Bishops' supporters arrive early for Senate hearing on PCSO mess

Supporters of Catholic bishops arrived at the Senate early Wednesday to attend a hearing on alleged irregularities in vehicle donations to some bishops from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. Among the supporters who arrive at 9 a.m. were former Ambassador to the Vatican and Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting chairperson Henrietta de Villa, and members of the Knights of Columbus and Couples for Christ, radio dzBB's Nimfa Ravelo reported. PCSO officials also arrived early for the hearing. Upon their arrival, the bishops were ushered to the session hall for the hearing of the Senate blue ribbon committee, which was scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m. Meanwhile, a senior bishop said the PCSO scandal may have been the “biggest wound" the government has inflicted so far on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). Retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz said the incident managed to affect image and credibility of the Church. “There’s no other bigger than that. It caught the national attention for over two weeks already. And there’s even a hearing... Therefore, this is not yet over," Cruz said in an article posted on the CBCP news site Wednesday. He also pointed out this would be the first time bishops will be “investigated" at the Senate. During his time, he said he was considered a “resource person" against jueteng. On Monday, the CBCP apologized to the public after some bishops were accused of receiving sports utility vehicles (SUVs) from the PCSO during Arroyo administration. Cruz also warned the issue could turn into a nightmare and might uncover irregularities even at the current PCSO administration. “I don’t think this will be the end of it. My only fear is that this could boomerang," said Cruz but did not elaborate. — LBG, GMA News