January 29, 2007 · Posted in: 2007 Elections, In the News
CBCP calls for credible, orderly polls
THE Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines is determined to ensure that this year’s elections will be credible and free of violence.
This year’s elections will be critical, according to the CBCP, as the country cannot afford another election plagued by allegations of violence and deceit.
“Many of our current political problems, which have hindered fuller economic development and social justice, especially for the poor, can be traced to unresolved questions concerning the conduct of past elections,” Bishop Angel Lagdameo, CBCP president, said in a pastoral letter released yesterday after the CBCP’s 94th plenary assembly.
Many groups have expressed doubts whether this year’s elections will be credible, saying that unless the issues of the 2004 presidential elections are resolved, this year’s elections will only lead to a deepening political crisis.
“As a nation, we cannot afford yet another controversial electoral exercise that further aggravates social distrust and hopelessness,” Lagdameo added.
The “Hello, Garci” scandal, reported irregularities in the number of registered voters and tallied votes, and allegedly fabricated election returns are among the issues that remain unresolved.
The CBCP is calling for the mobilization of its parish organizations, institutions and basic ecclesial communities to make sure that the elections are credible and orderly. The pastoral letter also encouraged these groups to “form linkages with one another and with other like-minded civic and religious associations that are working to help clean the dirt from our easily corrupted electoral process.”
The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting has begun its education campaign. It has also been accredited as a poll-watcher by the Commission on Elections.
Other civil society groups have launched a campaign to monitor election expenditures by candidates in selected races throughout the country.
4 Responses to CBCP calls for credible, orderly polls
naykika
January 29th, 2007 at 4:40 pm
Clean, honest and safe election is the responsibility of all, not just the Electoral Body, but the Politicians, the voters and most the judicial system, the police and on independent judicial system to deal with all who breaks the rule. And tough judges, who reserve their harshest sermons to the erring politicians.
I don’t know, but our church here, any church at all, Catholic, Muslims, Jew , Protestants etc. and all its leaders would not even dare make comments to do anything with elections. They may in the confine of their churches, tell their flocks, their ideal political leaders that may in conformity with the church beliefs, and those messages remain within the church and its congregation, but the church can not campaign for a certain candidate or party. The churches and their leaders may tell their followers to be good voter and honest voters, but they can’t tell the Government Bodies of how to go about doing their own job. It is always the People as the Public to do that.
Remind me of what our Judge wrote in her report about one corrupt councillor who came before in her inquiry and lied thru his teeth, despite all the evidence to his culpability and it is something like this.. “ councillor John Doe Testimony was worthy of Pinocchio and as he went on his nose just keep growing”. And the city council is as clean as a surgical room since then..
I think unless everyone, from the President to the voters, the candidates have all the collective desires to see an improvement to the electoral process, the Church can not do anything about it, if the past experience is our basis. On the other hand, all that can be said is the Church is just doing the talk without doing the walk. That is always the case.
Leo
January 29th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
Lalo na sigurong magiging malala ang dayaan kapag nag full force ang pagkilos ng CBCP at nakialam sa darating na halalan. Dahil sa kahit ano pang isipin natin, sabihin na natin na sila ay mga santo na o nababalot ng kabanalan… tandaan natin … tao pa rin sila… may buto at mga laman… Hindi ko makalimutan ng ma zero ang kandidato na ibinoto ko sa isang presinto sa isang eskwelahan ng mga madre dito sa Cavite… saan napunta yung boto ko, at yung boto ng campaign manager namin sa aming barangay, pati anak at asawa niya hindi rin ibinoto ang kandidato namin… hehehe… sige nga… magmisa na lang sana sila…
INSIDE PCIJ » Let the monitoring begin
February 16th, 2007 at 7:34 am
[…] The CBCP has called for credible and orderly polls, while the Money and Politics Working Group (MAP-Work) announced a pilot project that will track expenditures by candidates in selected races throughout the country. […]
i-site’s 2007 Election Files » Let the monitoring begin
February 20th, 2007 at 5:12 pm
[…] The CBCP has called for credible and orderly polls, while the Money and Politics Working Group (MAP-Work) announced a pilot project that will track expenditures by candidates in selected electoral contests throughout the country. […]