MERGED: All about CBCP/bishop's "gifts" from PCSO/GMA

[techguys]

---

porbeda ni sorry pa ni pakapin pa jud

"It noted that the acceptance of donations and vehicles from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office were done "without malice out of their sincere desire to help people."

Gawas pa na nga way delikadesa ang pag-dawat naa sa konstistosyon nato:

Article VI, Section 29(2) which says: “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, 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.”

nidawat or nangayo gyud? lahi mana ang duha.

[vipvip68]

I think this article summarizes this issue very well.



Manila Standard Today -- Bishops, ‘kadiri!’ -- 2011/july/9

Bishops, ‘kadiri!’

Shock and outrage are all over because millions of pesos in Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office funds meant to help poor Filipinos were instead used to purchase vehicles for certain members of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines.
What these men in robes did was very wrong on several counts.

The 2005 CBCP Statement on Gambling said that based on MORAL teachings, “…the CBCP has made it a collective policy:.. to refrain from soliciting or receiving funds from illegal and legal gambling so as not to promote a culture of gambling; and to encourage church personnel and church institutions to refrain from doing the same, even when the objective may be that of helping the poor.”

The PCSO is mandated to manage legal numbers games. Even if proceeds go to charity, the money is still from gambling, legal as it may be. Clearly, therefore, these bishops violated their own policy and did something immoral. “Helping the poor” cannot be a justification here.

I wonder if the CBCP will discipline these bishops.

Art. VI, Sec. 29(2) of the Philippine Constitution states, “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, other religious teacher, or dignitary as such, except when the priest, preacher, minister, or dignitary is assigned to the armed forces, or to any penal institution, or government orphanage or leprosarium.”

Even for a non-lawyer like me, this provision is self-explanatory. As plain as day, what then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, PCSO officials, and the bishops did was not only morally BUT legally wrong.

Even if those vehicles are used for social work, they still are used by, benefit, and support, directly and indirectly, the Roman Catholic Church and the bishops. It is this simple.

I wonder if cases will be filed against those involved.

Last May 28, I wrote “The church of the poor” (Manila Standard Today -- The church of the poor -- 2011/may/28) which specified the stock holdings of various Catholic entities in the Bank of Philippine Islands (BPI) and Philex Mining Corporation. Then, their total assets in stocks totalled P17.5 billion.

Three months later, stock prices rose. Based on Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) 7 July 2011 records, their holdings in these corporations are now worth a whooping P18,040,238,371.80.

These Catholic entities earned P567 million doing nothing!

This is not all. The lists of their top 100 stockholders corporations submit quarterly to the PSE, Catholic entities have the following holdings in these corporations:

1. San Miguel Corporation (SMC) as of 31 June 2011 (the number to the right indicates ranking in list of stockholders)

• (31) El Superior De La Corporacion Filipina de Padres Agustinos Recoletos, Inc. with 7,370,000 shares;

• (75) Superior De La Corporacion Archicofradia De N.P.J.N.

De Recoletos with 1,234,603 shares;

• (79) Carmel of the Divine Infant Jesus of Prague Inc. A/C No. 2 with 957,516 shares;

• (81) The Roman Catholic Bishop of Tuguegarao with 856,639 shares;

• (83) Real Monasterio De La Purisima Concepcion De Nuestra

Madre Santa Clara De Manila with 809,834 shares;

• (91) Superior De La Corporacion De Padres Recoletos Por

Becas Y Vocaciones with 621,702 shares;

• (93) Carmel of St. Therese of the Child Jesus with 592,956 shares;

• (97) The Discalced Carmelite Nuns of Cebu with 451,864 shares; and

• (100) The Roman Catholic Bishop of Nueva Segovia De Vigan with 428,067 shares.

In SMC alone, RCC groups own a total of 13,323,181 shares worth P1,698,705,577.50 (at P127.50/share) as of 7 July PSE Market Information.

2. Ayala Group as of 31 March disclosure

• (64) Roman Catholic Bishop of Tagbilaran with 10,000 preferred B shares worth P1,015,000.00 (P100.10/share);

• (73) The Roman Catholic Bishop of Tuguegarao with 24,015 Ayala Corp. shares worth P7,828,890.00 at P326.00/share; and

• (100) The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Manila with 373,740 Ayala Land shares worth P5,890,142.40 at P15.76/share.

