Our Role

Getting Out of this Corrupt State and Deteriorating World

Power Tends to Corrupt and Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely

February 25, 2022

I defined my five-point criteria for selecting political parties and choosing leaders already, namely: (1) winnability; (2) ability to address timely issues of the day, especially those confronting us the past two years of global pandemic; (3) high-impact programs that could leap-frog our economic growth, sustainability, and equity; (4) teamwork and cooperation; and (5) respect for the rule of law and morality.

The way things are happening today, these criteria are no longer applicable since nobody among the presidential candidates fits the bill. These indicators may have to be discarded. The standards emerging in social media are the following:

(1) Colorful displays and comical entertainments, backed up by renown artists. The more massive and intense the display, the more attraction one gets from the public and the more are the public drawn into their caravans and rallies.

Money is behind all this and there's a saying that those who holds the purse or bank account rule. We can only be reminded that "all that glitters are not gold". For strings are attached, demanding for some accounting or favors later. And bankers and sponsors have their way of doing this discreetly.

(2) People are neither lured, by their political programs nor are people voting because of political platforms. Candidates simply ramble and spit out motherhood statements expected by the people with no concrete details on how they will be funded, distributed, and implemented from the national down to the village levels in the various regions of the country, which could have been eaisly done as part of their campaign leaflets.

The fight is still personal. It's between the Aquinos and the Marcoses and their respective cronies. In the last presidential race, this opened the gates to the Dutertes since people were fed up and they want something new. They got their wish.

We hope that BBM will redeem the Martial Law stigma and will be sincere enough in his campaign promise to distribute their wealth to the Filipino people, rather than protect themselves against lawsuits.

We hope that Leni can cut off her umbilical cord with the Aquinos. We hope that she will not be controlled by the Aquino family and their respective cronies and the Malacañang mafias (the influentials and power peddlers). We hope that she can freely restructure a new set of sincere cabinet members and establish unity between the Lower and Upper Houses of Congress, without any recourse to bicameral bodies.

We hope that the strong-hand of the Duterte family and its stooges will not be used to cement political power and corruption. We hope that the Pharmally scandal, the unaccounted funds in Philhealth, alleged unexplained wealth, and the recent Malampaya exposé will be finally resolved once elected.

We hope that alignments and realignments to favor their self interests will no longer prevail after the electoral race. The continuing shifts in political alignments and realignments only defile the sanctity of our supposed-to-be democratic political system. Gone are the two-party system that have worked well in our past.

At the moral and ethical level, the fight now is about sincerity and relentlessness in pursuing their campaign slogans and promises.

At the moment, we can only rely on our past experiences and gut-feeling to know who of them is really sincere. Again, this is something subjective, a matter of one's perspective and beliefs. May the Holy Spirit enlighten and guide us nonetheless.

(3) High-impact programs are, as usual, geared towards draining whatever fund is left in our national reserves and deposits, resulting in massive corruption as has been demonstrated in the past two years. The saying still remains: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”.

(4) Teamwork and cooperation are a ploy to confuse each other’s political opponents. Like the traitor Brutus, they are designed to advance their respective unrestricted interests, claiming to love their country more than the eradication of the people’s poverty and hunger.

(5) Disrespect for the rule of law. We have our Constitution of the Land, scripted by the most brilliant, respected, and well-intentioned individuals, selected from various sectors of society. We have an abundance of laws and their respective implementing rules and regulations, more than enough to make families millionaires and financially empowered.

But, as we always predict after the election, the people will remain marginalized and excluded in the mainstream agenda. We might as well exclaim: "To heaven during the electoral race, to hell thereafter, from 2022 to 2026, only to repeat the same process again and again in a viciously circular fashion without end.

Fast forward: What’s my alternative. To vote just the same even if this means voting for the politicians who have the least evil and number of skeletons in their closets.

Don’t tell me that there are no skeletons in their respective closets, perhaps even more than what we have in ours. Nevertheless, the famous line spoken by Osgood Fielding III may still seem to prevail as an excuse to our wrongdoings: “Nobody is perfect.”

But all is not hell and hopeless. Despite our imperfections, there is always that goodness in each one of us that we would like to tap and harness for the good of the people.

So, let's continue what we're doing today until May.

Just as I expected in my temple posts yesterday. The Cosmos showers us once more with its abundance.

Let's go to battle like David to save ourselves and 

the world but this time without the slingshot

Paul J. Dejillas, Ph.D. – May 2, 2021

David went to battle in the valley of Elah in the north of ancient Palestine, with his slingshot, to fight against Goliath with his sword that could instantly wipe out an infantry in one sweep.

The temptation to repeat this biblical scene now on a global scale is great, considering the situation we had been experiencing the past two years.

Today, Goliath has multiplied himself a hundredfold and their sword-bearing attire are everywhere. They can just shut off electricity, telephone lines, water supplies, and many other things we are so dependent and accustomed to, anytime they want, under the guise of national security.

The David of today, however, has become armless. I don’t even have a slingshot. Only the hope and faith that, like him, we can save some souls who are suffering because of today's ruthless Goliaths.

