Priestly bullying
Well, well. He’s at it. Again. Not a squeak when the number of fatalities in the government’s war against drugs started to climb. What is it now? Over 7,000 dead?
Not even a whisper about the many social ills that confront the public on a daily basis.
Take for instance, the plight of the metro’s homeless. Somehow, they conveniently disappear whenever Cebu hosts an international event.
Remember when Asean held meetings here? Whole families were whisked away to a temporary shelter where the government provided them with food. Of course, when the meetings finished, they were left to fend for themselves.
Apparently, they don’t deserve even a murmur from Fr. Robert Reyes, the man of the cloth, who gained a reputation for going the extra mile for the environment. Does his name sound familiar? Back in 2014, Fr. Reyes ran from the City of Naga to Carcar City to protest the cutting of centuries-old acacia trees that dot the southern highway. Never mind that these trees posed a hazard to motorists and to those who lived under their canopy.
Mind you, Fr. Reyes has not always been out of touch. There was a time when he was socially relevant.
Remember when he took on the church because he felt it had abandoned the poor in favor of those in power?
He also would have been a worthy partner of Gina Lopez if her appointment as environment secretary had been confirmed. Fr. Reyes was no friend to mining companies, which he blamed for ruining the environment.
Although, can you imagine Lopez having a hissy fit over the number of trees that will have to be felled when the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system is finally implemented in Cebu City?
Actually, I can. So forget the question. It was rhetorical. anyway.
Fr. Reyes, though, has been using his priestliness to claim moral ascendancy on the subject.
The latest object of his condemnation is Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña.
“Do not forget Mayor Osmeña, you will die. If not very soon, sooner or later, you will die and you will leave a legacy of a mayor cutting more than 2,000 trees. If we are ancient Filipinos who believe that each object in nature has a soul, (more than) 2,000 souls of trees will wait for you in the afterlife. So, your legacy will be the mayor who murdered 2,000 trees. Shame on you,” Fr. Reyes told another local paper. Seriously? What about the many residents who see the BRT as their salvation from the hellish daily commute they have to endure every day? So get your priorities in order. Please.ence. So it’s only fair the police should do the same.