Bacolod diocese cries foul over 'Team Tatay' tag

The Diocese of Bacolod has cried foul over circulating messages and social media posts tagging some of its priests as "Team Tatay," in reference to their alleged siring of children.

 

"Just come out and we will be able to see you and face you formally," Msgr. Louse Galbines,  vicar general of the Diocese of Bacolod, said in an interview aired over GMA News TV's Kape at Balita on Tuesday.

 

Galbines was reacting to text messages from a group called Buklod ng Malayang Pilipino which started circulating last week. The text messages, which were also transformed into social media posts, identified five priests in the diocese who reportedly sired children, whom it collectively called "Team Tatay."

 

Galbines, however, said that "anybody can make a text and claim something which is in fact libelous."

 

 

The "Team Tatay" tag is seen as an apparent counter to the "Team Patay" tag given by the Bacolod diocese to senatorial candidates and party-lists groups who voted for the passage of the Reproductive Health bill, which has long been opposed by the Catholic Church.  

 

On the other hand, those who were against it were tagged as "Team Buhay."

 

Their names were printed on a tarpaulin and were displayed at the Bacolod diocese, which the Commission on Elections (Comelec) asked them to take down because it was beyond the allowable size of propaganda materials as prescribed by the law.

 

"Yun pa rin naman ang issue, hindi naman freedom-freedom, sukat lang ang pinag-uusapan," said Comelec chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. in an interview in the same report.

 

The diocese, however, has refused to remove the tarpaulin and even managed to acquire a temporary restraining order against the poll body from the Supreme Court.

 

'Running priest'

 

But in a separate interview with GMA News TV's News To Go anchor and GMA News Online editor-in-chief Howie Severino, activist priest Fr. Robert Reyes said he did not agree with the move to mount such tarpaulins in the first place.

 

He likewise said he had been afraid that such actions would bring about attacks against the Church like the "Team Tatay" text messages.

 

"I wasn't too happy and excited when somebody cracked that idea of Team Buhay and Team Patay. Sabi ko it's painting Philippine society black and white, kami buhay, kami patay, there's no such thing," he said.

 

He even said that he probably won't vote for some of those who were tagged "Team Buhay" and will probably vote for some on the "Team Patay" because they are good people despite voting for the RH bill.

 

"You can't say because ito mga ito sinuportahan ang RH bill, ito mga patay, ito they did not support the RH bill they are buhay..but some of these guys have supported very, very anti-life bills," he said.

 

"Yung ganyang simplistic approach hindi mo tinuturuan ang mga tao na mag-isip nang malalim," he added.

 

The Comelec had earlier said that it may file election offense charges against the people behind the oversized tarpaulin. — with Kimberly Jane Tan/RSJ, GMA News