FOLLOWING the stand of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) has expressed opposition to the so-called People's Initiative (PI) aimed at amending the 1987 Constitution.
In a statement, CEAP said it is in support of the CBCP position in opposing the PI, as the initiative lacks transparency and seeks to deceive the Filipino people.
"We deplore the surreptitious gathering of signatures in exchange for money in an attempt to show that Filipino citizens want to change the Constitution. This so-called 'People's Initiative' is a clear deception against the Filipino people and a brazen insult to the bedrock of our democracy," said CEAP.
"CEAP vehemently opposes any initiative to change the Constitution for self-preservation and perpetuation of political leaders," it added.
The organization of Catholic schools said it is against Charter change because it is a waste of time of public officials elected to follow the law.
"Charter change unnecessarily depletes our meager public funds and wastes the time of our political leaders. We did not vote for them to change the Constitution but to uphold it," said CEAP.
It also believes that Charter change is unnecessary since the country's problems, particularly on corruption, cannot be blamed on the Constitution.
"We should not get distracted by what corrupt political leaders want us to believe," it stressed.
CEAP said it is against Charter change as it is being pursued solely for the self-interest of those in power.
"They may employ euphemisms and sugarcoat their statements, but the truth will not be denied: they are the beneficiaries of the proposed Charter Change and never the Filipino citizens," said CEAP.
Last week, the CBCP warned the Filipino faithful against falling for the "deceptive" PI, saying such an action is "not good" for the country.
The CEAP, then, vowed to remain faithful to its active advocacy and engagement by helping guide the faithful on the matter.
"We urge all our member schools to counsel all stakeholders to be keenly mindful, prayerful, discerning, and open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit," it said.
"We cannot remain passive when the common good and the foundations of our democracy are in jeopardy," added CEAP.
To note, CEAP has an approximate number of 1,500 member schools nationwide. (HDT/SunStar Philippines)
