Cardinal dismayed over ‘noisy’ political campaign

CARDINAL Gaudencio Rosales, the head of Manila’s Roman Catholic Church, issued another pastoral letter expressing disgust over the country’s “noisy and confusing campaign” period.

With few days to go before the Philippines’ first nationwide automated elections, Rosales said it’s all political bickering that get in the way of the campaign of many candidates.

Nearly everyone unfortunately including even the young, he said, has heard of the little good said of some, and the worst of many of the contending candidates.

“This is a political campaign, Filipino style which, we pray we will outgrow soon as we mature as free people,” Rosales said.

Nobody’s excited

The cardinal’s observation was also echoed by an official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, who earlier said that compared with the past poll it seems like “nobody is so excited” this time.

“The scenario now is so different because we don’t talk about the substance anymore… we’ve been talking about the (election) process,” said Mosignor Pedro Quitorio.

He is referring to the lack of confidence in the first-ever nationwide automated elections by various civil society groups including many religious leaders.

The National Secretariat for Social Action of the CBCP and other poll watchdogs, for instance, continue to express concerns over the readiness of the Commission on Elections in overseeing the automated polls on May 10.

Until now, several groups still question the reliability of the precinct count optical scan machines which according to poll officials will shorten the burden of manual counting and transmission of elections results from precinct level to the municipal and provincial board of canvassers.

There are also apprehensions about a possible failure of elections because, according to critics, the conditions for it are present.

“It’s all about fears. Many are afraid,” Quitorio said. “Now, for example, they are still debating about the PCOS machines.”

3rd pastoral letter

Cardinal Rosales issued his third pastoral letter about the May 10 presidential elections on Thursday and told the people that the country’s future relies on the hands of the electorate.

His first pastoral letter focused on giving Catholics the criteria for the ideal letter. It was followed by another statement telling priests, community leaders and the public to organize groups evaluating candidates in the upcoming polls.

He urged the Filipino voters to entrust the fate of the nation to “honest and God-fearing people that you could trust and who, without any arrogance, could motivate you to greater unity.”

“More than just a well-informed decision, your choice should be accompanied by reflection and prayer, bringing you to the conviction that you are choosing a leader who is not concerned with his own interest but for the essential of a true democracy—the good of everyone and never the good of only a privileged few,” he said.

Report from CBCP News