2 pastoral letters 36 years apart show nothing much has changed

In July of the 4th year of President Corazon “Cory” Aquino’s term, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), ordered the reading of the pastoral letter “Thou Shall Not Steal” during Sunday Masses in all churches throughout the country. The letter was in reaction to the persistent and high-level corruption in government, even after the EDSA People Power Revolution, which was inspired by the promise of massive reforms in governance by the leaders of that change in government, foremost of whom was Cory Aquino.

Here are excerpts from the pastoral letter of the CBCP, signed by Leonardo Z. Legaspi, OP, Archbishop of Caceres, President of the CBCP, on July 11, 1989.

“Graft and corruption — in the plainest of language, stealing from the public through the misuse of influence or position — has become, to our shame as a people, an ordinary fixture of our nation’s public life. President Aquino herself has admitted that it has returned, if not to the same extent, at least with equal shamelessness during her administration.

“Acts of graft and corruption are no longer considered as sin or offenses against the Lord who has commanded us not to steal. This sin is today especially hateful before God because it steals money from the already poor.

“Under present circumstances, it becomes a sin of the blackest hue, a sin that cries to heaven for vengeance.

“We are conscious that we your bishops also have our share in this sin, and hence we express our repentance. But while acknowledging our own sinfulness, we want to exhort you to likewise condemn this sin which tarnishes our name as a Christian nation.”

The bishops exhorted the faithful to form anti-graft-and-corruption councils at all levels of our society to monitor the appropriation of public funds at the level on which they operate, and to act as the civilian arm of the ombudsman in the reporting and prosecution of graft and corruption cases.

But the bishops betrayed their misgivings about the people’s capability for such action when they asked, “Are we capable of the kind of action we are proposing here? We have no illusions about the difficulty and of the dangers of the undertaking too attendant to the pursuance.”

Indeed, the people proved incapable of the action proposed by the bishops. The task was too formidable for them. It would require much time and effort on their part. They have their own lives to live and their own business to mind. They were content with enjoying freedom of speech again, like denouncing the crooks in government, and freedom from fear of the abusive agents of martial law.

The councils were never formed. Graft and corruption at all levels of our society not only persisted, it became larger in scale.

In September of the 4th year of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.’s term, the CBCP issued a pastoral letter titled “Beyond Survival: Rising Above the Floods of Corruption.” It was the bishops’ reaction to the multi-layered system of commissions consuming project funds, and a culture of “survival politics” that normalizes corruption. It condemned the widespread corruption in government flood control projects and urged accountability and restitution.

Here are excerpts from the pastoral letter of the CBCP signed by Pablo Virgilio S. Cardinal David, Bishop of Kalookan, President of the CBCP, on Sept. 8, 2025.

“Both the Senate and the House of Representatives are now investigating corruption in flood control projects. Yet we must ask: how credible are these inquiries when the very institutions conducting them are themselves implicated? Who inserted these projects into the national budget as pork, often at the expense of education, health, and social programs?

“For years, the anatomy of corruption in public works has been public knowledge. Senator Panfilo Lacson laid it bare. Mayors like Benjamin Magalong and Vico Sotto confirmed that a multi-layered system of ‘commissions’ often consumes 60% of project funds leaving less than half for construction.

“True justice, however, demands more than punishment. It also calls for restitution: that stolen wealth be returned to the public coffers from which it was taken. Retribution in this sense is not personal vengeance but the rightful act of giving back what was stolen, so that the people may finally benefit from resources meant for their welfare.

“Survival cannot be the standard of our politics. We must demand visible accountability: quick audits, real penalties, and transparency that people can see. And renewal must also begin with us.

“We too have often failed, whether by silence, by tolerating corruption in our own ranks, or by not setting a consistent example of integrity.

“Let us rise above the floods of corruption together. Let justice roll down like waters across our land. Let us rebuild our nation on truth, justice, and the common good.”

The bishops called on the faithful to commit themselves to rejecting patronage politics, and joining civic and parish initiatives in movements for good governance and ecological justice. They also urged their flock to demand justice, insisting on legal action, including criminal charges against those guilty of systematically plundering public funds.

Demanding justice, insisting on legal action, the faithful have done intensely. But that will not bring about justice. Senators and House of Representatives members accused of involvement in the flood control scandal are expected to hire as their legal counsels lawyers near the caliber of the late Estelito Mendoza, who was dubbed the “defense lawyer of last resort.” Do the prosecutors of the Department of Justice and of the Office of the Ombudsman match up to those pricey defense lawyers the accused senators and House members are expected to hire?

It has also been said that the Philippine justice system is the best that money can buy. The saying implies that judges and even justices can be bought. People have surmised that corrupt public officials charged with plunder or amassing millions illegally were acquitted because the officials shared their ill-gotten millions with Sandiganbayan justices. In fact, the Supreme Court had dismissed a Sandiganbayan associate justice found guilty of gross misconduct, dishonesty, and impropriety for acquitting a person charged with malversation.

And if some justices of the Sandiganbayan can be bought — so can prosecutors. I have wondered if any of the high-profile cases dismissed by the Sandiganbayan for lack of evidence were deliberately weakened by the prosecutors?

That is why the CBCP should do more than just call on the faithful to reject patronage politics, join movements for good governance, and demand accountability, retribution, and justice.

The Office of the Ombudsman filed graft charges against former congressman Elizaldy Co last Tuesday. Ombudsman Crispin Remulla said last week that graft charges against senators will be filed today. Not only are they expected to hire the best defense lawyers, they are also expected to use their influence and (ill-gotten?) millions to obtain an acquittal.

The CBCP should ask eminent lawyers, retired and practicing, who are close to the bishops to volunteer as amici curiae, Latin for “friends of the court.” Amici curiae are people who are not party to a legal case but who have a strong interest in the case’s subject matter and may file a legal brief, or an “amicus brief,” to the court to assist in its decision-making.

The participation of eminent lawyers in the prosecution of those accused of malversation in connection with the anomalous flood control projects would deter prosecutors from deliberately losing their case, and justices from handing down “influenced” decisions.

Oscar P. Lagman, Jr. has been a keen observer of Philippine politics since the 1950s.