MANILA, Philippines – A historic Filipino parish known mostly for an annual fertility festival recently may have acquired a new reputation for moral integrity, by virtue of returning a pickup truck donated by a former government engineer implicated in a corruption scandal.

The scandal involves the plunder of millions in flood control projects, taking a significant toll on the economy and exacerbating deadly floods in this disaster-prone Asian country. The Department of Finance estimates that the country’s economy lost up to $2.04 billion in the last two years alone due to flood control anomalies.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. himself appointed a three-member independent commission to probe the flood control mess, while the national Senate is conducting its own investigation. Incensed at the extent of the problem, tens of thousands of Filipinos recently took to the streets in a Church-backed day of protest.

The scandal has sent shockwaves even to the 18th-century National Shrine of Our Lady of Salambao-San Pascual Baylon Parish in Obando, Bulacan — better known as the Obando Church — around 12 miles north of the capital Manila.

The Obando Church is famous for its annual fertility rites from May 17 to 19, attracting thousands of couples who pray for a miracle — through a fertility dance — that they be blessed with a child.

Over the past few days, however, the church has been dragged into controversy after concerned Catholics pointed out that the parish had received a pick-up truck from a controversial donor.

In a statement on September 22, the pastoral council of Obando Church confirmed that Henry Alcantara, a former engineer of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), donated a Nissan Navara pick-up truck to the parish on June 1, 2024.

Alcantara, who worked at the DPWH for three decades, was dismissed after the agency found him guilty of involvement in questionable flood control projects. He continues to appear at Senate blue ribbon committee hearings, most recently implicating at least three lawmakers in the corruption scandal.

The pastoral council said they accepted Alcantara’s donation “in good faith” because they needed it to bring the image of the Blessed Virgin of Salambao on a “pilgrimage” to different parishes.

Based on the Nissan website, the new Nissan Navara costs at least $21,300, which is more than three times the average annual income of a Filipino family, pegged at around $6,000.

“It was given wholeheartedly, and we accepted it without judging the giver’s intentions,” the pastoral council said.

“However, due to the reports and accusations of corruption against Mr. Henry Alcantara,” they continued, “the Pastoral Council of the Parish of San Pascual Baylon immediately discussed and considered the appropriate steps, and we agreed to return the said donation.”

The parish leaders said they are taking steps to turn it over “to the right person or institution and through the appropriate legal process.” They said that this is “in accordance with the position and instructions of our Diocese of Malolos, as well as the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).”

“The Pastoral Council is grateful to those who have given reminders and suggested things to be done regarding this matter. In case this has caused concern to the Church and the people, we apologize and also want to convey our stance on the true value of justice and what is right,” the parish leaders said.

It was a timely statement from the Obando Church, coming a day after the CBCP president, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, delivered an impassioned protest speech that tackled the Church’s role in curbing corruption. David, 66, spoke at a “Trillion Peso March” against corruption that drew over 70,000 protesters on September 21.

“Listen, priests and religious: Accountability and transparency should also be practiced in our churches — in our dioceses, in our parishes! Let us serve as a good example,” the cardinal said.