Bishop urges young to ensure clean polls

A Catholic bishop urged Filipino youths on Sunday to get involved and ensure that the country’s first automated polls on May 10 will be honest and clean. In his Easter message, Legazpi City Bishop Joel Baylon urged the youths to safeguard the electoral process, saying it’s their future at stake. "We can never overemphasize the truth that the young are the inheritors of tomorrow. And precisely because you are, my dear young people, you have the right and the responsibility to be active sharers in the events that will guarantee a bright and hopeful tomorrow — not only for the country which you will lead and carry someday, but also for the Church and other institutions that will compose part of your future," said Baylon, who heads the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines Episcopal Commission on Youth. He said the youth must involve themselves in current events that shape the country. "The coming national elections for one, ask for your all-out and active participation. Whether you will cast your ballots or not, you must generously give your time, talents and communal efforts to safeguard the electoral process," he pointed out. "With dedication you share in making possible that the precinct count optical scans work as expected, that voters get to their respective polling places, that the votes are correctly counted, and all these happen in an atmosphere of peace and civility — so that there will be a peaceful and orderly transfer of power on the 30th of June," he added. For his part, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas pushed for the integration of faith and life, urging Catholics to live what they profess. — NPA, GMANews.TV