CA: Nothing wrong in gov't printing INC commemorative stamps

The Court of Appeals has affirmed the legality of using public funds to print more than one million postage stamps for the 100th founding anniversary of Iglesia ni Cristo in 2014.

 

In a 10-page decision penned by Associate Justice Remedios Salazar-Fernando, the CA Second Division junked a petition filed by Renato Peralta that sought to reverse the order issued by the Manila Regional Trial Court on July 25, 2014.

 

In its ruling, the Manila court junked Peralta's complaint for injunction seeking to enjoin the Philippine Postal Corp from paying for the printing of the commemorative stamps and to stop their distribution.

 

Peralta elevated the case to the CA, insisting that, as a taxpayer, he is allowed to sue when there is a claim that public funds are illegally disbursed.

 

He insisted that the printing and issuance of the INC centennial stamps violated Section 29 (2) Article VI of the 1987 Constitution, which bars the use of public funds to support a religious sect.

 

The commemorative stamps, he pointed out, constitute free advertisement for the INC at the expense of taxpayers' money.

 

He noted that PhilPost printed a total of 1.2 million stamps although the memorandum of agreement between INC and PhilPost covered only 50,000 pieces.

 

The production of the commemorative stamps was allowed by President Benigno Aquino III through Presidential Proclamation No. 81, which declared 2014 as the "INC Centennial Year," and directed the Postmaster General to "cause the design, printing and issuance of a special stamp for said purpose."

 

Resolving Peralta's petition, however, the CA did not give weight to his arguments in asking to set aside and reverse the Manila RTC's ruling.

 

The appeals court held that what Section 29 (2), Article VI of the 1987 Constitution prohibits was the giving of aid to a religious institution and not the mere entering into a transaction or agreement where the State could benefit for itself.

 

The CA said that the stamps project was not meant to aid the INC because it was the government that benefited from it since proceeds from the stamps will go to government, and not the religious group.

 

"Defendant-appellee PhilPost merely exercised its proprietary function and entered into a business transaction intended to generate income for the State, rather than bestow any grant or aid to the INC," ruled the CA.

 

"It is not as if the government donated these stamps to the INC... Ultimately, it is the State which benefited from the issuance of these stamps which could be bought by anyone," it added.

 

The CA also stressed that not every government activity involving use of public funds and which has some "religious shade" is violative of the constitutional provisions regarding separation of the Church and State.

 

The appellate court cited the Lemon Test, the American doctrine on the speration of the Church and State, public money can be made available to religious persons or institutions if the use will be for a secular purpose; neither primarily advance nor inhibit religion; and will not involve excessive government entanglement with religioin.

 

"In this case... the stamps printed for a secular purpose... did not primarily advance religion. Likewise, the issuance of these stamps did not result in excessive entanglemennt by the government such as to require state monitoring, as these stamps were simply printed then sold to the public by defendant-appellee PhilPost," the CA said.

 

The CA added that the purpose for printing the commemorative stamps "to enhance awareness of the INC's contribution in national development" was a "legitimate secular purpose."

 

The CA also said there was nothing wrong in putting the late INC founder Felix Manalo's portrait on the stamp.

 

"There is no question that the late Felix Y. Manalo is a prominent figure in Philippine History who deserves to be commemorated like any other Filipino here, statesman, or national artist which is what defendant-appelle PhilPost has been doing in the design of its commemorative stamps," the CA ruled.

 

The appeals court said the Philippine government recognizes Manalo's significance in Philippine culture and history.

 

"No amount of bigotry or spite against INC can erode the historial and cultural significannce to the nation of Felix Y. Manalo and the institution he founded," said the CA.

 

"To strike down the subject commemorative stamps is to illiterately ignore these contributions recognized by no less than the National Historical Commission and the President of the Philippines," it added.

 

Concurring with the ruling were Associate Justices Priscilla Baltazar-Padilla and Socorroo Inting.

Over the weekend, thousands of members of the Iglesia ni Cristo held a rally on EDSA calling on the government to observe the "separation of church and state" by keeping out of internal issues that have led to a former minister filing an illegal detention complaint against some church leaders. 
— JDS, GMA News