LIFE’S INSPIRATIONS: “… Your rulers are rebels, partners with thieves; they all love bribes and chase after gifts. They do not defend the cause of the fatherless; the widow’s case does not come before them…” (Isaiah 1:23, the Holy Bible).
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ON “LOBBY MONEY”, WHO WILL FILIPINOS BELIEVE MORE? Who do you think our people will believe more on the issue of whether or not congressmen and senators who compose the Commission on Appointments were swayed with “lobby money” to reject the confirmation of former Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Gina Lopez?
We have President Duterte on the one hand saying lobby money “talked” so Gina would not be confirmed, while commission members on the other hand are denying to high heavens they received anything to make them vote the way they voted.
The problem with congressmen and senators is that, the general perception against them has always been that they would grab any opportunity to make money using their lofty positions. They have not been known to uphold the interest of the country and the people. Duterte on the other hand enjoys the trust and confidence of millions of Filipinos, here and abroad, and so people easily believe whatever he is saying!
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I’D SAY, LET US TALK ABOUT THE PAST OF OUR OFFICIALS: The flak that is being thrown the way of Sen. Vicente Sotto III over his purported joke on Judy Taguiwalo’s being a single mother is totally unjustified. Whether Sotto knew it or not, his comment on the marital status of the incumbent secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development is a very valid point.
Indeed, it is to the best interest of both the government and the people that the personal and official backgrounds, and any other relevant information pertaining to anyone in government, must be made public, and be subject to inquiry. The intention is not to shame but to make sure that the official is fit and qualified to assume the duties and responsibilities of his office.
Concededly, many officials who have had a hand in running the government in this country have managed to hide vital information that would have been material in determining their fitness and qualification, to the detriment of public service. In most cases, many of those who have been elected or appointed to government positions managed to secure their positions even if there are big questions about their past.
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FILIPINOS MUST BE TAUGHT HOW TO SELECT THEIR LEADERS: This is the reason why right-thinking Filipinos should endeavor to educate our people about the rudiments of choosing our elected leaders, particularly those whose positions give them the authority to appoint people to sensitive and important offices. We should impress upon our people certain guidelines that should be used in electing officials.
The first of these guidelines is that, the people to be elected must have the Spirit of God in them, so that we can be sure they will not lie, cheat, or steal. The second is that they must be qualified and competent, and that they must truly hate dishonest gain. The third is that the elected leaders must agree to become “slaves” of the people, not the people’s “kings and queens” entitled to perks and privileges.
If we are to measure those who are in elected positions against these standards at this point, I will not be surprised if only a few would be found to be qualified. This is a sorry commentary not only on our leaders, but more on our people, who have allowed themselves to be unwitting tools for the scalawags, the misfits, the criminals and the immoral, to continue lording it over among us.
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WATCH “ANG TANGING DAAN”, “KAKAMPI MO ANG BATAS”, AT FB LIVE: Please watch “Ang Tanging Daan”, a round-the-clock Bible Exposition and prayer session at www.facebook.com/angtangingdaan; and “Kakampi Mo Ang Batas”, a legal counseling and news commentary program at www.facebook.com/kakampimoangbatas. Reactions: 0917 984 24 68, 0918 574 0193, 0977 805 9058. Email: batasmauricio@yahoo.com.
