Don't Separate Spiritual and Material, Says Longid
Episcopal News Service. February 19, 1987 [87041]
SAGADA, Philippines (DPS, Feb. 19) -- "People say the church must concern itself with purely spiritual matters," says Episcopal Bishop Robert Longid. "My theology tells me that it is not an either-or-thing. The political, the material aspect of life is not separated from the spiritual," he said in a recent interview with Religious News Service.
That thought guides Longid through his work as head of the Philippine Episcopal Church's 35,000 member Northern-Luzon Diocese. It also gets him in trouble now and then with military and civil authorities in this region where guerrilla forces of the National Democratic Front (NDF) have been active.
Longid is one of seven children of Bishop Edward Longid, who headed the same diocese in the mid-1970's. The current bishop is a member of the Anglican Peace and Justice Network and known for his deep interest in ecumenical and rural ministries.
His fight to retain the character of the region and his concern for the indigenous population point up the kinds of lingering problems that the government of Corazon C. Aquino faces in many areas outside of Manila.
Longid has been tagged a leftist. He recalls that in the early 1980's his name appeared on an order of battle of the Philippine Constabulary, labeling him a "communist terrorist." But despite such labels and implicit threats, the native of this mountain town continued to speak his mind during the final years of the Marcos regime and continues to do so today.
"The big problem is when people separate the material and political on one side and the spiritual on the other," Longid said in a recent interview. "So they go to church and they pray, they kneel down and say their prayers and talk about love for their neighbor, and then they go out and start kicking their neighbor."
Longid and many of his fellow natives of this Cordillera mountain region believe that their powerful neighbors from the lowlands and from abroad have been "kicking" the people of the Cordillera for generations.
According to Longid, a succession of government officials, military forces and industrialists have plundered the Cordillera's resources without regard for the region's people, their traditions and their relationship with the land.
"Development here has centered on the concept that the Cordillera is a resource center," said Longid. "Our relationship with the land here is one of stewardship, of using only what you need and conserving and conserving. But what's happening is people come here and wipe out our resources."
"I would say that at least 60 or 70 percent of the Cordillera people are fighting for the issues that are affecting them," said Longid. "And it happens that the revolutionary movement has taken up the cudgels for them."
Support for the rebel movement continues to run high in large areas of the Cordillera despite the advent of the Aquino government and the emergence of the Cordillera People's Liberation Army (CPLA) led by former priest Conrado Balweg. Balweg's group, which is involved in separate talks with the government and which is not hostile towards it, is thought to represent only a small portion of the Cordillera people.
"Definitely, Balweg should come into the picture," said Longid, "but he is not the one the government should concentrate on. He represents only a small portion of the Cordillera. In fact, even among his Tinggulan tribes, it's only one little area where he has leadership -- but this is not true of the rest of the Cordilleras."
"Peace to me is not just sitting quiet in the corner and saying 'ah, that's peace,"' the bishop said. "The old concept of the good boy in school who does not speak up is no longer our concept of peace. I think people here are for ceasefire. The thing is, while we support the ceasefire initiatives and negotiations, we also hope the issues will be attended to."
Longid feels the government should negotiate with the Cordillera People's Democratic Front (CPDF), the regional affiliate of the National Democrative Front. "The best solution will not come from clerics like me, but from those who will be sitting down in conversation, because I'm sure the CPDF will have their own ideas and the government theirs, but I’m sure that in the conversation, in the dialogue, something will come up (that could lead to peace)," he said.
If the government does not take the issues seriously, Longid is concerned that all out war will ensue.
"You can never stop a revolution by fighting it with arms," said the 51-year old bishop. "They will try to kill each other off, but that's not going to be the end of it. I also know that some people will have to take the option of taking up arms when their backs are against the wall, when peace initiatives fail and when they've exhausted all means for coming up with peace. And I'm sure it won't be just the government shooting. The other side is going to start shooting too. I'm not one to moralize on that because they are doing that out of their own commitment and out of their own situation."