Bishops in Makati standoff acting on their own - CBCP

A ranking official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Thursday said the three bishops who joined soldiers in the Makati standoff are acting on their own. "That act is not representative of the stand of CBCP," said Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iniguez, chairman of the CBCP's public affairs office. Iniguez, however, said CBCP president Archbishop Angel Lagdameo is aware of the position of the bishops. Novaliches Bishop Antonio Tobias, Bishop Emeritus of Novaliches Teodoro Bacani, and Infanta, Quezon, Bishop Emeritus Julio Labayen earlier joined Senator Antonio Trillanes and other soldiers who took over the Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati. Trillanes and other Magdalo soldiers called on the people and the military to withdraw support from the Arroyo administration. In a television interview, Tobias said: "I’m giving my individual position as a citizen of this republic even if I’m a bishop. I want the people to go with what is right. If you think that the two soldiers...have done the right thing, then support." Tobias, Labayen and Iniguez earlier called on President Arroyo to resign. “I am for the stoppage of the rule of President Arroyo. People Power is part of democracy. I just couldn’t join them because I have a prior appointment," said Iniguez. The CBCP, in a statement issued earlier this month, condemned the “moral bankruptcy in Philippine politics." “With this sort of thing happening, our country is not only suffering from economic bankruptcy but also moral bankruptcy, disappointingly being shown by our leaders," the CBCP statement said. Meanwhile, the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches called for sobriety. “We do not support this action of circumventing the rule of law. We call for sobriety and ask the authorities to enforce the law with grace and wisdom," said Bishop Efraim Tendero, PCEC chairperson. - GMANews.TV