Bam Aquino: Heed Pope’s call to eradicate corruption

Sen. Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV. INQUIRER.net file photo

MANILA, Philippines – Pope Francis’ visit to the country should inspire Filipinos to help eradicate graft and corruption in the government, Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV said on Monday.

During his five-day stay in the country, the Pope called on government officials to “reject every form of corruption, which diverts resources from the poor.”

Responding to the call, the senator urged everyone to help eradicate graft and corruption in government.

“The Pope’s visit must inspire us to eradicate graft and corruption in government. And this needs everyone’s cooperation, vigilance and faith to make the reforms happen,” Aquino said in a statement.

The senator also echoed the Pope’s appeal to government officials and the youth to help the poor and the marginalized.

The government, he said, should focus on fighting poverty and providing employment and livelihood opportunities to the poor and marginalized to help uplift their living conditions.

“We must go beyond the common understanding of charity.  We must recognize the dignity of the poor by providing them the opportunity of earning for themselves and their families,” said Aquino.

He said the best gift Filipinos could give to the Pope is to put his messages into action.

“Putting the Pope’s messages about social justice, solidarity with the poor and love for the other person, into action is the best gift that we can give to Papa Kiko for inspiring us to become better persons and better citizens of this country,” Aquino further said.

Senator Loren Legarda, meanwhile, hopes that more Filipinos would heed the Pope’s call to care for the environment.

“Pope Francis has blessed us with many inspirational and encouraging messages during his visit to our country and I hope we can carefully digest each message, including his statement on caring for the environment, and not only take it to heart but also translate it into action,” she said in a separate statement.

Legarda is head of the Senate committees on environment and natural resources and climate change.

In his concluding Mass at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila on Sunday, the pontiff stressed that God “created the world as a beautiful garden and asked us to care for it. But through sin, man has disfigured that natural beauty.”

But Legarda said it was “disheartening” that  after the Pope’s Mass in Luneta, people left the area scattered with trash.

“I don’t think it is too hard to find a waste basket or take trash back home to dispose of it properly. These simple acts should already be part of our attitude and lifestyle if we seriously take our responsibility as stewards of the environment,” she said.

“I hope that the discipline that Filipinos have shown in lining up, waiting for hours and attending the Pope’s events would persist and reverberate in our daily actions and decisions,” Legarda added.