TACLOBAN CITY — Even as Typhoon ‘Tino’ battered Eastern Visayas, soldiers from the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division clashed with communist rebels in the hinterlands of Llorente and Gen. MacArthur towns in Eastern Samar on November 3, resulting in the death of one New People’s Army (NPA) member.
The firefight erupted as troops of the 63rd Infantry Battalion were conducting focused military operations against remnants of the Sub-Regional Committee (SRC) Sesame under the Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee (EVRPC), a report from the 8th ID, based in Catbalogan City, Samar, said on Thursday, Nov.6.
The slain rebel was identified as Joel Bobonao, also known as ‘Pen’ or ‘Jack’. Recovered from the encounter site were a .45 caliber pistol with ammunition, several firearm magazines, and personal belongings. The rest of the armed group reportedly fled after being outmaneuvered by government forces despite the adverse weather.
Major General Adonis Ariel Orio, commander of the 8th ID, commended his troops for their persistence and bravery in maintaining peace and security in the region even under extreme conditions.
“Even as our troops face harsh weather and hazardous terrain, their dedication to protect our people and sustain peace in Eastern Visayas remains unwavering,” Orio said in a statement. “This encounter shows that the remaining CPP-NPA members in the region are losing community support.”
The 8ID reiterated its call for remaining members of the NPA to surrender and avail themselves of the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) to reintegrate into society.
Meanwhile, the division said its units remain on heightened alert for both internal security operations and humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) efforts amid Typhoon Tino.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
Respecting sacred places
WITH recent cases of sacred places being desecrated, we need to remind ourselves that it is our duty to give these places due respect since they hold deep cultural or religious significance, and they also arouse strong emotional connection with the people. We are reminded of this duty in that gospel episode where Christ drove away those who turned the temple into a market place. (cfr. Jn 2,13-22)
In this regard, we have to be mindful of the rules and customs associated with these sacred places and respect them, like dressing in a way that is respectful of the place and its significance, keeping a respectful demeanor, avoiding loud noises, disruptive behavior or disrespectful actions.
We have to be most careful with our tendency to trivialize sacred places, items and events. With the sacred, all we have to do is utmost reverence, putting all our faith in them, knowing that through natural and human elements, we are touching the supernatural dimension of our life, we are touching the very life of God.
This reality should never be lost in our consciousness. Whenever we get involved in the sacred, as when we attend Mass or go to confession, or read the gospel, etc., we need to make many acts of faith, hope and charity to be able to capture the wonderful reality of being intimate with God.
We have to be careful because nowadays, with all the galloping pace of our earthly concerns and developments, we can easily end up treating the sacred things as one more item to be attended to, often with a cursory attitude.
We need to put all our mind and heart, all our senses and faculties into the celebration of these sacred things. Our whole selves should be involved there. We have to be aware with the reality of who we are dealing with in these sacred acts. We are not dealing with people only, much less with things only. We are directly dealing with God!
It therefore stands to reason that before we get involved in these sacred activities, we prepare ourselves properly. We have to stir up our faith and devotion, priming our heart and mind to align ourselves with the reality involved.
That is why we need to spend time preparing ourselves before the celebration of the liturgy, especially the Holy Mass. This is especially so with priests. We, priests, have to spend some time in prayer before celebrating the Mass to see to it that we are assuming the very name and person of Christ who is both priest and victim, the one who both offers and is offered.
We need to develop a sense of the sacred. When we pray, for example, we should see to it that the words really spring from the heart, a heart already filled with faith and love for God, since out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. The lips and the heart should be in harmony. And when many people pray together, the prayer should form a lovely symphony.
What can help is that when we pray, we should think to whom are we talking, what are we saying, how should we say it, with what sentiments should accompany it, what resolutions should come from it.
I remember that as a kid I saw old women in the church praying, and I could not help but be moved to see their faces brighten and darken as they prayed. I understood then that they were talking to God, and what they talked about was reflected on their faces. That is clearly having a sense of the sacred.