EDITORIAL - A waning influence?

While those who oppose him may be loath to admit it, the 31 million votes cast in favor of presumptive president Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is the most decisive lead ever given to a presidential candidate in recent Philippine history.

Given this overwhelming number of votes you cannot help but ask: does the clergy still have the same influence it used to wield over the Filipinos?

We say this because while the Philippine Archdiocese was officially keeping out of politics, many bishops, priests, and nuns were engaging in what can be called partisan activities during the campaign period heading into the election.

It cannot be denied that many bishops, priests, and nuns were doing literally nothing short of campaigning for Robredo. There is no shortage of footage showing them holding up Leni signs, chanting her name, or joining her rallies. In one Mass a priest even allowed her theme song to be played.

Not that this is inherently wrong. Even as there is a separation between Church and State, bishops, priests, and nuns are themselves people, given to their own biases, perceptions, and preferences. In principle they can never be faulted for choosing a side or being vocal about why.

However, as one columnist in this newspaper put it, it seems that the shepherds were going one way while the flock was heading in another. It seems the hard push that some Church people were giving for one person was no match for pull that 31 million had for another.

So is this a manifestation of the eroding influence of people of the cloth? It’s certainly not the greatest evidence, but then again it may not be totally wrong to think so.

It seems that the clergy now has some soul searching to do on why so many of their followers didn’t heed their advice to go for a certain candidate who has been portrayed by them as nothing short of a saint, and the one to vote for, and to forsake another who has been repeatedly compared to the devil.