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ssInsight
Wednesday, March 27 ,2OL9

CBCP: L^y leaders support

Poe, Neri, tOtso Diretsot bets
BY GERAND N'IVAL
AMID talks of a "Catholic Vote,"
a group of 130 lay leaders has
chosen 10 senatorial candidates
they believe deserve support from
the faithfrrl.
In the list of the "People's
Choice Movement" ate re-elec-
tionist Sen. Grace Poe, Rep. Neri
Colmenares, and all eight candi
dates of the oppositioo's "Otso
Ditetso" slate, according to Bishop
Brodetick Pabillo, chairman of the
Episcopal Commission on the La
ity of the Catholic Bishops Confer-
ence of the Philippines.
The Otso Diretso bets are Sen.
Bam Aquinq Rep. Gary Alejano,
lavyers Chel Diokno and Romulo
Macalintal, former interior secre-
taty Manuel A, Roxas II, former
solicitor geoeral Flodn Hilbay,
formet Rep. Erin Taiada, and civic
leader Samira Gutoc.
The People's Choice Movement
is a group of Chdstian leaders
from Catholic, EvangeJical, and
Protestant organizatioos.
Pabillo said the Christian lead-
ers heeded the CBCP's call for the
faithfi.rl to reflect together to pick
the right candidates. "They otga-
nized themselves and discerned
together the best senatorial can-
didates to support among the 62
contestants," he said.
"Now is the task for all the
lay faithful to campaign for the
deserving candidates so as to
counter dre money and the politi-
cal machineries that the ttaditional
politicians are using," said Pabillo.
In choosing the 10 candidates,
Pabillo said the group came up
with a set of Chdstian criteria by
See CBCP ) Page 83

CBCP said Pabillo.

which to measute the poJ.iticians.
They then got the profles of *re
candidates and also researched the
stalrce of the 62 bets on important
national issues.
The group then used two lay-
ers of screening ptocess For rhe
candidates, with the first one vet-
ting the candidates on the issues
of belief in God and federalism/
charter change.
'"They beJieve that a person who
does not have the fear of God in
him can easily abuse others. They
also believe that the present state
of t}te country is not ready for
federalism and charter change,"
As a result, 30 caodidates were
eliminated on these two issues,
Pabillo said.
A second scteening was con-
ducted for the 32 remaining can-
didates. They were tated usinq a
formulared criteria with 20 quis-
tions dealing witll character and
Hono4 competence and abilities,
faithfulness to public sewice, aod
faidrfulness to God, the Constitu-
tion, and ttre laws,
Each of the 20 questions was
graded from 1 to 5, with 1 being
the lowest and 5 the highest.
"The 10 candidates vrith the
highest scores wete declared the
selected candidates," Pabillo said.

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