By ELLEN TORDESILLAS
THE Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines has been in the forefront in all the political upheavals the country has experienced since the time of the Marcos dictatorship.
Many of its members braved the tanks sent by Marcos to Edsa during the 1986 People Power. They were very much visible in the 2001 ouster of Joseph Estrada and the installation of Gloria Arroyo.
But they did not hesitate to rally against Arroyo when reports of election cheating and massive corruption surfaced.
They supported the rise of Benigno Aquino III to the presidency.
Last week, while the President waxed ecstatic over the investment upgrade that the Philippines got from a major credit rating agency, saying it’s “ an institutional affirmation of our good governance agenda”, the AMRSP reflected on the situation of the Philippines under a second Aquino presidency.
The result is a five page statement entitled “What is happening to our beautiful land? Where does Daang Matuwid lead our people?”
“The rise to the presidency of Noynoy Aquino brought so much hope. He made us believe that change is possible, that corruption could be curtailed, and that public service is, indeed, a public trust. In the first months of his reign, he relentlessly pursued those who were perceived to be guilty of corruption, and we were all aware of the drama that unfolded on national television when the former first family was stopped from running away from the wheels of justice. Days, months, three years have passed. We hold him to his promise of change. While it is true that there has been headway in the fight against corruption much more remains to be done. No big fish has been convicted since 2010 and with the way the tentacles of the corrupt have stymied the judicial process, PNoy’s term might be over and the cases will still be languishing in the courts,” the religious group said.
They asked: “We are now in the third year of PNoy’s term and it is time we ask ourselves so many questions: Akin to the question, “Which way Lord?”, we ask those in authority: Where is this government leading us?”
They touched on several aspects: ecology, human rights, and agrarian reform. They talked on one subject close to their hearts: Truth-tellers and whistle blowers.
It is public knowledge that they provided sanctuary to Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada, star witness in the NBN/ZTE deal and gave moral and spiritual support to others who had the courage to expose malfeasance in government.
They said they were thankful for having been given the rare privilege of taking an active part in the triumph of truth over lies in a culture of fear and moral bankruptcy. “Jun Lozada, Heidi Mendoza, George Rabusa, Lorena Baylon, Nagamura Moner, etc. were, for us, true prophetic voices who wanted to challenge the thundering sounds of the Goliaths in this mountain of lies known as the government. As they upheld the truth, we began to realize with growing horror and increasing indignation the extent of corruption that is systemic in our government bureaucracy then and even now. We see its toll on our suffering people who could actually live in abundance if the resources of the country were truly used for their good,” they said.
They continued: “We are saddened by the way the PNoy administration is treating the case of Jun Lozada. It is unthinkable to imagine that Jun’s heroic act that has put him and his family, not only in danger, but in a state of continuous dislocation would be in vain. We cannot go back to ‘business as usual’ simply because ‘higher-up’ officials want to get back at Jun. We cannot understand the indifference that the PNoy government is showing about Jun Lozada.”
AMRSP said Jun Lozada experienced his own “kairos” which led him to become a truth-teller…We are fully aware that the law is blind and spares no one but the God we know is a compassionate God, the God we worship is a God of justice and love. Let Jun Lozada and all truth tellers be given the chance to live in peace and rebuild their lives.”
The religious group is not giving up. They said: “We have so many questions in our minds, questions that we want to be answered, questions that perhaps cannot be answered. But one thing is certain. We cannot be stopped from our obligation to be the voice of the voiceless and be in solidarity with the poor, the neglected, and the abandoned. “