Govt lashes back at bishops over ‘seditious’ statement

MANILA, Philippines - The government on Wednesday hit back at the leaders of the influential Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) for what Justice secretary Raul Gonzalez considered as “seditious” statements against President Arroyo. “Strictly speaking, those (statements) are seditious,” Gonzalez said, referring to the call of five bishops for a new government to replace the present one that they said is tainted with rampant graft and corruption. The statement was given by CBCP president, Jaro archbishop Angel Lagdameo, and was concurred in by Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz, Masbate Bishop Joel Baylon, Balanga Bishop Socrates Villegas, and Legazpi Bishop-Emeritus Jose Sorra. Lagdameo said the new government should be free from “social and moral cancer" that is corruption. He made the statement during a press conference Tuesday. Gonzalez accused the bishops of singling out the Arroyo administration in their tirade against graft and corruption and Lagdameo of crossing the line on the constitutional provision on the separation of the Church and State. He also said the stand of the five bishops does not reflect that of the whole CBCP as an organization even if it was uttered by its president. “The problem is there were only five of them, how could they be the CBCP? He (Lagdameo) is still not the CBCP. The voice of the CBCP, for all we know could have been different,” he said. The Justice chief reminded Lagdameo that he is not as infallible as the Pope. “He is not the Pope, therefore he is not infallible. Only the Pope is infallible in matters of faith and morals,” Gonzalez said. For his part, House Speaker Prospero Nograles Jr, a close ally of President Arroyo, said the statement of the five bishops was "very dangerous." “Bishops may be calling for something that is not legal, and they are asking for an extra-constitutional change. That’s very dangerous," Nograles said. Malacañang, on the other hand, challenged the bishops to bring to the proper forum any evidence on the alleged corrupt practices of the administration. Denying the bishops’ allegations, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the Arroyo government is addressing the corruption issue as much as it can as evidenced by the creation of the anti-red tape task force and the issuance of a subsequent executive order specifying the streamlining of procedures, among others. “The issue they raised is an old one which the government has already acted on and is still addressing,” Ermita said. He also expressed confidence that Cabinet officials remain loyal to the administration. "The Cabinet members continue to function as normally as they do… The morale is high, they are highly motivated," Ermita said, downplaying the possibility of an impending deflection by Cabinet officials. Curiously, the statement of the five bishops came on the same day controversial former Agriculture undersecretary, Jocelyn “Joc-joc” Bolante, arrived in the country from the United States. Bolante is the alleged mastermind of a multimillion-peso fertilizer fund scam that reportedly benefited the campaign kitty of President Arroyo during the 2004 presidential elections. Bolante left the country in 2005 to escape a Senate inquiry on the issue. On his return Tuesday, he said he is willing to disclose his knowledge on the fund scam but only in the proper forum. Senate President Manny Villar had ordered the arrest of Bolante, but the former Agriculture undersecretary was rushed to St. Luke’s Medical Center shortly after his arrival for still unspecified health reasons. Bolante is still at the hospital as of posting time. - GMANews.TV