Familiar walls!

Muddy paths!

Rev. Julius and I arrived at Sitio Baraoas, Brgy. Anonang at a little past 12 noon. "The prayer meeting must have ended already", I told Rev. Julius.

"Probably, Father", he replied.

We were met by one of the BEC members who insisted that we wear rubber boots for the walk going to the place of the prayer meeting.

"We have only one pair right now, Father", she told me. "The other pair are with Sis. Cathy. She will be bringing them with her when she comes."

I wore the rubber boots which were borrowed from a man who was all smiles as he handed them to Sis. Susing, our guide. "They are my cousin's", she told me.

I wondered if the boots would fit me. I looked inside cautiously. There were pieces of papers inside the boots. The markings on the paper were familiar. "Of course!" I told myself.

We arrived at the house where the prayer was held. We were on time for lunch!

**

When we went back, we passed by a huge lot with high walls.

The markings in the paper inside my boots? They were Jueteng bets! The lot with the high walls were apparently meant to hide some operations being done three times a day!

So many in the barangay knew the existence of that lot, and what was being done there.

Except its officials. And the police.

As usual.

See no evil. Hear no evil. Say no evil.

Rains!

It has been raining for the past three days. Continuous rains. Day and night.

So we have occasional flash floods. Especially in the places where the drainage systems seem NOT to catch any water. Clogged waterways they are rather than flowing drainage systems.

Thus, for an hour of rain, the Church patio is flooded! Notwithstanding the fact that a new drainage system that flows from the Church patio to the water canal going to the Cayanga River has been built by the Parish.

A clogged canal? A silted river system? A garbage-cum-canal water system? Whatever it is, waters seem to want to stay longer in the church patio inconveniencing the parishioners. Like the funeral procession this morning. The tears flowed out of grief and out of despair?

Monsoon rains have come. And so do the floods.

No Sin

"Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. My sins are..."

The voices on the other side of the confessional kept on. Parishioners going to confessions. Accusing themselves of such and such sins. Making firm purpose of amendment. Asking God to forgive them.

"Father, I am sorry I did this. I thought it was alright to do it because nobody saw me did it anyway."

One of the more common justifications made why one who knows that a particular act is already wrong and who would nevertheless commit the evil anyway is "I am alone. Nobody can see me. I will not be caught. And if I am not caught, there is no sin."

Wrong.

What is wrong can not become right even if one is not caught doing it. When one is caught one is punished. Punishment is a consequence of the wrong and the evil that was done. It is a reparation for the damage done.

"Father, I thought there is nothing wrong about it because I promised myself I will do it only once".

Soon, the one time sin becomes a series of sins. In fact, the one time, personal sin, certainly and surely will bring about more sins. Affects more lives, other than one's own. Brings about sadness to others lives. Sins multliply. Their effects too multiply.

"Everybody is doing it, Father."

Even if all the people are doing something which is wrong and evil from the very beginning does not mean that that evil becomes ultimately good. Morality is not something that changes in time. What is wrong today cannot become good tomorrow. Nor a lie becomes a truth because so many have started to believe it to be "true".

Nobody sees me. Only once. Everybody is doing it.

They lead us to believe it is alright to think, see, hear and act evil.

"Walang Tataya!" BE ANGRY!

Jueteng is once again back! It has been operating ILLEGALY for about three months now. It has made its return with a "vengeance". Seemingly, it is invincible! Seemingly, it is indestructible! Its operators are seemingly untouchbles! They are seemingly beyond the reach of the law!

And why so?

Everybody knows who the operators of Jueteng are.

Except the police.

The cobradores are seen collecting bets in the open. Everybody sees them. And knows them.

Except the police.

As long as the police can not see.

Can not hear.

Can not talk.

Jueteng is seemingly here to stay.

Our response: "Walang Tataya!" Nobody bets!

This appeal does not only mean that nobody bets on jueteng.

"WALANG TATAYA!" also means that it is about time we become ANGRY at the Jueteng Lords who shamelessly suck the hard earned money of the poor. Who become rich and powerful at the expense of the poor! "Robin Hood" they surely are not!

It is about time we get ANGRY at the inutile police force. They who have the law and the authority on their side but who refuse to enforce the law.

BE ANGRY at the corruption of morals of public officials. BE ANGRY at the corruptors of these officials who live by the principle that there is nothing and nobody that money cannot buy! BE ANGRY at these officials who allow themselves to be bought, corrupted and laughed at by the corruptors themselves!

And so evil thrives in our refusal to be ANGRY.

We have not been ANGRY enough!