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

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Friday, July 04, 2003 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 Brothers in Communion with the Poor Bro. Karl M. Gaspar, CSsR A paper presented at the National Convention of Religious Brothers of the Philippines University of St. La Salle, Bacolod City October 18 to 20, 2002 [In this conference Br. Karl Gaspar presents Oblate Brother Mauricio ZUYCO as an example of a religious brother who is close to the poor and sure of his identity. The author’s considerations may contribute to our own ongoing reflection on the vocation of the Brothers. – Sub-titles added by the editor.] I t is very significant that we gather as Brothers here in Bacolod City in time for the Masskara Festival. [“Mass” means people and “kara” face. A festival where revelers don elaborate masks and costumes and dance to Latin rhythms Mardi Gras style.] It provides a symbol useful in probing and celebrating the identity of the Brothers. Bacolod City is, of course, the gateway to the island of Negros. When we hear the name Negros, I am sure various images appear in our minds whether or not this is the first time we visit this island. There is the image of the "social volcano" popularized by the former Bishop of the Diocese of Bacolod, Bishop Antonio Fortich. For anthropologists and historians, there is the image of Papa Isiao, the legendary revolutionary hero whose sacred space in Mt. Kanlaon is akin to Hermano Pule's Mt. Banahaw. There is also the enduring image of the contrast between the rich landlords and the oppressed sacadas, the migratory agricultural workers from Antique whose lives have been chronicled in dramatic documentaries such as the explosive book of Fr. Junie Jesena S.J. entitled The Sacadas of Negros which appeared in the early 70's. As Bro. Armin mentioned […], there is also the image of that boy whose emaciated face appeared on the cover of Asiaweek, revealing the massive extent of hunger and malnutrition here in Negros, during los tiempos muertos, the last years of the autumn of the dictatorship of Marcos when the price of sugar collapsed. I remember that period vividly because 1985 was the year I did my postulancy among the sacadas in La Granja, just outside Bacolod in a sugar cane plantation owned by one of Marcos' cronies. Given these images, I find it most appropriate to share some thoughts and reflections on the topic that was assigned to me, namely, “Brothers in Communion with the Poor.” If there is one, place in the country where poverty in its stark reality can face you squarely in the eye, it is here in Negros. If there is one spot in the entire archipelago where a Brother can truly be in communion with the poor, it is here in Negros – the land of contrasts and contradictions. The leitmotif of the mask – as embodied in the theatre's iconic symbol of the masks of joy and sorrow – is a fitting symbol of this island. Fortich's causes getting donations BY CARLA GOMEZ Donations yesterday continued to pour in for the Bishop Antonio Y. Fortich Peace Foundation and the Priests' Care Foundation at the wake for the prelate at the San Sebastian Cathedral in Bacolod City. The donations ranged from very small amounts from the poor to large amounts from the wealthy who want to keep the mission of Fortich going even in death, those manning the secretariat said. Fortich, 89, passed away Wednesday from multiple organ failure after a lingering illness. Among the visitors who came to the wake were Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes on Thursday and Agrarian Reform Secretary Roberto Pagdanganan yesterday. Pagdanganan said he greatly admired Fortich's cause for the poor. Fortich exuded sincerity, he did not just say things about helping others, he did them all throughout his life, Pagdanganan said. Fortich is a great inspiration for people like me who would like to be able to do something for people also, Pagdanganan said. Businessman Eduardo Cojuangco, who was in Bacolod yesterday, also said Fortich "is a great loss to all the Negrenses. He was the champion of the masses, not only to the Church but to Negrenses whom he served so long and so well." Laywer Jose Ma. Kilayko said Fortich was a kind man, he never heard him speak a bad word against others even when he was being attacked. Msgr. Victorino Rivas, Vicar General of the Diocese of Bacolod, said the peace foundation was created by Fortich in 1990 to provide scholarships for poor but deserving students. Fortich wanted to empower the young so they could go back to their communities and help promote social justice, Rivas said. The foundation was also organized to hold seminars and lectures on peace. The objective of the foundation is to continue Fortich's advocacy for peace and the promotion of human rights, Rivas said. The Priests' Care Foundation, on the other hand, was created to help retired and sick priests, Rivas added. Fortich only last year donated P50,000 out of the sale of his own small family property in Dumaguete City to the Priests' Care Foundation. The rest of the money from the property sale, Fortich left for the care of his ailing sister, Caridad, 88, Rivas said. Fortich loved his fellow priests well that is why he wanted to help set up this foundation, Rivas added. As of yesterday afternoon the donations being given in lieu of flowers had reached P183,000, Ann Ledesma of the secretariat, said. The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod on Thursday passed a resolution expressing the deepest bereavement of the SP on the demise of Fortich and placing at half-mast the Philippine flag at the Bacolod City Hall. Fortich has touched the lives of the Citizens of Bacolod City in his long years in the ministry, and it is only fitting that he be honored, the SP said. Flowers at the wake came from, among others, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Vice President Teofisto Guingona, Senators Sergio Osmeña, Franklin Drilon and Manuel Villar, Cabinet Secretaries Reyes, Mar Roxas - Trade, Joey Lina - Local Governments, and former defense secretary Renato de Villa.*CPG BISHOP EMERITUS ANTONIO YAPSUTCO FORTICH Fortich, ‘poor man’s bishop,’ dies at 89 By Inday Espina-Varona and Ma. Ester Espina, Correspondents The man they called Kumander Tony died on Wednesday, 8:15 a.m., in Bacolod City. Bishop Emeritus Antonio Y. Fortich would have turned 90 on August 11. His doctor at the Riverside Medical Center, where he had been confined since April 28, diagnosed the cause of death as sepsis comitant with multiple organ failure and diabetis mellitus. Fortich, who served as Bacolod diocese bishop from 1967 to 1989, had been ailing from a succession of mild strokes since November, but his death still surprised many. Perhaps it was because of his larger-than-life image, the clout he retained even after retirement. Over the weekend, President Arroyo, whose husband, Jose Miguel, comes from Negros, urged prayers for Fortich. “He is singularly distinguished for his commitment to the poor and for guiding the Church toward the less fortunate among us,” Mrs. Arroyo said. Former Presidents Corazon C. Aquino and Fidel V. Ramos had also called up the hospital to ask about Fortich’s health. As did deposed President Joseph Estrada, who enjoyed bantering with the bishop. The Archbishop of Manila, Jaime Cardinal Sin, said the Church is blessed for having a valiant pastor like Fortich. “I am sure that wherever he is, he will continue to intercede for us, so that genuine justice and peace may dwell in our land,” Sin said. Archbishop Orlando Quevedo, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), described Fortich as a great disciple of Christ and a faithful messenger of the gospel of Love and Justice. “He is a vigorous defender of the poor,” he said. CBCP secretary-general Msgr. Hernando Coronet said the bishops will miss Fortich’s dedication to his work and that his commitment to justice, peace and development will always be remembered. A great loss In Bacolod and the rest of Negros Island, the loss is felt at a deeply personal level, by both clergy and laymen, including non-Catholics. News of Fortich’s death caused many to break down in the middle of work. Rowena Guanzon, a lawyer, was in a Davao City courtroom when she heard the news. “I wanted to cry,” she told The Times. Guanzon, who is cutting short a provincial trip to pay her last respects to Bacolod’s fighting bishop, said, “Fortich’s work and life should be remembered as a beacon of light, at a time when the Church faces a great upheaval over tawdry sexual scandals.” “I thought he would live forever,” sighed Councilor Celia Flor. “In his ailment and old age, he accommodated to say early-morning Mass, with only three of us celebrating with him. This was early last year. Few flock ever had such a good shepherd.” Not all of Negros Island’s Catholic faithful agree. In the late 1980s right-wing landowners organized rallies to protest Fortich’s strong stand on agrarian reform. They called him and other priests subversives and communists, for fighting against socioeconomic conditions that earned Negros a reputation as a “social volcano.” In his temporary residence, at Domus Dei, where Fortich stayed following a fire that gutted the Bishop’s Palace beside the San Sebastian Cathedral, landowners would square off with evacuees from military operations and militant sugar workers. Fortich spent tens of millions in Church funds for social work, especially at the height of the sugar crisis, also during the term of former President Aquino, when hundreds of malnourished children died. In one of his homilies, he said the scope of hunger and poverty, worsened by Negros’ hacienda system, had expanded the seasonal tiempo muerto (dead season) into tiempo del muerto (a time of death). People skills Many of his critics, however, would later change their views. Many of the causes Fortich and his loyal clergy fought for have been vindicated with the passage of laws and the gradual shift in government policy, though Negros remains a hotbed of insurgency. The vicar general, Msgr. Vic Rivas, said Fortich, born to landowning parents in Sibulan, Negros Oriental, “learned how to use influence and power not for himself but always for others.” Rivas cried in remembering the bishop, who remains a role model for Filipino priests. “His only extravagance was his fondness for entertaining people, being hospitable to friends, and ensuring that the rich contribute to help the poor,” he said. Fortich never lost his temper with the landowners or with military officers who had made Negros a laboratory for what they called “low-intensity conflict.” He would thunder from the pulpit but would have a ready smile, a firm handshake and jokes aplenty for visiting personages from the other side of the political divide. Alluding to the Church’s present-day challenges, Rivas said of Fortich: “If you lived with him, you would be comfortable because of his kindness and compassion.” Fortich was so famous that Vatican officials swarmed around him during a trip in the 1990s. He was known for his fierce defense of the oppressed and his belief in stretching the limits of the Church’s “preferential option for the poor,” Rivas noted. “Yet his people skills were so good that he never really earned enemies.” And even conservative Vatican officials were drawn to the prelate with ever ready one-liners, and the ability to seamlessly blend theology with homespun wisdom. Larger than life Fortich was big in all ways. Tall with a nose veering to Roman stature. He walked with gravitas and laughed with his belly. His playful slaps on the back could hurt. Every day at the Bishop’s Palace and his Domus Dei residence was open house. He was charismatic and earned admiration worldwide when he persuaded the visiting conservative Pope John Paul II to include in his 1980 homily a denunciation of institutionalized injustice in the sugar industry and the Marcos dictatorship in general. Fortich’s humor put him in good stead as he tried the almost impossible task of mediating between the haves and have-nots among his flock. He would stride out to greet demonstrating landowners, grinning and dishing out gruff jokes. Journalists would be reduced to laughter as men and women who’d screamed at Kumander Tony minutes before would be reduced to kissing his ring and laughing at his comments. His championing the poor led to earlier brushes with death. In 1987 members of a right-wing vigilante group lobbed a grenade into the Domus Dei. The attack was clearly aimed at the bishop, who survived only because the grenade landed on the branches of a nearby tree. Past midnight, he greeted journalists with a slain sparrow cradled in his hands. The bird, he told us, was just like any poor citizen caught in the crossfire of contending ideological forces. The next day he had the sparrow stuffed and mounted on his desk. Even his critics were horrified by the attack and Negros’ elite sent out a firm message: rallies were all right but the bishop was untouchable. The incident did not douse Fortich’s fire. At the height of Operation Thunderbolt in 1989, when military officials tried to block Church food missions to evacuees, claiming supplies were being diverted to communist rebels, the bishop delivered another classic line: “A hungry stomach knows no color.” Fortich would eventually broker the return from the hills of Brig. Gen. Raymundo Jarque, the officer who masterminded Thunderbolt and then joined the rebels when caught between feuding landowners. Surveying Jarque’s press conference, Fortich laughed. “Surreal,” he said. “Only in the Philippines.” A priest’s bishop So well loved was Fortich by priests that his successor, retired Bishop Camilo Gregorio, found himself scrambling to fill a giant’s shoes. “He was always there for