There is a God Mr. President

Dear Mr. President Duterte,


There is a God. 

Looking back, when I was in college back in the early 2000's, studying Political Science and Philosophy in UP Baguio. I had the strangest notion that you should be President. Call it prophecy, call it destiny, call it the macabre fantasies of a young man sick of what's happening in this country. Sabi niyo nga po, "It is God's Will". Yes, I saw disorder in the lovely City of Pines, where my father met my mother, where I was then studying, and I pitied the victims of pick pocketing and other crimes along what used to be the homey Session Road. I loathed what Baguio City has become back then.



I yearned for order, discipline and beauty in art in how we all collectively conduct our social inhalations and exhalations. Life is art after all. What I was seeing, what I saw, was the opposite. The lack of art.

15 years thereafter, I continuously asked the same questions just like you but came up with different conclusions. But know this for a fact, at that time, I wanted you to be President.

Now fast forward to today, our difference is that you are the President of the Republic and everything you say has the bearing of a 1000 kiloton wrecking ball. It doesn't have to be that way, but you know, who am I to tell you what to do?

God.

Yes, He exists.

Evil, yes, it also exists.

Free will, and yes, it is one source of the evil.

When Lucifer came to be, he was called the Son of the Morning Star. He was the best and the brightest. At that time, Lucifer was the pinnacle of God's creation before he created humanity. But something was lacking for Lucifer. He wanted to become God himself. Thus, he started a rebellion and convinced legions of angels to rebel. They were defeated and cast to the Earthly realm.

I'm sorry, Mr. President, your question really was "WHY?"

"Why are there 18 month old babies getting raped, murdered under jeepneys, etcetera?"

I may have an answer, but it is contingent on your acceptance of it.

The answer is free will. That man, Scully, had free will and he also has sin.

Ako Pilosopo Tasyo kung minsan nagtatanong, "Kung may Diyos, bakit Niya pa pinahintulutan ang masama o ang mismong free will?"

Pinahintulutan po kasi Niya ang malayang pagpapasya.

O, bakit Niya pinahintulutan ang free will?

Kasi, Mr. President, hindi rin po magiging posible ang pagmamahal, kung walang malayang pagpapasya. Love would also not be possible without free will.

Kaya, lahat po ng masasama, bunga ng free will.

Dagdag po natin ang bagong konsepto - kasalanan o "SIN".

Kung babalikan po natin ang Genesis, si Adan at Eba, hindi po ba't pinagbawalan sila na pitasin ang prutas ng karunungan? Pero, dahil kay Satanas, pinitas po nila. Bakit? Kasi may free will po si Eba at Adan.

O, sasabihin niyo, pwede naman makialam ang Diyos at pigilan si Eba na pitasin ang prutas. Tutal Diyos siya di ba? Isang pitik lang ng kamay Niya, lipad yang puno ng karunungan na yan. Isang tiris lang Niya, mapisa na ang ahas na Satanas na yan. O pero hindi, di po ba? Nilagay ng Diyos yung puno! Nilagay ng Diyos yung bunga! Hinayaan ng Diyos ang ahas!

Nakakalito po ba?

Kasi, hindi po natin makikita ang kagandahan ng kapatawaran, forgiveness.
Kasi, hindi po natin makikita ang payak na pagmamahal sa pagsakripisyo ng sariling, bugtong na Anak na si Hesus para saan? Para po sa kasalanan natin! Para po dun sa nang rape?

Kung kayo o tayo po ay hindi natin mapatawad ang gumawa sa inyo o sa mahal niyo ng karumal dumal - Diyos po mismo, pinatawad tayo. Lahat ng kasalanan. Ang sakripisyo ang kabayaran, sariling bugtong na anak.

Para saan lahat ng iyon, kundi para mahalin din natin ang Diyos.

Mr. President, malapit na po kayo sa Valley. Mangyari'y siguro sa mga nagawa niyo noon at siguro dahil sa mga ipinagawa niyo sa iba, na kayo lamang ang nakakaalam, ngayon niyo pa po naisipan itanong yang mga tanong na tinatanong ninyo.

Meron bang Diyos?

Opo.

At hindi po kayo iyon. At hindi rin ako.

Mangyari'y ang konteksto niyo po ay sa mata ng Lex Talionis o ang batas ng paghihiganti. Mata sa mata. Mayroon pong mas malakas na batas diyan - at ito ang batas ng Diyos.

Ayaw niyo lang pong makita.