a force to be reckoned with

More than 60 million voters, both young and old, are excited to cast their votes on next year's presidential election which would signify the end of the present Aquino regime and the start of a new one.Voters are scrutinizing the presidential candidates by their character, their plans when they become elected to the office, and by their contributions and accomplishments in their service as bureaucrats and leaders of the land. Presidential candidates are wooing their compatriots, their potential voters as early as November and they are not spared by intense criticism and scrutiny on their activities and even their antics by the mainstream media and the general public.

Voters wanted a strong leader that would ensure peace, security and progress in a country that is still struggling to maintain peace in cities and in the countryside. They wanted a leader who would strengthen the national economy and become a world leader in business and trade. They wanted a leader who would put the national interests of the State as a top priority both in internal and foreign affairs. Philippines needs a leader who is brave and strong to face her enemies, but do Filipinos need a moral leader, the leader who is religious and put Him as the center of social life of the nation?

The Filipino people has recently been scandalized by Davao City Mayor Duterte's cursing on the Pope(p@#$ng-ina mo Pope, umuwi ka na!) for causing the horrible traffic in Manila during his official visit, his womanizing lifestyle, his tough vigilante-style measures against criminals and drug traffickers and his alleged support to the Communists present in the rural areas of Davao region. While conservatives like Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan lamented that the people's morality standards has gone to the dregs as Duterte's supporters cheer on his remarks and his lifestyle, liberals like the lead dancer of her group "Mocha Girls" and sex guru Mocha Uson wanted the people to choose a president according to his ability to solve various national issues and not by his/her own morality. She even elaborated that the moral standards are not absolute, rather they are relative. Each person has its own moral standards. What is morally right for him is morally wrong for others.

I have noticed that the many people rallied behind Duterte amidst all controversies for they saw him as the "only hope" in ending the suffering of the Filipino people with his radical plans and revolutionary ideals that would put the governing corrupt system to its knees. We cannot blame them for we are too desperate for change, and we look upon these presidential candidates, not only Duterte, as persons who would put our minds and our weary bodies in peace and comfort. But the question remains for some moralists: are our presidential candidates seriously putting God as their guide in their lives, not just an ordinary presidential oath suppose they get elected and are their programs, plans in agreement with what the Church teaches?

While it is the social duty and the divine right of the Church to speak the truth when faced with issues such as these, nowadays the message of the Church is left unheeded. Only a very few would obey, say old people. We spent millions of pesos of maintaining Catholic radio and TV stations in order to spread the message of conviction to Catholics around the dioceses in the Philippines yet we lost when the RH Bill was made into a law in the last days of 2013. We organised massive prayer rallies and religious symposia in order to let the people know that "they must choose God rather than men" yet the secular media is reaping its success of branding us "hypocrites", "bigots", "reactionaries" and posting news articles about the corruption in the Church and faults of some of the clergymen whom we look upon as teachers ordained by God to lead us to His Way.

While it is true that priests and some religious people also commit faults as humans do, the media's tendency to sensationalize the issue involving the clergy made the Filipino people question the authority of the Church, the teachings taught by Her and even the existence of God and His goodness. We also noticed the start of declining weekly church attendance, save for the impressive turnout during the Misa de Gallo novenas, broken families, Evangelical churches are converting Catholics in sizable numbers and the steady rise of atheism and agnosticism among the intellectual youth. Many politicians are using the Church for their political interests, but it is  useless in a society that is too permissive, relative and soft.

Harsh realities like these make us ponder on what the Church has done to nurture the spiritual life of Her children throughout centuries. Surely we kept on preaching the love of Christ to each of His children, but they never felt the love of Christ expressed in His priests, bishops, religious and the lay faithful. The people wanted "living witnesses" of Christ's love and not just mere bland speakers of it. They wanted to see Christ Himself showing His love to all emulated by a person, yet in vain we can only see it in saints that died centuries ago and not in the present times. The Church is slowly losing its influence, its convincing power on the social life of our country and in few years, the Church as we know today in prosperity will simply cease to exist.

But is there any hope? If we are determined to face risks, then yes. I say that since we seminarians and lay faithful are blessed with such knowledge of the Catholic Faith, we must put these teachings of the Church into action. We must avoid politicians who profess their "religiosity", yet it would bring us further harm. We can and we must reestablish our influence in the society by doing small acts of Christian duty, and to build a small, yet a strong Christian home of love and justice that serves as a beacon of hope to those who are in dire need of comfort and peace. We must also establish an intellectual haven where the faithful can have access to books and other sources of knowledge  and where Catholics evangelize with conviction, wit and most importantly, charity. In the long run, and by the grace of God, we will slowly regain our influence and will become a force to be reckoned with.

May God be our guide.


And so it seems certain to me that the Church is facing very hard times. The real crisis has scarcely begun. We will have to count on terrific upheavals. But I am equally certain about what will remain at the end: not the Church of the political cult…but the Church of faith. She may well no longer be the dominant social power to the extent that she was until recently; but she will enjoy a fresh blossoming and be seen as man’s home, where he will find life and hope beyond death.
- Benedict XVI