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<img src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-9/todays-damasos-sm.webp" alt="Bishops Broderick Pabillo, Ruperto Santos and Arturo Bastes" />
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(Bishops Broderick Pabillo,  Ruperto Santos and Arturo Bastes)
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Last September, 21, on the 48th anniversary of the imposition of martial law in the Philippines, the highly politicized but non-taxpaying Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines said many bad things about that period in the country's history.
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In particular, three publicity-seeking friars told news reporters that contemporary Filipinos have not learned anything from the lack of freedom associated by many with that period in the nation's history.
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Bishop Broderick Pabillo, who styles himself as the apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Manila said:
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"I think we have not learned our lessons. People are not vigilant and are not courageous enough to speak out. They do not vote seriously. They allow themselves to be bullied."
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Balanga Bataan Bishop Ruperto Santos insisted that Filipinos should learn from the lessons of the past to prevent the oppressions of martial law from taking place again. He stated: 
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"We have to learn from martial law and live its lesson, that we should never let it happen again. We have to value our freedom, defend and promote it. But sad to say, we tend to forget and take it for granted."
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Another politicized friar, former Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes said the martial law period in Philippine history should be taught in school.
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Obviously, the three prelates are hypocrites.
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Who is Bishop Pabillo to say that Filipinos do not vote seriously? It is common knowledge that the Church supported the presidential bid of defeated Liberal Party bet Manuel "Mar" Roxas II in 2016, and the infamous Otso Diretso senatorial ticket that got clobbered in 2019. Just because the candidates of the Church lost in both elections is not a valid ground for Padre Pabillo to conclude that Filipinos do not vote seriously.
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Like other friars in the Philippines, Pabillo badly misses the administrations of President Corazon Aquino and her son President Benigno Aquino III. Those were times when the Catholic Church wielded immense political influence, especially regarding appointments to public office. During the time of President Corazon Aquino, Jaime Cardinal Sin, the Archbishop of Manila, was in Malacañang almost every day to give <i>"advice"</i> to the president.
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Bishop Santos' statement that the people should exercise their freedom is hypocrisy, because he knows that the Church does not tolerate the freedom to criticize.
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In September 2010, Intramuros tour guide Carlos Celdran went inside the Manila Cathedral wearing a Rizal attire and put up a placard bearing the word Damaso. It was Celdran's way of protesting the Church's meddling in politics.
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Thereafter, the intolerant and pretentious clergy filed a criminal case against Celdran. After his conviction by the courts, Celdran went on exile to Spain where he eventually died.
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The biggest hypocrisy was when Cardinal Tagle announced on national television that the Church has already forgiven Celdran, without telling the public that the Church was nonetheless pursuing the criminal case against its outspoken critic.
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What Padre Santos actually meant, therefore, is that Filipinos should speak up, but they should not criticize the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines.
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Bishop Bastes wants the martial law story taught in schools, but he is conveniently silent about the stubborn fight the Catholic Church put up in Congress years ago to prevent the inclusion of Rizal's novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo in high school curricula. Those novels highlighted the abuses friars committed in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period in the country's history.
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Padre Damasos of today are the same hypocrites as the friar in Rizal's novels