Lacson, Paredes visit Vidal "for blessings"

Senatorial candidates Panfilo Lacson, of the Genuine Opposition, and Jesus Paredes, of Ang Kapatiran, yesterday visited Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal but without getting any endorsement for their candidacies.

Lacson and Paredes, who were classmates in the Philippine Military Academy, said they did not expect the cardinal to endorse any of them because they were told that the Church is not allowed to do that openly.

After a 10-minute meeting in the Archbishop''s Palace, Lacson said that seeking for endorsement was not their intention but only to ask for blessings from Cardinal Vidal. "Humingi lang kami ng bendisyon," he said.

Vidal gave Lacson and Paredes a rosary each that the cardinal said came from Rome and was blessed by the Pope.

The cardinal reportedly assured Lacson that he always includes the candidate in his prayer, that the latter will be safe from harm and danger during the campaign.

Lacson also said that the cardinal told him that he is praying for an end of the political killings in the country.

Lacson added that he was happy to see Vidal whom he considered as an "old friend", which started when he was still assigned in Cebu as Metrodiscom commander.

Meanwhile, Lacson said that members of the military and the police, and government employees, who are serving in the coming elections, should be given the chance to exercise their rights freely in the "local absentee voting" or advance voting that started yesterday.

Lacson said that, during his stint as chief of the Philippine National Police, those policemen assigned in remote areas during election day were allowed to vote in advance.

On the apprehensions that this advance voting would be a source for election fraud, Lacson said he has not been worried about it.

He said that the advance voters or local absentee voters, which number close to 40,000 nationwide, are not that big enough. - Fred P. Languido/RAE