,
squatters and land speculators out to take over the forest holdings of the
company.
Javier also cited the bishop of Albay who almost succeeded in
aborting the Rapu-Rapu
flagship mining project in the province over fish kill reports and other
environmental bugaboos that turned out to be a hoax as established by concerned
agencies.
He said that the mine had now on its employ over 1,000 people
in the erstwhile marginal fishing village, but because of the incessant calls for
its closure by the bishop and allied environmentalists, the mining firm might
close down for good.
“If these church people succeed in padlocking all
industries they perceived as evil, our young people will have no place to go but
in other countries where many end up as domestic helpers or entertainers,” he
said.
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