Heidi Mendoza urges Church financial execs to remain honest

Heidi Mendoza, one of the whistle-blowers who exposed alleged corruption in the military, urged the financial administrators of the Catholic Church to remain honest in their work. Mendoza made the call during a convention attended by around 140 participants, that included laypeople, nuns, priests, and bishops, led by Cubao Bishop Honesto Ongtioco, treasurer of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). Mendoza was speaker during the "Archdiocesan/Diocesan financial administrators of the Philippines 13th National Convention" at the Pius XII Center in Paco, Manila. In her speech, Mendoza said it is difficult to hold money “especially if they are not yours" but “it’s not true that it’s hard to be honest even in times of need." “We cannot dream of an honest government without doing anything. We need to do something," said Mendoza, who was recently appointed as commissioner to the Commission on Audit (COA). Mendoza said every Filipino should maintain honesty in government, business, and even in Church matters. “I’m not holy or religious but I’m always looking at God’s will," she said. “Another way to (maintain honesty) is constant prayer." “I’m always proud that I am a Catholic. I’m always proud that I’m a Filipino. I’m always proud that I’m a public servant," Mendoza added. Mendoza worked for the COA for over 20 years and had been part of fraud audit investigations of government transactions. She resigned from the COA in 2005 and had worked with the Asian Development Bank before appearing in the congressional probes. Mendoza had testified before Congress on alleged corrupt practices in the military such as “pabaon" (going-away present). - VVP, GMA News