us,” Rivas said. “He would scold us if we did wrong but he would always go to the mat for a priest in trouble.” At that time there was little talk of sexual abuse. Almost immediately after taking over Fortich’s post, Gregorio drove off the evacuees that had taken shelter at the Domus Dei. Irate, the rural folk marched to the remodeled Bishop’s Palace, where the new bishop had taken to holding exclusive cultural affairs. They set up camp with the help of priests. Landowners came to Gregorio’s rescue, manhandled a few of the priests, and started a war of attrition between the new bishop and priests weaned on Fortich’s activist ways. Gregorio would later retire. Rivas said it was not the bishop’s fault that a number of Negros’ best and brightest priests and nuns joined the communist movement. The times merely called a few to a higher struggle, he explained. The list of Negros’ rebel religious is illustrious: Luis Jalandoni and Connie Ledesma came from landed clans. Frank Fernandez, alleged head of the regional party committee, was a top scholar and being groomed for higher posts, as were Vicente Pellobello and Alan Abadesco. Other rebels from the Church ranks were Ben Escrupulo–who has since returned to the clergy–and Norma Muger, his wife in the underground movement; and Sol Fuentespina and Carlos Alones. Fernandez and the Jalandoni couple are with the mainstream communist movement; Fuentespina is with the rejectionist faction. Alones is still involved with the legal labor movement. “He was an inspiration,” said Fr. Greg Patino. “At that time, the Church marched to a different drum beat.” Perhaps not, but as Lakas Rep. Apolinario Lozada Jr. of the Fifth District, Negros Occidental, said, “Fortich broke down the walls between the rich and the poor–or tried his best to do that.” A people’s pastor “Negros is grieving,” said Gov. Joseph Maranon, “at the untimely demise of a good man who exemplifies the character of a true pastor of the Church, especially amid current developments.” Fortich won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service in 1973, the only Filipino clergyman to do so, with his establishment of the Dacongcogon Sugar Cooperative, composed of small, almost subsistence-level landowners and sugar workers. The cooperative now runs the sugar mill and remains the clearest proof that the “great unwashed” and the less educated can take charge of their lives if given training and opportunities. Fortich was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, together with then-President Aquino, for his work in the peace process. But he was not all activism. He established the Barangay ng Virgen, which has grown into a national movement of Marian devotees. He admitted the organization was aimed at attracting devotees among the poor but, ever the social equalizer, he persuaded several of Negros’ more enlightened rich to join the group. Fortich was born in 1913 to Ignacio Fortich and Rosalla Yatsutco. He joined the Jesuit seminary in Manila in 1933, but transferred to the San Jose Seminary in Iloilo. He braved a banca ride from Iloilo to Bacolod at the height of World War II for his ordination on March 4, 1944. His first assignment was as assistant priest at the San Sebastian Cathedral until 1949, when he became parish priest of Binalbagan town. He was recalled to Bacolod on December 31, 1952, and appointed vicar general. He became the third bishop of the diocese on February 24, 1967, until he retired in 1989. Fortich will be buried on July 15. His wake will be at the San Sebastian Cathedral. With Ferdinand G. Patinio, Correspondent 'Bishop of the poor' dies SISTER SERIOUSLY ILL, TOO BY CARLA GOMEZ The bishop of the poor and man of peace, who was an outspoken advocate of human rights even in the most trying times of martial law, peacefully passed away at the Riverside Medical Center in Bacolod City at 8:15 a.m. yesterday. Bishop Emeritus Antonio Y. Fortich, 89, succumb to systemic infection concomitant with multiple organ failure secondary to diabetes mellitus, Dr. Angel Araneta said. Fortich was to turn 90 on Aug. 11. "He was unconscious since Tuesday last week, it was a painless death," Araneta said. "He died peacefully in his sleep," was how Msgr. Victorino Rivas, Vicar General of the Diocese of Bacolod, described his death. Fortich was admitted at the RMC Intensive Care Unit on April 28 when he complained of difficulty in breathing and in swallowing food, and has been surviving on a respirator since. He was transferred to a private room of the hospital on May 16 where he died yesterday. He had suffered a mild stroke in November. Before he was admitted, the prelate had gone to Dumaguete City to visit his ailing sister Caridad Fortich, 88. Fortich's nephew, Dr. Demetrio Sy, said Caridad is currently confined in the Intensive Care Unit of the Holy Child Hospital in Dumaguete City and turned for the worst on Tuesday. She had a tracheotomy on that day, to allow a tube to go down the trachea to provide a breathing channel, just like the bishop, Sy said. On Tuesday night Sy said he told Fortich, who was very close to his only sister, not to worry as he would take care of her. Sy is the son of Zotica Sy, a cousin of Fortich. Caridad had not been told of the death of her older brother. CATHEDRAL BURIAL JULY 15 Rivas said Fortich's remains will lie in state at the San Sebastian Cathedral where he will be buried on July 15 after an 8 a.m. mass. Two other Bishops of Bacolod, Msgrs. Casimiro Lladoc and Emmanuel Yap, are also buried at the San Sebastian Cathedral. Rivas said that, in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Bishop Antonio Y. Fortich Peace Foundation that sends scholars from poor families to school and the Priests Care Foundation Inc. Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra, who was in Manila yesterday for a meeting of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, told Rivas that many bishops have signified their intention to attend the funeral. Navarra told the DAILY STAR he condoles with the family of Fortich and has already spoken to Msgr. Rivas on arrangements for the wake and funeral of Fortich. Fortich's death is a great loss for the Diocese of Bacolod, Navarra said. 'HE WAS A GREAT MAN' "Fortich's leadership made people aware of what true Christians should be. He practised what he taught, I am thankful to the Lord for making this great man a part of our lives and a model of exemplary Christian witnessing," Navarra said. Rivas said Fortich, although not responding to feeding and suffering from renal failure towards the end, was kept going by a strong heart. Fortich was a real pastor and shepherd of his flock, I have not met any one like him in my life, he said. He is the kind of bishop needed by the Church today, Rivas said. Fortich was "a holy man who lived a scandal-free frugal life, always ready to answer any pastoral call; a man who was what a bishop should-be, a father to his priests and people and a man who bridged the gap between rich and poor," a statement from the priests of the Diocese of Bacolod said yesterday. "It is hard to imagine a bishop more loved than Bishop Fortich. His passing will be great sorrow to all his people and his memory will inspire us all to work for a church which is mother to all, especially the poor," the statement said. PROVINCE GRIEVES The province grieves the untimely demise of a good man who exemplified the character of a true pastor of the church, especially in the midst of current developments, Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Marañon said. Fortich's "greatest asset is that he has always been a friend to everyone," Marañon said. "His bountiful accomplishments to help the less fortunate Negrenses cannot be ignored, especially in the establishment of the Dacongcogon Producers Marketing Cooperative," Marañon said. The cooperative runs the Dacongcogon sugar central that helps marginal sugar planters. For establishing Dacongcogon, Fortich was given the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service in 1973. He was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1982. Rep. Jose Apolinario Lozada (Neg. Occ., 5th district) said Fortich "has left Negros a legacy of stronger faith in God and corresponding strong confidence in each and everyone of us to face our problems economically and politically. Rep. Jose Carlos Cojuangco and his wife, Rio, in a press statement yesterday said "We shall miss this remarkable man who stamped life with the strength of his character and fought for those whom no one would fight for. We may have disagreed with him on certain things, or in the manner of achieving our objectives, but we were one in the dream of a better life for our people. "We shall miss his wisdom as well as his laughter. Negros will never be the same against without this towering figure," they said. Bacolod Mayor Luzviminda Valdez said the death of Fortich is a big loss to Bacolod "in the sense that we can no longer hear his wisdom." "He left imprints in the hearts of the people, the priests and the church," she said. A PERMANENT INSTITUTION "In death, Bishop Antonio Fortich will continue to be a permanent institution in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental, and very likely, of the whole country," former Bacolod mayor Evelio Leonardia said. "He was there during the most trying and controversial times of our history and soberly led his flock through all challenges," he said. "I grieve for him, not only because of what he had been to my family but also because he was there in the most significant moments of my life: He officiated at my baptism, my confirmation, and even my marriage," Leonardia said. "He will live forever in my heart and in the hearts of his fellow Negrenses," he added. Ann Ledesma, who, along with other close supporters of Fortich, made sure that he was well taken care of and comfortable while at the hospital, said he was a man of courage for speaking the truth even if it was not the popular thing to do. He really lived up to his motto from Timothy II 4:2 that says "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage with great patience and careful instruction," Ledesma said. Presidential brother-in-law Ignacio Arroyo said Fortich "was a beacon of hope in a church once too often beset by internal crisis and in a nation often burdened by economic difficulties and conflicts." "We are collectively diminished by his passing but we must also collectively draw strength from the legacy he left behind - his legacy of service to people," Arroyo said. Fortich's staff at the foundations he ran for the needy were also grief-stricken yesterday. Brisilda Tinosan recalled how Fortich always thought of other people and how, at Christmas, he remembered to give them and their children presents. Fortich was under the care of his nurse Galilee Caro and some nuns when he died, but many of his friends and priests had also been keeping close watch on him.*CPG Retired Bacolod Bishop Fortich dies at age 89 By Leslie Ann G. Aquino "A great disciple of Christ, faithful messenger of the Gospel, and defender of the poor." Thus Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) President Orlando Quevedo described retired Bishop Antonio Y. Fortich of Bacolod, who died yesterday morning at age 89. A statement issued by CBCP Secretary General Monsignor Hernando Coronel said the bishops will fondly remember Fortich not only because he was very much part of the prophetic voice of the bishops' conference but also because his life and ministry is a clear testimony to "building the Catholic Church as a Church for the Poor." "We will remember his selfless commitment to justice, peace, and development in furtherance of God's reign made evident in the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines and the Pastoral Priorities for Church renewal," Coronel said. In a circular issued by the CBCP through information given by Msgr. Victorino Rivas, vicar general, the bishops said that Fortich, 89, died at 8:15 a.m. yesterday at the Riverside Hospital in Bacolod where he was also confined last November after a mild stroke. They said Fortich, who has long been suffering from diabetes, might have died of old age. Funeral mass and burial will be on Tuesday, July 15, at the Bacolod Cathedral. Bishop Fortich, who won a Magsaysay Award in 1973, was born on Aug. 11, 1913, in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, to Ignacio Fortich and Rosalia Yapsutco. He was ordained priest on March 4, 1944, and was elected bishop of Bacolod in January, 1967. After a month he was consecrated as a bishop. Diabetes victim BACOLOD (AP) - Retired Roman Catholic Bishop Antonio Fortich of the Philippines, a staunch opponent of late President Ferdinand Marcos and a fighter for social change, died Wednesday after a long bout with diabetes. He was 89. Doctors at the Riverside Medical Center in Bacolod City said Fortich died from multiple organ failure caused by diabetes. He had been in the hospital since April 28. