Manila, Philippines, Feb 17, 2008 / 04:30 am
Catholic bishops and other Catholic leaders in the Philippines decided not to join a Friday rally protesting the president and alleged high-level corruption in Manila, UCA News reports.
Instead the bishops held a morning “Mass for Truth” at their headquarters, prior to the afternoon rally organized by opposition politicians and leftist groups in the country’s main business district in Metro Manila.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and some cabinet members face harsh criticism after allegations of corruption in a now-canceled program to build a national broadband network.
Rodolfo Lozada, a former government consultant, testified before a Senate committee on February 8. He claimed a Chinese telecommunications company’s $329 million broadband service contract contained $130 million in kickbacks. Lozada implicated the former head of the election commission, Benjamin Abalos Sr., and President Arroyo’s husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, among others.