Voters urged to reject "evil" candidates

CEBU, Philippines - Exactly two months before the election day, a church-based advocacy group yesterday launched a campaign to encourage the voters to have moral courage to vote for good candidates and reject the “evil” ones.

The Dilaab Movement, through the Circles of Discernment for elections (CIDE) nationwide network launched the “VOTE GOD” campaign for voters and candidates to have a faith-impelled engagement with 2010 elections.

“Today we invite Filipinos to have the moral courage to choose good people and reject evil, even the lesser evil. The Filipino people deserve nothing less. We thank God for this very momentous occasion,” said Fr. Carmelo O. Diola, overall coordinating steward of Dilaab Foundation Inc.

The VOTE GOD campaign calls on people to choose the way of God during the very crucial 2010 elections.

The campaign seeks to infuse Christian values and spirituality into the electoral process and upon candidates and voters to reverse the systematic exclusion of such values during elections and in Philippine politics, as the CBCP noted in 1997.

Also, VOTE GOD recognizes the sacredness and primacy of conscience, and seeks to propose, rather than impose, concrete guidelines.

“We are not endorsing particular individuals, as some may be hoping. Instead, we propose something far better, a concrete mechanism to help people from their conscience and make up their minds as to whom to vote for. We also offer candidates a spiritual space through recollections so as to become credible candidates”, added Fr. Diola during his speech yesterday at the Archbishops Palace.

Archbishop of Cebu, Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal also said during his Homily at the Mass during the launching of the initiative and reiterated again during his speech the need for people to be vigilant not only during elections but also during the years of incumbency.

“The Archdiocese of Cebu, through its political advocacy, the C-Cimpel, has been sustaining the political awareness of the people. The C-Cimpel is not only active during elections; it also goes to the grassroots in its continuing voter’s education program even when there are no elections. As in everything else in our society, the key to development and progress is through integral faith formation on a sustained basis,” said Vidal.

 Further, the Archbishop of Cebu said that education, especially the right education, overcomes a host of problems in the society.

 “The formation of conscience cannot be a sporadic and seasonal activity. Conscience is an act of practical reason that needs to be sustained by prudence. Prudence is a virtue which can only be acquired through conscious experience. Conscience formation therefore requires a sustained exercise of judgment concerning our actions and their effects, so that we may be able to know whether we have acted rightly or not,” said Vidal.

The prelate also stressed that the VOTE GOD initiative compliments what they have been undertaking on a sustained basis through C-Cimpel.

“I thank all of its initiators for their contribution to the education of our people. May the Lord empower you to reach as many people as possible and be able to form consciences attuned to the common good,” said Archbishop Cardinal. — Johanna T. Natavio/WAB (THE FREEMAN)