MANILA, Philippines – Catholic and Christian groups urged the faithful on Monday, April 8, to vote based on their faith in the May 13 elections, as the Philippines faces threats to democracy under President Rodrigo Duterte. 

“Our faith is our vote,” said Carmelite priest Father Rico Ponce in an election forum organized by religious groups at Maryhill School of Theology in Quezon City.

“Because we are people of faith, we believe there are changes that can happen if we are united, if we vote wisely and ethically,” added Ponce, executive director of the Institute of Spirituality in Asia.

Ponce was the first speaker at the forum titled “Our Faith, Our Vote,” co-organized by the Ecumenical Bishops’ Forum, the Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines, and the Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform.

Monday’s forum was attended by more than 100 priests, nuns, and laypersons, and featured talks on different aspects of the upcoming elections.

One of the speakers, People’s Choice Movement (PCM) convenor Alex Lacson, explained that “so much is at stake” in the May 13 elections. “Nakakatakot ang eleksyon na ito (This election is frightening),” he said. 

Citing examples, Lacson said that if the President’s allies control the Senate, Duterte can easily declare martial law or form a revolutionary government with the help of a rubber-stamp Congress. 

“We need the Senate as the last institution that can stand against Duterte,” Lacson said.

He added: “We believe we have not seen the worst of Duterte. The worst is yet to come.”

Lacson warned, for instance, that Duterte “may not step down” as President when his term ends in 2022. He fears Duterte will turn over the government to a military junta. 

“It is horrifying that we have to protect our own people from our leaders. It is horrifying that we have to protect our own people from our government,” Lacson said.

Lacson then presented the 10 senatorial bets endorsed by Catholic and Christian groups under the PCM. Their group supports all 8 candidates under the Otso Diretso opposition slate, alongside candidates Grace Poe and Neri Colmenares.

‘Affirm our divine duty’

Echoing Lacson and other speakers, the forum organizers also released an election manifesto during Monday’s forum.

In the Church People’s Election Manifesto released on Monday, organizers said that “we shall not divest our being Christian when we enter the polling precincts.”

“In the coming vote, we must preserve democracy, resist the accumulation of power in the hands of kings or oligarchs, protest the abundance of fallacies and falsehoods in the land, and rise up for the casualties, victims, and the vulnerable,” the Church People’s Election Manifesto said. 

“We enjoin all Christian voters to affirm our divine duty for our country,” it added.

Certain quarters have also called for a unified “Catholic vote” in the face of Duterte’s tirades against the Catholic Church, as well as death threats against Catholic leaders.

Catholic bishops stress, however, that they will not endorse specific candidates, as the Catholic faith respects the consciences of followers.

Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas told Rappler: “There is a Catholic vote coming from the Catholic conscience of the voter, but no Catholic vote dictated by the Catholic hierarchy. There is a Catholic vote from a mind formed by Catholic social teachings, but no Catholic vote decided by a Catholic bloc.”

“Every vote is a decision between God and the Catholic person. It is sacred. God will also hold us accountable for choices we make,” Villegas said. – Rappler.com