CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Outgoing Gov. Eddie Panlilio will withdraw his request to be dispensed from priesthood and expressed hope that Catholic church authorities would fully restore his priestly powers.
Panlilio has been under suspension as priest since 2007, and before the May 10 elections, he submitted a letter to San Fernando Archbishop Paciano Aniceto seeking permanent dispensation from priesthood.
Aniceto said Panlilio’s letter was forwarded to Pope Benedict XVI for decision even before last polls and that he expected the Vatican to decide on it within a year.
However, Panlilio said he would withdraw the request. But he expressed doubt that he could go back to being parish priest of Betis in Guagua town once his priesthood is restored, a post he occupied when he first entered politics by running for governor in 2007. He noted that Betis already has another parish priest.
“If I go back, it need not be a parish assignment for me, as I can be assigned to a ministry such as one on good governance and social responsibility,” he said.
Panlilio had once headed the archdiocesan Social Action Center of Pampanga (Sacop) which had helped thousands of victims of the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo.
Meanwhile, governor-elect Lilia Pineda filed last Friday a petition for the implementation of the en banc decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) last May 5 for the ouster of Gov. Eddie Panlilio and her takeover of the provincial capitol.
The electoral case was appealed by Panlilio before the Supreme Court where it has remained pending.
Pineda earlier vowed not to file the petition, saying she preferred that events be overtaken by last Monday’s elections wherein she won by landslide over Panlilio. She noted that the Comelec verdict would not be implemented unless she filed a petition for writ of execution.
In a telephone interview, however, her lawyer George Garcia clarified that the decision to file the writ of execution was “merely a matter of procedural requirement.”
He said Pineda does not intend to occupy the gubernatorial post soon, as she would take over as governor anyway after the term of Panlilio expires on June 30.
“But we decided to file the petition to complete the process, since the Supreme Court might decide we are not interested in the case anymore and thus give way to the appeal of the other party,” he said.
Garcia noted that the petition did not set a date for hearing on the case, thus indicating that Pineda is not intent for an immediate takeover of the capitol
It will be recalled that soon after the elections in 2007, Pineda filed an electoral protest after she lost to Panlilio by 1,147 votes.
Her protest led to a recount of votes finished in September last year, purportedly indicating Pineda got 190,729 votes while Panlilio got 188,718 votes, for a margin of 2,011. Last February, the Comelec’s Second Division declared Pineda as winner in the 2007 elections and ordered the ouster of Panlilio whose appeal before the Supreme Court is still pending.
Panlilio has been under suspension as priest since 2007, and before the May 10 elections, he submitted a letter to San Fernando Archbishop Paciano Aniceto seeking permanent dispensation from priesthood.
Aniceto said Panlilio’s letter was forwarded to Pope Benedict XVI for decision even before last polls and that he expected the Vatican to decide on it within a year.
However, Panlilio said he would withdraw the request. But he expressed doubt that he could go back to being parish priest of Betis in Guagua town once his priesthood is restored, a post he occupied when he first entered politics by running for governor in 2007. He noted that Betis already has another parish priest.
“If I go back, it need not be a parish assignment for me, as I can be assigned to a ministry such as one on good governance and social responsibility,” he said.
Panlilio had once headed the archdiocesan Social Action Center of Pampanga (Sacop) which had helped thousands of victims of the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo.
Meanwhile, governor-elect Lilia Pineda filed last Friday a petition for the implementation of the en banc decision of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) last May 5 for the ouster of Gov. Eddie Panlilio and her takeover of the provincial capitol.
The electoral case was appealed by Panlilio before the Supreme Court where it has remained pending.
Pineda earlier vowed not to file the petition, saying she preferred that events be overtaken by last Monday’s elections wherein she won by landslide over Panlilio. She noted that the Comelec verdict would not be implemented unless she filed a petition for writ of execution.
In a telephone interview, however, her lawyer George Garcia clarified that the decision to file the writ of execution was “merely a matter of procedural requirement.”
He said Pineda does not intend to occupy the gubernatorial post soon, as she would take over as governor anyway after the term of Panlilio expires on June 30.
“But we decided to file the petition to complete the process, since the Supreme Court might decide we are not interested in the case anymore and thus give way to the appeal of the other party,” he said.
Garcia noted that the petition did not set a date for hearing on the case, thus indicating that Pineda is not intent for an immediate takeover of the capitol
It will be recalled that soon after the elections in 2007, Pineda filed an electoral protest after she lost to Panlilio by 1,147 votes.
Her protest led to a recount of votes finished in September last year, purportedly indicating Pineda got 190,729 votes while Panlilio got 188,718 votes, for a margin of 2,011. Last February, the Comelec’s Second Division declared Pineda as winner in the 2007 elections and ordered the ouster of Panlilio whose appeal before the Supreme Court is still pending.
