PRESIDENT Duterte鈥檚 questioning the existence of God鈥攁lthough hypothetical鈥斺�渢ries to subliminally convince us that his plans are the best for the country,鈥� an official of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said.
鈥淚t implicitly justifies too his intention to govern based on his own rules and designs and not of anybody else,鈥� said Fr. Jerome Secillano, executive secretary of the CBCP Permanent Committee on Public听Affairs.
But, Secillano asked, what if there is a God?
鈥淲ould Mr. Duterte be humble enough to realize that we should play our roles based on some established designs that previously existed even before he became president?鈥� Secillano said.
He said no one in his right mind would want to inflict injury on another.
Moral obligation
听
鈥淏ut since it is happening, it is now the moral obligation of our leaders to strongly ensure the proper functioning of different institutions to prevent wrongs from being committed.鈥�
鈥淭hese institutions,鈥� Secillano said, 鈥渁re also duty-bound to work not merely within legal norms but with much gusto along moral norms with God as the foundation.鈥�
On Monday, Mr. Duterte said he wanted to reimpose the death penalty to ensure that criminals paid for their sins in case God did not exist.
听
听鈥楤leeding hearts鈥�
He said 鈥渂leeding hearts鈥� like priests and human rights advocates claimed the death penalty did not deter crime when it was in effect for years. But, he said, the problem was that past presidents did not have the political will to use capital punishment to strike fear in the hearts of criminals.
鈥淓very president along the way didn鈥檛 impose it only because the Catholic Church and all the bleeding hearts would say that only God could kill. But what if there is no God?鈥� he had said.
On Tuesday, in Arayat, Pampanga, at the site of an industrial-size purported 鈥渟habu鈥� laboratory, Mr. Duterte said, 鈥淭hese pastors, when they attack me they always bring up God. It鈥檚 a sin against God. I ask: Who says I believe in God? Who believes that I have no religion? That is the hard part. They use God, hell. What if I say to you now I鈥檓 an atheist? An agnostic?鈥� With a report from Gil C. Cabacungan