But I cannot conscientiously believe that violence can bring about peace, harmony, and justice. Peace can't be achieved by means of arms, weapons, and other killing machines.

The Google dictionary defined violence as the "behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something." Today, there can only be two alternatives. It's either violence or nonviolence. There are only levels of intensity, but no in-between.

I personally believe in nonviolence. Peace and harmony can only be realized through compassion, openness, and mutual understanding. And there are many ways this can be done.

Holding community pantries is best as an immediate solution to hunger and poverty It’s good to share our abundance to our neighbors and the needy, while we still can.

But sooner or later, the issues of vaccinations, spywares, nuclear threats, climate change, water, food, jobs, electricity, and Internet will affect each one of us real hard and this can be crippling.

Let's muster our resources to solve this persistent interruptions, which are done at will by a few elite to further their own interests. I just want to be prepared once these situations come again and I suspect they will come more often than not.

While we still have the resources, try securing a place that already offers fruit-bearing trees, food, water, and free electricity.

If you have one already, you’re lucky. Then, you can continue your community pantries, providing soup kitchens for the children, as well as other essential provisions for the women and the elderly in your neighborhood.

For those who don’t have the financial resources yet, let's look for sponsors from our loved ones and like-minded friends.

I can only say "good luck" to you for now for we are in this same boat together. Nevertheless, let’s continue to enjoy all the kinds of pandemics that seek to inundate us today, for they didn't happen by coincidence of fate.

There must be a reason why these are sent to us. Whatever that reason is, my hope and faith for the future is what's keeping me alive and always moving forward.

As the Green Berets of the US Army would say: "No retreat, no surrender", for the Air Force: "No guts, no glory", and for the Marines: "Always Faithful". And we sing: "Onward, Christian soldiers! Marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before!"

Though uncertain of what it will be, there's always a future as long as we are alive and the kind of future we will have depends on what we are doing now. This makes life so magical and mystical.

Fulfilling Our Responsibilities Responsibly: 

Act Locally but Go Global and Cosmic

Paul J. Dejillas, Ph.D. – March 18, 2021

To be a Catholic (from the Greek adjective katholikos) means universal, holistic, and cosmic. But to pursue its ideals, a Catholic needs to be local too.

The mission could be to spread Christ's teachings as they are embodied in Christian Social Doctrines or more specifically those contained in the Papal Social Encyclicals. This could as well apply to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and non-Catholics, given their respective beliefs and traditions.

Being a resident of a predominantly Christian country and raised as a Catholic might be a good take-off point. And I cannot help but refer to the Mystical Body of Christ popularized by Pope Pius XII in his Encyclical Mystici Corporis Christi in 1943.

Yes, the membership of the Mystical Body of Christ is categorized into three parts: (a) the Church Suffering; (b) the Church Triumphant; and (c) the Church Militant.

We on Earth—laity and religious—are members of the Church Militant. Christ makes use of our body, brain, and mind to continue his act of creation and salvation. Thus, we use our feet to move forward and explore new paths and unchartered territories.

But we cannot just all be feet. Others will have to play the role of the other organs of the mystical body of Christ: lungs, heart, kidney, liver as well as the five physical senses of sight, touch, scent, hearing, and taste.

During the height of activism, for example, some were heavily taking the role of feet and arms in trying to resuscitate the diminishing influence of the teachings of the Church, in particular, the papal social encyclicals.

Other Christian militants were playing the role of the right arm to clear the way of all the obstacles that hindered the application of Christian Social Doctrines, especially those with respect to human rights, justice, peace, ecological destruction, nuclear build up, and corruption.

Anytime the situation demanded, one had to be always ready even to use guns and roses, just like during the Middle Ages when the Christian militia, Holy Crusaders, Templars, and Christian vigilantes killed all the infidels that came their way, if only to protect the people in their pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

Still others play the role of the left hand to defend the people. Like a good boxer, the Christian militants during those times used their right hand for offense and their left hand for defense, warding off any blows from the opponents.

This was the Church militants during those dark ages, where the members were labelled as revolutionaries, terrorists, agent provocateurs, rebels, no permanent addresses and were the favorite targets of the government and the military across the globe.

The Church militants were pushed to go underground, hiding in deep forest ranges or in caves, not to retreat and surrender, but to regroup, replan, and re-energize so they could make their strong presence felt in the urban areas every now and then.

Today, the struggle continues, but the form and degree of militancy have changed. It's still aggressive and relentless but no longer violent.

The members of the Mystical Body of Christ are active in the areas of: (a) curriculum and instruction; (b) greening Planet Earth; (c) promoting peace, justice, and integrity of creation; (d) empowering the youth; (e) pastoral ministry; (f) community organizing; and (g) publications, marketing, and communications.

And, yes, we are today’s Christian militants, all members of the Mystical Body of Christ, doing everything “Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam” ("For the Greater Glory of God").

This, to me, is the reason why I am born here in this part of the world, i.e., to bear witness to the teachings of Jesus Christ as enunciated in the Papal Encyclicals.

