Evangelical churches join bid for clean, honest polls

Leaders of evangelical churches in the country rallied behind the Catholic Church in ensuring honest, orderly and peaceful elections on May 14 and vowed to support the monitoring activities of poll watchdogs.

In a statement, the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC) said it would tap its members to participate in the election monitoring activities of National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel).

"We must exert efforts towards helping ensure that electoral laws are strictly implemented during the election period," the PCEC said in its statement. "We should strongly oppose vote-buyers, cheaters and manipulators. Let us remember that those who win by using such stratagems have no moral right to rule as they subvert the democratic process."

PCEC national director Evangelical Bishop Efraim Tendero also said they would take advantage of the days before the elections to convince voters to choose candidates who are responsible, God-fearing and morally upright, who possess integrity and competence and have shown good track records.

Through its voters’ education program, the PCEC will ask voters to "discern and cautiously evaluate qualifications of candidates," Tenedero said.

"The candidate must give value to responsible leadership, manifested by promotion of righteousness, justice and peace and by addressing the issues of graft and corruption. He or she must be willing to walk his talk and take full responsibility for his decisions," he said.

Tenedero also said candidates "must have the necessary qualities that befit the office he is seeking to fill… and should have a heart for and fear of God and strive to have a clear conscience before (God) and men."

He said candidates who don’t have experience in governance should be assessed through "what was he known for in his previous profession."

He also asked voters to consider the platforms of the candidates they choose and to avoid voting for candidates merely on the basis of personality.

The PCEC said it supports Catholic leaders’ appeal for fervent prayers for the success of the elections: "We must pray for God’s intervention. Praying for God’s intervention is likewise crucial if we are to have HOPE (honest, orderly and peaceful elections). As we declare that God is on the throne, we need to pray for all the election officials, candidates, and voters."

"Let us pray that peace and order will reign not only during the election day but also during the canvassing and up to the proclamation of winners," The PCEC said in its statement.

Earlier, Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales called on Filipinos to vote for candidates who are morally upright, have special concern for the environment, and are independent when it comes to issues involving national unity.

"We must choose the best possible leaders. They must love and fear God above all. They must be guided by well-formed conscience and always sensitive to choice of what is good. They must live and serve consistently with moral principles. And they must be honest, non-violent and compassionate," said Rosales in a pastoral letter that was read in masses on April 22.

Rosales also asked voters to support leaders who have environmental platforms: "Let us vote for those who respect and protect the limited sources in nature and require others to do the same."

He said he believes it is necessary to vote for candidates who are not bound by personal or partisan interests, especially now that national unity is necessary for the country to attain progress: "We need leaders who are ready to sacrifice personal, party or group interest for the sake of unity."

In the same pastoral letter Rosales also said the Church sees the May 14 elections as an opportunity for Filipinos to finally move forward and attain progress: "In the past, enormous sufferings resulted from political ambitions, maneuvers and group adventurism resulting in the country’s poor becoming even poorer."

He said voters can do their part in ways as simple as not selling or bartering their votes for favors or allowing themselves to be coerced to vote for certain candidates.

"Choosing and holding leaders accountable to the governed is a critically important choice that must follow moral guidance," he said. "The sacredness of an election recalls to us that votes are not for sale or to be bartered with favors. Neither can a vote be cast under any form of coercion."

Rosales also encouraged the members of the Armed Forces, the youth sector and citizen volunteers to help the Commission on Elections (Comelec) ensure that the voting is peaceful and that votes are accurately counted and properly turned over to national canvassers.

"We are grateful to and we encourage the teachers, the men and women of the armed forces, the youth and volunteer citizens who help the task of Comelec in ensuring that votes are properly cast, accurately counted at the precincts, are authentically reported to the municipalities and cities and forwarded safely and un-tampered to the Comelec provincial and national offices," he said.