Senator Grace Poe and former Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas. (Photo from www.sengracepoe.ph and Davao Today file photo)
DAVAO CITY — Presidential rivals Senator Grace Poe and former Interior and Local Government Secretary, Manuel “Mar” Roxas II were among those shortlisted on Monday, March 14 for endorsement by a religious coalition.
The Pilipino Movement for Transformational Leadership (PMTL), a coalition of major Christian faith-based communities from the Catholic, Protestant, and Evangelical churches, announced that it has finally come up with the shortlist of candidates to campaign for in the May 2016 national elections.
“It’s time we elect leaders who will push for needed reforms and further public interest. PMTL has selected God-centered and competent servant leaders committed to the empowerment of the Filipino people,” said Atty. Alex Lacson, lead convenor of the PMTL in a statement.
Among the criteria formulated by the PMTL called GabayKristo, was a set of questions that evaluate each candidate in the areas of character and integrity, leadership abilities, sincerity to God and country, and leadership integrity.
The shortlisted candidates include:
For President
For Vice-President
For Senator
The PMTL convenors have submitted the shortlist to The People’s Choice organization to execute the next step of the People’s Primary Process, wherein the shortlisted candidates for Vice-President and Senators would again be voted upon by individual members of the faith-based organizations until March 15, 2016.
However, only the candidates for Vice-President and top 8 senators who garner the most number of votes in the People’s Primary will be declared as the People’s Choice Candidates and will be supported by the People’s Choice Movement volunteers all over the country.
The convenors said they decided not to include the shortlisted candidates for President in The People’s Choice, “because of legal issues involving one of the shortlisted candidates, which the convenors felt could not be resolved with finality by the end of the voting period.”
The results of the People’s Primary are expected to be released by The People’s Choice organization by the third week of March.(davaotoday.com)
