PRESIDENT Rodrigo Roa Duterte has agreed to engage in talks with religious leaders in the country to help reduce tensions between his government and the Church, Malacañang announced on Tuesday, June 26.

The President ordered the formation of a three-man committee to oversee the conduct of a dialogue with the Catholic Church and other religious groups, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. said in a press briefing in Davao City on Tuesday.

The committee will consist of Roque, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ernesto Abella, and Pastor “Boy” Saycon. Roque said the agenda would be defined by both parties once the dialogue commences.

“Ang tema ng mga pag-uusap ay paano mabawasan ‘yung hidwaan sa pagitan ng gobyerno at ng simbahan,” Roque said.

“Tingnan natin kung paano mapapabuti ang samahan dahil iisang lipunan lang naman po ang pinaglilingkuran ng gobyerno at ng simbahan,” he said.

Roque said the President’s decision came after calls were made by different church groups, including the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEP), for the government to hold talks with them.

Roque said he would be reaching out to the PCEP soon to inform them of the formation of the committee.

Saycon was asked to contact the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) to notify them of the government’s commitment to open a dialogue.

Meanwhile, Roque defended Duterte’s remarks about the Church, stressing that even the chief executive is entitled to his own religious freedom.

“No one can question a person’s faith, lack of faith, or his own interpretation of the god that he believes in. ‘Yan po ay karapatan ng lahat. Pati po ang Presidente, may ganyang karapatan,” Roque said.

“Paulit-ulit namang sinasabi ng Presidente na nirerespeto niya ang kalayaan ng malayang pananalita at malayang pag-iisip. So tanggapin po natin ang mga sinasabi ng Presidente within the context of these freedoms,” he said.