President Benigno Aquino III. AP FILE PHOTO
ILOILO CITY, Philippines—The 6 million-strong Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) on Tuesday called on President Aquino to resign, saying he no longer had the legal and moral authority to lead.
In a press conference here, bishops and priests of the country’s second-largest Christian sect led by its Supreme Bishop Ephraim Fajutagana, said they were joining demands that Aquino step aside because he had “completely lost his credibility and integrity.”
The IFI leaders condemned the President for not taking responsibility for the slaughter of 44 Special Action Force (SAF) troopers, 17 Moro rebels and three civilians in an operation to arrest or kill two high-value terrorists in Mamasapano on Jan. 25.
“It is despicable how President Aquino is fleeing from any accountability over the Mamasapano bloodbath. He is not only running away from his misdeeds but is also deliberately keeping the truth from the people,” a statement of the IFI Supreme Council of Bishops said.
The council is composed of 34 bishops in over 44 dioceses of the IFI, including two in the United States. The IFI has from 6 to 8 million members, according to Fajutagana.
The statement was adopted during a meeting of the council on Feb. 16-20 in Cortes, Surigao del Sur province.
Pontius Pilate
“President Aquino’s attempts to evade accountability from the tragedy that took a great toll among the lives of our countrymen mimics the very way Pontius Pilate washed his hands to exonerate himself from the murder of the Lord Jesus Christ,” the statement said.
“We believe that the Filipino people have no need for a President who lies and butchers peace and sovereignty in the name of subservience to the US. The people are demanding President Aquino to step down from office as a just penance for his transgression. We are one with them,” it added.
But Fajutagana said the IFI was pushing for the creation of a “People’s Council” that would oversee reforms and prepare for the election of a new President instead of implementing the line of succession as provided in the Constitution.
In a resolution unanimously passed on Feb. 25, however, the Eastern Samar provincial board said it would not support any move to topple the Aquino administration through a coup that would be perpetrated by “certain personalities allegedly motivated by self-interest.”