THE brouhaha seemed to have not died down yet even after a week when President Rodrigo R. Duterte, during the 2018 National ICT Summit at the SMX Convention Center, Davao City last Friday, June 22, lambasted the story of creation in the Bible and called God stupid for letting temptation destroy his work.
This sparked public outrage and more heated debates between the Duterte pros and the antis in opinion pages and social media platforms, as well as further separated the government and the Catholic Church.
But Duterte immediately created a four-member committee to hold a dialogue with the Catholic leadership and various Christian groups that may have been offended by his recent controversial remarks in a bid to forge better cooperation between the government and religious institutions in matters of national interest.
The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines is clear on the separation of Church and State. The same Constitution also adheres to the freedom of speech, which the president exercised when he made those statements that irked the faithfuls, not just Catholics.
He is also entitled to his own personal belief, according to Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.
Yes, Duterte's God may not be everyone else's God. But while he talks about the God he knows and whom he has been claiming as the one who brought him to the presidency, faithful believers should all the more be vocal about the God they worship and play active and meaningful roles in the community.
This is not the time for one's faith to be tossed back and forth. But a time to really stand firm... to be vigilant, because the days are evil.