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Friday, March 02, 2007
Church pushes public debates among poll aspirants
MANILA -- Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president Angel Lagdameo wants a public debate among candidates in the mid-term elections in May, to inform the voters of their platform of government.
Archbishop Lagdameo, who heads the Archdiocese of Jaro, said that voters need to know the candidates' plans so they can choose well.
Pinoy Votes: Sun.Star Election 2007
"There should be democratic space given to all candidates to explain their platforms and what they promise to do if they are elected into office," said Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, CBCP vice president, in echoing Lagdameo's statement.
"It's important for ordinary citizens and the voters themselves to be made aware about the record and promises of each candidate," Ledesma said.
Asked for his thoughts about the May mid-term elections, Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal said, "May God bless us and may we not be crucified."
"I will not tell the people whom to vote or whom not to vote for. Let them decide," the archbishop added.
The Archdiocese of Cebu, through its official publication Bag-ong Lungsoranon, said it hopes the elections and the Lenten season will uplift the nation's spirit.
It also hopes the May polls, marked by discord and noise, will be enlightened and guided by the Lenten season, which encourages reflection among Catholics.
Lingayen Archbishop Oscar Cruz pointed out a public debate is not a strong basis to determine if a candidate is fit to govern or make laws.
"A debate is words, words and more words that the poor, the hungry and the sick have no use for. The better debater does not necessarily champion the truth," Cruz said.
Meanwhile, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Rene Sarmiento reminded political parties and their candidates to submit a report of their expenditures in every campaign rally, which is required by law.
"The statement of expenses must be filed with election officer in the area where the rally was held. Through this, we would know how much they spent for the rally," said Sarmiento.
Candidates for both the local and national positions have the obligation to submit their statement of expenses as stated under Comelec Resolution 7767 or the Fair Election Act and the Omnibus Election Code, he added.
Cardinal Vidal celebrated mass Thursday at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral, where the World Youth Day cross was brought after its arrival in Mactan from Australia.
Australia, as the host of this year's World Youth Day, has decided to share the cross with neighboring countries. In the Philippines, it will be send it to four other dioceses apart from Cebu.
The late Pope John Paul II gave the cross to the youth over 20 years ago, when the annual event was first held.
In his homily, Cardinal Vidal urged the people to "stop, look at the cross, listen to the crucified and learn from Him, with the eyes of faith."
Making the sign of the cross is the "identification card" of Roman Catholics, he pointed out.
"As baptized persons, you are expected to behave according to your belief in the love of God, in the grace of our Lord, and in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit," said Cardinal Vidal.
We need "to take up our cross, and to be humble and honest enough to call sin a sin, and not by any other name," he added.
In this age of computers and cell phone text messages, a gossip is now called "socially aware," a womanizer "sexually active," and hope "a woman in trouble," the archbishop joked.
The last comment was an apparent reference to the woman (named Hope) now at the center of television talk show host Kris Aquino's much-publicized marital storm.
After the mass, the cross and an image of the Virgin Mary were brought to the Magellan's Cross and then to the Archbishop's Residence grounds, where a vigil was held until midnight. (Sunnex/NRC of Sun.Star Cebu)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro. (March 2, 2007 issue)
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