BUKIDNON Rep. Teofisto Guingona III is fully supporting the call of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) issued in a pastoral letter urging Filipinos to follow their conscience, not the results of pre-election surveys, when they vote in the May elections.
In an e-mailed statement, Guingona said he has outlined the same criteria set by the CBCP in his advocacy toward electoral reform such as competence, leadership, personal integrity and a commitment to the common good as well as moral ascendancy.
He said these criteria would result in good governance that would steer the country toward change and reform.
“If we want the Philippines to be better at anything, if we want genuine change, and if we want the country to go forward, then we should elect honest public servants in 2010,” Guingona said.
In a pastoral statement, the CBCP appealed to Filipinos not to be swayed by survey results or political advertisements and follow the dictates of their conscience after a prayerful and collective period of discernment.
Guingona asked the people to be more discerning of candidates who claim to be from the ranks of the poor and are for the poor.
“Instead, we should look into the kind of person the candidate really is. We should ask if the candidate has been associated with any form of corruption and faulty leadership. Rather than be carried away by promises that will prove to be nothing but empty promises, we should look into the character, integrity and moral core of a candidate,” he said.
He also called on the public not to be fooled by candidates whose well-crafted advertisements are filled with rosy campaign promises of better lives and a richer nation. (Terry D.C. Betonio)