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Long
awaited silence broken; reason and logic to finally find its
way through "modern means of communications"?
First
Posted:
4:13 p.m. EDT, Friday, March 23, 2007
Manila
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March 21, 2007
 After
what seemed like forever, acting Supreme Commander Sir
Virgilio Esguerra has come out into the open and
acknowledged the need to "address our concerns and
provide settlements of the same at the earliest time
possible", in obvious reference to the turmoil that has
beset the fraternal organization of late. The unprecedented
and most welcome gesture was a memo sent via email. Sir
Esguerra did not elaborate what those specific concerns are
and did not give any hint as to a timeframe for their
"settlement".
The
dramatic development, resulting from persistent pleas from
numerous brother knights to the Supreme Council mostly sent
through the internet for attention over serious issues in
three foreign regions - Canada, Europe and the Middle
East/Africa - is expected to quell the exodus of longtime
members and to dampen a looming threat of a major
breakup. Reactions to the announcement is expected to be
mixed. (KOR News will post those reactions in these pages and
will monitor any progress made by the Esguerra initiative.
Ed)
The
following is the full text of the memo:
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21
March 2007
MEMORANDUM
No. 001 S. 2007
TO: ALL CONCERNED BROTHER –
KNIGHTS
SUBJECT: SOBRIETY AND CALMNESS
_______________________________________________________________
This is an appeal to all
brother-knights here in the Philippines and abroad
to refrain from issuing incendiary statements or
insolent language pertaining to some issues
and concerns in our Order. Such statements may
only cause disunity or havoc in the KOR as this is
never the intention of our Knights and officers. In
this point in time of the KOR history, after a
four-year old conflict in the Supreme Council, we
have now an active, vibrant, and productive
organization. The 15th International Assembly held
in Jersey City, USA in September 2006 and the 16th
International Assembly in Manila, held this February
2007 were activities worth pondering. There is no
perfect system or institution. The Knights of Rizal
has its own strengths and weaknesses, too. As we
appeal for sobriety and calmness in the Order, let
us address our concerns and provide settlements of
the same at the earliest time possible.
As each one of us is offering solutions to our
problems, let us always bear in mind the ideas and
wisdom of Rizal which we have been propagating to
the world and to all people. Let us sit down and
talk…….and if by distant shores we can’t, let
us do it by the modern means of communication.
The undersigned wishes to inform
our brother-knights that he has just assumed the
position by virtue of the appointment of our Supreme
Commander, Sir Justice Hilario G. Davide, Jr., KGCR,
as permanent Philippine Representative to United
Nations.
Non Omnis Moriar.
Fraternally yours,
SIR VIRGILIO R. ESGUERRA, KGCR
Acting Supreme Commander
Cc:
Supreme Council
Council of the Elders
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Reaction
Memo
draws swift and strong criticism from "Rizalist"
Sir Peter Eisele Posted:
10:27 a.m. EDT, Saturday, March 24, 2007 Reform
advocate Sir Peter Eisele of Gernany wasted no time to post
his candid reaction to the published memorandum from Sir
Virgilio Esguerra issued March 21, 2007. Sir Peter emailed
the following to the editor:
"At
the very beginning of his [Sir Esguerra's] memorandum he
asks for 'SOBRIETY AND CALMNESS' by attacking members for
'incendiary statements' or 'insolent language' thus
mistaking reasons and consequences.
'Incendiary'
and 'insolent' are not the statements or the language of the
members, incendiary and insolent was and still is the acting
of the Supreme Council in Manila, now represented by Sir
Esguerra, and the cause for disunity and havoc is the
treatment of the members like in this MEMORANDUM No. 001 S.
2007 as of March 21st, 2007.
TO
ASK FOR SOBRIETY AND CALMNESS AND AT THE SAME TIME ATTACKING
MEMBERS IS NOTHING BUT PRETENDING !
To
call the 16th International Assembly in Manila, held this
February 2007 an 'activities worth pondering' is
contradictory to the statements of Sirs Francois from
Belgium, Klaus Hartung, the former European Commander and
others, who did not attend at all for the same reasons -
waste of money and time. I am sorry to say too, that I do
not see an 'active, vibrant, and productive organization' at
all when it comes to the activities rendered by Manila.
As
Sir Jun Zerrudo indicated in his news report, the fact that
Sir Esguerra did not elaborate any specifications of 'our
concerns' and the 'earliest time possible' does not give any
security or at least a timeframe to the members.
EMPTY
FLOWERY PHRASES JUST MEANS TO PUT OFF THE MEMBERS UNTIL THE
COWS COME HOME !
It
must have been more than 15 years now, that I sent my first
mails to 'distant shores', but ever since I became a member
of the OKOR in 2003, I did not even get 10 mails from the
Headquarters in Manila, although many times I asked to
be added to the mail distribution list. The
"modern means of communication" have not been
invented today as Sir Esguerra seems to express. He never
dared to answer any of the mails concerning all the matters
in Canada, Middle East and Europe which he provably got
before. Why should he do now ?
Last
but not least I will not only bear the ideas and wisdom of
Rizal in my mind, but as a Rizalist I will always remember
his sharp pen too. And he did not refrain from any
'illustrious' or 'supreme' people as 'Men
are born equal, naked and without chains, they were not
created by God to be enslaved, neither were they endowed
with intelligence in order to be misled, nor adorned with
reason to be fooled by others, It is not pride to refuse to
worship a fellow man, to enlighten the mind, and to reason
out everything. The arrogant one is he who wants to be
worshipped, who misleads others, and who wants his will to
prevail over reason and justice.' (Dr. José Rizal - Message
to the women of Malolos, Europe, February 1889)"
Sir Eisele, in his efforts to keep the cause alive among
discontented members particularly those who have already
resigned, is spearheading the establishment of an
alternative organization called "La Liga Solidaridad
International - The Rizalists". (back
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