Amid floods, Pampanga archbishop calls out corruption

SUBMERGED Floodwaters surround a church at Barangay Sta. Lutgarda in Macabebe, Pampanga, in this photo taken on Aug. 29. Widespread flooding affected at least 100 of the 505 barangays in the province amid persistent monsoon rains and high tide. —Barangay Sta. Lutgarda photo CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, PAMPANGA, Philippines — Archbishop Florentino Lavarias of San Fernando, Pampanga, on Tuesday urged Filipinos to criticize corruption and expose wrongdoing, but to do so with good intentions rather than out of revenge. Lavarias made the appeal during Pampanga’s celebration of the 70th anniversary of the canonical coronation of the Virgen de los Remedios, as widespread and prolonged flooding continued to batter the province amid allegations of corruption involving public funds for flood control projects. Catch basin “The wrongs we see, yes, we have to criticize. Those that are not right and destroy lives, let us point them out. But let us do so with good intentions, not to exact revenge,” said Lavarias, leader of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Fernando, in Kapampangan during the homily. Article continues after this advertisement READ: OCD: 330 barangays in Pampanga still flooded The Mass was held at the Repository Chapel of the Virgen de los Remedios at Barangay San Jose in this Pampanga capital, as more than 100 of the province’s 505 villages remained submerged under 0.6 meters to 1.8 meters (2 feet to 6 feet) of floodwater brought by continuous monsoon rains and high tide. Pampanga, which is part of the catch basin of the Pampanga River, has experienced widespread flooding in recent weeks. After reflecting on the obedience of Mary and the second reading about forgiveness, Lavarias also urged the faithful not to be complacent in the face of corruption. He said forgiveness does not mean ignoring wrongdoing or allowing those responsible to continue causing harm. Article continues after this advertisement “God tells us to forgive. But that does not mean everything is all right. A person who has harmed you may do so again, so one must remain wary,” the prelate said. Pampanga received some P14.5 billion worth of flood control projects funded through allocations channeled through Congress, according to the government website Sumbong sa Pangulo. Article continues after this advertisement Gov. Lilia Pineda, who reenacted the crowning of the image during the celebration, said she had been urging national government agencies to involve local government units in identifying and monitoring flood control projects since she was first elected governor in 2010. Meanwhile, local anticorruption movements in Pampanga’s third and fourth districts have joined the crusade of charity and penance inspired by the Marian devotion to the Virgen de los Remedios. Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Your subscription has been successful. The devotion was revived in 1956 by the late Bishop Cesar Maria Guerrero amid agrarian unrest and the growing influence of socialist and communist movements in the province. /cb