CBCP distances from bishops asking for gov't apology

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said it has not made any call for the government to apologize to the bishops implicated in the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) fund mess. “The CBCP as a body has not made any such call or insinuated that such an apology is in order," said Msgr. Juanito Figura, CBCP secretary general. On Thursday, some prelates urged Aquino and PCSO officials of the to apologize for implicating them in the “PCSO fund mess." “These are personal statements of individual bishops, so I would not be able to speak on their behalf," Figura said. President Aquino responded, saying there is no need to say sorry. Cotabato Auxiliary Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo said he forgave President Aquino already. “Hindi naman puwede pilitin ang pag sorry. Okay lang. He's forgiven," Cotabato Auxiliary Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo said in a text message. — ELR/VS, GMA News