Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan lauded volunteers of poll watchdog Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, saying “only God can pay” for their sacrifices.
“PPCRV volunteers, we can’t pay you, we can’t afford to pay you because only God can pay you,” sad the prelate during a visit to the poll watchdog’s command center at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila on Thursday, May 12.
“God knows your sacrifices,” he said, adding that “the Lord knows everything.”
“And the Lord knows the good hearts of these young people. They’re so young, they’re so heroic, they’re so generous and I’m really touched and inspired,” added Archbishop Villegas.
The PPCRV has deployed about half a million volunteers in about 100,000 centers across the country to help in the conduct of the May 9, 2022, elections.
Archbishop Villegas, meanwhile, called on winning candidates to serve God by serving the country, the poor, and the young people.
“Serve God by serving the country. Love the country by embracing the poor and the youth for they are our way to heaven,” he said.
The archbishop noted the the recently-concluded elections exposed divisions in the country. “[It] revealed the healing that we needed, but [even] without an election, we still need healing for all of our lives until we die, we need the healing mercy of God,” he said.