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo called Fortich "a champion of the poor and the oppressed, a courageous vanguard of peace and justice." Fortich became bishop of Bacolod in 1967 in the midst of workers' unrest against globe-trotting sugar barons on Negros island. In 1973, Fortich received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for public service, the Asian equivalent of the Nobel Prize, for being a "prime mover of social change" in the province. "Deeply rooted in local conditions, he sought a just society of recognized rights and responsibilities, prodding planters and centrals (sugar mills), priests, politicians and the less privileged to cooperate in meeting glaring needs," the award said. The award came a year after Marcos imposed nationwide martial law and started ruling by decree. A popular revolt ousted the dictator in 1986, and he died in exile in Hawaii in 1989. During Marcos' rule, Fortich became a vocal critic of the military's abuses and human rights violations while supporting land reform on central Negros island, which was a hotbed of communist insurgency. He helped ease the plight of hundreds of Negros villagers displaced by military offensives in the 1980s against the guerrillas by allowing them to take shelter and bring their dead to his church. After Marcos was toppled, his successor Corazon Aquino opened peace talks with the underground Marxist umbrella group, the National Democratic Front. Fortich was chosen by both sides to head a committee monitoring a 60-day nationwide ceasefire until Feb. 8, 1987. During the cease-fire, he criticized military officials for blaming rebels for violations without sufficient evidence and also spoke against killings by the communist New People's Army. Fortich, whose personal contacts with the rebels earned him the disdain of conservatives in and out of the church, had said that many of the rebels remained Christian despite communism's rejection of the faith. Three priests from his diocese had joined the rebels. One of them, Luis Jalandoni, is the chief rebel peace negotiator in on-and-off talks with the government since 1986. Jalandoni, who has left the priesthood and lives in exile in the Dutch city of Utrecht, was the first head of a social action center established by Fortich. Former priest Frank Fernandez now heads the rebel movement on Negros. Critics accused Fortich of being pro-communist. One group calling itself Christians Against Communist tossed a grenade at his home in Bacolod in April 1987, but he escaped injury. He also escaped an earlier attack by unidentified men who torched his residence while he was away. In 1990, Fortich helped negotiate the release of a Japanese farm technician, Fumio Mizuno, and an American Peace Corps volunteer, Timothy Swanson, who were captured by communist guerrillas on Negros. During the release, Fortich brought a basket of eggs for the Marxists up a mountain, a custom he had done every time hostages were freed by the rebels through his intercession. Fortich retired at age 75 in 1989. The diocesan vicar general, Msgr. Victorino Rivas, who was at Fortich's side when he died, announced funeral services will be held on July 15. President Arroyo offered her condolences to the family of the Catholic Bishop Antonio Fortich, who died yesterday morning in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental. In a statement, the President hailed the deceased bishop for his anti-poverty advocacy and his peace initiatives. "The death of Bishop Fortich has been a great loss to the Filipino people. He was a champion of the poor and the oppressed, a courageous vanguard of peace and justice," she said. "He was blessed by a great faith in God and in the people, whose love and affection he will carry forever," she added. Fortich, who died of multiple organ failure, was confined at the Riverside Medical Center for nearly a month. His remains lie at the San Sebastian Parish Church. Fortich, a known critic of the Marcos dictatorship, earned a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize for his anti-poverty and peace efforts. Vice President Teofisto Guingona Jr. yesterday expressed "profound sadness and a deep sense of loss" over the death of Bacolod's Catholic BishopEmeritus Antonio Fortich. "Our nation, our people have become all the poorerwith the passing of Bishop Fortich. He was more than a man of the cloth. He was a true patriot," Guingona said. Bishop Fortich, 89, suffered a mild stroke in November last year and seemed to recover after being hospitalized for 10 days. His health then began to worsen after the Holy Week when he returned from Dumaguete City to visit an ailing sister. Bishop Fortich was put in the Intensive Care Unit of the Riverside Medical Center in Bacolod City from April 28 to May 16 but has since been transferred to a private room. "Bishop Fortich was always with his flock and hisservice to the Filipino people went well beyond the Diocese of Bacolod and the Visayas," Guingona said. "We remember how strongly and staunchly Bishop Fortich stood with us, from his pulpit and on the streets,never blinking, never compromising in our battle against the Marcos dictatorship," Guingona added. Visayan leaders expressed sadness yesterday (July 2) on the death of Bishop Antonio Y. Fortich, bishop emeritus of Bacolod. Rep. Jun Lozada of the fifth district of Negros Occidental said: "Today is a sad day for the Philippines. (The death of) His Excellency, Antonio Y. Fortich, Bishop Emeritus of Bacolod, a progressive and activeman of God, is a great loss not only to the Catholic Church but also to the people, particularly of Negros, who he served with all his heart and soul." The chairman of the House committee on foreign relations said: "It is with deepest feeling of loss that I and my family, together with my constituents and the rest of the nation, mourn the death of Bishop Fortich. "I am one of the countless people whose lives he touched personally as he fulfilled his calling to serve God and his people. I have had very good relation with Bishop Fortich in his lifetime, both as my pastor and my spiritual counselor, and I personally witnessed how be practiced what he preached." The lawmaker described the late Bishop Fortich as a "strong pillar of the Catholic Church and he has left Negros a legacy of stronger faith in God and corresponding strong confidence in each and everyone of us to face our problems economically and politically." "He has opened our eyes to the realities of life - that we have to go true to our respective responsibilities in life, especially in the service of our people, said Lozada, stressing that "Negros will never be the same with his demise." "May his soul rest in peace. My family and I pray for his everlasting peace," Lozada said. Rep. Augusto "Boboy" Syjuco (Second District, Iloilo), a former national student leader, described Bishop Fortich as "a guiding torch for both government and private sector leaders for good, logical, Christian, moral and upright destiny for the welfare of the nation and people." 'Bishop of the poor' is dead Posted: 2:16 AM (Manila Time) | Jul. 03, 2003 By Carla P. Gomez Inquirer News Service A great loss BACOLOD CITY -- The "bishop of the poor" and "man of peace" who was an outspoken advocate of human rights even in the most trying times of Ferdinand Marcos' rule by martial law, died peacefully in his sleep at the Riverside Medical Center here at 8:15 a.m. Wednesday. Bishop Emeritus Antonio Y. Fortich succumbed to systemic infection and multiple organ failure secondary to diabetes, according to his attending physician, Dr. Angel Araneta. Fortich was 89. He was to turn 90 on Aug. 11. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said the death of Fortich was a great loss to the Filipino people. "He was a champion of the poor and the oppressed, a courageous vanguard of peace and justice," she said in a statement. "He was blessed by a great faith in God and in the people, whose love and affection he will carry forever." Manila Archbishop Cardinal Jaime Sin called Fortich "a tireless shepherd and a prophet of the poor and the oppressed." "His courage will always be remembered. The church is blessed for having a valiant pastor like Bishop Fortich," Sin said in a message. "I am sure that wherever he is, he will continue to intercede for us, so that genuine justice and peace may dwell on our land." Fortich was admitted at the RMC Intensive Care Unit on April 28 when he complained of difficulty of breathing and had been surviving on a respirator since. He was transferred on May 16 to a private room of the hospital, where he died Wednesday. He suffered a mild stroke in November. "He was unconscious since Tuesday last week. It was a painless death," Araneta said. Monsignor Victorino Rivas, vicar general of the Diocese of Bacolod, said Fortich's remains would be brought to the San Sebastian Cathedral where the wake will be held until his burial on July 15. Fortich will be buried in the cathedral. His coffin will be ensconced at the wall close to the altar, adjoining the burial places of two other Bacolod bishops, Casimiro Lladoc and Emmanuel Yap. The president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Quevedo, described Fortich as "a great disciple of Christ, a faithful messenger of the gospel of love and justice, vigorous defender of the poor." He "was very much a part of the prophetic voice of the bishops' conference. His life and ministry testified to building a Catholic Church to be a church of the poor," the CBCP said in a statement. Negros Occidental provincial governor Joseph Marañon said Fortich "exemplified the character of a true pastor of the church." For establishing a cooperative that runs a sugar central to help poor sugar planters, Fortich received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service in 1973. Nobel Prize nominee FORTICH was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1982 for championing the cause of the poor at the height of the Marcos dictatorship. Even after he retired in 1989, Fortich remained at the forefront of the fight against poverty in his province. Two years ago, even when he was ailing from complications from diabetes, he still joined a protest rally against moves to amend the Constitution. "The work for the poor is not excluded from the package of retirement," Fortich had said when he retired in 1989. Last year, when he turned 89, the prelate said: "I am happy. I have no regrets. I have seen the work I have done is bearing fruit, especially among the masses." He was the eldest child of Ignacio Fortich, a Spanish-Filipino, and Rosalia Yapsutco, a Chinese-Filipino. He was born on Aug. 11, 1913, at the Silliman University Hospital in Dumaguete City. The Fortich family owned land in Sibulan town in Negros Oriental that was planted to rice, corn and sugar. "My mother had a free clinic in the hacienda for the workers, and that gave me the idea that I wanted to serve the people when I grew up," Fortich had said. In 1933 Fortich went to Manila to study at the Jesuit-run San Jose Seminary. He was ordained priest on March 4, 1944. Fortich served the Bacolod diocese throughout his priestly life, broken by his one year and eight months assignment as parish priest of Binalbagan town in Negros Occidental in 1949. In the 1960s he became the charismatic leader of two church movements, the Barangay sang Virgen [Community of Family of the Virgin], which catered to the poor, and the Cursillo (A Short Course on Christianity). His involvement with these groups earned him the reputation of being a friend of the rich and poor. In 1966 he was named national chaplain of the Barangay sang Virgen, after it began to spread from the Diocese of Bacolod to virtually all over the country. Fortich was named bishop of Bacolod on Feb. 24, 1967 following the death of Bishop Immanuel Yap on Oct. 16, 1966. His first act was to call on sugar planters to give just wages to their workers. He stressed the workers' right to organize unions. A controversial pastoral letter he issued in 1969 brought attention to the plight of the sugar farm workers, especially the "sacada" seasonal workers. The message lost him friends and supporters. Unfazed, Fortich went on to create the Church Social Action Committee to make the diocese responsive to the needs of the time. By the 1970s, the diocese saw the flowering of social action programs and the poor in Negros found in the Catholic Church a new ally for their survival. Basic Christian Communities DESPITE the danger of being called a communist, Fortich instituted the process of empowerment by adopting the Latin American experience of building Basic Christian Communities (BCCs) that advocated active non-violence, grew in militancy in opposing human rights violations, proposed land reform, and challenged the laws of the Marcos regime. Fortich also put church property under land reform, started a legal aid scheme to help the poor, and set up a radio and television station. In the early 1980s, as the plight of the poor worsened with the sugar industry reeling from its plunder during the Marcos years, Fortich continued to be the outspoken champion of their rights. The international media quoted him extensively and among his famous quotes was his description of Negros: "We are sitting on a social volcano which could erupt anytime." Fortich was ridiculed by the rich and powerful for bringing to the attention of the world the starving and malnourished children of Negros. But one of his biggest triumphs was to get Pope John Paul II to make a side trip to Negros Occidental during his visit to the Philippines in 1981. "I told Cardinal Sin the Pope does not just want to see the scenery at Mayon Volcano; he wants to see the problems of the people," Fortich had then said. Fortich, believing in the need for peaceful change, became national co-chairman of the National Ceasefire Committee to pursue provincial and regional peace talks with the communists. It was also in the late 1980s that a strong anti-insurgency campaign was launched in Negros and rightist groups charged Fortich and his priests with being pro-communist. A little after midnight on April 28, 1987, a grenade was thrown on the landing near the door of Fortich's room, leaving steel fragments everywhere. Fortich survived the incident and remained an outspoken advocate of human rights. For what was seen as his controversial and unwavering stand for the needy, Fortich was retired before being promoted to archbishop. But even after retirement, he had continued to speak in behalf of the poor. Two years ago, when asked when he would stop championing causes, Fortich had said: "When the country attains