Bishop: Colleague’s apology to Erap unnecessary

Novaliches Bishop Antonio Tobias was speaking for himself, not for other Catholic bishops, when he apologized to ousted President Joseph Estrada for the Church’s role in his ouster in 2001, a Catholic bishop clarified yesterday.

Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez said Tobias should not have made the apology to Estrada.

"If I were in his (Tobias’) place at that time, I would not say the same," he told reporters yesterday.

"There was no need to apologize because the Church called for the ouster of the President out of its own conviction and the will of the people," he said.

Iñiguez added he has already discussed the issue with Tobias.

"Bishop Tobias clarified to me that the apology was for the pain the Church had caused the former president, not exactly for what the Church did," he said.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) earlier clarified that the apology of Tobias was his own and did not represent the stand of the Catholic Church.

Archbishop of Jaro, Iloilo, Angel Lagdameo, CBCP president, said Tobias was "very kind and cordial in trying to please the former president on the occasion of his birthday."

"There was no official statement from the CBCP, at that time, to be anti-Erap and so it does not call for an apology on our part," he said. "It was a popular movement that came form different corners of the Philippines. It was the people who judged him."

Tobias apologized to Estrada during a Mass to mark his 69th birthday: "I apologize and hope you can forgive the Church for what happened to you... In the end, I hope you have come to terms with us bishops and priests."

But after the Mass, Tobias clarified that although he made an apology, he still believed that the Church and the people did the right thing in ousting Estrada.

‘Digging his grave’

Meanwhile, Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson, the government’s star witness in Estrada’s plunder trial, said his nemesis is "digging his own grave" by presenting "two contradicting versions" in his testimony regarding the P1.2 million he had given as a birthday gift to Estrada’s son by former starlet Laarni Enrquez.

Singson said Estrada was lying, insisting that the amount was his "contribution" to the P13-million diamond necklace that was to be given to Enriquez as a birthday gift.

"Court records will bear me out on this," he said.

"By issuing contradicting versions in his testimony, he is digging his own grave. If he is not lying, his testimony should be straightforward and should not be mere denials or alibis."

The other contradiction, he said, was raised earlier by Estrada’s court-appointed lawyer, Prospero Crescini, who said the P1.2 million was Singson’s payment for the money he owed Enriquez.

Singson said he hoped Estrada had learned a lesson from the disgrace of being ousted.

"To his credit, he’s really a good actor," he said. "He wants the people to believe that he is innocent, but I know him too much. He’s more than guilty."— Edu Punay