Woe unto Panlilio

“ROUGH SAILING for Panlilio.” Screamed Sunday’s banner headline of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Gov. Eddie T. Panlilio’s presidential bid has “elicited worried, angry and even outraged reactions from his superiors and fellow priests in the Catholic Church and from Church members.” So reported the PDI.
This, as Panlilio “formally offered himself as a candidate for President in 2010” Saturday at an event at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani in Quezon City.
In a separate PDI story of the event, Panlilio said “he is the most qualified to face this challenge” meaning the presidency.
To which Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz retorted: “When his supporters say that he is the only one qualified to run for President, it is impossible that among so many Filipinos there is no one principled, there is no one qualified to become President.”
Indeed, an insult to the over 80 million Filipinos!
Especially given the utter incompetence of Panlilio to lead. As proven in his misgovernance and maladministration of the province of Pampanga, including the now greatly reduced – from the P1-million-a-day benchmark – quarry collections.
No hubris – he simply has not the required greatness to earn it – Panlilio saying he is the most qualified of the presidentiable is sheer braggadocio. an empty boast, kaparatutan in Kapampangan.
His “promising a leadership that listens, works with and empowers people,” is an utter lie, many times proven beyond an iota of doubt by his own actions: breaking his priestly vow of obedience when he ran for governor despite the pleadings of his superiors; his estrangement from his campaign donors and supporters; the resignation of 13 of 15 members of his confidence team; his running feud with the sangguniang panlalawigan and with all but one of Pampanga’s 21 mayors; his summary dismissal and harsh treatment of the very people that enabled his lone accomplishment, the quarrymen of the Biyaya a Luluguran at Sisikapan.
Panlilio indeed “listens to, works with and empowers” only one person: his (still putative?) provincial adminsitrator, Atty. Vivian Dabu.
“So who will be Among Ed’s first lady?” asked the PDI story.
“Panlilio said he would not be on the look out for a first lady.” The news report answered.
Indeed, why should he, when he has more, much more than a first lady already? You still don’t get who, you’re much more than a dummy!
On a higher plane now, San Fernando Archbishop Paciano Aniceto was said to have “angrily rejected Panlilio’s plans to run for president and leave the priesthood.”
“He is drifting from his original priestly mission. A priest is a servant of the city of God, not of the city of man.” So the revered Apu Ceto made a paraphrase of the great doctor of the Church, St. Augustine of Hippo.
The good bishop said that Panlilio’s presidential bid will “further confuse the faithful…will put them in a dilemma .”
By running for President, Panlilio will be the negation of all the Church’s recent proclamation and initiatives for the laity to “evangelize politics” by actively participating in the electoral process by running for office and ensuring clean and honest elections in 2010, even as it practically barred them from pushing priests to politics.
“Confuse the faithful…put the faithful in a dilemma.”
The good Apu Ceto’s words assume some prophetic essence when taken along with the gospel readings of the day they appeared in the PDI, Sunday, July 19.
The First Reading from the prophet Jeremiah 23:1-6 says: “Woe unto the shepherds who mislead and scatter the sheep of my pasture.”
This is the message of Yahweh, God of Israel, to the shepherds in charge of my people, “You have scattered my sheep and driven them away instead of caring for them. Now I will deal with you because fo your evil deeds.”
A lost shepherd, the Church is inflicted with in Panlilio.
And he is the most qualified presidentiable? Allah, spare us.