MANILA (UCAN): Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, and Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan, called on supporters of defeated presidential candidate Leonor ‘Leni’ Robredo not to sow unrest by protesting against election results that saw Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. win in the May 9 elections.
The call came as hundreds of people, many of whom were Robredo supporters, descended on the Cultural Centre of the Philippines in Manila on May 13 to protest against alleged election fraud and other poll irregularities.
Many complained that the Commission on Elections was ill-prepared for the election, that vote-counting machines were destroyed and that millions of people were unable to vote. Further calls to stage protests against Marcos’ win also appeared on social media.
“Our grief and our hurt are not enough reasons to excuse us from serving the people,” Archbishop Villegas told reporters on May 12. He called on Robredo’s supporters to “reach out to others,” particularly those who supported Marcos Jr, as part of being Catholic.
Archbishop Villegas was the long-time secretary of the late archbishop of Manila Jaime Cardinal Sin, a leading figure in the People Power Revolution that ousted Ferdinand Marcos Sr., the dictator father of the winning presidential candidate.
Bishop David likewise urged Robredo supporters to be more tolerant of those who did not share their views on governance. He was referring to social media posts from Robredo supporters calling Marcos voters “stupid” with no sense of history.
Fellow Ateneans, let us take this opportunity to rebuild our heavily fractured society. Use this moment as an opportunity to begin the arduous task of making whole again our heavily damaged democracy
They were also alluding to Marcos supporters believing social media propaganda that the repressive martial law years of Marcos Sr. were a “golden age”—a falsehood that Bishop David and the bishops’ conference criticised in a pastoral letter in February.
“We must learn not to give up even on people who have been seduced by darkness. The real challenge therefore for the redeemer is how to get people to see the light or know the truth,” Bishop David said during a Mass in Caloocan City, Manila.
He reminded people to avoid discriminatory remarks and to be more politically inclusive.
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“It is not as simple as telling them ‘You’re wrong, I am right.’ They will only become defensive or may even turn offensive because they feel that they are being attacked,” he said.
“How would you expect the agents of darkness to favour the principles or values of honesty, transparency or accountability? Evil is like a fungus that thrives in dark and secret places.”
Ateneo de Manila University reminded its alumnus to rebuild a society fragmented by politics.
“Fellow Ateneans, let us take this opportunity to rebuild our heavily fractured society. Use this moment as an opportunity to begin the arduous task of making whole again our heavily damaged democracy,” Ateneo president and Jesuit Father Bobby Yap said.
“We all know it will be tough, painful and exhausting, but always remember that nation building is a never-ending exercise that we all must take part in.”