As an educator, let's oblige ourselves morally to preach Jesus's message of love to the people across the globe through the social media and to perform our responsibilities responsibly as befit devotees and disciples of Christ.

I am firmly convinced this is the reason why we made the choice to be sent here on Earth, which is to preach the Kingdom of God, regardless of our religious affiliation.

-------------

Here are the Papal Encyclicals I'm referring to in particular (my favorite):

1.Rerum Novarum, Leo XIII 1891: property, industrialization, socialism, laissez-faire capitalism

2.Pacem in Terris, John XXIII 1963: social issues--peace, human rights, common good

3.Humanae Vitae, Paul 1968: artificial contraception

4.Redemptor Hominis, John Paul II 1979: confrontation with communism (but not mentioning Marxism and Communism)

Latest Encyclicals:

1.Fides et Ratio, John Paul II 1998: science and religion

2.Laudato Si, Pope Francis 2015: Care for Our Common Home--ecology

Our Role On this Planet Earth

Paul J. Dejillas, Ph.D. - November 26, 2020

Our role is not so much to fight, defend, or preserve our rights as to fulfill our obligations to humanity, society, and ecology. That being said, what are our responsibilities as human beings living on this Planet?

Earth is only one of the planets in our Solar System, which is a member of billions and trillions of galaxies in the entire visible Cosmos. Why are we here, not in other planets, stars, galaxies, or constellations? What is our specific role and universal purpose?

To narrow it down a bit and apply it to my case, why am I born in this particular country predominantly dominated by Catholics?

(This question may as well apply to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, non-Catholics, and even atheists, given their respective beliefs and traditions).

Let me review what I learned from Catholicism.

The term Catholic is from the Greek word meaning universal. To be Catholic then means to be universal or we can say, holistic and cosmic. But to pursue its ideals, its meaning needs to be contextualized on solid grounds too.

As a Catholic, my mission could be to spread Christ's teachings (to distinguish those teachings of the Catholic Church) as they are embodied in Christian Social Doctrines or more specifically those contained in the Papal Social Encyclicals.

1. Being a resident of a predominantly Christian country and raised as a Catholic might be a good take-off point. And I cannot help but refer to the Mystical Body of Christ popularized by Pope Pius XII in his Encyclical Mystici Corporis Christi in 1943.

2. Yes, the membership of the Mystical Body of Christ is categorized into three parts: (a) the Church Suffering; (b) the Church Triumphant; and (c) the Church Militant.

3. We on Earth—laity and religious—are members of the Church Militant. Christ makes use of our body, brain, and mind to continue his act of creation and salvation. Thus, we use our feet to move forward and explore new paths and unchartered territories.

4. But we cannot just all be feet. Others will have to play the role of the other organs of the mystical body of Christ: lungs, heart, kidney, liver as well as the five physical senses of sight, touch, scent, hearing, and taste.

5. During the height of activism, for example, some were heavily taking the role of feet and arms in trying to resuscitate the diminishing influence of the teachings of the Church, in particular, the papal social encyclicals.

6. Other Christian militants were playing the role of the right arm to clear the way of all the obstacles that hindered the application of Christian Social Doctrines, especially those with respect to human rights, justice, peace, ecological destruction, nuclear build up, and corruption.

7. Anytime the situation demanded, one had to be always ready even to use guns and roses, just like during the Middle Ages when the Christian militia, Holy Crusaders, Templars, and Christian vigilantes killed all the infidels that came their way, if only to protect the people in their pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

8. Still others play the role of the left hand to defend the people. Like a good boxer, the Christian militants during those times used their right hand for offense and their left hand for defense, warding off any blows from the opponents.

9. This was the Church militants during those dark ages, where the members were labelled as revolutionaries, terrorists, agent provocateurs, rebels, no permanent addresses and were the favorite targets of the government and the military across the globe.

10. The Church militants were pushed to go underground, hiding in deep forest ranges or in caves, not to retreat and surrender, but to regroup, replan, and re-energize so they could make their strong presence felt in the urban areas every now and then.

11. Today, the struggle continues, but the form and degree of militancy have changed. It's still aggressive and relentless but no longer violent.

12. The members of the Mystical Body of Christ are active in the areas of: (a) curriculum and instruction; (b) greening Planet Earth; (c) promoting peace, justice, and integrity of creation; (d) empowering the youth; (e) pastoral ministry; (f) community organizing; and (g) publications, marketing, and communications.

13. And, yes, we are today’s Christian militants, all members of the Mystical Body of Christ, doing everything “Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam” ("For the Greater Glory of God").

14. This, to me, is the reason why I am born here in this part of the world, i.e., to bear witness to the teachings of Jesus Christ as enunciated in the Papal Encyclicals.

15. As an educator, let's oblige ourselves morally to preach Jesus's message of love to the people across the globe through the social media and to perform our responsibilities responsibly as befit devotees and disciples of Christ.

As a concluding declaration, I profess that I also believe in other religious teachings that are not embodied in the Nicene Creed. I deviate from the dogmatist and separatist stance of the Church heirarchy on some of its doctrines. For this only serves to divide humanity. The Catholic Church is not the final arbiter and authority to interpret the teachings of God.