Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle. RYAN LEAGOGO/INQUIRER.net
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle on Monday night urged the top three contenders for the presidency in the 2016 elections to maintain a friendly air among them during the election period and to bring new dignity to campaigning.
Tagle personally relayed this message to Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, Vice President Jejomar Binay and Senator Grace Poe Monday night after he led a prayer service quietly organized by the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), according to PPCRV Chair Henrietta de Villa.
In an ambush interview with reporters after the meeting, De Villa said nobody talked about politics during the service with Tagle. She said the PPCRV initiated the event to provide the three politicians “a few moments of spiritual rest.”
“There was no sharing of platforms, what type of government [they] will offer. It was just a plain moment of providing them some kind of spiritual rest so they could also focus on the readings of the cardinal,” said De Villa.
De Villa described the prayer service as “very touching” and filled with an “atmosphere of friendship.”
“The cardinal reminded them that we hope even when the rigors of the campaign reach fever pitch, that kind of atmosphere, that kind of interaction among the three of them will remain so that the level of the campaign would be elevated,” she added.
De Villa said Tagle encouraged the three presidential contenders to uplift the dignity of campaigning during the election season.
“While it has been established that Roxas and Binay will both run for the highest position in the country, Poe did not say anything about her plans for the upcoming balloting during the meeting. No one asked anything related to politics, she said.”
“We talked about the traffic…that it was a bit better, things like that. But nothing earthshaking or anything about politics,” she added.
At the end of the prayer service, the three were given religious mementos, said De Villa. Jocelyn R. Uy