MANILA, Philippines—More than his previous foray into local politics, Pampanga Gov. Eddie Panlilio’s bid for the country’s highest office has elicited worried, angry and even outraged reactions from his superiors and fellow priests in the Catholic Church and from Church members.

San Fernando Archbishop Paciano Aniceto angrily rejected Panlilio’s plans to run for president and leave the priesthood.

“He is drifting from his original priestly mission. A priest is a servant of the city of God, not of the city of man,” said Aniceto, Panlilio’s immediate superior who strongly objected when Panlilio, a priest for 29 years, ran for governor in 2007.

Banjo Serrano, president of the parish pastoral council in Guagua town, said that while many Catholics in his hometown were not necessarily against Panlilio, they preferred that he return to the priesthood and “lead the laity in the crusade for good governance and moral leadership.”

Panlilio formally offered himself as a candidate for president in 2010 at a launch event at the Bantayog ng Mga Bayani (Monument of Heroes) park in Quezon City Saturday.

Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz, a known critic of Panlilio, noted that Church law prohibited priests from running for public office in the first place.

“When his supporters say that he is the only one qualified to run for president, it is impossible that among so many Filipinos there is no one principled, there is no one qualified to become president,” Cruz said.

Panlilio’s plan to seek another public office will “further confuse the faithful,” Aniceto said.

He said the Church has recently been asking the laity to “evangelize politics” by either running for public office or ensuring honest elections in 2010, while persuading them not to field their priests in electoral politics.

Panlilio’s plans would place “the faithful in a dilemma,” Aniceto said.

According to the bishop, who earlier said that he dreaded to see the day when Panlilio would “disobey” him twice, his first duty as a Church leader is to be the guardian of its members and its laws.

In 2007, the bishop went to the extent of assembling a Church council to compel Panlilio to toe the line. Eventually, he suspended Panlilio by barring him from administering the sacraments and performing other priestly duties.

In Pampanga, the relationship of Aniceto and Panlilio is known to be like that of a father and son. He entrusted Panlilio with the diocese’s social action ministry for 15 years, assigning him to poor parishes.

“This is very sad. He’s a good priest. He served the poor of Pampanga in the difficult times of the Mt. Pinatubo disaster … I love Among Ed,” said Aniceto, 72.

Seek formal dispensation

Cruz said Panlilio should seek a formal dispensation from the Church before he proceeds further with his political plans.

“There is no such thing as a priest on leave,” he said. He said Panlilio’s situation should be properly described as “suspended” from his duties.

Under the lengthy process of seeking a Church dispensation, a priest asks to be released from his priestly obligations like the vow of celibacy and obedience to the bishop, so that he can no longer say Mass and administer the sacraments.

But even if he is granted a dispensation, Panlilio will remain a priest, according to Cruz who handles dispensation cases.

“What can be dispensed is the clerical state, not his priesthood. It is already a part of his life. Once a priest, always a priest,” he said.

Fr. Jake Viray said he did not want Panlilio to run for president or leave the priesthood.

“But it is a patriotic act on his part as a citizen that wishes to do something good for our country. As such, I will vote for him just as a protest against the crooked politicians,” Viray said.

Not docile followers

Another priest, who asked not to be named in deference to the position of the province’s three Catholic bishops, noted that Pampanga Catholics, while devout in their faith, have a long history of rebellion against the government, and the May 2007 elections, in which they elected the maverick Panlilio, proved they would rather be a moral force than be docile followers.

A Church dispensation that would allow Panlilio to leave the priesthood will help Pampanga Catholics deal with the dilemma of “keeping Among Ed as a priest or giving him up for the country,” he said.

Pros and cons

Former Bulacan Rep. Wilfrido Villarama, whose mother is from Pampanga, said Panlilio should “just return to a simple civilian life out of the Church and the priestly vocation to which he has already caused much pain and embarrassment.”

Edgardo Pamintuan, the chair of the Subic-Clark Alliance for Development who was in the anti-Marcos movement with Panlilio, asked the priest to “pause for a serious introspection.”

“Then he might rediscover that this true calling is the priesthood. He was a good priest because that was the purpose of his existence. He wasn’t good as a politician because he was not made out to be one,” he said.

Tough act to follow

But Panlilio continues to have a loyal ally in City of San Fernando Mayor Oscar Rodriguez, a member of the administration Lakas Kampi CMD.

“I will not push him but if he finally runs, I will not forsake him,” said Rodriquez.

He said the governor has removed corruption from the capitol’s contracts and transactions, increased quarry revenues to P430 million and prioritized education, health, livelihood and agriculture.

“[Panlilio] will be a tough act to follow,” Rodriguez said.