Msgr. Julius Perpetuo S. Heruela, convenor of the Diocesan Electoral Board of the Diocese of Dumaguete. (PNA file photo)
DUMAGUETE CITY – The Diocese of Dumaguete through its Diocesan Electoral Board (DEB) will be joining the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) year-long preparations for the May 9, 2022 presidential and national elections.
DEB convenor Msgr. Julius Perpetuo S. Heruela, in an interview Wednesday afternoon, said the PPCRV, headed by chair Myla Villanueva, has written Dumaguete Bishop Julito Cortes for “blessings” and to offer a mass on Sunday, May 9, 2021, to start its nationwide pre-election activities.
“This year, May 9 falls on a Sunday. We chose this day to symbolize the start of PPCRV’s efforts in preparation for NLE (national and local elections) 2022, a challenging role amidst a pandemic as well as our commitment and continued resolve to safeguard the electoral process,” he quoted the PPCRV letter as saying.
The group is seeking the blessing of Cortes for a special mass at 9 a.m. Sunday for the PPCRV and its C.H.A.M.P. mission for clean, honest, accurate, meaningful, and peaceful elections.
Heruela said the DEB is awaiting official communication from the bishop for the possibility of masses to also be offered in the parishes.
The DEB is a diocesan initiative with members such as the Commission on Elections, the Philippine National Police, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Department of Education, and other government and private entities.
Voters’ education will be the focus of the DEB with the pandemic restrictions bringing on challenges on how to reach out to the public, but Heruela said, “if there is a will, there is a way". (PNA)