Total share value of RCC entities in Ayala Group is PhP14,734,032.40 as of 7 July.

3. PHINMA Corporation as of 30 June 2011

• (20) Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent De Paul with 159,575 shares;

• (21) The Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Juan De Dios with 153,880 shares; and

• (52) Religious of the Virgin Mary 58,975 shares.

In PHINMA, they own 372,430 shares valued (as of 5 July) at P12.30/share or a total of P4,580,889.00.

4. Concrete Aggregates Corporation (CA) as of 31 March 2011

• (9) The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Manila with 78,486 shares;

• (1 The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Manila – Real Casa De

Misericordia with 13,067 shares;

• (24) The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Manila – Hospital De San Juan De Dios with 8,317 shares;

• (66) The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Manila – Hospicio De San Jose with 1,898 shares; and

• (97) The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Manila Mayoromia Dela

Catedral with 841 shares.

In CA, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Manila’s various arms own a total of 102,609 shares worth P4,514,796 as of 7 July at P44.00/share.

5. PAL Holdings, Inc. as of March 31

• (22) Roman Catholic Bishop of Cebu with 215,250 shares; and

• (9 Congregacion De La Mision De San Vicente De Paul with 42,059 shares.

Here, they own 257,309 shares valued at P1,240,229.38 (P4.82/share as of 7 July.)

There are a few more minor holdings that are not included here and many more corporations can be examined. Even without touching the RCC’s real estate properties (which are surely worth many billions), and its highly profitable businesses like schools and hospitals, it is quite clear that the RCC as a church, as well as its various entities are FILTHY RICH.

Catholic stock holdings alone in identified corporations already total to almost 20 billion pesos! Not bad for a Church, really.

What gets my goat is the fact that despite their untouched billions, the good bishops have the gall to compete against poor Filipinos for meager government funds. And for what? Vehicles that they can very well afford to buy.

Bishops, this is very, very wrong. This is kadiri!

[yacky2006]

Nahulog ra gyud tag gi ilad ani sukad sa atong pag katawo
Gi ilad ta sa mga pari ug politiko
Kunuhay maayong tayo cla sa imong atubangan peru nangilkil ug nangawat diay
Tanan tawo gi kilkilan ug gi kawatan

Gi tigum ang kinilkil ug kinawat
Dayon gi invest ug silay na bulahan samot
Puwera gaba

[nightzlayer]

CBCP apologizes over PCSO scandal

Vows to re-examine donations

By Thea Alberto-Masakayan | Yahoo Newsroom – 7 hours ago

• tweet26
• Email
• Print

The embattled Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Monday issued an apology over the controversial vehicle donations from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

“As shepherds struggling to love you like Jesus the Good Shepherd, we are sorry for the pain and sadness that these events have brought upon you,” the CBCP, through its current President, Bishop Nereo Odchimar said in a Pastoral Statement.

The CBCP said they are also “saddened that many of you, especially the youth, the poor, our Basic Ecclesial Communities, have been confused because of the apparent inconsistency of our actions with our pastoral preaching.”

And while it maintains the bishops accepted the donations “without malice,” the CBCP said bishops involved in the scandal are also willing to “accept responsibility for their action.”

On top of the controversy is Butuan Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos who accepted a sports utility vehicle from former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo through PCSO’s funds. Pueblos recently hit President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s performance and said he does not deserve to lead the country (Related story: Malacanang hits prelate).

“We assure you that the bishops concerned are ready to accept responsibility for their actions and to face the consequences if it would be proven unlawful, anomalous, and unconstitutional,” CBCP added in its statement.

The highly-influential CBCP has also vowed to “re-examine” their values.

“We also assure you, our beloved people, that we shall re-examine the manner of our collaboration with government agencies for purposes of helping the poor, making sure that pastoral sensibilities are respected and the highest ethical standards are observed,” CBCP added.

The Senate is set to conduct an inquiry into the controversy this week.

