Instead of showing that the criticism of the bishops is based on wrong assumptions or logically flawed, President Duterte resorts to ad hominem attacks on their persons. After exposing an alarming number of unsolved cases of extrajudicial killings in his diocese, Bishop Pablo Virgilio David was rebuffed by the President, who accused him of being a drug addict worthy to be shot. Well, I would have admired the President if, like a good lawyer, he did not just deny the criticism of the bishop but also explained clearly and convincingly, with concrete proof and evidence, that David’s impression had no basis in fact.
But Mr. Duterte shows a remarkable penchant for casting aspersions on the fidelity of the bishops, calling their God “stupid” and “foolish,” putting them up for ridicule over their perceived hypocrisy and perversion and threatening to have them robbed and killed in the streets. For professing boldly their faith in God who values the life and freedom of every individual, especially the poor, the Catholic bishops feel that they are cruelly persecuted for their beliefs. But, like their predecessors, the Catholic bishops possess a strong determination to persevere until the end.
Dear God, please take care of them.
MARIANO F. CARPIO, Las Piñas City, mfontcarpio@gmail.com