peace, because that will mean that the needs of the poor will have been answered." With reports from Blanche S. Rivera and Juliet L. Javellana Prayers called for ailing Bacolod Bishop Fortich Posted: 1:08 AM (Manila Time) | May 28, 2003 By Carla P. Gomez Inquirer News Service BACOLOD CITY -- Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra on Tuesday called for prayers for Bishop Emeritus Antonio Fortich, who is being kept alive through a respirator at the Riverside Medical Center in Bacolod City. "I am calling for prayers that he will not suffer from his present situation," Navarra said. "Who knows, God might give him a miracle. It is difficult but he might recover," the prelate added. Fortich, 89, was in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital from April 28 to May 16, but has since been transferred to a private room. Fortich suffered a mild stroke from fatigue in November and was hospitalized for about 10 days. When Fortich returned home to the Domus Dei, where he lives in Bacolod City, he lost weight because he gradually found it difficult to swallow his food. In February he was hospitalized again for two weeks. The bishop recovered and was still ambulant when he went to Dumaguete City over the Holy Week to visit an ailing sister. On his return, his situation worsened and he had to be hospitalized again. "He has lost his capacity to breath on his own. That is why we have put him on a respirator," Dr. Angel Araneta, Fortich's attending physician, explained Tuesday. Fortich had a tracheotomy to allow a tube to go down the trachea to provide a breathing channel. The well-loved Fortich was a vocal critic of the government during the Marcos regime. Fortich, a vocal critic of the government during the Marcos regime and was in the forefront of the anti-poverty campaign in Negros Occidental province, retired as bishop of Bacolod in 1989. But retirement did not extinguish Fortich's feisty spirit. "The struggle for justice and freedom, especially for the poor, is not excluded from the package of retirement," Fortich had said shortly after he retired. 'Bishop of the masses' turns 89, recalls work Posted: 2:00 AM (Manila Time) | Aug. 24, 2002 By Carla P. Gomez Inquirer News Service 'Dear to all' BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental -- Bishop Emeritus Antonio Y. Fortich was in a jovial mood Aug. 11 as a steady flow of well-wishers arrived at his Domus Dei residence to greet him on his 89th birthday. Fortich, known to many as the bishop of the masses, gave a firm handshake and sometimes a slap on the back to well-wishers who came from all walks of life. True to his calling, he marked his birthday with a Mass at the Sacred Heart Shrine located beside the Domus Dei along Lizares Avenue, which was attended by Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra. "The presence of Fortich is very, very powerful in the sense that he has endeared himself to all of us and is a very great inspiration to us in the Diocese of Bacolod," Navarra said. "Fortich is a great defender of human rights and a protagonist of the Church stand on social issues." For the 89-year-old bishop, his message on his birthday was that life is a gift from God, which one must use productively to help others. "Let us all be productive agents of His divine love to make the world a happy place to live in," he said. "I am happy. I have no regrets. I have seen that the work I have done is bearing fruit, especially among the masses," he said. "I am 89 years old. I do not deserve such a length of time but since the Lord God has gifted me this strength of life, I am pretty sure he is happy with my work, especially among the masses." Fortich continues to attend board meetings of the Dacongcogon Sugar and Rice Milling Cooperative, which he helped to establish in 1973 to serve small sugar farmers and improve their lives economically. But he keeps on speaking about social issues affecting the poor. The bishop is still a source of inspiration for many who go to him for advice. "The work for the poor is not excluded from the package of retirement," said Fortich, who retired in 1989. Fortich has championed the cause of the poor when it was unpopular and dangerous to do so in a diocese where the landed class was the powers-that-be. Born to a wealthy family, he risked his own life for the sake of the poor. The bishop is the eldest son of Ignacio Fortich, a Spanish-Filipino, and Rosalia Yapsutco, who was Chinese-Filipino. He was born Aug. 11, 1913 at the Silliman University Hospital in Dumaguete City, in the neighboring province of Negros Oriental. The Fortich family owned land in Sibulan town in Negros Oriental that was planted to rice, corn, and sugar. They also owned fishponds. They had a turn-of-the-century sugar mill that produced brown sugar. Fortich said his parents were very religious. So it did not come as a surprise that even at a young age he knew he wanted to be a priest. "My mother had a free clinic in the hacienda for the workers," the bishop recalled. "That gave me the idea that I wanted to serve the people when I grew up." In 1933, Fortich went to study at the Jesuit-run San Jose Seminary in Manila. On March 4, 1944, Fortich was ordained a priest and sailed to Bacolod. It was World War II and the Japanese had invaded the Philippines. Fortich immediately became assistant priest of San Sebastian Cathedral and remained so until 1949, when he was assigned parish priest of Binalbagan town in Negros Occidental province for a year and eight months. He was then recalled to Bacolod where he became parish priest of the Cathedral. He became the right hand man of then Bacolod Bishop Manuel Yap and was appointed vicar general of the Diocese of Bacolod on Dec. 31, 1952. In 1966, Fortich administered the diocese when Bishop Yap became seriously ill. When Yap died on Oct.16, 1966, Fortich took over and became the third bishop of the Diocese of Bacolod. Following the mandate of Pope Paul VI "to do something for the poor of Negros," Fortich's first Episcopal act as bishop was to call on sugarcane planters to give just wages to their workers. He also stressed the workers' right to organize unions. His pastoral letter in 1969 brought attention to the plight of the farm workers, especially the "sacadas" (landless migrant workers). "The Catholic Church is organizing all available resources to initiate or release the forces of change," he said in the pastoral letter. Fortich created the Church Social Action Committee to make the diocese responsive to the needs of the time. It was headed by Father Luis Jalandoni, who later left the priesthood and is now the spokesperson of the communist-led National Democratic Front, based in the Netherlands. Fortich a great loss, Arroyo, Estrada say BY CARLA GOMEZ The death of Bacolod Bishop Antonio Y. Fortich is a great loss to the Filipino people, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said yesterday. "He was a champion of the poor and oppressed, a courageous vanguard of peace and justice. He was blessed by a great faith in God and in the people, whose love and affection he will carry forever," Arroyo said. Former President Joseph Estrada yesterday said he is "deeply saddened by the news of Bishop Fortich passing away. Not too many bishops in our country are like him, he was so dedicated and sincere in helping the poor, and his record of accomplishments in social reforms and peace have inspired me greatly in my own quest to liberate the less fortunate from poverty. "Now my determination is stronger in the pursuit of social justice, knowing that the good bishop has made himself an icon and a living example of Jesus' love for his neighbor. I will remember him well in my prayers and daily reflections as I journey the path towards justice. "Fortich's struggle to liberate the poor must continue no matter how hard, no matter how long," Estrada said. When Fortich turned 89 on Aug.11, 2002, he had said, "I am happy, I have no regrets I have seen that the work I have done is bearing fruit, especially among the masses." "The work for the poor is not excluded from the package of retirement," Fortich, had said, when he retired in 1989. Fortich, who championed the cause of the poor when it was unpopular and dangerous to do so, was actually born to a wealthy family. The eldest son of Ignacio Fortich, a Spanish Meztizo, and Rosalia Yapsutco, who was half Chinese, he was born Aug. 11, 1913, at the Silliman University Hospital in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental. The Fortich family owned land in Sibulan, Negros Oriental planted to rice, corn and sugar as well as fishponds. They also had a turn-of-the-century sugar mill producing the brown sugar called muscovado. But his parents did not spoil him, he had to help at the farm and mill to earn pocket money. He told the DAILY STAR, during a 1995 interview, that, during those years, he witnessed the hard life of the laborers. Fortich said his parents were very religious and at a young age he already wanted to be a priest. "My mother had a free clinic in the hacienda for the workers, and that gave me the idea that I wanted to serve the people when I grew up," he said. In 1933 Fortich went to study at the Jesuit-run San Jose Seminary in Manila. During vacation time Fortich returned to Negros where he worked part time at a local town hall. On March 4, 1944 Fortich was ordained a priest. It was World War II and the Japanese had invaded the Philippines. SLOW BOAT TO BACOLOD On a sailboat with about 30 others, the young Fortich sailed to Bacolod for his first assignment as Japanese submarines and patrol boats patrolled the sea. He arrived at the house of the Bishop of Bacolod at midnight and started his career as a young priest during the difficult war years. Fortich immediately became assistant priest of the San Sebastian Cathedral and remained so until 1949, when he was assigned parish priest of Binalbagan for a year and eight months. After that, he was recalled to Bacolod where he became parish priest of the Cathedral. He then became the right hand man of Bacolod Bishop Manuel Yap and was appointed vicar general of the Diocese of Bacolod on Dec. 31, 1952. MOVING THE CHURCH In the 1960's, he became the leader of two church movements - the Barangay sang Virgen (Community of Family of the Virgin) which catered to the poor, and the Cursillo (A Short Course on Christianity). His involvement with these groups earned him the reputation of being a friend of the rich and poor. In 1966, he was also named national chaplain of the Barangay sang Virgen, after the organization begun in the Diocese of Bacolod spread practically throughout the country. In 1966, Bishop Yap became seriously ill and Fortich ran the Diocese of Bacolod. Yap died on Oct. 16, 1966, and on Feb. 24, Fortich was named the third bishop of the Diocese of Bacolod. Following the mandate of Pope Paul VI "to do something for the poor of Negros," Fortich's first episcopal act as bishop was to call on sugarcane planters to give just wages to their workers. He also stressed their right to organize unions. FORCES OF CHANGE His 1969 pastoral letter brought attention to the plight of the farm workers, especially the sacadas. "The church is organizing all available resources to initiate or release the forces of change," he said in the pastoral letter. He also explained that the appeal may sound revolutionary for some, but "it is not so; I merely reiterate the clear teaching of the Church and reflect the expectation and the right of every working man and woman in this diocese for a better life." Msgr. Victorino Rivas said "The message was unwelcome. To the rich, it was a betrayal of friendship. To the poor, it was unbecoming." The message lost him friends and supporters. Unfazed, Fortich created the Church Social Action Committee to make the diocese responsive to the needs of the time. It was headed by Fr. Luis Jalandoni, who has since left the priesthood and is now the spokesman of the National Democratic Front based in the Netherlands. STIRRING UP SOCIAL ACTION By the 1970's, the Diocese of Bacolod saw the flowering of social action programs - massive seminars on social awareness and education on justice, labor education and union organization, legal services, establishment of cooperatives for small farmers and settlers, urban poor settlement services, a man power employment agency, and livelihood projects. The poor in Negros found a new ally for their survival in the Church to whom they could turn to in time of trouble, Rivas said. Fortich then helped establish the Dacongcogon Sugar and Rice Milling Cooperative in southern Negros Occidental which in 1973 earned for him the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service. Faced with the very real danger of being called a communist, Fortich also went ahead and instituted the process of empowerment by adopting the Latin American experience of building Basic Christian Community (BCCs). Rivas said the BCCs, choosing the path of active non-violence, grew in militancy in opposing human rights violations, proposing land reform, and challenging the laws of the regime. "KUMANDER TONY" For such efforts Fortich was called "Ka Tony", a Communist manner of address, by those who became threatened by the empowerment of the poor. But he was consoled by Pope John Paul II who told him on his Ad Limina visit to Rome: "I know you are working for human rights and 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." Fr. Niall O'Brien said Fortich also put church property under land reform, started a legal aid scheme to help the poor, and set up a radio and television station. O'Brien said, "In those days the spacious old Bishop's Palace teemed with people of every sort. Fortich's office door was always wide open; groups of officials from this agency and that crowded to hear the words of