Cabinet Secretary to join Palace dialogue with religious groups

By Arjay L. Balinbin, Reporter
PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has tapped Cabinet Secretary Leoncio B. Evasco, Jr. to join the committee tasked to hold dialogues with religious groups, Malacañang announced on Thursday.
“The President designated a fourth member to the committee to hold dialogues with the different Churches. Cabinet Secretary Evasco, Jr. was appointed the fourth member of this presidential committee,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque, Jr, said in a press briefing.
Mr. Roque said he received the information “late last night,” Wednesday. “He’s an ex-priest, and he’s familiar with the dorma of the Catholic Church,” he said when asked why Mr. Evasco was chosen to be part of the committee.
According to his profile, as posted on the official Web site of the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (NHMFC), Mr. Evasco finished his bachelor’s degree in philosophy and theology at Seminario Mayor de San Carlos in Cebu City in 1966 and 1970, respectively. He was ordained into the priesthood in 1970 and joined the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) in 1974, at the height of the Marcos dictatorship.
Mr. Roque also confirmed that Mr. Duterte has received an invitation from the Papal Nuncio in Manila, Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, to attend the Pope’s Day celebration on June 29 at the Apostolic Nunciature in Malate.
But Mr. Roque added: “I don’t think at this point that the President will be attending the event. But then again, until the Office of the President actually says so, I’m not sure and I’m just wary that because the invitation came so late, the President already has fixed schedules. So, I do not have any idea if the President will be able to attend, but at the same time we’re awaiting orders from PMS (Presidential Management Staff) if the committee will be representing the President on Friday. So, until now also, we have not had any formal request from the PMS to represent the President this Friday,” he said.
Mr. Roque also said the Palace does not see religious leaders as initiating destabilization efforts against Mr. Duterte.
Speaking to GMA News on Thursday, Council for Philippine Affairs (COPA) secretary-general Pastor “Boy” Saycon, who is also part of the committee, said: “The destabilization plot against the President is real. The effort to remove him…is something that he attributes to some of the leaders of the Catholic Church.”
Mr. Roque for his part said: “I’ll have to tell [Mr. Saycon] to be more careful about what he says to the public and to the media, and that there (are) vetting processes before we’re able to say anything to the media. So, I will discuss with him the communication protocols of the government.”