Manila bishop to Panlilio: Don't surender

09/06/2008 05:47 GMANews.TV

MANILA, Philippines - Embattled Pampanga Gov. Ed Panlilio got added words of encouragement Saturday from a senior Manila bishop, urging him not to quit as he needs to prove he deserves his mandate.

Manila bishop Teodoro Bacani Jr. said that while he does not approve of more priests entering politics, he can only pray for the success of Panlilio as governor.

"I do not pray that the tribe of priest-politicians should increase.Among, now Governor Ed, does not wish that either. But I wish and pray for thesuccess of Governor Ed as the governor of Pampanga. I hope that he effects suchchanges in the few years he has in office so that other future governors wouldnot be able to run the province in a corrupt and self-serving way. Governor Ed has at least shown that a corruption-free stewardship of the province is possible," he said in his newspaper column in Manila Standard Today.

He said Panlilio already sacrificed much when he decided to run for governorand temporarily gave up his priestly ministry.

Besides, he said it will be damaging and demoralizing for priests to see the governor surrender after being ganged up on.

"I would want to see him do what he can in three years and show that there is indeed an upright way of governing a province, and then ask forre-instatement in the active priestly ministry after his term as governor. At the very least, he has already shown that much, much more income could be derived from the sand quarries of the province than had been collected orreported by his predecessor," he said.

On the other hand, he defended Panlilio's choice to run for governor, saying Pampanga at the time faced a "truly exceptional" case.

At the time, he said Pampanga was faced with the ugly and undesirable prospectof having to choose between the wife of an alleged jueteng lord and a "very inefficient" incumbent governor slapped with corruption charges.

Besides, he said Panlilio could not persuade anyone to run and turned out to be the only credible and winnable bet.

"It was only after much thought, and in consideration of the good of thepeople of Pampanga who needed to have a better alternative, that Among Ed finally decided to run for governor and eventually won," he said.

"He has tried to do his best, and at the same time, he has discouragedother priests from following his footsteps and also run for political posts. Heknows that his is an exceptional case, and as the need is especially urgent andgreat, it justified an exception to the rule.

For after all, in the Church, 'The salvation of the people is the supreme law,'" he said.