Our nation and people are reeling not only from the effects of devastating storms but also from full-blown controversies.
Recently, the Supreme Court ruled that certain acts under the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) were unconstitutional. Almost all sectors of society have voiced their position on this matter. And President Aquino has gone on nationwide TV to defend the DAP.
In the light of faith, we, as religious and as citizens of this nation, cannot remain silent on an issue that affects and will affect the lives of our people. We believe that this is not only a legal but also a moral issue that impels us to raise our collective prophetic voice.
The Supreme Court is a coequal branch of government and the supreme arbiter of questions of law. We ask all people of goodwill to accord the institution the respect it deserves.
We are saddened by the reaction of the President to the Supreme Court’s decision which is causing not only greater division and polarization but also instability in our democracy.
We expect the President to follow and uphold the rule of law and act like a true statesman. Sa matuwid na daan ay walang illegal shortcuts at walang pinagbabawalang dumaan. Sa matuwid na daan ang katarungan ay para sa
lahat, hindi lamang para sa kalaban.
Some quarters have viewed the President’s address as a veiled threat against the Supreme Court and an invitation for the legislature to intervene if the impasse is not broken.
We welcome the move by the executive to file a motion for reconsideration. We ask the Supreme Court to settle with finality the question on the constitutionality of the DAP. We ask the Court to rule as well on the validity of the Administrative Code of 1987 as basis for the existence of the DAP.
No matter what the decision of the Supreme Court on the motion for reconsideration will be, we ask the executive and legislative, and more importantly our people, to respect the rule of law. We remind everyone, from the lowly to the high and mighty, that no one is above the law.
In the spirit of transparency and accountability, we ask that a thorough, impartial and speedy investigation of all parties involved in the Priority Development Assistance Fund and the DAP, regardless of affiliation, be conducted. We demand a full accounting of all the funds related to the DAP—“… let justice flow like a river, and uprightness like a never-falling stream” (Amos 5:24).
We call for sobriety and a critical analysis of the issues unfolding in our midst. Let our
passion be tempered by reason and our actions guided by Him who implored us “… to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).
—SR. EDEN PANGANIBAN, SSpS, and
FR. LEO DALMAO, CMF, cochairs;
SR. CECILIA BAYONA, AMP, and
FR. GERARD TIMONER, OP, vice cochairs;
SR. ADELAIDA YGRUBAY, OSB,
SR. JULIE SAGUIBO, SFIC, SR. AMELIA DAVID, ICM, SR. GRACE ANCHETA, OSS,
SR. JESUSA ENGINCO, OP,
FR. PERCY JUAN BACANI, MJ,
FR. LINO GREGORIO REDOBLADO, OFM,
FR. CRUZITO MANDING, CSSR,
FR. CHRISTIAN BUENAFE, OCarm,
board members; SR. SUSAN S. ESMILE, SFIC and FR. MARLON LACAL, OCarm, coexecutive secretaries, Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines
(joint board members)