Glorietta 2 blast revisited

I was shocked to read this morning in gmanews.tv that the Palace wants the Glorietta 2 incident re-investigated (by the Truth Commission, no less). The news item said that the Palace hinted that the investigation was "whitewashed". Apparently, the Palace stooges are experts in whitewashing investigation results.

Why, oh why, would the GMA administration cover-up the truth if it indeed was a bomb that caused the explosion? Wouldn't it be favorable to the then Gloria administration to claim it was a bomb rather than a gas leak? It could have been a good reason for her administration to crack down on her critics, but they did not do that.

But I think I know the reason behind this so-called "re-investigation". The Ayalas, who own Glorietta 2, are liable and subject to lawsuits for the explosion if it had been a gas leak, and they wouldn't want that to happen. Hey! They supported Penoy's campaign, so why can't they just have it re-investigated by their "boy" Penoy and have the new results "tweaked" to show that it was really a bomb and not a gas leak? I mean, the Palace go-boys have proven their skill in tweaking investigation reports.

I see no logic in the need for the past administration to cover up what happened in Glorietta 2... But hey, it's Penoy's Truth Commission, and they've been given a blank check.

Whitewash

For the life of me, i cannot understand why Usec. Rico Puno, of all people, would be spared from any responsibility for the botched hostage rescue attempt last August 23 which killed 8 Hong Kong nationals. Penoy himself made it clear that he assigned Puno to the DILG specifically to handle the Philippine National Police. What does Puno have on Penoy to make the President bow to this low-life scum?

But hey, it's Penoy's funeral. Somehow, former National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales' statement that Penoy is on a self-destruct mode seems to hold water. Even some of my firends who are staunch supporters of Penoy are starting to question his decision to spare his BFF from prosecution, despite the result of the IIRC investigation.

Why in hell did Penoy even create the IIRC when he knew from the start that he will have the last say on the matter? He only made a fool of Laila De Lima who performed an exemplary job, only to be sidelined in the end.

What we are seeing from the Palkace is a clear sign of a whitewash. The Palace has no intention of finding out the truth but is more itnerested in saving the Presidential friends from taking responsibility.

What a sham.

Damaso

The catholic hierarchy today said that Celdran was jailed not because he exercised his right to free speech but because he "committed a sin against the church". First off, in my humble opinion, having such a law as Article 133 of the Revised Penal Code is in itself a violation of one's basic human rights.

Art. 133. Offending the religious feelings. — The penalty of arresto mayor in its maximum period to prision correccional in its minimum period shall be imposed upon anyone who, in a place devoted to religious worship or during the celebration of any religious ceremony shall perform acts notoriously offensive to the feelings of the faithful. source: www.chanrobles.com

In a nutshell, Article 133 means that the Church or any religious organization can have you imprisoned if they feel you performed an act offensive to the "faithful", but not vice versa.

In the United Staes Bill of Rights, it says:

Amendment I-- Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Freedom of Expression must include being able to express one's feelings inside the church. If the church pulpit can be used to demonize, accuse without evidence and lambast the government (like what they did during GMA's administration), then i say with conviction that it is also the right of every catholic to speak out against its church and its hierarchy INSIDE that church.

Remember history, my friends. Many of these old churches, including the Manila Cathedral, were built by our fellow Filipinos, some working for free in exchange for what the Frailes call "salvation". It is the people, the Filipino people under the oppressive Spanish regime who built these churches, not the bishops, not the priests and not the Pope. It is our Church, and if priests can call a person evil using the pulpit, then we, the people, can certainly use this church built by our forefathers' blood, sweat and tears to call the church hierarchy whatever we want.

What is good for the gander should be good for the goose. The church cannot have double-standards and say "we can speak against anyone inside the church but the people cannot". This goes against the teachings of Christ where He is the Head and we, the people, The church, is the body. Christ never mentioned anything about Popes, Bishops, Cardinals and excommunication.

Then, of course, there is that argument made by Carlos Celdran which I agree with -- the Church cannot, according to our Constitution, involve itself in matters of State, to wit:

ARTICLE II

DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES AND STATE POLICIES

Section 6. The separation of Church and State shall be inviolable.

I commend Carlos Celdran for having the balls to speak out against the Catholic Church, a taboo though it may be to some, but judging from the reactions of many people in the world wide web, I'm sure many share Carlos' sentiments about the separation of Church and State.

Celdran: Bagong Bayani

Dressed as Jose Rizal, Manila's famous tour guide Carlos Celdran walked into the Manila Cathedral, went to the altar, raised a sign that says DAMASO (in reference to Jose Rizal's antagonist in Noli me Tangere) and shouted "Stop meddling in politics!". Now that's what I call guts. For all the hot air and bluster I've been hearing from the Palace about supporting the Reproductive Health Bill, what Celdran did was a breath of fresh air. Celdran was later arrested and charged with violation of Article 133 of the Revised Penal Code.

What the priests and bishops failed to realize that they played right into Celdran's hands. This is exactly why he was garbed as Jose Rizal. What the church demonstrated when they had Celdran arrested was that they were in fact the modern day Damasos ordering the arrest of a modern day Rizal and putting him behind bars. But what Celdran did was merely an exercise in freedom of expression, something the church cannot fully understand since it is anchored in dogma written in the middle ages.

If the church continues with its threats against the government's plan to push for Reproductive Health, then we are seeing the end of days of the church's holier-than-thou meddling in politics and I would not be the least bit surprised if activists replicate this action by Celdran. Let's see if the church can take a dose of civil disobedience.

As for Celdran, I say stay strong. We are behind you 100%.