Some religions are truly the opium of the masses.
While the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines expressed its opposition to the increase in VAT (as well as Charter change), and members of other Christian denominations are protesting in the streets against the VAT bill, the Iglesia ni Manalo–errr, Iglesia ni Cristo (INC)– is reportedly supporting it.
INC is among the religious groups which include El Shaddai and a break-away group of the Philippine Independent Church that endorsed Arroyo last year. This time, INC is again one with Arroyo in pushing for a law that is widely viewed to cause added burden for the Filipino masses.
Sadly for members of the INC, they are not allowed to oppose their leaders. Their tenth commandment is this: “You should neither rebel nor contend with the church administration.”
Arroyo is indeed lucky to have such religious cults with a very strong sense of “unity and brotherhood”–whatever the fuck that means!
One reply on “INC and VAT”
For me, i find it hard to decide whether or not to support the VAT increase by two percent. Any tax increase at this moment seems to be lugubrous for the people, a heavy burden on already a crippled consumers. Yet, i learned in law that tax is the lifeblood of the government that without it, there’d be more problems to face like burgeoning budget deficit. But religious sects meddling in state affairs is one thing and i find it repulsive if not unreligious by itself. It is like influencing our lawmakers from deciding with a free and unbiased mindset. Now, every politician with further political dream is pressured to do one and only way.