Candidates think Filipinos are fools

Batas Mauricio

“… Whoever strays from the path of prudence comes to rest in the company of the dead…”–Proverbs 21:16

HERE’S another proof that many of the candidates running in the 2016 elections do not deserve our votes: despite the law which prohibits them from premature campaigning, a good number of them have already engaged in heavy advertising, in radio and television, in newspapers, on the Internet, and even on movies, spending billions of pesos in the process.

Of course, there is a big issue on where they got the billions for their advertisements, but more importantly, what do these candidates think of Filipinos–grossly stupid morons who do not have the mental ability to distinguish between simple publicity work and shameless and often-outrageously misleading and scandalously expensive campaigning?

If these candidates cannot even follow the law against premature campaigning, and can’t even credit Filipinos with enough common sense to see through their schemes, why will we ever trust them with our votes? The truth is that, the candidates who have been pushing themselves with heavy advertising are the candidates who will break more laws, and take for themselves more government money, after they shall have won.

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Echoing what we said here earlier about candidates in the May 2016 elections starting to dish out more lies and black propaganda against one another, more especially those running for the higher positions in government, many writers and columnists are now taking notice of the increasing insults being hurled against each other by almost every candidate.

In the heat of the campaign, many supposed information will come out about this and that candidate, and it would be next-to-impossible to know which of these are true and which are false. The rule here would be, we must not allow ourselves to be swayed by any of these “information”, and instead insist on being guided by God, through His Bible, as to who should be elected by us.

The first guide from God is this: the candidate must have the Spirit of God in him, which is to say that, the candidate must have fear and love of God, and is regularly reading His Bible and carefully obeying everything in its verses. This candidate does not steal, does not commit any crime or immorality, does not commit adultery, and does not abuse anyone.

The second guide is more or less similar to the first: the candidate must be capable, and trustworthy, and hates dishonest gain. This is a candidate who either has solid educational background or is backed up with worthwhile experiences on many areas of life, more particularly, on service in government. He must not have been linked in any way to stealing money or anything of value from his office or using his position.

The third guide is this: the candidate must be running because he wants to serve, not to acquire perks and privileges attendant to high position, and not to promote his personal interest or the interest of his family. He must agree, if ever he wins, to become a slave of his constituents, literally and figuratively.

Now, the question is, from the candidates we have now, is there anyone who can pass or meet these guidelines? I am sure many of those running now would be found wanting when weighed according to these standards. They should therefore be soundly rejected by anyone who is already fed up with the abuses, incompetence, and corruption in government.

How then are we to make sure that the proper candidate–or he or she who can pass these guidelines–would be the ones to be elected in 2016? I hate to say this, but I don’t think it is possible to find a candidate who has the Spirit of God in him now, or who is capable and trustworthy, or who hates dishonest gain, or who fears and loves God truthfully.

One only needs to study, even in the most haphazard way, the background of many of our candidates, and it wouldn’t be difficult to realize that there is absolutely no one who can be considered to be true believers and followers of God. What is clear is that many candidates profess fear and love of God, but in reality, they do only whatever pleases them, unmindful of what God is saying in His Bible.

There is therefore no real hope for the country and our people in the electoral exercise in May. I am proposing, as many others had proposed before, that the elections should not be held. What we should do instead is allow the incumbents now to hold on to their positions, while we pursue the education of our people on the godly guidelines we have laid down here, through a national Bible study and prayer session.

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When a man impregnates and then sires a child by a woman who agreed to be impregnated in the first place, does he have any responsibility to support the woman even if he already has a wife, and even if the woman he impregnated is the wife of another man? My answer is, yes, the man still has a responsibility, imposed by law, to support the woman.

I am referring to the  law on Violence Against Women and their Children (VAWC), under Republic Act 9262, which was passed and signed into law in 2004. Under this law, it will considered as a violation of this law if a man who sires a child will fail to provide economic or financial support to the woman. This is to be called “economic violence” and is punishable with imprisonment.

The woman can demand for this financial or economic support from the man, even if she happens to be the wife of another man, or even if the man happens to be married to another woman. Under the law, the man is obliged to support the woman who bore him a child, aside from the separate support he is obliged to give to the child. The lesson here? If a man doesn’t want to support anyone, he must practice restraint!

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Here are some rules for daily successful living for the greatest, yet most neglected, book of all time: A person may think his own way is the right way, but his heart is weighed by the Lord. To do what is right and just is more acceptable to God than sacrifices. Haughty eyes and a proud heart produce sin.

The plans of the diligent lead to profit, as surely as haste lead to poverty. A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare. The violence of the wicked will drag them away, for they refuse to do what is right. The way of the guilty is devious, but the conduct of the innocent is upright.

Better to live on a corner of the roof than to share a room with a quarrelsome wife. The wicked crave evil, their neighbors get no mercy from them. When a mocker is punished, the simple gains wisdom, and by paying attention to the wise, they get knowledge. Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and be not answered.

E-mail: batasmauricio@yahoo.com