Archbishop-Emeritus Antonio Ledesma, SJ
“Non-partisan, but not neutral…” has been the stance of many church leaders during this electoral period. Non-partisan because bishops and priests, as institutional leaders of the church, are pastors of a community that is open to all, sinners and saints, and should not be divided by political affiliations. On the other hand, religious leaders cannot be neutral when the issues involve a moral dimension.
During this election campaign period, many voices have been heard over social media and in political rallies. Candidates focus on their strong points, promises are made, while questions about the moral conduct of past and present activities are glossed over. It is in this light that the prophetic role of church leaders must be heard. The candidacy of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for President, in particular, has raised a number of moral issues. The reports and comments of several knowledgeable observers articulate these concerns.
I PLUNDER AND CORRUPTION CHARGES
1) “$683 Million (or ₱34 billion) worth of Marcos assets in various Swiss banks were declared as ill-gotten wealth, based on a July 2003 Supreme Court decision.”(newsinfo.inquirer.net)
2) “Marcos Jr. is aware of major judicial rulings in three countries (the Philippines, the United States and Switzerland) over the years that prove the existence of ill-gotten wealth. But he has decided to look the other way.” (Prof. Ed Garcia, ConCon delegate, 1987)
3) “In 1991, the BIR assessed the amount of ₱23.3 billion in estate taxes on the estate left by the dictator Marcos. Bongbong is the administrator of the estate of his father. Bongbong ignored the collection notices since then. The total now due of the estate taxes and the interest and surcharges thereon is ₱203.8 billion….Bongbong was implicated in the Janet Napoles pork barrel scam. He placed several million pesos in 2011 and 2012 in nine short projects in four Napoles bogus NGOs.” (Ret. Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr.)
4) “The World Bank and UN Office on Drugs and Crimes said Marcos, having the longest reign as a dictator, stole between $5 billion and $10 billion from the country’s coffers. The corruption was so outrageous that it earned the distinction of being “The Greatest Robbery of a Government” from the Guinness Book of World Records.” (Kurt dela Peña, in World Mission)
II TAX EVASION AND MORAL TURPITUDE
5) “I find that the Respondent’s repeated and persistent non-filing of income tax returns in 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1985, which resulted in his conviction, constitutes an offense involving moral turpitude;… the fact that these omissions were repeated, persistent and consistent is reflective already of a conscious design and intent to avoid a positive duty under the law and intent to evade the taxes due…. Significantly, at the time when Respondent chose not to comply with the duty to society, not only was he a high-ranking government official, he was also the son of the President of the Philippines.” (Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon)
6) “He has been found guilty by a Regional Trial Court and the Court of Appeals of tax evasion for the billions of pesos in unpaid taxes racked up by the Marcos estate.” (Prof. E. Garcia)
7) “The election of Bongbong would be the installation of a President who is a confirmed tax evader. He will serve as a model for and protector of present-day and future tax evaders….As a tax evader, Bongbong has shown that he has no respect for our laws.” (CJ H. Davide)
III RE-INTERPRETING THE INIQUITIES OF MARTIAL LAW
8) “Bongbong has shown no remorse for all the atrocities, evils and iniquities his father committed during the Martial Law years. He repeatedly said that he will not apologize for these because he was still very young then to know them. This is not true. Upon the proclamation of Martial Law, he was already a bright man of 15 years.” (CJ H. Davide)
9) “He has never recognized the wrongdoing that took place under the Marcos watch, has never apologized for it, sought pardon, nor provided restitution to countless victims and their loved ones whose lives had been shattered.” (Prof. E. Garcia)
10) “As ecumenical church leaders, let us commemorate the People Power Revolution of EDSA by not forgetting the dark shadows of Martial Law — the dire opposite of a Golden Age.” (Abp. Jose Cabantan, IFI Bp. Felixberto Calang and other religious leaders)
IV DELIBERATE AND WIDESPREAD DISINFORMATION
11) “We are appalled by the blatant and subtle distortion, manipulation, cover-up, repression and abuse of the truth, like: historical revisionism — the distortion of history or its denial; the proliferation of fake news and false stories; disinformation … to influence the opinion of people, to hide the truth, to malign and blackmail people. There are troll farms which sow the virus of lies.” (Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines)
12) “We vehemently reject the candidates who run under this platform of lies and historical distortion— disseminated in social media by massively-financed trolls—particularly the brazen presentation of the Marcos dictatorship and Martial Law as benevolent regimes in our political history.” (Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines)
13) “He has engaged the services of consultants and social media experts on the ‘brand rehabilitation’ of the Marcos name. Aided by an army of paid trolls, he has conducted his electoral campaign, in large part, on a strategy of misinformation that seeks to mislead rather than clarify. At worst, his is a playbook built on outright lies…. He has imitated the exaggerated exploits and ‘fake medals’ of his father and applied them to his own ‘fake degree’ from Oxford University.” (Prof. E. Garcia)
These then are major moral issues that should be discussed in our Circles of Discernment: plunder and corruption charges; conviction of tax evasion; complicity and silence with regard to the iniquities of Martial Law; deliberate and widespread disinformation used in the electoral campaign. Church leaders have raised their voices in denouncing these malpractices that undermine our democratic way of life. For Pope Francis, “corruption prevents us from looking to the future with hope.” But for the youth and for everyone else, clean and meaningful elections can open that window to the future. #
