Perlas aims to revive "dead" RP

CEBU, Philippines - You think the Philippines is dead? Think again.

Independent presidential aspirant Nicanor “Nick” Perlas launched yesterday a spiritual campaign that seeks to resurrect our “dead country” because of worsening immoral governance where corruption has become a way of life.

Perlas, who was in Cebu yesterday told reporters in a press conference that he wanted to do a campaign that shows sincerity to serve the country and that is to invoke the divinity of the Supreme Being and Cebu’s Holy Child, the Señor Sto. Niño.

The spiritual campaign dubbed “Lakaran! Pasyon, Rebolusyon, Resurrecton-Sies Haligi sa Bag-ong Pilipinas”, according to Perlas is reliving the Passion of the Christ, where he described Philippines having experienced “passion, death and resurrection”.

The “Lakaran”, which had six stops representing his platform’s six pillars started at 3 p.m. yesterday with a Mass at Basilica del Sto. Niño. The group, majority of them volunteers, started walking from Magellan’s Cross, and then proceeded to the first stop in Social Security System along Osmeña Boulevard.

Perlas said SSS is a symbol to address the eradication of massive poverty, inequitable growth, lawlessness, and conflicts that plague the country.

The second stop was in Cebu Normal University where prayers were invoked to promote creative education and inner change. He said that it is crucial to have better schools, colleges and universities, drawing out the many talents and potentials of students.

The group then proceeded to Fuente Osmeña Circle to mainstream visionary initiatives since there are thousands of promising initiatives throughout the country in a wide variety of fields that already point the way forward to a much better Philippines.

The fourth stop was Tourism department to address concerns in stopping the massive destruction of our ecology and our environment.

For the next stop, the group went to Cebu Provincial Capitol where it sought to build partnerships for social justice and to introduce a new approach to real participatory governance and authentic democracy.

He said the ideal government should work together with civil society and business in the pursuit of social justice and creating a better country.

The last stop was the Guadalupe church where the group prayed to stop the pervasive corruption tearing the social fabric of the nation and rupturing the hearts and minds of Filipinos.

He said that poverty can be alleviated through moral and effective governance in all institutions of society and all situations in life.

Perlas, who was once declared as the “greenest” candidate by EcoWaste Coalition and Greenpeace for his platforms advocating in the protecting the environment, vowed to stop corruption in government offices. – THE FREEMAN