Photo by Jordan Opel on Unsplash
Dear Holy Father:
This columnist proposed a “Wealth Tax” on February 17, 2021. The 2021 article on the “Wealth Tax” is one of 21 articles mentioned in a book about the suggested “Biden Back-to-Basics Doctrine.” The book was dubbed “Mabuhay Writings Book 4”. This was the lead paragraph of said column published on April 14, 2024: “A ‘Wealth Tax’ Can End ‘Crony Capitalism’ and ‘Avarician Economics’.”
To the best of this journalist’s limited knowledge, it appears that he coined the terms “Avarician Economics” and “United States of Avaricia” (sic). Their prime movers and supporters can be dubbed “Avaricians.” Readers can guess that “Avaricia” is the Spanish word for “avarice.” Or greed.
The top two percent of the “United States of Avaricia” is composed of financial barons who control the country’s cartels, their political supporters, cronies, and kin. People may refer to them as the “Avaricians.”
The “Wealth Tax” could have been the number one issue of the 2024 presidential, congressional, and local elections. Neither of the major parties in the United States addressed the problems and proposed solutions. American politicians cannot risk losing political contributions from Corporate America, their billionaire controlling shareholders, and other filthy-rich donors.
The term “crony capitalism” is generally attributed to George M. Taber, a former business editor for Time magazine. He is credited with using the term in the 1980s while researching the Philippine economy. Specifically, Taber wrote a Time article in 1980 with the headline “A Case of Crony Capitalism”. The term was used to describe the economic practices of George M., Taber, which involved close relationships between the government and certain businesses, resulting in preferential treatment and unfair advantages.
But years before Mr. Taber used the term, Filipinos, especially members of the Philippine Fourth Estate, were already using the term “crony capitalism” verbally, but could not print it in news articles as the country was under Martial Law, which was declared in 1972. Mr. Taber, however, forgot to mention that “crony capitalism” was also being practiced in the United States. Filipino policy and decision-makers emulated their American backers, regardless of which political party was in power.
As this series stated in Part VII about the “Parishes of the Future”, the church must help congregations achieve socioeconomic empowerment by helping them form cooperatives. Because poor parishioners seldom attend church activities like masses and novenas — as this author saw it as an altar boy in the Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral of Sorsogon, starting in the mid-1950s until he graduated from a Catholic high school adjacent to it in 1962. Why? Because the primary worry of the poor is how to feed themselves, and it takes most of their time looking for food — especially if they are homeless.
“The Vatican must listen to the voices of lowly members of congregations, especially in the poorer nations of the Third World. Reforms are needed in the far-flung Catholic parishes and dioceses. Perhaps a “Prevostlution of Hope” is the answer.
Here are some of the latest economic facts about poverty in the Philippines, the only predominantly Catholic country in the Far East: The Philippine minimum wage and poverty threshold are notably low. Some sources indicate that the government pegs the minimum wage at approximately US$1.50 per day. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) estimates that a family of five requires ₱13,873 per month (about US$250) in 2023 to meet their minimum basic food and non-food needs, which translates to about US$1.67 per person per day.
Population Living Below US$1.50 per day: According to one source, nearly 25 percent of the Philippine population (approximately 110 million) lives below the poverty line, earning around ₱75 per day (approximately US$ 1.50). This implies that a significant portion of the population, including many families, falls within this income bracket — even now in 2025.
On June 14, 2012, this journalist organized a Facebook Group called “BLEAK LIVES MATTER (‘Born Against’ Movement)”. It features a cover photo of a shanty inhabited by a squatter family in Pinaculan Island, located in Sorsogon Bay and just a mile away from Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral. It cannot even be called a lean-to, for it uses discarded tarpaulin for a roof, cardboard boxes for walls, and a door; it does not have a kitchen, electricity, running water, or even pieces of furniture. At that time, there were approximately 70 similar shanties on the small island in 2015, when this journalist visited, interviewed residents, and took photos of their dwellings. The said Facebook Group also reproduced emails that were sent to the Diocese of Sorsogon starting in 1995 when this journalist followed up on his complaints about alleged corruption by a bishop and his successor. Both are deceased now. Instead of addressing the complaint, the vicar general called this writer the “Satan of Sorsogon.”
On November 27, 1987, a powerful typhoon unexpectedly passed through Sorsogon Bay, and its strong winds blew numerous shanties into the bay. Local government agencies and even church officials never bothered to evacuate the squatters from the shores of the bay. Because the initial weather prediction indicated that the eye of the typhoon would pass through the San Bernardino Strait (between Sorsogon Province and Samar Island), some 40 miles from Sorsogon Bay. More than 700 Sorsoganon squatters were swept to the bay, and only some 500 bodies were recovered. The cathedral served as a temporary mortuary for several days.
The Vatican must listen to the voices of lowly members of congregations, especially in the poorer nations of the Third World. Reforms are needed in the far-flung Catholic parishes and dioceses. Perhaps a “Prevostlution of Hope” is the answer. Part IV of this series suggested respectfully that “Prevost” be turned into an acronym for “People’s Renaissance, Economic Ventures and Outreach in Stressing the Truth.” If we combine it with “revolution”, we form a new word, “prevostlution.” Yes, as the headline said, “The World Needs Maybe a ‘Prevostlution’.”
Thank you, Your Holiness, for your attention and assistance.
Very respectfully yours in Jesus Christ,
Roberto (Bobby) M. Reyes
Journalist and Book Author
