Far from over

PANGASINENSES bid goodbye to Archbishop Oscar Cruz with feelings of deep respect and the best wishes for the crusades that he intends to carry on in his retirement years.

Over the last two decades, Cruz brought national issues into Pangasinan and at the same time landed the province in the national scene with his zealous fight involving social and political issues that are inextricably related to the values that the Catholic Church stands for.

His was one of the strongest voices of discernment in the national and local media, the only advocate in the whole country against jueteng and gambling who was taken seriously. His courage to speak and fight against the many levels of jueteng’s grave effects may not have stopped this evil game, but it has ruffled the vicious system that   has become deeply entrenched in Filipino society.

His unprecedented achievement in the province was the creation of a tally board on jueteng-infested towns and cities in Pangasinan, that to be called a ‘jueteng-free’ town or city was considered a badge of honor among our local government officials.

And the outspoken and now retired archbishop has not given up on this battle as he intends to re-organize the Krusada ng Bayan Laban sa Jueteng as soon as he is done handing over his priestly responsibilities to his successor.

Cruz was also key in the organization of the “Agco La” Movement that staged demonstrations against jueteng, the transgressions of former President Joseph Estrada, and recently the extensive corruption in the GMA government, particularly the NBN-ZTE deal.

Cruz has been the only member of the clergy (after the influential Jaime Cardinal Sin) who was critically vocal against a presidential family because of corruption issues. His resolute criticisms have been firmly grounded on basic moral principles and the standards of decent public service. In pursuit of this conviction on good governance and accountability, Cruz is now helping organize a group that will bring some of the best country’s legal minds together for the task of bringing to court those public officials who have taken advantage of and abused their position and authority.

Cruz, for the last few years, has been excitedly anticipating his retirement years. But he is not looking to rest. His fight is far from over, his crusade far from finished.

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