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By Maricel V. Cruz Reporter
Speaker Prospero Nograles on
Wednesday raised the possibility for the government to remove tax
privileges of religious institutions that actively involve
themselves in politics.
Nograles sounded the alarm a day
after a local Catholic bishop warned of a “reinvented” people
power that will push genuine reforms in the government.
Elsewhere, the Speaker said in a
text message, tax privileges of the church have been taken away for
politicking.
“In other countries, like
America, I am informed that once the church enters the political
arena, [it is] stripped off tax privileges,” he added.
“But here in Philippines, this
is not the case,” Nograles said. “I do not know of any precedent
here. Maybe, it [removal of tax privileges] is worth studying by our
political scientists.”
His remarks came after Jaro
Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, president of the Catholic Bishops’
Conference of the Philippines, reportedly called for a new kind of
people power amid corruption allegations against the government of
President Gloria Arroyo.
Nograles shrugged off such call.
He said “some bishops” are not supporting it.
The Speaker said he supports such
move by the religious sector, the church in particular, as he
acknowledged that it is part of “religious freedom of
expression.”
“It’s a peaceful call, not [a
call for] an armed revolt and he [Lagdameo] insists on following the
rules. It’s part of religious freedom of expression,” Nograles
added.
The House Senior Deputy Majority
Leader, Rep. Neptali Gonzales Jr. of Mandaluyong City, believes that
Lagdameo’s call was proper if it would be aimed at fighting
corruption in the government, not to remove President Arroyo.
Gonzales, though, also admitted
that he himself was confused by the call of the bishops’ group.
He recalled that during the time
of the late Jaime Cardinal Sin, the call for people power was made
in “no unmistakable terms.” Sin, then also archbishop of Manila,
helped the military topple President Ferdinand Marcos in 1986
through the so-called EDSA I. Sin died in 2005.
“I think the church should make
such call clear, so that the people could react to it intelligently.
Because, for me, [the call] was just a general call, more of a
symbolic call. As I understand it, it’s just a call for moral
reforms,” Gonzales said.
He added that the call is no
reason for the President to step down from her post.
His view was shared by Manila
Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., a Protestant bishop, who believes that
the resignation call was premature.
Abante said he preferred seeing
Mrs. Arroyo lead an anticorruption summit first and wait for results
of investigations by the Senate and the courts of the allegedly
graft-tainted national broadband network project.
He is part of the newly formed
“Council for Moral Revolution” led by former Speaker Jose de
Venecia Jr. and Senate President Manuel Villar Jr.
“I’d be very careful in
putting down the presidency through people power. I will not join
them [the President’s critics] if they are going to ask me,”
Abante said.
Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan
Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo hailed Lagdameo’s call for a new brand of
people power.
Ocampo described the call as a
“step forward” compared to previous positions of the church
hierarchy. “The call for people power is also much clearer,” he
said.
He urged Filipinos to heed
Lagdameo’s call by joining a scheduled street protest on February
25, the 22nd anniversary of the 1986 people power uprising and an
ecumenical prayer rally on February 29.
Rep. Abraham Mitra of Palawan,
however, will have none of Lagdameo’s call.
“Addiction for people power
must be stopped,” Mitra said. “Otherwise, we will create
revolving-door governments that will rise and fall the moment people
take to the streets, even if it will just be one street in Manila,
with the rest of the country watching as hapless spectators.” 
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