Palace does not see Catholic Church destabilizing Duterte admin
Malacanang said on Thursday it does not see the Catholic Church destabilizing the Duterte administration.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque made the statement after Pastor "Boy" Saycon, member of the team that President Rodrigo Duterte created to conduct a dialogue with the religious groups, raised the possibility the Catholic Church could be used to destabilize the government.
"No, we're not. In the first place, the president is confident about his faith. The Church is confident of its mission in this country," Roque said when asked if the government thought the Catholic Church would be behind a destabilization plot against the administration.
He said the Palace just wants the two institutions to serve the people well.
Meanwhile, Duterte has added Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr., a former Catholic priest in the committee that will hold dialogue with the religious groups.
"I suppose his contribution is because he’s an ex-priest himself and he’s familiar with the dogma of the Catholic Church," he said why Evasco was included in the committee.
Duterte initially chose Roque, Saycon and Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ernesto Abella as members of the committee.
With Saycon's statement that the Church could be used to destabilize the government, Roque said he would remind Saycon to be cautious on what he has been saying.
"I’ll talk to Pastor Saycon and tell him about standard operating procedures of the Office of the Spokesperson now that he has joined the four-man panel. I’ll have to tell him to be more careful about what he says to the public and to the media, and that there is vetting processes before we’re able to say anything to the media. So I will discuss with him the communication protocols of the government," he said.
As to the invitation of Papal Nuncio Archbishop Gabriele Giordano Caccia, the Vatican's representative in the Philippines, for Duterte to go to his residence to celebrate Pope's Day on Friday, Roque said he was not sure if the president would attend the event.
"So I do not have any idea if the president will be able to attend, but at the same time we’re awaiting orders from PMS (Presidential Management Staff) if the committee will be representing the President on Friday," he said.
Duterte has been criticized by some quarters, including some religious groups, after his attack on God whom he called as "stupid." Celerina Monte/DMS
