Bishop Tobias admitted to have coddled the Magdalo soldiers who were fugitives from justice. No matter what his justifications are, he coddled FUGITIVES FROM JUSTICE. What a shame! This Bishop cannot, in any way, justify such blunder or imprudent judgment. An Estrada scion quickly came to his aid saying that there is nothing wrong with what Tobias did because Chavit Singson was also coddled by the late Cardinal Sin at the height of his expose on jueteng. Holy Bananas! The Estrada scion may have forgotten or is simply naive of the fact that the Magdalo are fugitives while Chavit Singson was not.
It must be stressed that the Magdalo soldiers are on trial for the failed Oakwood Mutiny in 2003 which may have pushed back the Philippine economy to about 3 years backwards. They should not be confused with the group of Col. Ariel Querubin, Gen. Danny Lim and the others who attempted a "withdrawal of support” last February. By escaping, the Magdalo soldiers became fugitives from justice at the time when Bishop Tobias gave them sanctuary and brought them to different safe houses. In doing so, he may have unwittingly accepted violence as a means to overthrow the government as the MAGDALO espouses such means.
Bishop Tobias very well personifies the quintessential “partisan prelate”. Yes he did it again. The Bishop who said sorry “on behalf of the Church” to ERAP last April, did it again. With the rate he is going, he will do it again and again and again.
G.C. UANAN
20 July 2006
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4 comments:
fr. greg,
congratulations for a wonderful site! pano mo ba nailalagay yung sangkaterbang photos sa isang article? turuan mo naman ako! also, nice reflections on the recent happenings in the Philippines!
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I REALLY, AM,INCLINED TO BELIEVE NOW THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS INDEED MISTAKEN IN BISHOP TOO-BIAS
I read this article on Manila Standard,it is an article re Tobias' antics:
Bishop�s brinkmanship
By : Alvin Capino | Manila Standard
21 July 2006 | 11:50 AM
NOVALICHES Bishop Antonio Tobias is playing a perilous game. He appears to be daring authorities to file a case against him by openly admitting that he has committed a crime and violated the law.
In television interviews aired on national television, Tobias said he indeed gave refuge to Army 1Lt. Lawrence San Juan and six other so-called Magdalo soldiers who escaped from detention.
He said he knows that this is against the law but added that the authorities should be thankful to him because the rebellious soldiers might have gone and join the communist rebels or sought the protection of powerful politicians who might have used them for their personal agenda.
The bishop, who had been in the news for being one of the serial filers of the impeachment case against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and for apologizing to ousted President Joseph Estrada for the Catholic Church�s participation in Edsa-2, also cited the Geneva Convention as providing the legal cover to give sanctuary to the escaped Magdalo detainees.
Even if one is sympathetic to Tobias and the moral causes he is fighting for, it would be hard to disagree with the observation made by the feisty Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez that Tobias is �flouting the law.�
It would seem that Tobias is telling the world that he can violate the law but is immune to prosecution because he is a man of the cloth.
Tobias has openly admitted that he believes he has violated the law but apparently also knows that the hands of the government are tied. And he most likely knows that there will be a public outcry in case he is charged for what appears to be clear violations of the Revised Penal Code for harboring fugitives.
What is even sadder is that some of Tobias� fellow bishops are supporting his defiant stand that laws could be ignored.
No less than the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines president Archbishop Angel Lagdameo has been reported as defending Tobias� actions. He said he respects Tobias� �personal decision.�
Some Catholic faithful would disagree with Lagdameo on this. The move to file the impeachment complaint is a personal decision of Tobias and nobody can rightfully criticize him for that. Harboring fugitives is a different issue altogether and to willfully violate the law is not something that Lagdameo and the CBCP can dismiss as merely a personal decision.
Caloocan Bishop Deogracias I�iguez is even more open in his defense of the actions of Tobias. He said he would have done exactly the same thing that Tobias did and would have given sanctuary to the escaped Magdalo soldiers. �That�s what any Christian should do.�
So are bishops above the law? That�s the message we are hearing from Tobias, I�iguez and Lagdameo, and this leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.
Ang problema ngayun sa CBCP hinde na tulad ng dati. Watak watak sila dahil ata sa atik.
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