DOJ sees 'inciting to rebellion' in call of two bishops
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 11/27/2008 11:43 PM
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Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez on Thursday said he will study if "inciting to rebellion" charges should be filed against two bishops for their recent statements.
“It is my duty as the Secretary of Justice to study these matters very carefully.... They have already crossed the thin line between the separation of Church and State," said Gonzalez.
A Catholic bishop on Thursday called on Filipinos to get inspiration from the protests in Thailand in seeking the ouster of President Arroyo, as lawmakers at the House of Representatives filed a resolution to block attempts to amend the Constitution and extend the term of the chief executive.
Bishops Deogracias Iñiguez and Antonio Tobias on Thursday called on the public to join the protest action being planned in Balintawak on Bonifacio Day, which also marks one year after the siege at the Peninsula hotel last year.
They said plans to extend the term of the President through charter change have already been exposed.
"'Pag nawala na ang legal means at nawalan pa ng ibang paraan, mapupunta na tayo sa extra-constituional means," Iñiguez said.
Tobias, meanwhile, directly called for people power, saying the public should take a page from the protests in Thailand, where activists are calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat.
"Bakit pa tayo magpapaligoy-ligoy? Kayong nagigising, para rin yan sa ating bansa," Tobias said.
Tobias also read a letter by detained Brig. General Danilo Lim.
Palace officials, on the other hand, cautioned against the two bishops' calls.
"'Yan delikado if some members of clergy would hope the country would be chaotic. Wala akong masabi. I think everybody should be clamoring for peace. Our church should be clamoring for peace also," Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Anthony Golez said.
"I think they are misled. The President is president until 2010. With the statement, they are having wild imagination on that," Golez added.
Anti-Cha-cha reso filed in House
At the House of Representatives, meanwhile, lawmakers have filed Resolution 888, which opposes moves to amend the charter before elections are held in 2010.
So far, 23 representatives have already signed the resolution, including former House speaker Pangasinan 2nd Dist. Rep. Jose de Venecia, Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar, and some members of the majority.
"Kahit 23 pa lang kami, ito'y indikasyon na may lantarang tumututol, at may iba pa pero ayaw pang lumantad ngayon," Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo said.
For his part, House Speaker Prospero Nograles said he will not allow any attempt to extend the term of the President while he is Speaker.
"Under my watch, the primary precondition for any move to amend the Constitution is to exclude any proposal to extend the term of elective officials. If we want cha-cha, we should do it for the right reasons," Nograles said in a statement. With reports from Willard Cheng and Ron Gagalac, ABS-CBN News
