CEBU, Philippines - Bishop Julito Cortes of the Diocese of Dumaguete paid tribute to outgoing national chairperson, Ambassador Henrietta de Villa, of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPRCRV).
The tribute was held in a fellowship with volunteers, collaborators and the media on Monday at the Marian Priest Center of the Dumaguete Cathedral.
Cortes said the inspiring presence of de Villa “is a glow that leads him to imagine the two images of a mother, that of the nation and the other of nature.”
The bishop described de Villa as “very motherly, one woman who stands out in making the voice of every Filipino count to the ballot.”
Against all odds, against the lack of funding, against “sinism” of many, against suspicion even of some, Cortes said De Villa “single-handedly founded and stirred the PPCRV and in collaboration with thousands of volunteers (many of them women) from the parishes, the past two elections in 2010 and 2016 have been deemed credible and believable.
Whether poor or rich, lay person or bishop or even cardinal or even the Pope, de Villa headed the PPRCV for 25 years, and she stood out as “an active co-worker, generous collaborator, supporter and benefactor,” said Cortes.
The bishop thanked de Villa for “her generosity and kindness,” including that of the city election officers of the province, and the rest of the collaborators.
De Villa, for her part, said in her long years of chairing the PPCRV until now she aired the need of young faces in the information technology because the country must have a new perspective, as the present landscape is so different now compared to the last 20 years or so.
Devilla then enjoined the collaborators to support the new PPCRV chair Rene Sarmiento who was elected in the recent general assembly for the next six years. She also requested Monsignor Julius Heruela to join the regional consultative council of the PPCRV upon the clearance of Cortes. (FREEMAN)