Influential Roman Catholic bishops voiced support Sunday for two officials who exposed allegations of large-scale corruption in the Philippine government, urging Filipinos to back efforts to uncover the truth. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines praised former House Speaker Jose de Venecia and a government consultant, Rodolfo Lozada Jr., for bringing to public attention a bribery scandal that implicated President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's husband and a resigned election official.
The Philippines is predominantly Roman Catholic, and the church played key roles in the nonviolent revolts that ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and President Joseph Estrada in 2001 over allegations of massive corruption and misrule.
In the latest instance the bishops, led by Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, called de Venecia and Lozada "courageous" for exposing "the high level of graft and corruption."
"Their public confession may be considered a providential event that may yet save our country from being hostage to scandalous and shady government deals," Lagdameo said in a statement posted on the Web site of the bishops' group.
"Our country has too long been captive to the corruption of people in governance," he said. "We have to confess that corruption is, in truth, our greatest shame as a people."
Lagdameo urged the Philippines to back religious groups' efforts to uncover the truth behind the alleged corruption and to join protest prayers.
"This truth challenges us now to communal action," he said.
De Venecia, 71, was the longest-serving speaker of the powerful House of Representatives. Arroyo's dominant allies removed him from the post in a Feb. 5 vote.
Arroyo's alliance with de Venecia frayed last year when his son, Jose "Joey" de Venecia III — a losing bidder in a government broadband contract — told a Senate inquiry that Arroyo's husband had been promised a US$70 million kickback from the deal. Her husband, Jose "Mike" Miguel Arroyo, denied the allegation.
De Venecia stood by his son's allegations, and claims he has knowledge of cheating in the 2004 presidential elections that Arroyo won.
Lozada, a government consultant for the US$330 million broadband contract, told a Senate inquiry last week that Benjamin Abalos, a former elections chief, allegedly acted as a broker for the deal and threatened to kill him if he did not obtain a kickback of about US$130 million for him from the deal. Abalos denied the charge and threatened to sue Lozada for libel.
Lozada and his family alleged he was forcibly taken by authorities as he arrived from a foreign trip last week, to prevent him from testifying about the scandal. Police denied his claim.
Lozada has been under the protection of the Senate, an opposition bastion that plans to resume an investigation of the alleged abduction and bribery scandal on Monday.
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