The Philippine Election scene is indeed colorful, and we speak literally as we describe it.
Colorful posters and streamers of candidates are scattered everywhere you look.
Colors represent political parties, yellow for the Liberal Party-Team PNoy and orange for the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).
Now, colors also symbolize groups, who endorse candidates based on certain issues, with the presence of the Catholic White Vote Movement and the Purple Vote Movement.
Earlier, the Catholic White Vote Movement endorsed six senatorial candidates who are against the Reproductive Health (RH) law, then followed by another four senatoriables from the UNA party, and one from the Ang Kapatiran Party.
The line-up now consists of Gregorio Honasan, Koko Pimentel, Antonio Trillanes, Mitos Magsaysay, JV Ejercito and Cynthia Villar for the first six, then Richard Gordon, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Nancy Binay and Marwil Llasos for the next four.
The Catholic White Vote Movement is headed by El Shaddai leader Bro. Mike Velarde, and joined by other groups which include Couples for Christ-Foundation for Family and Life, Catholic Women’s League, Focolare Movement and Bukas Loob sa Diyos.
Meanwhile, the Purple Vote Movement just recently endorsed seven senatorial candidates, all are from the administration-led Liberal Party, who are known RH law supporters.
The candidates are: Sonny Angara, Bam Aquino, Alan Peter Cayetano, Francis Escudero, Risa Hontiveros, Loren Legarda, and Grace Poe.
The Purple Vote Movement stemmed from the Purple Ribbon for RH Movement, an alliance of more than 100 organizations that pushed for the passage of the RH Law.
It was introduced after the Catholic Church unveiled its “Team Buhay/Team Patay” campaign.
According to former health chief Dr. Esperanza Cabral, lead convener of the purple group said they initiated the Purple Vote to encourage voters to support candidates who fought for the RH law and would continue to defend the controversial law.
The Purple Vote’s criteria in choosing the candidates do not focus only on the RH law, but are also based on other factors.
The three factors are: solid and consistent support for the RH Law; support for the progressive measures like the Sin Tax Law, the Freedom of Information and other executive measures; and integrity.
Cabral said that the group only included those that satisfied the three criteria they set.
“If there was a question, for example, with their integrity or their stand for social issues, even if they supported the RH Bill, then they probably wouldn’t have made our seven choices,” Cabral explained.
Affected on the said criteria and are missing in the list of the purple endorsement are UNA’s Jack Enrile and Makabayan senatorial candidate Teddy Casino.
The two are both pro-RH legislators and belong in the list of the Catholic Church’s “Team Patay,”
On the other hand Aquino and Poe do not have legislative track record of supporting the measure, but are included among the seven because of the said criteria.
