MANILA, Philippines -- Several lawmakers and activists criticized Roman Catholic bishops Wednesday for failing to join their calls for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's resignation, and set another rally to keep up the pressure on her.

After an emergency meeting that many had hoped would inject fresh energy into efforts to topple Arroyo on allegations of corruption, the influential Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines merely urged the president to take the lead in combating graft.

The bishops' group, which played a key role in non-violent revolts that ousted two leaders in the last two decades, slammed endemic corruption and urged Arroyo to rescind restrictions on officials testifying without her permission.

Some senators expressed disappointment over the CBCP call, saying that despite evidence pointing to corruption under the Arroyo administration, the religious group chose a “softer stand” instead of being “bolder.”

Similar sentiments were expressed at the House of Representatives, with militant lawmakers saying that even without the CBCP, the laity would still push for Arroyo’s ouster.

Senate testimonies have provided new fodder for opposition efforts to unseat Arroyo, after former government consultants alleged the President's husband and the country's elections chief -- who has since quit -- benefited from huge kickbacks linked to an aborted telecommunications contract with a Chinese company.

All those involved have denied the allegations, but the scandal and anti-Arroyo street protests have grown and coup rumors are swirling again.

The bishops' group "refuses to acknowledge the roots of corruption," said Renato Reyes, secretary general of the largest left-wing umbrella, Bayan (Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, New Patriotic Alliance).

He said the group's statement was "like asking the Abu Sayyaf to lead the fight against kidnapping," a reference to Al Qaeda-linked extremists in the southern Philippines who regularly kidnap hostages.

Arroyo has not directly addressed the allegations against her and her husband but has said she opposed corruption and that her family did not do business with the government.

Her spokesman Ignacio Bunye praised the bishops Tuesday for not "succumbing to the propaganda of rabid oppositionists."

Arroyo critics, church activists and one of the country's largest evangelical protest groups, the Jesus is Lord Movement, have scheduled a rally Friday in Manila's financial district of Makati to again seek the President's ouster. Thousands took to the streets Monday, after another 10,000 rallied in Manila last Friday.

Leah Navarro, director of the Black and White Movement that groups middle-class professionals and former government members, said the CBCP has become a "toothless tiger."