"Brother" Armin Luistro: a foot soldier of the Pope on a mission from God

Hardly surprising that a religious cleric like Education Secretary Armin Luistro would bumble his way through his first encounter with the Media. Organised religion has a tradition of being averse to stepping up to a serious debate on a level field when its dogma is challenged. Certainly the Roman Catholic Church is not an exception to this tradition of intolerance to free inquiry, and Luistro merely reflects this primitivist stance.

Indeed, even when called out on his infantile outburst on his first working day as an Aquino Administration henchman, his response is still marked by a grudging air. Rather than express regret over his gaffe, he...

dismissed as a case of "first-day jitters" his outburst last week against the media over the sex education potboiler in public schools.

Perhaps Filipinos will simply have to get used to the Padre's demeanor. The Church's position on matters regarding sex education and birth control are quite clear. And given the typical cleric's vow of obedience, Luistro does not enjoy much personal latitude in the way he will dispense his duties as Secretary of Education in our otherwise secular land. He is merely one of the Pope's soldiers and will be following orders.