A FRIEND of ours wrote about “Pinoys facing greater threats under Marcos.”
Oh, from whom? Whose reading is it of the situation?”
Or, is it how those not in accord with the present regime who are imagining and hoping that the majority of the Filipinos will believe?
For now, we haven’t seen solid and concrete evidence that tends to support the opinion of our friend. So far the country’s big businesses, the ones that are real indicators that the country’s economy is in order, or in the mess; the relative silence of even the most militants among organized labor groups, as well as the lesser “sting” of the mainstream media, somehow belie what is imagined by this friend of ours.
And so far the huge foreign investments poured into the country and the interest of foreign leaders to enhance further the relations of their countries with the Philippines are indicative of the trust they have in the people running the Philippine government.
Frankly, we have no idea how these observations of this friend of ours came about. But of course, in a democracy like our country, everyone is entitled to his own opinion and perception of things. After all, it is the right of every citizen to manifest his interpretation of things happening in society.
We may not agree with our friend’s observations, but to quote famous French philosopher Voltaire anyone has the right to express it.
Of course, we are not taking our friend’s observations lightly. We are eagerly assessing every development in the current administration as we do not wish to be caught off-guard.
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During a public hearing by a supposedly joint Senate Committees that did an ocular inspection of the actual situation at the beleaguered main headquarters of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ Church late last week, Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa appealed to President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to intervene in the almost three weeks of police operation to arrest fugitive Pastor Apollo C. Quiboloy. The police believe that the Church leader-in-hiding is inside some bunker or tunnel below the grounds of the 30-hectare compound of the KOJC main headquarters along C.P. Garcia Diversion Highway.
The police swooped down on the area almost three weeks ago and are still around so they could serve the Pastor’s warrants of arrest. They have done a number of controversial, even unauthorized diggings disrupting classes in a school inside the 30-hectare compound as well as the religious service of the KOJC in its main Cathedral also located inside the virtually “invaded” territory of the fugitive religious leader.
In his appeal to the President, the Davaoeño senator believes the intervention of PBBM will allow the lives of the KOJC members to go back to normal. Even the regular church activities will be normalized again and the followers will not anymore be traumatized with the presence of thousands of policemen badgering them of their usual church chores.
Unfortunately, though the senator failed to air a similar appeal to the fugitive church leader for him to surrender so his followers will be relieved of their fear – imagined or otherwise – with the policemen all around them and in their Holy ground.
The senator should have also aired his appeal to the advisers of Reverend Quiboloy to convince their friend to give up if indeed he is concerned with the welfare of the affected lives of his followers who are blindly allowing their bodies to serve as “barricades” to the police who come inside the compound.
In fact, if the Pastor will live by the words in the Bible from which he bases his preaching, Jesus Christ, his kind of “brother” if indeed he is the “appointed” son of God the Father, went back to Jerusalem during the day of what believers claim as the Day of the “Passover” despite knowing that the Roman soldiers who were out to arrest him were waiting.
But despite the Pastor’s and his lawyers’ claim that the cases filed against the sect leader are “weak”, still he remains in hiding.
Meanwhile, we are deeply intrigued why despite the bugaboo created by the announcement of an ocular inspection by lawmakers on the site of the alleged illegal police actions – the KOJC main headquarters – only three senators from the supposed 2-committee inspection and public hearing team arrived.
And who were they? Of course, aside from Dela Rosa, there was Sen. Robin Padilla and Davao City senator Christopher “Bong” Go, all well-known Quiboloy sympathizers and acknowledged beneficiaries of the KOJC church members; support during the 2022 elections.
So, could we blame the well-discerning citizens if they suspect bias from the lawmakers in whatever they say about the controversial police operations against the beleaguered Church leader?
