JUST AN AFTERTHOUGHT

JUST AN AFTERTHOUGHT
Heartbeats by Rev. Fr. Philip Vincent S. Sinco

Posted in an on-line news report:

When Manny Pacquiao goes on the ring to complete his "unfinished business" with Juan Manuel Marquez on Sunday, March 16, 2008, the Philippine National Police (PNP) expects another zero-crime rate in the country. PNP spokesman Sr. Supt. Nicanor Bartolome on Thursday said authorities anticipate most Filipinos to be hooked to their television sets again during the duration of Pacquiao's boxing match with Marquez. "Just like in the past fights of Manny Pacquiao, we expect again a tremendous decrease in the crime volume this Sunday, or even to the extent of anticipating a zero-crime rate during the period of the fight", Bartolome said in a news briefing at Camp Crame. "This goes to show that we Filipinos are really in support of a countryman who will again show the true form of a Filipino boxer" he added. But Bartolome assured the public that despite this anticipated low crime incidence, the PNP will not let down its guard, especially against criminals who might also take advantage of the situation."Even during the boxing bouts of Pacquiao, the PNP does not relax. It doesn't mean that the PNP will not do its job anymore", Bartolome said.

The last time that the crime in our country went down drastically was when Pope John Paul II visited the Philippines in 1995, during the celebration of World Youth Day.

And Manny Pacquiao was not yet a boxing legend.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I don’t like Manny Pacquaio at all. In fact, I admire him for making us Filipinos proud for all the achievements and honor he has given not just for himself but for our country. I am only seeing a paradox here. We equate a boxing phenomenon with a Pope. The former just knocked out his opponent after several rounds of heavy punching in what seemed to be a bloody fight, while the latter is a Holy Man, whose Sainthood is on the process. I don’t see any parallelism between the two but I think the Boxer prevailed over the Pope. I even overheard from somebody that Manny Pacquiao could be an answer to our nation’s prevailing problems: “Mas maayo kung pirme may boxing match si Manny Pacquiao, at least naganubo ang insidente sang krimen diri sa aton pungsod!”.

An Irony of Ironies!

But it was very well-said. I totally agree that a proclaimed hero has done something to alleviate the many felonies of this often-troubled country. Yet, this truth has also brought me to an aching realization about certain things that didn’t work well during the recent fiesta celebration. I think something is missing and trust me, it’s not on the externals. The Feast of Our Lady of Candles this year was successful in terms of preparation, organization, and coordination. In fact, the event itself was a big accomplishment. But mind you, just when we thought that things were perfectly fine, there were untoward incidents that were not brought into the light that need to be pondered this time if we wish to assess our growth as mature and responsible Christians. I don’t intend to sound negative but I just want to speak the truth.

And here are the painful truths:
In a seemingly prayerful and festive mood, lies the evil scheme of pilfering from those unsuspecting believers who only wanted to fulfil their yearly devotion to our Lady. Few days after the fiesta, a driver told me that one passenger got inside his taxicab crying profusely because her wallet was stolen while she was attending the 7:00 Pontifical Mass inside the Jaro Cathedral. The driver was stark-raving mad as he uttered cursing words to show his disgust over the thief who used the Eucharistic Celebration to pounce on gullible church goers.

In a noble attempt to help people generate income, as they try to make a meagre but decent living by selling candles as consignment, lies the malevolence of jeopardizing the principle of supply and demand, taking advantage of those helpless buyers of the Candelaria Perdon by hoarding and stipulating a rocket-high price when stocks were decreasing in the late afternoon (from Php 100.00 selling price per pack of five candles to Php 150.00!). How’s that??? It was very, very, very un-Christian!
If only Manny Pacquiao could stage his boxing match on February 2 next year, I think the fiesta will be spared from these atrocious thieves and hoarders. Maybe Jaro will be a hundred percent (100%) peaceful and crime-free place to live in even just for a day.

I’m sure, the Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria will be a lot happier this time.