THE LORD, indeed, works in mysterious ways. Who would have thought that a rabid critic of the government did a 360-degree turn-around and joined the most controversial and successful government task force?
It can only be an epiphany, perhaps a miracle. Certainly not in the same level as the parting of the Red Sea or turning water into wine but nevertheless a minor miracle for this unthinkable to become a reality.
And what is this epiphany we’re talking about?
CBCP now a member of NTF-ELCAC
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has joined the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) as one of its members.
NTF-ELCAC executive director Ernesto Torres said their executive committee approved to have a member from the religious sector as one of the private sector representatives.
CBCP will be represented by the Bishop Reynaldo Evangelista, and his alternate will be Father Jerome Secillano from the Episcopal Commission on Public Affairs.
According to Undersecretary Torres:
“We need to review how we do things and…at this point in our campaign, it is necessary that we have two private representatives as member agencies.
When offered it to be a member, CBCP accepted warmly.
“So, with them on our side it will be a lot easier to disseminate, to cascade the information, the good news of the government to those living in the far-flung areas considering the trust and confidence and respect that the general populace has for those in the religious sector. It would readily be accepted by them.
“We will not stop there, because down the road, there will be some observers also as part of religious sector representative, not only the regular member, but observers coming from other religious denominations. That is not yet happening now, but that is within the road map we are crafting.”
Meaning it’s not just a military problem, but whole-of-nation, and whole-of-government approach in addressing the root problem of insurgency particularly in the development of insurgency-free barangays.
Since its establishment in 2018, the task force “dismantled” 69 out of 89 guerilla fronts nationwide, leaving one active in Northern Samar, six “weakened” guerilla fronts in Luzon, seven in the Visayas and six in Mindanao.
Of course, the CBCP joined the NTF-ELCAC because the “Holy Spirit” descended upon them and gave them wisdom to change their ways.
Probably, the “Padre de Cacaos” realized associating with the CPP/NPA/NDF erodes the already strained credibility of the Philippine Catholic Church, and communism by any other name is synonymous with being an atheist – certainly an oxymoron with being a Catholic.
Let’s take this development positively. This more than 50-year nonsense of the CPP/NPA/NDF will finally end during the watch of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., poetic justice indeed, as this nonsense begun during the watch of his father, former President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr.
***
Quite pathetic, when retired old men way pass their prime just can’t accept the fact that they’re irrelevant.
Desperate to be relevant, a retired military man and former secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology, a former COMELEC commissioner, and a retired banker came up with ridiculous accusations that the 2022 presidential elections were rigged.
Excerpts from an Aug. 29, 2023 Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) statement: The PPCRV has physical evidence and match rates, to show that results were not altered during transmission in 2022 to change overall results.
Can the parties making accusations of fraud show any tangible proof of fraud?
Nothing has changed in national positions President, Vice-President and all Senatorial votes before and after Transmission to the Transparency Server.
There was also no complaint received by the PPCRV from any media organization, or proof provided by any organization or even individuals, that the final results changed from alteration of ERs from the precincts to the servers. Those who advance the theory that there was intervention in the transmission of the votes have the burden of proof to support their theory. Talk must be supported by proof. Evidence is the best proof to validate any claim or accusation. Mere accusation is not proof of fraud. Our physical ERs collected before transmission compared with the after transmission digital transmission had a match rate of 99.84%./PN
