DOUBLE STANDARD

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo must have heaved a sigh of relief when the Catholic bishops announced that they are not calling for her resignation. Hello, Garci? Did I hear it right? Yes. The carefully worded pastoral letter took them two days to formulate, yet the same failed the expectations of many who would have wanted a more definitive stand on the crisis hounding the Arroyo presidency. This practically means that the bishops are settling for the status quo despite mounting calls from various sectors of society for Ate Glo to resign.

The President and her apologists were then quick to take advantage of the seemingly favorable situation. It gave them the impetus to hold on to power because now, both the church and the military are taking a backseat in the resolution of this political impasse. If Gloria continues to be stubborn, the voices of legitimate dissent will never stop at finding ways to unseat her. And the longer this deadlock continues, the more precarious it will be for our country both politically and economically.

The bishops say that it is not their business to intrude into politics because their duty is only to set moral standards as set forth in the Gospels. Who asked them to do so in the first place?

Their decision however comes as no surprise. Historically, the Catholic Church has always been reactionary. Their inaction, indifference and subservience contributed much to the suffering and oppression of the Filipino people in the 333 years of Spanish rule. It even took Jaime Cardinal Sin 20 years before he could boldly say that Marcos had to go. But wait. There seems to be a double standard here. Did they not intrude into politics when they called on the faithful to flock to EDSA in 1986 and 2001?

Aren’t the conversations on the “Garci” tapes enough to convince the bishops that Gloria Macapagal Arroyo committed the gravest immoral act by betraying the public trust? Choosing to stay in the middle at a time when the country needs their so-called moral guidance is, to me, the height of religious hypocrisy. They simply refuse to see even when their eyes have already been opened.

In effect, these bishops have become the mouthpiece of the government, echoing the same line that Gloria uses to justify her continued stay in office. Their pronouncements only added to the confusion of an already misinformed public. To argue that impeachment is the only legal option available is to say that the chances of removing a bogus president from power are close to nil.

The defective impeachment complaint filed in Congress and endorsed no less by an administration congressman was designed to preempt the move of the opposition to file a real and well-prepared one. Moreover, giving GMA more time to discern and reflect will only delay her inevitable downfall. The bishops must have been in a time warp. Gloria has long decided to stick it out with the presidency no matter what the cost.

Let me remind the bishops that resignation is as constitutional as impeachment. It may even be the most patriotic act a disgraced president who has lost whatever remaining credibility could do under the circumstances. Of course, she cannot be forced to resign. But we who are fed up with her cannot likewise be forced not to call for her ouster.

Bishops, it’s time to let her go.