PRIESTS and nuns yesterday accompanied Vice President Leni Robredo’s eldest daughter Aika in house-to-house campaigning in Pangasinan as the Catholic Church firms up support for the opposition leaders’ presidential bid.
Fr. Jake Rubillos, who was among the clergymen who campaigned with Aika in Lingayen, defended the clergy’s decision to openly support Robredo and her running mate Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, saying the Church needs to make a stand for the truth and guide its flock.
“Ang pinapanindigan po namin sa Simbahan ay hindi ang Robredo bagkus ang katotohanan, hindi ang Robredo bagkus ang tamang daan (What the Church is standing for is not Robredo but the truth, not Robredo, but the righteous way),” he said. “Hindi ang Robredo bagkus iyong tamang liwanag na siyang liliwanag sa buhay ng mga tao, lalo’t higit sa mga laylayan (Not Robredo but the light that will illuminate the lives of the people, especially those at the fringes of the society).”
Fr. Rubillos’ pronouncement came after the Leni-Kiko tandem was endorsed by some 1,400 Catholic bishops, priests, and deacons, belonging to the group Clergy for the Moral Choice which earlier reminded Catholics of their sacred duty “to vote only for the right leaders of this our beloved country, the Philippines, to choose and to elect true servant-leaders whose hearts are really after the heart of the Good Shepherd — just like Leni and Kiko.”
Among the members of the group is Bishop Antonio Tobias of the Diocese of Novaliches who said the Church does not really prohibit the clergy from supporting particular candidates based on their individual capacity.
The CMC made its endorsement a day after the Iglesia ni Cristo announced its support for the tandem of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.
Unlike the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) which orders members to vote for its leaders’ chosen candidates, the Catholic Church only guides its flock in choosing the best leaders for the country.
Also, around 200 clergy, religious and consecrated persons from the Archdiocese of Cebu backed the Leni-Kiko tandem. They gave a copy of their statement of support to Robredo’s daughter, Dr. Tricia, who was in Cebu on yesterday.
The United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), in a rare move, also endorsed the Robredo-Pangilinan tandem, saying they are the “best option for the Filipino people.”
The UCCP is one of the country’s largest Protestant churches with at least 500,000 members in almost 3,000 churches.
The church’s Council of Bishops said in a statement dated May 1 and released on Wednesday that the endorsement was reached after “collective discernment, which may be used for moral guidance.”
The UCCP leadership however, clarified that “at the end of the day, the choice is still left with the individual believer on the basis… of the individual believer’s freedom of conscience and discernment.”
The endorsement was signed by UCCP general secretary Melzar Labuntog and six other bishops, along with 14 emeritus bishops.
The UCCP leadership said the candidacies of Robredo and Pangilinan “nearest and would best reflect the values which we find in the Word of God and as manifested in the reign of God.”
The church leaders noted the UCCP was “among the first religious groups that denounced the proclamation and ill-effects of martial law in 1972.”
CLERGY’S MANDATE
Fr. Rubillos said the Church cannot stay neutral and quiet, especially if people are being oppressed and deceived by some abusive politicians, stressing that speaking out is part of the clergy’s mandate.
“Kailangan naming lumabas, kailangan naming tumayo para sa kanila. Bakit? Hindi dahil sa taong iyon bagkus iyon ang mandato namin sa Diyos (We have to come out, to make a stand for them. Why? It’s not for that particular individual but because it’s part of our mandate from God),” Fr. Rubillos said. That’s our mandate, for us priests to guide the people in choosing the right leaders, leaders who will stand for the poor, leaders who fear God),” he said in Filipino.
Robredo, in a campaign rally in Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte on Wednesday night which was attended by an estimated 45,000 people, appealed to supporters to ensure a vote for Pangilinan for every vote she receives on Monday.
Zamboanga del Norte Reps. Isagani Amatong and Glona Labadlabad and Mayor Rosendo “Dodoy” Labadlabad raised the hands of Robredo and Pangilinan’s daughter Frankie who represented the senator who was in Cebu to attending another rally.
Robredo yesterday campaigned in Ozamis City where she met with supporters and volunteers. She also met with Misamis Occidental Gov. Philip Tan, First District Representative Diego Ty, Plaridel Mayor Alicia Ty, Bonifacio Mayor Samson Dumanjug before attending a rally at the Misamis University.
