Bishop tells faithful: You are not bound to vote for bets even if they give you money

Archbishop Socrates Villegas. PHOTO by INQUIRER.net file photo

MANILA, Philippines — Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas on Saturday reminded the faithful that they are not obliged to fulfill an “immoral or illegal” contract such as voting for a candidate even if that bet gave them money in exchange of votes.

“You are not obliged to fulfill an immoral or illegal contract,” Villegas said in a video address released on Saturday.

Villegas said that selling of votes is a sin and against the law.

“Pero kung ikaw ay nagugutom, at ikaw ay nangangailangan, pwede mong tanggapin iyon, pero wag mong tutuparin ang ipinagagawa sayo,” Villegas said.

(But when you are hungry and in need, you can accept the money, but don’t fulfill what they want you to do.)

“Pwede mong tanggapin ang pera pero hindi dahil nangangako ka na tutuparin mo ang usapan, kundi dahil mayroon kang matinding pangangailangan, para sa iyo at sa iyong pamilya,” Villegas added.

(You can accept the money not because you will fulfill the agreement, but because you have a desperate need for you and your family.)

Villegas echoed the sentiment of presidential hopeful and incumbent Vice President Leni Robredo, who received flak from her statements.

Robredo, while stressing that she is against vote buying, told voters to take a more pragmatic approach of taking the money from politicians — which, she said, could be taxpayer’s money anyway — but vote based on one’s conscience.

She said this could also serve a lesson to politicians if they did not win the elections despite paying for votes.

Robredo, who said she was also a victim of vote buying, said she is not condoning vote buying, but is only pointing out the “realities on the ground” that vote-buying remains very rampant despite it being an offense against the Omnibus Election Code.

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JPV