MANILA, July 29, 2013— The Catholic Church should show moral leadership and consider avoiding asking and taking money from politicians to help stop corruption, a Catholic archbishop said.
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said that Church officials have a role to play and questions to ask themselves as moral leaders.
“Church-based organizations and institutions must make it our mantra in relation to politicians “Walang hihingi!” said Villegas, current vice president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
According to him, it is the “moral option” to avoid fuelling corruption “by grabbing a piece of the pie” through solicitations from politicians.
“We tempt the public officials to get money from jueteng (a multi-million underground lottery) or the pork barrel in order to accommodate us. Walang hihingi!” he said.
The archbishop’s statement is contained in a pastoral statement on the controversial multi-million “pork barrel” allocations.
The pork barrel system is currently the object of an ongoing investigation due to accusations of corruption being hurled against some senators and congressmen.
But even before the recent expose, the pork barrel, also known as the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), has long had a “bad reputation,” Villegas said.
In theory, he said, the pork barrel is “pro-poor and pro-marginalized” considering that it attempts to make government projects available to the poor.
“In reality, however, the pork barrel has been used by some elected representatives in Congress to prove to their constituents that they are concretely doing something for their welfare,” said Villegas.
In many instances, he added, the pork barrel has become like a “discretionary fund” of elected lawmakers.
“In theory, it is for the development of the poor and the far,” he said. “In reality, it has served to strengthen the clutch of politicians to power.”
Villegas also noted how ordinary citizens have benefited from politicians’ discretionary funds by asking financial aid and other personal needs from them.
“Let us make it our rule of life when we relate to politicians ‘Walang hihingi!’ Every time we ask our politicians for monetary help, we tempt them to dig into the pork barrel coffers or jueteng chests to accommodate our request,” he said.
Independence is compromised
Although he stopped of directly calling for the abolition of pork barrel, the archbishop lamented that the system undermines the supposed independence of Congress.
In law and practice, he said, the chief executive controls the release of the pork barrel to legislators.
“The consequence is the President can put pressure on legislators to toe his political line. The independence of Congress is compromised,” Villegas said.
“Public governance is stewardship but the pork barrel has made public governance a system of patronage. Stewardship liberates and uplifts. Patronage enslaves and insults.”
“One of the basic rules that make stewardship functional is transparency and accountability. Under no circumstances must transparency be excused and accountability ignored,” he added.
Vulnerable
On the part of the government, Villegas said it is “imperative: that those who approve the budget are distinct and separate from those who implement the projects.
“The present system is very vulnerable to conflict of interest, parochialism and corruption in the selection of suppliers and the bidding of contracts,’ he said.
“Let the legislators legislate and the executives execute,” Villegas said. (CBCPNews)