Mass held for bets, sign peace covenant
“Choose the best and reject the worst.”
This was the appeal of Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz during his homily in the Mass for peace and covenant signing among local bets for the May 14 elections.
“If we choose the best ones, we will all be benefited (but) everyone will suffer if you choose the candidates with many vices, thieves, liars, and with crooked way of life,” said Cruz, who presided over the Palm Sunday Mass for the candidates at the St. John The Evangelist ParishChurch in Dagupan City.
Cruz also warned against cheating in the election and warned the nation will never accept a tainted result.
“Our country should not suffer because of dirty, chaotic elections similar to what happened three years ago,” he said, referring to the presidential election in 2004 which put Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in power.
The special mass and the peace covenant signing is an initiative of the regional police through its director, Chief Superintendent Leopoldo Bataoil.
The signatories to the covenant included former Immigration Commissioner Alipio Fernandez Jr. and Belen Fernandez, candidates for Dagupan City mayor and vice mayor respectively under the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats-Biskeg na Pangasinan, and their candidates for the city council; Vladimir Mata, UNO-PMP candidate for vice mayor and a number of the party bets for councilor; independent candidates for councilor Ignacio dela Cruz, Winky Manaois, and George Castillo and Titus Perez (PDP-Laban).
They were joined by Vice Gov. Oscar Lambino, who is running for governor under Lakas.
In the covenant they signed, the candidates agreed to bind themselves “to the truth that the ballot is an expression of the sovereign will and is sacred.”
They also agreed “not to corrupt the voter with money and not to impose their will upon the voter by way of force or violence, threat or intimidation or in any manner, destroy his or her power and freedom of choice.”
The candidates also promised to conduct their campaign “under the law and the rules in the spirit of good grace and friendly rivalry and to participate in candidates’ fora so that they can debate on their platform.”
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
