Fr. Fernando “Dodong” Po, wheelchair-bound, with Fr. Dari Dioquino, former priest-in-charge of home for the aged Kanlungan ni Maria and friends at St. Joseph the Worker Parish Cathedral, Tagbilaran, Bohol. (Photo: Oliver Samson)
MANILA, Oct. 31, 2015 – A group of concerned citizens in Bohol will be organizing a voters’ education campaign to encourage the local electorate to vote wisely.
“As one of the leading organizers of Tindogi Tagbilaran, we are organizing a project called Let’s Rock the Votes,” said Fr. Fernando “Dodong” Po, a leading member of Tindogi Tagbilaran.
“It is our hope” that despite some poor choices for key national elective positions “people make the right choice,” he said, noting the need for voters’ education
‘Circus, comedy’
According to the priest, citizens need to “participate and be actively involved.”
Looking at the choices of contenders for national elective posts, Po described the 2016 elections as both a “circus” and a “comedy.”
This prompted him to engage in something of a political nature despite being somehow restrained by his religious vows as a priest.
Several netizens seem to agree with Po, expressing their views online.
Dr. Bayani Santos Jr., who teaches at a number of schools in Manila and a direct grandson of Lope K. Santos, said some of the choices for top national posts are “disgracing the country.”
Although Po found it a comedy, he stressed the need to take the matter seriously.
Votes for sale
“We do participate in politics in a different level and as sheperds, guide our flock to form their conscience and make the right choices,” Po said.
He noted how vote-buying was rampant in Bohol during the last elections.
The right to suffrage was bought for Php 50 in the past, Po said. Today, it is bought for Php 2, 500 per voter.
Sadly, the candidate who offers the highest bid, he noted, wins the elections. (Oliver Samson / CBCP News)
