(Manila Comprehensive News) The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has made clear that it does not support holding snap elections or staging a coup d'état over the controversy surrounding flood control projects. The group emphasized that those involved should be held accountable through the rule of law, and not by overthrowing the government.
According to a Thursday report published on the CBCP news website, CBCP President and Caloocan Bishop Cardinal Pablo David stated that calls for a coup or snap elections are not the correct solution to government shortcomings.
He said: “If a child gets dirty, we give the child a bath, but it’s the dirty water we throw out, not the child. The same goes for the government. Even if it disappoints us, we cannot abandon it, because it is something we have built together.”
He called on the public to fix systemic issues and uphold government operations, “not through coups, not through revolutionary governments, not through military rule, and not through snap elections.”
Cardinal David also stressed that all officials and contractors involved in the irregular flood control projects must be held accountable according to the law, in order to achieve justice and accountability. “We must dismantle the culture of corruption and let the rule of law prevail. What we need is not a new electoral term, but for plunderers to face lengthy sentences.”
Recent reports indicated that during last month's anti-corruption protests, a group of retired military officers called for a coup and the establishment of a military government.
On the other hand, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano called last Sunday for all elected officials to resign collectively to pave the way for snap elections, sparking widespread discussion in society.