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Saturday, February 04, 2006
Bishops open to GMA ‘talks’
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) welcomes a chance for “a constructive dialogue” with President Arroyo, on the heels of their pastoral letter calling for an end to destructive politics.
“We have not yet received an invitation, the one published is not an invitation, but we would still welcome that,” CBCP President Angel Lagdameo told reporters in Cebu yesterday.
Unlike the bishops, however, more outspoken critics of the Arroyo administration aren’t planning a dialogue, but a nationwide caravan to oppose the President’s policies.
National organizers of the Citizens’ Pilgrimage for Truth and Reforms will stop by Cebu from Cagayan on Tuesday to join a 5 a.m. mass at Pier 4 and a march to Metro Gaisano Colon that will follow.
20th anniversary
The caravan will end in time for the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the People Power uprising that ended the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.
“It’s time to make noise and shout: You can’t con-ass! You can’t con us anymore,” said Boboie Belarmino of Bisig, who read the local convenors’ statement in a press conference yesterday.
(“Con-ass” refers to Congress’ move to amend the Constitution by themselves, operating as a constituent assembly.)
Among the national convenors of the pilgrimage are the Black and White Movement, Bangon Pilipinas, Institute for Popular Democracy and the Hyatt 10—the Arroyo Cabinet secretaries who resigned at the height of allegations the President rigged the 2004 elections results.
While the bishops admit some “frustration” with the Arroyo administration, there is no animosity against Malacañang, Archbishop Lagdameo said in a separate interview.
“As bishops, we believe that at the bottom of our political chaos is a crisis of moral values, a crisis of truth and justice, of unity and solidarity for the sake of the common good and genuine peace. Truth has become a victim of political partisanship, as well as of transactional politics,” the bishops’ pastoral letter read.
Freedom
Lagdameo pointed out that while the bishops are open to the possibility of President Arroyo’s resignation, the people must “give her the freedom to evaluate herself.”
The CBCP president also said that there was no discussion regarding the custody of deposed president Joseph Estrada during the bishops’ assembly late last month.
Former senator Rene Saguisag earlier filed a motion before the Sandiganbayan to release Estrada on recognizance either to Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal or Estrada’s wife Luisa, a senator.
Lagdameo said he did distribute a letter from Estrada addressed to the bishops, but added there were no reactions.
Lagdameo was the guest speaker of the 70th anniversary of the annual convention of the Catholic Physicians Guild of the Philippines (CPGP) at the Cebu Midtown Hotel yesterday.
Physicians from all over the country discussed issues such as contraceptives, organ transplant operations, in-vitro fertilization, abortion and euthanasia.
While the doctors took up matters of life and death, Arroyo’s critics worried about a different set of issues.
Hold elections
Jose Tomongha of the Alliance of Progressive Labor-Visayas said they are against a constituent assembly since it is not a fair process in changing the system of government.
One proposal to suspend the 2007 local elections, to make way for the shift to parliament, was assailed for limiting the people’s choices.
Elsie Viliran of the Philippine Network for Rural Development, a farmers’ group, said that if the elections are postponed, problems like the fertilizer fund controversy will continue to hurt their sector.
That controversy includes the release of P6 million in taxpayers’ funds to a foundation in Cebu, supposedly for farm inputs. (JGA/CYR)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (February 4, 2006 issue)
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