Episcopal Commission on the Laity
(Council of the Laity of the Philippines)

Report to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (July 1, 2006- June 30, 2007)

Program Services

Lay Leadership Formation Seminar

Laiko's Formation Committee successfully conducted once again the seminar workshop on "Lay Leadership Formation Seminar Towards Being a Community of Disciples" at the Diocese of San Pablo with 150 Lay Leaders participating  last September 1-3, 2006. This is in addition to 15 Arch/Dioceses that have already undergone the seminar. The seminar –workshop aims to retool the lay faithful to become more efficient and effective lay leaders of the Catholic Church towards being a Community of Disciples. Another Seminar will be given to the lay leaders of the Diocese of Romblon this coming August.

National Laity Week Celebration

LAIKO facilitated the celebration of the National Laity Week last September 24 to October 1, 2006 with the theme “Building A Culture of Love.” The celebration theme is in line with the proclamation of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) declaring the year 2006 as the Year of Social Concerns.  National Laity Week celebration’s main thrust is to promote lay apostolate as well as to honor our lay Filipino saints, San Lorenzo Ruiz and Blessed Pedro Calungsod. The celebration was launched on September 24 at the Manila Cathedral. A presentation of the different charisms and apostolates of the different lay organizations preceded the concelebrated Eucharistic Celebration with Archbishop Fernando Filoni, Papal Nuncio as the main celebrant. An audience with the Apostolic Nuncio among lay leaders was held right after the Mass.  A closing celebration was highlighted by a Sunday TV Mass over NBN Channel 4 with bishop Gabriel Reyes, DD as the main celebrant.  

Advocacy Against Graft & Corruption

Laiko, through its project “Archdiocesan/ Diocesan Councils for Responsible Governance” continue to fight and minimize if not eradicate graft and corruption.  To intensify its effort, it has joined the alliance of government and private agencies/ organizations that are involved in the anti-graft and corruption campaign more particularly on deploying volunteer observers to the different Bids and Awards Committees(BAC) of the national government institutions. It has formalized an agreement with Bishops’ Businessmen’s Conference (BBC) to work together in intensifying its training and recruitment of volunteer observers so as to saturate the BAC offices of the different government institutions. Engr. Jose Lugay former Chairman of Laiko now chairs this Committee. 

 To date, Laiko has deployed volunteer observers to the following government agencies:

• Office of the President(OP)
• Department of Budget and Management(DBM)
• Philippine Ports Authority(PPA)
• Social Security System(SSS)
• Department of Interior and Local Government(DILG)
• Manila International Airport Authority(MIAA)
• Central Bank Security Complex(CB)
• Philippine Health Insurance Corporation(PhilHealth)
• Bureau of Treasury
• Development Academy of the Philippines(DAP)
• National Commission on Indigenous People
• Light Rail Transportation Authority(LRTA))
• Duty Free Philippines ( Manila & Cebu)
• Technical Education and Skills Development Authority(TESDA)
• Insurance Commission
• National Commission for Culture and the Arts
• National Statistics Office (NSO).

LAIKO has facilitated  the attendance of volunteers  from different Arch/Dioceses nationwide to the Training  of  Trainors  on the Government Procurement Reform Act for the Bids and Awards Committee Observers conducted by Procurement Watch, Inc., in National Capital Region, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. It has also started fielding trained volunteer observers in the provinces where biddings are being conducted. 

LAIKO in cooperation with Bishops Businessmen’s Conference(BBCP) and the Coalition Against Graft & Corruption, conducted a  two-day Training of Observers to Government Bids & Awards Committee held last  20-21 September 2006 at the  Conference Room 5, 2/F, Walter Hogan Conference Center, Institute of Social Order, Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Hts., Quezon City. Thirty volunteer observers from different lay organizations and private organizations completed the training

2007 International Conference on Bioethics & the Family

LAIKO in partnership with the CBCP Office on Bioethics has co-organized the 2007 CBCP International Conference on Bioethics and the Family with the theme: “The Challenge of Biotechnology to Human Life and the Family”. It was held last January 9-10, 2007 at the EDSA Shangri-la Hotel, Mandaluyong city.  Around 800 participants attended the Conference. 

