To the laity—the ordinary people and the professionals—almost 113 million of them: Manila Archbishop Jose F. Advincula issued a strong appeal for national vigilance, sobriety, and discernment as political tensions rise at a time the government is facing serious allegations of large-scale corruption.

Obviously, addressing the leaders of the Republic of the Philippines—the Cabinet members, the senators, and congressmen—the DPWH engineers, contractors, and the nation’s stakeholders, the Filipino prelate, God’s closest aide in the predominantly Christian republic, said: “We must always adhere to the rule of law and resist any calls for extra-constitutional means to solve our problems. Our loyalty must be to our country and its democratic principles, not to persons, and certainly not to ambition.”

Asking for divine intervention, the prelate quoted from the Oratio Imperata: “In this time when the shadows of deceit and corruption cloud our land, we ask the good Lord: shine upon us Your light that scatters all darkness.”

He urged Catholics to ground themselves in prayer while engaging in concrete action for the common good. He said the Church joins the entire nation in seeking mercy, a renewal, and clarity during a time of uncertainty.

He asked everyone to remain calm and steadfast: “Let us not allow darkness to overshadow us. Let us instead seek the light, ask justly, and work together for the good of the nation.”

The cardinal emphasized the need for citizens to remain guided by truth, justice, and democratic processes.

The key to understanding Cardinal Jose Advincula is in his motto as bishop: “I will listen.”

The pride of Dumalag, Capiz, Jose Lazaro Fuerte Advincula Jr. OP, is a friar of the Dominican Order and a prelate of the Catholic Church who is the 33rd and present Metropolitan Archbishop of Manila since 2021. He was born on 30 March 1952 and is 73 years old.

He is a graduate of the St. Pius X Seminary, University of Santo Tomas, and De La Salle University, Manila.

The Filipino people pray for God’s mercy and to save the Philippine economy!

What would likely happen if Secretary of Finance Ralph Recto and Secretary of Budget and Management Amenah Pangandaman “put all the eggs of the Republic of the Philippines into one basket?”

It would likely lead to a single point of failure, causing economic instability, if that single strategy of investment fails. This could lead to a severe lack of diversification, increasing vulnerability to economic shocks, leading to reduced investor confidence and potential capital flight.

The economy becomes highly susceptible to a single point of failure. A downturn is one sector or problem with a large project could have devastating consequences, similar to a farmer losing all the eggs if the single basket is dropped.

Such a concentrated approach that will drop in a single failure would certainly worry investors, as it signals a lack of diversification and potentially poor risk management. This could lead to a “capital flight” where investors move their money out of the country.

The potential for capital flight and reduced investment could lead to a weakened Philippine peso against other currencies and an increase in borrowing that could result in the emergence of two monstrous dangers to the economy.

The next episode will be revealing and distressing.

Email: arturobesana2@gmail.com

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