there's still a lot to talk about!

WHAT ABOUT PHILIPPINE POLITICS?Compiled and edited by OMF Literature Inc.Copyright © 2016 by OMF Literature Inc. (Authors hold copyright to individual chapters)

Norman Cabrera, “Why We Avoid Politics” was originally published as “Issues that Make Us Avoid Politics” in Why (Filipino) Catholics are Not, but Must Get, Involved in Politics

Jun Gonzaga, “A Parable for our Time” originally published in KBCF Scroll, with permission from the Kamuning Bible Christian Fellowship, Quezon City, Philippines

Isabelo F. Magalit, “A Vision for the Nation” originally published in PATMOS, magazine of the Institute for Studies in Asian Church and Culture

Melba P. Maggay, “The Church as Power Broker” originally published in Transforming Society: Reflections on the Kingdom and Politics, by the Institute for Studies in Asian Church and Culture

Evelyn Miranda-Feliciano, “Wise Leadership” originally published in Faith in the Corridors of Power, by OMF Literature Inc.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.TM Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com; Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved; Scripture quotations marked NCV are taken from the New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Published (2016) in the Philippines by OMF Literature Inc. 776 Boni Avenue Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila www.omflit.com

Cover design and ebook conversion by Amor Aurelio B. Alvarez

eISBN 978-971-009-534-6 ISBN 978-971-009-535-3

Printed in the Philippines

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CONTENTS

Opening QuoteNote from the PublisherWise Leadership

Originally published in Faith in the Corridors of Power, Evelyn Miranda-Feliciano’s reflection on the words of the late former Senator Jovito Salonga on the need of our government for ethical moral leadership. The statesman’s insights still resonate in our present, even after all these years.

Our Beloved Philippines TodayAtty. Alex Lacson gives a status report on the state of the Philippine government today, roots out one of the biggest problems of our political system, and offers a solution.

Creating our own Opportunities as Christian Filipinos

Bishop Reuben Abante challenges Christian Filipinos to embrace who they are as Christians and live it out as Filipinos, to vote according to our faith during the upcoming national elections, and ensure that we’ll have a part in fielding better candidates in the future.

Casting your Vote for Christian Candidates?Rei Lemuel Crizaldo shares his thoughts on whether or not we should vote for Christian candidates simply because they share our faith. One would think it’s an easy question to answer, but there could be more to this than we think.

Church as Power Broker Melba P. Maggay discusses the relationship of the Christian church with the state in terms of its influence and power in the hearts of the people. Does the church really need to “play politics” to do good in this world?

Liham para sa mga Pag-asa ng Bayan“Kuya” Ronald Molmisa writes a frank open letter to the Filipino youth. Here, he reminds them that our country’s recent history is still very relevant today, calling on them to be the citizens that the Philippines needs them to be, to shed off social apathy, and to be more informed, especially in the coming national elections.

Why we Avoid Politics Norman Cabrera challenges the presumptions and fears of Filipino Catholics that keep them from being more involved in Philippine politics, when they should.

A Parable for our TimePastor Jun Gonzaga makes a Scripture-based case for voting according to our conscience in the upcoming national elections.

Considering the Christian VoteWhat is the role of the church in Philippine Politics, especially in the upcoming elections? Bishop Noel Pantoja lays down a few sound principles for pastors and a guide for Christian voters in choosing our next set of leaders.

Fighting for Righteousness in 2016Mila D. Aguilar, a political detainee during Martial Law, shares her passionate testimony about her faith and her fight against the

“forces of corruption” to help bring about the righteousness that our nation sorely needs.

Sitting Out the ElectionsAtty. Nandy Pacheco has seen a lot of Presidents come and go in his lifetime, and he has been actively working on bringing about positive change in society. Months before the elections, he announced that he is boycotting it, taking a different approach to changing a system he deems as flawed.

Hinga nang MalalimSocial worker Jord Earving A. Gadingan shares his frustrations over the twisted bureaucracy, the campaign strategies of those running for positions in government, and the tendency of Filipinos to look for a superhero to save us all, when the superhero is but human after all.

Choose with your HeartRonaldo Patrocinio reveals his heart as he shares how he would always love the Philippines, for better and for worse, in sickness and in health, until death do they part.

On Faith, Feelings, and PoliticsFour “regular” Filipinos: Beng Alba-Jones, Percival Buncab, Justine Hail, and Martin Valenzuela answer the question: What do you feel strongly about in the coming national elections, in the light of your faith?

A Vision for the NationDr. Isabelo F. Magalit shares his vision for the Philippines.

Prayer for the May 9 Elections There’s still a lot to talk about!We would love to hear from you!

Dealing with burning issues without being rooted in a deep personal relationship with God easily leads to divisiveness

because, before we know it, our sense of self is caught up in our opinion about a given subject. But when we are securely rooted in personal intimacy with the source of life, it will be possible to remain flexible without being relativistic,

convinced without being rigid, willing to confront without being offensive, gentle and forgiving without being soft, and

true witnesses without being manipulative.

Henri NouwenIn the Name of Jesus

9

NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

Is it hot or is it hot?There is just no escaping the heat in our beloved

Philippines these days. Aside from the brutal summer temperature that we must endure this time of year, our nation marches closer and closer to a major hot spot: the elections on May 9, 2016.

The heat waves emanating from that day, which is just mere weeks from this writing, come at us with increasing intensity. Our TV and radio sets, social media screens, and even lunchbreak tables have all but turned into fire hazards, bringing us flammable news and views. With unprecedented access to information in varying shades of veracity, we engage with one another on election-related issues and statements; memes and video clips; analyses and anecdotes; data and talking points; denials and allegations; versions and revisions; survey rankings and mock polls; platforms and platitudes. (As we do, we find, quite unfortunately, that some of our friendships and connections are not fireproof.)

