Bishops say donated vehicles not luxurious

MANILA, Philippines - Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal yesterday said that none of the vehicles donated by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to certain Catholic bishops were luxurious and all of them, as well as other donations from the state-run firm, were used for projects for the poor.

Vidal lamented that the PCSO and the Commission on Audit (COA) did not even bother to check first with the bishops concerned before announcing to the media the supposedly immoral and illegal donations.

“They (PCSO and COA) should have had the fairness to inquire with us first or ask us what this is all about,” Vidal told The STAR in an interview at his residence in Mandaluyong City.

“Poor people always knock on our doors, and these vehicles are used for many purposes, for delivery of health and education services. We cannot close our doors to all those who seek our help,” he said.

The prelate issued the statement as members of the CBCP are in closed retreat in Tagaytay to tackle social issues.

While Vidal was not part of the controversy, he said he felt he needed to help the bishops clarify issues to the public.

He showed pictures of some of the vehicles donated by the PCSO taken before the controversy came out that showed they were used for charity projects.

He also detailed the use and the nature of the donations given to the so-called “Pajero 7” bishops since 2007 and stressed none of them got brand-new Mitsubishi Pajeros.

Bontoc-Lagawe Bishop Rodolfo Beltran, who was given P600,000 in April 2007, used the amount to purchase a 10-year-old Nissan Pathfinder pick-up amounting to P280,000 that was used for medical missions in far-flung areas in his diocese. The rest of the funds were used for the Alay Kapwa programs of the church.

Abra Bishop Leopoldo Jaucian, who received a donation amounting to P1.129 million in January 2009, used the fund to buy a second-hand Mitsubishi pick-up that was used to ferry personnel and materials for various projects of his diocese.

Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Quevedo also received a donation for the purchase of a Pajero as reported by a newspaper in 2009, but what was bought was a van and the rest of the funds was used by the Social Action Center (SAC) of the archdiocese for distribution of medicine and other relief goods during calamities in Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat, North Cotabato, Cotabato City, and Shariff Kabungsuan.

Basilan Bishop Martin Jumoad was also reported to have received funds to buy a Pajero, but the amount was used to buy a pick-up for community work in depressed areas in the province.

The same was the case for Bishops Romulo Valles of the Archdiocese of Zamboanga and Ernesto Salgado of Ilocos Sur, who bought a Toyota van and an Isuzu utility vehicle for their respective SACs. The remainder of the donation was used for various medical outreach programs for poor families.

A Church official said while Butuan City Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos indeed requested a 4x4 vehicle from the PCSO and then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, there was apparently already a request from the bishop for a vehicle from the PCSO and he just wanted to follow it up in time for his birthday.

“He was not only the bishop of four provinces, Surigao del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Agusan del Norte, but he was also a member of the CARAGA peace and order council, and was a member of other bodies, including the Zeñarosa Commission that was tasked to dismantle private armies,” the official said.

He also noted that most of the bishops named by the PCSO were administering to dioceses where unpaved roads and poor communities are located in hard to reach areas, which was why there were specific request for 4X4s or utility vehicles and vans.

The same official noted that the COA report spoke of a P1.5-billion PCSO private account not authorized by the Department of Finance and P1.961 billion in questionable expenses, but the agency and the PCSO chose to focus on the P6.9 million in “questionable” donations to the Catholic Church. “Why single us out?” he asked.

CBCP president Tandag Bishop Nereo Odchimar, meanwhile, wrote a two-page letter to Sen. Teofisto Guingona III yesterday saying the bishops are prepared to explain before the Senate to air their side of the matter.

“The bishop does not own the donation but holds it in trust for public use of his Diocese. Hence, the donation is not given to the bishop as such. Whatever benefit the Catholic Church may draw from the gift is purely incidental,” a portion of Odchimar’s letter read.