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Are CBCP Bishops conspiring to undermine P-Noy?
AS I WRECK THIS CHAIR By William M. Esposo
The Philippine Star 2013-01-06
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There appears to be a conspiracy to cast doubts on the validity of the 2010 election and it’s being led by the same Roman Catholic Bishops that hate President Benigno S. Aquino III (P-Noy). The recent announcement of CBCP (Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines) president, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, that the Catholic Church will lead the investigation of the accuracy of the Smartmatic PCOS machines reeks of vengeance over the passing of the RH bill.
Mouthing the Church line is senatorial candidate Koko Pimentel, now giving me the impression that he will ride on anything that will give him political mileage. We can live with Koko’s so-called “conscience” vote when the Senate voted on the RH bill. But Koko has no business running with the administration party coalition if he is in league with the Catholic Talibans who are out to destroy P-Noy. Koko Pimentel may have outsmarted himself this time. Koko read my lips: There’s no Catholic vote. Between that confused Church partly led by some superstitious and narrow-minded Cardinals and Bishops, it is P-Noy’s endorsement that’s the more powerful force in the 2013 election.
This recent move of the CBCP should be looked into seriously. It’s even justified to consider it a national security concern. Retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz mentioned in 2011 that there are military officers willing to join a move to topple P-Noy. What the CBCP is doing is to open the ground, wittingly or unwittingly, for a much more sinister force that could threaten the gains of the P-Noy administration. It’s high time that we jail errant Bishops and Cardinals who might think that they’re above the law.
Considering that P-Noy has successfully achieved landmark legislations lately — maybe he should now push for taxing Church income and assets. In the first place — why should they be exempted? They didn’t even work for these. They got this from their begging bowls. From rich suckers, they promised prayers for a better life, a recovery from a serious ailment and so forth. This is a Catholic Church tradition of selling indulgences. They just got more creative these days.
Filipinos who are mesmerized by the Catholic Church should learn their real history and the role that these priests played in the Philippine conquest and the subjugation of the Filipino people. The Spanish conquest of the Philippines was correctly described as the result of the collaboration between the sword and the cross. There was Spain’s modern armaments, the then weapons of mass destruction, and the Friars’ manipulation of native minds that were not meant to increase more Christians but to increase more taxpayers and laborers for the Spanish crown. Those Friars told Filipinos that to love and follow Christ is to suffer with Christ and love those who bring their suffering.
The Catholic Church had been apologizing for a lot of its historically recorded transgressions during the time of Pope John Paul II but never did they apologize here for what they did to the Filipinos. The destruction of the Roman Catholic Church is not our objective — it is the cleansing of the Roman Catholic Church that we want to achieve. Obviously, the more enlightened Bishops and Cardinals cannot prove equal to this task because the Church had adopted this Mafia practice of Omerta, the Code of Silence. Those in the laity, the greater number of Catholics, are the ones that should undertake this clamor for reform in the Catholic Church.
To get their attention, we might want to consider a boycott of donations until they shape up. The pocketbook is always an effective attention getter. If some of them do not feel the impropriety of accepting seven digit gifts from Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, not to mention cars, they’ll certainly react when the collection box remains empty for several weeks. A collection boycott will also equip the enlightened elements of the CBCP to press for the needed reforms.
These recent actuations of the CBCP demonstrated Church leaders who have lost their bearings. They’ve lost sight of the separation of Church and State. Some of them even employed the dirty tricks that we see unscrupulous politicians use to attain their goals — like forwarding lies in the form of text messages. They’ve entered the realm of black propaganda against P-Noy. Some of these were the most vicious, even to a seasoned political veteran like me. They’ve made deals with politicians regardless of the bad reputations of some of these just to ensure that the RH bill is junked. Make deals with the devil and your hands eventually get burned.
These Bishops and Cardinals who have violated their trust by indulging in these underhanded tactics have lost their right to administer the doctrine of Christ. They should resign their positions in order to save the reputation of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines. Then they can become politicians or even join the Talibans, since they’ve demonstrated a liking for their tactics and methods.
Congresswoman Baby A
It’s quite delightful that my good friend Rosemarie “Baby” Arenas has decided to run for a Pangasinan congressional seat. She’s replacing her daughter Rachel who felt that it was high time that her mother gets due recognition. Baby A, as we fondly call her, is a sure winner and she’s running unopposed.
Baby A has got to be one of the most generous persons on this planet. She’s a dedicated promoter of the devotion for Padre Pio and an excellent source of information. Baby A isn’t just pleased to serve her guests superb cuisine — she will even give them gifts to bring home, to remember her by.
During my June 2011 medical crisis, Baby was in Pangasinan but she heard about it from Mila Alora and sent one of her messengers to bring me my favorite pancit miswa from Gloria Maris at the CCP (Cultural Center of the Philippines). It was also the favorite of my nephew Jan E. Claro who happened to be at Makati Med with us when this arrived. Jan inhaled everything that his big uncle wasn’t able to finish.
If that wasn’t enough, Baby A sent me P10,000 in P100 denominations to give as tips to the hospital staff. She wanted to ensure that they gave me their best service and attention. Baby A isn’t just generous – she cares.
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Shakespeare: “Madness in great ones must not unwatched go.”
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