Sorry, I beg to differ with you, Digg. I do not dig your logic. Father Panlilio is not confused. You are the one who is confused. Think again. Clear up you head of cobwebs before you make such outrageous statements.

When Panlilio was elected governor, many were elated that the redeemer had come to save the people of pampanga from the bondage of jueteng and quarry.
But Godfather Among Ed is a person of principle.
Instead of him forging an alliance with Queen Gloria,being a provincemate, he chose to be Moiseslike and sided with the poorest of the poor.
Father Ed, the governor is not a saint to behold.
When he relinquished his duty to God and elected Governor, he now becomes a common tao and deals with the worst people on earth, I mean, the bribers, the corruptors, the falsificators, the attorneys and people hiding in cloak.
That is why he is bombarded of accusations and allegations which he only hears during confessions.
He is now vulnerable to attacks and it will not stop as long he chooses to be a priestlike governor.
Public governance requires diplomacy and to be a politician requires more pakikisama.
The governor is now a lost soul not in heaven but in evil society.
It will continue as long as he is a governor.
Among Ed is serving two masters that’s why he is being loved and being hated…
as said that no one can serve two masters…
Master salad maybe for I can have two, ranch and blue cheese.

put a case on line to prove your allegation that fr. ed is confused in his current job. i suppose he is not functioning now as a clergyman as he is on leave from his church duties. just an observation, kasi di dapat tayo padalusdalus when judging people. so put strength on your argument, put a case or so out front for us to see.

Okay na yung confused governor than a corrupt governor!!

Did you even analyze your thoughts before you made this comment online? Where did you come up with that funny conclusion that Fr Ed is confused? You don’t know him personally nor know the events that led to his being picked as governor-candidate. Know your facts well first so you won’t put your foot where your mouth is!

i prefer among ed rather than trapos,he is the right president for this country comes 2010…….

tama si Tom. Pare dapat ka manalamin basahin mo yang pinagsusulat mo ikaw ata ang confused hindi yong pari. Bakit kung kaya naman nya gawin ang ginagawa nya at wala naman syang ibang personal na responsibilidad bakit di nya makaya? wala naman siguro syang asawa o anak. Kaya pare tayo na nga tinutulongan ng tao ikaw pa tong pa ayaw-ayaw jan. mag pa PHSYCHIATRIST ka muna baka makatulong sayo.

The writer asks, “What did Fr. Ed now Gov. Ed Panlilio hope to achieve when he ran for Governor?”

To clean up the mess created by the former father-and-son governors like the strong-hold of jueteng lords, the graft and corruption in the lahar quarry that has scandalized Pampanga among others. Now the recall movement against the priest-governor has succeeded to remove him. Wonderfujl!!! Happy days are here again!!! Welcome back jueteng lord and lady, welcome back grafters and corruptors!!! Long live Pampanga!!!

I agree with Tom. This incoherent piece of opinion is devoid of any sense. The “writer” is the one who is confused. Are you trying to say that people elect public officials in order to have someone in office to confess their sins? The bottom line is this, Gov. Panlilio is a decent public official. If he can be “validly” subjected to recall, so does every politician in this corrupt and decency bereft country of ours! Mahiya naman kayo oi!

I definitely beleive that you are the one that is really confused because you are not looking at the big picture which is plain and simple to see and comprehend.
Remember that we only have one master to serve that is God, and it does not really matter whether you are a priest or a politician, but what matters most is how you fulfill your duties and responsibilities given to you by our God to take care of his flock. Also, remember that we are all equal in the eyes of God and this sentence alone would tell you that you have but one master. And another thing that you should know is that politics is not about to govern people but politics is to deliver the people from sin into rightousness, goodness and truthfulness with strong advocation of justice, equality, freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all.

Mr. Digg, I think you are out of context. Serving two masters mean serving God and devil. Fr. Ed is definitely serving God in his workplace as governor of Pampanga. I think it is the exact opposite for all his detractors - those who want him out of provincial goverment - because they could not stand the wisdom of good governance being undertaken by Fr. Ed. Don’t you think that they work for the devil - their master?
Please make sure that you’re not one of them.

I am quite shocked by your brazenness in attacking Gov.Ed Panlilio.

Among Ed is not at fault here but the people around him. Maybe he has his flaws in governance since he is very new to the position but rest assured that he, has the welfare of every Kapampangan in mind and unlike the other trapos that you may be supporting, Among Ed will never put a single centavo in his pocket!!!

