Since the passage of the RH law, there has been much talk about a so-called "Catholic Vote" like that of the common perception about the Iglesia ni Kristo voting as a bloc.
Nothing can be farther from the truth than the idea that the Catholic Church would supposedly wield its power and influence for a so-called "command vote" as politicians are wont to strive for.
We Catholics are not automatons. Indeed, the very concept of a "command vote" is anathema to the Social Teachings of our Church.
For at the core of our Faith is the fundamental freedom of every human person.
The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (2004) explains, thus:
135. Man can turn to good only in freedom, which God has given to him as one of the highest signs of his image[251]: “For God has willed that man remain ‘under the control of his own decisions' (Sir 15:14), so that he can seek his Creator spontaneously, and come freely to utter and blissful perfection through loyalty to Him. Hence man's dignity demands that he act according to a knowing and free choice that is personally motivated and prompted from within, neither under blind internal impulse nor by mere external pressure”[252].
Man rightly appreciates freedom and strives for it passionately: rightly does he desire and must form and guide, by his own free initiative, his personal and social life, accepting personal responsibility for it[253]. In fact, freedom not only allows man suitably to modify the state of things outside of himself, but it also determines the growth of his being as a person through choices consistent with the true good[254]. In this way man generates himself, he is father of his own being[255], he constructs the social order[256].
Thus, our Church has tirelessly campaigned in every election for a conscience vote by Catholics and all voters. After all, elections are about making individual choices for the common good.
And our duty to seek the common good is rooted in the social nature of human beings.
The Compendium further explains:
151. The social nature of human beings is not uniform but is expressed in many different ways. In fact, the common good depends on a healthy social pluralism. The different components of society are called to build a unified and harmonious whole, within which it is possible for each element to preserve and develop its own characteristics and autonomy. Some components — such as the family, the civil community and the religious community — respond more immediately to the intimate nature of man, while others come about more on a voluntary basis. “To promote the participation of the greatest number in the life of a society, the creation of voluntary associations and institutions must be encouraged ‘on both national and international levels, which relate to economic and social goals, to cultural and recreational activities, to sport, to various professions, and to political affairs'. This ‘socialization' also expresses the natural tendency for the sake of attaining objectives that exceed individual capacities. It develops the qualities of the person, especially the sense of initiative and responsibility, and helps guarantee his rights”[301].
In fine, the true Catholic Vote is one that is cast in full freedom and personal responsibility for the common good.