COTABATO CITY?AT least three Catholic bishops?two of them from Mindanao?vowed not to accept donations from candidates in the May 10 elections.

Marbel Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez, Basilan Bishop Martin Jumoad and Baguio Bishop Carlito Cenzon issued the statements over simultaneous broadcasts by Catholic-run radio stations on Thursday in connection with the annual Alay Kapwa fund drive.

Alay Kapwa is a Catholic Church campaign to raise funds to help the poor in emergency cases and during calamities.

The campaign is being implemented in all dioceses and encourages the Catholic faithful to share their resources, time and talent with neighbors.

Bad money

The bishops said, however, that they will politely decline donations made by politicians at the height of the election season.

?I will not accept any donation from politicians. It?s not right,? Jumoad said.

Cenzon and Gutierrez said it was not prudent for the Church to accept money from politicians.

?We are not going to accept it especially if we know that it came from bad sources,? Cenzon said.

Jumoad said instead of giving money to parishes or dioceses, politicians could donate their money directly to charitable institutions.

?I am appealing also to our politicians not to use Alay Kapwa to make it appear that they are for the poor,? he said.

Uncommon traits

In a pastoral statement recently issued by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, the country?s bishops also appealed to candidates to be honest and sincere, traits that are uncommon among Philippine politicians.

?We ask candidates, already at this point, to start serving the nation by being honest and sincere in educating the people on the situation of our country in their campaign,? the CBCP pastoral statement said.

It also called on candidates not to attack other politicians.

?They should not campaign to manipulate the perceptions of the people but to help them to make good choices for the sake of the country. They are to present their platforms and convictions rather than attack others,? the pastoral letter said.

Davao meeting

Candidates woo religious leaders that could deliver votes for them.

One such religious leader is Davao-based Apollo Quiboloy, who expressed disappointment over the failure of two leading presidential candidates?Benigno Aquino III and Manuel Villar?to attend a recent forum that his group organized.

But Villar, Nacionalista Party standard-bearer, on Friday said everything was now okay between him and Quiboloy.

Villar admitted he deliberately skipped the March 9 forum that Quiboloy hosted.

Sources had told the Inquirer that Villar was avoiding arch-critic and fellow presidential candidate Sen. Jamby Madrigal, who was present at the forum.

Villar was mum on that piece of information.

Villar talked with Quiboloy on Friday at a meeting brokered by Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. Edwin Fernandez and Dennis Jay Santos, Inquirer Mindanao