wfn.org | Philippine Episcopal primate joins calls for president's resignation

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2000-184

Philippine Episcopal primate joins calls for president's resignation

by Jan Nunley

     (ENS) The Prime Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the Philippines has joined 
calls for the resignation of Philippine president Joseph Estrada. Allegations of 
corruption have dogged Estrada's two-year administration, but for the first time 
a high-ranking official has recently accused Estrada of profiting personally. 
Ilocos Sur Governor Luis "Chavit" Singson, a member of the Estrada inner circle, 
charged that Estrada was given more than P400 million in payoffs by illegal 
gambling operators engaged in the highly popular game called jueteng.

     "The jueteng gambling scandal has eroded the morality of the President's 
leadership--his moral ascendancy," said the October 18 statement by the Most. 
Rev. Ignacio Soliba. "It has destroyed the trust and confidence given by the 
Filipino electorate for him to govern this country effectively and responsibly. 
For His Excellency, President Estrada, to remain as the President has become 
painfully unbearable for many Filipinos. The call of the hour is for him to make 
a magnanimous sacrifice by stepping down from the Presidency," the statement 
said.

     "We now join the churches, NGOs, people's organizations, business, and other 
sectors; and we urge and call upon our beloved President to resign voluntarily 
and irrevocably as an advanced gift for his people. All in the spirit of 
Christmas and the Jubilee Year 2000. Mr. President, to do so would be a great 
honor, a heroic act, a supreme sacrifice for you and for the good of your 
people," the statement concludes.

     A statement released in October by the National Council of Churches in the 
Philippines (NCCP) also called for Estrada to "voluntarily divest himself of his 
presidential powers--an act that could unite the people in collectively realizing 
their hopes and aspirations for justice, truth and freedom."

Not 1986, but bloody nonetheless

     The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) recently added 
its voice to Manila Roman Catholic archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin's long-standing 
call for Estrada to resign. Noting that the President has been named in several 
past scandals, which he described as morally reprehensible, Bishop Orlando 
Quevedo, CBCP president, said the CBCP supports Sin's declaration that Mr. 
Estrada has lost moral ascendancy. 

     In Rome and elsewhere, Quevedo said, Filipinos are hard pressed to explain 
why, in a very religious country such as the Philippines, graft and corruption 
could thrive. At the jubilee of bishops in Rome October 6-8, Quevedo said fellow 
bishops followed the revelations with great concern. Another Roman Catholic 
bishop, Antonio Fortich, warned that if the President would not heed the call to 
step down, "force may come in," adding that this time, "it may not be like 1986, 
but will be bloody." 

     In Malacaņang, the presidential palace, press undersecretary Mike Toledo 
dismissed the CBCP demand for the President to resign and described it as 
"premature, very untimely and definitely uncalled for." 

     The Iglesia Ni Kristo (INK) and Protestant groups that form the Negros 
Ecumenical Peace Advocates (NEPA) have also supported the "Resign Estrada" call 
and promised to bring the issue to their pulpits. 

     "We believe President Joseph Estrada has lost the moral ground to govern our 
nation and therefore has failed the Filipino people and has to resign," said Rev. 
Fr. Primo Pialda, NEPA chair. The group also urged Filipinos to "remain vigilant 
on grandstanders, military adventurism and political opportunists," and "remain 
steadfast and immovable in our quest for a truly sovereign, democratic and 
developed nation." NEPA has launched a signature campaign for the resignation of 
the President. 

      "Mr. Estrada has lost the moral authority to lead the country. He must now 
be removed from office either through forced resignation, impeachment or through 
other democratic means," said opposition Rep. Ernesto Herrera, also secretary-
general of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP). Trade unions plan 
to hold a general strike on or before Nov. 30, Bonifacio Day, to force President 
Estrada to resign. 

--The Rev. Jan Nunley is deputy director of the Episcopal Church's Office of News 
and Information. This article is based on reports from the Manila Times.