President Rodrigo Duterte
Photo:aleteia.org Two priests in the Philippines have avoided jail time by posting bail after they were charged with trying to destabilise the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Fr Albert Alejo and Fr Flavie Villanueva were indicted in connection with an online video linking President Duterte and his family to illegal activity.
The Philippines Department of Justice last week acquitted four clergy of the same charges.
The video in question showed a pseudonymous figure called ‘Bikoy’ alleging that a number of senior figures in the Duterte administration, including President Duterte’s son, were receiving millions from the drugs trade.
‘Bikoy’ later handed himself over to the police, retracted his claims and asserted that his video was part of a conspiracy by a ‘shadow group’ composed of the Vice-President, Catholic Bishops and the opposition party.
Maintaining their innocence throughout, the accused clerics received support from the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, which stated that the accusations were “beyond belief”.
Since his election in 2016, President Duterte has been openly disrespectful of the Church; questioning Catholic teachings, calling God ‘stupid’ and even urging people to rob and kill Bishops.