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Religious Discernment Group

If BBM’s inaugural speech was any indication, then we may expect more of the same from his first SONA.

In terms of delivery, BBM’s inaugural speech was not bad at all.  Marcos Junior was smart enough (or, perhaps, was instructed) to stick to a text shrewdly tailored to his personality.  That stance allowed his trollers and some critics to agree that his inaugural speech was well-delivered.  Diehard trollers even quipped: “ang galing mag-ingles!” (He speaks English quite well!)  It was finely calibrated to encourage his support base.  He is apparently more disciplined than his predecessor who was famously wont to set aside a meticulously prepared speech (by his ghost writers) and go ad lib employing vulgar ad hominems with glee and peppered with gutter language.

The content of the speech, however, was another story.  It was a sad mix of false claims and lies, with motherhood statements and subtle revisionist flashbacks to his father’s golden age, as loose binders.  BBM’s victory was not the biggest electoral mandate in the history of Philippine democracy; the Bangui Bay Wind Farm was not his project; a lot of Filipinos went hungry because there was no food security during his father’s dictatorship.  And what can you do with his call for a unity that he claimed echoed the people’s yearnings and expressed their hopes for a better future?  Considering its content from a soberly critical perspective, BBM’s inaugural speech doesn’t augur well.  And if it’s any indication of what his first SONA would be, then expect that he’d be fine-tuning the persona his handlers have meticulously crafted for him: a popularly elected leader who is fair and benevolent, even if not so intelligent or competent, an administrator who knows how to listen, at times bumbling, but always well-meaning.  BBM seems not to have the face of a liar, but it’s certainly not easy to believe he is not aware that he’s not telling the truth.  A gift or an acquired skill, whatever!  He’s using it to full political advantage. If there’s such a thing as a presidential tiktok, then that’s what we’re getting on July 25.

What Can Be Done, What Can We Do?

First, let us pray and hold on to the belief that lies have a limited shelf-life.  Afterwards, let us pray some more, and join hands with Orthodox priest Vitalii Holoskevych who declared that “evil cannot win” while weeping at the funeral of Liza Dmytrieva, a 4-year-old killed by a Russian missile strike.  There is a need for believers to realize that the issues and the problems we are facing together with other democracies are not merely political or economic, but social, religious, moral, even theological.  The forces of evil operate globally, not only locally in the Philippines. The theologian Jean Daniélou pointed out already years ago that prayer must be approached as a political problem.  It is by praying the way Jesus prayed to the Source of all being, that we are led to discover how prayer can be wielded to disarm the powers and principalities of the world.

The clamor for transparency, accountability, good governance and respect for human rights must ring louder via fora, public statements and demonstrations.  All the while there is also the urgent need to organize awareness-raising activities for the public to wake up to the reality that so many convicted plunderers have infiltrated the ranks of both elected government officials and bureaucrats, not including those suspected of graft and corruption.  Christian churches and citizens of other religious traditions must join forces to demand that our leaders be held accountable to the provisions of the Philippine Constitutions.  We must continue to protest the wanton use of disinformation and the criminal red-tagging of poor and innocent citizens. 

There is much that can be done. Yes, there is only so much that we can do.  But to say that there is nothing we can do is a lie.  Only liars say that, only godless people claim that evil shall prevail.

W.T. DULAY, MDJ
Convenor
Religious Discernment Group

13 May 2022

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.”  (Luke 19:41-42)

The May 9 polls have left much to be desired.

The Automated Election System (AES) proffered speedy results with uncanny consistency, but these have not generated confidence in a democratic process.  Quite the opposite—these have raised both suspicions and a gnawing in the stomach for what is ahead. The wide gap between national contenders is highly suspicious. Our constitution calls for the holding of free, orderly, honest and credible elections. This means secret balloting and transparent counting.  The AES system is anything but transparent, especially under weak checks-and-balances in governance.

Before, during and even after the election, the Philippines was and is being drowned by massive disinformation, troll farms, and social-media micromarketing. We were and are an unfortunate example of how those with funds are capable of manipulating the truth. Disinformation maneuvers added to long entrenched political patronage and dynasties, complete with vote-buying, create a formidable foe for genuine democracy.

This being said:  As Church leaders, we vow to continue to guard our votes.

The specters of worsening crony capitalism and corruption, rising tyranny and human rights violations, and shrinking democratic space, press freedom, and other civil liberties loom before us.  As ruling oligarchs coalesce and join forces, thus heightening prospects for the Philippines to be plunged into another era of darkness and oppression, we stake our claim for truth, justice, and peace.

We stand firmly on the side of democracy and fair play. Our unshakable concern for the rights and welfare of the farmers, workers, fisherfolk, migrants, youth and urban poor impels our advocacy. The future of our people challenges us to greater vigilance.

Applauding the many volunteers who joined in the electoral process, we implore their continued engagement as democracy is under threat. We must speak out. The path before us, though fraught with danger, summons us to continue our watch.

We pray that God’s light will shine upon us and open the eyes of this nation, so that we will choose what makes for peace.   We pray for truth to illuminate our hearts and minds, so that we may know and so that truth will us set free.

Signed by:

Bishop Reuel Norman O. Marigza
General Secretary
National Council of Churches in the Philippines

Most Revd. Rhee M. Timbang
Obispo Maximo
Iglesia Filipina Independiente

Most. Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, D.
Apostolic Vicar of Taytay, Palawan

Bp. Emergencio D. Padillo
Bishop, Middle Luzon Jurisdictional Area
United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP)

Sr. Ma. Lisa Ruedas, DC
Daughters of Charity
Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation

One Faith. One Nation. One Voice.

Ecumenical Bishops’ Forum

Kalipunan ng Kristianong Kabataan sa Pilipinas (KKKP)

Rural Missionaries of the Philippines

Faith and Bayan

Medical Mission Sisters

Missionary Disciples of Jesus

Sisters’ Association in Mindanao (SAMIN)

Rise Up for Life and for Rights

Ecumenical Voice for Human Rights and Peace in the Philippines

Promotion of Church People’s Response Anawim Misyon para sa Mahihirap