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There’s hope in 2022 elections, we have a real choice: bishop

Bacolod Bishop Patricio Buzon at the launching of the GuBan movement at the Bishop’s House in Bacolod City, Friday, October 22.*Barbara Mijares photo

There is hope for real change in the 2022 elections if the people elect leaders who are competent, sincere and think of the common good, Bacolod Bishop Patricio Buzon said on Friday, October 22.

“In this election when I look at the names of the candidates we have a choice, a real choice not just of the lesser evil, but a choice between the good and the bad, between the competent and the incompetent,” he said at the launching of the GuBan movement at the lobby of the Bishop’s House in Bacolod City, Friday, October 22.

The people have a very clear choice between the honest and corrupt, “this is a real election that can work if it is well exercised by us,” he said, as he lauded the youth for their participation in the GuBan movement.

The bishop said now there is a new breed of politicians and he is very hopeful that the voters will choose wisely.

The bishop, who stressed that the Church will remain non partisan, called on politicians to be fair, just and honest and to end vote buying. They should not engage in mudslinging and instead concentrate on issues, he said.

The GuBan manifesto said they believe that the voters of Bacolod City and Negros Occidental have the power to bring change in government on the local and national level.

The group aims to collectively call for Clean, Honest, Accurate, Meaningful and Peaceful (CHAMP) Elections, its statement said.

“The upcoming May 2022 elections may be our greatest challenge yet. As of July 31, 2021, the Commission on Elections announced that 52 percent of the registered voters are young Filipinos. GuBan sees this as an opportunity to intensify the campaign to push for a meaningful election, especially among the youth,” it added.

GuBan is a convergence of various individuals and groups that aims to empower the citizenry, especially the youth, through voter’s education, dialogs and democratic processes during and beyond the elections, Joshua Eusebio Jr., Bacolod Youth Coalition for Democracy (BACOD) secretariat lead, said.

GuBan is impartial and free from interference and influence of any group or institution, he said.

Its stands for Gugma Banwa, a Hilagaynon phrase meaning “love for the community”, and when shortened to guban translates to “collective group of people”.

Joining the two concepts together “GuBan” means a “group of people who has love for the community,” he said.

The bishop congratulated the youth for their project that he called a great service to the nation, and said they can really make a difference because they make up 40 million of the electorate.

“I am proud of these young people who are trying to effect real change,” he added.

“This is going to be a life changing event for all of us”, he said, of the 2022 polls.

“The battle field is in social media. There are so much lies and deceptions, and these are works of the devil…When you go against the truth you are agents of the devil,” he said.

If people are well guided by the truth, they will have the capacity to make the right choices, he said.*

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