CBCP slams corruption, urges Mrs Arroyo to revoke EO 464

The influential Roman Catholic bishops of the Philippines on Tuesday slammed endemic government corruption but stopped short of calling for the resignation of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. The bishops, however, urged Mrs Arroyo to revoke Executive Order 464 that bars members of her Cabinet from testifying before congressional probes into cases involving alleged corruption in her administration. "We face today a crisis of truth and the pervading cancer of corruption. We must seek the truth and we must restore integrity," the bishops said in a pastoral letter titled "Seeking the Truth, Restoring Integrity." The statement by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, issued after a 10-hour emergency meeting, was seen as a small victory for Mrs Arroyo's efforts to serve out the last two years of her term amid widespread calls for her to step down. The Presidential Palace welcomed the CBCP statement, even thanking the bishops "for not succumbing to the propaganda of rabid oppositionists who are bent on overturning the gains of our strong economy." Archbishop Leonardo Legaspi, one of the three bishops who drafted the pastoral letter, said the prelates did not ask for Mrs Arroyo’s resignation because they “expect" the President to be “part of the efforts to seek reforms." Legaspi said a call for Mrs Arroyo’s resignation is beyond the limits of the clergy since it is a “political exercise which we leave for the people to decide." 'People Power' The bishops did not dismiss the possibility of a new form of "people power." They warned the people, however, to carefully consider calls for such an uprising because it could “weaken our democratic structure." Bishop Francisco Claver, one of the authors of the pastoral letter, said “Let’s consider it" when asked about the possibility of another "People Power" uprising. In their statement, the bishops reiterated their call for “circles of discernment" at the grassroots level. "It is through internal conversion into the maturity of Christ through communal and prayerful discernment and action that the roots of corruption are discovered and destroyed," the CBCP statement said. It added: "We believe that such communal action will perpetuate at the grassroots level the spirit of People Power so brilliantly demonstrated to the world at EDSA I." "It is People Power with a difference. From the grassroots will come out a culture of truth and integrity we so deeply seek and build," the bishops said. Six-point call The bishops listed six points as highlights of their pastoral letter: 1. Condemn the continuing culture of corruption from the top to the bottom of our social and political ladder; 2. Urge the President and all the branches of government to take the lead in combating corruption wherever it is found; 3. Recommend the abolition of EO 464 so that those who might have knowledge of any corruption in branches of government, may be free to testify before the appropriate investigating bodies; 4. Ask the President to allow her subordinates to reveal any corrupt acts, particularly about the ZTE-NBN deal, without being obstructed in their testimony no matter who is involved; 5. Appeal to our senators and the ombudsman to use their distinct and different powers of inquiry into alleged corruption cases not for their own interests but for the common good; 6. Call on media to be a positive resource of seeking the truth and combating corruption by objective reporting without bias and partiality, selective and tendentious reporting of facts. The bishops said they are convinced that "the search for truth in the midst of charges and allegations must be determined and relentless.'' Malacañang grateful The Presidential Palace thanked the bishops for their statement. In a text message sent to reporters Tuesday evening, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said the bishops' recommendations "certainly deserve very serious consideration." "We welcome the statement of the CBCP which exhorts everyone to fight corruption and search for truth," Bunye said. He said the nation deserves a respite from "frantic, irrational and dangerous call for the President to resign, while the real truth has yet to be established by the court of law." "Let us be discerning about the motives of detractors while maintaining a sharp focus on uplifting the lives of the greater peaceful majority," Bunye added. Cory: Time to quit The CBCP statement came as a consultant in a questionable telecommunications deal testified before the Senate that millions of dollars in kickbacks went to Mrs Arroyo and her husband. Former President Corazon Aquino, a former Arroyo supporter, repeated that she should quit, calling it the most noble and least disruptive way out of the moral crisis.'' Deputy presidential spokesman Anthony Golez countered that the Constitution offers a solution through the justice system and that people with "selfish motivations" should not be allowed to influence the situation. President Arroyo has not directly addressed the allegations against her and her husband, but has said she opposes corruption and that her family does no business with the government. Mrs Arroyo told her economic Cabinet team Tuesday that she wanted a quick outcome of separate investigations by the Justice department and the Office of the Ombudsman so that "people can file a complaint if they see any irregularity." She also appealed to the church, civil society and the media to join hands with the government in "unearthing the truth so that justice will prevail." Thousands of left-wing and church-backed activists took to the streets Monday to demand Mrs Arroyo's resignation on the anniversary of the 1986 "people power" revolt that toppled late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Military and police generals, along with 4,000 police officers, staged their own "unity walk" to show loyalty to Arroyo amid coup rumors. Pro-Arroyo lawmakers also led a rally by more than 3,000 people. Another coup plot? Police said Tuesday they have received reliable intelligence reports of a possible public uprising being organized by junior military officers and other armed groups. Police cited the reports in seeking a postponement of Wednesday's scheduled arraignment of an opposition senator and others charged with rebellion for a takeover last year of a five-star hotel that was aimed at triggering an uprising against Mrs Arroyo. Protesters have been galvanized by anti-corruption hearings at the Senate that exposed an anomalous $330 million telecommunications contract with Chinese company ZTE Corp. which allegedly involved kickbacks to senior officials and the President's husband. All those involved have denied the allegations, and Mrs Arroyo has scrapped the contract. Communications engineer Dante Madriaga, a ZTE consultant, told the Senate that an alleged bagman for officials, Ruben Reyes, received $41 million from ZTE in three batches, with some of the money going to Arroyo and her husband and part of it used to help administration candidates in last year's elections. "These 'allegations by installment' unless proven through the processes dictated by our laws would only remain as allegations," presidential spokesman Golez told reporters. - GMANews.TV with a report from the Associated Press