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A Communique from the Public
Forum on the Peace Constitution
Bishop La Verne D. Mercado Ecumenical Center
National Council of Church in the Philippines
879 EDSA, Quezon City, Philippines
May 5, 2009
From bows to plowshares, from spears to pruning hooks
War is not the way to peace. Demilitarization is the origin of peace and
security. Peace and security cannot be seen within the context of
economics alone but in the relations of peoples and establishment of
communities of peace and justice everywhere. These, among others were the
common hopes that drew us to this forum, organized by the Ecumenical
Bishops Forum, the National Council of Churches in the Philippines in
partnership with the Catholic Bishops Conference of Japan.
Article 9 of the Japanese constitution provides that in “aspiring
sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the
Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation
and the threat or use of force as means of settling international
disputes. In order to accomplish (this) aim. . . land, sea and air forces,
as well as other war potential, will never be maintained.” Since 2006,
there have been vigorous efforts by the Japanese government to amend this
provision, thereby pave the way for the creation of a Japanese army. This
has been met by an equally vigorous campaign by the faith communities in
Japan to oppose any alteration of this provision. The call of Japan Bishop
Matsuura Goro to make Article 9 of the Japanese constitution “a world
treasure” is a call for an end to the culture of war. Thus it rightfully
merits the approval and support of peace-loving people in the world.
Article 9 is a model for a peaceful and just world which many countries
like the Philippines should emulate. It is a constitutional provision that
all Japanese should be proud of, a worthy gift of the Japanese people to
world peace and a concrete response against the imperialist designs of the
United States.
The war against terrorism was the pretext of the United States, through
its foreign policy, to impose its will upon nations through outright
aggressive invasion of others and insidious intervention in the affairs of
government of others. In its desperate bid to remain as the dominant world
power, the US has not hidden its agenda. Attempts by the governments in
Japan and the Philippines to amend their respective constitutions are very
much part of this US imperialist agenda. The presence of US military bases
in Okinawa and elsewhere in Japan and the Visiting Forces Agreement (e.g
Balikatan Exercises) in the Philippines are meant to carry out that
agenda. Vigilance is a call we make at this time, lest the current
economic crisis shall likewise be taken as an additional pretext for
further imperialistic aggression and intervention.
We rejoice that people in both countries are becoming more discerning and
consequently more active in resisting covert designs to amend pro-peace
and pro-people provisions of the constitutions of our countries. We also
rejoice that the face of Christ is seen in the face of Asia as shown in
the peoples’ movement as the primary agents for genuine change and the
church being a part of that movement. We give thanks that the Holy Spirit
continues to blow upon us the spirit of wisdom, openness and the will to
be free, thereby leading us to the road to peace and justice.
Our Calls
As bishops and people called to larger responsibility in our churches, we
will endeavor to undertake the following:
1. Strengthen RP-Japan solidarity for peace and security
We will promote activities
that will propagate the issues of peace and security in our churches and
exchange of stories and experiences among our people. We will adopt common
action to promote the culture of peace and security in Asia. We shall
speak out against militarist solutions to principled dissent and oppose
militaristic mindsets in government such as the practice of appointing
retired military generals in key civilian positions in the Philippines.
2. Lobbying
We will engage and support
parliamentarians and political parties espousing peace and justice and
ecological issues. We will promote and encourage inter-parliamentary
cooperation between our two countries on these issues.
Concluding Statement
The future of the world cannot be left in the hands of politicians and
business alone, much less in the hands of any single country. It also
rests on communities of peoples coming together in mutual respect,
interdependence and co-existence. The church as a faith community
incarnates this vision. Archbishop Orlando Quevedo of the Philippines has
suggested a process whereby church people can begin to live out this hope
for a better world: (we) “ have to be at the heart of the struggle of the
little people, as Jesus was. I (we) have to be at their side to proclaim a
prophetic word, disturbing the mighty, strengthening the little ones, to
help build with them a new form of global communion that begins in the
heart of the poor and, in pain but with unshakable trust in the power and
wisdom of God, reaches out to other peoples everywhere.”
Download Word doc with signatories
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of Rev. Goro on Article 9 of Japan constitution
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Program
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