‘Catholic Church split on Estrada-resign call’

The Catholic Church in the Philippines does not speak in one voice, after all, as Catholic bishops in Cebu rejected the call for President Estrada to resign.

Monsignor Achilles Dakay, media liaison officer of the Archdiocese of Cebu, said yesterday the call by the Catholic bishops for the President to resign "is still premature until such times as the President shall have been given due process under the law."

Dakay said in an interview that well-meaning citizens "should not only judge President Estrada as a person but most importantly consider why the issue of gambling has been with us all these years."

He urged Filipinos not to jump to the conclusion that by removing the President, "social evil will go away with him."

Dakay took exception to the report that the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) headed by Bishop Orlando Quevedo is completely behind the call for the President to resign.

"That’s the personal sentiment of the CBCP president. His personal sentiment is not the sentiment of the organization," he said, adding that the Archdiocese of Cebu does not have a stand on the issue because Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, archbishop of Cebu, is still in Rome attending the Jubilee celebration of bishops and will be back on Oct. 22 yet.

Meanwhile, Metro Manila mayors reiterated their call for sobriety urging their constituents not to be distracted by the raging political controversies.

The mayors said premature politicking is wreaking havoc on the economy.

In separate statements, the local executives reminded their constituents of the need to address the various local problems, airing fears that city workers’ attention might be derailed by the heightened political activities.

Manila Mayor Lito Atienza urged his constituents to focus on the more important concerns facing the country, saying "let us not allow ourselves to be sidetracked by the political circus that has been generated by the issue."

He called on Manila residents to remain calm and view this issue on a sober and objective manner.

Mayors Ismael Mathay Jr. of Quezon City, Jaime Fresnedi of Muntinlupa, Vergel "Nene" Aguilar of Las Piñas, Ben Hur Abalos of Mandaluyong, Wenceslao "Peewee" Trinidad of Pasay and MMDA Chairman Jejomar Binay called on Metro Manila residents to allow the established constitutional process to resolve the controversy arising from Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson’s allegations that President Estrada received illegal gambling payoffs.

Mathay said he doubted the truthfulness of Singson’s allegations against the President. He noted that even members of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee also doubt the credibility of Singson.