Filipino nuns eyed to teach in Timor

MANILA, Philippines - Timor Leste President Jose Ramos Horta on Saturday bared plans to hire Filipino nuns to teach in schools in his country. Ramos Horta bared the plan during a speaking engagement in Manila, according to an article posted at the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) website. "I have tremendous admiration for the nuns in East Timor and I have discussed this with the Bishop Basilio of Baucau and Mr. Xanana Gusmao that it would be better if we hire hundreds of Filipino nuns and other nationalities to teach in our schools and they would teach and do social work, the nuns are hard working, and they don't demand huge salaries and I do confess they really work," Ramos-Horta said. He also paid tribute to Filipino priests and nuns actively involved in helping East Timorese people. "The Church is a part of our history, the only one that can claim hundreds of years of experience but beyond that, it is the Church that provides the growth of Timorese identity, the Church has contributed enormously to education, health and culture over the years," he said. The Timor Leste leader said he has instituted subsidies to the Catholic church because the Church is "an extraordinary institution in education, there's no better quality education other than coming from the Catholic Church." Ramos-Horta said he has provided US $1.5 million in subsidies for the Dioceses of Dili and Baucau. "Fr. Jojo and other Filipino missionaries whose names I could not remember helped our people, they touched base with our youth, especially during the time of conflict," he said. "Filipino nuns played an extraordinary role in healing the wounds, providing shelter and education," he added. - GMANews.TV