Despite vocal political endorsements among other De La Salle brothers in other campuses, De La Salle Lipa’s (DLSL) Lasallian Youth Ministry Office (LYMO) favored non-partisanship as the main message for the DLSL community in “Botong Bro: Bokasyon para sa Bayan at Misyon” held via YouTube Livestream last March 9 and 16.
The voters’ education series incorporates eight criteria featured in De La Salle Brothers of the Philippines’ (DLSBP) statement, “Discerning our Future: The 2022 Elections”, which is based on Catholic social teachings and provides guidelines for voters in electing the next leaders.
(Read the statement here: https://discerningourfuture-eng.carrd.co)
In an interview with Lavoxa, LYMO Head Br. Luis Angelo Enriquez FSC said that the Brothers in the Philippines remain non-partisan in the sense that they put principles first before supporting a candidate while allowing others to make their personal decisions.
“This means that we do not support a particular candidate “just because” they are from a particular party, and just because they carry a particular color,” said Enriquez.
He also added, “None of us is obliged to make our decision public, because we know what it might entail and the repercussions of such.”
Meanwhile, public statements from other Lasallian brothers, such as the Brothers of the Taft Community’s support for the candidacy of Vice President Leni Robredo and Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, have already been making the rounds on social media.
Botong Bro is a four-part series with the remaining sessions to be held on March 30 and April 6.
On human dignity and common good
Br. Roberto Casingal FSC (DLSL Vice Chancellor for Mission) and Br. Marvin Sipin FSC (Vocations Coordinator in Residencia De La Salle Brothers community) served as the first session’s guest speakers.
The discussion elaborated on the first and second points of the DLSBP’s statement—the promotion and defense of human dignity and rights for which society exists; and the promotion and defense of the common good, which enables all to live with dignity.
Sipin emphasized the importance of involvement and equality in the electoral process, especially for young adults, to stand for human dignity.
“[Young adults] need to be able to see the injustices that [are] happening for us to really be able to feel that we are called to respond to these [injustices],” said Sipin.
Moreover, in response to a viewer’s question on knowing how a candidate values human dignity, Casingal advised looking at the person’s history and behavior. At the same time, Sipin suggested evaluating the aspirant’s capability before the campaign period.
In the same way, Casingal pointed out, “If the heart of the candidate is in the right place […] [he or she] will tap into the real experts whose heart is for the people,” said Casingal.
On solidarity and subsidiarity
In the second Botong Bro session, Br. Cliff Sy FSC (Community Director of St. Jaime Hilario Brothers community) and Br. Irwin Climaco FSC (Director of the Center for Marketing and Communication at University of St. La Salle) discussed solidarity and subsidiarity.
Climaco defined subsidiarity as doing one’s specific role in society and stated that the leaders’ part is to listen to those in the fields instead of discrediting them.
Meanwhile, Sy reiterated the importance of the grassroots approach in electing leaders to effectively solve poverty and avoid having officials who would take advantage of the poor.
“If you solve the problem of poverty […] probably you would be solving half of the problems of the Philippines already,” said Sy.
Furthermore, Climaco mentioned that a candidate’s solidarity with the poor and vulnerable people is evident in their track records, character, and lives, even as private individuals.
“Whenever there is a chance […] did [the candidates] grab the chance to reach out or to help […] even before this elections?” said Climaco.
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On the other hand, College of Business, Economics, Accountancy, and Management (CBEAM) Commissioner Niña Riza Deomampo told Lavoxa that she was intrigued by the event’s focus on preserving human dignity amidst the current socio-political climate and mentioned the weight of choosing candidates for the upcoming elections.
“Our choice of candidate directly reflects the values and principles that we uphold. It is vital to make our vote count because it will dictate how we will become [in] the next six years of our lives,” said Deomampo.
To encourage high participation, LYMO partnered with DLSBP, Vocations Ministry Office, Lasallian Youth Media Ministry, DLSL Student Government (SG), Council of Student Organizations (CSO), Commission on Elections (Comelec), and Lasallian Jurists.
LYMO was also granted by the Vice-Chancellor for Academics (VCA) in giving specific course incentives for Grade 12 and college students who will complete the four sessions.
Article by Jazmine Bustamante
