Word war about a new People power

MANILA, May 3, 2010—The head of Manila’s Catholic Church has gained criticism for saying that holding of massive street protests if the elections are wracked by fraud are “irresponsible” and crazy.”

A top official of the influential Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines on Monday said Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales’ comment was wrong and worth-opposing.

“With due respect to cardinal, I disagree very vehemently with what he said. I think doing nothing (against poll fraud) is more irresponsible,” said Sr. Mary John Mananzan, AMRSP co-chairperson. [I am no fan of Sr. Mary John especially in most of her "street protests" but this time I agree with her and will go to the streets of need be.]

Rosales yesterday said he will not support any mass movement of people and to call for another people power these days is no longer needed. [With all due respect, Your Eminence, did you ever EVEN speak out against the wrong-doings of the government?  If by just lip service you cannot fulfill your moral obligation as shepherd of a million souls in Manila, how in the world can we expect him to take to the streets?]

He said the situation in 1986, when millions of Filipinos took the streets to oust a dictator was totally different from the country’s present condition. [Yes but it is heading that way because YOU are NOT DOING ANYTHING!]

He added that if the elections will be marred with cheatings, calling for street protests are unnecessary since there are still legal recourse that people could take. [How can the legal recourse be taken when even the Judiciary's reputation is even being questioned?  How can this be a recourse when an election protest would last the entire term in office?  How many times have we seen the real winner in a congressional protest get sworn into office only to serve the less than 1 week remaining days in office?  The Filipino people will never be comfortable taking a legal recourse!]

For Mananzan, however, if the cardinal is still looking at an honest-to-goodness kind of the government, the Arroyo administration is an exception.

“Most institutions in the government are severely compromised,” she said in a press conference. “So where are we going now?”

“For me really, it would be irresponsible if we are not going to do something,” Mananzan reiterated. [Which the cardinal has been doing ever since he assumed the archbishop's throne!  He is busy trumping the implementation of Summorum Pontificum and collecting coins for his Pondo ng Pinoy.  More about this alter.]

Fr. Joe Dizon, for his part, said that the people must be open to all possibilities if only to ensure that President Arroyo would no longer stay beyond June 30.

“People should act if there will be failure of elections because this would in turn result Arroyo’s further holdover to power. Enough is enough,” said Dizon. (Roy Lagarde/CBCPNews)

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I once attended a conference of Catholic Communicators at St. Paul's Quezon City.  The great fr. james Reuters, SJ invited the newly installed archbishop of Manila to speak to the group.  He talked about his social advocacy Pondo ng Pinoy.  What he said blew me...

He said something to the effect of..."the quick way to heaven is not the rosary, devotions, the Mass or the sacraments.  It is by giving to Pondo ng Pinoy!"

I am not making this up and I wish he was joking. We laughed when he said it, but he didn't.  He was serious.  It was all part of his "theology of the crumbs:.

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This administration has been running this country as if it were their own kitchen cupboard.  I have been a witness on so many occasions of  the rampant corruption in government.  Who am I to speak up against these goons?   Where was the Church in all of these?  yes, there were the nuns, priests and some bishops.  But the biggest voice of them all has decided to shout his deafening silence.

A simple reminder...

Sitting on your collected 25c coins, while the whole country tears each other apart because of politics.

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With this troubling thought and with his seeming apathy towards the Philippine political situation...

How we miss Cardinal Sin.  He may have been too political...

But in a time when we need someone to tell our politicians to do the right thing...

Whenever we, as a Filipino nation, needed someone to guide us in turbulent political times, his was the voice that guides us, assures us and comforts us.

How I miss Cardinal Sin.