A Tribute To Bishop Fortich at Diocese of Bacolod, Philippines, Bacolod City, Philippines 6100 PH - Champion of the Poor

Champion of the poor "I KNOW that you are working for human rights and I know that this work is risky for you and the Church, but the Church must continue working with the poor, otherwise, she will lose them," said Pope John Paul II during Bishop Emeritus Y. Fortich's Ad Limira visit in 1981. Pope John Paul's staunch support to social justice is a living legacy of Fortich, 89, who died yesterday of multiple organ failure at his hospital bed at Room 208 of the Riverside Medical Center. Fortich was born in Aug. 11, 1913 in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental. He is the eldest son of Ignacio Fortich and Rosalia Yapsutco. He was ordained priest in March 4, 1944 by Manila Bishop Michael O' Doherty, He took up his Classic, Philosophy and Theology at San Sebastian Seminary, in Manila. Fortich as bishop Fortich, who was then the vicar general and parish priest of San Sebastian Cathedral, was designated as Apostolic Administrator after Bishop Manuel Yap died in Oct. 16, 1966. Because of numerous petitions sent to the Pope, Rome appointed him as the third bishop of Bacolod and took over as its pastor on Feb. 17, 1967. His work with the mass movement, which earned him a nomination to the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, had endeared him to most of the flock at a time of great ferment in the world. By the time Fortich took over, many of the changes in the Church had filtered down the local churches. Among the significant changes during his stint as Bacolod's bishop was the Encyclical issued by Pope Paul VI regarding the role of the Church in the modern world, which revolutionalized the thinking in social work. Fortich had to walk the tightrope as the new thought, like Christians for National Liberation and Liberation Theology, competed for the hearts and minds of both clergy and laity. He had to keep the Church within the path of modernization and activism in the light of the Church's social doctrines. The province had always been the focus of many social and political controversies because of its socio-economic condition. In 1968, a Pastoral Congress was held in Bacolod to assess these conditions and to define the role of the Church in addressing these oppressive situations in the light of the Papal Encyclicals. Fortich then issued a pastoral letter that provided the new direction of the diocese in relation to the endemic problems of Negros. In implementing the points in the pastoral letter, mass organization of cooperatives and labor unions and even in commercial establishments were initiated. The Kauswagan Project and the Dacongcogon Rice and Sugar Cooperative Mill were organized in the hinterland of Kabankalan City. The new thrust of the diocese, with Fortich at the realm, was not without cost. Big landowners, political kingpins and their tentacles of power, instigated massive attacks against Fortich and the clergy, accusing them of being communist or allies and protectors of the communist, the National Democratic Front and the New People's Army (NPA). Members of the clergy were even subjected to many forms of harassment, including the charge of murder and immorality. Fortich earned the moniker as "Commander Tony." Threats At the height of social activism in Negros, threats to his life were frequent. A grenade was lobbed at his residence in Domus Dei where he found a home after the Bishop's Palace was burned under mysterious circumstances. The clergy, both diocese and religious, and the majority of the faithful rallied behind Fortich despite continuous attacks against them. When Pope John Paul II decided to come to Bacolod in February 1981, the visit was interpreted as support of the Holy Father for his work and that of the clergy. In his speech, the Pope referred to the social work of the Diocese in trying to defuse the eruption of the "social volcano." Lost in the din of social activism were the pastoral work that the Bishop initiated. More mass-based religious organizations were organized, the active participation of the faithful in church activities multiplied, changes in pastor-relationships improved, more young people entered the seminary, more parishes were created. Retirement On Aug. 11, 1998 Fortich retired after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75. He was replaced by Bishop Camilo D. Gregorio. Most of the significant honors and awards he received include -- 1973 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for Public Service; named as City of Bacolod "Ang Banwahanon Award" for Achievement in Civic Action in 1974; awarded by the De la Salle University the Signum Meriti Medal for being a fearless and courageous spokesman on behalf of social justice in April 20, 1985; awarded by the concerned Women of the Philippines the "Human Rights Peace Award" in Dec. 9, 1988; and nominee to the "Nobel Peace Prize" in 1989. AZA/Bishop's House Periodicals

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