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Apology doesn't mean automatic absolution for bishops — senator


The apology by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) for its members who received vehicles from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office does not mean automatic absolution from the Senate investigation on the controversy. This was according to Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who told reporters on Monday that the concerned bishops still need to appear before the Senate to convince the senators that they received PCSO funds for the purchase of the vehicles without malice. “Saying that they accepted or received those items without malice is one thing. But you know, making people or us believe it was really received without malice, that's something else. It's up to them to convince us they accepted all those items those vehicles without malice," he said. It is up to the bishops to explain to the committee if their use of the vehicles was justified, he added. But Lacson also said he admired the bishops for their apology, saying it took much humility for them to do so. He also assured the bishops that the senators will look out for any attempt by those affected by the controversy to derail the investigation. “We would not want to deviate or be diverted. We will resist attempts by those affected by this inquiry to divert the issue. We want to stick to the core issue of the anomalies the corruption in the PCSO," said Lacson. On the other hand, Lacson said the burden of proving the donation of vehicles did not violate a Constitutional provision banning the giving of government funds to a religious group will fall on the PCSO. “The burden should be on the PCSO violating the Constitution rather than (the) recipients," he said. When asked if the bishops had any criminal liability for receiving the vehicles, he said, “Wala akong makitang criminal liability sa pagtanggap ng sasakyan (I see no criminal liability for accepting the vehicles)." — KBK, GMA News

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