Year of Social Concerns

In response to the CBCP’s call to be more active on social concerns, LAIKO has intensified its effort in effecting authentic social transformation. It has distributed copies of the CBCP’s Pastoral Letter on the Year of Social Concerns to all its affiliate National Lay Organizations and Arch/diocesan Councils of the Laity and encouraged everyone to focus their activities on social concerns.

People’s Initiative to Change the Constitution

LAIKO has organized groups that are now actively conducting fora on the CBCP’s Pastoral Statement on the Alleged People’s Initiative to Change the Constitution.  Its aim is to explain the position of the Bishops  as specified in their pastoral statement,  inform the lay leaders  on the current undertakings  by the different sectors of society relative to charter change,  present the alternatives specified  by the  1987 Constitution  for constitutional revision as well as the Congress endorsed  draft of Petition  to COMELEC for a plebiscite to approve the revisions proposed  by the so-called “people’s initiative. The forum also presents the major features of Presidential and Parliamentary systems of government.  Fora were conducted at the Dioceses of Kalookan, Pasig and Antipolo as well as among the Lay Leaders of the different National Lay Organizations.

2006 National and Local Elections

In line with Laiko’s Advocacy in Promoting Clean, Orderly and Honest Elections, Laiko has created a Committee whose tasked is to conduct voters education in the different Arch/Dioceses in the country. Another tasked of the Committee is to make a study on the current political situations in the country and make recommendations to the Episcopal Commission on the Laity through Laiko on the possible plan of actions that may be undertaken by the lay faithful to effect authentic electoral reforms.

LAIKO has also disseminated CBCP’s Pastoral Letters on the 2007 National and Local Elections to its affiliate Arch/Diocesan Councils of the Laity and National Lay Organizations, they were also encouraged to actively participate in the coming elections by involving themselves in promoting clean, honest, credible and peaceful elections. LAIKO is working hand in hand with the National Office of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) to effectively address the call for a common effort to ensure credible electoral exercises.  

LAIKO in cooperation with several coalitions co-sponsor a “Collaborative Forum on Elections with the theme: “Responsible Family Voting” held last April 26, 2007 at the Bahay Ugnayan of Pro-Life Philippines in Aurora Bvld., Quezon City.   Participants from 15 organizations attended the forum.

Pro-Life and Pro-Family Advocacy

LAIKO's Advocacy Committee through its family-oriented organizations continues to aid the laity's work in preserving the values of marriage and the family.  LAIKO network with other groups such as Pro-Life Philippines, Episcopal Commission on Family & Life, The Alliance for the Family  in opposing major bills filed in Congress which assault, in varying degrees, both the principles of our Catholic Faith and the provisions of the Philippine Constitution. LAIKO have requested the Diocesan Councils of the Laity and National Lay Organization  in the Quezon City Area to attend the sessions in Congress as part of its campaign to be vigilant on the possible passage of the anti-life and anti-family bills.

Religious, Educational & Social Welfare Organizations of the Phils.

LAIKO, together with its fellow affiliates to the Religious, Educational and Social Welfare Organizations of the Philippines (CRES), is actively lobbying in the Congress for the passage of the amendment to the Tax Reform Act.  The amendment aims of exempting all religious and charitable organizations from paying taxes derived from their income from properties, real or personal.

PPCRV & NASAC

LAIKO President serves as Vice President for External Affairs of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV). He also serves as the current President of the National Social Action Council (NASAC), a trisectoral body composed of Religious, Private and Government Institutions.

CBCP First Friday Vigil

LAIKO, through the St. Peter Catholic Charismatic Community, conducted the monthly Inter-Organizational Prayer Vigil and Mass at the CBCP chapel on the First Friday of each month for special intentions.  

Respectfully Submitted,

Ernesto M. Burdeos
National President