If ever Among Ed needs to improve his governance, so be it, but never accuse him of serving two masters. Among Ed is serving God and the people. And that, is one character that you will never find in the other politicians. Being a clergy and a politician does not need to have a conflict in personality. All one needs is the sincerity to help people and to fight off evil in the society. Now if you are proposing that only “God-less” people have the right to run government, then I wouldn’t want to live in that society you want. It will only be chaotic and hopeless!!!

So next time you think of attacking Among Ed again, pls think twice. It seems like you didn’t do so the first time…

Mr. Digg, I think you are the one who is confused. You just extracted the verse from the scriptures and apply it to Fr. Panlilio without knowing the real meaning of it. No wonder, the scriptures is spiritually-discerned. Sorry!

as with the others, i don’t see where he is confused–i think it is you and mang goding who are confused.

he is not serving 2 masters here because he has taken a leave from his priesthood. what he is doing is serving God through his political ministry. That’s the difference.

that said, corruption is a moral issue and therefore the Church and its clergy not only have the right to speak out against it, but have the moral obligation to do so. Unfortunately, the CBCP today has failed in its duty.

Digg, you are completely out of context. Serving two masters mean serving God and Money…Matthew 6:24. Among Ed is definitely serving God in his workplace as Governor of Pampanga. He is against the corruption that has been so rampant in the province. He is also against gambling and other forms of vices . His detractors, maybe including you, are the complete opposite serving the other lord - Money, which is evil.

Serving God is not only confined in the church when you serve as priest. Serving God could be done everywhere else in various capacities, as long as you give God the glory He deserves in everything that you do.

Do you think God is glorified by the things his detractors are doing - corruption and gambling? I think they only serve one master, the Money. Make sure you’re not one of them. You are being confused by what you’re feeding on.

I disagree with you Digg. You must dig deeper into your bag of reasoning. Please read and understand the scriptures before extracting and using it. I must tell you that it is spiritually-discerned. Sorry, you’ve got a wrong argument.

“What did Fr. Ed now Gov. Ed Panlilio hope to achieve when he ran for Governor?”

A question only a completely dumb person can ask!

What Among Ed had hoped to achieve when he run for Governor is to lift the province and people of Pampanga from the rut they are in! If you haven’t noticed (probably because you were asleep all these years), Pampanga has long been governed by corrupt and unscrupulous politicians (actions stars, bah!) for a dozen years or so and was almost poised to be governed by another one who is perceived to be involved in illegal gambling, if Among Ed has not thrown his hat in the electoral ring.

And to reiterate what one commenter has said, he is not serving two masters because he is on leave (in fact was suspended by the Church hierarchy) from his priestly duties.

I have one advice to the author of this article: Think hard before publishing your confused thoughts!

Mga Bosing,
Fr. Ed is the right person and he’s not confused. Its time to look for morality sa ating lipunan, look what we have mostly in our governemnt…lam nio yan kung ano. People will resist changes lalo na kung gawing tama ang dati na nilang maling ginagawa, tama ako diba!,napapansin nio sa munisipio pag byiernes ng hapon, madalang na mga empleyedo, ang tanong na saan na sila?umiwa na…kawawa nmn tayo mga tax payers, dun pa lang simple corruption na yun. Dapat marami pa ang katulad ni Fr. Ed. Mabuhay kayo!

What the writer of this article clearly misunderstands is the fact that right now, it really doesn’t matter where Father Ed came from. In the state our local politics is in, I, on the other hand, value a government official as honest as Father Ed is. You can even feel the wrath of the uber-corrupt mayors who are against him; suddenly their corruption paycheck had been slashed half, if not more.

If you do not like honest officials, then it’s fine by me, just as long as you keep your preference to yourself.

Maybe you are being paid by Lilia Pineda and her cohorts to post your point of view. Binayaran ka ba nila?

So, what’s your point? Gambling lords and corrupt officials are much better suited for the position? I’m not from Pampanga but for once I became proud of Pampanga when they elected Among Ed. Now some are pushing for his recall, what a shame - I’m covering my face in shame, shame on those people who want Among Ed brought down and also shame on those who don’t resist the recall. Don’t forget shame to people like you who try to divert everyone away from the real issue. Let’s not be ***holes in denying the gambling situation in Central Luzon, particular in Pampanga. Let’s not all be stupid and pretend that we don’t know the real situation. Wake up people, wake up!

Politician in Pampanga doesn’t want to accept the fact that Among Ed is cleaning up Pampanga. They would rather destroy him than work with him. They know better that their corrupt ways would not prosper with Among Ed.

