The country’s bishops can express their opinion but they should give the administration “some leeway” to run the government, Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said on Monday.
“You know CBCP (Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines) members being citizens of the Republic can also comment pero let’s try to keep Church and State separate but not totally airtight separate from each other. But if it’s running the government, let’s give the government some slack or leeway to run the government,” Pimentel told reporters.
The Senate leader was reacting to the CBCP’s pastoral statement on Sunday calling the administration’s war on drugs a “reign of terror.”
READ: CBCP: Illegal drugs, summary killings are wrong
Asked if he viewed the bishops’ statement as a call to stop the government’s war on drugs, Pimentel said: “It’s their sentiment. Maybe they want it to stop but that’s still a sentiment of some citizens of the Republic of the Philippines.
“But because of the separation, policy makers should be convinced of their sentiments and should adopt their sentiments,” he said.
Asked again how President Rodrigo Duterte should take the CBCP’s statement, the Senate leader said: “Listen to everybody but then the buck stops with the President.”
Senate Majority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said he could not blame the Catholic Church for criticizing the anti-illegal drugs campaign of the Duterte administration, noting how the state of killings were being highlighted in the media.
“Last time I heard, we’re still in a democracy so you can say anything you want,” Sotto said in a separate interview.
“Kasi ang naha-highlight ‘yung state of killing, hindi naha-highlight yung ibang aspect ng ibang gobyerno so ganun ang tingin nila. Tingin ko ‘pag na eksplikahan, mag-iiba (ang tingin) e,” he added.
(What’s being highlighted is the state of killing, the other aspects of governance isn’t highlighted which is why their perspective is like that. I think if you make it clearer, their perspective will change.) JE/rga