indecent political affair and injustices to remember

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    Indecent Political Affair And Injustices To

    Remember

    By Toto Onato

    To implement the law without fear or favor and do justice to every man

    is an inspiring articulation of purpose that forms part of Gloria Macapagal Arroyos

    pledge before the Filipino people on two occasions when she had assumed office as

    President of the Republic of the Philippines. Very unfortunately, however, not only had

    she failed twice, but worse, her nine (9)-year old governance, with its inherent infirmitieshad ravaged the nations political, social and economic lifeline.

    Forced upon the Filipino people in 2001 power grab by societys elite, vested interest

    groups and military clique, the Arroyo regime became a willing hostage of patronage

    politics in its ugliest mutation. It kept wallowing in the mud hole of indecent politicalcollaboration with its ill motivated and self-centered cohorts and patrons for mutual gain.

    Such a hideous situation turned out to be the foundation of a detestable kind of political

    impropriety and devious machinations in the furtherance of its continued politicalexistence and in so doing, prostituted our cherished democratic processes.

    In a very shameless fashion, the Arroyo administration was into creative, systematic and

    well organized methods of graft & corruption in trying to satisfy its insatiable economic

    and political greed. Consequently, many high profile corruption cases (Fertilizer FundScam, ZTE-NBN botched deal, North Rail Project, NAIA Terminal 3 Project and many

    others) involving top officials were unearthed. In all those cases however, the primary

    suspects (FG, Jocjoc Bolante, Romulo Neri and many others) are coddled and secured.On the other hand, witnesses and whistle blowers (like Jun Lozada, Gen. Gudani, Ador

    Maoanay, and others) were silenced by way of bribery, threats and some other possible

    means. These were then common knowledge known to Filipino people who wereresponsible for giving GMA a shameful negative fifty four per cent (- 54%) satisfaction

    rating, the lowest in the history of Philippine presidency.

    Foremost among Arroyos political investors was the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) of the

    Manalo family who supported her during the 2004 election for the presidency. The eventmarked the beginning of the Arroyos political indebtedness to Manalo family

    notwithstanding her winning the presidency, not through the votes of INC but by way

    of her strategy known as Hello Garci.

    Thereafter, the political clout that this administration had bestowed upon the INCtogether with other similarly situated coteries (as gesture of political payback) was

    cleverly capitalized in the furtherance of devious motives. The political whims and

    caprices of INC and other political investors were usually accommodated. Consequently,the grave abuse in the exercise of shared political power had contributed immensely to

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    the propagation ofselective administrations of justice,socio-religious discriminations,extra-judicial killings and forced disappearances.

    As we, members of the Church of God International better known as Ang Dating

    Daan (ADD) express our utmost indignation against this political syndication, we are

    constantly aware of the clear and present danger from the opposite end of a tiltedpolitical balance that the past administration had created. Due to the relentless

    expositions by our spiritual leader, Bro. Eliseo F. Soriano about corrupt and un-biblicalpractice in religion, the favored INC had become indiscriminate and tenacious. INC

    ministers had resorted to measures, legal or otherwise, to deflect embarrassment from

    failure, for example, to defend their blasphemous, nonsensical and un-biblical doctrinethat says Christ is not divine. Hence, innumerable instances of INC initiated

    persecutions; violence, harassment, character vandalism and intolerance have rained upon

    us. Police records can attest that scores of us were injured seriously and there were thosewho perished as consequences of outrageous INC brutality.

    We therefore reiterate our strongest condemnation against these serious violations of ourhuman rights and religious freedom brought about by an indecent political affair between

    the Arroyo government and its political investor INC. The illicit relationship and under-the-table intercourse between them had resulted in the procreation of injustices birthed

    by INC in manners and circumstances as follows:

    The INC sponsored raids of ADD religious compound in Apalit, Pampanga on

    two occasions (Feb. 01, 2002 and Dec.16, 2005) to serve warrant of arrest forlibel case and executed with overdose of police assistance on the wee hours of the

    morning. The raids that only served to demonstrate brutality were glaring

    desecration of ADD religious freedom to which the Arroyo government did not

    care about despite documented protest on the matter.

    Contrary to INC disinformation, the Jollibee encounter in Apalit, Pampanga

    between ADD members and INC mob was not a free-for-all. The fourteen (14)

    seriously injured ADD members were victims of mob attack by the INC bullieswho outnumbered their victims five (5) to one (1). Due to INC influence with

    local police, the serious wounds of ADD members were ridiculously deemed self

    inflicted, hence, the hapless victims were the ones charged with frustratedhomicide instead of INC members who suffered no injury.

    Public news have it that Nickson Icao and Felizardo Ka Zaldy Lumagham, both

    of Macabebe, Pampanga and who were reported to be members of INC, (the

    latter, a deacon) were charged before the San Fernando prosecutors office for thebrutal shooting to death of Marcos Mataro in April 2008. Mataro was a former

    INC minister who joined the ADD and was actively engaged in the exposition of

    INC deceptions when he was murdered. Until now, however, both INC suspects

    have yet to be accounted for by the police.

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