The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines yesterday did not call for the resignation of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo but instead called on her and all branches of government “to take the lead in combating corruption wherever it is found.”

“We face today a crisis of truth and the pervading cancer of corruption. We must seek the truth and we must restore integrity. These are moral values needing spiritual and moral insights,” the CBCP said.

The bishops issued the call in a pastoral statement after a day-long meeting where Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra said they would take into account the current political crisis. He, however, could not be reached for comment on the new pastoral letter as of press time yesterday.

Some Negros Occidental priests had earlier expressed the hope that the CBCP would join the call for the President’s resignation but yesterday withheld comment on its new pastoral letter.

“We strongly condemn the continuing culture of corruption from the top to the bottom of our social and political ladder,” the CBCP pastoral letter said.

The bishops called for the abolition of Executive Order 464 so that those who might have knowledge of any corruption in government may be free to testify before the appropriate investigating bodies, and asked the President to allow her subordinates to reveal any corrupt acts, particularly on the National Broadband Network deal, no matter who is involved.

They also asked the Senate and the Ombudsman to use their powers of inquiry to fight corruption, not for their own interests, but for the common good; and on the media be positive resources of seeking the truth and combating corruption by objective reporting.

They also encouraged the creation of a culture of truth and integrity – the new version of people power.*CPG

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