Timely and appropriate reminders

Up to now, people seem to be still longing for a change in our country. And this change remains elusive simply because we refuse to recognize that all of us Filipinos who may have different points of view on certain issues nevertheless have the best interest of our country and our people in mind.

Duterte and his diehard supporters should therefore keep in mind that others also have good intentions for our country and our people; that they are not the only ones who are correct in their moves for the improvement of the lives of the Filipinos; that they may also be mistaken in some of the actions; that others may have better and more appropriate remedies to the many ills besetting our country.

So instead of treating those who disagree with them or those who point out some errors in their actions and programs, as their enemies and calling them “idiots,” “stupid” or hypocrites and other slanderous names, they should consider them as fellow Filipinos who want him to succeed for the sake of our country. Otherwise, they will just be sowing hatred and discord in our land which are definitely detrimental to the success of their avowed plans and projects supposedly promoting the common good especially in their actions and moves on the war against drugs.

Thus Duterte and his people should seriously consider and deeply reflect on the recent Pastoral Letters of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) instead of assailing them instantly as a violation of the principle of “Separation of Church and State” embodied in our Constitution. To be sure, the letters do not actually violate this principle. Separation of Church and State is more addressed against the State which is prohibited “from setting up a church or passing laws which aid one religion, all religions, or prefer one religion over another (Everson vs. Board 330 U.S. 1, 15-16). It does not prevent the Church from speaking out against the evils in our society; from upholding the basic teachings “deeply rooted in our being human, our being Filipino and our being Christian.” Certainly, our Bishops have the right and the duty to speak out on matters of faith and morals which are also embodied in our Charter particularly the sacredness of life, the dignity of every human being and the sanctity of marriage and family.

In their Pastoral Letter on the war on drugs, the Bishops rightfully said that “This traffic in illegal drugs needs to be stopped and overcome. But the solution does not lie in the killing of suspected drug users and pushers” because “Any action that harms another (seriously) is a grave sin. To push drugs is a grave sin as is killing (except in self defense). We cannot correct a wrong by doing another wrong. A good purpose is not a justification for using evil means. It is good to remove the drug problem, but to kill in order to achieve this is also wrong.”

So this government and all of us should be “concerned: (1) for those who have been killed”; (2) for “their families whose lives have only become worse”; (3) for the “reign of terror in many places of the poor” since “many are killed not because of drugs” and “those who kill them are not brought to account”; and 4) the indifference of many to this kind of wrong” which is “considered as normal and needs to be done.”

The Bishops warned that if we (including them) will not express our concern, we are in effect consenting and “To consent and to keep silent in front of evil is to be an accomplice to it. If we neglect the drug addicts and drug pushers we have become part of the drug problem. If we consent or allow the killing of suspected drug addicts, we shall be responsible for their deaths.”

Another subject of the Pastoral Letters seldom discussed, is on amending the constitution. Here, the Bishops cited the “corruption of our politics,” as the main reason for the peoples’ longing and clamoring for change as it has brought about “widespread poverty, violence and a cultural degeneration whose end result is the absence of genuine peace.” In this connection they cited the amendment of our constitution “as one of the major steps to bring about change for the better.” They issued a pastoral letter in this regard “not to endorse or disapprove moves to amend the 1987 Constitution but to offer pastoral guidance on whatever decision that may be taken on this matter.” So they called on all of us to participate in this political process by being “vigilant and watch over and even suggest ideas and formulations that enter into the Constitution… so that all its provisions will be consistent with the Gospel, and the gains of the 1987 Constitution will be preserved and enhanced instead of being removed.”

They pointed out provisions which must be preserved and enhanced particularly the following: (a) that “Public Office is a public trust. Public officers and employees must all times be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty and efficiency, act with patriotism and justice and lead modest lives (Article X1 Section 1); (b) the dignity of every human person and full respect for human rights especially the right to life, liberty and property which shall not be denied without due process of law and the equal protection of the laws (Article III Section 1); (c) equal protection of the life of the mother and of the unborn from conception; (d) sanctity of family life and the protection and strengthening of the family as a basic autonomous social institution; (d) prohibition against death penalty (Article III Section 19); and (e) the safeguards against dictatorial martial rule (Article III Section 18).

Also mentioned is the clamor for change in the form of government into the parliamentary federal system instead of the present unitary presidential form which has been the cause of “lack of equitable distribution of benefits, power and financial resources.” This will be discussed in another article. But most important is to ensure that these amendments should “build a just and humane society and establish a government that shall embody our ideals and aspirations and promote the common good.”

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