Palace tells impeach proponents to take cue from CBCP letter

Malacañang called yesterday on impeachment proponents and other detractors of President Arroyo to take their cue from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), which had decided not to give its blessings on the fresh efforts to impeach her.

"What the CBCP said was very clear, they are asking if those who are filing (impeachment complaints) or those who have filed are doing it for their selfish interests or for the common good," presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor told a press conference.

"The CBCP statement is not only reflective of the stand of the church but also of the sentiment of the people they administer to and their flock whom they interact with in their respective dioceses," he said.

The pastoral statement, issued after a two-day retreat, was virtually a call for a stop to the opposition’s intensified efforts to force Mrs. Arroyo from office.

Defensor said the bishops reiterated the Arroyo administration’s message that Filipinos are tiring of the months-long political bickering and want to move on.

In a pastoral letter issued last Sunday, the CBCP declared that unless the new impeachment bid against Mrs. Arroyo is "guided by no other motive than genuine concern for the common good, impeachment will again serve as an unproductive political exercise dismaying citizens" as well as reinforcing their "negative perception of politicians" as a whole.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye Jr. said the opposition until now has not been able to come up with evidence of any wrongdoing by Mrs. Arroyo.

"The means that the opposition wants to arrive at the truth, is not what we think is the right process and according to the CBCP is unproductive," Bunye said.

He also said the administration is willing to work closer with the CBCP in addressing other issues raised in its pastoral letter.

The CBCP had urged reform of the fraud-tainted Commission on Elections, saying that calls for "resignation or even prosecution of a number of the commissioners should not be lightly brushed aside. The electoral process, including counting of votes, needs to be reformed and modernized before the next elections."

The bishops reiterated their opposition to a "people’s initiative" being pushed by Mrs. Arroyo’s allies to amend the Constitution, saying it was "open to manipulation by groups with self-serving interests."

They also condemned a series of unsolved killings targeting left-wing activists and attempts to secularize family values. The church opposes recent government moves to introduce sex education in schools, which is in line with efforts to slow the country’s high population growth rate and enable the fragile economy to keep up.

Bunye said the administration will soon send a formal reply to the bishops that will include proposals for joint activities with the CBCP and government agencies to work on the issues.

He said Mrs. Arroyo wants to enhance government efforts to protect the Filipino family. "These efforts include the review of all policies and programs and existing laws to enable us to further realign all these policies to strengthen the Filipino family."

He said the Palace is also pushing for a joint government and CBCP forum where issues on Charter change can be discussed before the public where those against or for amending the Constitution would be invited and all sides would be heard.

"The common denominator here is that everyone agrees that we need transparency in doing this and a massive information campaign," Bunye said.

Mrs. Arroyo has also ordered the Philippine National Police to form a special unit to work with the bishops on the unsolved killings of journalists and left-leaning activists. — With Aurea Calica