Pope Francis vs. PNoy & what most people say!
With the papal visit finally over and done with, it is time to take stock of all that went during the visit that has become viral in the social media networking sites. One article that struck me came from a report by my good friend, New York Times Southeast Asia bureau chief Floyd Whaley that appeared last Jan. 16th entitled, "As Pope Francis Visits Philippines, Tensions Between Church and Government Surface."
I chose this article to show that even the American readers of New York Times noticed that the speeches of Pres. Benigno Aquino III and Pope Francis were attacks against one another. Remember, this happened in Malacañang on Friday morning. So here's a portion of that New York Times article that came out last Saturday.
"At a gathering with dignitaries on Friday, President Benigno S. Aquino III, who has battled local church leaders for much of his administration, complained that they had been overly critical of him and silent about his predecessor's suspected corruption. And in his own remarks, the pope indirectly weighed in on the side of the clergy on an issue that has caused tensions with the government: the enactment of a law to provide free contraception for women."
As I said, this heated exchange went viral in the social media networks with netizens chastising PNoy for doing exactly what I already knew that he would do. Blame his predecessors, including the clergy. It was indeed classic PNoy for not holding back his mouth even before the Pope! If you looked at the photos of Pope Francis during the military honors given to him, he was already in a somber mood, showing a very ashen face.
But as I was writing this piece, my Facebook friend and Manila Times columnist Rick Ramos shared this comment on my Facebook, "I realized that both PNoy and Cory were not critical of PGMA in the first half of her 9.5 year term. In fact, there were beneficiaries of the Arroyo administration such as the interchange/exit at Hacienda Luisita along SCTEX. The interchange that cost several hundred millions of pesos greatly benefited Hacienda Luisita with the national government paying for the interchange infrastructure.
But what was worse was that the Cojuangco family even asked for compensation of the land affected by the interchange exit that amounted to hundreds of millions of pesos. The worst, as revealed during the 2010 presidential campaign, land sold by the Cojuangcos cost was appraised much higher than its real value. Amazing how a beneficiary of the Arroyo administration is now portraying how bad were the years of the previous administration when they were also quiet before." This piece of information is very true and well recorded.
Great piece Rick! You really hit it on the nail! In truth, Tita Cory and then Sen. PNoy Aquino were in "friendly" terms with then Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo until the Corona Supreme Court came up with that historic decision that gave the ownership of Hacienda Luisita to the farmers. This is exactly why early in his term PNoy set his sights to remove CJ Corona by hook or by pork! Then had PGMA incarcerated!
Perhaps the best article about this issue was published by Interaksyon.com, the online news portal of TV5 written by Atty. Mel Sta. Maria. The article is entitled, "The Pope's Heart and PNoy's Mind: One is with us, the other is out of touch!" Atty. Sta. Maria wrote this of Pope Francis:
"Pope Francis is an inspiration. He was already fatigued as he arrived on January 15, and yet he has not failed his flock. Travelling at night, he patiently stood in his pope-mobile, waved his hand, smiled and blessed those who waited just to get a glimpse of him. The Church, meaning not only the clergy but all of us who are Catholics, reciprocated because we felt his goodness, simplicity and sincerity." Indeed this is the consensus of millions of Filipinos!
I learned that this Atty. Sta. Maria is a law professor of my son-in-law in Ateneo. Here's what he had to say about Pres. Aquino. "I had thought that, by then, the President would have already felt the joyous pulse of the people and the positive euphoria enveloping the nation. It was a momentous occasion for President Aquino, as leader of all Filipinos, to simply convey the over-all mood of the nation. It was - is - one of unity, joy and gratitude. We are ecstatic and moved that the leader of billions of Catholics around the world found time to visit us.
That singular message would have been enough for us to convey - but obviously not for President Aquino. The President missed an opportunity to speak for all of us. He struck a discordant note. In fact, the President might just have made himself irrelevant during this papal visit. As our elected leader, PNoy must represent the aspirations of the people. He must be able to speak for us, relay our feelings and do it well. The President did not do it well. And so we do it ourselves." You can characterize the presidency of Pres. Aquino as one of nearly five years of missed opportunities! This one was his biggest mistake!
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