[nightzlayer]

Drilon: Bishops to get 'due respect' at Senate hearing

GMANews – Sun, Jul 10, 2011

• tweet2
• Email
• Print

Catholic bishops who will testify at this coming Wednesday’s Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on the controversy involving donations to bishops by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office will get “due respect" from senators.
Sen. Franklin Drilon on Sunday gave the assurance even as he also reassured the Catholic Church the probe is not meant to discriminate against it.
“Well, we will give them the due respect as we give due respect to officials of government agencies pero dapat magpaliwanag din sila dahil, sa nabasa ko sa pahayagan, sila ang boluntaryong haharap sa Senado," Drilon said in an interview on dzBB radio.
The Senate is investigating alleged irregularities in the donation of funds and sports utility vehicles (SUVs) to Catholic bishops using PCSO funds.
Drilon said Senators want to learn from the bishops if the donations went to charity work and not the prelates' personal gain.
He said Senators were uncomfortable with reports saying at least one of the bishops, Butuan Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos, received a vehicle after asking for it as a birthday gift.
“Ang problema kasi si Bishop Pueblos humingi ng birthday gift na sasakyan mula kay dating Pangulong Gloria Arroyo. Dapat ipaliwanag yan... laluna't ayaw ng mga obispo sa sugal... dapat tinanggihan ang sasakyan galing sa PCSO," he said.
Drilon also reiterated the administration is not singling out the Catholic Church for its stand against the reproductive health bill.
Neither is the Senate probe meant to weaken the Catholic Church’s stand on the RH bill and other issues, he said.
“Kung obispo ng ibang relihyon [ang nasangkot], I think ganoon din ang treatment ng Senado dahil ang tinitngnan naman natin ay kung tama ang paggamit ng pondo ng PCSO," he added.
Meanwhile, Drilon scored former Commission on Audit chairman Reynaldo Villar for his “hasty approval" of the intelligence funds sought by then PCSO general manager Rosario Uriarte.
He said the Arroyo administration managed to spend more than P10 million in intelligence funds in its last two weeks.
“Sa akin, this is a hasty approval without extensive examination and this, sa tingin ko, ay taking advantage of the situation," he said.
“There is basis to claim cover-up because of the hasty approval by Villar and I am disappointed at the manner he discharged his function as COA's chairman," he added.
Militants welcome CBCP probe

A militant group on Sunday welcomed the parallel investigation by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) into the PCSO mess.
Makabayang Koalisyon ng mga Mamamayan (Makabayan) said they expect transparency and consistency in the probes by the Senate, the Office of the Ombudsman and by the CBCP.
“Poor Filipinos who need most of the charity money [from the PCSO] have suffered mainly because the public funds were being corrupted by some government officials," said Ed Clemente of Makabayan in an article posted on the CBCP news site.
Clemente also urged President Benigno Aquino III to act swiftly in prosecuting and incarcerating officials involved in the alleged “money-laundering" in the PCSO.
“We don’t want to hear broken promises again. Aquino must be decisive enough to act and start breaking his silence over issues of corruption by the past administration," he said.
The group said it will monitor developments in the ongoing parallel investigations on the issue. — LBG, GMA News

[dmcebu01]

asa dapit ang buotan? mga OBISPO nga dagko nilikoy gani ang utork, uinsa nakaha ang mga naa sa ubos. SOrry, sa buotan nga pari lihay lang mo.

Ibutang kaha names sa mga buotan nga pare diri?

[yacky2006]

sakto jud d i ang gi ingun sa pari..."bisan sa simbahan, naay demonyo"

"bisan ang pari demonyo"

[who_cares?]

Para nako depende ra jud na sa tawo..ma pari ka man, ma ordinaryong tawo or whatever..every individual is different man gyud.Di lang pud nato e-generalize kay naa pud baya mapili nga tarong taga simbahan.Sayop lang jud si bishop Pueblos..nagpada sa tama ni GMA hehehe!

[mAlD|tO]

nidawat or nangayo gyud? lahi mana ang duha.

ahah sayop bai..ang sakto ni demand jud!

[pepponeskie]

"bisan ang pari demonyo"

di sad tanan...

“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”~ Mahatma Gandhi