BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. assailed the Diocese of Bacolod for setting up a prayer vigil on July 28 to call for the resignation of Budget Secretary Butch Abad, who was tagged as mastermind of the Disbursement Acceleration Program.
The July 28 vigil will coincide with the State of the Nation Address of President Benigno Aquino III, prompting Marañon to counter by saying, "Don't tell me there's no graft and corruption in the Church."
Father Felix Pasquin, rector of the San Sebastian Cathedral in Bacolod commented on the governor's statement: "We were surprised with the way he reacted on our stand on the DAP."
Pasquin said Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra will give his message on the issue during the prayer vigil, as the Church will ask for God's guidance and enlightenment on what is happening in the country, especially on the clash between the executive and judiciary branches of government, which is very alarming."
Marañon, declaring his support to the president, said there are lot of surplus funds under the Aquino administration, which was use to implement various projects in the country. "The president didn't steal any government funds since many poor people were helped. Many investors are investing in the country because they believed in Pnoy," he said.
The governor also said that a manifesto of support to Aquino will be signed by government officials in the province, and commented that the Supreme Court "is not infallible since there are instances in which it flip-flopped in its rulings."
Pasquin said the Church was surprised with the way Marañon reacted on its stand. "DAP is a justifiable issue and we must be careful that it is not colored by political partisanship," he said.
"The controversy is not about whether the president stole money or if the DAP had benefited the people. The controversy is about whether or not DAP is constitutional and the Supreme Court ruled it is not," Pasquin argued.
Pasquin told The Freeman: "We only have good words about the governor (Marañon). We have always looked up to him with admiration as an effective leader. In fact, many of the governor's political skirmishes and episodes, unknown to him, we prayed for him. We owe it to pray for good leaders."
The Church was also bothered by the negative reaction of Aquino to the SC ruling on the DAP as this will undermine the Higher Court. "We expect the president to defend the Constitution and follow the law," said Pasquin.
"In the midst of big concern, we recourse to prayer. Why take it against us? We take this controversy as an opportunity for us to pray as a community. As Christians, our recourse is always to pray," Pasquin added.