Wednesday, March 19, 2008

UPDATED: The CBCP is part of the Problem

When they issue statements that make it clear that they firmly stand behind this "president" and encourage the flock to do the same-- they're part of the problem.

They're part of the abetting of Corruption.

From Rina Jimenez David:

In fact, it seems to me that in the most recent pastoral letter signed by Rosales and bishops in nearby dioceses in time for Holy Week, the church leaders were more inclined to lay the blame on everyone, denouncing the "corruption we detect in ourselves." Indeed, we are all to blame for the state of our country, particularly as voters who allow our votes to be bought, corrupted or trivialized. But by saying that "everyone" is responsible for bad governance, aren't the bishops in effect saying that "no one" is to blame?

THE LETTER seems more intent on quelling the rising tide of protest--which Arroyo officials hope will be dissipated by the Holy Week break--than in clarifying the moral issues involved in the current political crisis.

Granted, as the Cardinal and bishops aver, that "we can restore truth and justice without resorting to violence and hatred," in the face of an administration that is using all its powers to block the search for truth and persecute the truth-tellers, how can the people demand and receive accountability from our public officials? What moral option is left to the people who find all legal and democratic avenues to getting at the truth of the corruption allegations blocked at every turn?


"Everybody's corrupt"? Now that's a familiar line. it sounds a little bit like the one used by a pro-Arroyo bishop to minimize the crime of Hello Garci election rigging: "everybody cheats anyway."

It's everybody's fault raw. The Opposition is corrupt too, the CBCP spokesman said. Their Accusers are corrupt. We're all corrupt.

To this I say: sorry CBCP bishops, pero buking na si Maam, si Garci, at ang administration na sinusuportahan nyo. Throwing mud back at us won't change a thing. And your Pastoral Letter is B.S.

We're corrupt? NO, YOU'RE CORRUPT! You and the administration you blindly support.

Looking back, it wasn't FVR who saved Arroyo back in 2005, but the CBCP. This is the same CBCP who's head at that time supported the Calibrated Preemptive Response when it first came out.

This is the same CBCP that called the the idea of impeaching Arroyo an "unproductive" exercise. Impeachment raw is not a credible means of establishing the truth.

MORE: Related commentary from Schumey.

UPDATE: Notice that the CBCP (except for one or two Bishops) continues to resist condemning Arroyo, if you read their statements carefully. But they weren't that shy about going after Erap when he was president, no?

And money quote from Edener Benitez Fabella:

Question is, how do you reconcile a message that condemns government’s blatant corruption while at the same time, warning critics against removal of the source?

2 comments:

Jego said...

To be fair, GMA is not the source of corruption. She might not even be the biggest 'graft-and-corruptor'. She is the president and therefore should be leading the fight against it, and not enabling it and benefiting from it. That is her unpardonable sin. If the president refuses to work to curb corruption, we as a people have a right to ask for her resignation and replace the president with someone who will.

john marzan said...

To be fair, GMA is not the source of corruption. She might not even be the biggest 'graft-and-corruptor'. She is the president and therefore should be leading the fight against it, and not enabling it and benefiting from it. That is her unpardonable sin.

Okay. Let us be fair. Since we learned of Arroyo's dirty role in Hello Garci, everything she did, she did to coverup and stonewall for Garcillano and Co., her ISAFP, and her allies and relatives who either stole or diverted funds for personal or political purposes with impunity. She used the gov't, the military, the courts and the police to thwart justice and to harass her critics.

To me, the coverup is worse than the crime, because our justice system is being perverted to aid Arroyo and her surrogates of getting away with criminal acts.