Center for Labor Education & Research, University of Hawaii - West Oahu: Honolulu Record Digitization Project

Honolulu Record, Volume 9 No. 19, Thursday, December 06, 1956 p. 3

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Magsaysay Rapped for Proposal To Dedicate Republic to Sacred Heart

Protests against the most recent religious utterance of President Ramon Magsaysay in the Philippines were growing last week, according to the Manila press, by leaps and bounds. President Magsaysay bad proposed that the entire nation of the Philippines Republic be dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and Philippines Protestants were not slow in voicing their opposition. Latest organization to make such opposition public was "The Spirit of 1896," which describes itself as "a society consecrated to the maintenance of individual rights and liberties and the preservation of the principle of separation of the Church and the State." Dr Gumersmdo Garcia, a regent of the University of the Philippines, was given credit by the Manila Chronicle for triggering the opposition to the Magsaysay proposal. The resolution, adopted unanimously by the society, expressed strong doubt of the constitutionality of such a dedication and added, "there are millions of Filipino Muslims, non-Catholics, non-believers and pagans whom President Magsaysay could not possibly represent in a religion of his own choice and much less to dedicate them to the Sacred Heart of Jesus or to the Virgin Mary."

Split with Sugar Bloc

In another quarter where he was getting trouble on another score, President Magsaysay let leak a story that he may break his political relationship with the Filipino sugar interests, and that he would attempt to help "dump" their candidates rather than allow the Philippines to become a "sugar republic " Magsaysay was reported irked over continual sniping at his administration by members of the sugar block. He was also reported especially annoyed by the efforts of the sugar bloc to unpeg the peso from the US dollar, which it is estimated would enable the sugar interests to pay their obligations with depreciated pesos, and reap large profits as well But it would also cause great misery among most of the people of the Philippines, Magsaysay's economic advisors have told him. Other indications, say Manila papers, are that Magsaysay has been visiting and conferring with "conservative" elements among the large sugar planters, and speculation has it that his move is to try to split them away from the aggressive bloc that pushes at Malacanan for its purpose.

Ilocanos Want No part of any possible war involving Egypt and Israel, the Manila Bulls eye reports, because they feel a relationship with one side. When hostilities were in progress recently, numbers of Philippines government officials canvassed the country trying to spur some enthusiasm for a Filipino armed force of some sort to be sent for police work under the United Nations. "It looks like we'll have to fight again, as in Korea," one official told another. "Well, I don't know about that," another replied, according to Bulls-eye. "We Ilocanos have to stay neutral in this fight" "Why?" asked others present "Well, you know the Jews are involved. And we Ilocanos come from the same stock." It was a new concept to many who heard it for the first time.

p /> I do not say that at odd hours a patient must be given the regular hot dinner or supper. Few people would expect this.
 
But what is so complicated about opening and heating a can of soup, making some toast, or preparing instant coffee or tea? Why cannot a night nurse do these simple things after the kitchen to closed? Is it just too much trouble?

It is only common humanity to feed the hungry. If our hospitals are too big, too complex, too impersonal to do these small kindnesses for the sick, something is very wrong.