Who's really getting a kiss of death?

Did I read it right from William Esposo’s column last Sunday that Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Chairman Jose Maria “Joma“ Sison has fully endorsed Sen. Manny Villar as his Presidential candidate? If so, does this mean that the thousands of cadres belonging to the New People’s Army (NPA) would now be exempting the Nacionalista Party (NP) from their so-called “Revolutionary Taxes” when they campaign in the NPA infested areas? Just a couple of weeks ago, we interviewed Manny Villar in The Freeman and how I would have loved to get his statement about this CPP/NPA-NDF endorsement for his candidacy.

Now if you think that the NPA threat is only happening in the far flung areas of the country, just look at the front-page headline photos of The Philippine STAR  last Wednesday…one look at it and you’d immediately declare that this was happening in Basilan or in Patikul, Jolo! No sir that ambush happened so uncomfortably close in Antipolo City, Rizal Metro Manila where four Special Action Force (SAF) men were killed and five wounded! Now let’s hear cries of human rights violations coming from Sen. Manny Villar and the commies in the Senatorial line up in the NP! So far as of this writing, we have heard nothing from the NP, not a word of condemnation!

Curiously, the same front page colored photos of The STAR shows the principal Maguindanao massacre suspect Andal Ampatuan, Jr. flashing the Laban sign proudly displaying his yellow baller saying that he can only get justice if Noynoy becomes President. What a stunning revelation, coming at the last stretch of his hotly contested Presidential election!

 Come to think of it, many political pundits have openly said that any candidate endorsed by Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) would mean a “Kiss of Death” for that candidate. Since Sec. Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro, Jr. is the Lakas-Kampi Presidential bet, hence he is supposedly “cursed” by the Arroyo endorsement. I was in Manila last Tuesday and spoke before the Manila Green Team and there I saw the hundreds of volunteers for GIBO and I know that there are at least 50 Green Team chapters from all over the country. There are Green Teams in Cebu, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro and Iloilo, etc. etc. Green volunteer teams that number by the thousands.

But wait! Compared to the endorsement of Joma Sison for Sen. Villar or Ampatuan’s endorsement for Noynoy, I would rather have the endorsement of GMA… after all she didn’t kill anyone, while Joma has been tagged as the brains of the Plaza Miranda bombing in Aug.21, 1971 and everyone knows in their hearts that Andal Ampatuan was responsible for the Maguindanao massacre. Now who just got a real killer endorsement?

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An official from the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) announced that Fr. Joseph Skelton who was convicted of sexual misconduct when he was a teenager and ordained a priest in Bohol would be moved to an undisclosed place. I would like to believe that the CBCP has succumbed to the pressure of the press especially the Inquirer! I personally know Fr. Skelton and know his past and I pray that the CBCP tell me that he has recently committed a sexual offense as a priest? The answer is “No!”

They know too well that Fr. Skelton has been a good priest and God has since forgiven his sexual misdeeds. Transferring him now just because the Inquirer made a circus out of his past would mean that our clergy no longer believes in the power of God’s mercy and grace! Since his youth, Fr. Skelton has found peace and serenity in the love of Jesus Christ and the CBCP should embrace him as a man whom Christ changed. Shame on the CBCP if they succumb to the attacks of the Catholic Church by the press!

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Allow me to continue with the Humanae Vitae Awards given by the Cebu Archdiocese last Friday at the Marriott hotel, this time its from the speech of Sen. Nene Pimentel who said, “Long before science proved that life begins at conception the Catholic Church already made this as doctrine.” Sen. Pimentel did not only fight the proponents of the RH Bill, he even wrote a book entitled, “Issues on the Reproductive Health Bill (Senate Committee Report 286 so it would enlighten many of our ignorant people.

Yes, Nene gave me an autographed copy of that book and another one entitled “The Human Rights of Parliamentarians: Challenges around the world”. These books would not only enrich my bookshelves, but also my understanding about Human Rights. Incidentally, Sen. Pimentel gave me a book about Federalizing the Philippines. But since his a last termer, he told me that his daughter Gwen Pimentel would carry the torch in the future battle against the RH Bill. Hence voting for the right Senators is crucial!

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