Archbishop Socrates Villegas. FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has rejected the request of detained businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged architect of the P10-billion pork barrel scam, for the prelates to take her under their custody.
“With regard to her request that the CBCP take her under protective custody, we face obstacles from both Church and State laws,” CBCP president Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said in a statement.
“Existing Church laws do not allow an episcopal conference to stand as guarantor before civil courts that the accused will not abscond and will be available at every trial date,” he added.
Villegas added that while the CBCP appreciated the trust that Napoles has placed in it, it was not sure if it was qualified for such a role.
Napoles, who believes that she would be safer with the clergy, wrote CBCP a letter asking it to take her into custody.
The archbishop also noted that heeding Napoles’ request for the CBCP to take her under protective custody would establish a precedent.
“Once we allow CBCP’s offices to take recognizance of Ms. Napoles, we must, to be fair, accept similar requests from all other accused. Not only would this strain CBCP’s resources. It would render impossible the discharge of its principal functions,” he explained.
However, Villegas assured that the CBCP would continue to be vigilant to ensure respect for the rights of Napoles and those of all accused.
He also urged government prosecutors to be “resolute and non-selective in the indictment of offenders and in holding them accountable for all their actions.”
Napoles is currently detained at Fort Sto. Domingo in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, for serious illegal detention charges.
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