MANILA, Philippines - A Catholic bishop admits there is no “Catholic vote†in this predominantly Catholic country, but the Church is appealing to Filipinos to vote with their conscience in the May elections.
“We do not have a Catholic vote. We do not like the term ‘Catholic vote’ because people might have different interpretations about it. For us, let us vote according to our conscience,†Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace, said yesterday.
He said they would be fielding a set of questions to candidates to know their position on issues relevant to Catholic Church teachings.
He said that while they would not be pushing for a “Catholic vote,†they would be setting in place a more organized method in educating the electorate, particularly on the qualifications and the stand of candidates on vital issues.
He said knowledge of issues would help voters make an intelligent vote.
Among the topics that Catholic prelates want the candidates to expound on are the Reproductive Health (RH) law, divorce, land reform, Freedom on Information (FOI) bill, and the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO).
The CBCP official explained that in previous elections, “we would only announce our principles and would leave it up to the people on how they would apply the principles. But nowadays, we would ask the candidates what are their positions on certain issues and would release them to the public.â€
Pabillo said they have yet to decide if they would interview the candidates individually or write them letters. The candidates’ position on issues, based on the interviews, would be posted in churches and parishes across the country.