The head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has called on the faithful to keep the fight against ‘evil’ in the society going.
Bishop Pablo Virgilio David stressed the need to “keep a good attitude” and remain focused on issues that affect the nation “as we move forward together”.
“We should not surrender our hope to the forces of evil at work in our society,” David said in a message released a week after the country’s local and national elections.
The recent polls, the bishop said, had “made more obvious” the factors that continue “to challenge our democratic institutions”.
He was referring to “well-funded trolls” behind massive disinformation and rampant vote-buying “now made easier by online cash transfers”.
But if there’s anything to be hopeful for, according to him, “it’s the reawakened sense of patriotism among many sectors in Philippine society”.
The CBCP head, who is also the bishop of Kalookan, particularly cited the young people “who have discovered the power of solidarity for the common good”.
“Their desire to give a more concrete expression to responsible citizenship as the key to achieving good governance has been strongly manifested in their many spontaneous acts of volunteerism,” David said.
The prelate even went on to call it as “a rediscovery of what we used to call ‘people power’.”
“Now it has to be harnessed through the creation of well-thought out, well-planned, and better organized mass movement that will not only protect our democratic institutions but will also contribute proactively towards community development on the grassroot level and the formation of a better, more mature political culture,” he said.