Catholic lay group backs pro-lifers, Rama, Gwen

THE Cebu Archdiocesan Council of the Laity will campaign for candidates they consider pro-life.

“We are to guide and to educate the people whom to vote for in the 2013 National Election,” said Dr. Rene Josef Bullecer, director of Human Life International, Philippines in a press conference yesterday.

The council, which represents Catholic lay persons in the archdiocese, said they will choose candidates who do not support the Reproductive Health Bill.

Their list includes Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama.

Bullecer, who heads the council’s pro-life advocacy, identified Juan Ponce Enrile, Antonio Trillanes IV, Gregorio Honasan, and Aquilino Pimentel III.

(Enrile is not seeking re-election as his term ends in 2016 but his son Jackie is running.)

From the Liberal Party and the United National Alliance, seven candidates for the Senate may qualify for their pro-life criteria – two from Malacanang and five from UNA.

Bullecer said the council regrets Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia is dropping out of the senate race.

“It’s really not a good news for us, the sliding down of our dear governor from running in the senate…Her being a pro-life advocate is an additional voice tin Congress,” he said.

He said the council will support individuals, not political parties.

Council president Pat Acabodillo said the Catholic lay men would like to guide voters “because we all know that voters are influenced by some material offers.”

In a separate Press Freedom Forum on the challenge of politics and the media in the 2013 election, Fr. Carmelo Diola of the Dilaab Foundation said their group will hold spiritual recollections for candidates.

Diola said Dilaab, which advocates good governance, will intensity a voters education campaign and ask parishioners to be more critical in assessing their choice of leaders.

He called on the public to be outraged and say no to corrupt politicians.

At the same time, he said there are more good people than corrupt people in government.

“It’s only because the corrupt have more resources, are better organized and are noisier. We can appeal to the voters’ and the politicians’ conscience but we should also be pragmatic because it is a numbers game and the politicians know all about the numbers game,” Diola said.

The forum at the Marcelo Fernan Cebu Press Center was part of the activities marking Cebu Press Freedom Week.