Just few days before the mid-term polls, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Saturday, May 10, denied social media posts claiming it endorsed senatorial candidates ahead of the May 12 elections.
“Please exercise discernment when reading such social media posts,” CBCP secretary general Msgr. Bernardo Pantin said in a statement.
Pantin was reacting to posts circulating online, which showed a supposed letter signed by CBCP president Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David endorsing certain candidates for senator.
The Catholic Church, he said, does not support individual candidates and instead offers guidance on how to vote.
“If names of candidates are mentioned in supposed Church endorsements, consider them false or misleading,” said Pantin.
The Diocese of Kalookan, which David leads, also dismissed the circulating letter as fake.
“The letter circulating online claiming to be from the CBCP or Cardinal David is not true,” the diocese stated.
It called on the public to verify content before sharing and to be vigilant against disinformation.