‘Love your country, pick right candidates’

MANILA, Philippines — Taytay, Palawan Vicar Apostolic Bishop Broderick Pabillo yesterday said the Catholic faithful should pray to the Sto. Niño to help increase their love for the country by choosing the right candidates in the May 9 general elections.

In his homily on the Feast of the Sto. Niño, Bishop Pabillo said that Catholics could show their devotion to the Child Jesus in two ways – first, love for country; and second, love for children.

He said one way to express love for the country is by voting for candidates who would be able to do good for the Philippines.

“Let us ask the Sto. Niño to increase our love for our country. Let us consider what would be good (for the country) especially now that the election is approaching,” Pabillo said.

Without mentioning specific candidates, the prelate said, “We should promote the candidates who would be good for the country. We should also not sell our country by selling our votes.”

He encouraged the people to look at the track record of the candidates and to know the country’s history “so we would know who are those really helping and those who are merely taking advantage” of the Filipino people.

Pabillo also urged the people, especially the parents, to continue nurturing and guiding their children so they would live a life of faith, close to Jesus, by bringing them to religious pilgrimages and developing a love for the Word of God.

He recalled that when Jesus Christ was still young, his parents Mary and Joseph searched for him.

Pabillo said that even at this time there are children who get “lost” in their way.

He said parents should never grow tired of searching for their children and should stay together as a family, “A child will not have a good life if the relationship in the family is not well.”

Families should pray to the Holy Family to protect and watch over their families; and to the Sto. Niño, offer prayers for the children.