BY GERARD NAVAL

THE Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines last night asked President Arroyo not to stand in the way of the truth with regard to corruption in government, particularly on the issue of the national broadband network (NBN) project.

The bishops did not call for Arroyo’s resignation, saying they would not want engage in a political exercise.

"We recognize that there are some questions of moral ascendancy (of Arroyo) that will continue to be questioned. Asking for her resignation is a political exercise and we leave it to the people to decide," said Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Quevedo, former CBCP president.

He said their main concern, as pastors tasked to lead society towards the common good, lies in the search for truth and restoring integrity in the government to pave the way for the rebuilding of the country.

Calls for Arroyo’s ouster or resignation were aired anew following revelations of anomalies in the NBN deal, particularly payoffs.

In a two-page statement after a 10-hour special consultative meeting, the prelates asked Arroyo to lead the country in combating corruption by removing all impediments such as Executive Order 464, which prevents key government officials from testifying in various investigations without the President’s consent.

"The CBCP strongly asks the President to allow her subordinates to reveal any corrupt acts, particularly about the ZTE-NBN deal, without being obstructed in their testimony no matter who is involved," said the two-page statement signed by Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, CBCP president.

"We strongly recommend the abolition of the EO 464 so that those who might have knowledge of any corruption in branches of government may be free to testify before the appropriate investigating bodies," it added.

The Supreme Court has ruled as unconstitutional some provisions of EO 464.

Arroyo issued the order in September 2006 right after a general testified at the Senate about massive cheating allegedly by the Arroyo camp in Lanao provinces in the May 2004 elections.

The special consultative meeting was called by Lagdameo last Sunday in a bid to harmonize the positions of the 131-member CBCP on current issues. Some bishops are calling for Arroyo’s resignation while others are supporting calls for reforms in government, particularly on the issue of corruption.

The meeting was attended by 55 members of the conference in Pope Pius XII Catholic Center in Manila.

The bishops also appealed to bodies investigating the ZTE-NBN case – the Senate, Ombudsman, and the justice department – to use their powers of inquiry for the common good instead of their own interests.

They reiterated their call for "circles of discernment" in the grassroots level to pave way for internal conversion to maturity resulting in the destruction of the roots of corruption.