Time to bond with JC
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
WE were taught way, way back that observance of Holy Week is a period of deprivation, to cleanse ourselves of sins and wickedness while recalling how and why Jesus Christ (JC) died on the cross for us. It calls for fasting and abstinence… and personal sacrifices to honor Jesus Christ’s suffering and death.
We were told to walk (or drive) our way to visit seven churches, do the Way of the Cross on Maundy Thursday, do church worship on Good Friday 3p.m. to recall the painful final hours of suffering of Jesus Christ. Some are encouraged to offer physical pain with self-flagellation, still others to be nailed on the cross for a time (forget that) – all to cleanse our mind and soul and pray for forgiveness.
Indeed, Holy Week is a period for praying, reflection and forgiving. BUT materialism has begun to change that meaning in our modern lives.
The tradition to most, particularly members of the affluent families, has evolved from a period of prayers to a period for leisure travel to local tourism destinations and 5-day travel overseas. It’s the occasion to return to hometowns and renew kinship with relatives.
Still, for most families and individuals, it’s the occasion for bonding with friends and relatives as they participate in traditional events prescribed by their elders. Believe it or not, it has also become an occasion for young lovers to manifest their mutual religiosity (for good impression).
I may be wrong with my view and perception but I’m beginning to sense that Holy Week is anything for everyone but an occasion specifically to bond with Jesus Christ, our Redeemer.
How can we possibly seriously reflect when we have our smartphones to check and text messages every five minutes while doing the Way of the Cross? How can teens today be expected to reflect on the final days of Jesus when their parents never explained to them what the Holy Week is all about? How can we ever think of Jesus’s suffering when fasting and abstinence is uncalled for in a resort place or in a beach for 3 days of leisure?
I don’t mean to make anyone feel guilty about how they spent their Holy Week but merely to remind ourselves that that there is a time for leisure with family and friends, and a time to keep our family and friends together to bond with Jesus Christ.
Happy Easter!
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CREDIT-GRABBING WAR. Last week, I warned about celebrating the passage of Dagupan City’s 2024 annual budget too soon.
Anyone who believes for one moment that the members of the opposition that controls the sanggunian, will finally be magnanimous and respectful of their constituents and peers after endorsing the passage of the budget is a hopeless optimist bordering on gullibility.
The 7 epaLiFe cabal will not stop at claiming full credit for the full implementation of the Belen Fernandez’s administration programs every chance it gets. Indeed, why not? They can maintain it was their endorsement, after all, not the appeals of Mayor Belen and off-and-on protests of her allies that led to the budget’s approval.
“Without us, Belen can’t do anything!” That’s the factual message that will be repeated every minute on social media and allied mainstream media from hereon.
Alas, the Belen administration will again be led by the nose to the opposition’s narrative and agenda. The minority councilors will foreseeably be busy denying and refuting the lies that will be spread at will.
What a waste of time and energy for the Belen administration, just to distract voters from the opposition’s storyline, instead of fostering a message of unity and celebration.
How could the opposition still lead in its narrative after all that it did to inflict hurt and damage to the voters themselves… by endlessly obstructing and sabotaging programs of the Belen administration? You ask.
Here’s why: The Belen administration and its allies failed to make the opposition legally accountable: 1) For allowing the continued delay in the passage of the budget in violation of the Local Government Code. 2) For the highly irregular internal rules it imposed in the sanggunian. 3) For invoking parliamentary rules violating the Local Government Code. 4) For attempting to submit an inoperative budget for the city.
In other words, the opposition cannot be faulted for the above because they did cause the approval of budget…and nobody cried foul and the city hall celebrated!
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COSTLY CONSEQUENCE. The only thing that merited the attention of the minority was the misconduct and unparliamentary behavior of the 7epaLiFes during a regular session. Thankfully, Councilors Red Erfe-Mejia, Alfie Fernandez and Irene Lim-Acosta were quickly indicted by the Prosecutor’s Office for their misdeeds. However, I doubt if that case will make a dent in refuting claims of credit for the passage of the budget.
In my view, the Belen administration and its allies only have themselves to blame for their continuing defensive postures. It’s the consequence for refusing to file a single case on the many violations committed over the passage of the budget.
They knew they had recourse to the Ombudsman to stop the endless insidious plotting of the opposition by making the annual budget hostage. If they had filed a complaint, all seven members of the opposition would have been suspended summarily for violating the intent of the Constitution and the LGC, but they didn’t. (The Ombudsman suspended members of the provincial board for failing to pass the provincial budget 3 years ago).
The filing of the case and the expected suspension could have been the administration’s only best, effective way to discredit the opposition’s claim as the city’s new “heroes”.
But wait, perhaps City Legal Officer Aurora Valle can still file a case that will effectively blunt the opposition’s charge to the front to claim credit for enabling Mayor Belen to function as mandated by law.
Watch the 7 epaLiFes continue to do their worst while the Belen administration helplessly hope for another miracle to demolish the notorious 7.
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