Former Vatican ambassador back as head of PPCRV

Former Philippine Ambassador to Vatican Henrietta de Villa has reassumed her post as chairwoman of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), the poll watchdog of the country’s Catholic hierarchy.

De Villa will lead the "new and revitalized" organization of Catholic volunteers, who also now have Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, president of Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), as their spiritual advisor.

"PPCRV will unleash new energies for arousing the Filipinos to take on the summons to responsible citizenship so that there is no anonymous Filipino when it comes to social transformation. Our nation cannot be forever in the hands of the powers of darkness," she said in a statement.

The former ambassador, who was among the founders of PPCRV in 1991 and served as its chairwoman until 1996, said the group is organizing a series of public forum on the proposed Charter change in various dioceses in the country.

This, she said, is consistent with the stance of the CBCP on Cha-cha that the "reasons for constitutional change must be based on common good rather than on self-serving interests."

"PPCRV, known for its advocacy for responsible voting as a decisive element of responsible citizenship, is calling on all Filipinos of all persuasions to come together, to discern, dialogue and pray together through this PPCRV public forum on Cha-cha, so that each and all of the electorate will know what to do in bringing about new life for our nation," De Villa stressed.

The CBCP earlier expressed alarm over the people’s initiative endorsed by the administration to amend the 1987 Constitution. But in a statement issued last April 7, the bishops said they would leave to the lay people the necessary actions to derail the initiative which they described as "hasty."

Apart from De Villa, the other members of the PPCRV’s new set of officers are: Ernesto Burdeos as vice chairman for external affairs, Antonio Ventosa as vice chairman for internal affairs, Dr. Zenaida Rotea as treasurer, and Bro. Clifford Sorita as secretary general.

The new board of executive directors are composed of Msgr. Gerardo Santos, Atty. Andres Bautista, Gonzalo Catan, Lawrence Aikke Esmeli, Alfredo Lagman Jr., Dr. Ricardo Ledesma, Dioscoro Ochangco Jr., Paulo Pabalan, and Siony Prioreschi.