I agree with TOM, before running for governor he already left priesthood. I think the point of giving Among Ed a bad PR is to oust him of office. Like Kapampangan Ku said, it’s better to have a confused governor than a CORRUPT!

I bet you’re either a Pineda or Lapid supporter. I pity the people of Pampanga who signed the petition to recall Gov. Ed. For Pineda or Lapid supporters, he’s not doing a fair job because their illegal business suddenly came to a halt, but for good minded Kapampangans, he’s heaven sent.

I think Father Ed is one very interesting case. Religious people, as we all know, are more about morality. I think he is one priest that has gone buryong with all the immoralities that have seemed become normal (?) way of life for Filipinos.

I think, at the moment, anybody irregardless of trade, resolved and with guts against graft and corruption will make a good public official. He could be a man of the church. Or, he could be anybody, with or without a Harvard degree in economics. Conflict of interest can possibly happen to anybody without exception, therefore.

Father Ed’s decision is his decision. I for one expect him now to go around kicking dregs all around him in the manner of Jesus Christ when he kicked and threw things in the temple, so to say. Other wise he made a bad decision to his life. [The Pharisees of politics do not like father Ed. They want him nailed.]

Father Ed Panlilio and Brother Ed Villanueva are not the same. I mean, one was voted into office, the other was not. I think it is because Father Ed Panlilio convinced people that he will be walking with bare feet on bare ground to deal with people. The problems of the Filipino people are not creation of the devil therefore the solution is not exorcism. People did not vote him because he was religious but because they believe he can deliver what he promised. You are right; there are certain situations when orthodox saints will probably do more harm when let out instead of being locked up!

Since we are dealing here with governance and politics, religion is absolutely out except for questions involving moral norms. The last thing that people expect in there, I think, is when father Ed becomes a trapo. Yeah, be “normal” like everybody else and make money for him without creating waves.

I think it is father Ed himself to say if he is confused or not.

That is exactly the reason why Philippines is lurking in poverty and corrupt officials are everywhere—because of people like you thinking that a priest is for the church and a public officer is for the public office. If we were to follow your logic then PGMA who was merely a teacher years ago should have never entered politics; Vilma Recto, being an actress should have remained as an actress; Lacson, being a member of the Police force should forever remain as a policeman; Lapid, Erap, Revilla should have remained doing movies and have no place as public officials. So, these people were also confused because they ran for elective offices? Although, we must admit most of these people are not fit for being or becoming a public officer but the reason is not because of their being a teacher, actress, police or actor but because they allowed themselves to be swallowed by corruption. Yes, Philippines tops the list of countries having the most corrupt government but if it will take one priest or more priests to redeem our country from such situation then why should we deprive a person for being a public officer only because said person is a priest? Mabuhay ka Fr. Ed Panlilio!

I think the article writer itself is confused and is the one serving two masters: The Pineda Group and GMA.

Who cares if he’s not your typical politician Trapo. This is what got him elected in the first place. Would you rather have a corrupt Governor just because it is what you are used to or have someone who would do his best to serve the people. I’d rather have a Governor whose master is God than whose Money. It’s stupid to say that a “good” governor needs to align himself with other corrupt, self-serving politicians. What is the benefit to the public?

I don’t see the articles’ logic nor Mang Goding’s logic, if any. Barangays and communites are now getting more than 10x the money from the Governor for use on their activites and projects. But you know why a lot are still complaining? Cause they don’t get the money straight in their pockets. And I’m sure the opposition promised them money if they get the seat that Gov. Ed is in.

This article just proves how much money his enemies have to buy people and recruit them for mudslinging, disinformation and stuff like this. I don’t know how Inquirer could even post this.

Bakit ikaw ilan bang master mo, pero ok ka parin. Siguro baka tatlo pa rin master mo eh. Kanya kanya lang yan pare, kung kaya nya well and good, kung hindi susuko naman eh. At least may prinsipyo siya, ikaw ano?

When you raise your hand and swear to God to be his servant as a priest for the rest of your life, you cannot take a leave and tell God that you are accepting another job as Governor and God just have to wait until you come back on your duty. You cannot perform this two office at the same time. Being a public official you cannot impose your religious belief on your constituent some of which belongs to different religion.

who will benefit if the ONLY opposition in Pampanga is removed especially comes 2010 ?

