Catholic group to launch 'catechism on politics'

The Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas will launch in September a catechism on politics to teach the young what values to consider when selecting political candidates. “They should be taught values on how to choose their candidates," Laiko president Edgardo Tirona said in an article posted on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines news site. Laiko plans to launch its “Catechism on Politics" during the National Laity Week from September 26 to October 2. Tirona said voters’ education should be a continuing process and not only be limited during the election season. Laiko, an association of 49 diocesan lay organizations nationwide, is the lay implementing arm of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on the Laity. It is spread across the 86 ecclesiastical provinces nationwide and actively supports the Catholic Church in its programs and commitments to bring human development to reality. According to Tirona, the CBCP Commission on the Laity has prepared modules for political education based on church teachings. “We made a study and compiled all these [Church] exhortations and opted to give flesh into the teachings and make modules that are easily understood," he said. Tirona said school children should be taught politics early because politics is also practiced in school, such as when they they elect class officers and school organization heads. He expressed hopes that the Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education, and the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines would support their program. Tirona also said that while Filipinos may be pleased with the turnout of the May elections, they should still reflect on whether those elected are really the best and the brightest in the field of lawmaking. “We thought there should be other parameters in choosing candidates because we know there are good people out there who are extremely good and deserving of the people’s support," he said. –VVP, GMANews.TV