The Philippine Online Chronicles

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Catholic bishops who returned luxury vehicles to the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) amid a fund controversy may get quick replacements, thanks to a fund-raising drive launched on Friday by a Church-based group.

GMANews.tv said churchgoers at the Quiapo Church donated P1, P5 and P10 coins and P20 bills to the fund-raising activity led by the Coalition for Family and Life.

Members of the group, which reportedly includes Couples for Christ, pro-life groups, and parishes, set up a tent in front of Quiapo Church and put out transparent containers for collecting donations.

A radio report said election lawyer Romulo Macalintal and former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza led the fund-raising drive.

In an earlier report, Atienza was quoted as saying they will be able to quickly raise P8 million from the fund-raising drive.

“This is voluntary…It is a small act compared to the big problem—because it is a nationwide, even international scandal—which is now hitting our beloved Mother Church,” the former mayor said.

“We can do this quickly. If 8,000 Catholics donate P1,000, we could have the P8 million. If 16,000 give P500 or 32,000 donate P250, we could also reach that amount,” he added.

On Wednesday, seven bishops implicated in the PCSO scandal turned over four of the seven SUVs to the government and promised to return the rest as soon as possible. The vehicles were purchased by the bishops using donations from the government's charity arm.

The bishops explained during the Senate hearing that the vehicles, which range from Pajero to Nissan Pathfinder pickup and Toyota Grandia, were used in helping families displaced by armed conflicts and calamities.

Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said they are reviewing their "critical collaboration" with the government in the wake of the scandal, stating that "there has to be areas of collaboration."