Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines


The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines is the permanent organizational assembly of the Catholic bishops of the Philippines exercising together certain pastoral offices for the Christian faithful of their territory through apostolic plans, programs and projects suited to the circumstances of time and place in accordance with law for the promotion of the greater good offered by the Church to all people.
Standing as the national episcopal conference in the Philippines, it consists all diocesan bishops and those equivalent to bishops in church law; all coadjutor and auxiliary bishops; and all other titular bishops who exercise for the entire nation a special office assigned to them by the Apostolic See. It has 82 active and 43 honorary bishops and other members. The chancery is centrally located within the Intramuros district, located just behind the Manila Cathedral.
Davao archbishop Most Rev. Romulo G. Valles is the current president since December 2017.

History

The origins of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines may be traced to as far back as February 15, 1945 when the Apostolic Delegate, Archbishop Guglielmo Piani, even as the war was raging, created the Catholic Welfare Organization, with its central office at a remodeled coop at the University of Santo Tomas internment camp. Obviously with the National Catholic Welfare Council of the bishops of the United States as his inspiration and model, Msgr. Piani's major objective was “to meet the war emergency created by the destruction of so many towns.” Manila, for example, was the scene of the most destructive land battles in the country. As Gen. Dwight Eisenhower remarked, with the exception of Warsaw, “this is the worst destruction I have ever seen.” Seeing the need of a coordinated effort to aid the stricken populace, Msgr. Piani presented the services of the CWO to General Douglas MacArthur, and the offer was accepted. In charge of the relief work was the Rev. John
Hurley, SJ. Its first personnel included lay men and women as well as clerics. During and after the battle of Manila, it sheltered around 10,000 half-naked and starving refugees, acted as important outlet of the PCAU foodstuff, and sent out burial squads to bury countless corpses. In the first five months of its existence, it distributed food, medicine, clothing, and other relief goods valued at 906,030. On 17 July 1945, all the bishops met in Manila for their first meeting after the Japanese Occupation, and three days after, Msgr. Piani granted their request to place in their hands the direction of the CWO and make it the official organization of the Hierarchy of the Philippines. After the Apostolic Delegate received from the Holy See the proposal and directive to incorporate the CWO, the articles of incorporation were duly registered in the Securities and Exchange Commission in Manila, on 23 January 1946, with 18 incorporators. As stated in the Articles of Incorporation, the purpose of the CWO was “to unify, coordinate, and organize the Catholic people of the Philippines in works of education, social welfare, religious and spiritual aid and other activities.” The Board of Directors was composed of Bishops Gabriel Reyes, chairman; Constancio Jurgens, Mariano Madriaga, Santiago Sancho and Alfredo Verzosa, members. A few years later, a new constitution was approved by the Sacred Consistorial Congregation on 28 June 1952 and took effect on 30 June 1953. Such were the beginnings of the CWO. It was a welfare organization which had no juridical status in the Church. It was financed through regular quota subscription from all the bishops, and partly from the shipping service and, until 1948, the War Relief Services. Later on, the quota subscription was made on the basis of the Catholic population in each diocese.

Purpose

As provided in its Constitution, the purposes of this episcopal conference is to promote solidarity in the Philippine Church; to engage the Philippine Church actively in the thrusts of the universal Church; to assume the responsibilities as evangelizer in relation to all the people, and in particular to civil authority; and to foster relations with other Episcopal Conferences.
According to this document, the purpose of the Conference is to promote solidarity in the Philippine Church, formulate joint pastoral policies and programs, engage the Philippine Church, formulate joint pastoral policies and programs, engage the Philippine Church as abide in the pastoral thrusts of the universal Church, assume the responsibilities as evangelizer in relation to all the people and with the civil authority in particular and to foster relations with other Episcopal Conferences.

Plenary Assembly

Bishops are gathered as a body in pursuit of its objectives constitute the Plenary Assembly, which is the highest decision-making body of the Conference.
It is the Plenary Assembly which elects through direct vote the officers of the Conference, composed of the following: President, Vice-President, Secretary General and Treasurer. It is likewise the Plenary Assembly which elects the members of the Permanent Council, the Chairmen of the Episcopal Commissions and the heads of the agencies attached to the Conference.
The Plenary Assembly meets in regular session twice a year: in January and in July. When the Plenary Assembly is not in session, the Permanent Council acts for and in behalf of the Conference.
The Permanent Council is composed of a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, and ten regional representatives.
The President of the CBCP serves for a term of two years, and is limited to only two consecutive terms. The members of the Permanent Council, on the other hand, have a term of two years but are allowed a cumulative number of up to four terms. They may not, however, serve for more than two consecutive terms in succession.

