Duterte and the PH bishops

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With Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte leading the presidential race, will the pastoral letter issued by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) topple the Duterte bandwagon?

The CBCP pastoral letter was read during Masses in all churches last Sunday, although I didn’t hear the priest who celebrated Mass in our subdivision convey the message in his homily.

“The desire for change is understandable. Our people have suffered from incompetence and indifference but this cannot take the form of supporting a candidate whose speech and actions, whose plans and projects show scant regard for the rights of all, [and] who has openly declared indifference if not dislike and disregard for the Church, especially her moral teachings,” said the letter signed by Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the CBCP.

Even without mentioning the candidate’s name, the CBCP exhortation is said to be aimed at Duterte.

The PH bishops cannot be faulted for the statement because apart from Duterte’s alleged involvement in vigilante-style killings in Davao City, he espouses radical change and has not been coy about his plans to install a leftist government or one-man rule if it means bringing down institutions that serve only the rich and elite politics.

This kind of bluster and swagger appeals to the electorate who have grown tired of the present system. In fact, I know of many people immersed in Catholic charismatic groups who are staunchly supporting Duterte and openly declare it on social media.

By counseling the electorate to reject Duterte, are the bishops urging voters to choose Vice President Binay and Senator Bongbong Marcos? Binay and Marcos are reportedly the preferred candidates of the Catholic movement El Shaddai because of their stance against the RH Law.

This development was reported by a Manila newspaper at the close of the El Shaddai prayer vigil held last Sunday in Parañaque City, wherein organizers distributed sample ballots bearing the name of Binay and Marcos to members. El Shaddai leader Brother

Mike Velarde denied that the charismatic movement is endorsing candidates.

The PH Church will not openly endorse a candidate, but condemning Duterte in implicit terms can be a tricky and dangerous position.

The institution exposes itself to charges that the Church has reached a settlement with the candidate accused of plunder and another who carries the martial law baggage. Or it could be viewed as a position that abhors change.

I recall a post-IEC event last February organized by the different Charismatic groups in Cebu. A few minutes before the program started, one of local organizers told me a speaker from Manila would like to make a presentation in behalf of a faith-based group called Pilipino Movement for Transformational Leadership (PMTL).

Composed of Catholic, Christian and evangelical groups, the PMTL is campaigning for the selection of “honest and incorruptible leaders” through a scorecard called “Gabay-Kristo” — a guide for voters to elect a candidate on the basis of his character and integrity, competence and ability, fidelity to God and people, and truth in leadership.

The organizer said she didn’t like the idea of a religious event being “infected” by politics because as far as she knows, the group is batting for two candidates who did not advocate for the defeat of the RH measure inside and outside of Congress. The PMTL’s lead convenor is Alex Lacson, an LP stalwart.

In the end Mr. Lacson was able to insert himself in the program but because he was only given 10 minutes to do the presentation, his message was lost on the audience.

A former officer of the National Democratic Front (NDF), the political arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines, has predicted that a Duterte win will most likely establish “a neo-fascist movement and a militarized situation” for the Philippines.

Ryan Quimpo paints a bleak future for the country, and he could be right in the sense that Duterte will surely act to deliver on his promises once elected.