ECON 211-B

Bishop asked GMA for new car as b'day gift

MANILA, Philippines - Butuan Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos wrote a letter to then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in February 2009 to ask for a brand new car for his 66th birthday.

He said he will use the vehicle to reach far-flung areas in the Caraga region.

 "I hope you will never fail to give a brand new car which would serve as your birthday gift to me," Pueblos said in the letter.    "For your information, I have with me a seven-year-old car which is not anymore in good running condition. Therefore, this needs to be replaced very soon," he added.   Arroyo agreed and after 5 months, the  Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) gave Pueblos a check for P 1.7 million, which he used to buy a Mitsubishi Montero.   PCSO director Aleta Tolentino said Pueblos is one out of 7 bishops close to Arroyo who were given money to buy vehicles.   "Kay dami-daming mahihirap na tao, parang imoral po at kukuha kayo ng P1.7 million na sasakyan tapos sa parish niyo napakamaraming mahirap," she said.

Pueblos declined to be interviewed, but he admitted receiving the money to buy a Montero which, he says, he uses to reach poor communities.   Article 6, Section 29 of the Constitution bans the use of government funds for any sect, church, religion or priest except when they are assigned in the military, jail, government orphanage, or leprosarium.   However, former PCSO chair Manoling Morato sees nothing wrong with the issue.

"May decision ang Korte Suprema dyan, Estrada vs Escritor. There should be a benevolent neutrality, walang pader na naghihiwalay sa church and state," Morato said.   He added that it has long been the practice of presidents to help the church.   "Naaawa ako sa bishops, trial by publicity. Nalulungkot ako. [The] government we have now is mafioso, vindictive. Si Cory naman, katakot-takot ang tulong sa simbahan noon," he added.   House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman, meanwhile, said while it's not a crime for bishops to ask for funds from the PCSO, the act is immoral.   "The Catholic Church is way too rich to be a charity case and has more than sufficient resources to finance its charitable work without competing with countless indigent patients and legitimate charity beneficiaries," he added.

Meanwhile, Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez supports a probe on his fellow bishops.      Iñiguez said this will allow the accused to air their side. - Report from Karen Davila, ABS-CBN News

Source/Reference: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/bishop-asked-gma-car-bday-gift-190143314.html

REACTION:

               Personally, this article made me fell off my seat. Ofcourse, not literally. I was so shocked, at the same time embarrassed for having a Filipino Catholic leader who's engaged in this kind of such scandalous report. It's very inappropriate for this said bishop to do such thing. He never really cared for the people who were unfortunate enough to be struck by poverty. I can't even imagine what he was thinking when he wrote this letter to the then president, GMA. It was an immoral and unethical thing to do knowing the fact that there are a lot of people who don't even have something to eat. 1.7 million is a lot of money. There are a lot of things that it could do to help those people who are in grave need. Instead, the bishop chose to meet his wants, which I think is very unnecessary. He even reasoned out that he is using the SUV to get to places where the poor people are located. Now, that's just plain stupid.

               The saddest part of this article I think is when it is revealed that the bishop is not the only one who was given an SUV. There were a total of 7 bishops, including the latter, that were given such gifts. So if you multiply 1.7 million 7 times, that would give you a hell lot of money. I could already imagine the things, programs, social activities, establishments, etc that could have been bought and done out of these money. Unfortunately, it is and will always be just an imagination. 

               This kind of incidents should open our eyes to what is happening in our country. We were once dubbed as a country with a very bright future at the end of WWII because of our development with regards to our resilience to our devastated situation after the war. But looking our status now, where are we? I hope this incident will serve as an answer to this question and at the same time, will serve as a ground for us to act now and demand change in our society.

               Till then, we live in a world where giving money and power to the government is like giving beer and car keys to teenage boys. WHAT A PAIN!