21/09/2025
An Open Letter to the People of the Philippines
Beloved People of God, Brothers and Sisters in the Spirit of Carmel,
We, the Carmel Youth of San Francisco, rise with courage, conviction, and compassion. In the spirit of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the prophetic tradition entrusted to us, we take a stand: Corruption is a sin against the people, against creation, and against God.
As Kapasilungan 2024: Ikaw ang Bitoon sa Gugma ug Paglaum reminds us:
โ๐๐๐ฉ๐, ๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ฉ๐๐ฌ๐๐๐ฃ, ๐๐๐ช๐ฃ๐๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐ช๐ข ๐ช๐จ๐๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ฉ๐ช๐๐ก๐ค ๐จ๐ ๐๐ค๐๐ฎ๐๐ง๐ฃ๐ค! ๐ฟ๐๐ก๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐๐ค๐ฉ ๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ค๐ง๐ง๐ช๐ฅ๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ, ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ก๐๐ฅ๐๐จ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฉ๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ช๐ข๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐จ ๐ช๐ ๐ข๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐จ๐ค๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฉ๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐ ๐ค๐ข๐ช๐ฃ๐๐๐๐.โ
This is not only a cry from the stage; it is the cry of our hearts. We long for this corruption to come to an end. That is why we campaign and spread our message through creativityโthrough our Kapasilungan Theater Play. In every scene acted, in every line spoken, in every tear shed, we proclaim: corruption must stop, justice must prevail, and hope must rise.
The Philippines is weeping, just as we weptโagainst the abuse of power, against the theft of dignity, and for a future where truth and justice reign. And yet, it seems that these corrupt officials have eaten the very hope we always held onto, devouring the future of the young, the dignity of the poor, and the trust of the people. But what they cannot consume is the fire of our faith and the courage of a people united in love and truth.
Corruption is not just the theft of money; it is the theft of dignity, hope, and future. It poisons governance, deepens poverty, and perpetuates the suffering of the poor. It silences voices, mocks justice, and destroys the moral fiber of our beloved nation. For too long, corruption has disguised itself in politics, in power, and even in our silence. But silence now is complicity.
As Carmel Youth, nurtured in the spirituality of prayer, community, and prophetic action, we cannot turn a blind eye. Carmel is not only about the quiet of contemplationโit is about listening deeply to God in the cries of the oppressed, the weeping of the hungry, and the broken dreams of our generation.
We declare with boldness: The youth are not powerless. We are the โ๐ฏ๐ถ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฎ ๐ด๐๐ด๐บ๐ฎ ๐๐ด ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ด๐น๐ฎ๐๐บโโstars of love and hopeโcalled to pierce the darkness of greed and corruption. We refuse to inherit a culture of dishonesty and moral decay. We choose to inherit integrity, justice, and the Gospel of life.
๐๐จ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐:
Stand up. Be vigilant. Be critical. Be courageous. Use your voices in classrooms, in streets, in social media, in communities, and in prayer. Do not allow corruption to shape your conscience. Instead, allow your conscience, enlightened by truth and faith, to shape society.
๐๐จ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐ ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ง๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ:
We remind you that public office is public trust. Serve the people, not your pockets. Remember that every centavo stolen is food taken from a child, medicine withheld from the sick, and education denied to the youth.
๐๐จ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐ก๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ก ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ:
Let us not tire of being prophetic witnesses. Let us denounce injustice boldly, but also announce hope faithfully. The Spirit of Carmel calls us not to withdraw, but to engageโtransforming society through prayerful action and action rooted in prayer.
In the words of our Father, Prophet Elijah, Carmelโs great model: โHow long will you waver between two opinions?โ (1 Kings 18:21). It is time to choose. We choose justice over corruption. We choose truth over lies. We choose hope over despair.
We are Carmel Youth. We are the children God attracted in Carmelโs way of life. We will not be silent. We will not be bought. We will not be corrupted. We will be faithful prophets of the Philippinesโwhere love, justice, and peace reign.
With hope and fire,
๐พ๐๐ง๐ข๐๐ก ๐๐ค๐ช๐ฉ๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐๐จ ๐ค๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ง๐ฉ ๐ค๐ ๐
๐๐จ๐ช๐จ ๐พ๐ค๐ข๐ข๐ช๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐ฎ
๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐๐๐จ๐๐ค, ๐ผ๐๐ช๐จ๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐ก ๐๐ช๐ง
