The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) wants deposed President Joseph Estrada out of the country.
At a press conference yesterday, the CBCP backed the proposal of Senate Pre-sident Aquilino Pimentel Jr. to send Estrada into exile to help stabilize the administration of President Arroyo.
Emerging from the six-day National Pastoral Consultation on Church Renewal (NPCCR) at the San Carlos Pastoral Formation Complex in Makati City, the bishops led by CBCP president Orlando Quevedo raised the alarm over Estrada’s continued stay in the country.
They echoed Pimentel’s warning that the presence of Estrada might be used as a "rallying point" by his supporters to destabilize the new administration.
Citing the many obstacles which the Arroyo administration  which he described as an "instant go-vernment"  has to hurdle, Quevedo said Estrada’s stay in the country would attract pockets of discontent with the new government.
"Dapat umalis na lang siya (He should just leave)," Quevedo said.
Justice Secretary Hernando Perez earlier said that the government cannot force Estrada out of the country if he wants to stay here.
Various militant organizations led by the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), Sanlakas and other civic groups expressed a different stand on the issue.
Though these groups joined the Church in earlier calling for Estrada’s ouster, they now say prison instead of exile would be better. "Rather than be exiled, he should be imprisoned," they said.
While conceding that Estrada remains a threat because of his loyalists, the groups believed that the former leader should stay in the country to face the charges against him.
KMU chairman Crispin Beltran reiterated yesterday the demand for the immediate arrest and detention of Estrada and the seizure of his assets.
Beltran stressed the urgency for the Arroyo administration to throw the book at Estrada to convince his allies in the Senate and the People’s Movement Against Poverty (PMAP) led by Ronaldo Lumbao that the corrupt and crony-infested administration of their "boss" is indeed over.
He also assailed Lumbao for planning chaos and anarchy by capitalizing on the poverty of Estrada’s supporters.
"The man is intent on carving a name for himself in the hall of notoriety. He is on par with the likes of Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Francisco Tatad, Juan Ponce Enrile and Blas Ople. He should sign up as dancing partner of Sen. Tessie Aquino-Oreta," Beltran said.
Beltran said Mrs. Arroyo should speed up the prosecution process of Estrada even "if the completion of her Cabinet is delayed."
He said the Filipino people demand that the new President exercise strong political will. "This was what the people have been clamoring for at the EDSA Shrine," he added.
Meanwhile, Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin called on the Catholic faithful to keep the fire of EDSA alive following the success of the second peaceful revolt centered at the historic highway.
"The EDSA Shrine is indeed a holy ground," said Sin as he urged the people to make a pilgrimage to the site every first Saturday of the month to pray to Mary, Queen of Peace.
He noted that when the people gathered at the shrine, the presence of the Lord was evident.
The two people power revolutions, he said, taught Filipinos that if we turn to God and pray and do penance, then He will hear our prayers and restore dignity and heal our land.
But militant groups said true healing can begin only with the release of all political prisoners.