A Philippine bishop urged political leaders to seek out individuals who did not vote for them and treat them with compassion and politeness.
On May 15, Bishop Raul Dael of Tandag City sent out a pastoral letter after the Philippines' May 9 national and local elections. In it, he talked about how the elections went.
Bishop Dael thought the 2022 election was "different," mainly because so many votes were bought in the province of Surigao del Sur in the Caraga region of Mindanao, which is in the south of the country.
The prelate said, "Some rejoice at the victories of their allies."
In a statement posted on the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tandag's Facebook page, the bishop said, “It cannot be denied that many are happy because of the great amount of money they receive in exchange for their sacred vote."
He further emphasized that this election looted a lot of money because of the large scale of vote-buying and vote-selling.
"Our province, in the midst of our slump, has perhaps the largest voter exchange rate in the whole country," the bishop added.
He rhetorically inquired, "Should we be proud of this?"
The prelate advised elected officials to "Contact those who didn't vote for you."
"Show kindness and respect to your opponent," he added.
The bishop emphasized that different political and democratic views are okay and, if handled well, can help people see leadership in a better way.
The prelate said, "Throughout your years of service, have an open mind." This will "broaden your perspectives."
He tells everyone to take democracy seriously and follow their dreams for the good of society as a whole.
Do not rekindle the fire of volunteerism that has been ignited in us, he said, concluding that "no one can fall" when humanity is together.
On June 16, 1978, the Diocese of Tandag was established out of the Diocese of Surigao. The diocese encompasses all of Surigao del Sur's civil province, whose capital is Tandag.
It is 448 nautical miles from Manila, the capital of the Philippines, and 150 nautical miles from Cebu, the country's second-largest city. - Kasmir Nema
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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