Drilon: Bishops to get 'due respect' at Senate hearing

Catholic bishops who will testify at this coming Wednesday’s Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on the controversy involving donations to bishops by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office will get “due respect" from senators. Sen. Franklin Drilon on Sunday gave the assurance even as he also reassured the Catholic Church the probe is not meant to discriminate against it. “Well, we will give them the due respect as we give due respect to officials of government agencies pero dapat magpaliwanag din sila dahil, sa nabasa ko sa pahayagan, sila ang boluntaryong haharap sa Senado," Drilon said in an interview on dzBB radio. The Senate is investigating alleged irregularities in the donation of funds and sports utility vehicles (SUVs) to Catholic bishops using PCSO funds. Drilon said Senators want to learn from the bishops if the donations went to charity work and not the prelates' personal gain. He said Senators were uncomfortable with reports saying at least one of the bishops, Butuan Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos, received a vehicle after asking for it as a birthday gift. “Ang problema kasi si Bishop Pueblos humingi ng birthday gift na sasakyan mula kay dating Pangulong Gloria Arroyo. Dapat ipaliwanag yan... laluna't ayaw ng mga obispo sa sugal... dapat tinanggihan ang sasakyan galing sa PCSO," he said. Drilon also reiterated the administration is not singling out the Catholic Church for its stand against the reproductive health bill. Neither is the Senate probe meant to weaken the Catholic Church’s stand on the RH bill and other issues, he said. “Kung obispo ng ibang relihyon [ang nasangkot], I think ganoon din ang treatment ng Senado dahil ang tinitngnan naman natin ay kung tama ang paggamit ng pondo ng PCSO," he added. Meanwhile, Drilon scored former Commission on Audit chairman Reynaldo Villar for his “hasty approval" of the intelligence funds sought by then PCSO general manager Rosario Uriarte. He said the Arroyo administration managed to spend more than P10 million in intelligence funds in its last two weeks. “Sa akin, this is a hasty approval without extensive examination and this, sa tingin ko, ay taking advantage of the situation," he said. “There is basis to claim cover-up because of the hasty approval by Villar and I am disappointed at the manner he discharged his function as COA's chairman," he added. Militants welcome CBCP probe A militant group on Sunday welcomed the parallel investigation by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) into the PCSO mess. Makabayang Koalisyon ng mga Mamamayan (Makabayan) said they expect transparency and consistency in the probes by the Senate, the Office of the Ombudsman and by the CBCP. “Poor Filipinos who need most of the charity money [from the PCSO] have suffered mainly because the public funds were being corrupted by some government officials," said Ed Clemente of Makabayan in an article posted on the CBCP news site. Clemente also urged President Benigno Aquino III to act swiftly in prosecuting and incarcerating officials involved in the alleged “money-laundering" in the PCSO. “We don’t want to hear broken promises again. Aquino must be decisive enough to act and start breaking his silence over issues of corruption by the past administration," he said. The group said it will monitor developments in the ongoing parallel investigations on the issue. — LBG, GMA News