Responsible people elect responsible leaders. That is what international aid and development agency World Vision, its children, network and partners believe.

"We prayed that the elections would be orderly and that people would not cheat," says Maria Jenneriza dela Cruz, 16 years old.

Maria Jenneriza is among the World Vision sponsored children that joined the Concerts of Prayer held recently. The Concerts of Prayer is a prayer mobilization organised by faith-based organisation that called on the Filipinos to responsibly exercise their right to vote during the national and local elections on 14 May.

World Vision sponsored children also read their position statement on the upcoming elections that not only called for credible, peaceful and honest elections, but more importantly, they asked that the aspirant leaders, incumbent leaders, their parents, and all of Filipinos to collectively create a child-friendly nation.

"We firmly believe that a nation for us [children], is a nation for all!" their statement says.

"I hope that the candidates will not use the people's money for their sake to win," Maria Jenneriza adds as she talked about the news she had heard about previous election frauds.

In a country that currently ranks number one in corruption in the world and whose population is comprised mainly of the poor living on less than 1-2$ a day, the upcoming national and local elections on the 14th of May holds a glimmer of hope for much awaited change in the national government which was tainted by distrust after massive cheating was uncovered in the 2004 elections.

Political analysts are puzzled why senatorial candidates spend an average of 100-200 million pesos each for their electoral campaign and machinery when the position only pays Php P 35,000/month. Elections have become a symphony of well-orchestrated promises that seek to win votes but, most often, remain and will continue to remain unfulfilled.

However the results of the election look promising in terms of infusing the long-needed change in the political scene in the Philippines. Filipinos, generally, showed high level of maturity in casting their votes, not relying much on the popularity but on the track records and leadership abilities of the candidates. It was a remarkable moment in the history of the Philippines as Filipinos joined hands in making the elections as credible and transparent as possible.

"We are pleased with the results of the election. It was generally peaceful, except for some violent incidents during the counting of votes. This was made possible by the initiatives of the Church, civil society, media, and the academe, particularly the information technology schools, in ensuring a clean, honest and credible election," said World Vision in the Philippines Advocacy and Communications Director Filomena Portales.

"World Vision is pleased that we joined the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) in the conduct of Voter's Education in all our 53 Area Development Programmes (ADPs) in 34 provinces. We have contributed much in raising the awareness of the people, particularly those in the grassroots. Through our ADPs, the voter's education that we conducted reached almost 50% of the provinces across the country," Portales added.

Portales furthered that World Vision intends to institutionalize Voter's Education as part of the preparation for the village elections in November this year and presidential elections in 2010.

In the past incidents of violence, assassination and harassment of political leaders and supporters has risen significantly with more than 600 incidents of election-related violence since 2001.

Cognizant that the country needs credible, honest and peaceful elections in order to install leaders whose genuine interest will be to serve the country, the civil society called on all people to be vigilant and responsible in casting and guarding their votes. This can only be done when people collectively learn to refuse any form of bribery and be brave to report any form of deceit to proper authorities.

In keeping with its core values and to help ease the volatile political situation of the country, World Vision in the Philippines joined various initiatives of government organisations, non-government organisations, and faith-based organisations that called for credible, honest and peaceful elections and work on the genuine transformation of the nation's leaders and people.

At the onset of the election campaign season, World Vision has actively partnered with the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) to ensure the integrity of the elections as the bulwark of democracy.

World Vision has actively engaged in preparing the social consciousness of its staff and partners on their responsibilities in choosing the rightful candidates.

World Vision had conducted a series of voters' education in all its 54 Area Development Programmes (ADPs) nationwide. The voters' education aimed to enlighten the communities on the importance of their participation in the election. The organisation likewise encouraged all of its staff and partners, especially in the communities, to be vigilant in ensuring the integrity of their votes.

The election results, indeed, will define the future of the nation.

For Josephine Pinili, 16, the new leaders "should think of the important needs of our country - jobs, health, education and housing." Josephine is one of the two children who led the prayer for voters during the prayer mobilization.

"Our advocacy is not only a ministry of influence, but also a ministry of prayer," says Minnie Portales, World Vision Advocacy and Communications Director.

It is during these moments of uncertainty that hopeful Filipinos in the world over take a firm stand on believing that true transformation among the Filipino leaders and the people is possible to achieve.

For more information or interviews please contact Dominique Tabora, WV Philippines on dominique_tabora@wvi.org or call 0063 9178735458.