MANILA, Philippines -- Should there be amendments to the Constitution, these should be done through a constitutional convention and after the 2010 elections, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines said Monday.

"Understanding the gravity of Charter Change and its perceived consequences, the CBCP has expressed its negative judgment on the proposal of the House of Representatives to convert itself into a constituent assembly," Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, CBCP president, said in a statement posted on the CBCP website.

"We agree with members of civil society who oppose any proposal for elected public officials to extend their term and/or perpetuate themselves in power. If the Constitution needs to be changed it should be by way of a constitutional convention and after the 2010 Election," he added.

Lagdameo acknowledged the country has a lot of problems, including the global economic crisis, which has resulted in "the growing number of poor people in the midst of corruption" but noted that there was a greater need to have a better leader.

"What our country more urgently needs is to look for and elect people who will govern us with honesty above all, with integrity, truthfulness, justice and accountability. More than change the form of our government, they are those who are guilty of graft and corruption that need to change or be changed," said Lagdameo.

Lagdameo also reminded the public that as Christmas nears, everyone needed “cardiac conversion from whatever was evil to everything that was good."

"The citizens should watch, critique, and denounce the manipulations of government; they need above all to pray for enlightenment to seek what is best for the country in order that she may rise up with right vision and hope," said Lagdameo.

Last October, five church officials, including Lagdameo, called for "radical reforms" in government, saying that corruption has become a social and moral cancer.