TAGUDIN, Philippines (UCAN) -- A priest of Nueva Segovia archdiocese sees entrenched political patronage as a main reason for widespread poverty and hopes the new archbishop will work with priests and laity to change this.

Father Albert Rabe, professor of pastoral theology and parish priest in Tagudin, says newly installed Archbishop Ernesto Salgado's expression of concern for the poor and openness to dialogue are signs of hope for the local Church in the northern Philippine archdiocese.

UCA News spoke with the former head of the archdiocese's Basic Ecclesial Communities (BEC) program in his parish, about 270 kilometers north of Manila, after the May 31 installation Mass at St. Paul Cathedral in Vigan City. Father Rabe, 46, maintained that as long as the Church receives material or monetary support from politicians, it will not be free to proclaim the Gospel.

He called instead for development of grassroots Church communities that would transform the life poor farmers lead, freeing them from dependence on politicians and "political dynasties."

Nueva Segovia archdiocese, established as a diocese 410 years ago, covers the province of Ilocos Sur on the northwestern coast of Luzon Island. Eighty-four percent of the 621,923 residents are Catholics. According to government statistics, 30.6 percent of the people were living below the poverty level in 2000, compared to the national figure of 28.4 percent.

Father Rabe, one of 91 priests of Nueva Segovia, has served in various parishes and ministries since his priestly ordination in 1983. He directed the archdiocese's youth ministry 1987-1990, and its BEC program 1991-98.

The interview follows:

UCA NEWS: What challenges confront newly installed Archbishop Salgado?

FATHER ALBERT RABE: The real challenge for the Church of Nueva Segovia -- the clergy, Religious and lay leaders led by the new archbishop -- is to address the suffering of the people, especially the poor.

This suffering is caused by political patronage, which is so embedded in the local culture that our politicians have no concept about liberating the poor. They simply dole out, control people and keep the people dependent on them.

What is the relation between the Church and the government?

Politicians have no intention other than to influence the Church for their interests. They know that the Church is very influential, so they need to be at peace with the Church. That's why it's really very important for the Church to speak out for the poor. The governor of Ilocos Sur was at this (installation) because it is a traditional occasion, which, like any other ecclesiastical event, politicians always make sure to attend.

What do you want the Church to do?

First of all, the Church must distance itself from politicians. The Church should not accept anything or any favors from politicians. These include cash and offers to build church buildings and chapels. Through this way, the Church could proclaim the Gospel without any strings attached.

In my parish, I forbid soliciting donations from politicians. For one, giving donations is not the job of politicians. The job of politicians is to empower the people for the common good. They have to create and implement effective and comprehensive programs to uplift the plight of the people, especially the poor. We believe that politicians should not dole out funds. They're not meant to be Santa Claus.

On the other hand, the Church is not free to proclaim the Gospel if it accepts donations from politicians, because there is always this Filipino culture of "utang na loob" (debt of gratitude). The Gospel demands that we must be free to proclaim it.

Without such donations, how do you generate funds for your parish?

It's very easy. Members of our BECs are very generous. We have what we call "sagot pamilya" (family responsibility), a monthly offering of every Catholic family. A family gives according to what comes from the heart of family members and what they can afford. This family offering is used for mission work. We can do a lot because the offering is regular.

What's the main livelihood of most people in Ilocos Sur?

They're basically farmers tending tobacco and rice. A few farmers are engaged in orchards, cultivating "calamansi" (native citrus fruit similar to a lime). They are not well-to-do mainly because farm inputs are costly and there are no farm support and credit services. The government should promote and provide access to credit for farmers. Government should also provide basic infrastructure like irrigation facilities. But these are hardly provided.

In this town, we have an existing irrigation facility that is serving only some communities. More communities can be served if government expands and develops further our irrigation infrastructure because we have available water systems upstream. There are more possibilities for more irrigation systems in other municipalities. If those in government can only provide even the most basic social services, such as irrigation, as well as education, health care and transportation infrastructure, we can generate livelihood opportunities.

Farmers can demand these. But there are no real organizations of farmers here. Except for a few, most of the farmers' organizations here are controlled by politicians. There are no authentic NGOs in Ilocos Sur.

What about Church-based organizations?

We don't have these, too. We don't have what are called cause-oriented organizations. So we don't have balance of power in Ilocos Sur.

Could the Church help achieve this balance?

The Church can help by building BECs at the grassroots level. But the Church must be radical. This means the Church has to lead in helping transform all aspects of our lives, including politics, economics, culture and our ecology. The Church should not simply confine itself to the spiritual.

We call these BECs "gimong" in my parish. Gimong means community, and I'm happy to inform you that 60 percent of the Catholic faithful in Tagudin belong to a gimong. We already have 179 gimong in my parish. Each has been built on what we call integral evangelization, which has three components -- worship, formation and social action.

Worship is meant to deepen people's faith and prayer life. We need formation because we need to be formed according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Through social action, members of the gimong look into their own situation and try to respond collectively after critically analyzing it. Through this way, they can respond to issues affecting them.

If we do away with worship and formation, and focus only on social action, we become mere activists lacking in spirit. We need to have vision, effective program and passion. So we need to be integral.

We also consider a BEC a new way of being Church, which stresses among members participation and co-responsibility in the mission of Jesus. Through a BEC people are given a new understanding of faith, which we call integral faith. This is a kind of faith that grasps justice, promotes integrity of creation and, as we said earlier, transforms politics, culture and economics.

If people understand this integral faith and take it upon themselves, there is hope for social change, which can come within their hearts.

Do political dynasties have a strong influence?

Political dynasty is so pervasive that it has become, in some way, accepted as part of the normal state of things in Ilocos Sur. Political dynasty is not only a fact of life at the provincial level. It is also a way of life at the municipal and village levels. In one town, for example, a mother is the mayor and the son the vice mayor. Politicians simply promote family interests, not the common good. And obviously, those who hold political power also control strategic businesses. Political power also means economic power for these dynasties.

Could these dynasties be challenged legally?

The problem is that there is no enabling law to enforce a constitutional provision forbidding political dynasties. The Philippine Congress has refused to promulgate an enabling law, because many of them, from the president down to the members of the House of Representatives, will be affected. Many of them are from political dynasties.

What businesses do politicians control in Ilocos Sur?

Politicians here are very smart. They have dummies for their businesses. So if you file a legal suit, for example, you cannot pin them down. But it is public knowledge that politicians here own businesses in transportation, construction, tobacco-drying plants, rice mills, fast-food chains, hotels, resorts and others.

What are other major Church concerns?

Jueteng (an illegal numbers game) is a big issue here. In Tagudin town alone, collectors reportedly get 300,000 pesos (about US$5,500) daily in bets. The sad thing is that these collections come from the few pesos that poor folk bet.

Last May 29, I issued a pastoral statement that said the temporary stoppage of jueteng in the town is just for show. The real problem is lack of sincerity of those who are supposed to enforce the law. Also, people don't know that the money politicians give as donations for people's projects come from the small pesos the poor have been betting on jueteng.

Do you encounter problems because you speak against politicians and jueteng?

In the last election, in 2004, I received death threats. While we worked for clean and honest elections, a group of burly men supposedly told my fellow volunteers: "It would be nice to kill Father Rabe." Another man said he would feast on my liver once I got killed. We sought the help of some soldiers under a special force, who protected me from possible danger.

What are the prospects for the local Church under Archbishop Salgado?

The clergy will present (to the archbishop) the real situation here in the province. In his address during his installation, we heard him say he was devoted to the less fortunate

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