Of Plans and Mysterious Ways Pt 2

A little background:

Sometime after the resignations, Frank Padilla broached an idea to Roquel Ponte about seeking spiritual guidance from Frank's close friend Bishop Soc Villegas on how to go about settling the personal disagreements between Frank, Tony, and Lachie.

Bishop Soc invited the whole 7 man council to Balanga, Bataan.

Frank and Lachie went there a day early and slept over. The next day, Joe Tale and Ernie Maipid arrived, two couldn't make it; Joe Yamamoto had surgery and Roquel was on a mission.

It was during this meeting that Bishop Soc introduced the idea of a CFC and GK split.

A few days later, Bishop Soc emailed a draft proposal letter to Frank and the other council members through Maribel Descallar.

Maribel forwards it to non-council member Gary Faustino (of the Easter Group). Gary replies with his comments copied to Nonong Contreras and mistakenly forwards it to Gerry Bacarro a CfC Leader (when it was probably meant for Gerry Padilla).

This is the second faux pas of the Easter Group that is also being widely reported and making the rounds as a forwarded email. Here is the email thread:






One would wonder why Maribel Descallar would share this information with non-Council members BEFORE forwarding it to the Council.

Still coming:

The draft letter that was composed by Bishop Soc for the council to submit to Cardinal Rosales.

The 2007 CfC International Council Election Video

It was kinda hard getting all these uploaded, so I'm a bit beat, commentary on this tomorrow. =) Good night and happy viewing!


As most of you who left comments on this entry said, this video speaks for itself. Some commenters have mentioned being shown only selected snippets of the video in certain "recruitment" activities, but I think the video in FULL best shows the true measure of the proceedings and will enable you all to discern a little better.


A little explanation (technical):

I split up the video into 4 parts (an idea that hit me in an enlightened moment), mainly to help those whose internet connections aren't working at fully blessed speeds. I thought it would make it easier to view each part if they're in smaller chunks. The smaller parts helped me upload each video, as attempting to upload the full 50mb file and having it get cut off because of an internet connection hiccup was getting frustrating and making me think of very unChristian thoughts about my internet provider. Good thing prayer works! :-)


For those of you who emailed asking where they can download this video in full, here is a direct link to the 50mb file (you can also watch the video in its entirety there):

http://www.zshare.net/video/35341987773c98/

This video file is actually a compressed (smaller) version of the actual VCD. I've had some email inquiries from those who would like to show the full resolution video in their households, and asked about where to get the actual VCD itself, so that they can play it on a dvd player.

If you would like a copy, please email me and I will try my best to have a copy sent out to you.

I am also compiling the rest of the audio files presented in this blog in this entry, including the Recollection Night audio and others. You can find the links at the bottom after the videos.

Part 1



Part 2




Part 3




Part 4



Media Files:

The 2007 International Council Elections Video (full)

Recollection Night Audio Pt 1 (Fr. Mario Sobrejuanite talk)
Recollection Night Audio Pt 2 (Fr. Mario Sobrejuanite talk)

Update:
Recollection Night VIDEO


Tony Meloto's reaction to GK-3

Tony Meloto Speaks

Tony Meloto finally deals with the issue head on. This article in the Philstar covers the sentiments within GK and the issues surrounding the FFL and GK.

GK head breaks silence on Couples for Christ split
By Patricia Esteves
Thursday, August 30, 2007

Gawad Kalinga founder and 2006 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee Tony Meloto said yesterday the split in the popular Catholic lay organization Couples for Christ (CFC) would not hurt GK’s housing projects for the poor.

“The breakaway group, CFC Foundation for Family Life, is just a small group that left CFC. Those who left are not even involved in Gawad Kalinga (GK),” Meloto told The STAR yesterday.

“Those who left CFC may have their own priorities but greater majority of CFC are on the same ground, the work of GK will not be disrupted,” Meloto assured.

He said the CFC breakaway group’s accusations against GK enraged thousands of volunteers, partners, universities and corporations.

“There is an outpouring of outrage from the thousands of volunteers, partners, students who are deeply involved in GK work. Gawad Kalinga is the fruit of their sacrifice and when you attack or question the credibility of GK, you are dishonoring the thousands of volunteers, benefactors, partners here and abroad who have sacrificed everything to help build homes for the poor. Even the poor beneficiaries of the homes are upset about this,” Meloto said.

Ironically, volunteers have become more passionate in helping GK as a result of the controversy, according to Meloto.

“At GK, the rich and poor are involved, the civic society, corporations, the students, even foreign embassies support us. So many people from the United States come here to build houses,” he said.

“When you attack GK, the credibility of the organization, you attack the volunteers and they will not easily let the small group of people destroy what they had worked for the poor,” Meloto said.

The CFC breakaway group has accused GK of mismanaging the donations for the poor and for shifting its focus from spiritual to social activities. The group also accused GK of partnering with corporations that promote the use of contraceptives.

“I support the mission of the Catholic Church. Contrary to what they say, we don’t promote contraception in GK, we partner with the organization that wants to help the poor,” Meloto explained.

The CFC breakaway group also demanded an accounting of GK funds.

In 2006, donations to GK reached P600 million. The amount is expected to swell to P1 billion by the end of this year.

“We are partnering with 300 corporations who exercise due diligence and a number of them hire their own people to manage GK partnerships,” he said.

GK executive director Luis Oquinena, for his part, said the Vatican and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines upheld the June 2 election of the new seven-man CFC council. The elected council members are sympathetic to Meloto.

“That means they recognize the leadership of the seven-man council elected last June,” Oquinena said.

