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Bishops break tradition, back JC de los Reyes candidacy
By NIKKA CORSINO and AIE BALAGTAS SEE, GMANews.TV
Breaking with tradition, six Catholic bishops have announced their support for Ang Kapatiran party standard bearer JC de los Reyes, calling his party "the conscience vote for 2010."
Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles
Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra
Bishop Antonio Pepito Palang of San Jose, Mindoro
Novaliches Bishop Antonio Tobias
Mouthpiece "We remain humble with the gestures of the bishops to come out openly for the partyâs principles and platforms. And if we may quote a pastoral advice from Bishop Navarra, he says in his text message to us [that we must] not glory in numbers. Rather, let us glory that God works mysteriously in the hearts if his people," the party said in a statement. De los Reyes has underscored his "pro-life" stance on reproductive health, openly condemning sex education in schools for allegedly promoting promiscuity and immorality among the young. Ang Kapatiran has been advocating platforms based on the Churchâs social doctrine, which includes the hardline stance of de los Reyes against the Reproductive Health bill. AKP president Eric Manalang told GMANews.TV the bishops might support them by acting as their "mouthpiece." But he clarified that the support was not just for de los Reyes alone but for the partyâs advocacies as well. Manalang said the AKP had been courting the prelates for support since November last year. He said it was important for the party to win the clergyâs support since their influence could deliver votes for AKP candidates. âWe donât have billions. We don't have actors and actresses to endorse us. But the bishops will serve as our mouthpiece to reach the people," Manalang said. âDon't divide priestsâ In a phone interview with GMANews.TV, retired archbishop and canon lawyer Oscar Cruz noted that while his colleagues did not violate any laws, they should not support any candidate to avoid â[dividing] not just the people but also the priests." Cruz also stressed that despite the flurry of bishopsâ endorsements for the AKP, the powerful Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) will not endorse any candidate. In a separate interview, Palang confirmed that he supports the AKPâs platforms and principles. But he clarified that this was not the same as endorsing de los Reyes and his senatorial slate. âSa katunayan hindi ko pa masyadong kilala âyan [de los Reyes] but based on [Arguellesâ suggestion] maganda record nila (In truth Iâm not very familiar yet with de los Reyes but based on Arguellesâ suggestion, I find their record good)," Palang said, adding that he wanted to know more about the partyâs candidates. When asked how he plans to help the AKP in the elections, Palang said he might convince his fellow priests and his constituents to support the party. Catholic vote The Philippines is a predominantly Roman Catholic nation, with at least 81 percent of 90 million Filipinos professing to be Catholic. However, even the bishops failed to agree whether there is a so-called Catholic vote. "There is no such thing," Cruz said, adding that "the Catholics have been very democratic as far as politics is concerned. Tingnan mo na lang yung mga kandidato, eh halos lahat âyan Katoliko pero sila mismo nag-aaway-away (Just look at the candidates. Almost all of them are Catholic but they are fighting among themselves)," Cruz said. But Palang thought otherwise, saying that given the Churchâs vast influence, it could persuade the faithful to vote for their chosen candidates. "The Church is very influential. Donât ever underestimate its power. Just look at [the influence of the late] Cardinal Sin." Jaime Sin, the Filipino cardinal who served as Manila archbishop for almost 30 years from 1974 to 2003, was of the most influential forces behind the People Power street uprising that toppled two Philippine Presidents â Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and Joseph Ejercito Estrada in 2001. Meanwhile, Palang said Arguelles had told him that more bishops were expected to rally behind the AKP, including Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo. But on Saturday, the AKP quoted Pabillo as denying claims he planned to support de los Reyesâs party. â TJD/MDM/JV/NPA, GMANews.TV
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