Malacanang urged on Friday the Catholic Bishops Conference to be more circumspect in dealing with the rogue cops who are seeking sanctuary with the Church.

In a press briefing, Assistant to Presidential Spokesperson China Jocson, quoting Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella, said the Palace welcomes the efforts of the Church to help the policemen allegedly involved in extrajudicial killings to mend their ways.

"However, we hope the Church exercises due diligence as there are drug protectors, kidnappers, kotong and ninja cops who want to destroy the ongoing campaign against illegal drugs; furthermore we urge a certain objectivity to avoid being used by said aberrations," she said.

CBCP President and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas has said that some policemen have asked protection from the church and expressed their desire to come out in the open about their alleged participation in extrajudicial killings and summary executions.

These policemen, according to Villegas were already being bothered by their conscience.

Major General Restituto Padilla Jr., who was in the briefing in Malacanang, also said the Church should be discerning.

"(W)hich means to say that it could be possible that not all those who seek the help of the church, saying they are seeking help because they want to mend their ways may not be who they say they are," he said.

He said these police officers might just want to use the Church to evade the law and to go back to their old ways.

"So we just want to inform the church that we do welcome the efforts of the church as part of the community to assist, but be discerning in the process, so that we may be able to get the real individuals who really are sincerely on the way to mending their ways and not those who are merely using that as escape route," he said. Celerina Monte/DMS