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CBCP head: EDSA II installed a leader judged 'most corrupt'


A senior bishop and leader of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Tuesday expressed disappointment over the results of the People Power II, saying the Church-endorsed revolution installed a President who is now being judged by local surveys as the country’s "most corrupt" leader. CBCP President and Iloilo Archbishop Angel Lagdameo described the assessment of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo – who was propelled to power by the popular 2001 revolt – as the country’s most corrupt president as "embarrassing." The Catholic Church, through the late Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin, was instrumental in both the 1986 and 2001 People Power revolts that toppled two presidents. "In People Power I, we were very satisfied with the result. The second one, we were somehow disappointed because People Power II, with the help of the Church, installed a president who later on was judged by surveys as most corrupt president. That is embarrassing," Lagdameo said. "We went from one frying pan to a worse frying pan, but what can we do?" he asked. Lagdameo made this comment Tuesday after meeting about 50 groups composed of civil society, students, inter-faith and businessmen and after calling for a "brand new people power" to address the current political crisis. Lagdameo, however, clarified that he attended the meeting, held at the CBCP headquarters in Intramuros, as archbishop of Iloilo and not as president of the CBCP. Others present during the dialogue were Lingayen Archbishop Oscar Cruz and Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez. Among those who attended the dialogue were members of the Black and White Movement, Makati Business Club, Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines, Integrated Bar of the Philippines, and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan. Also present were other non-Catholic groups such as Bangon Pilipinas, Muslim Legal Assistance Foundation, United Church of Christ in the Philippines, and the National Council of Churches in the Philippines. The La Salle brothers, who are currently providing sanctuary for ZTE witness Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr and his family, also attended the dialogue. In the interview, Lagdameo added that surveys showing the extent of corruption in government are an indication of how deep the practice is in public service. "Many in government from top to bottom are sinning against the nation. This humiliates us in front of the whole world considering that we are also known as a Christian nation," Lagdameo said in Filipino. Cruz, who organized the three-hour meeting, said a series of discussions with these groups will continue until they could come up with "what is to be done" with the present political crisis. Iñiguez said some groups suggested holding civil disobedience and not paying taxes in response to the call of the CBCP for communal action and in protest of President Arroyo’ s resistance to heed calls for her resignation. "I think there’s always a point where she’ll realize that either she has to go out on her own or be forced out," Iñiguez added. The CBCP had earlier called for "communal action" and a "brand new People Power" in response to the testimony of Senate star witness Rodolfo Lozada alleging government kickbacks in the multi-million dollar national broadband network project. - GMANews.TV

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