BY GERARD NAVAL

ARCHBISHOP Angel Lagdameo yesterday expressed disappointment over the Church’s involvement in ousting Joseph Estrada, a president they perceived to be corrupt, only to replace him with Gloria Arroyo who was tagged the most corrupt president in a recent survey.

"In People Power 1, we were very satisfied with the result," Lagdameo, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, said when asked if bishops are regretting their participation in Edsa 2.

"The second one, we were somehow disappointed because People Power 2, with the help of the Church, installed a president who later on was judged by surveys as the most corrupt president. That is embarrassing. Yun yung sinasabi ko na parang disappointed... na we went from one frying pan to a worse frying pan," he said.

Lagdameo made the statements after a three-hour meeting between members of the CBCP and civil society groups.

The survey was conducted by Pulse Asia in October last year. The survey results, made public last December, showed 42 percent of respondents tagged Arroyo as the "most corrupt" president. Second was Ferdinand Marcos (35 percent) followed by Estrada (16 percent), Fidel Ramos (5 percent), and Corazon Aquino (1 percent).

The Palace has dismissed the survey results, saying the 1,200 respondents are too few to represent the sentiments of the entire country.

Lagdameo said the civil society groups sought the bishops to seek moral guidance in their bid to combat massive corruption in the Arroyo government.

He said the CBCP’s call for communal action in fighting graft and corruption is already part of the moral guidance the bishops are giving. "It is the role of the civil society to identify the steps whereby they will achieve good governance," he said after the three-hour meeting.

The call was issued by Lagdameo earlier this month in the wake of allegations of anomalies in the national broadband network project that government awarded to the Chinese firm ZTE Corp.

Arroyo cancelled the project amid the controversy triggered by accusations that payoffs bloated the project price.

THE TIPPING POINT

Lagdameo said he believes the NBN controversy is not the only cause of the public’s outrage against corruption but just the "tipping point."

"Marami na ang nangyayari, parang adding one after another. E na-reach na yung tipping point kaya nangyayari ngayon itong mga nakikita natin," he said, referring to fresh calls for Arroyo’s resignation.

Lagdameo also said his call for a "new brand of people power" could be the "communal action" the CBCP is calling for.

The new version of people power, Lagdameo said when he made the call Monday night, could include prayers and reflection.

"If, according to collective discernment, which can occur in unpredictable ways, the communal action is People Power, it will have to be with a different ‘brand.’ It will not be simply a repeat of the past," Lagdameo said.

"We must pray. Yes. There is a suggested Prayer of the Faithful for the nation in crisis. But we must also sacrifice for the highest national common good, inspired by "political charity" for the country, honesty and justice, guided by truth, like participating in a National Campaign Against Corruption in Government," he said Monday.

SUSTAINED CAMPAIGN

Yesterday, Lagdameo said there should be a sustained national campaign against corruption within government "by standing for truth, justice, honesty and, above all, accountability."

Lagdameo said mass actions are already beginning, although these have yet to be widespread. About 10,000 members of militant, civil society groups and Church groups participated in a rally Friday in Makati. The protesters called for President Arroyo’s resignation and prosecution of officials involved in graft and corruption.

"Sa aking palagay nag-uumpisa na sapagkat itong grupo ng civil society parang meron na nadiskubre na pamamaraan na kanilang gagawin. I can be sure na in their respective dioceses, the bishops are involved wherever there are common activities like for example in Bacolod, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro and Jaro. The bishops are involved in these common activities that are happening within their dioceses," he said.

PROGRESS SEEN

Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz, former CBCP president, said he thinks civil society groups are looking for more from the bishops.

"I’m interpreting na yung leadership na makita kami, hindi yung sermon lang ng sermon, kundi we are part of what we say," he said.

He said yesterday’s meeting was the sixth between members of the CBCP and civil society members. He described the progress as "interesting."

"Nag-progress in the sense that there are more representatives such as Protestant bishops, Muslim community, from the students, academe sector, from the Black and White (movement), Magnificat etc. Ito yung communal action in various degrees," said Cruz who organized the meeting.

But he admitted the meeting, which had participants from 30 to 50 groups, has yet to come up with a concrete plan. He said more meetings will be held.

NEW EDSA MODEL

Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez, head of the CBCP public affairs committee, said suggestions made by the civic groups could be part of the new type of people power.

"I think once na nag-succeed yan, sila na mismo hahanap ng pamamaraan na it will not just be the (old) Edsa model. May mga nabanggit na kanina gaya ng civil disobedience, hindi pagbayad ng buwis, those are different models of people power. Yan yung mga nabanggit kanina na communal action," Iñiguez said.

He said the new brand of people power revolution should be more wide-ranging and decentralized.

"Sa communal action naman, the more people are involved the more it is people power, the more ang impact," he said.

‘UNITY WALKOUT’

Iñiguez chided Arroyo and her Cabinet for their show of solidarity amid calls for them to resign. He said it would have been better for the public if the "unity walk," called "solidarity walk" by the Palace, had other purposes.

"Sayang hindi pa unity walkout. Mas matutuwa sana ang Filipino people," Iñiguez said.

During the "solidarity walk" from the Premier Guest House to the State Dining Room in Malacañang, Arroyo and members of her Cabinet posed for pictures.

This came two days after about 60 former Cabinet officials urged their successors to resign.

Iñiguez called on the public to remain vigilant. He said it would be wrong to simply shrug off the numerous scandals implicating Arroyo in corruption issues after the administration issues a denial.

"Sa sandaling meron tayong mga narinig na ganong umuusok, dapat tingnan natin at baka talagang may apoy at baka nasusunog na tayo. Dapat tayo ay maging bukas at dapat nating hanapin ung talagang nangyayari," he said.

Groups of medical practitioners and workers have declared their resolve to combat corruption in government.

The Health Alliance for Democracy said it would continue to join mass actions against the Arroyo regime if it is the only way to make her government accountable, said Dr. Darby Santiago, Head vice chairman.

The Federation of Free Workers said it would continue the fight against "bureaucratic corruption" which it said is the No. 1 cause of burden among taxpayers that include laborers.

"Workers and their unions should continue to exercise utmost vigilance and support all initiatives that would increase transparency in procurement and in all government transactions while helping establish strong institutions for democracy by, among others, exposing bureaucratic corruption and helping maintain dynamic check-and-balance within government in the spirit of good governance," said Allan Montaño, FFW president.

Advocates of environment protection sought the ouster of Arroyo and Environment Secretary Lito Atienza.

Their ouster will keep governance and the environment clean, said the advocates who are allied with the Environment and Natural Resource Advocates for GMA’s Expulsion (Enraged) and the Kalikasan Peoples’ Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE).

The group staged a "clean-up" protest in front of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources office, wielding cleaning implements, props made out of recycled materials and "green and pro-people tips."

They said the "clean-up of the dirt and filth that the NBN-ZTE scandals has uncovered is in order, starting with the proper and immediate removal of President Arroyo and Secretary Atienza." – With Job Realubit