ELECT RIGHTEOUS LEADERS INTO THE GOVERNMENT

A Pastoral Letter on the May 2013 Elections    

“He that walks righteously, and speaks uprightly; he that despises the gain of oppressions, that keeps his hands from the holding of bribes, that stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, and shuts his eyes from seeing evil; he shall dwell on high: his place of defense shall be the fortresses of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.” (Isaiah 33: 15-16) 

The May 2013 elections presents to the Filipino people another occasion to exercise their democratic right. But elections are not just times to elect government officials, rather, a precious opportunity for our people to exercise their political power towards building a democratic government in the country that promotes and protects the best interest of those who have less in life. 

Making the forthcoming elections a true instrument of genuine political change in the country necessitates a responsible vote from our people.  In this, it becomes our sacred duty to form our people’s conscience in casting a vote that would confront the reality of repressive politics in the country that is dominated by the biggest landlords, business elites, and traditional politicians.

Our people need political leaders who can bring change in the politics of the country and serve the common good. Our nation needs leaders who walk in righteousness, who stand to the defense of public interest and people’s wellbeing, righteous leaders who live-out the true principle of the politics of democracy, characterized by a real sense of political and social power that rest in the hands of the people.

In the backdrop of the forthcoming elections, we reiterate the position of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente in assessing candidates for election and the criteria by which political parties should be judged to help our people in making a responsible vote.

There is great richness in our Christian faith and our Church’s national democratic heritage to guide the faithful in making judgments during the elections. We urge our faithful to take into account in the May 2013 elections these criteria in choosing candidates and supporting political parties:

q  National Sovereignty. A candidate must be an advocate of national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and does not support foreign domination and intervention in the country.

q  National Economy and Patrimony. A candidate must be opposed to full liberalization, deregulation, privatization and other globalization policies that place our local agriculture and industries into unfair competition with big foreign or multi-national companies.

q  Peasants and Workers Issues. A candidate must be an advocate of genuine land reform, and supports the poor workers’ struggle for just and decent wages, and job security.

q  Good Governance. A candidate must have a clean record of public service, steadfastly fights against graft and corruption in government, and committed to eradicate the culture of impunity.

q  Justice and Peace. A candidate must be an advocate of the peaceful resolution of conflicts with the National Democratic Front of the Philippine (NDFP) and opposed to any form of aggressive war and violation of human rights.

q  Human Rights. A candidate must be a staunch advocate of civil and democratic rights, respects political differences, and denounces, opposes and puts to stop political persecution and extrajudicial killings in the country.

q  Women and Children Rights. A candidate must promote gender equality, protect the reproductive rights of women, work against patriarchal exploitation of women, and uphold the rights of children to education, home and nationality.

q  Ecological Justice and Stewardship. A candidate must oppose the exploitation of the environment and works for its preservation, protection, and promotes responsible use of the rich natural resources of the country.

Let us make our participation in the May 2013 elections an integral part of our pro-active engagement towards the establishment of a people’s democratic government in the country. Let us exercise our right to elect leaders of the country who will join us in our journey towards a nation that stands upon the strong foundation of just peace, respect for human dignity, good governance and national democracy.

We appeal to the Filipino people to practice what is right during the elections and ensure that the outcomes of these elections would lead towards the building of a genuine people’s government that serves and works for the common good.

† The Most Revd Ephraim S. Fajutagana