Evangelical churches won’t join quit call, but…

The Presidential Council on Moral Values is apparently divided over calls for President Arroyo to resign.

One of its members, the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC), agreed with the stand taken by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) that impeachment proceedings against Mrs. Arroyo could be the key to solving the current political crisis.

Another member, the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), which claims to represent more than 13 million evangelical churchgoers, had asked Mrs. Arroyo to resign a week before she issued her apology.

PCEC president Bishop Efraim Tendero said their members unanimously approved a resolution that they would not ask Mrs. Arroyo to resign, but that they must have the truth on issues hounding the President and her administration.

"Let the President have her day in court," he said. "However, we appeal to the President and the party in power to allow the constitutional process to arrive at a speedy and just resolution of the issues confronting the presidency."

Tendero urged Mrs. Arroyo not to hamper "constitutional processes" so the crisis can be quickly resolved. "Otherwise, if this would linger on, there would really be an impasse that would be detrimental to the nation," he said.

PCEC is said to be largest group of evangelical churches in the country, counting 65 denominations, 132 mission organizations and over 20,000 local churches among its members.

"We stand for truth in the resolution of the present national crisis, believing that (the) truth will set us free," the PCEC statement said. "But our quest for truth must be done within the framework of the Constitution. We believe in the rule of law and reject any violent means. We seek order and not anarchy."

Tendero said their group is against any transition or revolutionary government because it would violate the Constitution. He said Mrs. Arroyo’s resignation would have to be "her personal choice."

Bishop Fred Magbanua, also from the PCEC, said they met with Mrs. Arroyo about one week before she publicly apologized for calling an election official during the canvassing of votes after last year’s presidential election. The opposition claimed this was evidence that she had rigged the results in her favor, but she has denied the allegation.

Magbanua said they confronted the President about the controversies besetting her administration during a luncheon meeting, and "she asked us to pray for her that the Holy Spirit would guide her on what to do."

The CBCP is also a member of the council, which is presided over by Mrs. Arroyo. Other members of the council are representatives from the Adventist, Aglipayan, Hindu and Buddhist religious groups. Resigned education secretary Florencio Abad was the council’s vice chairman.

Mrs. Arroyo formed the council in a bid to promote moral values in all sectors of society through various networks. Abad was designated vice chairman of the council because, as education chief, he was responsible for promoting moral values in schools.

Abad is one of the 10 government officials who tendered their irrevocable resignations last week and called on Mrs. Arroyo to quit her post, claiming she had lost her credibility and capability to lead the country.

Magbanua, who aggressively campaigned for evangelist Bro. Eddie Villanueva in last year’s presidential poll, said he does not agree with Villanueva’s call for Mrs. Arroyo to resign.

"But I still respect Bro. Eddie, he is still my friend," he said, adding that they are on different sides of the fence because of their differing views on "righteousness."

For his part, Tendero believes that Filipinos are politically mature but stressed that "we cannot absolutize political judgment. So, we must respect one another’s position. But in the end, everyone should aim for the betterment and welfare of our country."

The PCEC and Villanueva’s Jesus Is Lord Movement come from two different orders of the church, according to Tendero.

Meanwhile, lawmakers said in a joint statement that the opposition’s move to ignore the course of action suggested by the CBCP and the PCEC in dealing with the political crisis was a "virtual rejection of divine guidance."

Palawan Rep. Abraham Mitra III said opposition members had been quick to pounce on statements from clergymen supporting their campaign to oust Mrs. Arroyo, but turned their back on statements from the two largest groups of Christian leaders.

"Our friends in the opposition are parsing the statements of our Church leaders (who) have clearly come out against the resignation option against the President to get us out of this present political crisis. But instead of heeding this call from the Catholic and Protestant churches, the opposition is hell-bent on pushing its agenda, and the country be damned because of their irresponsible actions," he said.

Lanao del Sur Rep. Benasing Macarambon said his fellow Muslims were in accord with the stand taken by the CBCP and PCEC.

Albay Rep. Joey Salceda said in a statement that last Friday’s display by anti-Arroyo forces were clearly calibrated to sway the CBCP bishops, who were then in the thick of discussions on their statement, which they issued Sunday morning.

Salceda lauded the bishops for not allowing themselves to be influenced by the withdrawal of support by former President Corazon Aquino, the Liberal Party faction led by Senate President Franklin Drilon, and the 10 government officials whom he described as "the linchpin of civil society in government."

Salceda said two critical points swung the CBCP’s position in favor of Mrs. Arroyo: the bishops assessed that last year’s elections were generally clean and orderly, and they deemed that the evidence on which allegations of electoral fraud against Mrs. Arroyo are based are of a speculative and highly controvertible nature.