The time is supposedly now

Considering the angry gravity of his mien and the urgent immediacy of his voice, he poised as an avenging angel flexing his muscles to wreck havoc on the enemy.

That was how Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines projected himself few weeks ago on national tv. And taking stock that the Philippines is about 85% Roman Catholics who are generally obeisant to church preachings, one expected the obedient flock to harken to Lagdameo's challenge for "liberators" to rise. Or, for nationwide churches to take up the CBCP's clarion call to sound out their Catholic herd.

Since then until now, one has also awaited some radical reaction, even some spontaneous similar condemnation from the pulpits of the nation's Catholic temples. Surprisingly, there has been none of the sort, even from Lagdameo's other bellicose colleagues in the CBCP, or from the Filipino cardinals, and much less is there any agitprop or any animated discussions among the laity.

Hearing and seeing none, one opts to stress Lagdameo's chilling dare for "liberators" to fight the government's graft and corruption. When he boldly assured the public that "liberators may be just around the corner", it was a shrewd metaphor of egging on positive actions of what "liberators" are supposed to do now.

Unlike Lagdameo's usual equanimity, his philippic against PGMA wasn't couched in just vague figures of speech, but very clear who he was condemning in the news item: "5 Bishops call for new government". In fighting mood, the five prelates led by Lagdameo were Lingayen Archbishop Oscar Cruz in his wont as the most vocal GMA critic, Bataan Bishop Socrates Villegas, Masbate Bishop Joel Baylon, and Bishop Emeritus Jose Sorra. Absent were spitfire bishops Labayen, Bacani, and Yñiguez.

So far their latest condemnation against the GMA administration sounds the most telling church position, and giving away in no uncertain terms their desire for radical change in governance because of the "top to bottom" corruption. And it was topped with Lagdameo's shaking off "hopelessness and negative prognosis": "We are dreaming, praying and hoping that our country may yet have the needed liberators", he pined passionately.

While Lagdameo passively qualified the "liberators" to take action in a "courageous peaceful way, effectively and uncompromisingly reform our country", the unspoken nuances of liberation strike out clearly in-between the lines.

Bishop Villegas, another CBCP anti-graft crusader, doesn't hide his feelings in urging the "liberators" "not to be passive but engage in active involvement in effecting change in governance" and curbing rampant corruption. And Lingayen Archbishop Oscar Cruz, as usual, spat with venom and direct tirades against the massive corruption that he heaped on the "incumbent occupant in Malacañang as the culprit".

Hardly short of exhorting the people to rise in arms to stamp out what Lagdameo calls the "endemic and systemic" "top to bottom" corruption, the CBCP head made this flourish: "The time to rebuild our country… is now; the time to start radical reforms is now; the time to conquer complacency, cynicism and apathy… is now; the time to prepare a new government is now".

Fortunately, or unfortunately, there is no more pied piper of Hamelin, somewhere in Germany of old, whose magical bagpipe hypnotized the horde of rats to follow the pied piper blindly even to their death in the river. It appears that the CBCP and Lagdameo's elite group don't have the pied piper's drawing power after all. Or, has the Catholic leadership now lost whatever fealty or loyalty its following of yore used to say Amen, Amen?

That loss, to many, is the most tragic. The church then has to realize that the time of reckoning all these is also NOW!

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