encouragement from the bishop pushing them to try harder and to do something for the 'little' people. Social action groups seemed to be meeting in every corner of the palace and beggars found their way right into the bishop's room. Symposias, cooperatives, seminars, endless projects for social development were underway. Fortich had taken to heart Paul VI's slogan: Development in the new name for peace." "The bishop's own efforts at development work spurred us priests to all sort of projects," O'Brien said, "such as farming cooperatives, credit unions, fishing boat dispersals, and mechanic schools." OUTSPOKEN CHAMPION As the plight of the poor worsened with the sugar industry reeling from its plunder during the Marcos years, Fortich continued to be the outspoken champion of their rights. Fortich was quoted by the international media extensively and among those famous quotes was his description of Negros when he said, "We are sitting on a social volcano which could erupt anytime." It was in those days of growing poverty that the communist insurgency in Negros grew by leaps and bounds along with the militarization of the province. O'Brien said Fortich had the normal clerics' fear of Marxism, "at our monthly meetings, he would warn us about the dangers of Marxist analysis." One of his biggest triumphs was to get Pope John Paul II to make a side trip to Negros during his visit to the Philippines in 1981." I told Cardinal Sin the Pope does not just want to see the scenery at Mayon Volcano; he wants to see the problems of the people," Fortich said. Fortich said that during his visit to Bacolod the Pope delivered on of his most powerful messages in behalf of the poor. Pope John Paul II said, "Injustice reigns when the laws of economic growth and ever greater profit determine social relations, leaving in poverty and destitution those who have only the work of their hands to offer." He also warned that "the church will not hesitate to take up the cause of the poor and to become the voice of those who are not listened to when they speak up, not to demand charity, but to ask for justice." DISASTROUS PHONE CALL "It was a day that saw thousands delirious with joy, gather to see the Pope," O'Brien said. But O'Brien said that when the Pope left, the priests gathered at the Bishop's Palace to sing and celebrate but were interrupted by a phone call. "The bishop himself answered. We watched him take the receiver. His face was strangely serious. It was Armin Gustilo, the head of the Negros Planters Association. He was beside himself with rage: who, he wanted to know, put the Pope up to saying these things? If this was the way it was, there would be war in Negros. Visibly shaken, the bishop put down the phone and it took sometime to cajole him into telling us what was said," O'Brien recalled. For the Pope's strong message, Fortich was blamed. The rich and powerful who disliked him for his defense of the poor, charged that he wrote the speech of the Pope, O'Brien said. Fortich said he gave some inputs, but definitely did not write what the Pope said. "But then," Fortich added, "the work for the poor is always very hard and risky." He was also ridiculed by some for bringing to the attention of the world the starving and malnourished children of Negros in the early 1980's. The prelate worked to raise funds to help the children and the poor of Negros, and was accused of giving aid to communist rebels. "But time heals," he said. Those who were angry with him have returned in recent years to become his friends again. TRIALS, STRUGGLES, BLASTS Fortich, indeed, went through many trials in his struggle to help the poor. In 1983, three of his priests were charged with the murder of a town mayor based on trumped-up charges. The case was eventually dismissed. "The meaning of this trial… is that the church has been able to open the eyes of the masses to stand up for their rights and by no means will the masses now succumb to voices and to scare them,' he said then. In January 1985, the Bishop's Palace was burned while he was in Thailand. But Fortich whose sense of humor never seems to fail him had this to say, "My house was burned. Now I have a new business selling charcoal." Fortich, believing in the need for peaceful change, became national co-chairman of the National Ceasefire Committee to pursue provincial and regional peace talks with the New People's Army. It was also in the late 1980s that a strong anti-insurgency campaign was launched in Negros and rightist groups charged Fortich and his priests of being pro-communist. A little after midnight on April 28,1987, a jeep slowed down near the old priests home where Fortich lived since the Bishop's Palace had been burned down. A grenade was thrown on the landing near the door of Fortich's room leaving steel fragments everywhere. Fortich survived the incident and to this day has remained an outspoken advocate of human rights. For what was seen as his controversial and unwavering stand for the needy, Fortich was retired before being promoted to archbishop. "In the face of the ongoing armed conflict between the rebels and the government, he is the negotiator for peace. As a religious leader he preaches to change the inner person as well as to revolutionize history in the perspective of God's compassion for the poor. As a patriot, he stands against domestic and foreign policies that promote war, abuse of human rights, and segmental interest." This is how Monsignor Rivas described Fortich. Fortich has been vice president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, national director of the National Secretariat for Social Action, president of the Dacongcogon Sugar and Rice Milling Co. and Dacongcogon Producers Cooperative Marketing Association. HONORS, DEGREES He has also been given honorary doctorate degrees by the University of Negros Occidental Recoletos, St. Louis University in Baguio, Ateneo de Manila, and the University of the Philippines in Los Baños. De La Salle University also honored him with the Signum Meriti Medal for being a fearless and courageous spokesman in behalf of social justice, and the Concerned Women of the Philippines gave him the Human Rights Peace Award. In 1989 he was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Since Fortich retired as bishop of Bacolod in 1989, he had continued to speak in behalf of the poor in Japan, the United States, and Europe and has been called upon to negotiate with rebels for the release of prisoners of war or hostages, the most prominent of whom have been American Peace Corps Volunteer Timothy Swanson and Japanese Fumio Mizuno. MAN OF PEACE But to Fortich, his greatest achievement was that he had been close to the common man and has always defended the common man's human rights. Fortich carried out his mission to champion the rights of the poor at the most critical and dangerous time in the history of Negros. Asked when his mission's task would end, Fortich had said, "When the country attains peace, because that will mean that the needs of the poor will have been answered".*Carla P. Gomez Gloria attending funeral; Cory, FVR laud Fortich BY CARLA GOMEZ President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is expected to attend the funeral of Bishop Emeritus Antonio Y. Fortich on July 15, while former presidents Fidel Ramos and Corazon Aquino yesterday lauded Fortich for his work for the poor. Rafael Golez, Sugar Board member and close ally of the president, and presidential brother-in-law Ignacio Arroyo, yesterday confirmed her attendance at the funeral. "I am saddened at the passing of Bishop Antonio Y. Fortich even as I thank the almighty God for blessing our country with such a good bishop and a great friend of the poor," Former President Corazon Aquino said in a signed statement sent to the DAILY STAR. "I got to know Bishop Fortich because of his 'Pagkaon' project for the starving poor of Bacolod. In answer to his appeal, I was able to collect donations from relatives and friends and I personally delivered the check to him in Bacolod," she said. Fortich had started a campaign to help the malnourished children of Negros towards the end of the Marcos regime as Negros reeled from a sugar industry crisis. Former president Fidel Ramos, in a letter to the family of Fortich yesterday, said "May you all receive consolation from the thought that he did not only live a full and meaningful life but also did his substantial share in faithful service to God, country and people." Ramos said he and his family "express these sentiments also to the entire Catholic Community, and to all who admired and loved Bishop Antonio Fortich." The Philippine flag at the Bacolod City Hall and Bays Center flew at half mast yesterday in honor of Fortich. Fortich is considered an institution in Bacolod, we strongly feel he deserves the honor of a half mast, Bacolod Mayor Luzviminda Valdez said yesterday. Thousands of people from all walks of life are filing past the casket of Fortich at the altar of the San Sebastian Cathedral in Bacolod City, Msgr. Victorino Rivas, Vicar general of the Diocese of Bacolod, said. Fortich, 89, succumbed to systemic infection concomitant with multiple organ failure secondary to diabetes mellitus Wednesday. The bulk of the crowd comes in the afternoon and evening, Rivas said. He said since Wednesday noon up to yesterday about 3,000 people have filed past the casket of Fortich. They attend the masses and wait their turn to view the bishop, he said. A tribute to Fortich and a people's vigil will be held at the Bacolod Public Plaza 8:30 p.m. on Monday. On July 15 members of various parishes will assemble at Goldenfields, City Heights, West Negros College, and the capitol lagoon park in Bacolod City at 7 a.m. for a march to the Bacolod Public Plaza at 8 a.m. There will then be a procession of the bishops, priests and faithful around the plaza with the remains of Fortich at 9 a.m. to be followed by a funeral mass at the San Sebastian Cathedral. He will be buried on the right side of the altar of the cathedral. Negrenses have lost one of the biggest inspirations in the quest for social justice, the Philippine Sugar Workers Council, Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino, Partido ng Manggagawa, KPML and KAMPI Negros said yesterday in a joint statement on the death of Fortich. "We are saddened that the strongest pillar of the sugar workers has come to rest but we know, wherever he may be he will continue to guide us until what he has fought for has been achieved," the statement said, citing Fortich's dedication to serving the poor. Fortich never surrendered his principles and was never afraid to speak up for the poor, the statement said. "We join the Catholic Church in mourning the loss of the champion of the poor but rejoice with the spirit and inspiration he has left," it added.*CPG NAMFREL joins campaign for Priest Care Foundation BY CARLA GOMEZ Jose Concepcion Jr., chairman of the National Citizen's Movement for Free Elections, is calling on all those who fought bravely for clean and honest elections to light a candle for Bishop Emeritus Antonio Y. Fortich and to ask for his intercession for the challenges of next year's crucial polls. "We dedicate ourselves on this mission in tribute to Bishop Fortich who endured burning in order to give light to others. We light a candle to remember him, and vow to keep it strongly burning, never giving in to the darkness," Concepcion said in a statement sent to the Diocese of Bacolod yesterday. NAMFREL is requesting all concerned Filipinos to generously contribute to the Priest Care Foundation through NAMFREL to help defray the expenses of Fortich's prolonged hospitalization before his passing, and to help support retired priests, Concepcion said. Fortich was confined at the Riverside Medical Center for more than two months and died on Wednesday from multiple organ failure. NAMFREL mourns the death of Fortich who was one of the pioneers and stalwarts of the organization, Concepcion said. Fortich helped organize NAMFREL in 1983 and served as its national co-chairman until his retirement from the Diocese of Bacolod in 1989. In retirement, Concepcion said Fortich "remained an active supporter of NAMFREL and our advocacy for clean, honest and peaceful elections." The bishop also was a foremost advocate of peace, envisioning the concept of peace zones, he added. In 2000, Concepcion and Fortich received on behalf of the organization the EDSA People Power Freedom Award conferred by the EDSA People Power Commission to NAMFREL for "unflinching dedication to the holding of free, fair and honest elections and for being a model of civic action and bravery." In 2001 NAMFREL received the Chino Roces Freedom Award for its "sustained initiative taken in behalf of the nation's citizens to guard the sanctity of the democratic vote." NAMFREL also achieved worldwide recognition when it was nominated for the Nobel Peace Price in 1986, and for his work in the peace process during the Aquino administration the Bishop again was honored with another nomination in 1989, Concepcion pointed out. "We renew our commitment as the citizen's arm of the Commission on Elections to help the COMELEC succeed in the electoral automation. That would be the best gif the COMELEC can give the country and the memory of Bishop Fortich," Concepcion said. "The bishop maintained many causes and above all, as bishop, he was an ideal shepherd to his flock, particularly the poor and oppressed. He was a recognized leader and servant among bishops in the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines and the Bishops-Businessmen's Conference for Human Development," the NAMFREL statement said.