MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau) – The head of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), Archbishop Socrates Villegas, apparently thinks that NoyNoy Aquino is no longer president.

In a pastoral letter issued over the weekend, Villegas expressed concern over the increasing number of vigilante-style killings of drug dealers that some have attributed to Davao City Mayor Rod Duterte.

Villegas was reacting to reports from the Philippine National Police (PNP) that there had been 40 drug suspects killed since Duterte won the presidential elections on May 9, compared to 39 recorded in the four months before it

The CBCP has been vocal in criticizing Duterte for his alleged extra-judicial governance, especially with regards to criminals and drug lords.

Villegas must have forgotten that Aquino, not Duterte, is president at least until June 30. His criticism seems to have been misdirected, and that’s what happens when the Catholic Church sticks its finger in affairs of the state.