Malacañang says bishops are not above the law

Malacañang reminded the Catholic bishops Saturday that they are not above the law in the ongoing controversy over donations received by some bishops from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

The issue started when PCSO Chair Margarita Juico said in an interview that then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo showered bishops with SUVs and cash donations using PCSO funds. The PCSO this week named a priest and several bishops as having received sports utility vehicles from the agency.

As the controversy has dragged on, the Senate Blue Ribbon committee will also investigate the alleged misuse of billions of PCSO funds during the Arroyo administration.

Article VI Section 29 (2) of the Constitution decrees that "No public money or property shall be appropriated, applied, paid, or employed, directly or indirectly, for the use, benefit, or support of any sect, church, denomination, sectarian institution, or system of religion, or of any priest, preacher, minister, or other religious teacher, or dignitary as such, except when such priest, preacher, minister, or dignitary is assigned to the armed forces, or to any penal institution, or government orphanage or leprosarium."

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte has cleared other religions groups saying the Commission on Audit has not found any donations made to them.

However, Valte said that Malacañang is not not singling out the Catholic Church. She said that it just so happened that the Commission on Audit has reported that donations were made to the bishops in its 2008 and 2009 reports.

On the other hand, some bishops who were dragged into the controversy admitted to have received funds from the PCSO. They said, however, that the funds were channeled into helping the poor or the vehicles that they received did not become personal cars, but for bringing aid to communities that needed help. — DBL