*CPG ‘He hoped to live for his birthday’: Fortich relative By Avelyn Z. Agudon "HE HOPED to live for his birthday." Thus said Edward Co Eban, great grandchild of the late Bishop Emeritus Y. Fortich who would have turned 90 on Aug 11. Eban, who arrived Thursday from Dumaguete City with his mother, Filicitas Co Eban, brothers and sister, remembered Fortich saying that he was praying to live for another birthday. Fortich made the wish when he went to his relatives in Barangay Daro, Dumaguete City, to visit his ailing sister, Caridad, last Holy Week. “We are sad because his wish was not granted,” said Eban. He added that those were the only words that he uttered as the prelate could no longer talk long. Eban recalled that Fortich’s common advice is for them to be honest in everything they do. “He always emphasized that we should be honest,” said Eban, adding they would surely miss him. Moreover, Eban said Fortich’s sister, Caridad, who has been confined at the Intensive Care Unit of the Holy Child Hospital in Dumaguete City, still does not know of her brother’s demise. And he said they don’t intend to tel her as she herself is also seriously ill. Caridad was rushed to the Holy Child Hospital a day after she arrived in Dumaguete from Bacolod City to visit Fortich at the Riverside Medical Center. GMA arriving for Fortich’s funeral By Avelyn Z. Agudon and Christine Mae A. Pelayo PRESIDENT Arroyo will be in Bacolod City on July 15 to attend the funeral mass for Bishop Emeritus Antonio Y. Fortich at the San Sebastian Cathedral. Msgr. Victorino Rivas, vicar general of the Diocese of Bacolod, confirmed the President’s arrival. The funeral mass will start at 9 a.m., after a procession of Fortich’s remains around the Bacolod Public Plaza by the bishops, priests and Catholic faithful in Negros Occidental. In the last evening of the wake, a tribute and people’s vigil will be held at the Bacolod Public Plaza. Ann Ledesma, a close supporter of Fortich, said in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Bishop Antonio Y. Fortich Peace Foundation, an institution that sends scholars of poor families to school, or to the Priest Care Foundation. As of Thursday, key personalities who paid their last respects to Fortich were Defense Sec. Angelo Reyes, Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Marañon and former Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Montelibano, Jr. Those who sent funeral wreaths were Senate President Franklin Drilon, Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella, Trade and Industry Sec. Mar Roxas, Bayan Muna Usec. Rene Villa, former Bacolod Mayor Oscar Verdeflor and the Bacolod diocese employees. “Fortich has been an institution in the church. He was one of the most active and vocal members of the church and he is highly respected. His demise will leave a vacuum in the community,” said Reyes who was here in Bacolod to keynote the Bacolod Disaster Preparedness Conference at the Bays Center. Flags in half-mast Mayor Luzviminda Valdez ordered the Public Order and Safety Office (Poso) to flay all Philippine flags in all Bacolod City government offices at half-mast in the wake of Fortich’s death. “He was considered as an institution of the spiritual world and for us, he deserves the honor of a half-mast,” said Valdez. Macao Gallardo, former island commander of the New People’s Army in the 80s, said Fortich dreamed of a genuine land reform in Negros. He said Fortich also wanted that the “poorest of the poor” will be given livelihood programs to enable them to stand on their own. He added that Fortich is also a peacemaker as he knew how to reconcile warring parties. This earned him the title “Commander Tony.” Former Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Montelibano, Jr., on the other hand, recalled that whenever he and Fortich would talk, their topic would always be about the poor. “He told me that the poor always need help,” he said. Montelibano added that he visited Fortich at the Riverside Medical Center but the latter managed to just move his finger as a sign that he recognized him. FORTICH DIES. Bishop Emeritus Antonio Y. Fortich died Wednesday morning of multiple organ failure. He was 89. Photo shows Fortich with Pope John Paul II at San Sebastian Cathedral during the Pope's pastoral visit to Bacolod City in Feb. 20, 1981. SUN.STAR BACOLOD FOTO "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. [full 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 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.) Bishop Lauds Fortich on 89th Birthday BY CARLA GOMEZ (Daily Star - August 12, 2002) A great defender of human rights and a protagonist of the church stand on social issues - that was how Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra yesterday described Bishop Emeritus Antonio Y. Fortich. Navarra had joined a concelebrated mass at the Sacred Heart Shrine in Bacolod City to mark the 89th birthday of Fortich. Navarra said he prays that the Lord will continue to bless Fortich, because that, "in a sense, will be a blessing to us, too, in the Diocese of Bacolod." The presence of Fortich is very, very powerful in the sense that he has endeared himself to all of us and is a very great inspiration to us in the Diocese of Bacolod, Navarra added. Navarra also wished the other celebrator, Msgr. Victorino Rivas, a happy birthday. "I hope his health will improve and he will continue journeying with us in the Diocese of Bacolod," he added. "We really need his expertise and his powerful personality. I assure him of my prayers and support," he added. Meanwhile, Navarra yesterday reiterated his stand "that premarital sex can never be condoned by the church." "This is totally erroneous and morally wrong" he said in reaction to a statement of Sister Purification Mendoza at the Visayas AIDS Convention in Bacolod City last week. "Boys also go through the 'rite of passage' to be 'full-fledged men' by encouraging them through their first sexual relation or experience," she said.*CPG BISHOP EMERITUS ANTONIO YAPSUTCO FORTICH Fortich, ‘poor man’s bishop,’ dies at 89 By Inday Espina-Varona and Ma. Ester Espina, Correspondents The man they called Kumander Tony died on Wednesday, 8:15 a.m., in Bacolod City. Bishop Emeritus Antonio Y. Fortich would have turned 90 on August 11. His doctor at the Riverside Medical Center, where he had been confined since April 28, diagnosed the cause of death as sepsis comitant with multiple organ failure and diabetis mellitus. Fortich, who served as Bacolod diocese bishop from 1967 to 1989, had been ailing from a succession of mild strokes since November, but his death still surprised many. Perhaps it was because of his larger-than-life image, the clout he retained even after retirement. Over the weekend, President Arroyo, whose husband, Jose Miguel, comes from Negros, urged prayers for Fortich. “He is singularly distinguished for his commitment to the poor and for guiding the Church toward the less fortunate among us,” Mrs. Arroyo said. Former Presidents Corazon C. Aquino and Fidel V. Ramos had also called up the hospital to ask about Fortich’s health. As did deposed President Joseph Estrada, who enjoyed bantering with the bishop. The Archbishop of Manila, Jaime Cardinal Sin, said the Church is blessed for having a valiant pastor like Fortich. “I am sure that wherever he is, he will continue to intercede for us, so that genuine justice and peace may dwell in our land,” Sin said. Archbishop Orlando Quevedo, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), described Fortich as a great disciple of Christ and a faithful messenger of the gospel of Love and Justice. “He is a vigorous defender of the poor,” he said. CBCP secretary-general Msgr. Hernando Coronet said the bishops will miss Fortich’s dedication to his work and that his commitment to justice, peace and development will always be remembered. A great loss In Bacolod and the rest of Negros Island, the loss is felt at a deeply personal level, by both clergy and laymen, including non-Catholics. News of Fortich’s death caused many to break down in the middle of work. Rowena Guanzon, a lawyer, was in a Davao City courtroom when she heard the news. “I wanted to cry,” she told The Times. Guanzon, who is cutting short a provincial trip to pay her last respects to Bacolod’s fighting bishop, said, “Fortich’s work and life should be remembered as a beacon of light, at a time when the Church faces a great upheaval over tawdry sexual scandals.” “I thought he would live forever,” sighed Councilor Celia Flor. “In his ailment and old age, he accommodated to say early-morning Mass, with only three of us celebrating with him. This was early last year. Few flock ever had such a good shepherd.” Not all of Negros Island’s Catholic faithful agree. In the late 1980s right-wing landowners organized rallies to protest Fortich’s strong stand on agrarian reform. They called him and other priests subversives and communists, for fighting against socioeconomic conditions that earned Negros a reputation as a “social volcano.” In his temporary residence, at Domus Dei, where Fortich stayed following a fire that gutted the Bishop’s Palace beside the San Sebastian Cathedral, landowners would square off with evacuees from military operations and militant sugar workers. Fortich spent tens of millions in Church funds for social work, especially at the height of the sugar crisis, also during the term of former President Aquino, when hundreds of malnourished children died. In one of his homilies, he said the scope of hunger and poverty, worsened by Negros’ hacienda system, had expanded the seasonal tiempo muerto (dead season) into tiempo del muerto (a time of death). People skills Many of his critics, however, would later change their views. Many of the causes Fortich and his loyal clergy fought for have been vindicated with the passage of laws and the gradual shift in government policy, though Negros remains a hotbed of insurgency. The vicar general, Msgr. Vic Rivas, said Fortich, born to landowning parents in Sibulan, Negros Oriental, “learned how to use influence and power not for himself but always for others.” Rivas cried in remembering the bishop, who remains a role model for Filipino priests. “His only extravagance was his fondness for entertaining people, being hospitable to friends, and ensuring that the rich contribute to help the poor,” he said. Fortich never lost his temper with the landowners or with military officers who had made Negros a laboratory for what they called “low-intensity conflict.” He would thunder from the pulpit but would have a ready smile, a firm handshake and jokes aplenty for visiting personages from the other side of the political divide. Alluding to the Church’s present-day challenges, Rivas said of Fortich: “If you lived with him, you would be comfortable because of his kindness and compassion.” Fortich was so famous that Vatican officials swarmed around him during a trip in the 1990s. He was known for his fierce defense of the oppressed and his belief in stretching the limits of the Church’s “preferential option for the poor,” Rivas noted. “Yet his people skills were so good that he never really earned enemies.” And even conservative Vatican officials were drawn to the prelate with ever ready one-liners, and the ability to seamlessly blend theology with homespun wisdom. Larger than life Fortich was big in all ways. Tall with a nose veering to Roman stature. He walked with gravitas and laughed with his belly. His playful slaps on the back could hurt. Every day at the Bishop’s Palace and his Domus Dei residence was open house. He was charismatic and earned admiration worldwide when he persuaded the visiting conservative Pope John Paul II to include in his 1980 homily a denunciation of institutionalized injustice in the sugar industry and the Marcos dictatorship in general. Fortich’s humor put him in good stead as he tried the almost impossible task of mediating between the haves and have-nots among his flock. He would stride out to greet demonstrating landowners, grinning and dishing out gruff jokes. Journalists would be reduced to laughter as men and women who’d screamed at Kumander Tony minutes before would be reduced to kissing his ring and laughing at his comments. His championing the poor led to earlier brushes with death. In 1987 members of a right-wing vigilante group lobbed a grenade into the Domus Dei. The attack was clearly aimed at the bishop, who survived only because the grenade landed on the branches of a nearby tree. Past midnight, he greeted journalists with a slain sparrow cradled in his hands. The bird, he told us, was just like any poor citizen caught in the crossfire of contending ideological forces. The next day he had the sparrow stuffed and mounted on his desk. Even his critics were horrified by the attack and Negros’ elite sent out a firm message: rallies were all right but the bishop was untouchable. The incident did not douse Fortich’s fire. At the height of Operation Thunderbolt in 1989, when military officials tried to block Church food missions to evacuees, claiming supplies were being diverted to communist rebels, the bishop delivered another classic line: “A hungry stomach knows no color.” Fortich would eventually broker the return from the hills of Brig. Gen. Raymundo Jarque, the officer who masterminded Thunderbolt and then joined the rebels when caught between feuding landowners. Surveying Jarque’s press conference, Fortich laughed. “Surreal,” he said. “Only in the Philippines.” A priest’s bishop So well loved was Fortich by priests that his successor, retired Bishop Camilo Gregorio, found himself scrambling to fill a giant’s shoes. “He was always there for us,” Rivas said. “He would scold us if we did wrong but he would always go to the mat for a priest in trouble.” At that time there was little talk of sexual abuse. Almost immediately after taking over Fortich’s post, Gregorio drove off the evacuees that had taken shelter at the Domus Dei. Irate, the rural