MANILA (Agencies): “The righteous anger of our people is not born of hatred, but of betrayal,” said Bishop Ruperto Santos of the Diocese of Antipolo, the Philippines, as he called on Filipinos to pursue “truth, justice, and peace” amid mounting public frustration over corruption, unresolved national controversies, and economic hardships facing the country, RVA News reported.
In a pastoral message made public on May 18, Bishop Santos acknowledged what he described as the anger, exhaustion, and disappointment felt by many Filipinos amid political tensions and governance issues.
“Many Filipinos today are not only anxious; they are furious,” he said, pointing to corruption, failures in public service, and what it described as the erosion of integrity among leaders.
The message cited several issues confronting the country, including unresolved flood control problems, unstable power supply, rotating brownouts and rising oil prices.
“These are not mere headlines; they are wounds in our national soul,” Bishop Santos said.
Many Filipinos today are not only anxious; they are furious
Bishop Ruperto Santos
The statement framed public anger not as hatred but as a response to betrayal of public trust and the common good. The bishop also warned against allowing political conflict and division to overshadow deeper social issues affecting ordinary Filipinos.
“Amid all this, political noise dominates the public square,” Bishop Santos said, adding, “Arguments, accusations, and divisions drown out the more urgent cries of our people.”
The bishop also emphasised moral accountability, saying that while some public officials may appear untouched by legal or political consequences, no person ultimately escapes divine judgment, according to RVA News.
“God is the ultimate judge of all things, and no one escapes his justice,” he said.
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The message ended with a call for national renewal grounded in “conversion, responsibility, and renewed commitment to the common good.”
Alongside the statement was a prayer asking for healing, integrity among leaders, justice for the oppressed, and unity among Filipinos amid social and political tensions.
Arguments, accusations, and divisions drown out the more urgent cries of our people
Bishop Santos
The prayer appealed for wisdom “amid anger, courage” amid frustration,” and light “amid darkness,” while entrusting the nation to “Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage.”
Meanwhile, LiCAS News reported that Caritas Philippines and the Social Action Network together with at least 36 bishops, dozens of clergy, and diocesan social action directors from across the country, launched a nationwide “prayer and action” initiative calling on Catholics to support efforts to proceed with the impeachment trial of the country’s vice president, Sara Duterte, and uphold the rule of law.
In a May 17 statement they said, “We appeal to the members of the Senate to abide by what the Constitution directs: to proceed with the trial and . . . adhere to the rule of law and serve the common good in the pursuit of justice and truth.”
LiCAS News reported that the network cautioned senators against delaying the proceedings, saying, “To delay the trial is to delay justice for both the Filipino people and the vice president.”
We appeal to the members of the Senate to abide by what the Constitution directs: to proceed with the trial and . . . adhere to the rule of law and serve the common good in the pursuit of justice and truth
Caritas Philippines and the Social Action Network
The statement was signed by Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of San Carlos, president of Caritas Philippines, along with bishops from dioceses and archdioceses across the country.
Earlier, senator and former national police chief, Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, who had been in hiding for some seven months, reappeared in the Senate to briefly seek refuge after the ICC unsealed a warrant for his arrest for crimes against humanity tied to the brutal drug war of former president Rodrigo Duterte. PhilStar reported that he had fled the Senate compound early on May 14 and his whereabouts are unknown.
The Philippine government invoked the deaths of drug war victims and described Dela Rosa as a “fugitive from justice” in a Supreme Court filing seeking to clear the way for the enforcement of the ICC arrest warrant against the former police chief.
