BACOLOD CITY – Help the poor, the landless and the homeless. This was the message conveyed by San Carlos Bishop Gerardo Alminaza as Filipinos marked Labor Day and the feast of St. Joseph the Worker on Wednesday. Prompted by the Church’s preferential option for the poor, and the Diocese of San Carlos’ fact-finding recommendations, Alminaza instructed the Basic Ecclesial Communities (BEC) to accompany the Sagay massacre survivors and families in their quest for justice. “The land issue is a very important economic aspect in the lives of our farmers and must be part of reflections among BEC cluster groups, so that our poor farmers may not feel alone in their plight,” he said. Alminaza also called on leaders of the different farmers’ groups to always make paramount the well-being of their fellow poor farmers as well as for Catholic landowners to prioritize the interest of the common good and to denounce violence and greed.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer May 01, 2019 11:37 UTC