Good Morning Judge: President Duterte Wanting in Honesty

“HONESTY”, as the song goes,” is such a lonely word.” Indeed, it would seem that President Rodrigo R. Duterte is wanting in honesty if we are to believe the report from yesterday’s issue (July 11, 2018) of the Philippine Daily Inquirer that “a day after promising to stop attacking the Catholic Church, President Duterte on Tuesday dished out stinging words against the Church. The PDI quoted the President to have said in a speech at Clark Freeport in Pampanga province “Do not use God in the platform of your criticism. Because when I answer, if you drag God into the issue ...I have the right to answer.” It may be recalled that in a recent meeting with church leader Romulo Valles, president of the Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), the President agreed “to a moratorium on statements” against the Church. Reportedly, the President and Valles “sat down for a 30-minute chat in Malacanang last Monday afternoon. Parenthetically, in the same issue of the PDI it was reported that President Duterte’s net satisfaction rating plunged to a new personal low, failing in almost all areas, according to the latest Social Weather Station (SWS) survey. According to SWS, “the decline was due to his rating decline in almost all areas. It further said that across geographic areas, the President’s net satisfaction rating went down 20 points in Metro Manila, six points in the rest of Luzon, 18 points in the Visayas and six points in Mindanao. This reported decline in satisfaction rating of President DU30 would readily show that our countrymen no longer believe the President’s much avowed alleged concern for the poor. TRIVIA: Through this column I wish to express my sincere gratitude and thanks to the AdeNU high school batch ‘54 for sponsoring a merienda-cena for me and my wife Minda at the Bob Marlin Resto-Bar as a way of saying farewell before we leave for Los Angeles. Hence, starting next week I will be sending my regular column via the internet. May I also express my deepest and most sincere condolence to the bereaved family of Dr. Lito Bernas who recently passed away. His remains lie in estate at the Imperial Funeral Parlor along Penafrancia Avenue. During his younger days, Lito was an active member of the Naga City Jaycees. QUOTATION OF THE WEEK: “LIVES OF GREAT MEN ALL REMIND US WE CAN MAKE OUR LIVES SUBLIME: AND, DEPARTING LIVE BEHIND US FOOTPRINTS IN THE SANDS OF TIME.” HENRY WOODSWORTH LONGFELLOW FOR OUR WORD OF LIFE: “DO NOTHING OUT OF SELFISH AMBITION OR VAIN CONCEIT.” PHIL. 2:3