Liberal Party standard-bearer Mar Roxas and Vice President Jejomar Binay on Monday signed a covenant for truthful and honest elections after hearing Mass at the Manila Cathedral exactly a week before the May 9 polls.
Of the five presidential candidates, only Roxas and Binay showed up at the Cathedral where the Mass, officiated by Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, was held before the covenant signing.
Signing the Truthful, Responsible, Upright, Transparent and Honest (TRUTH) Elections means the candidates pledge to support the Filipino’s right to vote, avoid resorting to the “politics of personalities and patronage,” and “refrain from using guns, goons and gold.”
The candidates also vowed to “strongly admonish (their) relatives, friends, followers and supporters to desist from using violence, deceit, fraud and other unfair and dishonest practices.”
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In his homily, Tagle reminded the election candidates that along with the blessing to run for a government post comes a grave responsibility.
“The blessing of being elected as representative of the common good also has its corresponding responsibilities,” Tagle said.
“Mayroon din tayong obligasyon na palaging makinig sa mga taong isinasakatawan niya. Mayroon din tayong obligasyon na linawin sa kanyang sarili, what does human dignity, what does human right, really mean? What does common good entail?” he said.
(We also have the obligation to always listen to the people we represent. We also have the obligation to explain to ourselves what does human dignity, what does human right, really mean? What does common good entail?)
READ: Cardinal Tagle: Corrupt politicos unacceptable
Besides Roxas and Binay, LP vice presidential candidate Leni Robredo sent a representative to sign the covenant. Also present were senatorial candidates from different political parties.
Top level officials of the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines, who had earlier signed their oath of non-partisanship, also attended the Mass.
During the Mass, Roxas, who was with his wife Korina Sanchez, and Binay, accompanied by daughter Senator Nancy Binay, sat apart. But the political foes greeted each other and shook hands during the rite of peace.
In an ambush interview after the ceremony, Senator Binay said her encounter with her father’s opponents was cordial.
“I guess natutunan ko sa daddy ko na ‘wag magtanim ng sama ng loob (I learned from my dad not to harbor ill feelings). We just have to move on,” she said. IDL/rga