Today, the world needs Fatima!

Last Nov. 17 right after the terrorist killings by armed ISIS Jihadists in Paris, France, we wrote in our column that this world has edged closer to the biblical Armageddon, now that Russia has armed troops on the ground in Syria, while the French has now begun its massive airstrikes in Syria and the Americans are still fighting the war on terror via armed drones. As we said, Russia is there to prop up the Assad regime, while the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is fighting to remove Assad.

This is a very volatile mix of weapons and warriors, which can easily escalate into a major conflict as prophesied in the Bible in Revelations 16. A couple of days ago, a Russian SU-24 fighter-bomber was shot down purportedly over Turkish airspace by a Turkish Air Force F-16. Was it really over Turkish airspace? For sure it was in the Turkish-Syrian border. But what were its intentions? Did Turkey have to shoot down that Russian warplane?

This incident has angered Russian President Vladimir Putin because the reports pointed out that the two Russian pilots were able to eject from the burning plane…but as the pilots parachuted to the ground… one of them was killed by unknown armed men. A Russian rescue helicopter was sent immediately and got into a hail of ground fire killing a marine. Now in my book, this exchange was unnecessary and I fear that this is the beginning of the escalation of this conflict.

To add to the fear factor, ISIS has set its sights on the Vatican. This means, the Vatican will now be a major target of the ISIS terror campaign. At this point, I dare say that the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) ought to send a vital message to Pope Francis for the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as she requested this to the three children, Jacinta, Francisco and Lucia on Oct. 13, 1917 in Fatima, Portugal. I dare say that today, the world is in the brink of another cataclysmic war simply because the Catholic Church did not heed the request of the Blessed Virgin Mary 98 years ago.

We’ve already learned more than enough from various reports that all the popes from Pope Pius XI to Pope Francis have consecrated Russia to her Immaculate Heart, but with vital things missing. First of all the consecration must be done by the Pope with all the bishops all over the world so that in the end, the Immaculate Heart of Mary will triumph and there will be world peace. By just reading the headline news in our newspapers or tuning in to CNN, we know that the world today is in grave danger and the only solution is to heed the call of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We need Fatima!

*      *      *

Finally after a very long wishy-washy, teka-teka moment, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has thrown his hat into the already crowded presidential ring, thus guaranteeing the Filipino people that the next President to follow President Aquino will be another minority President. After a long wait… what dismayed and disturbed me about Mayor Duterte running for President is that he is doing this because he wasn’t happy that the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) did not disqualify Sen. Grace Poe. You ran for President because you can do good for the country, but not because you are not happy with the outcome of the SET!

If at all, Mayor Duterte’s popularity stems from his no-nonsense management style, and above all  he is the only candidate selling the idea of shifting this unitary form of governance into a federal form of government, something that appeals to many Filipinos who live far and away from Metro Manila. Federalism brings hope to a Philippines that has outgrown its ugly system of governance and allows each region to become a Federal State.

While Mayor Duterte is for Federalism… unfortunately he hasn’t spelled out the details of what kind of Federalism he would like to introduce to the Philippines. I dare say that Federalism is the right answer to what Pres. PNoy Aquino is trying to sell to the Filipino nation through his Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL, which no one is buying! During the interview on a talkshow with Mike Lopez dubbed “Open Mike” which I produce for MyTV channel 30 in Cebu, Princess Jacel Kiram told Mike in no uncertain terms that she is totally against the BBL and is for a Federalized Philippines.

But while Mayor Duterte has his loyal supporters, he carries a heavy weight on his shoulders of being too close to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the National Democratic Front (NDF) whom I consider as the true enemies of the Filipino people. If Surigao or Compostela Valley is now militarized, it is due to the fact that the New People’s Army (NPA) is very active in those areas. Get the NPA’s out of there and I guarantee you that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) would leave the Lumads in peace. I’d like to hear Mayor Duterte denounce the CPP/NDF/NPA first.

*    *    *

For email responses to this article, write to [email protected] or [email protected]. His columns can be accessed through www.philstar.com.