I agree; Diggs you are the confused one. Our governor is doing the right thing. We will support him in all of his advocacies!taksyapu mo

The good governor is not confuse. The politicians are confused! Wala na kasing silang makurakot! What did Lito Lapid do in Pampanga? He enrich himself, kita naman bahay nya ang laki. Pera nya daw yan? Sabihin nya yan sa lolo nya. Di tanga ang Pinoy na maniwala sa kanya. Bat di nagreklamo mga taga Pampanga? Kasi lahat ng mga politiko hawak nya; yun mga galamay may tinatangap! Wala daw ginawa si Among Ed. Si Lapido, ano ginawa? Si Gloriang ang daming maling ginawa tiniis natin. Si Among Ed, ilang taon palang kung may mali man di nyo na tiis? Kasi kabaliktaran. Bat tiniis nyo si Lapido? Ito si Gov Panlilio di nyo matiis dahil tama yung ginagawa. This is a battle between good and evil. Bad politicians in Pampanga being evil twist the facts. Sila yun good at si Gov Ed yun evil. Halata naman! Bastusan talaga!

[...] representatives in government. The Inquirer’s Vox Populi has this to say and reader’s comments on Ed Panlilio’s travails as Governor of Pampanga.  Based on what I read, we Filipinos are not ready to have clerics [...]

So what’s wrong with serving God, obeying his commands to serve the poor and serving as governor to enforce those commands? Is there a conflict in serving God and serving the poor? Is there a conflict in loving and serving God, and loving and serving the poor?

Would it not be good for us to have a public servant who truly loves God and the people who is very much unlike the majority of our leaders who profess religiousity but are the most corrupt, the most vile, the most scheming of people who do not really love the people but only their selves.

Open your eyes and pray that God will bless you with discernment so you will know what is right from wrong.

What people are trying to do to discredit and destroy Among Ed is both pathetic and depressing.

I dont really get it whats the big fuzz about a priest who has taken a leave from his duties to run for public office. I dont understand why being part of a profession or a vocation disqualifies one from being a government official

As a priest, it was Among Ed’s job to bring evangelization to the people. But evangelization need not happen or restricted only in the church. Society as a whole also need evangelization particularly the moral degeneracy and the culture of corruption in the government.

We also need to take things in the proper context. Before he decided to run, the choices for the Kapampangans were between Mark Lapid and Lilian Pineda (basically telling the Kapampangans to pick their poison).

As a Catholic and as a citizen, he knows that it is not enough to just not do anything bad and watch in the sideline but it is also his responsibility to do something good to make things better.

He might not be the most effective of governors, but we need to give among ed credit for daring to stand up and challenge the status quo.

I do look forward to the time that more honest people decide to throw their hat into politics to challenge the status quo of corruption.

Hindi na sapat ang maghugas kamay na lamang sa mga kasamaan na nangyayari sa ating paligid. Panaho na upang gumawa ng hakbang para sa gayon mapabuti ang kalagayan ng ating bayan.

As the saying goes, bad things happen when good people choose to do nothing.

Hopefully, at that point in time there will no longer be a need for clergymen like Among Ed to abandon their priestly duties just to provide an alternative to the poisions that the people are being made to choose from.

As the saying goes, bad things happen when good people choose not to do anything.

I mean, somebody here thinks father Ed is a confused mind. Others say no, he is not. Maybe father Ed himself should say here if he is or not.

And you are right. Religion is religion and politics is politics. But they have a common ground – morality. This is why I consider Brother Ed Panlilio an interesting case – how he would cope up in a world not his, in a situation when there ought to be harmony of two different worlds but actual reality shows contrast and conflict.

As for Brother Ed Villanueva, I think God loves him very much. The thought is mine because only God knows himself. I think God wants Bro Ed V as he is – fighting His war from within the pulpit. That way he does not possibly and probably bring shits to himself and to God he represents. (I hate God sometimes, too. But I guess He sees the future, while man does not.)

For the life of me! How can The INQUIRER publish such stupid article? Wala na ba talagang naiwan na good writers? May writers’ strike ba? My goodness!

Mas mabuti pa nga siguro ang RATS.. kahit na puro ghostwriter at least may sense.

Parang lasing yata sumulat nito. Geez

In humankind’s historical pass, there were times when the Lord intervenes to free its people from a cruel ruler or lead them to victory in wars. Take for instants the story of Moses; how he freed the Hebrew slaves from the clutch of a cruel Egyptian king. We have Joan of Arc[1] (c. 1412[2] – 30 May 1431)Joan de Ark who rallied and fought the English in the 100 years war. I am a witness seeing people lay bouquet to her statue. Her statue was in front of a rustic hotel where I stayed in Paris, France. I was perplexed how ordinary people would revere her.

