Philippine Daily Inquirer

Mistaken encounter: Stupidity on both sides

- RAMONTULFO

President Digong’s “God is stupid” remark was blown out of proportion.

The media are having a field day after quoting him out of context.

What the President really meant was that Western religions—Hebrew, Islam and Christiani­ty—make God look stupid for equating Him to a human being.

Human beings make mistakes while God is infallible.

Digong’s God is perfect while the god of Western religions is a jealous and petty deity.

The god of Western religions punishes while Digong’s God loves unconditio­nally.

If you want to know about Digong’s concept of God, read “Conversati­ons with God, Book 1” by Neale Donald Walsch. It’s a liberating book. “Conversati­ons with God” has been translated into many languages and was in the New York Times bestseller list for many weeks.

The mistaken encounter in Sta. Rita, Samar, between Army troops and policemen on Monday was stupidity on both sides.

The encounter resulted in the death of six policemen and the wounding of nine others. There were no casualties on the Army side.

Yes, there was no coordinati­on between the Army and the police in that part of Samar, which resulted in allied units shooting each other.

From what I gathered in Tacloban City where I spent several days with my classmates in high school, the policemen were undiscipli­ned.

They were noisy and boisterous while patrolling the mountains of Sta. Rita.

On the other hand, the Army troops did not use their common sense.

New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas walk quietly and stealthily while on the move so as not to attract attention from villagers.

The encounter took place in broad daylight. NPA rebels mostly move at night.

Before they opened fire on the armed men they sighted from a vantage point, the soldiers should have asked themselves why their targets were noisy and rowdy.

Were they hunters looking for wild boar or deer? Were they Cafgu or militiamen on patrol?

The NPAs in Samar are probably doubling up in laughter at the bloodbath between allies.

No wonder the government is not winning the war against the enemies of the state because the soldiers and policemen who run after them are idiots.

NPA and Moro rebels, who fight an unconventi­onal warfare, should be fought by troops trained in unconventi­onal warfare, meaning elite soldiers.

Army rangers, Special Forces troops, Navy special warfare or Seals and Marine recon patrols are special units.

I would not consider the Special Action Force of the Philippine National Police as a special unit. Policemen are policemen, period.

Military elite units or those I mentioned above know the ways of the guerrillas and should go after them.

Regular soldiers not trained in guerrilla warfare should only act as reinforcem­ent or backup for the elite troops.

An enemy can only be defeated by using his own tactic.

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