CBCP statement should end calls for Arroyo resignation - Palace

Malacañang said calls for the resignation of President Arroyo should stop after the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines issued a statement that fell short of calling for the President's resignation. "[The] CBCP pastoral statement should end all calls for the resignation of the President," said Undersecretary Lorelie Fajardo, Mrs Arroyo's deputy spokesperson, in a text message. The CBCP on Tuesday called on Mrs Arroyo to revoke Executive Order 464 and allow members of her Cabinet to testify at congressional investigations of cases involving corruption. In a six-point pastoral statement, the CBCP condemned what it called the continuing "culture of corruption from top to bottom" of government. The bishops, however, fell short on calling for the resignation of President Arroyo, saying such a political act is for the public to decide. "(We) urge the President and all branches of government to take the lead in combating corruption wherever it is found," the CBCP said in its pastoral statement read by Bishop Leonardo Legaspi. The pastoral statement was read shortly after the day-long meeting at the Pius XII Catholic Center in Manila. Deputy presidential spokesman Anthony Golez said Malacañang "will look into the matter seriously." The CBCP recommended the scrapping of EO 464 "so those who might have knowledge of any corruption in branches of government may be free to testify before the appropriate investigating bodies." The CBCP also urged President Arroyo to allow members of her Cabinet to reveal any corrupt acts, particularly in the $329.48-million ZTE NBN deal, "no matter who is involved." The bishops also appealed to lawmakers and the Office of the Ombudsman to continue their inquiry "not for their own interests but for the common good." The CBCP also called on the media to be a positive resource in seeking the truth and combating corruption by "objective reporting without bias and partiality," and with conscientious reporting of facts. For the long term, the CBCP reiterated its call for discernment at the grassroots level, in parishes, basic ecclessial communities, organizations, institutions and universities. - GMANews.TV