Just the Seventh?

FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares
03/16/2008
Odd that the Metro Manila bishops, led by Guadencio Cardinal Rosales, issued a pastoral letter to be read today but released a day before youth-led Interfaith rally in Manila. Was it meant to dampen the passion of the anti-Gloria rallyists? In a similar take earlier, just before the massive Interfaith rally in Makati City last Feb. 29, the bishops held a special meeting to issue a pastoral letter, which hardly said anything new, save to say, in a gist, that people power was not what they meant by communal action. But like the first pastoral letter, the Manila bishops statement was also largely ignored by the rallyists. Predictably, the Metro Manila bishops were out to largely protect Gloria Arroyo, but could not quite do so openly because they would be excoriated by the people again. And so they blasted away at both the accused and the accuser, bringing up the Seventh Commandment, which states that “Thou shalt not steal.” Naturally, they also came up to state that whatever money is stolen must be returned, and if the owner of the money can no longer be found that money must go to the poor. Hmm. Does this mean that money returned (which is not likely to happen as this has already been laundered) is to go to the church again, as even the cardinal has openly stated that there is nothing wrong in the case of bishops receiving money from government coffers, not to mention getting dirty money in form of donations from jueteng lords and perhaps even drug lords. But even as they slam corruption and admonish the accused with the warning of the Seventh Commandment, the same body of Manila bishops also warned against bringing down the accused though street power and violence. Do they expect then the accused to return the money when she is even tapped to lead the fight against corruption? More to the point, even as they must know, unless they are brain dead, that while the national coffers run dry as money flows from there to her and her kin’s private pockets, these bishops are not averse to being the recipients of government generated money from gambling officials, as they insist that the money anyway goes to the poor. It should stand to reason then that it should also be alright for government officials to steal money from the public coffers to ensure one’s electoral victory — through fraud naturally — and distribute this money for the poor, as this would be justified. But isn’t stealing, stealing? And isn’t cheating, small or big time, still cheating? The bishops slammed corruption, along with the accused and the accuser, quite a change from the year 2000 and 2001, when they, as a body, embraced the liar and a cheat of a whistle-blower and threw all scorn at the accused while hailing the accuser as a hero, despite being an admitted crook. Then, they waxed poetic and even invoked the name of God, in bringing about people power. Didn’t they make Edsa hallowed ground, as “Divine Providence” once again brought forth their God-ordained Gloria Arroyo to rule over a graft-free country? The bishops appear to have forgotten the First Commandment: Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain — something which these bishops have been doing too many times and in the name of politics. But Malacañang came up with its own Commandment reminder, saying: “Thou shalt not bear false witnesses” obviously referring to the accusers, yet conveniently hiding the fact that Malacañang itself brought forth pressure unto one to bear false witness before the Senate, and done with the help, reportedly of a niece of the cardinal, one Medy Poblador. And these bishops want change from within, to bring about moral restoration? But not even the bishops who seek change in values and morals, are prepared to change themselves. In 2004, they certainly knew Gloria had cheated her way to Malacañang. The evidence was there for them to see. Yet they protected a cheat and a liar and yes, a thief. There is again evidence that she and her cabal of evil have stolen big time — through kickbacks, overpricing and everything else that was in the coffers, yet these same bishops have rejected the call of the people for her to resign and be held accountable. They had even rejected the process of impeachment, but claim to be support the search for truth. As for the evidence presented, the bishops, echoing the Palace, also says there is no evidence. Yet even as the truth is slowly surfacing, the bishops appear to want the accusers to shut up, as they denounce the accusers as well. Moses, it was reported recently, was supposed to have been high on some kind of drug when he went up to Mt. Sinai and got hold of the 10 Commandments. For all one knows, he left out one more Commandment — the 11th, which would have been directed at these bishops who have taken the role of the Sanhedrins: Thou shalt not protect the Evil who showers you with largess.