Election 108 - What's Up Gov.?

Today, the new governor of Pampanga is a Catholic diocesan priest by the name of Rev. Fr. Ed Panlilio. "Among Ed", as he was fondly called by his flock, defied and beat all odds and won against two formidable candidates (Baby Pineda-suspected Jueteng operator and Mark Lapid-suspected for corruption). With his win, he had proven a lot of things; 1. a candidate only needs the support of his people and need not spend too much for his campaign, 2. a priest is truly the recognized leader of the community, 3. sincerity and reform are two very important causes for civil leadership, 4. faith still prevails over life, 5. the decision on leadership still rests in the people, 6. nothing is impossible!

The win of Among Ed is not without serious consequences though. How would he govern? Does he have the will curb immorality and instill morality? How about those corrupt in the offices, will they be asked to resign or shape up? How would he deal with jueteng? There are many "hows" he would have to address in running the province. How about his priesthood? Will he permanently leave the ministry? What does his winning make of the priesthood? Is civil ministry more important than spiritual ministry? Does this open the gates for priests to run and be an alternative candidate in any election? Surely, the Church is hard put to quickly respond to the question.

But the most challenging question is, like the Mel Gibson challenge to his people to join him to fight the more skilled and equipt English army, "Is there no one else?" Of the millions of citizens in Pampanga province, no one deserved to be their leader other than Among Ed? In the history of the Church and nations, whenever a crisis exists, there will come a time when a new leader will emerge. Out of necessity, a new leader is bound to emerge. In this case, is it Among Ed?

Personally, I believe, Among Ed would be a good leader. His experience as a priest involved in social action will be the nucleus of his service. He also came from a family that was once involved in politics. Therefore, not everything will be new to him. But still, times are very different now. Evil is much much more subtle and sophisticated. After dealing with the evils of their government, my hope is that he would go back to his priestly ministry. I hope that his term as governor is only transitory. What he must do is to form new leaders in Pampanga and form his constituents to be vigilant, hardworking, cooperative and moral. He must form them to stand up for goodness and never tolerate immorality. They must be able to communicate to corrupt citizens that they do not have a place in their province. In any case, I pray for his success. His success is not only a success for Pampanga, but for the Church as well. Congratulations to "Among Ed" and the people of Pampanga!