When Pope Francis goes to Malacañang to pay his respects to President Aquino, will the President, as a Roman Catholic, genuflect and kiss the ring on the finger of the Supreme Pontiff?
He should, because that is a sign of respect. The Pope heads some 1.2 billion Roman Catholics worldwide. President Aquino is also Jesuit-trained, being an Atenean. The pope is a Jesuit.
As for the one-on-one, I wonder what President Aquino will say to the Pope especially on the theme of mercy and compassion.
In Colombo, Sri Lanka, the Pope’s stop before coming to the Philippines today, he called for justice and reconciliation after a decades-long civil war.
Will Pope Francis also seek justice and reconciliation with the President’s political enemies and critics? The President’s straight-path policy has become a big joke. We all know his double standard of justice: one for his friends and allies, and another one for his political enemies and critics?
This is something that the President can meditate and reflect on, now that the pope is coming.
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As Filipinos, Catholics, Christians, non-Catholics and even Muslims and Buddhists, we should not forget that Pope Francis’ visit to the Philippines is not all about him as Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. The Pope comes as the harbinger of mercy and compassion for the poor.
Pope Francis comes to remind all of us, especially those in power, to regard the poor, who constitute the bulk of our over 100 million population. He may ask us, what have we done for the poor? That to me, is the essence of the Pope’s visit.
Pope Francis is the successor of Saint Peter, whom Jesus Christ referred to as the rock upon whom he will build his Church. The highlight of the visit is the meeting with Yolanda survivors.
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The Supreme Court may not have granted the temporary restraining order on the fare increases of LRT1, LRT2, and MRT3. Still, Malacañang and the Department of Transportation and Communications led by Secretary Joseph Emilio “Jun” Abaya must explain within 10 days why the hikes are necessary.
I am sure President Aquino and the DoTC officials will emphasize the need to reduce the subsidy being given to the mass transit system and the need to channel the earnings from increases to other priority projects.
But two question remain. Why were the commuters not consulted at all over these fare increase? And why impose the fare increase at a time when there is a more urgent need to improve services for the safety and convenience of passengers?
President Aquino and his DoTC Secretary Jun Abaya may have won in the Supreme Court against those seeking a TRO on the fare increases, but did Mr. Aquino have to say that the petitioners were just being cute?
As my colleague in the opinion page, Andy del Rosario, said, getting a ride is already a daily battle. Del Rosario calls the President’s latest remark an insult to the public.
The President wants solutions, not criticisms. So why say the petitoners were trying to be cute? It’s the administration’s job to solve the problem.
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With Deputy Director Gen. Leonardo Espina getting “delegated authority” as officer-in-charge of the Philippine National Police, which simply means full powers as PNP chief, President Aquino may as well have PNP Chief Alan Purisima, who has been suspended for six months for various offenses like plunder and hidden wealth by the Ombudsman, tender his resignation.
For one thing, Espina has all the credentials and qualifications and even track record to become PNP director-general. He has the competence and credibility among members of the police force.
But, more importantly, Purisima has lost all credibility. He is damaged goods, so to speak. If the President cannot fire Purisima, which he should have done long ago, at least the President can make him resign for the good of the administration and the police force.
The competence of Espina is being shown now with the five-day visit of Pope Francis. Espina knows what to do. In other words, the President does not need Pursima, and the sooner he resigns, the better.
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It has been the policy of this column to observe the right of reply. Along this line, I got a letter from the office of Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano citing facts in connection with the alleged overprice of supplies for the City of Taguig whose mayor is Cayetano’s wife, and claims of “ghost employees” and the nature of funds used in his and Taguig’s advocacy advertisements.
One, that the Commission on Audit made no findings on the purchase of mini-ambulances for the city’s use.
Two, that the CoA did not find any “ghost employees” in Taguig, quoting the COA report that “verification disclosed that personnel in the above-mentioned programs were actually assigned/deployed to different offices in the absence of lack of regular personnel performing regular functions/services.”
Cayetano’s office also declared that no public funds were used to finance the Taguig advocacy ads.
The senator denied that his intentions against Vice President Jojo Binay are fueled by his 2016 ambitions, even as he acknowledges that the probe on the Vice President is actually hurting his chances.
He says he fully believes in transparency. He is presenting himself and his records to close scrutiny, and volunteering to open his books to COA. He believes that public office is a public trust.