Keep RH bill out of it

It was rather unfortunate that the ongoing Senate hearing on the alleged fund irregularities in the state-run Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) had been turned into an arena of bitter rival groups on the equally controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill. Opposing advocates trooped to the Senate building in Pasay City at the resumption of the Senate hearing on the PCSO fund mess last Wednesday.

Whether intended or not, the face-off between the pro-RH and anti-RH advocates at the Senate only bolstered suspicions of sinister motives behind the PCSO exposé on the bishops. It came at a time the Catholic Church leadership has been in the forefront of the campaign against the approval into law by the 15th Congress of the RH bill.

Six out of the seven bishops implicated in the questioned PCSO donations attended the public hearing on “invitation” by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. One of them was out of the country. They came with the rest of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

The seven bishops were named as having received from the charity funds of the PCSO checks issued to them for the “purchase of one unit of 4 by 4 service vehicle to be used by the diocese in its various community and health programs.” These bishops, as revealed to the public by the PCSO, were the following: Butuan Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos, Abra Bishop Leopoldo Jaucian, Bontoc-Lagawe Bishop Rodolfo Beltran, Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Quevedo, Basilan Bishop Martin Jumoad, Zamboanga Archbishop Romulo Valles, and Nueva Segovia Archbishop Ernesto Salgado.

The issue on the donations to the bishops also took a partisan twist because the prelates were identified with former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The bishops had thrown their support in the past behind Mrs. Arroyo at the height of calls for her resignation due to election cheating and corruption charges.

Initially, the seven recipients of the donations were disparagingly dubbed as “Pajero bishops.” However, as it later turned out, none of the vehicles purchased were a Pajero. No one among the incumbent PCSO executives would admit who made such an erroneous Pajero claim. PCSO chair Margarita Juico had to take the wrath of her loose-lipped PCSO officials.

What were bought included a second-hand, 10-year-old Nissan Pathfinder pickup, a Mitsubishi Strada pickup, a Toyota Grandia Hi-Ace, a Mitsubishi Montero, and an Isuzu Crosswind. Montero and Strada are popularly known as sports utility vehicles (SUVs) fit for rough terrain. All of these vehicles were returned to the PCSO after the Senate hearing.

From the 2009 report by the Commission on Audit (COA), a total amount of P6.94 million for five utility vehicles was charged to the charity fund of the PCSO for the said dioceses of the Catholic Church. The COA cited this as basis to accuse former PCSO officials for having allegedly violated the constitutional provision that no public money should be appropriated, directly or indirectly, for the use of any church.

The COA’s arrogating to itself the interpretation of the Constitution drove Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago out from vacation. She has a self-imposed rest for health reasons. Actually, the whole Congress is still on recess and won’t be back until July 25 for the start of the second regular session.

Acting though on motu propio basis, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chaired by Sen. Teofisto Guingona III decided to conduct an “inquiry in aid of legislation” into the alleged fund anomalies by former PCSO officials under the previous administration. Guingona acted on a resolution filed by Sen. Panfilo Lacson who sought an investigation into the reported PCSO fund irregularities.

Both Guingona and Lacson are allies of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III who had supported the RH bill when he was still a member of Congress. The two senators are also known for their stand in favor of the RH bill.

Attending for the first time the Senate hearing, the feisty Sen. Santiago minced no words to cut to pieces those who she collectively called as “un-elected” officials in government for having caused this furor. She berated the self-righteous COA Commissioner Heidi Mendoza for the “wrong” interpretation of this constitutional provision and for acting beyond her agency’s mandate.

As chairperson of the Senate committee on revision of laws, Miriam vowed to call her own public hearing this August on her bill proposing a new PCSO charter. She promised to also introduce a proposed bill to amend the charter of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor). Both the PCSO and Pagcor contribute certain portions of their monthly revenues to the President’s Social Fund (PSF).

Her bill, she said, would seek the repeal of all Congress-approved laws that mandated the allocation of certain portions of PCSO funds to “alphabet-soup national programs” of the government. And her new law would limit the PCSO Board only to the function of regulating and supervising sweepstakes and lotto operations.

Miriam pointed out that the PCSO charter (Republic Act 1169, as amended) authorizes the PCSO “to engage in health and welfare-related investments, programs, projects, and activities” by itself or in collaboration with others. Hence, the questioned donations of service vehicles for the bishops fall under this legal and constitutional purview.

Herself a devout Catholic, Miriam has made a stand in favor of the RH bill despite the Church’s stand against it. However, Miriam staunchly defended the bishops from the “Pajero” attacks of the PCSO. Lecturing her fellow senators on her scholarly research on the legal and constitutional issues at hand, Miriam fittingly concluded her take on the matter: “Keep the bishops out of it.”

Methinks, the bishops are also but human to commit transgressions and “lapse of judgment.” Like any other ordinary mortals, they are not infallible to sins of men.

From commonsense, the more apt call to those rabid advocates pushing for this controversial legislation is to keep the RH bill out of it. The government, particularly those in power now supporting it, should not use the might of the State to ram through Congress the RH bill at all cost.