Why did a monk sue the Cebu prelate?

Our beloved eminence Ricardo Cardinal Vidal has been sued for libel before the Cebu provincial prosecutor’s office by a wayward former monk, who exposed alleged acts of lasciviousness in the famous Marian Monks of the Eucharistic Adoration monastery in Upper Lindogon, Simala, Sibonga in Cebu province. The former monk is Venancio Cabillon, who is known by his religious name as Frater Paul Mary. His criminal suit also named his former prior superior Frater Martin Mary, Rev. Fr. Marnel Mejia, and Msgr. Cristobal Garcia as respondents.  

This case started when Cabillon wrote the Cardinal sometime in early January to inform his eminence about alleged acts of fraud and sexual misconduct that the brothers, including himself, committed, thus violating their vows of poverty and chastity. Cabillon virtually accused his fellow monks of “living in a world of lies and deceptions like creating seeming miracles on Mama Mary shedding tears of blood, crying and other shenanigans.” He also admitted to have fallen prey to the temptations of lust and worldly and sinful weaknesses by engaging in sodomy. There was also an alleged “Miss Gay Beauty Pageant.” Naturally, this makes for juicy news headlines!

So last Aug. 9, the “Bag-ong Lungsoranon,” the official organ or publication of the Cebu Archdiocese, published a story that Cabillon committed grave faults against the religious vows of his order, as a trafficker of members of his own religious formation, and also violated his vows of chastity and obedience. This publication is really a public announcement as to what’s happening in the Cebu Archdiocese and a way of warning the laity that this priest or that brother has been defrocked.

Libel, as we in the media know too well, must be accompanied by malicious intent and in my book, there was nothing malicious in the publication by the “Bag-ong Lungsuranon.” What Frater Paul Mary a.k.a. Venancio Cabillon ought to do is seek repentance for his sins… a repentance that can only come from a contrite heart. Filing a libel case only proves that he is out for vengeance against his spiritual leader in the Cebu Archdiocese.

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In response to my article last Wednesday entitled “Wanted: A Political Leadership with a Plan,” I got this angry e-mail:

“Bobit, I never heard you say anything about Gloria who has been doing all the talking for the last nine years. What about all those planning from the time she took over? Where are these now? As if it has benefited us, if that is so, how come we keep falling off the ladder when it comes to global surveys?

“All we get is one anomaly after another, aside from her almost achieving in dismembering the country and all the lies of her SONA like being prepared for disasters and you kept mum. But now that Noynoy who hardly says anything, you are quick to criticize him. No amount of long-term planning you’re talking about in your column will work if the one doing it has no credibility at all.

“It’s so obvious that your preference is Gibo since he would continue what his predecessor has started. You got to be kidding!!! He may be a Bar topnotcher but look at his being the head of NDC. What happened to its disaster preparedness he has been boasting of before? I’ve never seen a head of NDC with such incompetence in my life. The only achievement he could show is his being in his office early in the morning till late at night and summarizing all the dead and destructions.

“Go ahead and vote for him for you certainly deserve a president like him and by the way an opportunist since he quit NPC and joined Lakas since his uncle said in the past that he has no way of being their presidential candidate. As for us, we will vote for someone who may be the dumbest person in the world for all we care but with the utmost motive of serving the people instead of enriching himself. Alfred Manalo… [email protected].”

Here’s another e-mailed response to that same article, this time from Cora Dolar (coradolar–@yahoo.com):

“Your article today seems to disagree with Noynoy Aquino’s people empowerment kind of governance... It seems you want a leader who will be as dictatorial as Marcos or as stubbornly arrogant as Arroyo. Poor you. Us people make or unmake our government… We people make our government, not the other way around. Look at what happened now because we depended our lives so much on the government. May nagagawa ba sila ngayon? Di ba mostly private individuals ang gumagawa ng tulong sa nasalanta ni Ondoy at Pepeng. Saan ang leader mo ngayon? Pathetic!!! [email protected].”

I already e-mailed my detailed comments respectively to Cora Dolar and Alfred Manalo, so I don’t need to publish my reply to them in this corner!

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For e-mail responses to this article, write to [email protected] or [email protected]. Avila’s columns can be accessed through www.philstar.com.