Not ban, but respect

Now that the congressman who drafted house bill 6330 or Religious Freedom in Government Offices Act withdrew the bill, I guess it’s time for the clamor to die down. Hush now people, enough.  He admitted he made a wrong move. However, from a student’s perspective, Mr. Palatino may have been right in his own senses.

No, it was not to ask the Filipino people to abandon the Catholic faith or any faith for that matter. While it may be true that America was once great because of its faith in Christianity, we are no land of milk of honey. We might be at risk of losing our culture, but religion is just one side of the whole box. And who even said there exist only one religion in this country, let the minority speak for themselves.

Palatino was simply asking the government institutions to remove any religious symbol and the conducting of religious rites. He didn’t ask anyone to be atheist. It was limiting the ban to the premises and perimeter of government offices, which are owned and spent on by the Filipino people. If there was any shame left to the ransacked pockets of the citizens, I guess they have to be given the respect they deserve.

Without undermining his intelligence, there was actually no need to make such a bill. The constitution clearly states in Article II, Section 6 that “the separation of the Church and State shall be inviolable.” I believe the HB was only for emphases. Definitely, the places specified by Palatino were of the State. State run universities are also government offices by the way, and they adhere to such statute in the book. How hard is it to follow for the rest?

If we are fighting for equality in all aspects, let’s include this as well. Think about our Muslim brothers and sisters who would be greeted by images that are not of their belief as they open the door of the municipal hall.

How about if it were the other way around, wouldn’t you find it offensive if you see a Buddha figure by the teller’s table? Or say Islamic inscriptions on the walls of an official’s office? Civil servants cannot do this because they are boxed by the idea that the Philippines is of Roman Catholic faith, even if we have our own preferences.

Let’s be open-minded to the idea of respect. This is not the erasure of culture. You can always go practice your faith outside of your work as a civil servant, not in the office. There’s nothing bad about that.  This is just an issue of the government being neutral as it should be. Being in favor of a single religion only creates a division between those who believe in something else. Something we have been neglecting for so long.

But there is not much we can do now that the bill has been withdrawn. We’ll just silently pray to our own gods that divine intervention be upon our offices, that we may be taught how to respect the minority and above all may we continue to serve with love. We do not know the motive of Palatino behind his proposal. Maybe he wanted to trample the borders that have been hindering his sector in moving forward. Whatever reason there might be, we do not know.

There’s so much to admire about this man, not just his kind consideration. I just hope in his next move, he won’t be hovered over in his territory.