[REFLECTION] In between elections, our duty is vigilance

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'Clean, moral, and ethical politics is a daily chore for both the government and the governed. It is not just a task for election day.'

The people have spoken.

We, your pastors, tried our best to give you moral guidance.

With you, we have prayed and asked God to guide our decision-making. The winners are happy; the losers are disappointed understandably. Losing or winning have lessons to teach. I hope we pick up those lessons promptly. Let us not get carried away by the glee or the grief.

The people have spoken but it was not a perfect discourse. Money tainted it. Blood stained it. It was blotted by lies. It was colored with vulgarity. Really and truly, no elections are perfect. We keep on hoping. We have leveled up a bit, but the mountain peak is still far from sight.

Good citizenry is not just about elections and ballots. In between elections, our duty is vigilance. Let us hold the elected officials accountable all the time. We owe them civil obedience but have a duty to criticize them so they can be better. We are their bosses, and they are not our masters. We spoke through the ballot. They who received power from our ballot must listen to all and serve all — supporters and opponents alike.

Be critical so that government services can level up even more. There is so much to improve on.

Be vigilant that the cash spent during the campaign are not reimbursed from public funds.

We need a new breed of heroes and saints in politics from our youth. It is a long three years yet to the next elections, but the dream of a new politics will take many more elections to reach. Clean, moral, and ethical politics is a daily chore for both the government and the governed. It is not just a task for election day.

That in the way we live politics, God may be glorified! When God’s commandments rule politics, politics can be a path to holiness. It is not an impossible dream. – Rappler.com

Socrates B. Villegas is the archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan. He is a former president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.