2 bishops urge 3 Cabinet officials linked to pork scam to quit
Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Two Catholic bishops urged the Cabinet members linked to the P10-billion pork barrel scam on Friday to submit their courtesy resignations to ensure a fair investigation on the matter even if their boss had no plans of firing them.
Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz said the two Cabinet secretaries named in the list of people who allegedly did business with Janet Lim-Napoles must submit a courtesy resignation out of delicadeza.
“That’s the process of people who are observant of good morals and right conduct,” said Cruz, also suggesting that they must take a leaf from the prime minister of South Korea, who tendered his resignation over the sinking of a passenger ferry that left more than 300 people dead or missing last month.
He said Mr. Aquino could either accept or ignore their resignation. “Once the president accepts it, then they become higher in ethical stature before the eyes of the general public,” Cruz told reporters on Friday.
The list that former senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson submitted to the Senate and which he said he got from the Napoles camp, included Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala and Joel Villanueva, director general of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, as among those who allegedly benefited from the pork barrel scam.
Lacson has claimed the list was provided to him by Napoles through her husband, Jimmy.
On Thursday, the President said he was not firing anyone since he could not act without sufficient evidence of wrongdoing.
“I would like to reiterate that it is wrong to remove someone every time there is criticism. What is important is that there is evidence” stated Mr. Aquino when asked if he would heed the call of critics to remove the Cabinet secretaries mentioned on the list.
But Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes insisted that Mr. Aquino must be the one to ask these Cabinet secretaries to take a leave of absence to make way for an impartial investigation of their case.
“Their being Cabinet members will hinder an impartial inquiry because they still hold power. If proven innocent, they can resume their job. If guilty, they must be jailed too like the other guilty officials,” said Bastes.
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