EDITORIAL

PCSO Gives, Bishops Receive

"If it is for the good of the people, I lobby for them. But for my personal use, I never asked", Tandag, Surigao Bishop Nereo Odchimar answered when asked of his thoughts about the six sports utility vehicles (SUV) given to the six (6) bishops of the Roman Catholic Church.

Bishop Odchimar is the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). As a bishop, he had sought for the help of then president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo for the concreting of coastal roads in his province.

Bishop Odchimar admitted, he owns a used Mitsubishi Pajero he purchased for P200,000 out of his own money. "I can show you the deed of absolute sale if you have doubt", he offered.

In a news report, the present Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has identified six (6) Catholic Bishops that received SUVs and cash amounting to P8.3 million from 2007 – 2010. This is the last three years of Ms. Arroyo’s government. "This action was a violation of the constitution", the Commission on Audit (COA) believes.

"Bishop can’t invoke the separation of the Church and the State to escape culpability over the alleged misuse of funds of the state run PCSO," the Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile and Sen. Panfilo Lacson to have said. The two senators agreed, "the Constitution of 1987 barred the donation of public funds for the benefit of any religious group or priests".

Section 6, Article II of the Constitution states, "the separation of the church and state shall be inviolable".

According to Sen. Lacson, the church had long encroached on state affairs. Now they are not only interfering. They have received endowments and vehicles from the executive branch" (of the governemt).

Culpability for the distribution of PCSO largess to bishops and lawmakers could lead to (Cong.) Arroyo, Sen. Lacson stressed. Sen. Lacson said, he has seen documents showing that then president Arroyo approved the allotment of charity funds for certain personalities.

On the other hand, Sen. Pres. Juan Ponce Enrile withheld giving his opinion that the bishops violated the law until the specifics of the grants are established.

But Sec. 29(2) of Article VI of the Constitution provides: "No public money or property shall be appropriated, applied, paid or employed, directly or indirectly, for the use, benefits, or support of any sect, church, denomination, sectarian institution, or system of religion, or any priest, preacher, minister…except when such priest, preacher or dignitary is assigned to the armed forces…"

Moreover, why would PCSO give luxury vehicles purchased out of public money?

Are the churches and the priests above the law? Sen. Pres. Enrile pointed out, "even the highest political leader, religious leaders, priests, ministers who violated the law or committed a crime, those persons are not immune from the operation of the law."

Some bishops view the charges as part of the government’s counter attack against the church critical of the Reproductive Health Bill". However, Enrile and Lacson believe the SUVs issue has nothing to do with the said proposed legislation.

According to the charity arm of the Archdiocese of Manila, the cash and SUVs given the bishops are parts of the long critical collaboration between the Church and the State.

The church had good intention when it received cash and luxury vehicles from the PCSO as they form parts of their spiritual and material services to the poor, Fr. Anton Pascual of Caritas Manila executive director pointed out.

But those were luxury vehicles. Who are using those sports vehicles? Bishops deserve the use of luxury vehicles as well. But it must not come from the charity fund intended for the people who have less in life.

Will the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investigate this PCSO SUVs and cash given to the bishops? Why not?

But remember, the receiver has no option to choose. It is the giver’s domain to select which thing to give, and whom to give.

Any violation of the law or the constitution of the Philippines, the penalty must fall on the heads of the givers. The bishops only received. Did they asked for SUVs and cash? /MP