MANILA, Philippines – Punish the wicked, and throw them into eternal fire.

Even as the nation reveled in Yuletide carols, Reverend Dionito Cabillas, a priest from the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) or Aglipayan Church, opened Christmas week with flaming words.

Cabillas was one of six representatives of Catholics, Evangelicals, and Aglipayans who led an ecumenical prayer service at the historic EDSA Shrine on Monday, December 23, to pray for an end to corruption in the Philippines.

In particular, the religious leaders criticized the “self-serving” P6.4-trillion ($109-billion) national budget for 2025 that is now awaiting the signature of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. 

The prayer service was organized by the Clergy for Good Governance, a newly formed movement of at least 13 Catholic bishops and 209 priests, and their partner Christian organizations. Joined by opposition figures, the gathering filled most of the pews in the 300-seater EDSA Shrine, formally known as the Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace, Our Lady of EDSA.

The Clergy for Good Governance is an offshoot of the 1,200-strong Clergy for the Moral Choice that endorsed Leni Robredo, Marcos’ closest rival, in the 2022 presidential election.

Key members of the group had joined the filing of impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte over the past three weeks, but the prayer service on Monday targeted the budget controversy involving Marcos and his cousin, Speaker Martin Romualdez.

This gathering two days before Christmas was, contrary to assertions of Duterte supporters, even more critical of Marcos because it was about the 2025 budget. 

“Sa araw na ito, sa aming panalangin, makita sana namin, O Diyos, ang parusang ipapataw mo sa mga taong ganid at sakim,” Cabillas prayed. (On this day, in our prayer, may we see, O God, the punishment you will impose on selfish and greedy people.)

“Makita sana ng mga Pilipinong nagmamahal sa iyo na sila ay magsisisi sa kanilang kasalanan. Kung hindi magsisisi sa kanilang kasalanan, itapon mo na sila, o Diyos, sa apoy na hindi mamamatay,” added Cabillas, whose century-old church, the IFI, is known for its tradition of activism.

(May Filipinos, who love you, see that these people repent from their sins. If they do not repent from their sins, throw them, O God, into the fire that will never be extinguished.)

Bishop Noel Pantoja, national director of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches, appealed to the “God of justice and righteousness” who despises corruption.

He prayed that the country’s leaders be filled with a deep sense of accountability to the people they serve. “Help them remember that their power is a sacred trust,” he said in Filipino.

“May they remember that they are ultimately accountable to you, O God,” said Bishop Efraim Tendero, global ambassador of the World Evangelical Alliance.

Carmelite priest Father Christian Buenafe, representing the Catholic Church’s Conference of Major Superiors in the Philippines, criticized those who turn a blind eye to the problems of society. He cited those who continue to believe in lies and disinformation campaigns on social media or in face-to-face encounters. 

“Do you think we are enjoying God’s favor today, with all the plunder and lies in our political system?” Buenafe said.

Lay leader Marita Wasan of the Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas, the lay arm of the Catholic Bishiops’ Conference of the Philippines, criticized the dole-out culture in the country.

She asked, “Nabubuhay ba ang bawat Pilipino sa ayuda?” (Does every Filipino survive on dole-outs?) 

Wasan then encouraged Filipinos “to rise up and raise your voice,” as “we have the obligation to choose the heroes that will lead our country today.”

Bishop Roberto Gaa of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Novaliches, in his prayer, asked the Lord: “Panginoon, hanggang kailan kami maghihirap sa kamay ng mga makapangyarihan?” (Lord, until when will we suffer at the hands of the powerful?)

“Panginoon, huwag mong hayaan maghari ang karimlan at kasamaan (Lord, don’t allow darkness and evil to reign),” Gaa said.

Father Robert Reyes, who opened the program on Monday, recalled how the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos was ousted during the EDSA People Power Revolution of 1986, the bloodless revolt that EDSA Shrine memorializes.

“We need another peaceful revolution. Will it be in EDSA, people shouting, people power in EDSA? We have to be open where God will lead us,” Reyes said.

“We have to start walking with our people so that our people will not look at us as armchair revolutionaries,” the activist priest added.

The Clergy for Good Governance and its partners also issued a written statement on the budget controversy.

In this statement, the religious leaders expressed “deep concern and righteous indignation” over the proposed P6.4 trillion national budget, “which prioritizes self-serving interests over the urgent needs of the Filipino people.”

The Clergy for Good Governance and other Christian groups decried the budget cuts for key sectors, such as the Department of Education which lost P12 billion ($205 million), even as P26 billion ($444 million) was allotted for cash aid through the Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP), a pet project by Romualdez.

“In this critical moment, when millions are struggling for basic health care, education, and social support, this budget reflects misplaced priorities, undermining transparency and the welfare of our nation,” the church leaders said.

“We call on all who believe in the power of compassion and justice: Stand with us!” – Rappler.com