Bishops nix donations from bets in May polls

At least for the next two remaining months of the campaign period, three Catholic bishops vowed not to receive donations from politicians running in the May 10 elections. Bishops Martin Jumoad (Basilan), Carlito Cenzon (Baguio) and Dinualdo Gutierrez (Marbel) said they will decline any donations from politicians especially during the campaign period. “I will not accept any donations especially from politicians. It’s not right," Jumoad said in an interview on Church-run Radio Veritas, adding it is not proper for the church to accept financial donations from political bets at the height of the campaign period. He said politicians should instead give their donations directly to charitable institutions. Excerpts of the interview were posted on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines news site. Cenzon and Gutierrez, for their part, added it is not prudent for the church to be accepting money from politicians who are seeking various elective posts. “We are not going to accept it especially if we know that it came from bad sources," Cenzon said. The three bishops made the statement as the Catholic Church prepares for the nationwide observance of the “Alay Kapwa" day on March 28. Alay Kapwa is a fund-raising campaign program during the Lenten Season aimed at helping the needy during emergency cases and calamities. Implemented in all the dioceses in the country, the Alay Kapwa program requires the Catholic faithful to share their time, talent and resources with their neighbors. On the other hand, Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal earlier admitted receiving cash donations from some politicians who asked for his blessings. But the cardinal clarified that the financial contributions he accepted were for Caritas Cebu, the archdiocesan social action arm, and not for his personal account. He also emphasized that he does not endorse candidates, saying he’s preserving his non-partisan status. Meanwhile, Bishop Jumoad called on politicians to donate their money directly their money to other charitable institutions. “I challenge them. If they are really sincere in being one with the Church’s Alay Kapwa (program), they should give help directly to those who are needy," he said. “I am appealing also to our politicians not to use Alay Kapwa to make it appear that they are for the poor," he added. — LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV