Eddie Panlilio

Eddie "Among Ed" Tongol Panlilio is a Filipino Roman Catholic priest who was elected as the 26th governor of Pampanga. He was suspended from his priestly ministry since announcing his intention to run as governor. He is the second priest to be elected to public office in the Philippines while the first priest to be elected as Governor in the Philippines. The first was Fr. Margarito Gonzaga who was elected mayor of Alburqueque, Bohol in 1971. ^[2]

Personal Background

Fr. Ed Panlilio is the 6th of the Panlilio brood of seven. He was born in Minalin, Pampanga on December 6, 1953 to parents Gervacio Panlilio and Catalina Tongol. The 53 year-old priest has made his mark as a prime-mover for social development, a dedicated and well-loved priest and pastor, and a leader. He is afflicted with vitiligo, a rare skin disease.

Priesthood

“Among Ed,” as he is fondly called, is noted for his eloquence as a preacher. But the poor of Pampanga know him better as the tireless director of the Social Action Center of Pampanga (Sacop) who put a face to the Church’s presence among the communities displaced by lahar in the 1990s. Today he is recognized as the visionary behind the province’s most successful micro-lending program for the poor. (Comments attributed to Randy David) Specifically, for 15 years, Panlilio was head of the Archdiocese of San Fernando’s Social Action Center of Pampanga (on Mt. Pinatubo’s 1991 eruptions). He also established the Talete Panyulung ning Kapampangan Inc. (TPKI), based on the Grameen Bank-approach. Now on its 20th year, TPKI released P2 billion in loans to small entrepreneurs in Central Luzon.^[3]

Fr. Ed Panlilio lives a simple life, born out of respect and understanding of the plight of the marginalized and neglected in Kapampangan society. As a priest, he has been guided by the mission to “reflect the love of God and witness the character, personality and qualities of Jesus to help the people who have been entrusted to his care, especially the needy”.

The call to a priestly ministry came early on while the young Ed was in his teens. After finishing elementary at the Minalin Central Elementary School, he opted to enroll at the Don Bosco Academy as a sophomore after spending a year as a freshman at the Don Honorio Ventura College of Arts and Trades (DHVCAT). His exposure to seminarians in the religious-run school could have motivated him to join them as an aspirant.

It was not a smooth and steady climb to the priesthood. He was in and out of various seminaries as he went through a long discernment process. There was no turning back after he made the decision to pursue a priestly vocation; he was finally ordained priest in December 13, 1981 (after finishing his Theology Studies at the St. Augustine Major Seminary). In December 2005, the Archdiocese of San Fernando joined Fr. Ed in celebrating the silver anniversary of his sacerdotal ordination. (Excerpts from Fr. Ed Panlilio’s Profile)

Suspension

On January 7, 2008, Bishop Leonardo Medroso, chairman of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Episcopal Commission on Canon Law and bishop of Tagbilaran diocese, Bohol issued the appeal to priests to stay away from politics, ahead of the May 2010 elections. He cited Code of Canon Law, prohibition, Canon 285, which forbids all clerics from entering politics and that priests "cannot have an active role in political parties unless the need to protect the rights of the Church or to promote the common good." 3 priests — Msgr. Crisanto de la Cruz, Fr. Ronilo Maat Omanio and Fr. Ed Panlilio who ran in the last elections were suspended from their pastoral duties as a result of their entry into the political arena. Only Panlilio won.^[4]

Gubernatorial Campaign - May 2007

Panlilio ran for the position of governor of Pampanga province in the 2007 Philippine general election. Father Panlilio defends his controversial decision to pursue a political role as a logical continuation of his ministry for the poor, whom he sees as having been exploited and neglected for too long by successive administrations of corrupt and uncaring politicians.^[5]

His experience under the Social Action Center spurred him to announce his intention to run as the governor of the province. Because of this, he was suspended from his priestly ministry and is forbidden to perform any duties as a priest, including saying Mass. He won over his two leading competitors, provincial board member Lilia Pineda and re-electionist governor Mark Lapid (both allies of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo), winning over Pineda by a slim margin of only 1,147 votes out of a total of over 600,000 votes cast for all three candidates.^[6].

His campaign song is "Kapampangan Ku", composed by Andy Alviz, who also served as the creative director of Panlilio’s campaign and later as his advisor for culture and tourism.^[7]

Assessment

Fr. Jerry Orbos views Among Ed ‘s victory as triumph of good over evil.^[8]The Philippine Daily Inquirer bannered in rare all caps front page that the victory of Fr. Panlilio is a miracle.^[9] On the other hand, one opinion writer, who is against any preacher wallowing the muddy water of politics, believes otherwise. ^[10] The Most Reverend Oscar V. Cruz urges him to quit priesthood. ^[11] A columnist of the Manila Standard Today lauded Panlilio’s sustained revolution in Pampanga good governance (specifically for achieving a high benchmark for quarry tax collection vis-a-vis his predecessors’ minimal quarry operations’ income). Panlilio’s legacy results in the former administrations’ legal duty and moral obligation to account to the local constituents paving the way for a money standard by which future governors will be judged by the Kapangpangans.^[12]

Governorship

Inauguration

Governor Ed Panlilio was inaugurated as the 26th governor of the province of Pampanga at noon on June 30, 2007. Associate Justice Consuelo Ynares-Santiago of the Supreme Court administered the oath of office. During the inauguration, the new governor vowed to stop corruption and to make the province an example of a “new dawn in Philippine politics”.^{[13] [14]}On July 4, 2007 Among Ed began serving his term amid the province’s hope to erase its reputation of being the country’s Vatican of "jueteng" or illegal gambling. Pampanga has had a long history of patronage politics and corruption.^[15]

The Governor’s Team

The Governor’s team is composed of lawyers Vivian Dabu and Elissa Velez as provincial administrator and attorney, respectively^[16][17] as well as accountants Marilou Tolentino and Bel Katigbak, Teresa Briones, Pastor Arthur Tuason, Arch. Allain Laquindanum and Archie Reyes . Both Dabu and Velez are mediators in Judicial Dispute Resolution in Pampanga under the High Tribunal’s Justice Reform Initiatives Support (JURIS Project). ^{[18] [19]}

Quarry Industry

Panlilio collected P11.6 million from quarry taxes from July 2 to 13, 2007. In collecting the amount in 10 days, Panlilio would surpass the P29.1 million collected by Mark Lapid for the entire 2006. Vice Governor Joseller Guiao would continue pursuing the graft case against the younger Lapid and provincial treasurer Vergel Yabut. Guiao noted a "discrepancy" of P337 million between the collections of the Natural Resources Development Corp. from 1999 to 2001 and the elder Lapid’s administration from 2002 to 2004. In the Ombudsman case filed in March 2007, Guiao alleged that between P600 million and P1 billion had been lost to graft from 2004 to the first two months of 2007 under the younger Lapid’s administration. ^[20]Panlilio collected in just 28 working days what Gov. Lapid received in 2006 as quarry revenues. Panlilio’s collection totaled at least P29.4 million from July 2 to Aug. 8, making it the capitol’s single biggest source of local taxes.^[21]

On August 30, 2007, 7 Pampanga towns and 27 villages received P7.7 million as share from the P 22.2 million of quarry income from July 16 to August 15 of Panlilio’s administration. Pampanga Representative Juan Miguel Arroyo joined mayors during brief rites for the distribution of shares at the capitol.^[22]

On September 11, Panlilio transferred P100 million from the P300-million deposit in 2 accounts from the Philippine National Bank to the Land Bank of the Philippines (per DF Order No. 27, 2005; increasing total deposits with the LBP to P200 million; P200 million with the PNB’s San Fernando and Sto. Tomas branches would be transferred to the LBP). PNB San Fernando kept quarry taxes account, and since July 2, P50-million was collected.^[23]

On September 21, the Pampanga Mayors’ League defeated Panlilio, as the provincial board (10-0 vote), approved an ordinance that granted mayors greater police powers over the quarry (and increased revenue shares for towns and villages and deleted the province’s P150 administrative fee per truckload). Panlilio stated he would “veto [Ordinance No. 172] to uphold public interests.” Quarry taxes as of September 20 was P60.22 million.^[24]

Panlilio collected P 85 million worth of quarry revenue for 5 months from July-November, 2007 and he distributed P 6 million as tax shares of the 3 towns and 11 barangays. On December 5, 2007, Lolita Hizon, chairwoman of Conscience Inc., sought probe on the "anomalies," (recycling of quarry tax receipts), but Administrator Vivian Dabu denied the plea of Hizon’s group.^[25] Collections from June 29 to December 5 reached P 105.678 million. P 53 million would be shared by the province, 7 towns and 15 villages on a 30-30-40 % basis, respectively.^[26] On December 20, 2007, 25% of 189 members of the Biyaya A Luluguran At Sisikapan (Balas) committee, Balas Boys, shaved their heads to protest against Panlilio and solve the current standoff between him and the board.^[27]

On January, 2008, the Pampanga board chaired by Vice Gov. Joseller Guiao, (ally of defeated candidate Lilia Pineda, wife of suspected “jueteng” lord Bong Pineda, and close friend of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) approved 81.4% of Panlilio’s P 1.1-billion budget request, but it removed removed P 45 million from Panlilio quarry reform fund. This money would supposedly be used to pay for the salaries of 187 quarry personnel "who would check payments of fees and help ensure that these are transmitted straight to the provincial government." Panlilio’s quarry earned huge P 127.05 million from June 29, 2007 to Jan. 11, 2008.

QUARRY TAKE - Collector Years collected Amount:

• Gov. Bren Guiao - 1993-1994 - P 3.823 million
• Gov. Lito Lapid - 1995-2003 - P 69.176 million
• Gov. Mark Lapid 2004 - P 10.530 million; 2005-June 2007 - P 70.815 million
• Gov. Ed Panlilio - July 2007-Jan. 11, 2008 P 124.653 million
• DENR 1999-2000 - P 288.025 million

(Sources: Office of the Provincial Treasurer; Office of the Provincial Accountant; NRDC)^[28]

Pamisaupan

On August 27, 2007, Panlilio campaigned to bring his government closer to the Kapangpangans by leading the caravan "Pamisaupan (Helping One Another)" in Pampanga. Panlilio and his team delivered bags of cement, toilet bowls, boxes of floor tiles and cans of paint to San Luis Hospital which has only 2 doctors, 8 nurses and 10 midwives to serve 140,000 residents of San Luis, San Simon and Candaba towns. Panlilio further vowed to improve or upgrade the facilities and conditions in the province’s 9 district hospitals including the Diosdado Macapagal Provincial Hospital from funds (P143-million development fund) and private groups’ contributions. Panlilio stated: What we are doing is bringing the provincial government’s services to the people to make health, education and livelihood assistance accessible to them. The capitol’s P37-million special education fund (SEF) would be utilized for the SEFs of towns.^[29]

On September 15, 2007, Panlilio, 53, in his 5th "Pamisuan", personally led 348 officials and employees and cleaned (thick moss from) century-old canopy of Pampanga capitol building’s façade. Among the 8 previous governors since 1938, Panlilio was the 2nd to have led a general cleaning (the 1st was the late Governor Juanita Nepomuceno in 1977). Panlilio admitted that his cleanup drive against graft and corruption is harder. ^[30]

White Ribbon campaign

Gov. Panlilio, launched the White Ribbon campaign on October 1, 2007 to engage the people of Pampanga to get involved in the crusade for good governance and good citizenship. Some 70 people gathered and white ribbons marked with words "Good Governance" and handbills with messages were distributed. Panlilio stated: "I believe that the spirit of the white ribbon is still very much alive. This campaign is really a call and for a response to people to be involved in good governance and good citizenship." ^[31]

Bribery Issue

On October 13, 2007, Eddie Panlilio admitted that a palace staff personally gave him a brown paper gift bag with P500,000 (P1,000 bills in 5 bundles, P100,000 each). Panlilio confessed that money changed hands after the meeting "because as a priest and a public officer, I should not lie. I believe that since the money came from Malacanang, I also believe it is public money. So I should be accountable for it and transparent about it." Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo called the meeting with 200 officers of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (Ulap), an organization of governors, mayors and other local officials. It was held after Mrs. Arroyo met 190 congressmen, where envelopes of P200,000 and P500,000 were distributed. Cebu Rep. Antonio Cuenco confirmed he was given P200,000 as "Christmas gift."^[32]

On December 22, 2007, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Panlilio exchanged peace signs but never talked at the 4 a.m. pre-Christmas Mass at the Metropolitan cathedral. Arroyo and Panlilio, with San Fernando City Archbishop Paciano Aniceto seated between them, never communicated even in private in the entire 30 minutes together.^[33]

Panlilio’s Expose Triggered Lawyers’ Ad Against Corruption

Integrated Bar of the Philippines (48,000 members in 83 chapters nationwide) president Feliciano Bautista informed Newsbreak newspaper that the bribery expose of Governor Eddie Panlilio triggered hitting the “culture of corruption” in the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration. The advertisement was published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on December 17 and in Philippine Star on December 20. IBP called for 3 courses of action: a) "prosecution of cases against corrupt government officials, b) continued Senate investigation on alleged corruption in government contracts, and c) filing of an impeachment case against President Arroyo." ^[34]

436th Pampanga Day

Amid a musical concert by the ArtiSta. Rita and a fair of native food in the December 2, 2007 6th Duman Festival at the centuries-old Sta. Rita de Casia parish church, Panlilio was the first Pampanga chief executive to have graced it. Duman is the Epitome of Artisanal Food, thus, for the duman makers, he sang “Siuala (The Voice),” and stated: “Let us be inspired by our duman makers. Let’s live by hard work and work together to bring progress to our families and communities.” ^[35]

On December 3, 2007, Gov. Eddie Panlilio led guests in thanksgiving prayers (observance of the 436th founding anniversary of Pampanga by Spain). For the 7 p.m. dinner, the biggest less-garnished bringhe “kalameng manuk” or Aeta chicken cake (indigenized version of the Spanish Paella) was cooked on 10-foot (3.0 m) wide black iron paellera (pan) by Claude Tayag and 21 student chefs from the Angeles University Foundation (AUF), with ingredients: 4 liters, cooking oil, 5 kg, finely minced garlic, 10 kg chopped red onions, 100 kg Magnolia boneless chicken breasts, 5 kg chicken gizzards, 50 cans Purefoods chorizo (sausage) Bilbao, 8 liters fish sauce, 2 kg grated turmeric, 100 kg glutinous rice, 50 kg chicken soup, 50 kg first-pressed coconut milk, 2 kg raisins, 5 kilos red bell pepper and 15 dozens hard-boiled eggs. 2,000 servings (each bowl contained 12 oz) were served with a P20-donation for the SVD mission in Porac, Pampanga.

The governor and Clark International Airport Corp. executive vice president Alex Cauguiran unveiled the giant 20-foot (6.1 m) sitting and smiling fiberglass Santa Claus at SM City Clark, the biggest in the Philippines. He also attended and graced the Pamangan Capampangan food festival rganized by the Sinukwan Festival Committee and the Save Pampanga Movement.^[36]

The Governor’s 54th Birthday

On December 6, 2007, Pampanga Archbishop Paciano Aniceto asked local officials to unite with Gov. Eddie Panlilio to achieve the “birthing of a new Pampanga.” Aniceto said the Mass for the 54th birthday of Panlilio, his 26th year in the priesthood, but no local officials attended the Mass. Pampanga Mayors League leader, Candaba Mayor Jerry Pelayo, earlier urged Panlilio to “act more like a politician than a priest.” Vice Gov. Joseller Guiao, said his “watchdog role” was part of his job. Panlilio replied: “Birthday is always a time for grounding and renewal with God… I’m offering myself to everybody who doesn’t love me, to even those who don’t appreciate me.”^[37]

Luid Ka!

On December 24 , 2007, Nina Lucia-Tomen (heads, writers’ team) / Kapampangan Marangal Inc. (group of volunteers for Panlilio) distributed coffee table book "Luid Ka!" to its supporters and local reporters to send messages of the "stories of hope" and the Panlilio good governance in Pampanga. It narrated details of Among Ed’s political battle as governor.^[38]

Gawad Kalinga housing

On January 6, 2008, Gawad Kalinga leader Antonio Meloto and Among Ed launched the GK Village in Barangay Tabun. GK goes for "massive partnerships" with Panlilio’s housing program for poor families. Mayor Marino Morales opened the Tabun village in June 2007 with the support of Couples for Christ, the Santos Ventura Hocorma Foundation and the Cabinet spouses. Dr. Reynaldo Espiritu, CFC, said GK put up 10 villages in Pampanga. Jose Luis Oquiñena , GK executive director, told the settlers: "Walang iwanan (No one will be left behind)" - the GK’s slogan 2008.^[39]

Assassination Attempt

During the launching of White Ribbon campaign on October 1, 2007, an insane man who sported a tattoo of “666” on his upper right arm, of Barangay Sta. Lucia was stopped from stabbing Panlilio with a fan knife.^[40]

Filipino of the Year 2007

On January 13, 2008, Panilio was named (20 votes, over Chief Justice Reynato Puno, 15 votes), the Philippine Daily Inquirer "Filipino of the Year 2007". Panlilio struggles with the 3 Rs of no-holds-barred Pampanga political resistance: recount (political protest by Pineda), recall (petition) and ‘‘requiem (death threats).”^[41] Meanwhile US based Filipino members of the Global Filipino Nation (GFN) and Fr. Resty Lumanlang, chair of the Save the Pampanga Movement, formed a coalition "to push for the platforms of change and get rid of corruption in the local government."^[42] On February 19, 2008, the Supreme Court issued a status quo ante order stopping the Commission on Elections from recounting the votes in Pampanga pending resolution of a petition for certiorari filed by Gov. Eddie Panlilio.^[43]On March 4, 2008, the Supreme Court resolved to deny Lilia Pineda’s motion to lift the February 18 status quo order.^[44]