The Influence of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines' Stand Regarding the Issue of Impeachment against Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on the People's Thinking and Actions

Abstract

The year 2006 was a year when the country has once again wrapped in notable distress. The House had been flooded with a huge number of impeachment complaints against the May 2004 Presidential Elections5 proclaimed ’winner' — Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo (GMA). The reasons behind these impeachment complaints were no longer a mystery to most of the Filipino people, especially those who got hold of the series of 4 events that had occurred during the Arroyo regime. Last July 2006, most of the citizens in the country had been stunned by how the Catliolic Chui-ch, particularly the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) looked at the issue of impeachment against GMA. The Catholic Church, most specifically the CBCP, has been a very significant part of the Philippine Society over the past decades. It can not be concealed that the Church had been influential, and its role as 'moral and spiritual guide holds the institution unbroken in the social order. However, people change and time slips away, so as the society itself. After the CBCP stated their stand on the issue of impeachment, having reservations about its weight and impact to the general public is not surprising. In the face of the circumstances and all the struggles, it is just right to be sensitive enough with the things that are happening around us, as each and everyone search for their own definition of truth.