MANILA — Some 1,400 Catholic bishops, priests and deacons on Wednesday announced their support for presidential candidate Vice President Leni Robredo and her running mate Senator Kiko Pangilinan.
Church leaders who belong to the group Clergy for the Moral Choice said they supported Robredo and Pangilinan because they were “servant leaders”, who showed compassion to different sectors and were not tainted by no anomaly.
“Sa kanilang buhay, pribado man o panglipunan, marked nila ang katangian ng tunay na pastol na handang mag-alay ng kanilang buhay para sa kawan, and hindi kailanman tatakbo, iiwas o magtatago in hamong kaakibat ng kanilang paglilingkod-bayan,”, the group said in a statement.
(In their lives, both private and public, they showed that they had the qualities of true shepherds who are willing to devote their lives for the flock, and who would not run away, avoid or hide from challenges. which accompany public life. a service.)
Robredo and Pangilinan have previously won the support of hundreds of nuns, lay leaders and clerics.
In previous elections, Catholic groups have recommended the qualifications civil servants should have, instead of explicitly endorsing certain candidates, the Reverend Msgr. Mel David.
“Ngunit aming nakilatis and nakita na sa panahon ngayon, kakaiba the landscape with ginagalawan. Lubhang kailangan ang pakikilahok ng simbahan sapagkat ito is labanan totoo and ng huwad,” he said.
(But based on our observation of what is happening now, the landscape we find ourselves in now is different. The involvement of the Church is absolutely necessary because this is a fight between those who are true and imposters.)
Most Reverend Antonio Tobias said the Catholic Church is no longer tied to “impartiality”.
“Matagal na iyan dapat nawala. To for the first time after EDSA [Revolution], this is the sumusunod. In Iyan, palagay ko is the most important development of the eleksyon he gave you,” he said.
(Church impartiality is long overdue. And for the first time after the EDSA revolution, we will take a stand again. And that, I believe, is the biggest development of our election this year.)
The peaceful church-backed EDSA revolt of 1986 toppled the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., whose son and namesake has topped polls in the presidential race since late last year.
In Pulse Asia’s latest pre-election poll from April 16-21, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. continued to double his lead over Robredo, with their scores barely budging from the previous poll. Twenty-three percent of respondents said they would vote for her if the election were held last month, while 56 percent chose Marcos.
Following their endorsement of the Robredo-Pangilinan tandem, Clergy for Moral Choice said they would not use Holy Mass or the sacraments to campaign for anyone.
Instead, they will run house-to-house campaigns and actively post on their social media accounts.
The group also visited the main office of the Election Commission in Manila to call for “clean, fair and peaceful” elections.
Meanwhile, a group of Filipino alumni from Australian universities also announced their support for Robredo and Pangilinan.
The group is made up of lawyers, university leaders and professors, scientists, accountants, medical professionals, former military officers, engineers, researchers and civil society leaders, who have studied in 34 Australian educational institutions.
“Inspired by the leadership and management lessons of our Australian education, we express our support for leaders based on their strong principles and integrity reflected in their exemplary track record of public service,” the group said.
“In their current elected positions in government and even before those roles, they have shown consistency in their people-focused efforts and actions that have helped alleviate the socio-economic problems of our country,” the alumni said. , referring to Robredo and Pangilinan.
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