All churches and parishes under the Archdiocese of Manila on Sunday have started reciting the Prayer for the Barangay Elections in all masses as requested by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
This is in response to the circular letter released by Rev. Fr. Reginald Malicdem of the Chancery Office of the Archdiocese of Manila on Prayer for the Barangay Election.
The letter was addressed to all parish priests, rectors of shrines, chaplains of chaplaincies, and superiors of religious communities in the archdiocese.
The prayer reads: “Lord God, we come to you as the Barangay Elections approaches. In Christ, you have given us the model of a servant who lay’s his life down for his sheep. Give us the wisdom to elect women and men who will work for truth, justice, and the upliftment of human dignity. We ask you to enlighten our minds and hearts—so that we may search for Shepherds after your Son’s heart to watch over our barangays.”
“Teach us Christ’s way of looking at people—so that we will be able to give a voice to the poor, the powerless, the abandoned, and the oppressed. And finally, grant us the gift of discernment—so that we may wisely exercise the gift of suffrage as an expression of our desire for peace and love for neighbor.”
The letter was issued as candidates are now busy promoting themselves to the electorate since the campaign period started on May 4.
On May 14, voters will be electing eight barangay officials, including one chairman and seven kagawad, while youth voters will be choosing one Sangguniang Kabataan chairman and seven SK kagawad.
There are more than 57 million registered voters for the forthcoming polls.