INC Rallyists in EDSA. Photo from Philippine Star
Here is my own take on that entire INC mess.
1. Someone filed a complaint with the DOJ against INC leaders for illegal detention, which is a crime. The DOJ is then required to investigate the case. The INC rallied because they didn’t want the DOJ to investigate the case. The INC clearly wanted privilege instead of the law taking its course. I’m not a big fan of De Lima, but at least she did her job on this one.
2. The INC rallied in the EDSA Shrine, which is an actual Catholic parish with a parish priest assigned to it, according to the CBCP. The INC clearly failed to respect another religion who had absolutely nothing to do with the case filed in the DOJ. And yet the INC says their faith is being trampled on. They claim their faith has been violated but they themselves violated the right to worship of the Catholics that belong to that parish. Major logic fail right there.
3. When people started complaining about the traffic that the EDSA rally caused, INC reacted by saying that their faith was being attacked. They clearly were not listening to the discourse. People were complaining about the traffic. No one has been attacking their faith.
4. When Top Gear took up the cudgels for the poor motorists that were affected, INC members attacked the site by threatening that the site will be blocked. A few FB accounts that posted sentiments against the INC rally have also been similarly threatened.
5. When INC took to the streets, they were clamoring for the separation of church and state. Yet they have clearly misunderstood that separation to mean that they can commit crimes with impunity. Even the Catholic Church is not immune to prosecution if their personnel commits a crime. Also, the INC clearly meddles in politics when they endorse political candidates, yet over the weekend they were clamoring for the separation of church and state. That’s why people found their clamor laughable.
6. The INC has issued an apology for the traffic, but cites that it is the fault of their enemies. If I throw a brick at a random passerby in protest of my enemy, that passerby has every right to complain against me as well, and I very well should not blame my enemy for my actions. Enlarge this metaphor, if you will, to encompass EDSA, and change the brick to traffic. It’s just stupid.
7. Now the rally has ended, with the INC saying that they have an “agreement” with the government. They make it sound as if it was their rally that forced the government to act in their favor, but they failed to disclose the terms of the said “agreement.” (Thank you to all write ups that used the quotation marks. I will also use quotation marks, in the spirit of common sense. I enjoin all other sensible people to do the same.)
8. I hardly think that a sect that holds a massive temper tantrum when it doesn’t get its way, and paralyzes traffic on behalf of a constitutional stipulation that they have not even taken the time to understand, would endorse a candidate that I would consider voting for.
In summary, I believe that the INC is a spoiled, belligerent lot who feel they are above the laws of this country. They have the right to protest, no matter how petulant their reasons and no matter how skewed their logic (separation of church and state, and all that). But all other Filipinos have the right to protest as well. INC people, you are not the only citizens of this country.
So, congratulations. All 1.2 million of you have managed to gain the ire of perhaps about 20 million people living and working in Metro Manila and who have loved ones living and working in Metro Manila.
And to the politicians desperate for the 1.2 million INC votes, remember, the country is not composed of just 1.2 million INC members. Majority still wins. That’s democracy for you.