POE SIGNS TRUTH COVENANT FOR ELECTIONS

In line with her commitment to protect the sanctity of the democratic process, Sen. Grace Poe signed the covenant for Truthful, Responsible, Upright, Transparent and Honest (TRUTH) elections initiated by the Archdiocese of Manila.

Poe, the lone independent presidential candidate, took time off her campaign sorties Wednesday morning to go to the Radyo Veritas chapel where she signed the covenant in the presence of Fr. Nolan Que and Fr. Nono Alfonso, SJ.

"Importante talagang magkaroon ng mapayapang halalan, na makatotohan. Ako'y nagpapasalamat sa simbahan at sa ating mga kababayan na nagtutulak ng ganitong maayos na eleksyon kasi ito ang magdedetermina kung ano'ng kinabukasan natin sa anim na taon. Kung pipigilan 'yung kagustuhan ng ating mga kababayan, e di balewala itong exercise na ito," Poe said in an interview with media after her visit to the Radyo Veritas office in Quezon City

The senator was in Nueva Ecija for a campaign sortie when the TRUTH covenant was launched on May 2, for signing of all national candidates. Scheduling problems had hindered Poe from attending the Mass at the Manila Cathedral.

"It is not enough to seek blessing without responsibility... If voters need to study [their candidates], candidates must also study... the needs of the people who trust them and this already transcends party politics in the interest of the common good," Manila Archbishop Luis Cardinal Tagle said during his homily on May 2.

Poe was recently chosen by majority of the 1,200 respondents in the Veritas Truth Survey, which sought to assess Filipinos' perception of all five presidential candidates' servant leadership qualities.

The Catholic Church-run Radio Veritas 846 asked respondents to rank the candidates based on 10 qualities of a servant leader: listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of the people, and building community.

Poe landed on the top spot in 9 out of 10 qualities of a servant leader, with an over-all percentage of 59 percent.