US embassy cable - 05MANILA4271

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANILA 004271 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/PMBS, EAP/IET, INR/EAP, INR/B 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/08/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PHUM, PINR, RP 
SUBJECT: ARCHBISHOP ROSALES ENCOURAGES CHURCH TO STAY OUT 
OF POLITICS, DENOUNCES POVERTY AND CORRUPTION 
 
REF: A. MANILA 4199 
 
     B. MANILA 3946 
     C. VATICAN 500 
     D. MANILA 3167 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Darryl N. Johnson 
for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (C) Summary:  In a September 8 meeting with Charge, 
Archbishop of Manila Gaudencio Rosales identified economic 
and moral poverty as the greatest problems in the Philippines 
today and criticized the current political leadership as 
corrupt and ineffective in improving the lives of the people. 
 He indicated that members of the Church should refrain from 
actively participating in politics, while acknowledging that 
the Church has a role to play in promoting personal 
development and social justice.  End Summary. 
 
2.  (U) On September 8, Charge d'Affaires Johnson met with 
Archbishop of Manila Gaudencio Rosales at his residence in 
Intramuros, Manila.  Poloff (notetaker) also attended. 
 
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Church Should Tread Lightly in Politics 
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3.  (C) Charge expressed his condolences for the passing of 
Rosales' predecessor, Jaime Cardinal Sin.  Rosales 
acknowledged the tremendous influence Cardinal Sin held in 
the Church and in Philippine society (see ref b), but said 
the Church had entered a new era and was now focused on 
tending to the spiritual and material needs of its members. 
He said that although the Church here had a history of 
supporting freedom (citing the 1986 People Power movement, in 
which Cardinal Sin played a prominent role), members of the 
clergy should avoid imposing themselves directly into 
political disputes.  He noted that the statement the Catholic 
Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) issued on July 
10 regarding allegations that President Arroyo cheated in the 
2004 elections was "carefully crafted."  (Note: The statement 
urged the President to examine the situation and to make the 
best decision for the country, while stopping short of 
calling for her resignation.  End Note.) 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
Economic and Moral Poverty Threaten Philippines 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
4.  (C) Rosales stressed that the most important issue facing 
the Philippines is poverty - both material and spiritual.  He 
pointed out that 62 percent of the residents of Manila live 
in poverty and that more than 70 percent are below the 
poverty line nationwide.  To address the material needs of 
Filipinos, Rosales said the Church sponsors numerous programs 
to encourage personal development, such as the "Pondong 
Pinoy" (Filipino Fund), in which Catholics donate 25 centavos 
(about 1/2 a cent) at collection boxes throughout the 
country.  The program, which started in June 2004, has 
sponsored feeding programs for the poor, education for 
disadvantaged children, and microfinance lending to peasants. 
 
5.  (C) Rosales criticized the prevalence of moral poverty in 
the Philippines, especially in politics.  He lamented the 
corruption that he claimed had permeated every presidential 
administration since Ferdinand Marcos except that of Corazon 
Aquino, although he admitted that even many of those around 
her engaged in graft and corruption.  He claimed that because 
of this moral decay, successive governments had failed to 
meet the needs of the Filipino people. 
 
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Other Political Issues 
---------------------- 
 
6.  (C) Constitutional Change:  Rosales praised former 
President Fidel Ramos for his televised remarks of September 
7 in which he outlined plans to move to a parliamentary 
system of government.  However, Rosales said that he was not 
convinced that such a change would solve the country's 
pressing problems and suggested that many groups, including 
the Catholic Church, would have to debate thoughtfully the 
ramifications of such a move in a public Constitutional 
Assembly before moving to a new form of government. 
 
7.  (C) China:  Rosales flagged the growing dominance of 
China in the region saying, "they have arrived and they want 
their presence noted."  He added that he is planning a trip 
to Taiwan soon, but was taking care to keep a low profile, 
out of sensitivity for the "One China Policy." 
 
8.  (C) Trafficking in Persons:  The Church strongly 
supported recent moves by the Japanese Government to tighten 
its visa requirement for Filipino entertainers -- many of 
whom, Rosales acknowledged, ended up in prostitution.  He 
noted with disdain that officials from the Philippine 
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) had approached the 
Church, urging it to support DOLE's calls to delay the 
implementation of the stricter rules.  The Church remained 
firm in its support of the measures.  Charge pointed out that 
the new requirements had been effective at reducing the 
number of Filipino entertainers going to Japan (ref a). 
9.  (C) Opposition to President Arroyo:  Rosales warned 
Charge there were many "red flags" (i.e. leftist groups) 
among groups demonstrating against President Arroyo.  He said 
the possibility existed for dangerous alliances between 
corrupt officials such as Senator "Ping" Lacson and militant 
leftist organizations. 
 
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Comment 
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10.  (C) Rosales appears to be following Vatican guidance on 
keeping the Church out of  politics, although he is known to 
be close to former President Corazon Aquino.  Rosales is 
likely to continue to steer the Church in the Philippines to 
focus on the physical and spiritual needs of Catholics rather 
than on domestic politics. 
 
Visit Embassy Manila's Classified SIPRNET website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/manila/index. cfm 
 
You can also access this site through the State Department's 
Classified SIPRNET website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/ 
 
JOHNSON