CBCP to take hard look at Duterte’s policies

CBCP secretary general Fr. Marvin Mejia. Photo from cbcpnews.com

The country’s current sociopolitical landscape is expected to be tackled when the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) holds its plenary assembly this weekend.

The topics for discussion in the three-day meeting are still being finalized, according to CBCP secretary general Fr. Marvin Mejia. The first plenary assembly  this year will be from Jan. 28 to 30.

In particular, they will talk about concerns on the proliferation of fake news and the hacking of bishops’ online accounts, Mejia said.

President Rodrigo Duterte’s advocacy of federalism through charter change may be also discussed.

As the highest decision-making body of the CBCP, the plenary assembly meets in regular session twice a year in January and July.

Individual bishops and archbishops have criticized the spate of extrajudicial killings in the government’s war on illegal drugs.

The CBCP, however, has not yet issued a collective statement on the issue. On the other hand, the bishops are united in their stand against the reimposition of capital punishment for heinous crimes.

Asked if the bishops will issue a statement on the issues of death penalty and extrajudicial killings, Mejia said they usually go back to previous statements in such a case.

He stressed the need for research before coming up with a statement on any issue, not just the death penalty.

“For example, the death penalty issue, that needs research,” Mejia said.