CBCP: Don’t let probe die down ‘like so many before it’
The leader of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) called on authorities to sustain the crackdown on corruption, on the eve of nationwide protests against alleged anomalies in flood control and other government projects.
“We issue a serious appeal to our legislators, independent oversight bodies and prosecuting agencies: expedite the process of investigation and accountability,” CBCP president and Kalookan Bishop Cardinal Pablo Virgilio “Ambo” David said in an open letter issued on Saturday.
“We will no longer accept that this investigation simply die a natural death like so many before it that eventually ended in political accommodations and compromises,” he added.
David encouraged “everyone” to join the protests, saying “Our purpose is not to destabilize but to strengthen our democracy.”
‘Day of peaceful witness’
“This gathering is not a political spectacle but a moral stand. It is a moment of prayer, solidarity, and action against the entrenched culture of corruption that robs our people of dignity, deepens poverty, and betrays our future,” he said.
David said the CBCP “invites those outside Metro Manila to join the prayer rallies organized by their dioceses, parishes, Catholic schools, or other faith-based and civic groups. We encourage similar initiatives in all ecclesiastical jurisdictions across the country as a sign of solidarity in this nationwide day of peaceful witness.”
The protests also mark the 53rd anniversary of the declaration of martial law by President Marcos’ father and namesake, a period of repression and unchecked corruption.
‘Choose conversion’
David urged the concerned officials as well as private contractors to “Come down from your arrogance and greed. Choose conversion, make restitution and repair the damage you have caused.”
“There can be no true peace without justice and no justice without repentance,” he said.
The prelate also warned against “opportunists who exploit our outrage for selfish gain” and called for “concrete solutions—not empty rhetoric, not endless political grandstanding, not the usual delaying tactics.”
“Let our gathering be a sign that the Filipino people, guided by faith, will no longer be passive. Let us stand firm for truth, justice, and renewal,” David said.
‘Deluge of rejection’
Also on Saturday, Project Gunita, a group fighting historical revisionism concerning the legacy of the Marcoses, reminded protesters not to fall for the recent anticorruption statements of Mr. Marcos and his estranged ally, Vice President Sara Duterte.
“This is the biggest historical distortion that we must reject on Sept. 21, that any Marcos could be an ‘anticorruption advocate’ rallying in the streets,” the group said in a statement.
It was in reference to the President’s remarks made last week, when he said that “If I weren’t President, I might be out on the streets with them.”
“In the same breath, the Duterte clan and their supporters must not distort its own history by projecting themselves as an alternative to Mr. Marcos. They are not,” Project Gunita said.
“Both Marcos and Duterte families exemplify plunder, impunity and abuse of government. The huge flood of protests in our streets should turn into a deluge of rejection against both families, their legacies of corruption and the lies they are peddling,” the group said.
