A Demolition Job Backfires

The headline of the following story says it all:

No Pajeros, no luxury SUVs: Accusations hurled vs bishops backfire on PCSO

MANILA, Philippines – Accusations hurled by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office against Catholic bishops boomeranged on the agency on Wednesday after members of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee quizzed the PCSO chief on why the prelates were accused of receiving Pajero cars when not one of them acquired the said luxury sport utility vehicle manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors using PCSO money.

As I expected, the truth eventually came out, and as a result the church-haters and pro-RH groups attacking the bishops over the PCSO donations now have egg on their faces. This was a shameless demolition job from the beginning designed to undermine the Church’s oppostion to the RH/abortion bill.

Well, the deception has backfired. While the bishops have been exonerated from any wrongdoing, the sheer malice of their detractors has become crystal clear. People know prejudice when they see it, and they will react. Online communities are now alive with ordinary persons — even non-Catholics — speaking out in defense of the Church. Even Sen. Miriam Santiago (author of the Senate version of the RH bill) has defended the bishops (at least on the issue on the constitutionality of the PCSO donations).

I also read one pro-RH person relating how he changed his mind on the RH bill issue after he saw how unfairly the bishops were being treated. Here is his comment on the Manila Bulletin website (http://www.mb.com.ph/node/326152/pope-no-rh-divorce#comments):

i was pro RH bill but the actuations of the senate against the bishops in the PCSO mess are so abusive! i can’t help but change my views about the whole thing. What is PNOY and senate trying to achieve? persecuting our bishops? the problem is very clear: there’s a defective policy in the handling of PCSO fund! PCSO should stop investing in the charity and health sectors! our country could not gain enough from the giving alms to the sick and the poor! why not INVEST in the education sector? invest large amount of PCSO monies to computers, INFORMATION TECH instead of ambulance! educate our children and youth by constructing classrooms and buildings! forget about helping the poor and the sick it will not do good to our country in the long run! Also, if the Senate wants to investigate, it should be fair enough to include all religions! what about the MADRASAH schools supported by the govt? isnt that against the constitution? let’s be FAIR!

That’s the decent Filipino talking!

The continuing hate campaign

Of course, the pro-RH camp and enemies of the Church won’t let little inconveniences like the truth or justice get in the way of their nasty hate campaign against the bishops. That’s why you have people like Jim Paredes making sanctimonious, self-righteous attacks against them on FaceBook and other online fora. Now that their accusations have been shown to be little more than hot air, I wonder if we will ever get an apology from their ilk.

I won’t hold my breath. Ordinary sinners may be deserving of a fair hearing, but it seems that the bishops are to be mocked and villified no matter what, and the truth be damned!

Maybe we ought to investigate these pro-RH NGOs and anti-church commentators for slander and impropriety. Will we find any skeletons in their closets? Oh, but they will whine that they are being oppresed! No way we can do that to ordinary citizens, but Catholic clergy (and faithful Catholics, apparently) are fair game. We are all sinners, but the bishops are to be presumed guilty of anything, even when proven otherwise!

Can anyone say, “D-O-U-B-L-E S-T-A-N-D-A-R-D”?