folk marched to the remodeled Bishop’s Palace, where the new bishop had taken to holding exclusive cultural affairs. They set up camp with the help of priests. Landowners came to Gregorio’s rescue, manhandled a few of the priests, and started a war of attrition between the new bishop and priests weaned on Fortich’s activist ways. Gregorio would later retire. Rivas said it was not the bishop’s fault that a number of Negros’ best and brightest priests and nuns joined the communist movement. The times merely called a few to a higher struggle, he explained. The list of Negros’ rebel religious is illustrious: Luis Jalandoni and Connie Ledesma came from landed clans. Frank Fernandez, alleged head of the regional party committee, was a top scholar and being groomed for higher posts, as were Vicente Pellobello and Alan Abadesco. Other rebels from the Church ranks were Ben Escrupulo–who has since returned to the clergy–and Norma Muger, his wife in the underground movement; and Sol Fuentespina and Carlos Alones. Fernandez and the Jalandoni couple are with the mainstream communist movement; Fuentespina is with the rejectionist faction. Alones is still involved with the legal labor movement. “He was an inspiration,” said Fr. Greg Patino. “At that time, the Church marched to a different drum beat.” Perhaps not, but as Lakas Rep. Apolinario Lozada Jr. of the Fifth District, Negros Occidental, said, “Fortich broke down the walls between the rich and the poor–or tried his best to do that.” A people’s pastor “Negros is grieving,” said Gov. Joseph Maranon, “at the untimely demise of a good man who exemplifies the character of a true pastor of the Church, especially amid current developments.” Fortich won the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service in 1973, the only Filipino clergyman to do so, with his establishment of the Dacongcogon Sugar Cooperative, composed of small, almost subsistence-level landowners and sugar workers. The cooperative now runs the sugar mill and remains the clearest proof that the “great unwashed” and the less educated can take charge of their lives if given training and opportunities. Fortich was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, together with then-President Aquino, for his work in the peace process. But he was not all activism. He established the Barangay ng Virgen, which has grown into a national movement of Marian devotees. He admitted the organization was aimed at attracting devotees among the poor but, ever the social equalizer, he persuaded several of Negros’ more enlightened rich to join the group. Fortich was born in 1913 to Ignacio Fortich and Rosalla Yatsutco. He joined the Jesuit seminary in Manila in 1933, but transferred to the San Jose Seminary in Iloilo. He braved a banca ride from Iloilo to Bacolod at the height of World War II for his ordination on March 4, 1944. His first assignment was as assistant priest at the San Sebastian Cathedral until 1949, when he became parish priest of Binalbagan town. He was recalled to Bacolod on December 31, 1952, and appointed vicar general. He became the third bishop of the diocese on February 24, 1967, until he retired in 1989. Fortich will be buried on July 15. His wake will be at the San Sebastian Cathedral. With Ferdinand G. Patinio, Correspondent 'Bishop of the poor' dies SISTER SERIOUSLY ILL, TOO BY CARLA GOMEZ The bishop of the poor and man of peace, who was an outspoken advocate of human rights even in the most trying times of martial law, peacefully passed away at the Riverside Medical Center in Bacolod City at 8:15 a.m. yesterday. Bishop Emeritus Antonio Y. Fortich, 89, succumb to systemic infection concomitant with multiple organ failure secondary to diabetes mellitus, Dr. Angel Araneta said. Fortich was to turn 90 on Aug. 11. "He was unconscious since Tuesday last week, it was a painless death," Araneta said. "He died peacefully in his sleep," was how Msgr. Victorino Rivas, Vicar General of the Diocese of Bacolod, described his death. Fortich was admitted at the RMC Intensive Care Unit on April 28 when he complained of difficulty in breathing and in swallowing food, and has been surviving on a respirator since. He was transferred to a private room of the hospital on May 16 where he died yesterday. He had suffered a mild stroke in November. Before he was admitted, the prelate had gone to Dumaguete City to visit his ailing sister Caridad Fortich, 88. Fortich's nephew, Dr. Demetrio Sy, said Caridad is currently confined in the Intensive Care Unit of the Holy Child Hospital in Dumaguete City and turned for the worst on Tuesday. She had a tracheotomy on that day, to allow a tube to go down the trachea to provide a breathing channel, just like the bishop, Sy said. On Tuesday night Sy said he told Fortich, who was very close to his only sister, not to worry as he would take care of her. Sy is the son of Zotica Sy, a cousin of Fortich. Caridad had not been told of the death of her older brother. CATHEDRAL BURIAL JULY 15 Rivas said Fortich's remains will lie in state at the San Sebastian Cathedral where he will be buried on July 15 after an 8 a.m. mass. Two other Bishops of Bacolod, Msgrs. Casimiro Lladoc and Emmanuel Yap, are also buried at the San Sebastian Cathedral. Rivas said that, in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Bishop Antonio Y. Fortich Peace Foundation that sends scholars from poor families to school and the Priests Care Foundation Inc. Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra, who was in Manila yesterday for a meeting of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, told Rivas that many bishops have signified their intention to attend the funeral. Navarra told the DAILY STAR he condoles with the family of Fortich and has already spoken to Msgr. Rivas on arrangements for the wake and funeral of Fortich. Fortich's death is a great loss for the Diocese of Bacolod, Navarra said. 'HE WAS A GREAT MAN' "Fortich's leadership made people aware of what true Christians should be. He practised what he taught, I am thankful to the Lord for making this great man a part of our lives and a model of exemplary Christian witnessing," Navarra said. Rivas said Fortich, although not responding to feeding and suffering from renal failure towards the end, was kept going by a strong heart. Fortich was a real pastor and shepherd of his flock, I have not met any one like him in my life, he said. He is the kind of bishop needed by the Church today, Rivas said. Fortich was "a holy man who lived a scandal-free frugal life, always ready to answer any pastoral call; a man who was what a bishop should-be, a father to his priests and people and a man who bridged the gap between rich and poor," a statement from the priests of the Diocese of Bacolod said yesterday. "It is hard to imagine a bishop more loved than Bishop Fortich. His passing will be great sorrow to all his people and his memory will inspire us all to work for a church which is mother to all, especially the poor," the statement said. PROVINCE GRIEVES The province grieves the untimely demise of a good man who exemplified the character of a true pastor of the church, especially in the midst of current developments, Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Marañon said. Fortich's "greatest asset is that he has always been a friend to everyone," Marañon said. "His bountiful accomplishments to help the less fortunate Negrenses cannot be ignored, especially in the establishment of the Dacongcogon Producers Marketing Cooperative," Marañon said. The cooperative runs the Dacongcogon sugar central that helps marginal sugar planters. For establishing Dacongcogon, Fortich was given the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service in 1973. He was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1982. Rep. Jose Apolinario Lozada (Neg. Occ., 5th district) said Fortich "has left Negros a legacy of stronger faith in God and corresponding strong confidence in each and everyone of us to face our problems economically and politically. Rep. Jose Carlos Cojuangco and his wife, Rio, in a press statement yesterday said "We shall miss this remarkable man who stamped life with the strength of his character and fought for those whom no one would fight for. We may have disagreed with him on certain things, or in the manner of achieving our objectives, but we were one in the dream of a better life for our people. "We shall miss his wisdom as well as his laughter. Negros will never be the same against without this towering figure," they said. Bacolod Mayor Luzviminda Valdez said the death of Fortich is a big loss to Bacolod "in the sense that we can no longer hear his wisdom." "He left imprints in the hearts of the people, the priests and the church," she said. A PERMANENT INSTITUTION "In death, Bishop Antonio Fortich will continue to be a permanent institution in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental, and very likely, of the whole country," former Bacolod mayor Evelio Leonardia said. "He was there during the most trying and controversial times of our history and soberly led his flock through all challenges," he said. "I grieve for him, not only because of what he had been to my family but also because he was there in the most significant moments of my life: He officiated at my baptism, my confirmation, and even my marriage," Leonardia said. "He will live forever in my heart and in the hearts of his fellow Negrenses," he added. Ann Ledesma, who, along with other close supporters of Fortich, made sure that he was well taken care of and comfortable while at the hospital, said he was a man of courage for speaking the truth even if it was not the popular thing to do. He really lived up to his motto from Timothy II 4:2 that says "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage with great patience and careful instruction," Ledesma said. Presidential brother-in-law Ignacio Arroyo said Fortich "was a beacon of hope in a church once too often beset by internal crisis and in a nation often burdened by economic difficulties and conflicts." "We are collectively diminished by his passing but we must also collectively draw strength from the legacy he left behind - his legacy of service to people," Arroyo said. Fortich's staff at the foundations he ran for the needy were also grief-stricken yesterday. Brisilda Tinosan recalled how Fortich always thought of other people and how, at Christmas, he remembered to give them and their children presents. Fortich was under the care of his nurse Galilee Caro and some nuns when he died, but many of his friends and priests had also been keeping close watch on him.*CPG Retired Bacolod Bishop Fortich dies at age 89 By Leslie Ann G. Aquino "A great disciple of Christ, faithful messenger of the Gospel, and defender of the poor." Thus Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) President Orlando Quevedo described retired Bishop Antonio Y. Fortich of Bacolod, who died yesterday morning at age 89. A statement issued by CBCP Secretary General Monsignor Hernando Coronel said the bishops will fondly remember Fortich not only because he was very much part of the prophetic voice of the bishops' conference but also because his life and ministry is a clear testimony to "building the Catholic Church as a Church for the Poor." "We will remember his selfless commitment to justice, peace, and development in furtherance of God's reign made evident in the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines and the Pastoral Priorities for Church renewal," Coronel said. In a circular issued by the CBCP through information given by Msgr. Victorino Rivas, vicar general, the bishops said that Fortich, 89, died at 8:15 a.m. yesterday at the Riverside Hospital in Bacolod where he was also confined last November after a mild stroke. They said Fortich, who has long been suffering from diabetes, might have died of old age. Funeral mass and burial will be on Tuesday, July 15, at the Bacolod Cathedral. Bishop Fortich, who won a Magsaysay Award in 1973, was born on Aug. 11, 1913, in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, to Ignacio Fortich and Rosalia Yapsutco. He was ordained priest on March 4, 1944, and was elected bishop of Bacolod in January, 1967. After a month he was consecrated as a bishop. Diabetes victim BACOLOD (AP) - Retired Roman Catholic Bishop Antonio Fortich of the Philippines, a staunch opponent of late President Ferdinand Marcos and a fighter for social change, died Wednesday after a long bout with diabetes. He was 89. Doctors at the Riverside Medical Center in Bacolod City said Fortich died from multiple organ failure caused by diabetes. He had been in the hospital since April 28. