Prayers vs terror and tyranny
September 15, 2017. The loud cell phone alarm went off as TV alerts repeatedly informed everyone about the 6:57 a.m. missile launch over Japan from North Korea. Another alarm was heard at 7:06 informing all that the launched missile had landed outside of Japan.
This latest action is North Korea's response to the recent economic sanction agreed upon by the US, China, and Russia. North Korea continues to be bullish and focused on its aim to engage the US and allies through a military path. Expectedly, more show of military force and alliances will be reported. All the more, we need to pray, pray, pray together for God's peace and love to reign throughout the world instead of terror and war.
September 15 is also the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. Our Mama Mary has continued to be present with us through all our days, in sorrow and in pain, in joy and in bliss, in sickness and in health, through times of wars and peace. Let us lift our prayers for her intercession for God to come and reign in our world, with His love and peace. Let us all pray fervently against terror and tyranny throughout the world, in our country as well.
Until last week, the prominent news centered on drugs: on the innocent young killed and on the investigation about the huge P6.4 billion smuggled drugs. It is urgent to investigate and expose those involved in the supply, smuggling, and distribution of drugs. If there were no drug supplier, smuggler and distributor, there would be no addicts at all. A balanced and desired drug solution should focus especially on the suppliers, smugglers and distributors, not only on the addicts, especially the poor among them. So far, however, 12,000 re porte dE J Ks have been linked to DU 30' san ti-drug campaign. It is very important for DU30's son to be completely cleared about his reported involvement in this huge drug smuggling and for this administration, to positively identify the drug smuggling network and those involved and punish them accordingly.
So far, those killed through Operation Tokhang were never allowed to defend their innocence. The cry and prayer for justice and stop to EJKs for these victims is now loudly heard every 8 p.m. as church bells, the De Profundis bells, are being tolled nightly, for 40 days, as a reminder "to pray for the dead, as a sign of protest against extra-judicial killings in the "war on drugs," and a call to prayer until the end of Martial Law - in solidarity with all the affected families in the Marawi crisis, especially those who have lost loved ones."
This week's news (the gloating Lower House's unconstitutional P1,000 budget for CHR, DU30's holiday declaration of FM's birthday in the Ilocos, the FB posted news that DU30 is requesting the beholden Congress to grant immunity to the former dictator) should not be allowed not only to cover up and overshadow the drug smuggling investigation. Never should we allow any dictator or tyranny ever again to rule our land!
We are heartened to stay in strong faith that church bells are ringing nightly, prayers lifted as protests continue to be heard loudly versus undeserving, ignorant lawmakers, overflowing support expressed for the CHR, and slowly, calls courageously shared "to break the culture of impunity and the fear, silence and acquiescence" and "to resist the continuing attempts to undermine, pressure or otherwise render ineffective the courts, Congress, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Commission on Human Rights, the working press, the political opposition and ordinary citizens critical of government policies and programs."