Thursday, August 28, 2008 Bishop calls for sobriety on recall
GUAGUA -- San Fernando Archbishop Paciano Aniceto has appealed to the proponents of the recall petition against Governor Eddie Panlilio, and those who oppose it, to exercise "sobriety and reason" in the ongoing move to eject the priest-turned-governor from the Capitol.
Aniceto made the appeal in reaction to the recall move being advanced by the Kambilan at Kapanalig ning Memalen Pampanga (Kambilan), which is aiming to gather within two months 100,000 signatures from voters of the province to evict Panlilio from office and open the gubernatorial post to other contenders.
The group has called on various sectors, including the religious community, to support the recall move.
Members of the Provincial Board (PB) unanimously supported the recall and vowed to actively solicit signatures from their respective constituents.
However, rather than issuing a definitive stand, Aniceto said the church would rather maintain a "constitutional disposition" on the issue.
"We recognize that the recall is a purely constitutional exercise and that people have the right to choose if they want to subject themselves to the process. This is also an opportunity for the governor to verify his leadership," Aniceto said.
Distancing himself from answering the call of Kambilan for the religious sector to support the recall, the prelate said he would rather let the "law take its proper course" on the issue.
"We, however, caution and advise the people behind and against the recall to exercise sobriety and reason through the course of this recall process," he added.
Kambilan president Rosve Henson said "some members of the clergy" have expressed their willingness to sign and support the recall petition against the governor.
He said the group can "snowball" the needed signatures by fielding 5,000 member volunteers and through the support of other elected officials and former Panlilio supporters.
Kambilan claimed that Panlilio has lost the confidence of thousands of Pampangueños in leading the province because of disharmony in the Provincial Government and other issues plaguing the Capitol, including the issue on the protesting members of the Biyaya A Luluguran at Sisikapan (Balas) and Panlilio's refusal to dismiss Provincial Administrator Vivian Dabu.
Aniceto, however, sees the recall move as a venue for the "clarification of the truth."
He also advised the parties concerned to go about their usual tasks and respect the outcome of the recall petition.
"We must respect the rule of law," he stressed. (IOF)
