The SALN required and mandated by the Philippine Constitution of all public officials to certify and verify proving they do not have conflicts of interests (or potentials of committing any) in leading their personal and familial lives while they perform their duties and responsibilities as public officials. Specifically, the SALN’s purpose is for public officials to manifest and report to the people they do not have unaccounted wealth and they live exemplary lives as public officials clear of the least tinge of dishonesty and any graft and corruption.
Palma’s pleadings necessarily mean that Palma — using his power and influence as CBCP President who supposedly symbolizes and personifies the RCC’s avowed and sacred obedience to the “Thou shall not steal” commandment — is actually bending down to his knees praying that Corona be allowed to keep and not divulge his dollar accounts (that could possibly contain multi-millions and probably illegally acquired because they do not appear on his SALN). For what rational reason Palma does, nobody knows. Even some of his fellow bishops just as well do not know. Could this be Palma’s idiopathic and idiosyncratic sanctification of thievery? Or maybe Palma is trying to hide the tip of an iceberg — the Roman Catholic Church’s (RCC) own secret dollar account that may run into billions? And thus he is merely expressing and demonstrating his Roman Catholic patriotism? “Only God knows,” really.
While we in PATAS supports the RCC’s (and all religious sects and organizations and individuals for that matter) right to religion and free expression in general and that of Archbishop Palma’s in particular, we vehemently protest and oppose the church’s trespass of — and seeming partisanship in — the ongoing impeachment of Renato Corona from his position as “Thief Justice” (according to Wikipedia) of the Philippine Supreme Court. Although we maintain that even as CBCP President, Palma does not necessarily speak for the CBCP and the RCC and his stance is just a howling and merely one of his many ululations in the religious wilderness, this is one more instance of the Church’s incursion into the province of the State.
The same goes also for the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) that reportedly sent thousands of its members to join and augment the illegal rally of Judiciary Department employees who support Renato Corona. Has the INC degenerated not only into a political voting bloc but also as a ready and willing puppet to muzzle endeavors of the government to ferret out the truth? Is the seeming unity between the RCC and INC on Renato Corona’s alleged thievery a dirty handwriting in the wall foreboding a twin rule of “Kleptocracy-Theocracy In The Philippines”? Again, PATAS demands a more clear-cut “separation of Church and State” to include definitions of their respective boundaries — not only to promote the greater freedom of religion for all, but also to preclude discrimination against those who hold other faiths and beliefs including those like us who have neither.
LONG LIVE THE VIGILANT FILIPINO PEOPLE! SEPARATE CHURCH AND STATE NOW! EXPAND ALL DEMOCRATIC AND RELIGIOUS FREEDOMS FOR ALL! RESOUNDING SUCCESS TO THE FIRST-EVER IN ASIA ATHEISTS/AGNOSTICS CONVENTION ON APRIL 21, 2012 AT THE BAYVIEW HOTEL, MANILA, PHILIPPINES!
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