Wednesday, December 13, 2006 Malilong: Tobias and Cardinal Vidal By Frank Malilong Jr. The Other Side
THE heavens rained on our parade.
After all the hard work that the Cebuanos put into the preparations for the Asean summit, “Seniang” (or was it Joe de Venecia?) came to spoil our coming-out party.
It hurts, of course. But we can’t leave the safety of our guests to chance. Better sad than sorry.
Actually, it’s a matter of attitude. Gov. Gwen Garcia was right when she said that we should look at the postponement from a positive perspective. For example, the extra month can give the flowers along Osmeña Blvd. enough time to bloom.
In the meantime, let us all pray that the heavens will not send us another storm or that Congress will not kick up one.
*** Antonio Tobias, the bishop of Novaliches, is asking the soldiers to join the prayer rally led by the Roman Catholic Church against the move to revise the Constitution. It’s time, said Mr. Tobias, for the soldiers to listen to and join the people.
Why Mr. Tobias has specifically invited the soldiers, who are supposed to be and are by tradition, apolitical escapes me. But I do remember that he is the same chap who, by his own admission, provided sanctuary to a wanted soldier in his home. In a way, he is just being true to form. Take away his miter and you wouldn’t be able to distinguish him from a common demagogue.
Compare the rabble-rousing of Tobias to the prudent response of Ricardo Cardinal Vidal. The Cebu archbishop has announced that instead of a prayer-rally, “widespread discussion” will be held at the parish level on the issue of constitutional change.
If you will recall, the prayer rally was decided upon in reaction to the brazen attempt of the House of Representatives to constitute itself into a constituent assembly and rewrite the Constitution without the participation of the Senate. Public outrage has since driven the congressmen to a hasty retreat.
We cannot be too trusting, that’s for sure. Speaker Jose de Venecia and his gang might spring back with another dubious Cha-Cha maneuver when nobody’s looking. The people have to speak loudly and terrifyingly enough to permanently immobilize the House from making another misadventure.
But let’s do it in a way that does not endanger the cause of the Republic that we are rallying for. In inviting the soldiers to join the rally, Mr. Tobias is asking them to break the chain of command and violate their mandate as protectors of the people and the Constitution.
Ka Tonyo not only knows that but is obviously counting on it. I am confident, however, that the soldiers possess more intelligence than the bishop is willing to credit them with.
