Parishioners, bets join unity walk for peaceful polls
THE Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan (ALD) through the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), parishioners, police, Commission on Elections and some candidates joined hands to echo the CHAMP (clean honest, accurate, meaningful and peaceful) 2016 message through a unity walk in Dagupan yesterday.
Before the unity walk for CHAMP 2016, a mass was held at the St. John The Evangelist Cathedral celebrated by incoming Bishop Enrique Macaraeg from the Malasiqui, Pangasinan parish.
Monsignor Oliver Mendoza, who delivered the homily during the Mass, reminded the faithful that the exercise of the right of suffrage is not only a political but also a moral obligation.
“In the exercise of our suffrage to vote, to choose those who will lead us is in itself an act of love done by us considered as friends of Jesus, an act of love for our country, an act of love for every Filipino… including those who will be coming after us,” Mendoza said.
“But most of all it is also an act of love to a God who made us in love for love and who did not hesitate to lay down his life for us his friends,” he said.
For those aspiring for elective offices, Mendoza had this reminder: “In the midst of your promises, what should motivate you is an act for the people, not only for you and your family”.
Parishioners carried placards and tarpaulins carrying their call for clean and peaceful polls as they and the hundreds of participants from various sectors and parishes walked around processional roads in this city.
However, only unopposed re-electionist Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez and some of members of her team, congressional candidates Christopher de Venecia (4th D.) Eric Acuna (3rd D.), Bayambang mayoralty bet Chato Junio and Mangaldan vice mayoralty bet Ritchie Abalos joined the activity. All candidates in Pangasinan were invited.
The candidates left their handprints on a blackboard to signify their support for the advocacy.
Fr. Allen Romero, priest coordinator of PPCRV of the Lingayen-Dagupan Archdiocese, clarified that the church-led activity should not be construed as meddling in politics “but a way to bring to the people the message of the PPCRV under the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan.”
Quoting Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, Romero reminded parishioners “not to vote if it was not carefully thought of, not to vote if you did not pray, our vote can either bring hell or heaven to the Philippines, let us discern well for the coming elections.”
In his message, Senior Supt. Edgar Allan Okubo, officer-in-charge at the Pangasinan Police Provincial Office, said he hopes that in 2019 and 2022, “Pangasinan will already be removed from EWAS and elections will just be an ordinary day”. (Tita Roces)
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