DILI PAGPANAWAY ANG BUHATON SA SIMBAHAN, KON DILI ANG PAG-ALALAY SA MGA TABANGONON…

DILI  PAGPANAWAY ANG BUHATON SA SIMBAHAN, KON DILI ANG PAG-ALALAY SA MGA TABANGONON…

Cardinal Quevedo is showing his limited grasp on Maute's motive in wreaking havoc in Mindanao particularly in Marawi. He faulted the government for not addressing the social injustice felt by Maute  which prompted them to take up arms against the government.

His observation fails because it is  standing on the wrong premise.  Fighting social injustice through violent means such as resorting to terroristic or rebellious acts can never be justified.

The ends do not justify the means, so to speak. The government has been in the thick of things actively promoting federalism and pursuing the BBL just to equalize the imbalance of fiscal administration by dispersing the highly centralized power in Manila to reach the far-flung areas in southern Sulu and the northern Appari.

Cardinal Quevedo must consider that the intensity of the war in Mindanao is not about paying lip service to the needy like the displaced residents of Marawi. He must do better than that. He can give life to what Jesus preached urging his disciples to help the needy  and cloth the naked.

In his humble way, he can urge the church hierarchy to donate goods.  Be at the forefront of clothing the residents by  giving them food, and praying for the souls of the dead and early recovery of Marawi and other affected areas from the crisis. He can grab the limelight by spearheading the creation of joint church and government task force to find ways in diffusing the brewing tension instead of mincing words of hypocrisy. Otherwise, he will be misconstrued as politicking and criticizing the government for the sake of critizing it without specific suggestions to resolve the crisis.

Think, think, think…