And always, there will be detractors, people who will frustrate the attempts of these God sent people in their holy mission. And to that matter, our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified by the very people he was destined to help. And at 19 years old, Joan of Arc was burned in the stake and was branded as a witch.

I do not profess to know Gov. Ed Panlilio, but I favor him more than the late Cardinal Sin, who rallied the Filipino people against the martial law of Ex President Marcos. His silence amidst the movement to extricate him from his position is quite deafening. Like Obama-McCain campaign, the over critical McCain and the ever smiling Obama; Obama who takes all the punches from McCain’s criticism brought the vote in his favor.

I can see that indeed, the kind of governance Gov. Ed Panlilio wanted to pursue will face a very strong, or rather a formidable resistance from a graft ridden regime. These sinners don’t know anything better with Gov. Ed Panlilio. The reason is that this Priest turned politician doesn’t belong to the environment surrounding him. He is different. He is an anathema to people who wants corruption to prosper.

To his detractor, I say, go to hell! How can you people stomach the deceit that you are doing. More abuses, more injustice, more crime against human rights, more squandering of hard earned peoples tax, more smuggling, more illegal gambling, more drug related crimes are happening around you, more lies coming from the top echelon of our government, more, more, more….. Yet! Your vindictive eyes are all trained against a lone politician.

Why don’t you raise hell to the lavish 200 million pesos spend on a 3.5 hours SONA of PGMA while the poor, 8 million of them, can only eat salt or fish sauce as viand. “Namamatay na ang pangkaraniwang tao dahil sa malnutrasyon, nagbubulagan parin kayo!

RECALL PETITION VS. PANLILIO ‘DEFECTIVE’

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20081021-167668/Recall-petition-vs-Panlilio-defective

Pro recall leader Vice Governor Joseller Guiao said the recall election was “imbued with public interest.”

He did not explain if this interest is primarily of the jueteng lords who will be directly benefited by Gov. Panlilio’s removal and the reopening of the multi-million pesos lahar quarry to the municipal grafters that enriched two previous father and son governors who are now the subject of investigation by the Ombudsman.

so you are saying that an Actor is more capable to run for politics but a priest cannot run for office?

it is naive to assume that your previous proffesion can affect good governance.

RLTJ (37), says “.. I think God wants Bro Ed V as he is – fighting His war from within the pulpit. That way he does not possibly and probably bring shits to himself and to God he represents.”

Just wait how the s*&^ hits the fan if he wins the presidency. He already declared he is ready for 2010.

We have one and ever successful Recall. It happened in Payatas, Quezon City in the 80s. Barangay Captain Castello was ousted and replaced by an Employee of then NAWASA, named Belgica. In a recall nobody has to be accused of any crime to be a subject of recall. All it needs is the required numbers of petitioner. Reasons attached to recall like Kurakot, fascist, whatever, are deemed burloloys. The re-election puts a dot to the matter.

I think it serves the people that this Recall against father Ed Panlilio will push through. It’s a test that will prove many things.

[I mean, If Father Ed Panlilio Panlilio wins in recall election will the head petitioners bow out, please?]

Priests are also being paid to serve the people just like the government officials.

I wonder if Panlilio is still in the payroll of the Roman Catholic? For sure he is now in the payroll of the government..

In my opinion, Mr. Panlilio has a political ambition ever since. Maybe he’s just using his priesthood as a stepping stone.

Cardinal Sin helped the filipino people but he did not run for any government position.

Oops. My mistake in repeating Father Ed’s name twice. I’ll do some penance na lang

I apologize for my comments. I apologize for offending Gov. Ed and his supporters as well as the readers of this blog.

I did not realize there was a dearth of good candidates in Pampanga for governorship.

I think if that is the case, his entry to politics is justifiable.

I am just not comfortable about a Catholic priest being in politics, that is all where I was coming from.

Again, apologies. I am not a priest or a politician. Being either is tough enough; to be both is something extra-ordinary.

Am just an ordinary Filipino who probably should shut up. Apologies again.

i am not fom pampanga but personally, i guess the issue boils down to a simple question of choice i.e. either FATHER ed or LORD pineda. i am a father of 2 kids but i only believe in one LORD and it can NEVER be pineda. talk about women in power and we have so much to regret about the other woman from pampanga.