“We are supposed to be a Catholic country but how many of the 70 million or so Catholics are no more than nominal Catholics? ”
by Ducky Paredes
It has been my long-held belief that the Catholic Church in the Philippines is in the wrong whenever it pontificates on politics, government and the state of the country.
We are supposed to be a Catholic country but how many of the 70 million or so Catholics are no more than nominal Catholics? Most never even see the insides of a Church; much less do they pray or live Catholic lives. When the bishops worry about the politics of the moment, how are they helping to save our souls? Why do they bother so much with politics when most politicos are not even really worth saving. More probably, they even drive the people from the Church by showing their bias for one or the other candidate.
Why is politics so important to the CBCP when outside of Metro Manila (I am writing this in Bacolod) not too many people care what happens to Gloria or the pretenders to her throne in the opposition. There are many more important things than politics! In the countryside, what concerns them is having enough to eat as well as seeing some kind of future for this country. Another hurried regime change is really not a welcome addition to their agenda.
Here is a typical reaction to the CBCP’s latest political posting: “The bishops’ pastoral exhortation disappoints us . . . Their diluted and muted statement has made them akin to toothless tigers, fast becoming irrelevant to the times.”
This is well-deserved and is exactly what is wrong with our bishops making pronouncements on just about every political issue, no matter how irrelevant. Of course, those who were counting on the bishops to call for Gloria’s resignation are disappointed. What else can one expect when the bishops went out of their way to delve into purely political issues that have nothing to do with the reasons why the Church was founded by Christ – to save men’s souls.
Wouldn’t they be doing this job better if they were more with the people spiritually rather than trying to ride on every political event?
Sure, Malacanang hears them when they speak but this is only normal because whoever is in Malacanang will not want to take on the Church; but, is that what the Church if for – to be a gadfly to whoever is President?
Some make much of the fact that the late Jaime Cardinal Sin defied the Pope when he openly worked for the ouster of Joseph Estrada. As all of us now know, Sin and all those who helped bring about Edsa Dos were wrong; Sin should have followed the Pope’s wishes. Nothing good has come out of Edsa Dos. This may actually be God’s curse on us for our collective defiance (under the leadership of Sin) of the Pope.
People Power was never a miracle from God. Neither is it a way of solving a nation’s probs. All it does is to install another President who, as it can turn out, is worse than the other.
In the case of the Eastern European countries, when they moved for a regime change, it was a real change. Our local People Power only makes ting worse and increases our oppression from the elite.
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I used to love watching the Senate at work even when I was still in school. There were then great men in the Senate. Now, we have the likes of a Jamby Madrigal who do not even read documents too well; neither does she take the trouble to check her facts before opening her mouth.
She concluded that there was collusion between Mike Arroyo and Chinese Ambassador Li Jinjun because she spotted a marginal note on a letter from the Chinese embassy that purportedly said: “copy for FG.”
Chinese Embassy Spokesman Peng Xiubin notes: “What Senator Madrigal said doesn’t tally with the facts.”
The National Economic and Development Authority explains: “The document that was shown purportedly with the marginal note of FG was FGI, who is Florante G. Igtiben of the Public Investment Staff.” Igtiben is the chief of the Asia Pacific Division of the PIS that handles projects funded by China.
Was Jamby even slightly discomfited by finding herself in the wrong? Of course not; that would show her to be a sensible person with a tinge of humility.
Instead, Senator Madrigal said that the Chinese embassy statement saddened her “but my duty is to the Filipino people.”
She adds: “It is in the interest of both the Filipino and Chinese people that we ferret out the truth.”
So, why is she saddened to know the truth that FGI is not FG and that she has been found to have, in the possibly most charitable way of looking at this stupid incident, failing eyesight.
What a Senate we have that our senators stumble on such silly inanities!
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Zacarias “Taby” Tabaniag was a lawyer, having passed the barrister’s exam in 1944 but he concerned himself not so much with the law but with the rules of the royal and ancient game of golf,
I had met Taby even when I was still a cub reporter; Taby was then already a columnist, publisher and a broadcaster. I did not really get to know him too well, however, until I started playing golf a little over ten years ago.
Then, I would see Taby at a lot of tournaments where he would be the rules-man. At times, I would see him briefing the caddies about the rules bringing home the strange concepts of the game to people who may never have even read a book in their lives. I would sometimes stay and listen – and learn from this tall, imposing figure of a teacher.
He had the same zeal as a missionary preaching fervently about arcane rules that sometimes hardly make sense, even to those who play the game. He was also a very strict rules-man who has called down even the greats of golf – including some PGA professionals who competed in the Philippines.
What he liked to do with me was to prepare a tough question on a particular rule which he would then ask me. More times than not, I would be stumped or would give the wrong answer. Of course, Taby was always right. After all, he practically live those rules,
Taby died at 88 on Wednesday morning.
According to his son, Zacarias Jr., “He left us very peacefully. He was in high spirits when we said our good nights last night. His nurse found him lifeless this morning.”
Taby is survived by his wife, Federica. His children are: Zacarias, Jr., Teresita and Kihei, Elizabeth and Valentin, Ramon and Zenia Two other children preceded Tabby: Leslie (deceased), and Eliza (deceased).
His remains are at Arlington Memorial Homes along Araneta Avenue, Quezon City.
Interment will be announced later.
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February 29, 1968 was a special day for myself and Myrna Thommes. Today we celebrate ten leap years of being married. In garden-variety years that makes 40. I must congratulate Snoogie for having stayed so long with me despite my multifarious faults. It has, on the whole, been a great marriage. We are both healthy and happy, have four children – Oona, Andy, Mike and Danny — and three grandchildren – Lucas Wadley and Noah and Micah Paredes.
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hvp (02.28.08)
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