By Manuel L. Morató
We must get the real message to the entire world why the Coronavirus or Covid 19 happened to all the peoples of the world that life is so temporal on this earth.
Could God has sent us a warning to change our lives, especially those who do wrong to others? Is Our Lord sending a message that life on earth had turned awry? Corruption is everywhere. Those who are in government or public service must think that power and wealth derived from illegal means must be corrected.
We might have forgotten that money stolen from the government coffer to enrich oneself bears a heavy punishment on those who have resorted to it for the message from the Lord is loud and clear that anyone who steals cannot enter the gates of heaven; that the only way to enter it is by returning what a person had stolen. This is very clear in Moral Theology. A person who has stolen anything from anyone must return what he/she had stolen or suffer eternal damnation for all eternity.
Isn’t this suffering the world is going through carries a very strong message?
Let the thieves, the landgrabbers, the cheats in anything in life start repenting and making amends by returning what they have stolen or the gates of heaven will be closed on them. These are material things we are talking about which can and must be returned to those whom they have stolen.
I always remember what my father had said to me when I was young. He disliked politics for the corruption in it. He was only forced by President Roxas to run for Congress in 1946, for the First Congress of the Republic representing the 2nd District of Quezon Province. After a couple of years of his term, he resigned from Congress, passed on his place to his friend, General Vera (or was it General Mata?), also from Quezon Province to serve the remaining years of his term.
He “packed” us all, the entire family and took us to Spain to study; and he said which I still remember: “I cannot be a part of the corruption in Congress. I am resigning and take you all to study abroad.” That was the time of Stonehill and the billions from the Japanese Reparation.” Sila-sila ang naghatian and my father did not want any part of it. That was in the years when we got our independence in 1945/46.
I lived up to his message to me that someday when he is no longer around and should I decide to enter politics or public service: “Hijo (he said), if you enter politics someday, remember this: If you enter politics or public service rich, you must come out of it less rich; and if you enter it poor, you must come out of it poorer for public service is a big sacrifice.”
I practiced it when I was forced to serve in the MTRCB by President Cory; in the PCSO forced on me by President Ramos and the same in 2004 when President Gloria just sent me my appointment via fax to my house at 10 P.M. without even notifying me first.
It’s true, public service is a big, big sacrifice. I really came out of public service “less rich and poorer” for wherever I go, people would approach me especially in the malls at kung saan ako makita and asked for financial assistance. Dukot po ako ng dukot sa bulsa ng sarili kong pera. And there was no way of having said assistance refunded by the PCSO for those were undocumented expense that only I would have to bear.
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Regarding our case in Court: For 2 years, our lawyers have been requesting the Court/s for an injunction for it was obvious that the documents presented in Court by the other party were falsified.
After a year and a half, the Register of Deeds saw the light and gave us the Lis Pendens we have been requesting from day one. It was only in January this year when the RD granted it to us. But despite that, members of the opposite camp insist of contesting it through influence peddling. We will see how it turns out again.
Sana po, the Mayora veto’s her own so-called granting of “Special Permits” to construct highrise buildings in the residential areas in our neighborhood. Please do not allow more than 5 floors as it was before and should still be followed since the “Special Permits” in favor of two 21 and 22 storey buildings which blocked and boxed in my 4 storey building beside the two construction which we were told belong to one family were simply rammed on all of us in this residential neighborhood with a taint of favoritism for a chosen few.
Because of these two 21 and 22 storey buildings rising, the morning sun and the flow of fresh air deprived us. These 2 tall buildings look like sore thumbs in our area. Things will never be the same for us. These 2 tall buildings would rise as symbol of abuses of those in power against our residential neighborhood.
God really works in mysterious ways. The Injunction which we have been requesting from the Court could not be granted to us for two years now despite the Lis Pendens order on the property of my mother. The titles should go back to my mother’s name. But it took the Lockdown to stop the 2 sites beside each other which “sandwiched” my 4 storey building which totally removed the view of the city from my terrace and the morning sun and the fresh air from us – when finished. We in our family compound (what remains of it) are boxed-in forever as the two highrise buildings stand symbols of abuse of power, with the City Council granting “Special Permits” to two properties that many people we do not even know as well as those known to us, say, that the two projects belong to one family.
I hope the Mayora finds it in her heart to restrict said buildings to rise up to 5 or 7 floors – at the most – for these 2 structures will set a precedent for favored ones to follow.
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It gives us a good feeling for the “Urbi et Orbi” general absolution extended by the Holy Father, the Pope, to all the peoples of the world last Sunday – Easter Sunday. That’s for sins that can be forgiven; but robbery or stealing is not included for only God in the hour of death can decide on that. No priest, nor bishop, nor Cardinal and not even the Pope here on earth can forgive said sins unless what is stolen is returned. Only God in the hour of death can decide. To steal is a very grievous sin.
For comments and suggestions email at mlmorato@yahoo.com
