Catholic leaders should step up voter formation ahead of the 2028 presidential election without dictating political choices, as Filipinos prepare to choose the country’s next leaders, the head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said.
With less than two years before the polls, CBCP President and Lipa Archbishop Gilbert Garcera said the Church should help voters form their consciences around faith, truth and ‘authentic human values.’
‘As we prepare for the coming presidential election, we are called to accompany our people in forming consciences that are guided by faith, truth, and authentic human values,’ Garcera said.
‘A truly missionary Church does not impose political choices, but it helps the faithful discern wisely, participate responsibly, and promote the common good with a heart shaped by the Gospel,’ he added.
Garcera made the call during the 70th annual national assembly of the Pontifical Mission Societies-Philippines in Tacloban City on Aug. 19.
His remarks put voter education within the Church’s broader push to engage social realities rather than limit its work to activities within parishes.
Garcera called for a more outward-looking Church that reaches the poor, young people, marginalized communities and Catholics who have drifted away from the faith.
He warned that parishes risk becoming inward-looking when routine programs take priority over engagement with communities.
‘Mission begins wherever we live, work, study, and serve,’ Garcera said, stressing that responsibility for the Church’s mission extends to all baptized Catholics.
The archbishop also tied the Church’s role in voter formation to efforts to implement the Synod on Synodality in dioceses across the country.
He said synodality should not be treated as a temporary program or a series of consultations, but as a continuing process of listening, discernment, participation and mission.
‘The work of the Synod did not end with the publication of its Final Document,’ Garcera said. ‘The question before us is no longer simply, ‘What is synodality?’ but rather, ‘How shall we live it?”
For the Philippine Church, he said this means turning its strong religious traditions, active communities and young population into greater participation in both Church life and wider society.
Garcera also pointed to millions of Filipino migrant workers and volunteers as examples of how Filipino Catholics already carry their faith into communities beyond the country.
He said the challenge is no longer simply to preserve inherited traditions, but to translate them into greater service, responsible participation and a stronger commitment to the common good.