Catholic bishop to voters: We need leaders with servant hearts

Kidapawan Bishop Jose Collin Bagaforo (Photo from cbcpnews.net)

MANILA, Philippines — A Catholic bishop is calling on voters to vote responsibly in the next polls, saying Filipinos deserve “leaders with a serving heart.”

“Our choice reflects our values,” Kidapawan Bishop Jose Collin Bagaforo said during the launch of the Halalang Marangal 2022 Coalition on Tuesday.

Halalang Marangal 2022, a coalition of more than 20 church and civic groups, was launched to campaign for voters’ registration, voters’ education, and poll monitoring.

“It is an expression and affirmation of our human dignity, a foundational principle of Catholic social teaching,” the bishop who is also the national director of Caritas Philippines added.

Bagaforo said voting is God’s gift to the people.

“And how we use this is our gift to our country,” he said.

“It is a fulfilment of one’s responsibility to participate in and influence the social, political affairs of our nation,” he added.

He also said Filipinos deserve a leader with “servant hearts” who have “competence, experience, compassion, kindness, passion, and perseverance”.

“A functioning leader provides direction and inspires God’s family to work tirelessly to improve the condition of all Filipinos with preferential attention to the marginalized and excluded,” Bagaforo said.