Voters urged: Choose bets based on moral, religious values

MANILA, Philippines – Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Cardinal Quevedo urged the electorate yesterday to choose candidates based on their moral and religious values.

“You may have chosen your bets. Let me stir your conscience in choosing the country’s next leaders in accordance with the moral and social principles of the Church,” Quevedo said in a pastoral letter.

Quevedo advised the people not to be swayed by surveys and claims of change by any means.

“The change that we need is a radical change. I speak of a profound change in mind, behavior and values. Sadly, a candidate who promises change could have the same values and behavior that require change,” he said.

Quevedo urged the faithful to vote for candidates who respect the sanctity of life and are keen on helping address the decades-old conflict in Mindanao.

“Select a candidate who by belief and practice demonstrates support for the right to life,” he said.

He said voters should favor candidates who have moral integrity.

“Corruption is a plague in our country. Billions of pesos go into private pockets instead of being spent to uplift the lives of the poor. Select a candidate who is not tainted by corruption, unexplained wealth and properties and enrichment in office,” Quevedo said.

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines president and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas gave a copy of Quevedo’s circular letter to priests and nuns in his archdiocese.

5,000 school volunteers

In Davao City, around 5,000 volunteers from various Catholic universities will be deployed in nine schools in the city for the May 9 polls.

The students belong to “E-Champ for the Election: Clean, honest, accurate, meaningful and peaceful,” which is spearheaded by the Davao Association of Catholic Schools.

The volunteers will man voters’ assistance desks to guide voters and record election-related irregularities.

They will be deployed to the Daniel Aguinaldo National High School, Matina Aplaya Elementary School, Quezon Elementary School, Davao City National High School, Rizal Elementary School, Bolton Elementary School, Enrico Nograles Elementary School, Sta. Ana National High School and Roxas Elementary School.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) earlier conducted an orientation in the city regarding protocols and the role of volunteers as poll watchers.

Lawyer Romeo Cabarde Jr., chairman of the Ateneo de Davao University Community Engagement and Advocacy Council, said complaints that would be gathered by the volunteers would be forwarded to the Comelec for proper action.

Election-related violence

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has so far recorded at least 53 victims of election-related human rights violations, with 22 deaths.

Gemma Parojinog, officer-in-charge of the CHR Policy Office and a member of the Bantay Karapatan sa Halalan (BKH) initiative, said they have received reports from their regional offices confirming incidents of election-related violence.

Aside from killings, also included in the initial list of victims released by the BKH are those who suffered injuries due to bombing and strafing, as well as those who were threatened or harassed by rival political parties.

Most of the victims came from Regions 9 and 10.

Parojinog said they were investigating dozens of other reports of human rights violations related to the elections.

Earlier, CHR chairman Chito Gascon said they were looking into the human rights violations cited by reelectionist Samar Gov. Sharee Ann Tan in her letter asking the Comelec to place the province under its control.  – Eva Visperas, John Unson, Edith Regalado, Janvic Mateo