“He is drifting from his original priestly mission. A priest is a servant of the city of God, not of the city of man,” said Aniceto, Panlilio’s immediate superior who strongly objected when Panlilio, a priest for 29 years, ran for governor in 2007.” -from Priest-turned governor angers prelates; Superiors reject Fr Ed’s plan to run for president
By Dona Pazzibugan, Tonette Orejas, Philippine Daily Inquirer

“Good” is as subjective as beauty. So forgive me for admitting my mistake: we don’t need “good” men and women in public office. We need serious people people with passion intent on solving real problems. We need deep thinkers, strategists and tacticians intent on solving the puzzle of the Philippines. If Ed Panlilio believes this is his calling, if he should use the gift of discernment from the Holy Spirit to do the job of the President of the Philippines, who is anyone of us to say otherwise?

If it takes someone from a priestly background to defend life, why not? If it takes a man from a priestly background to bind up our nation’s wounds, to care for him who has fought our battles for us, for all the widows and orphans this nation has made over the years, I ask you: why not?

Perhaps a nation state is like a symphony. We each play a different instrument. Every sound we make adds to the grandeur of Great Piece we are playing. We need all kinds of people from different backgrounds, from different expertise to play our Philippine symphony. We need a conductor to properly direct our performance.

Then there is this: Filipinos have an abundance of hope. This is hope that comes from being a nation that is deeply religious. “We say tomorrow is a better day”. More than hope, we need the willpower to use that hope to shine our light.

I’m not saying, Ed Panlilio is The One. I welcome him to enter the ring and giving it a go. And just maybe, he can be the rallying point for hope and to focus our collective will. Maybe he can get people, serious and with passion intent on solving real problems. Maybe he can gather deep thinkers, strategists and tacticians together. Maybe he can be the one to direct our symphony. Sure as the sun sets and rises that’s what this nation needs.

*image is from this wikipedia page, released in the public domain.

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