The Knights of Columbus, the Philippines’ largest lay organization of Catholic men, said it is not endorsing any candidate in the May 9 elections.
“The Knights of Columbus, as an organization, is not making an official endorsement of any candidate,” its leaders said in a statement issued on Thursday, May 5.
“This is the stand of all four jurisdictions in our meeting, where all four state deputies were present, in order to avoid partisan division within our fraternal organization,” read the statement.
The group made the clarification following the circulation of social media posts claiming that the 400,000-strong organization has endorsed the presidential bid of Leni Robredo and her running mate Kiko Pangilinan.
“This is not true,” said the group.
The Knights of Columbus said it would not support any political candidate as an organization, although individual members can actively engage in partisan politics “as part of our citizenship obligation.”
The statement was signed by the organization’s state deputies: Rene Sarmiento of Luzon North, Bonifacio Martinez of Luzon South, Teofrido Lagria of Visayas, and Gerry Eufemio Mission of Mindanao.
Retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Jose Reyes Jr., a member of the board of directors of the international Knights of Columbus, also signed the statement.