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo called Fortich "a champion of the poor and the oppressed, a courageous vanguard of peace and justice." Fortich became bishop of Bacolod in 1967 in the midst of workers' unrest against globe-trotting sugar barons on Negros island. In 1973, Fortich received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for public service, the Asian equivalent of the Nobel Prize, for being a "prime mover of social change" in the province. "Deeply rooted in local conditions, he sought a just society of recognized rights and responsibilities, prodding planters and centrals (sugar mills), priests, politicians and the less privileged to cooperate in meeting glaring needs," the award said. The award came a year after Marcos imposed nationwide martial law and started ruling by decree. A popular revolt ousted the dictator in 1986, and he died in exile in Hawaii in 1989. During Marcos' rule, Fortich became a vocal critic of the military's abuses and human rights violations while supporting land reform on central Negros island, which was a hotbed of communist insurgency. He helped ease the plight of hundreds of Negros villagers displaced by military offensives in the 1980s against the guerrillas by allowing them to take shelter and bring their dead to his church. After Marcos was toppled, his successor Corazon Aquino opened peace talks with the underground Marxist umbrella group, the National Democratic Front. Fortich was chosen by both sides to head a committee monitoring a 60-day nationwide ceasefire until Feb. 8, 1987. During the cease-fire, he criticized military officials for blaming rebels for violations without sufficient evidence and also spoke against killings by the communist New People's Army. Fortich, whose personal contacts with the rebels earned him the disdain of conservatives in and out of the church, had said that many of the rebels remained Christian despite communism's rejection of the faith. Three priests from his diocese had joined the rebels. One of them, Luis Jalandoni, is the chief rebel peace negotiator in on-and-off talks with the government since 1986. Jalandoni, who has left the priesthood and lives in exile in the Dutch city of Utrecht, was the first head of a social action center established by Fortich. Former priest Frank Fernandez now heads the rebel movement on Negros. Critics accused Fortich of being pro-communist. One group calling itself Christians Against Communist tossed a grenade at his home in Bacolod in April 1987, but he escaped injury. He also escaped an earlier attack by unidentified men who torched his residence while he was away. In 1990, Fortich helped negotiate the release of a Japanese farm technician, Fumio Mizuno, and an American Peace Corps volunteer, Timothy Swanson, who were captured by communist guerrillas on Negros. During the release, Fortich brought a basket of eggs for the Marxists up a mountain, a custom he had done every time hostages were freed by the rebels through his intercession. Fortich retired at age 75 in 1989. The diocesan vicar general, Msgr. Victorino Rivas, who was at Fortich's side when he died, announced funeral services will be held on July 15. President Arroyo offered her condolences to the family of the Catholic Bishop Antonio Fortich, who died yesterday morning in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental. In a statement, the President hailed the deceased bishop for his anti-poverty advocacy and his peace initiatives. "The death of Bishop Fortich has been a great loss to the Filipino people. He was a champion of the poor and the oppressed, a courageous vanguard of peace and justice," she said. "He was blessed by a great faith in God and in the people, whose love and affection he will carry forever," she added. Fortich, who died of multiple organ failure, was confined at the Riverside Medical Center for nearly a month. His remains lie at the San Sebastian Parish Church. Fortich, a known critic of the Marcos dictatorship, earned a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize for his anti-poverty and peace efforts. Vice President Teofisto Guingona Jr. yesterday expressed "profound sadness and a deep sense of loss" over the death of Bacolod's Catholic BishopEmeritus Antonio Fortich. "Our nation, our people have become all the poorerwith the passing of Bishop Fortich. He was more than a man of the cloth. He was a true patriot," Guingona said. Bishop Fortich, 89, suffered a mild stroke in November last year and seemed to recover after being hospitalized for 10 days. His health then began to worsen after the Holy Week when he returned from Dumaguete City to visit an ailing sister. Bishop Fortich was put in the Intensive Care Unit of the Riverside Medical Center in Bacolod City from April 28 to May 16 but has since been transferred to a private room. "Bishop Fortich was always with his flock and hisservice to the Filipino people went well beyond the Diocese of Bacolod and the Visayas," Guingona said. "We remember how strongly and staunchly Bishop Fortich stood with us, from his pulpit and on the streets,never blinking, never compromising in our battle against the Marcos dictatorship," Guingona added. Visayan leaders expressed sadness yesterday (July 2) on the death of Bishop Antonio Y. Fortich, bishop emeritus of Bacolod. Rep. Jun Lozada of the fifth district of Negros Occidental said: "Today is a sad day for the Philippines. (The death of) His Excellency, Antonio Y. Fortich, Bishop Emeritus of Bacolod, a progressive and activeman of God, is a great loss not only to the Catholic Church but also to the people, particularly of Negros, who he served with all his heart and soul." The chairman of the House committee on foreign relations said: "It is with deepest feeling of loss that I and my family, together with my constituents and the rest of the nation, mourn the death of Bishop Fortich. "I am one of the countless people whose lives he touched personally as he fulfilled his calling to serve God and his people. I have had very good relation with Bishop Fortich in his lifetime, both as my pastor and my spiritual counselor, and I personally witnessed how be practiced what he preached." The lawmaker described the late Bishop Fortich as a "strong pillar of the Catholic Church and he has left Negros a legacy of stronger faith in God and corresponding strong confidence in each and everyone of us to face our problems economically and politically." "He has opened our eyes to the realities of life - that we have to go true to our respective responsibilities in life, especially in the service of our people, said Lozada, stressing that "Negros will never be the same with his demise." "May his soul rest in peace. My family and I pray for his everlasting peace," Lozada said. Rep. Augusto "Boboy" Syjuco (Second District, Iloilo), a former national student leader, described Bishop Fortich as "a guiding torch for both government and private sector leaders for good, logical, Christian, moral and upright destiny for the welfare of the nation and people." 'Bishop of the poor' is dead Posted: 2:16 AM (Manila Time) | Jul. 03, 2003 By Carla P. Gomez Inquirer News Service A great loss BACOLOD CITY -- The "bishop of the poor" and "man of peace" who was an outspoken advocate of human rights even in the most trying times of Ferdinand Marcos' rule by martial law, died peacefully in his sleep at the Riverside Medical Center here at 8:15 a.m. Wednesday. Bishop Emeritus Antonio Y. Fortich succumbed to systemic infection and multiple organ failure secondary to diabetes, according to his attending physician, Dr. Angel Araneta. Fortich was 89. He was to turn 90 on Aug. 11. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said the death of Fortich was a great loss to the Filipino people. "He was a champion of the poor and the oppressed, a courageous vanguard of peace and justice," she said in a statement. "He was blessed by a great faith in God and in the people, whose love and affection he will carry forever." Manila Archbishop Cardinal Jaime Sin called Fortich "a tireless shepherd and a prophet of the poor and the oppressed." "His courage will always be remembered. The church is blessed for having a valiant pastor like Bishop Fortich," Sin said in a message. "I am sure that wherever he is, he will continue to intercede for us, so that genuine justice and peace may dwell on our land." Fortich was admitted at the RMC Intensive Care Unit on April 28 when he complained of difficulty of breathing and had been surviving on a respirator since. He was transferred on May 16 to a private room of the hospital, where he died Wednesday. He suffered a mild stroke in November. "He was unconscious since Tuesday last week. It was a painless death," Araneta said. Monsignor Victorino Rivas, vicar general of the Diocese of Bacolod, said Fortich's remains would be brought to the San Sebastian Cathedral where the wake will be held until his burial on July 15. Fortich will be buried in the cathedral. His coffin will be ensconced at the wall close to the altar, adjoining the burial places of two other Bacolod bishops, Casimiro Lladoc and Emmanuel Yap. The president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Quevedo, described Fortich as "a great disciple of Christ, a faithful messenger of the gospel of love and justice, vigorous defender of the poor." He "was very much a part of the prophetic voice of the bishops' conference. His life and ministry testified to building a Catholic Church to be a church of the poor," the CBCP said in a statement. Negros Occidental provincial governor Joseph Marañon said Fortich "exemplified the character of a true pastor of the church." For establishing a cooperative that runs a sugar central to help poor sugar planters, Fortich received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service in 1973. Nobel Prize nominee FORTICH was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1982 for championing the cause of the poor at the height of the Marcos dictatorship. Even after he retired in 1989, Fortich remained at the forefront of the fight against poverty in his province. Two years ago, even when he was ailing from complications from diabetes, he still joined a protest rally against moves to amend the Constitution. "The work for the poor is not excluded from the package of retirement," Fortich had said when he retired in 1989. Last year, when he turned 89, the prelate said: "I am happy. I have no regrets. I have seen the work I have done is bearing fruit, especially among the masses." He was the eldest child of Ignacio Fortich, a Spanish-Filipino, and Rosalia Yapsutco, a Chinese-Filipino. He was born on Aug. 11, 1913, at the Silliman University Hospital in Dumaguete City. The Fortich family owned land in Sibulan town in Negros Oriental that was planted to rice, corn and sugar. "My mother had a free clinic in the hacienda for the workers, and that gave me the idea that I wanted to serve the people when I grew up," Fortich had said. In 1933 Fortich went to Manila to study at the Jesuit-run San Jose Seminary. He was ordained priest on March 4, 1944. Fortich served the Bacolod diocese throughout his priestly life, broken by his one year and eight months assignment as parish priest of Binalbagan town in Negros Occidental in 1949. In the 1960s he became the charismatic leader of two church movements, the Barangay sang Virgen [Community of Family of the Virgin], which catered to the poor, and the Cursillo (A Short Course on Christianity). His involvement with these groups earned him the reputation of being a friend of the rich and poor. In 1966 he was named national chaplain of the Barangay sang Virgen, after it began to spread from the Diocese of Bacolod to virtually all over the country. Fortich was named bishop of Bacolod on Feb. 24, 1967 following the death of Bishop Immanuel Yap on Oct. 16, 1966. His first act was to call on sugar planters to give just wages to their workers. He stressed the workers' right to organize unions. A controversial pastoral letter he issued in 1969 brought attention to the plight of the sugar farm workers, especially the "sacada" seasonal workers. The message lost him friends and supporters. Unfazed, Fortich went on to create the Church Social Action Committee to make the diocese responsive to the needs of the time. By the 1970s, the diocese saw the flowering of social action programs and the poor in Negros found in the Catholic Church a new ally for their survival. Basic Christian Communities DESPITE the danger of being called a communist, Fortich instituted the process of empowerment by adopting the Latin American experience of building Basic Christian Communities (BCCs) that advocated active non-violence, grew in militancy in opposing human rights violations, proposed land reform, and challenged the laws of the Marcos regime. Fortich also put church property under land reform, started a legal aid scheme to help the poor, and set up a radio and television station. In the early 1980s, as the plight of the poor worsened with the sugar industry reeling from its plunder during the Marcos years, Fortich continued to be the outspoken champion of their rights. The international media quoted him extensively and among his famous quotes was his description of Negros: "We are sitting on a social volcano which could erupt anytime." Fortich was ridiculed by the rich and powerful for bringing to the attention of the world the starving and malnourished children of Negros. But one of his biggest triumphs was to get Pope John Paul II to make a side trip to Negros Occidental during his visit to the Philippines in 1981. "I told Cardinal Sin the Pope does not just want to see the scenery at Mayon Volcano; he wants to see the problems of the people," Fortich had then said. Fortich, believing in the need for peaceful change, became national co-chairman of the National Ceasefire Committee to pursue provincial and regional peace talks with the communists. It was also in the late 1980s that a strong anti-insurgency campaign was launched in Negros and rightist groups charged Fortich and his priests with being pro-communist. A little after midnight on April 28, 1987, a grenade was thrown on the landing near the door of Fortich's room, leaving steel fragments everywhere. Fortich survived the incident and remained an outspoken advocate of human rights. For what was seen as his controversial and unwavering stand for the needy, Fortich was retired before being promoted to archbishop. But even after retirement, he had continued to speak in behalf of the poor. Two years ago, when asked when he would stop championing causes, Fortich had said: "When the country attains peace, because that will mean that the needs of the poor will have been answered." With reports from Blanche S. Rivera and Juliet L. Javellana

A Tribute To Bishop Fortich at Diocese of Bacolod, Philippines, Bacolod City, Philippines 6100 PH - EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!