Next to the end of the World (closing of the Brit­ish newspaper News of the World), the other shocking news is the admission and eventual apology by the Philippine bishops confer­ence that seven of their peers have accepted ‘gifts’ of expensive automobiles from former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo through the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Of­fice (PCSO). Former PSCO officials are under the carpet for these and other allegations of improper allocations and are being investigated by the Senate’s Blue Rib­bon Committee. The Bish­ops will appear before the committee to explain their side.  Now, on first blush, there seems to be noth­ing wrong with bishops or priests receiving ‘gifts’ from the PSCO, a practice long tolerated by previous administrations before Arcurrent administration.

What is particularly galling is the fact that nowhere in the PS­CO’s mandate or vision that is it supposed to help the church in its work given that there is also a tacit perception of sepa­ration of church and state, ex­cept that one of its core values is ‘god-centeredness’.

Another disturbing aspect of the scandal is that the PSCO’s main revenue is through gam­bling, albeit legally- sanctioned gambling. It is the principal government agency mandated to generate funds for health programs and charities of national character through lotteries and other gambling schemes. By accepting these vehicles from the PCSO, the bishops are endorsing the practice of gambling while also taking away much needed funds for the country’s poor.

Whether or not accepting the gifts is a crime is not im­portant but that as bishops and spiritual leaders, they are expected to lead by example and be consistent with their teachings. It is also no surprise that Pro-life groups in the country have taken up the cudgels for the accused bishops and are rais­ing funds to either buy back the vehicles from the PSCO and donate it back to the bishops or pay the agency outright for the cost of the vehicles which is estimated to be eight million Pesos or $180,000.00.The Church and the ad­ministration of President Benigno Aquino 3rd are presently embroiled in the controversial Reproductive Health Bill with the church portraying the bill as pro-abortion. Aquino, whose late mother, Corazon Aquino was a darling of the church for her avowed religiosity, is pushing for the approval of the bill.

At one time, the bishops were threatening the Pres­ident that he will be ‘ex­communicated’ and the newly-elected president of the Catholic Bishops Con­ference of the Philippines (CBCP). Archbishop Jose Palma of Cebu has labeled supporters of the bill as ‘terrorists’.

To avoid the apparent collision course between the church and the ad­ministration, both sides have made pronounce­ments that they are open to "dialogue'

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