A Tribute To Bishop Fortich at Diocese of Bacolod, Philippines, Bacolod City, Philippines 6100 PH - A Man of God

Man of God, man of peace By Benedicto Q. Sanchez ONLY two men managed to interrupt the 1989 regional plenum of the Negros Island Communist Party Committee. One used the instrument of war, the other the way of peace. Brig. Gen. Raymundo Jarque launched Operation Thunderbolt, which declared the entire southern Chicks area of Negros Occidental a no-man's land. Not only did the military campaign forcibly displace 35,000 civilians, it also managed to delay the plenum by a month. Several regional cadres couldn't get in for sometime in Candoni's forests, the meeting site. It took several of the 301st Brigade's battalions to almost choke the area. Bishop Antonio Y. Fortich had an easier time drawing out the leading Community Party of the Philippines (CPP) regional cadres and New People's Army (NPA) commanders. The plenum took a break when the regional party secretary and several regional executive committee members, which included rebel priest Frank Fernandez hiked under cover of darkness for two days to meet him in Candoni. The meeting lasted for less than an hour. The CPP-NPA had an unconditional trust for Bishop Fortich, a far cry from the Party's classification of him in the early 1970s as a "reactionary." Although unjustly called Kumander Tony by his detractors, he had never advocated nor blessed armed struggle. But he also realized that peace can never be achieved without justice for the "poor, deprived and the oppressed." Under his watch, the parishes and the Sacred Heart Seminary sheltered evacuees of the armed conflict. Yet, Bishop Fortich can make the most ardent Communist uncomfortable. In his presence during the 1987 ceasefire, avowed communist atheists were embarrassed to categorically admit their non-belief in a Supreme Deity. Even his priests who joined the Party insisted at that time that they still consider themselves as clergy. But all of them rose through its ranks to become leading cadres, which can only happen if they openly profess their belief in "scientific atheism." As a Vicar of Christ, Bishop Fortich's prayers would certainly include attainment of peace based on justice. Another would be for those who forsook the Faith to return to its fold. He never condemned the clergy who left the Church to join the Party, surely praying for their eventual return to the Church, as the prodigal son returned to the father. His prayers and that of countless others have been partially answered. Many of his flock who joined the Party abandoned it in the 1990s. Of his priests, only Fern ndez remained. The split between the Reaffirmists and the Rejectionists in the 1990s disillusioned many cadres with the Party and the revolution. They opted to quietly rejoin mainstream society, refusing to join any of the underground or aboveground Marxist-Leninist factions. A sizable number re-embraced their Catholic faith. One of the clergy opted to return to the priesthood. While some priests shed the "reverend" from their titles to become full-time fathers to their children, a few became lay theologians. A regional cadre who was once a seminarian joined the Couples for Christ, an organization known from distancing itself from revolutionary politics. Many of the regional and district cadres who left the Party joined non-Party NGOs. Having studied in Catholic schools or were once panimbahon members, they rejected their Faith when they joined the Party. But even then, they retained many of its core spiritual values of love of neighbor, especially of the poor. Almost all those who left the Party continued to work for justice, using non-violent means. They expanded their concerns to include food security, environmental protection and good governance. A few even cooperate critically with the government to achieve their vision of a just society. Bishop Fortich would have died happy. He lived to see many of these changes happen in his lifetime. (Note: Except for Frank Fernandez, the article purposely left out the names of the Party cadres who left the organization. Used to working in the underground, they now choose to live quietly, now as then, away from the spotlight.)

(Back)