Maniolas

As they join Filipinos in listening to President Benigno Aquino’s State of the Nation Address on Monday, Catholic bishops particularly want to hear Aquino tackle his administration’s actions on economic growth and graft. The bishops also said they want to learn what Aquino will do to curb corruption stemming from lawmakers’ pork barrel funds. President Aquino has so far kept mum on what he will discuss in his SONA. “I hope to hear from you on this, on your next SONA,” Digos Bishop Guillermo Afable said in a July 18 letter to Aquino, excerpts of which were posted on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines news site. He was referring to an alleged P10-billion scam involving the pork of lawmakers supposedly going to dummy non-government organizations. Afable urged Aquino to use his political influence to end the “despicable” practice, saying the Filipino people “deserve better than this.” “It’s about time you come out clean with this and put an end to this shameful practice,” he said in his letter to Aquino. “I know you and your Cabinet will find a more creative, but just and ethical way of bringing the government closer to the people,” he added. For his part, Cubao Bishop Honesto Ongtioco said poor Filipinos have yet to feel the economic growth the government claimed to have accomplished. “The benefits of a good economy should trickle down to the poor and unemployed. As of now the poor and many people do not feel the good economy,” a Read More …