Rosales to candidates: Spare environment from your dirty politics

Archbishop of Manila Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales called on the government and candidates in the May 14 elections to protect public health and the environment from the "wastes" of campaign materials.

"I encourage the Commission on Elections, political parties, poll watchdogs, mass media, the Church and Filipinos from all walks of life to join hands in ensuring a waste-free campaign as this will surely be beneficial to the overall health and sustainability of our communities and our ailing environment," he said.

"Preventing and minimizing campaign waste through the ecological and judicious use of resources will lessen the volume of discards that will only end up being littered, burned or thrown into our dying rivers and obnoxious dumps that continue to disfigure and contaminate God’s creation."

The election campaign could effectively be done without harming the environment, he added.

It is equally important to support the call of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines for credible and violence—free elections on May 14, Rosales said.

Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, CBCP vice president is considering campaigning against political dynasty, while Lingayen—Dagupan

Archbishop Oscar Cruz said he would support anti-gambling candidates nationwide.

Archbishop Paciano Aniceto, chairman of CBCP Episcopal Commission on Family and Life, vowed to campaign against candidates who are supportive of laws on artificial family planning, domestic partnership of gays and divorce.

Meanwhile, Archbishop of Cagayan de Oro Antonio Ledesma, CBCP vice president, told Church-run Radio Veritas the participation of some bishops in the election summit of President Arroyo remains a possibility.

"We might attend the summit depending on the manner and the kind of dialogue that will take place," he said.

"Actually we haven’t discussed the election summit in the permanent council yet but there are reservations about it. Some of us believe the summit would be not productive and will be merely for show. But I think we’re also open for dialogue with many groups in terms of ensuring clean and peaceful elections."

Last week Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, CBCP president, said the CBCP would not join the election summit, which Mrs. Arroyo organized to formulate a comprehensive plan for the elections.

Lagdameo rejected last week’s invitation from Mrs. Arroyo for the bishops to join the four-party election summit.

"The Commission on Elections, poll watchdogs, the Philippine National Police as well as all political parties, pro-administration and opposition are already governed by the same law," he said in a statement.

"That has been the law and the desideratum ever since. Let each do that and just that, ensuring and working for clean, honest and orderly election - which means avoiding deceit and cheating of every kind."

Mrs. Arroyo said the summit would be tasked "to come up with a comprehensive plan on stabilizing election hot spots, focused monitoring in possible areas of fraud, transparent poll procedures, and checks on illegal spending."

On the other hand, television evangelist Bishop Eddie Villanueva said yesterday Bangon Pilipinas Movement (BPM) might field candidates in the congressional and local elections on May 14.

"We believe God has a great plan for this nation," he said.

"Evil will not be gone overnight. But for evil to prosper, it takes good men to do nothing, and that is what we as a people should not allow to happen."

Villanueva said his party is set to hold a general assembly this week to decide whether to field its own candidates especially for the national positions or to just endorse or adopt certain candidates. — With Sandy Araneta