A vote guided by a formed conscience

This refers to the article “CBCP: Elect those truly upright” (News, 2/4/16). In that article, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines was reported as reminding Filipino Catholics to observe the following guidelines during elections: “Do not allow yourselves to be instruments of fraud. Do not sell your votes. Do not vote for the ‘lesser evil.’”

If I were to vote as a Catholic, aside from these guidelines set by the CBCP, I will also be guided by the following parameters:

1. A formed conscience. It is my duty as a Catholic to form my conscience on the basis of objective moral laws grounded on the Scripture and the teachings of the Church. I therefore will vote for candidates whose character, platform of government or advocacies are in consonance with the moral principles that form my conscience. I will not be guided by survey results or by a candidate’s winnability, popularity, or name-recall, or by political advertisements, or by political affiliations.

2. The culture of life. I will vote for candidates who are builders of the culture of life. These are the candidates who contribute to the building of a nation that views life as sacred and treats every person with respect even from conception.

My vote may not make a difference but at least I shall cast it for the common good. It will not be a frivolous vote. It will simply be a conscience vote.

I have the power to make this nation better by voting prudently. It is my moral obligation to use prudent judgment to choose candidates who deserve to be in office. I shall vote according to my faith as a Catholic.

It is my prayer that all Filipino Catholics use their informed conscience in voting candidates. I am optimistic that their votes shall not be rooted in the passionate appeals of demagogues. I trust that their votes shall be a reflection of their faith.

—REGINALD B. TAMAYO, Marikina City