Bishop Vicente Navarra yesterday said the Diocese of Bacolod is continuing its voters education campaign and has volunteers set to watch the votes on election day.

The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting now has 7,000 volunteers to watch all of the voting precincts in the 13 towns and cities covered by the Diocese of Bacolod, lay coordinator Linda Uy said.

There are 3,581 clustered precincts in the 13 towns and cities covered by the Diocese of Bacolod so we will have at least three volunteers per precinct, Uy said.

The Diocese of Bacolod covers Victorias, EB Magalona, Silay, Talisay, Bacolod, Murcia, Bago, Pulupandan, Valladolid, La Carlota, San Enrique, Pontevedra, and Hinigaran.

She said their volunteers will not only be watching the ballot during election day, they will also put up a voters assistance desk, and continue their watch during the canvassing. Their battle cry is CHAMP (Clean, Honest, Accurate, Meaningful, Peaceful Elections), Uy said.

The Diocese of Kabankalan in the southern Negros Occidental and the Diocese of San Carlos in the north are also mobilizing their own volunteers to watch the votes.

Uy said the church education drive provides voters with guidelines that call on them to vote according to the dictates of their conscience, and not based on the dictates of money.

Voters are being asked to respect the decision of others in choosing their candidates, study the qualifications of the candidates and understand their platforms and programs.

Don't sell your votes, don't vote for candidates who use guns goons and gold, are immoral, have records of graft and corruption and have committed human rights violations, voters are also told.

Voters should chose candidates who work for the good of the people and not for their own personal interest, the church guidelines also state.*CPG

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