Permanent Council

Bishops convene as a Plenary Assembly on a regular basis only twice a year. When the Plenary Assembly is not in session, it is the Permanent Council which acts for and in behalf of all the bishops.
The Permanent Council, composed of ten elected members representing the Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao regions, acts in accordance with the Constitution and By-Laws of the CBCP, and the policies and standing decisions of the Plenary Assembly.
The Council may be convened by the President at any time for the discharge of its regular functions or for special purposes. However, when the Council cannot have a quorum, the members present, together with other CBCP members available, may also act for and in behalf of the Conference.
The Permanent Council's regular functions include ensuring that the decisions made during the Plenary Assembly are properly executed and directing the activities of the Office and other agencies of the Conference. It is also tasked to prepare the agenda for the meetings of the Plenary Assembly and examine and approve the Conference's annual budget, prior to submission and final approval of the Plenary Assembly.
A crucial function of the Permanent Council is to prepare the Joint Statements or Pastoral Letters of the Hierarchy on subject matters decided on by the Plenary Assembly, and see to it that copies are sent to the members for comment and/or approval before they are officially released.
The Council is likewise mandated to work with the Episcopal Commissions and assign to them functions of urgent character which may not have been taken up in the Plenary Assembly and which may not be provided for in the Constitution. It also has the power to set up temporary agencies for some particular inquiry or for some limited sphere of actions.

Composition

As of 2017, the episcopal conference has 82 active member cardinals, archbishops and bishops as well as 43 honorary members.
The Philippines has 16 archdioceses, 51 dioceses, 7 apostolic vicariates, 5 territorial prelatures and a military ordinariate.

List of Presidents

Philippine politics

The episcopal conference expressed dismay over the conduct of the May 14, 2007, midterm elections, saying "the challenge of credible, honest, meaningful and peaceful polls remains". CBCP president Lagdameo lamented that "vote-buying and other anomalies have already become systematic and even cultural." He stressed that election watchdogs, including the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, noted that the problem no longer lies in the voters but the voting system itself and the irresponsibility of some election officials. PPCRV chairman Henrietta de Villa told the bishops that last May's elections merely repeated the unresolved poll fraud issues in the 2004 race between Arroyo and the late Fernando Poe Jr. Lagdameo promised that they would come up with a full assessment of the conduct of the May 14 midterm elections at the conclusion of the assembly. The CBCP is also expected to discuss other pertinent issues, including extrajudicial killings of activists and journalists as well as the implementation of the new Anti-Terror Law.
Lagdameo asked the government to review the controversial anti-terror law, fearing it could be abused. The CBCP warned that the Human Security Act may be used by authorities to quell popular dissent against the government of Mrs. Arroyo. The CBCP, in a press conference, further called for a change of leadership at the Commission on Elections as it noted the "continuing dominance" of political dynasties, dagdag-bawas, and poll violence. Demanding "full revamp of the Comelec", it sought for the appointment of people with "unquestioned integrity and competence, especially in systems and management" to succeed Chair Abalos and the five other members. There should also be "serious efforts to de-politicize and professionalize the bureaucracy," the CBCP said in a two-page pastoral statement read by its president Angel Lagdameo. Its call came after the vote of the 85-bishop CBCP during their two-day plenary assembly. Meanwhile, Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento urged the early nomination process for the four poll commissioners. The terms of office of Chair Abalos and Commissioners Tuason and Borra would end in February next year, with an existing vacancy at the Comelec.
On December 17, 2007, in a statement on the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines website, Pampanga archbishop Paciano Aniceto stated that Pope Benedict XVI assured Filipinos that God and the Church are still with them – in his encyclical "Spe Salvi facti sumus." Also, Manila auxiliary bishop Broderick Pabillo was appointed the new chair of the Episcopal Commission on Social Action and Peace and the National Action for Social Justice and Peace, the CBCP's social arm, replacing Marbel bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez.
On January 7, 2008, Bishop Leonardo Medroso, chairman of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Canon Law and bishop of Tagbilaran diocese, Bohol, issued the appeal to priests to stay away from politics, ahead of the May 2010 elections. He cited Code of Canon Law, prohibition, Canon 285, which forbids all clerics from entering politics and that priests "cannot have an active role in political parties unless the need to protect the rights of the Church or to promote the common good." Three priests—Msgr. Crisanto de la Cruz, Fr. Ronilo Maat Omanio and Fr. Ed Panlilio—who ran in the last elections were suspended from their pastoral duties as a result of their entry into the political arena. Only Panlilio won.
On January 19, 2008, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines announced that Pope Benedict XVI "praised the courage of, and was saddened over the brutal and tragic killing of Fr. Reynaldo Roda in his ministry as head of Notre Dame School." The Pope wrote Jolo Bishop Angelito Lampon: "calls upon the perpetrators to renounce the ways of violence and to play their part in building a just and peaceful society, where all can live together in harmony."
Church insiders reported that the CBCP was still ruled by conservatives, amid renewed calls for Mrs. Arroyo's resignation. Bishops therefore, failed to join these clamors, since the President "continues to wield influence over a good number of CBCP members".

