Shortly after the victory of Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., in the Philippine presidential election, the bishops’ news service published an op-ed lamenting the outcome.

As the bishops warned against protests, the president of the bishops’ conference, Bishop Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan, encouraged supporters of Leni Robredo, the losing candidate, “not to give up, even on people who have been seduced by darkness.”

“How would you expect the agents of darkness to favor the principles or values of honesty, transparency or accountability?” the prelate added. “Evil is like a fungus that thrives in dark and secret places.”