ASIA/PHILIPPINES - A vote for truth, peace and justice

Manila (Agenzia Fides) - Vote for "truth, common good, peace and justice": this is the appeal addressed to the faithful by the Filipino Bishops, as the country enters the electoral campaign in view of the upcoming general and local elections scheduled for May 9.
In a Pastoral Letter signed by Msgr. Pablo Virgilio S. David, President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and Bishop of Kalookan, the Bishops, citing the document of the Second Vatican Council 'Gaudium et spes' (The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Contemporary World), reminded the population: "All citizens, should be mindful of the right and also the duty to use their free vote to further the common good" (n. 75).
On February 25, 2022, the country celebrated the anniversary of the People's Revolution of 1986 in which president dictator Ferdinand Marcos was ousted. More than a million Filipinos gathered on Manila's main thoroughfare, Epifanio De Los Santos Avenue (EDSA), from February 22 to 25, 1986, to overthrow Marcos in a revolution that went down in history as "People Power", one of the most exciting moments in contemporary Filipino history.
In the context of this anniversary, the bishops note "the flagrant and subtle distortion, manipulation, cover-up, repression and abuse of the truth". Indeed, the message stigmatizes "historical revisionism - the distortion of history or its denial; the proliferation of fake news and false stories; disinformation - the sowing of false information and false narratives to influence public opinion, hide the truth, defame and blackmail. There are thousands of trolls spreading the virus of lies".
In the Letter, Bishop David said that the men and women of the country must "consider the common good as their first concern. Let us respect each other; - do not give in to hatred and hasty judgments. Let us diligently seek the truth in order to do what is right and avoid evil", he writes. The text ensures that Church leaders can "provide moral and spiritual guidance, in accordance with our mission to proclaim the truth from our faith." The laity, on the other hand, have a "distinct and specific role" in making an active contribution to the just order of society. With this in mind, the Bishops invite citizens to fight against "the virus of lies, which is spreading at high speed and numbing our consciences". "This virus cripples our ability to recognize God, to respect truth and goodness. Therefore, we do not realize that there is a 'pandemic of lies', especially in social media. This is very serious", the Prelates note.
The invitation is therefore to "favor no one except the truth. We wish to warn you of the radical distortions in the history of Martial Law and the EDSA People Power Revolution". Recalling some aspects of the 1986 revolution - the appeal points out - "there was a systematic disenfranchisement of voters, widespread and massive vote-buying, deliberate tampering of election returns, intimidation, harassment, terrorism and murder".
"A government that assumes or retains power through fraudulent means has no moral basis", the statement reads. During the 1986 revolution, the Bishops asked the population "to see, to judge and to act, clearly not with violence, but through peaceful means". During this time, many faithful, public officials, members of the media and people from civil society acted peacefully. "Many of us, Bishops, were witnesses of the injustice and cruelty of Martial Law. And up until now, the human rights abuses, the victims, the corruption, the grave debt and economic downturn of the country due to dictatorship are all well-documented. Again, we did not make these up. These are all written in our history", they solemnly declare. They continue: "We are alarmed by this distortion of the truth of history and the attempt to delete or destroy our collective memory through the seeding of lies and false narratives. This is dangerous, for it poisons our collective consciousness and destroys the moral foundations of our institutions". "Neglect of truth is detrimental for all of us, for the foundation of a good society and responsible government is the truth", adds the text sent to Fides. The Filipino people must "stand up for truth". "Remember - the Letter says - goodness without truth is pretense. Service without truth is manipulation. There can be no justice without truth. Even charity, without truth, is only sentimentalism. An election or any process that is not based on truth is but a deception and cannot be trusted". In light of all this, as the elections approach, the Filipino Bishops urge people to "examine carefully what is happening" and continue "the quest for a true and just society". In conclusion of the Pastoral Letter, the Conference of Bishops asks the faithful to "engage in dialogue and discernment. Listen to your conscience. Be the ones to decide. We trust in your capacity to discern what is true and good. We all seek the common good. And, in the light of the Gospel of Jesus, let us follow the path of truth, goodness, justice and peace – not the path of violence, vengeance or evil". "Let us have faith as we persevere in overcoming evil by goodness", concludes the statement. (SD-PA) (Agenzia Fides, 28/2/2022)

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