"I WENT down on my knees and prayed Almighty God for light and guidance more than one night. And one night late it came to me: that we could not give them (the Philippines) back to Spain – that would be cowardly and dishonorable; that we could not turn them over to France and Germany – our commercial rivals in the Orient – that would be bad business and discreditable; that we could not leave them to themselves – they were unfit for self-government – and they would soon have anarchy and misrule over there worse than Spain’s was; and that there was nothing left for us to do but to take them all, and to educate the Filipinos, and uplift and civilize and Christianize them, and by God’s grace do the very best we could by them, as our fellow-men for whom Christ also died.
And then I went to bed, and went to sleep, and slept soundly, and the next morning I sent for the ..War Department map-maker, and I told him to put the Philippines on the map of the United States (pointing to a large wall map), and there they are, and there they will stay while I am President!"
So God called President William McKinley to benevolently assimilate the Philippine Islands, as recounted in The Christian Advocate issue of January 22, 1903.
Thus came to pass Imperial America’s "civilization with a Krag" of the Filipino nation. The impact of which we still feel to this time.
One hundred and six years after McKinley, here is another man so blessed that God Himself called him to run for the Philippine presidency.
"Noong nagpasya po ako na i-offer ang aking sarili (When I decided to offer myself (for the presidency)), I felt at peace. I’m doing this not for me, not for myself. I felt God wanted me to go on a higher service…After a period of discernment, I said ‘God is calling me to run for the presidency’."
Not as incredulous, but harsher than the reaction to McKinley is that heaped on Panlilio.
"Talking to God is prayer but claiming to hear God speak is dangerous." So was Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz quoted as saying.
"Let us use first what God Himself has given to us by using our rational faculty which has the competence to see reality or fantasy," Apung Oscar said, his words bound for a countless interpretations on Panlilio’s state of mind.
Where the Lingayen-Dagupan prelate was kind, even genial, San Fernando Auxiliary Bishop Pablo Virgilio David was blunt.
"I can only pray for him. I think he’s in a state of delusion. I still hope he’ll see the light before it’s too late," Among Ambo said. "I just wish he’d at least stop saying it’s all for the love of the priesthood. It begins to sound like a political campaign strategy."
"Perhaps if he had just quietly asked for dispensation, we would have just quietly respected his option. But he wants to have his cake and eat it, too." Among Ambo’s perceptive genius – already manifested in his infima class, his very first year at the Mother of Good Counsel Seminary when I was in my fourth year – in full bloom there!
Talk of delusion now, where one claims it is God that talks to him, others could only see the devil.
Hear now the admonition to Panlilio of his formator at the Divine Word Seminary, Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes: "Forget about the politics. That is a temptation of power, even Jesus, rejected. That was what He did. That was a temptation of our Lord, after He was declared a Messiah during His time, He went to the desert and freely He was tempted by Satan to enjoy the earthly power in order to serve people."
Wasn’t that the same thing the good Apu Ceto has long been telling Panlilio? To beware of the "temptation of power"?
At the secular realm now, two congressmen had some digs on God talking to Panlilio..
"That’s interesting! I guess everyone can say that. I want to know what God has to say," Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante, chairman of the House committee on public information, said.
"Puwede ba iyun? Para na siyang si Santino niyan, Bro! Hindi divine will ang pinag uusapan dito, kundi human will (Is that all right? Now he’s like Santino, Bro. We’re not talking of divine will here but human will) – the choice is up to us considering all the circumstances. " So was Nueva Ecija Rep. Edno Joson quoted as saying, referring to the main character, Santino, who directly communicates with Jesus Christ whom he calls Bro in the ABS-CBN top-rated telenovela "May Bukas Pa".
"Spare God from politics," Joson asked Panlilio.
So it is written: "Thou shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain."
