(PNA) – Acting provincial election supervisor Atty. Eddie Aba has lauded the Diocesan Electoral Board (DEB) for spearheading Sunday’s peace covenant signing among political candidates, describing it as an encouraging step forward towards a peaceful, honest and orderly elections in May.
About 100 candidates and incumbents seeking various local positions such as congressman, governor, vice-governor, mayors and board members, flocked to the Marian Priests’ Center at the Cathedral compound Sunday morning for the first peace pact undertaken in the province for this year’s automated polls.
Aba expressed optimism that majority, if not all, of those who signed the manifesto during the peace covenant would hold true to their promise not to espouse violence and engage in unlawful acts to manipulate the vote.
He is, however, confident that many Negros Oriental candidates are peace-loving and God-fearing even as he called on the public and various sectors to be vigilant during the elections to protect the sanctity of the ballots.
Fr. Julius Heruela, DEB convenor, disclosed during the peace covenant that the DEB, the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), and the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL) have committed to undertaken massive voters’ education campaigns for the formation of conscience of the Filipino electorate to vote responsible and wisely.
He said one of their roles would include monitoring the conduct of the elections to safeguard the sanctity of the ballot and the integrity of the electoral process and educating the voters on “good governance and responsible citizenship particularly through the election of public officials with unsullied integrity, proven competence and non-negotiable independence.â€
According to the priest, elections determine democracy, measure “the rule of the people, by the people and for the people,†and define the political stability of a government, and consequently, of the nation.
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