About seven month before the 2016 elections, Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz on Monday said the country’s next president should prioritize three major issues—food production, power production, and work production.
Amid the ongoing filing of certificates of candidacy at the Commission on Elections (Comelec), Cruz urged presidential aspirants to “veer away from the past” and to turn their focus instead on securing sufficient rice and energy supply and generating more employment opportunities for Filipinos.
“Malaking agenda ang dapat harapin ng magiging pangulo. Huwag nang pag-usapan ang nakaraan. Una ang power production—pagpaparami ng enerhiya at pagiging mas mura nito. Ikalawa ang food production–pagkain para sa ating konsumo para hindi na tayo aangkat sa ibang lugar,” Cruz said over church-run Radyo Veritas.
(The next president should face a larger agenda. Don’t talk about the past. First on the agenda should be power production—increase power production and make it more affordable. Second is food production—food for our own consumption so that we don’t have to import from other countries.)
“At ikatlo ang work production—dapat magkaroon ng trabaho sa atin para ang mamamayan natin ‘di na nagpupunta sa kung saan-saang bansa. Kahit anong gulo pupuntahan ‘pagkat dun may trabaho,” he added.
(Third is work production—there should be jobs here so that our countrymen won’t go to other countries for employment. Even though there’s unrest, they would still go there because there’s work.)
Meanwhile, Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo asked the public to pray for those who are filing their certificates of candidacy (COC) that they may have only the purest intentions of serving the country.
“Mahalaga ang linggong ito para sa kasaysayan ng ating bansa dahil maraming kandidato ang magpapafile ng COC para sa susunod na halalan, kaya humihingi kami ng gabay sa iyo; unang una gabay sa aming mga may balak tumakbo na sanay maging dalisay ang kanilang hangarin at intesnyon sa pagtakbo sa halalan na talagang makapaglingkod sa bayan, na sana ay tanggalin ang anumang pamamaraan na hindi matuwid o hindi maayos,” said Pabillo, who is also the chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ Permanent Committee on Public Affairs.
(This week is crucial in our history as a nation because there are many candidates who will file their COCs for the next elections, so we are asking for guidance; first of all, guidance to those who want to run that their ambitions and intentions are pure, that they really want to serve the country; also, eliminate all methods that is not straight or right.)
Pabillo said Filipino voters should also do their duties of scrutinizing the political aspirants by researching on their background and track record.
The bishops also asked for prayers for the media and Comelec officials, that they may remain steadfast in ensuring a clean and fair coverage and implementation of electoral rules.
“Gayundin, humihingi kami ng tulong para sa media people na gabayan sila sa pagcocover sa filing ng COC at maging katotohanan din ang kanilang ipapahayag at hindi sila magagamit ng sinumang pulitiko,” Pabillo said.
(We are also asking for guidance for the media as they cover the filing of the COCs, for their reports to be true, and for them not to be used by any politician.)
“Humihingi kami ng gabay para sa Comelec na sa pagtangap ng COC na maging maayos ang kanilang trabaho; ayusin din nila ang sistema ng eleksyon lalo na ang automated na maging makatotohan, at transparent para sa lahat,” he added.
(We ask guidance for Comelec in accepting COCs that their work is orderly, that they put the system of election in order, especially in the automated elections, so that it is truthful and transparent for everyone.)
The deadline of filing of COCs is on Friday, Oct. 16. JE
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