The spiritual adviser of CFC has appealed to the two groups to settle their differences, saying the rift, if allowed to continue, would cause division in parishes and dioceses nationwide.

“The division in the CFC is not just an internal affair. CFC is present in most of our archdioceses and dioceses in the Philippines. If the CFC is divided, our parishes and dioceses will also be affected,” Antipolo Bishop Gabriel Reyes said in a letter to CFC officers dated July 12, 2007.

Reyes also said he was wrongly perceived to have supported the June 2 election of CFC council members because of the way one of the elected officers reported – in a letter – the outcome of their meeting with him.

Reyes, who also heads the CBCP Commission on Laity, said that while it was true that the seven council members visited him on June 24, the letter written by Bro. Joe Tale did not mention his and other prelates’ disappointment with the holding of the election. – With Edu Punay

I believe it speaks for itself. I wish there were more coverage on the election, but I guess that is up to us to take on.

Update: I just found it ironic that they are demanding an accounting of GK funds when they should be demanding an accounting of pre-February 2007 CFC funds to clear THEIR name.

Side Notes: Incoming Emails, Motives, and Personal Responsibility

It is not my wish to disparage CFC or even FFL, but to give members of both who are unaware an insight into the personalities that are leading both. While one may see their involvment in CFC as a vehicle to do God's work, those who lead the organizations still hold much sway over their actions. I seek to expose motives and help discern the truth, so that God's work can continue to be done without the influence of human foibles and whims.

I have been receiving emails from people who have expressed their support and/or have given more information. An email from a certain B. Aris gives a succinct analysis of the internal issues of CFC. I thought hard about whether to post this or not, as this much insight into the organization that is CFC may be damaging to its reputation. I believe, that armed with the knowledge of its past mistakes, the CFC leadership can forge a new path, one that is beyond reproach and focused on its primary mandate, with TRANSPARENCY at its core to set an example for all.

Here now is an email I received from B. Aris.

Dear CD,

When the Council of Four inherited the governance of CFC after the resignation of Frank Padilla, Tony Meloto, and Lachie Agana, they tried to do what was standard operating procedure - take an inventory of assets and liabilities to set the level of their accountability. To ensure that the process would be as transparent as possible, several experts in the field of accounting and finance among CFC leaders were asked to participate.

Immediately after, Frank Padilla complains and accuses the Council of a witch hunt. For the first time in remembered history of CFC, its finances were being made open for scrutiny in their totality. While totals were being made available to the Council, only a select few, with Maribel Descallar, had access to all documents and detailed figures related to tithes and expenses. The truth was not so apparent, only some facets of it, even to the whole Council.

It was not a witch hunt. When it was seen by employees of the accounting section of the Home Office that the Council of Four were sincere in trying to determine assets and liability, or the total situation of CFC's financial state, several of them - on their own - began to submit documents that they believed would be of valuable use. It seemed that many documents had been deliberately kept until the day would come when the truth, indeed, would set them free.

The results of the financial inventory has been kept from the general membership. They are being kept secret to save the face of individuals concerned, leaders and council members of CFC who used, misused, and abused the tithes collected from the general membership. The struggle to spare the reputation and feelings of guilty parties won over the need for the truth to be known. The sensitive and damning documents remain in boxes which CFC members and leaders, except for a very few, are not allowed to see and inspect.

The little that has been revealed is just the dire financial situation of CFC, its virtual bankruptcy. Over the years of Frank and Gerry Padilla's conjugal rule of CFC, there had been no need for an accounting to the general membership. After all, tithes are God's money, and Frank is accountable only to God. A private letter was given to Lachie Agana, containing, it is rumored, a list of "lapses" he had committed as far as the use of money was concerned. It is also rumored that the list is not even complete because it was not meant to bring out the whole truth to the light, only to correct a brother according to the culture of the community. However, in any other organization, those "lapses," it is rumored, can send a person to jail or, at the very list, serve as a blacklist of his lack of honesty and integrity for life.

Again, it is rumored that CFC owes banks and individuals a whopping 25 million pesos. While it is not being rumored, not yet anyway, that Maribel Descallar or Lachie Agana had stolen money from CFC, there is much talk of abuse, of the gray line between what is personal and what is official. There is also much talk of how the favored ones, especially among full-time workers, are made to travel abroad as their gift for their loyalty - to the conjugal rule of Frank and Gerry Padilla and their heir apparent, Xavy Padilla. There is also much talk about other travel, hotels and meals, not only for favored officials of CFC, but including their families. Many times, these expenses are loaded, or padded, to the costs of CFC events.

I am sorry that you have to be content with rumors. There is a way, though, to be more precise. If Frank and Gerry Padilla, Maribel Descallar and Lachie Agana get touchy with mere rumors, they can always ask the Council to reveal all the documents to all the members of CFC. As Frank is very fond of saying, and now echoed by Nonong Contreras who used to be very vocal about the way CFC finances were being badly managed, "Let the truth set us free!"

B. Aris

For more, please refer to this comment posted in another entry.

Act II - Links in the Chain

EDIT:

The email sent by Zeny Gimenez to Frank Padilla regarding certain personal concerns has been removed per her request. It was not my intention to cause her any pain, but merely to share with others who may be unaware about certain things that she has observed.

This email is making the rounds in CFC circles as a passed along forward. Like it or not it's out there, still, my sincerest apologies to Zeny.



I will however, keep the following posted:

Questions that need to be asked and answered:

Who is Marco?

What are the affidavits?

What exactly is the "improper relationship" all about?

What is the FTPW fund?

The Pink Panther will now chase the Playboy Bunnies...

Answers tomorrow.