Positions

HIV/AIDS

In 2015, the head of CBCP's Episcopal Commission on Health Care, Fr. Dan Vicente Cancino, explained that the rise of HIV/AIDS cases in the Philippines due to Filipinos believing to "distorted concept of sexuality" due to lack of "family values formation". He urged Filipinos to adhere to traditional Filipino values and live a life of prayer.
The Rise of HIV/AIDS cases in the Philippines, as much as Ten people per day, has been attributed to the CBCP's stance against reproductive health education and condom use.

Philippine Anti-discrimination Bill

In December 2011, the CBCP reportedly urged the Philippine Senate not to pass the Bill 2814 known as "Anti-Ethnic, Racial or Religious Discrimination and Profiling Act of 2011" or "Anti-discrimination Bill". CBCP legal counsel Roland Reyes stated that he believes that the bill is a precursor for the passage of a same sex marriage bill in the country. Another CBCP legal counsel, Jo Imbong, questioned protecting homosexuals because she considers homosexuality to be a choice of the individual. The CBCP sees the Anti-discrimination bill as a challenge to religious freedom, but the CBCP stated that it supports the bill as long as it rejects second class treatment for the LGBT community.

Controversies

PCSO controversy

The CBCP was embroiled in a controversy in 2011 over millions of pesos in donations from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office at the behest of then president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. According to a Commission on Audit report in 2009, some bishops received donations for the purchase of vehicles from the PCSO.
Critics claim the donations was given to ensure Church support for Arroyo, who was then buffeted by scandals and repeated threats of impeachment. The bishops were tagged as "Pajero bishops" as it was alleged that they received Pajero vehicles.
Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Cardinal Quevedo explained that they asked for donations from the government because they are from "the provinces that have some of the most difficult areas that we have." He added that it is their duty to help the people from those provinces with the use of their resources and that "when we lack resources, we seek the assistance from others."
The bishops were summoned during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investigation on the anomalies within the PCSO, with the bishops returning the vehicles donated to them. The CBCP Permanent Council also conducted its own investigation regarding the controversy. Senator Teofisto Guingona, chairman of the Blue Ribbon Committee, said that since the vehicles were used for secular purposes, the donation is not considered as a violation of the Constitution, but added that the issue was a "litmus test to the Constitution" since the Constitution prohibits favoring a particular religious organization. Senator Juan Ponce Enrile said that the tag "Pajero bishops" were unfair since the bishops did not received expensive vehicles and said that the PCSO leadership must be blamed for the controversy.

Paedophilia

Fr. Shay Cullen, founder of the People’s Recovery Empowerment Development Assistance Foundation, accused CBCP members of covering up cases of sexual abuse and misconduct.
In year 2002, CBCP apologized for the cases of sexual abuse and misconduct that were committed by its priests. CBCP admitted that around 200 priests have been involved in various cases of sexual misconducts, not limited only to pedophilia, for time period of 20 years.
According to one report, cases of pedophilia in the Philippines were settled out of courts, with the convicted members of clergy being transferred to another parishes by their Bishops. Several cases of pedophilia have been reported with some still pending trial.

John Mary Vianney Galilee Development and Retreat Center for Priests

The 54-room institution is a brainchild of now retired Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales.
In 1991, the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines The CBCP decided build a national center for the ongoing renewal and rehabilitation of clergies to operate under the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ Episcopal Commission on Clergy.
According to Rev. Fr, Noel Deslate, Former director of the center. That for every 20 priests in the Galilee Center, he said four are cases of pedophilia. “Unfortunately, we were not able to document it,” he said. “But I am sure the number.” sic.
This Center is supported by Felicidad Sy a member of the wealthy Sy family who owns BDO and SM Group.