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Herbie
Gomez

EDUARDO Manalo, the new special envoy for overseas Filipino workers’ concerns teaches that Catholics, Evangelicals, Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Muslims, Buddhists and everyone who’s not a member of the religion his ancestors founded and which he inherited, including pastors Apollo Quiboloy and Eli Soriano and their followers, are eternally doomed. He actually propagates the idea that only a small fragment of the Philippine population are fortunate to have taken the path that doesn’t lead to a place where souls would be tortured and burned forever and ever.

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Based on the 2010 Philippine census, only 2.45 percent of the population have embraced the Manalo dogma and that means, around 97.55 percent of Filipinos are “hell-bound” as far as this special envoy is concerned. Ninety-seven percent of an approximately 100-million population is quite a lot of “doomed” and “misled” Filipinos, don’t you think?

And we expect Manalo to take good care of the “eternally damned” OFWs? Yeah, right.

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Gabriela in southern Mindanao, the group that was among those behind President Duterte’s successful campaign for the presidency, and who helped in crafting his so-called “Women Agenda,” is remorseful for what it has done in 2016.

Based on the group’s statement, it can be surmised that it threw its support behind Duterte’s bid for the presidency despite the absence of a clear agenda for women. If he did have that agenda, there wouldn’t be a need for Gabriela in southern Mindanao to help in crafting one for his campaign.

Last week, the group said, “We were wrong.”

This group should do more than ackowledge that it made a mistake. It should make a public apology for turning a blind eye to the red flags during the campaign period when it was crystal clear that Duterte has absolutely no respect for women, for human rights, and the highest position of the land that he was pursuing at that time.

On second thought, what can be done now when we’re all stuck with this man for at least four more years? I am afraid the damage has been done, and it is legally irreversible.

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Duterte did not renew the terms of Social Security System chairman Amado Valdez and commissioner Jose Gabriel “Pompee” La Viña.

In a Feb. 13 speech, Duterte said he listed the SSS officials as among those he sacked for allegedly misusing taxpayers’ money.

La Viña was on national television a day after Duterte’s speech, maintaining his innocence and claiming that even the President’s supporters don’t buy that.

Here is a man who helped in the campaign to establish a cult of personality for Duterte, the reason why the President continues to enjoy unquestioning flattery and praise, and why he seems to be perceived to be omniscient and infallible.

And so, La Viña doesn’t need to explain anything because members of the personality cult he helped create were trained to think that whatever Duterte says is gospel truth. If Duterte says this or that man dipped his fingers into public funds, it must be true. There is no more need for critical thinking. Just trust him.

I think Pompee La Viña just received a dose of his own medicine. Pastilan.

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TRAILBLAZER. Established in 1989, Mindanao Gold Star Daily aimed set ablaze a new meaning and flame to the local newspaper industry. Throughout the years it continued its focus and interest in the rural areas and pioneered the growth of community journalism.