Killings as wake-up call

The recent spate of killings of suspected drug personalities in police operations in less than a week sent a ripple of shock as well as outrage to many denizens, critics as well as allies of President Duterte. The police force that conducted the operations said they were forced to shoot because the suspects put up a fight. But in Caloocan City, a CCTV footage and two witnesses belie this, showing how a 17-year-old (identified later as Kian Loyd delos Santos) was dragged away and ended up summarily executed.

There seems to be no day when a killing is not reported: politicians, judges, journalists, radio broadcasters, businessmen and even policemen were just some of the victims—most ambushed in broad daylight. The motives unknown as well as those behind them. Being the only Christian country in Asia, the majority of which are Catholics, it’s a shame that for many, they seem to be only Christian in name. The commandment of God “Thou Shalt Not Kill” is not taken seriously and being disregarded. Many seem to forget that God is not only a God of love but also of justice who chastises man for his transgressions. The Bible is full of stories of how wicked men met their end and so, too, how He blessed those who were righteous. And stories like these continue up to our age and time.

God speaks through human tragedies. They are often “wake-up calls” to “sleepy” men who
allow themselves to be disconnected from God’s grace by willful disobedience. Our world has experienced a series of tragedies, natural/man-made calamities in the past decades. Chaos, violence, war spell our day, just like what Jesus told His apostles as the signs of His return. Many believe we are living in the last days, that we are the end-time generation.

Let us not spend our remaining days/time doing evil in the sight of an all-seeing God. Life is short but the afterlife is eternal. Let us work our way to heaven and not down to hell.

THERESA PILI-NISPEROS, Gagalangin, Tondo, Manila