Leni: Constitution is clear on separation of Church and state

CABIAO, Nueva Ecija – Rep. Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo finds the Constitutional provision on separation of Church and State too clear to be misconstrued.

The statement was made by Robredo in an interview here amid the recent protest by members of the influential Iglesia Ni Cristo against Justice Secretary Leila De Lima in connection with criminal charges filed against members of its Sanggunian recently.

“Yung separation of church and state, let us simplify it like this that our government is not allowed to declare only one religion for all. The government cannot declare, let us say it, Catholic, as the only religion for all the people in the Philippines. That is prohibited,” she said.

The government, she added, is also prohibited from favoring any religious sect.

”It seems to say that freedom of religion is being recognized paramount,” she said, noting that the government is also barred from spending public funds to any religious sect.

                                                                                                                                     

”With regard to the latest controversy,” she said, “there are those who have been charged for illegal detention. The government should act on the matter because it is not included in the freedom of religion,” Robredo said.

Without citing any particular case, Robredo said there were times when some Catholic officials were accused of criminal acts where the church could not invoke separation of church and state.

”All crimes are defined under the Revised Penal Code, there is no one exempted, thus, it should not be muddled on the issue of the separation of the church and state,” she said. -- PNA