Duterte, CBCP head to meet July 9

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is scheduled to meet Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines president Archbishop Romulo Valles at the Malacañan Palace on Monday, July 9.

“I confirm that this Monday, July 9, Archbishop Valles would be meeting with the President here in the Malacañang,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. told a press conference Tuesday, July 3.

The meeting between Duterte and Valles will happen amid the ongoing dialogue between the Catholic Church leaders and the government.

On June 25, Duterte formed a four-man committee that would

hold a series of meetings with various church leaders following his tirades against the Catholic Church and its beliefs.

Roque said Duterte’s scheduled dialogue with Valles was “not unusual” since the two already had “open communication lines.”

Duterte and Valles are known to be friends for years since they are both from Davao City.

Roque was confident that the meeting between the two would yield positive results.

“The President highlighted that this is really not unusual because they have had open communication lines with Archbishop Valles since he became president,” the Palace official said.

“We both serve the same people. We should in fact be together in this interest and that closer relations between two institutions will benefit the people,” he added.

Duterte has repeatedly slammed the Catholic Church, whom he branded as the “most hypocritical institution,” for criticizing his anti-narcotics crackdown.

Last month, the President lashed out at the “stupid” God of the Catholic Church and the faulty creation story in the Bible that was being preached to its flock.

Amid Duterte’s efforts to mend relations with the religious group, Roque said the church leaders should also stop criticizing the President.

“For two years, it was mostly some clergymen attacking the President. The President [was] initially taking it in stride until he openly spoke against specific dogma of the Catholic Church,” Roque said.

“So I think it’s not just the President who should be told that as we hold this dialogue that perhaps there should be ceasefire. It should also be told to some leading church leaders as well,” he added.