(UPDATE) CARDINAL Pablo Virgilio David appealed to individuals who are involved in the flood control scam — especially those who are Catholics — to admit their wrongdoings. In a Facebook post late Friday, the former president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines used the Gospel story of Zaccheus as an illustration, stressing the importance of “coming down,” literally and symbolically. ”Zaccheus had already been obsessed about climbing the social ladder long before he felt the urge to climb the sycamore tree, to see Jesus from a distance. But the encounter with the Lord required descent,” David said. He likened Zaccheus’ descent to the act of stepping out of hiding and facing the truth. David said that, like Zaccheus, those involved in corruption may be lying awake at night, burdened by regret. ”I believe that longing still stirs in the hearts of those who have gone astray — people who may now be lying awake at night, anxiously watching the news, burdened by fear, regret and the knowledge that what is hidden cannot remain hidden forever,” David said. He added that it is never too late to seek counseling and spiritual reconciliation. ”The way forward is not denial, nor silence, nor deep entanglement — but truth, honest admission of wrongdoing, repentance, cooperation in making things right and the courage to make restitution,” David said. He reminded those involved in the flood control scam that dignity is not lost through humility; rather, it is recovered when one chooses “truth over fear, conscience over self-protection and conversion over collapse.”