A non-inclusive prayer gathering

It is not clear up to now why representatives from major religious groups were not invited to the “special prayer gathering” at Malacañang. What was so special in that prayer gathering that President Benigno “Noy” Aquino III did not wish to see in attendance representatives from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), the El Shaddai charismatic movement, among major religious groups in the country?

Invited to this Palace prayer gathering were leaders from various evangelical groups headed by Eddie Villanueva of the Jesus is Lord (JIL) movement. They all joined in a “pray over” for the embattled Chief Executive.

The special prayer gathering came at the heels of the Jan. 25 Mamasapano incident that shook the nation when 44 elite police troopers were killed in action while trying to serve warrant of arrest against two most wanted terrorist bombers.

As Commander-in-chief, President Aquino has been under fire for the tragic turnout of “Oplan Exodus,” the top-secret operation that cost the lives of the 44 members of the Special Action Force (SAF) of the Philippine National Police (PNP). The incident now threatens the ongoing peace process in Mindanao as no less than 18 members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were also killed in this incident claimed to be a “mis-encounter” in the town of Mamasapano where the two wanted terrorist bombers were in hiding.

Mr. Aquino remains obviously still hurting over unceasing criticism he has been getting over Mamasapano. In public hearings in Congress, sacked chief  Getulio Napeñas claimed Oplan Exodus was carried out with the “tacit” approval of the President and directed by suspended PNP director-general Alan Purisima.

In a question-and-answer that immediately followed his speech at the prayer meet, the President admitted allowing Purisima to run the whole operation even while under preventive suspension. For the nth time, the President squarely blamed Napeñas for bungling the mission. He used harsh words against the veteran and decorated SAF officer but spared Purisima. 

While he can handle the criticism against him from the political opposition and his worst critics, Mr. Aquino clearly indicated criticisms from his administration allies and friends from clergy like the CBCP, hurt even more.

The CBCP, headed by Pangasinan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, a known Aquino supporter, could not and cannot stop other CBCP bishops, several of whom have come out with scathing comments and joined the calls for Mr. Aquino to step down as President after this incident. This should explain the non-invite of the CBCP to the meeting at the Palace last Monday.

Aside from the CBCP and INC, also excluded from the list of invited guests was Mike Velarde, head of El Shaddai, one of whose members turned out to be among the SAF commandos deployed in Mamasapano. The SAF survivor had recounted his ordeal to fellow El Shaddai shortly after the Jan. 25 incident.

In the same open forum, Diosdado Joven from the Church of God International asked the President if it will be possible for him to either issue a presidential decree, or endorse a bill to the 16th Congress to declare a day in a year as a “National Day of Prayer.”

Offhand, however, Mr.  Aquino responded he is merely continuing what his predecessors had done  – issue proclamation calling for such observance of a National Day of Prayer as may be necessary.

Mr. Aquino though added his Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. will look into how this can be done without violating the provisions of the country’s Constitution on the separation of Church and State even as other relevant provisions are adhered to.

There should be no constitutional issue at all, Villanueva pointed out to the President in reply. Villanueva ran and lost against Mr. Aquino during the May 2010 presidential elections.

The JIL leader cited as example the National Day of Prayer observed every year in the United States. The US Congress approved a law that designates a National Day of Prayer as an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May when people are asked “to turn to God in prayer and meditation.” Since its inception into law, every US President issues a proclamation each year to encourage all Americans to join this special day of prayer.

President Aquino eventually expressed an open mind to the proposal of Villanueva to make permanent this observance of National Day of Prayer through a law passed by Congress.

On Jan. 20 last year, President Aquino called for a “National Day of Prayer and Solidarity” in remembrance of the thousands of lives lost to disasters in 2013. The gathering dubbed “One Nation in Prayer” saw religious groups and churches praying in unison at exactly 5 p.m.

Mr. Aquino himself led the Filipino nation in prayer from the Palace grounds.

President Aquino was joined in that prayer gathering by representatives of communities affected by the Zamboanga City siege; the 7.2-magnitude Bohol earthquake; and survivors of super typhoon “Yolanda” that struck hard the provinces of Leyte and Samar.

Various religious leaders were invited to attend the prayer gathering including Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, Imam Ebra Moxsir of the Imam Council of the Philippines; Commissioner Zenaida Pawid of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples; Isaias Samson of INC, and a representative of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches.

However, in the special prayer gathering President Aquino called at the Palace last Monday, the leaders from these religious groups were ostensibly not invited. Neither the Palace nor Mr. Aquino bothered to explain why.

President Aquino, however, vehemently denied in his speech that he purportedly bribed the leaders of the Christian evangelical churches to attend that gathering. Nobody made such accusation, at least nothing in media came out about such an allegation.

But Mr. Aquino claimed surprise about such loose talk of bribe supposedly given to those invited in this non-inclusive prayer gathering. To borrow P-Noy’s own words, is he again “binola” (fooled) like Napeñas allegedly did to him? As P.T. Barnum once said, a sucker is born every minute.