Rally For Transparency? Was It?

 

Rally For Transparency ... Was It?

Iglesia Ni Cristo last weekend, with a special participation from JIL and KOJC (a trio of not a surprising mix), held an indignation rally... and it is a rally for transparency and a better democracy.

The CBCP and Caritas, however, came out and distanced themselves right away, boldly stating that they are neither involved in the event's planning nor endorsing it.

The goal of the rally was very noble ... lalo pa ngayong galit na galit ang mag tao ngayon sa corruption. I am a Catholic and I don't have any problem rubbing elbows with them ... pareho lang naman ang VISION pati na ang MISSION.

Pero may mga komenta ang mga netizens diyan lalo na ang pagiging omni-present at very visible ni Sen. Rodante Marcoleta sa lahat ng activities - isa pa naman siya sa mga higante na tinitingala sa INC.

His presence leaves though a sour taste in the mouth of some, lalo na may perception ang mga tao na kumikiling siya sa Familya Discaya. At lalo pang gumuho ang kanilang ilusyon, lalo na at they consider him na isang Superman ng Philippine politics tapos marami siyang mga little but big baggages of scandals tailing him lately ... and with his no-nonsense ... serious, and no frills ... devil may care attitude unti-unting lumalayo ang mga dating tagahanga niya sa kanya.

And when Orly Guteza, the surprise whistleblower, came from the back burner ... and then declared himself missing in action when the Blue Ribbon Committee started smelling a rat ... the people's stance changed from admiration to repugnance. And then there's his unholy alliance with Mike Defensor, where the public suspects they are up to cooking something.

So people were asking because they thought this was a rally for TRANSPARENCY, and with his ongoing mano-a-mano tussle with the COMELEC chief regarding some disparity and irregularities in his SALN and SOCE ... transparency was thrown out of the window ... it is a litigation waiting to happen.

If transparency is the object of the rally ... Marcoleta was not a TRANSPARENT person as the rally aimed to attain... an irritating nuisance to INC's supposed to be magnanimous objective. (transparent person - someone who is open, honest, and straightforward with no hidden agendas. They are candid and sincere in their communication, admit their mistakes, explain their decision-making process, and are open to feedback, which builds trust with others.

And then there was the JIL, and we already knew Joel Villanueva's pressing problems with ICI and the ombudsman. His case was a direct contradiction of the Iglesia's noble intentions ... and their presence demeaned whatever transparency points they earned. If there was any.

And what's the KOJC doing in this event? Their attendance added more black eyes to the already waning people's trust, even making them wonder whether the INC hierarchy truly understands why they are there in the first place and what they are fighting for.

And Imee's enfant terrible, deviant, and eccentric confession? It is very un-Filipino, to say the least, and has alienated many observers. It is supposed to be the highlight of the 3-day rally, but for her to drop the bomb on the second day was anticlimactic. That made the INC powers that be ... think the mission was already accomplished ... so why extend it for another day?

Yon lang pala ang hinihintay nila? Binibigyan pa ng kung anong outlandish mantra ang rally nila ... pa-transparency-transparency ek-ek pa kuno ... some sectors suspect parti lang pala yon ng destabilazation job para bumaba na si BBM?

Tama nga ang desisyong ng CBCP at Caritas na wala silang partisipasyon. They really are a good judge of the organization's character ... and their true nature.