Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Manila (Agenzia Fides) – Filipino election results - which will be formalized tomorrow, May 12th - give a clear advantage to candidate Benigno Aquino Jr., with over 40% of the votes already counted.
Aquino recently confirmed that the priority in his agenda will be the fight against corruption. "Corruption is endemic in the Philippines. It is a phenomenon that has taken root since the era of the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. In the last nine years of government of Gloria Arroyo, the population has heard constantly proclamations against corruption, only to find, between scandals and complaints, that the problem has increased. Hopefully, henceforth, no talk of fighting corruption only for propaganda," Fides was told by Fr. Angel Calvo, CMF, Spanish Claretian missionary in Zamboanga, a resident for over 30 years in Mindanao, working in society and President of an interfaith movement for peace.
"What the nation needs is a strong work ethic to bring about a different mindset and a culture of anti-corruption, with transparency, honesty, an ethic of responsibility, and attention to the common good. In this regard, the new administrators will be judged on how they work," said Fr. Calvo. "Another key point is the fight against poverty: in a country where one third of the population lives on less than a dollar a day, we need to create jobs and provide opportunities for growth and prosperity to millions of poor and desperate people awaiting answers from the government," says the missionary.
Some "seeds of democracy" and “signs of improvement” were seen, says Fr. Calvo, even in this election: the violence occurred under the sad standards of the past (although we must remember the massacre of Maguindanao in November 2009): "There have been some difficulties, irregularities, the obvious phenomenon of vote buying, violence and pressure, also the vices of the political system, linked to clan membership...These are hard to eradicate. But overall, the opinion on the elections is positive, as observers have said."
"Yes, the Filipino voters vote on the wave of emotion: popularity has a big influence, as does the very charismatic and symbolic character of the candidates, while the political agenda of candidates fades into the background. We hope that these elections can open a new page in the history of the country and the new leaders will make peace-building in Mindanao a priority,” concludes the missionary. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 05/11/2010)
