"The Catholic faithful need some guidance."
Have you ever experienced a sense of helplessness in your life when you realize you can no longer do what you normally do?
I sent my driver to National Bookstore last week to buy typewriter ribbons. Yes I am a dinosaur—I still use a manual typewriter. He came back and told me the ribbons were out of stock. “They may no longer sell it because nobody is buying it.”
I panicked at the thought that I might have to write my column in longhand. I instructed my driver to go to every National Bookstore there was.
I never learned to use a computer despite receiving a laptop some years back. I even hired some people to teach me, but they gave up because I could not seem to learn. I tried my best but it took me hours to finish my column.
It’s a mindset, I guess.
But did you know that I was perhaps the happiest opinion writer during the “Dark Ages” of the presidency of Fidel V. Ramos? Recall that Metro Manila then had power outages that lasted between 10 and 12 hours. Brownouts notwithstanding, my column was always on time!
My driver came back with half a dozen ribbons. I was relieved. But I cannot forget the feeling of helplessness when I was briefly confronted with the possibility of no longer using my manual typewriter.
* * *
With President Duterte continually ranting against the Catholic Church, its bishops and priests—he demonizes the practices of the Church and says he wants Church officials killed—I keep wondering why the bishops choose to remain silent.
They may consider it useless to debate with him so they just choose to pray for him.
Still, there are members of the faithful who need the Church’s clarification on the President’s statements against the doctrines and practices of the Church.
For example, Mr. Duterte remarked that he could not understand the Trinity. But even the Church cannot understand it—that’s why it is called a mystery!
It’s all a matter of faith. Either you believe it or you don’t.
Thus, the Church should tell President Duterte that many things in the world cannot be understood by our finite intellect—and yet we believe.
The doubting Thomas told Christ that he would not believe he had risen unless he showed him his wound. Christ said: “Blessed are they who have not seen, but believe.”
To me, that’s faith.
This is why the Church should clarify certain practices and doctrines of the Church.
I am truly surprised. The President went to Ateneo de Davao and even finished law at San Beda College. Why was he not indoctrinated by these institutions? Why is he now ranting against the Church?
* * *
I was once asked why I thought the President continued to have very good acceptance and trust ratings. This, despite his rants against the Catholic Church.
I could not give an answer. I do not know what questions were asked in the survey, and I am not familiar with the methodology of the Social Weather Stations. I know that the results of a survey can depend on these things.
It is so difficult to know what the Filipino is thinking. We are so polite; we say “Ok” or “pwede na” even when we feel otherwise.
I also think that poll surveys that say how local and national candidates are faring before the elections should be outlawed. They just create a bandwagon mentality.
* * *
There are some national projects that we have have all been waiting for. They are critical to our development.
One of them is the P750-billion “aerotropolis” to be built by San Miguel Corporation’s Ramon Ang. The project already got the nod of the National Economic and Development Authority. The state-of-the-art airport will be built on a 2,500-hectare flatland. It will have four runways, and a possible two more. Some 1 million jobs will be created.
Ang was able to get its approval even without a government guarantee.
This is something to watch out for. There is no doubt about its viability.
Another project we can look forward to is the extension of San Miguel’s TPLex all the way to La Union, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte and possibly to Baguio. As an Ilocano myself, I am excited about this.
* * *
I am not surprised at all by the murder of a lawmaker who was running for mayor and the tagging of the supposed mastermind, the incumbent mayor.
I covered the police beat in my early days as a journalist. I know for a fact that there are so many assets of policemen who know the crime underworld. Any policeman who has served long enough will always know the methods of committing a crime.
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