“…So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised…” –Hebrews 10:35-37
Truthfully, despite the Makati City Regional Trial Court-Branch 150 already issuing an arrest warrant against Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on rebellion charges, stemming from the 2007 Manila Peninsula siege, there is little chance he even spends mere seconds in jail. Why? Judge Elmo Alameda allowed the senator to post bail. While the amount is quite stiff, P200,000, I am certain he and his supporters (primarily opponents of President Rodrigo Duterte) can easily produce that amount of money.
With the rebellion case reopened, after Duterte set aside Trillanes’ amnesty, which was earlier granted by former President Benigno S. Aquino III, it is certain other rebellion cases, such as the 2003 uprising, will also be resurrected.
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Easily one of the more controversial events involving Jesus on earth could be the baptism at the Jordan River, which was officiated by John the Baptist, His cousin (Mary and Elizabeth, the mother of John, were reportedly cousins according to the Bible).
Some believers who have been deprived of understanding (with eyes to see but never seeing, with ears to hear but never hearing, remember?) are using the baptism to say Jesus is not the same as the Father and the Holy Spirit. They say the narration of Jesus’ baptism shows Jesus is separate from the Father, who talked from heaven to Jesus, who was on earth, and from the Holy Spirit (who was seen descending to Jesus in the form of a dove during the baptism).
The question with that assertion is simple: God, at the same time, is seen as the Father who talked from the heavens, the Son (Jesus) who was being baptized in the Jordan River, and as the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove?
Aren’t we limiting God’s power too much by saying He doesn’t have this power?
There is more to this, God willing.
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Here is a question from one Lizmarie Bumagat, who became a friend through Facebook Messenger: (Translated from Tagalog) “Good evening Sir. Can I file a defamation case for meddling in one’s private life? That is what my sister-in-law is doing. I already brought a case against her before the barangay and I forgave her, but she has not stopped her attacks against me. She continues to disparage me and my wife. Thank you for your response.”
Here is the answer of the Lawyers in the Light (or Lawyers Instructed on Godliness, Humility, and Truth): Yes, cases can be filed against anyone (relatives and strangers alike) who expresses defamatory statements against their fellowmen and unnecessarily meddles in the lives of others.
There is a crime known as defamation and, just like what we have been discussing, there are two kinds of this crime – simple oral defamation and grave oral defamation; defamation is simple if the statements are not severe, and grave if they are insulting in nature.
On the other hand, meddling in the lives of other people can be the basis of a crime known as intriguing against honor, which (somehow) is punishable with imprisonment by the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines.
I suggest any individual who feels slighted by defamatory statement or unnecessary meddling immediately consult a lawyer and have his or her statements or complaints prepared and filed.
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Watch and listen to “Ang Tanging Daan,” a Bible exposition and prayer session that runs 24/7 and is broadcast in English and Filipino. The show airs live on Facebook at facebook.com/angtangingdaan. Please send reactions to 0917-984-2468, 0933-825-1308, 0977-805-9058, or via email at batasmauricio@yahoo.com./WDJ