MANILA, Philippines—The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines will tackle the issue of journalists killed in the line of duty when the bishops meet in a plenary assembly next month.

The killing of 30 media members in the brutal massacre of at least 57 people in Ampatuan, Maguindanao, last Nov. 23 brought the number of media people killed around the world this year alone to 69, according to a report by the New-York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

In the immediate aftermath of the massacre in Ampatuan, Maguindanao, a stunned nation came to know of the true reach of the Ampatuan political dynasty; position after high position in the province, it turned out, was held by a member of the ruling family. (On a smaller scale, this state of affairs is also true of their kin and blood rival, the Mangudadatu dynasty, in the neighboring province of Sultan Kudarat.) A demoralized public reeled in disgust.

No one had any doubts that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo would pat herself on the back for imposing martial law and suspending the writ of habeas corpus. And it comes as no surprise that she keeps padding the reasons for imposing martial law (the latest being to protect witnesses, although Gilbert Teodoro Jr., if lawyer Harry Roque is to be believed, has had the four survivors of the Maguindanao Massacre under his wing, without benefit of martial law since officially, anyway, he is out of government). But one assertion of the President was particularly revealing. “Our critics drag their feet and took their time grandstanding when the situation demanded decisive action, yet we must act quickly to secure the peace and ensure justice,” she declared.

Dear Fellow Filipinos,

Today we mourn the death of democracy once again as President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her no-good allies continue to spit in our faces with the obvious and demoralizing actions they have recently undertaken. This year alone, the scandals that have rocked the administration should have been enough to make any person with a conscience and moral principles hide from shame and embarrassment.

MANILA, Philippines -- President Macapagal-Arroyo is set to finally break her silence on the week-long military rule she imposed in Maguindanao, talking in detail about the supposed “dividends” of Presidential Proclamation No. 1959 before she leaves for a global climate conference on Wednesday.

Malacanang said on Monday efforts to question martial law before the Supreme Court had become “moot and academic” because the proclamation was lifted effective 9 p.m. last Dec. 11.

MANILA, Dec. 14, 2009—Strong protests from various groups against martial law may have pressured President Arroyo to lift it from troubled Maguindanao, a church leader said.

“I think our quick, continuous protest actions played a part in it,” said Sr. Mary John Mananzan, OSB, co-chairperson of the influential Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines.

This is dedicated to Priests who are such a great blessing to all the faithful and the whole Church.

Our priests are constantly under attack from the media, our post Catholic culture and most regrettably, the Church's own faithful, at times. This is The Year of the Priest and its time to say Thank-you, to pray for and defend these "other Christs", as they come into our life by our Heavenly Father's divine providence...