THE LOUDEST CALL today by the parliament of the streets is “IMPEACH SARA DUTERTE NOW!”
It’s a demand from the people concerned about truth, justice, and accountability in government. That the vice-president of the country has been charged to have violated the Constitution and the Rule of Law requires that she be given her day before the Impeachment Court soonest.
The vice-president, accused of betraying his mandate to serve the people, is a grave matter of governance. This means that she has not been doing her job, and has done wrong to the people whom she was supposed to serve while holding the second highest position of public trust in government.
The Senate and the House of Representatives have been expected by the people to do their job in accordance with their clear constitutional duties. BUT they have been remised in expediting the impeachment of VP Sara Duterte.
‘There are a few brave bishops, priests and pastors, who have tirelessly supported the activists in their fight for truth, justice, accountability and good governance.’
BEDROCK OF CHRISTIANITY
The Philippines is known to be the bedrock of Christianity in Asia, with more than 90 percent of the population professing to be followers of Jesus Christ, that is, believers and doers of what is right and avoiding what is wrong towards fellowmen. Presumably, this Christian population is supposedly guided in the practice of their Christian Faith primarily by priests, pastors, bishops and other recognized church leaders.
It is probably safe to presume that President Bongbong Marcos and the rest of his cabinet ministers, other appointed officials, and the senators and congressmen profess to be Christians, or at least believe themselves to be trying to do what is right, and not doing anything wrong in holding their respective positions of public trust.
In this regard, aren’t Church leaders, as prophets, supposed to guide their Christian flock, particularly government officials, to avoid doing evil, and to carry out their official duties with integrity in the service of their constituents?
OBSERVERS OF WRONGDOINGS
For decades now, the people have observed that the Church priests, pastors and bishops have been silent observers of the many wrongdoings of government officials.
Their Christian flocks are at times, or more often than not, surprised that in the face of the evil doings of the country’s public officials, their bishops, priests, and pastors have not done anything concrete to advise or confront the erring public officials, much less, to demand accountability for their actions in violation of their oath of office to serve the people. In effect, these church leaders appear complicit in the evil doings of the government officials.
Concerned Filipinos of goodwill, and especially the many activist groups, civil society organizations, NGOs, social movements, and countless citizens believing and working for good governance in their own creative or small ways, really wonder why the leaders of the Christian Faith seem to be uncaring about how the government is being run by self-serving dynastic families, egoistic celebrities, pretentious know-it-all officials, rogue cops and military officers.
These church leaders seem to be so comfortable with their presiding over worship services and leading their parishioners in their devotional practices. They do not see the need to be with their flocks who, despite difficulties of getting public transports and other hazards from sun, or rain, and possible harassments by PNP ground troops, join the parliament of the streets clamoring for reforms in government plans and programs. The SHEPHERDS have so far failed to guide and protect their flocks from the WOLVES in government!
DID THE CHURCH FAIL?
From the time of the brutal “war on drugs” beginning in 2011, initiated by the former Davao mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte and later, becoming the country’s president in 2016, causing the extra-judicial killings (EJKs) and red-tagged killings of more than 30,000 Filipinos, the Church’s bishops, priests and pastors have not lent enough of their voices to denounce such killings, or somehow confront the perpetrator-officials themselves for committing such crimes, or sins, against the people.
There are a few brave bishops, priests and pastors, who have tirelessly supported the activists in their fight for truth, justice, accountability and good governance.
But the Church, as THE PROPHET for good governance, has basically failed the people!