Pork barrel and the Church

Beyond the call to abolish the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or Pork Barrel, people must also look at the core of the problem of corruption.
Bishops from different parts of the country joined in the call of the laity to abolish the pork barrel as this is a source of corruption for government officials and individuals linked to them. But they also ask the faithful to examine their role in the political landscape of the country.
“While we look at the flaws of our political culture, government, and some politicians, let us also look at ourselves, as individual Christians, as laity, religious, priests and bishops, and as the Church and examine to how we have contributed to the perpetration of flawed political systems, of vicious cycles of corruption and exploitation, by our apathy, complacency, and even complicity,” said Nueva Segovia Archbishop Ernesto Salgado in his pastoral statement “Stewardship and Christian Witness”.
“The issue is beyond pork barrel. The core problem is not just the shameless corruption of a growing number of greedy corrupt officials in a system that has become corruption friendly. The issue is the breakdown of our moral fiber as a Christian nation. The issue could be the diminishing relevance and eroding credibility of moral shepherds. It is the failure of religion to make morality and ethics the foundation of all human actions and endeavours, after almost five hundred years of Gospel presence,” said Lingayen Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas in his pastoral statement, adding:
“This is the opportune time to examine our conscience as a Church, to take responsibility for our failure to teach, and to take fresh new steps to restore morality in public and private life, which is a vital component of the Church’s mission. This is why the popes of our era have repeatedly called for New Evangelization. This same call is repeated by our Philippine bishops.”
Archbishop Villegas, the incoming president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) also challenged priests to be examples of what they preach.
“No more protests without alternative—the fear of the Lord is our only alternative. No more complacent orderliness without the “mess” of the Gospel—we must smell like the sheep and get out of the swivel chair. No more religiosity without godliness—we must insist on conversion and repentance. Beyond knowledge of the faith let us live it—let us first be the example of what we teach,” he said as he also called for the reformation of the Church saying, “Let us examine our Church conscience, repent, rise up and truly guide the people as God would.”
As of this writing, the so-called Pork Barrel Queen, Janet Lim-Napoles is detained in Fort Sto. Domingo in Laguna. The people are waiting for her to tell the truth of who among the government officials are involved in the P10 billion pork barrel scam. (John Frances C. Fuentes/Reporter)