Bishop to pols: You spend millions on sorties, spare some for Bible drive

While candidates spend millions in their campaign for the May elections, only a few of them seem to help produce and distribute Bibles for their countrymen, a Catholic bishop noted on Saturday.

Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo said he hoped politicians would also donate to the “May They Be One” campaign, a Catholic and Protestant program to distribute Bibles all over the country.

“Much money is flowing into (the politicians’ campaigns) but only a few are available for the Bible,” Pabillo said at yesterday’s “Bible Run” held at Quirino Grandstand in Manila.

“I hope they also give to this endeavor, but they shouldn’t use the Bible for their own campaigns. They might join us in distributing Bibles but without putting their names on it. They should do it for the word of God,” he added.

Thousands joined the Bible Run, including nuns in their habits. The project also featured colorful tableaus and floats depicting scenes from the Bible.

Initiated by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines and the Philippine Bible Society (PBS), the Bible Run was designed to help participants learn more about and engage with God’s Word through the scripture, biblical information and trivia.

The fun run was intended to raise funds for the printing of Bibles for underprivileged Filipinos.

The aim is to produce Bibles at a subsidized price of P50. It cost P150 to produce the Bible, according to the PBS.