April 3, 2016, 6:13p.m. – THE BRAINS behind the Archdiocese of Manila’s “Huwag Kang Magnakaw” (“Thou Shall Not Steal”) anti-corruption campaign urged Thomasian voters to reject the “culture of stealing” ahead of the May 9 elections.
Politicians who steal money are also the ones who buy votes during elections, said Fr. Artilano Fajardo of Radyo Veritas 846.
“Wala tayong maasahan sa mga kandidatong magnanakaw. What is the evil of buying votes? Ang pagbili ng dangal ng bawat isa sa atin,” he said during the “Siglang Tomas” theological forum at the Central Seminary Gym held from March 30 to April 1.
Fr. Fajardo called for the restoration of the country’s “stolen dignity.”
“We should plant the seed of honesty, integrity and generosity. It needs a lot of courage to be able to do that,” said Fr. Fajardo, who is also head of the Manila archdiocese’s Ministry of Public Affairs.
The priest started the anti-corruption drive “Huwag Kang Magnakaw” back in 2014, at the height of revelations that several politicians stole as much as P10 billion from pork barrel funds over the years in a scam allegedly masterminded by businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles.
In a separate forum last Friday, national Commission on Elections legal head Nesrin Cali said Thomasian voters must be wary of candidates who engage in vote-buying, calling this practice a “red flag” for corruption.
“Voters must make sure [the candidate] has the track record and that she or he can really do the job. When we think of these things, let us not only think on the national level but we must also assess the local candidates,” Cali said in her talk before “Ideas That Matter,” an organization of advertising students from the College of Fine Arts and Design. Gabriel M. Agcaoili, Lea Mat P. Vicencio and Clarence I. Hormachuelos
