The Philippine Halo Halo Party

Halo halo is not a common dessert in the US. I stand agape as I watch my wife down this colorful concoction of sweets and treats by the half-gallon. It is wonderful for the mix of goodies it contains. It is a non-discriminatory dessert.

The American Tea Party movement is predominantly based in Christian values and the Republican ideology of small government. It promotes itself as independent of any political party, but its views and actions define it as conservative and God-based, more aligned with Republican ideals than Democratic.

The Philippines has the opposite problem. Its political world is already unduly influenced by the God-based doctrine of the Catholic Church. The nation is immersed in an ideology of unfettered birthing and superstitions. The problem is that Church leaders are profoundly Man and are clearly attracted by the temptations of Satan, as is any man. Yet they declare that they, and only they, are empowered to define God for the masses, and they instruct even non-Catholics on the rules of state.

And so the cycle of poverty and all the abuses natural within a society of poverty and hopelessness continues. Child abuse, abuse of women, sexual abuse, abandonment of parental and spousal responsibility. These are the traits of a population held back by ignorance and poverty. These are the traits of the Catholic Philippines.

I look forward to the day when the masses rally and shout “enough!” Perhaps a few bold citizens will establish a Philippine Halo Halo Party, a voluntary organization of Filipino citizens who advocate a secular Philippines so that they may be free to follow the faith of their choice without submitting to the beliefs and rules of other faiths. It might argue for a political process that is strictly secular, that bans direct church engagement in political affairs, and that has as its clear objective the building of a safe and sound Philippines, for the benefit of all citizens.

The Philippine Halo Halo Party Creed might read something like:

We hold that God’s mystery is His beauty. We ought not to limit Him according to man’s limited comprehension and moral capacity, but hold that He is beyond the grasp of the few, and therefore available to all. Man’s highest respect for God is to be found in secular laws that do not condemn one man’s beliefs in favor of another’s, but pronounce the rules by which civilized people live and carry out work to build a safe, invigorating, productive society.

The party would probably originate with a small group of technologically capable Philippine citizens that is motivated to organize and lead an organization with this creed as its central belief. The goal would be to place Philippine governance beyond the reach and doctrine of Catholic, Muslim or other church leaders. That is, to be a government of all peoples. It would garner power by building a large membership representing all faiths and righteous moral persuasions, and it would serve to counterbalance untoward special-interest influences in politics and government.