Bohol bishops warn public of deception in charter change signature drive
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
CEBU CITY, Philippines- Two bishops from Bohol have issued a Pastoral Letter urging the public against being misled in the signature collection for a people’s initiative to amend the 1987 Constitution.
The pastoral letter, dated January 24, 2024, was signed by Talibon Bishop Patrick Daniel Parcon and Tagbilaran Bishop Alberto Uy.
In the letter, the two bishops expressed concern that individuals who signed the document were not adequately informed, particularly ordinary citizens who may not fully understand the English language used in the document.
“Gawas pa, ang papirmahan nakasuwat sa pinulongang englis ug di basta-basta nga masabtan sa yanong lumolupyo,” the letter stated.
Furthermore, the bishops noted instances where people were deceived into signing by false promises of government aid. Earlier, it was reported that every congressional district was given P20 million as fund to speed up the collection of signatures for the people’s initiative.
The bishops also expressed fear that allowing the charter change might be exploited for personal interests, such as proposing term extensions for officials. They cautioned against potential foreign nations and capitalists taking advantage of controlling the nation’s budget and finances.
“Dili hinoon kalikayan ang pagduda nga adunay nasud o negosyante o politiko nga mopasiugda niini dili alang sa kaayohan sa mga Pilipinhon, hilabi na sa mga kabus, kundi alang sa hinakog nga interes,” it added.
The letter emphasized the bishops’ doubt that the proposed changes would truly benefit the Filipino people, especially the less fortunate.
Instead of amending the Constitution, the two bishops suggested to intensify the implementation of existing laws.
They argued that the charter change would not address current issues such as rising commodity prices after the COVID-19 crisis and ongoing conflicts between Ukraine and Russia, as well as Israel and Hamas Militants. /clorenciana
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