Escudero disqualification from Sorsogon gubernatorial race sought over church ‘donation’
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Sun, 14 Apr 2019 10:02:12 +0000
AN urgent petition seeking the disqualification of Sorsogon gubernatorial candidate Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero and three others were filed before the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
In a 10-page petition, the Bayan at Mamamayan (BM) alleged that Escudero, the official candidate of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), violated the expressed provision of the Omnibus Election Code (OEC) when he donated P50,000 to the Our Lady of Penafrancia Seminary (OLPS) for the use of its premises for a political proclamation rally last March 31, 2019 or two days after the start of the 45-day campaign period for local candidates.
The three others were Escudero’s running mate Mayor Manuel Fortes, his mother Sorsogon First District Rep. Evelina Escudero, and NPC second district congressional candidate Ditas Ramos.
BM lead convenor Revor Lasay claimed that giving of donations violated Section104 of the OEC, and constituted as a prohibited act pursuant to Comelec Resolution 10429.
Lasay said that the Diocese of Sorsogon, through spokesperson Fr. Philippe A.B. Gallanosa, has admitted that OLPS received a rental payment from NPC for the venue even as he pointed out that the diocese has no business permit to allow the rental of its premises for public use.
“That it can be surmised that, since OPLS did not have any business permit, and necessarily had no official receipt to issue whatsoever for the use of its premises, it is, by simple reasoning, that, the amount given by Sen. Chiz or the NPC to OLPS is a form of donation, which is a prohibited act pursuant to Comelec Resolution 10429 and election offense in violation of Sec. 104 of the Omnibus Election Code,” it added.
Petitioner also said that there was no existing certification that NPC-Sorsogon submitted to the election registrar a statement of expenditure of the event in violation of Section 88 of the OEC.
Lasay said that before the March 31 rally, he had written Sorsogon Bishop Arturo Bastes requesting to withdraw any agreement it may have entered with Escudero or NPC as the event would undermine the Church independence and non-partisanship in relation to a previous directive from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), but to no avail.
Petitioner said that he also informed CBCP president Bishop Romulo Valles that the Diocese of Sorsogon meddled in political partisanship when it allowed Escudero to use the seminary premises.
He added that he has also called the attention of the Comelec in a letter dated March 27, to the effect that the Sorsogon-Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) was put into a compromising situation by allowing its members to be part of the political activity.
“If it happens in Sorsogon, it might also be happening also in other Church’ premises elsewhere in the country in violation of the separation of the Church and State,” Lasay said.
Lasay said that the Church was only exempted from paying real estate taxes but not on income generating endeavors not related to religious activities, adding unpaid taxes from businesses run by the Church could run to billions of pesos that government should look into.
“It is a constitutional violation, and at the same time immoral and unethical,” Lasay told The Manila Times. WILLIAM B. DEPASUPIL
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