Northern Mindanao || X Priest takes a stand: Cast out the devils!
Priest takes a stand: Cast out the devils!
Saturday, 04 February 2012 00:00
A ROMAN Catholic priest led a group of concerned Cagayanons in lighting candles and "driving out evils" at city hall on Thursday evening. The activity was unplanned and came as a spontaneous response to Fr. Casi Quiacao's call for action. Despite the short notice, around 40 people flocked outside the Executive Building at 10 pm where they lit candles and prayed together with the priest. Embattled Mayor Vicente Emano and his aides were inside the building. The lights were turned off. "Now, I take my stand-- kapoy na pabuta-bungol ta!" reads the priest's post on the wall of "Mata na, CDO," reputedly the biggest and most active Facebook group that seeks good governance in the city. At presstime, the group has 9,200 members. Reads part of the post of Fr. Quiacao: "Maayo unta magprocession tuyoktuyok sa city hall para mangawala mga yawa dinha!"
Fr. Quiacao is a member of the Society of St. John Vianney. He is reportedly serving as the assistant parish priest of the St. Francis Xavier parish in upper Carmen. Not too long ago, Fr. Quiacao was rubbing elbows with Mayor Emano during the opening of the Filomeno M. Bautista Gallery at the Water Tower cum city museum near city hall. The priest blessed the gallery. Quiacao's post reads: "Today is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord- Candelaria. The devotion originated in 541 when a terrible plague broke out in Constantinople, killing thousands. Candle processions were made throughout the towns and villages and a solemn prayer service (Litia) to ask for deliverance from evils, and the plague ceased. I, together with my parish priest, celebrate masses today-- tonight lighting candles to drive out evils at the city hall." Many cheered and text messages about the priest's call spread like wildfire even via SMS.
Tito Mora, Save CDO Now spokesperson, quickly sent out this text message: "Let's meet at Gaston Park, 10 pm tonight. Bring your own candles." Mora later recounted: "Last night at 10 pm we gathered right in front of city hall and Fr. Casi led the group to pray with lighted candles to celebrate the Feast of Purification (Candelaria). We spent a moment of silence and sang 'The Light of Christ.' We then placed the candles on the edges of the isLand fronting the building, waited for the candles to fully burn and left carrying the melted wax. And the whole time Emano was inside his ground floor office. But the strangest thing was that we could not remove the wax on the side of the isLand facing his office. I wonder why? And then someone in the group said that yesterday was also the fiesta of Tagoloan, the Mayor's birthplace."
Staunch Emano critic Dr. Antonio Montalvan II said what took place on Thursday night was something that was "never ever before seen and experienced in Cagayan de Oro: people massing in front of city hall at a moment's notice, lighting candles to pray that city hall be rid of all evil." "That," he said, "is what is meant by Fr. Casi's 'para mangawala mga yawa dinha.'" Montalvan said the "exciting part" was that the mayor was inside city hall. "(His) bodyguards were there, the black Toyota Hi-Lux was waiting in the side carport. No one was afraid. People power is possible in Cagayan de Oro!"
Montalvan said he hoped Quiacao's act would encourage other priests under the city's Roman Catholic archdiocese to come up with a stand. Mora and Montalvan' group is campaigning for signatures for a petition to have Mayor Emano recalled due to alleged ineptitude in connection with the Typhoon Sendong crisis that hit the city last December. Aside from the recall campaign, Emano is also facing an administrative case before the Office of the President. Malacanang has given him two weeks to answer the administrative complaint.
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