Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio Cardinal David on Saturday rejected the proposed National Transition Council (NTC) and a possible civilian-military junta as a response to alleged government corruption, even if Church leaders are promised positions of power.
Speaking at the second Trillion Peso March (TPMM) rally held at the Edsa People Power Monument, David said accepting such proposals would lead the country into becoming a ‘banana republic.’
‘We don’t want the proposed transitional council or revolutionary government because we do not want the Philippines to become a banana republic. We also do not want a civilian and military junta, even if we bishops are promised positions in the government,’ David said in Filipino.
David, a former president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, is among religious leaders allied with the multi-sectoral TPMM coalition, which organized the November 30 anti-corruption protest.
His statement stood in contrast to the position of protesters at simultaneous rallies in Manila’s Rizal Park and Mendiola, who called for the creation of the NTC and the resignation of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Vice President Sara Duterte, and other elected officials.
The Kilusang Bayan Kontra Kurakot (KBKK), which led the Manila rallies, proposed that the NTC independently investigate alleged anomalies in infrastructure projects and lead electoral and governance reforms.
But David and TPMM participants, including various dioceses, rejected the idea, saying accountability should be pursued through constitutional means.
David also cautioned against military intervention, saying such scenarios would only lead to tragedy.
‘Do you think that those whom they are asking to resign will resign voluntarily? That seems unlikely, unless our armed forces fall for the temptation of politics and they themselves defect and call for resignation,’ he said.
‘We don’t have to burn down the whole house just because we want to catch and hold accountable the cockroaches and rats of our society,’ he added.
Instead of stepping down, David urged Marcos to follow through with the anti-corruption probe he initiated in July, particularly on flood control projects, offering support for transparent investigations.
‘Go all out – through a genuine, transparent investigation. We will help with citizens’ participatory audit. We will help to strengthen the morale of true public servants,’ the cardinal said. /dm