A Catholic prelate has asked voters to be much wiser in the May 13 midterm polls.
Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo said voters should learn from their mistake in the 2016 polls and not be swayed anymore by survey results.
“Many have regretted their votes in the 2016 elections. Let this be a lesson to us now. Let us be wiser,” he said in a Facebook post.
“At this stage of the campaign, let us not be conditioned by survey results and polls. These are part of the propaganda and are meant to condition our votes,” added Pabillo.
He reminded the electorate that elections are different from betting in lotteries or gambling.
“It is not a matter of betting on winning horses. It is the free expression of our convictions. No matter if my candidate does not have a high rating, my vote for him or her is not wasted even if she or he loses. What is worse is that I vote for a winnable candidate who indeed wins but who is a bad public servant. In this way I have contributed to the ill in society,” Pabillo said.
The prelate then urged the Catholic lay not only to vote for good and deserving candidates but also campaign for them.
“Tell people whom to vote [for]. This influence is highly effective because it is a one-on-one personal approach. This can also be done in social media by posting the names and programs of good candidates so that they may be more known. This does not cost any money and does not need much time. If more and more lay people do this, this subtle campaigning that is not caught by survey groups can be very effective,” said Pabillo.
“Let all good people campaign and vote not for winnable people –– but for those who really can help in the good governance of the country. Let us make good candidates known. Campaign for them!” he added. (L. A. Aquino, mb.com)