Whether vocal, silent, or just plain confounded about our political colors, we are all feeling the heat. But, how should Filipinos who have pledged allegiance to a much higher sovereign, Jesus the King of Kings, work towards harnessing this heat into a beacon of hope for a nation in

10 WHAT ABOUT PHILIPPINE POLITICS?

dire need of good government, instead of fueling it into a wildfire that destroys the Philippines?

As with What About Same-Sex Marriage?, the maiden offering of OMF Literature’s What About series, we have in mind for this book Filipinos who have an abiding faith in Christ and the Bible, who daily strive to follow the greatest commandments of their Master to “Love the Lord your God… and love your neighbor as yourself.” In What About Same-Sex Marriage? (download a free copy here: http://omflit.com/whataboutsamesexmarriage), we had set out to help readers reflect on the question, “What does it mean to love my LGBT neighbors in light of my love for my Lord?”

Here in What About Philippine Politics?, we use the upcoming national elections as rallying point for Christ-followers to reflect on the question, “What does it mean to love my country in light of my love for my Lord?” This book seeks to help the reader wrestle with that question by presenting various thoughts and reflections on the realms of political leadership and good citizenship, and how the Christian faith and witness should cast its light on them.

OMF Literature, a non-denominational Christian publisher, is politically non-partisan. While we do not seek to promote a particular party or personality, especially those currently in play, some of our contributors, the reader will soon find, identify with certain groups. In this book, we have valuable contributions from church leaders

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11NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER

Bishop Noel Pantoja, Bishop Reuben Abante, Dr. Isabelo F. Magalit, and Pastor Jun Gonzaga; inspirational speaker and lawyer Alex Lacson; bestselling authors Ronald Molmisa, Rei Lemuel Crizaldo, and Evelyn Miranda-Feliciano; Ang Kapatiran’s Atty. Nandy Pacheco and Norman Cabrera; social anthropologist and missiologist Dr. Melba P. Maggay; poet and former political detainee Mila D. Aguilar; and bloggers Jord Earving A. Gadingan and Ronaldo Patrocinio. We have included their voices in this collection not as an endorsement, but in hopes that their “flavor” of political engagement anchored on their Christian faith and witness will provide perspectives aligned with the book’s purposes. Also included are excerpts from titles we have published that we feel address the matter at hand; we encourage readers to consider reading the full works from which these excerpts have been pulled. You will also find essays from “non-frontliners” that present some of the sentiments of the regular Pinoy Christian grappling with Philippine politics and good citizenship.

While What About Philippine Politics? is not meant to be a comprehensive presentation of every shade in the broad spectrum of Christians engaging politics, it is, we dare say, a good starting place. We understand that the issue of politics is a slippery one, and so we do not invite or even encourage agreement or consensus to all the views presented in this book; we do hope for healthy, edifying discourse to be


sparked among readers. Please consider joining the online conversation on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/whataboutphilippinepolitics/) and elsewhere on social media using #whataboutphilippinepolitics. Let us know how this book has helped, disturbed, affected you by emailing us at [email protected].

I would like to acknowledge the project team for their hard work in creating and distributing this book. Thank you, Yna, Stef, Ian, Amor, Lindy, and Ida—para sa Diyos at bayan! And on behalf of all of us at OMF Literature, I express our sincerest gratitude to all the contributors who took time out from their busy schedules to work with us on What About Philippine Politics? by writing (and rewriting), being interviewed, granting permission for excerpts, responding to our “crowd-sourcing” call—may the LORD continue to work in and through you all.

The heat is definitely on. Let us keep our candles burning but resist the temptation to be arsonists.

Aleks Tan CEO, OMF Literature April 2016

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13

Wise Leadershipby Evelyn Miranda-Feliciano

Without wise leadership, a nation falls; there is safety in having many advisers. Proverbs 11:14

How do we usually judge if a country is stable, even progressive? The population is growing and active, with more youth and people of working age. Its land area is sufficient for varied industries to thrive and prosper. Its gross national product is healthy; its government and bureaucracy are in place and such that the working relationships are not adversarial but harmonious; it is in stride with the technological developments of the world as well as enjoying political, economic, and cultural connectedness with other nations.

These are just some indicators.All these could happen and more if there is wise

leadership at the top; if there are officials who can be trusted by the people — officials whose actions are not routinely contradicted by the citizenry for their irresponsibility or downright wickedness; if sensible men and women sit in the halls of power whose shared vision for the country is large and wide and whose practical bent of


mind gets things done with minimum of political infighting within a democratic framework.

“What the Philippines needs at this time is not simply popularity in poll surveys or dogmatic assertions of doctrinal correctness,” Dr. Jovito Salonga reiterates, “but ethical moral leadership — if we want a government we can really be proud of, one that is good and decent because its high officials do not confuse ends with means, and are themselves upright and competent, honest and dedicated and compassionate.”

In a democracy, such quality of leadership emanates from the people. It has always been said, we get the government we deserve because the people themselves choose their elected officials who will lead them. And most of the time, citizens do not use their best judgment in choosing their leaders, but think with their grumbling stomachs.

The time to become an educated voter is now, by being responsible and wise as a leader in your own right.

The late Evelyn Miranda-Feliciano contributed her essays to the following books: Atlas of Global Christianity, Through the Eyes of Another: Intercultural reading of the Bible, The New Lion Handbook, An Asian Palette: Personal Journeys of Christian Writers, Emerging Voices of Global Theology, Voices at the Watering Places, Proclaiming Christ in Christ’s Way and At the Cross, At the Crossroads. Her collaboration with

15Wise Leadership by Evelyn Miranda-Feliciano

Dr. Jovito Salonga produced two books, Not by Wealth or Power Alone and A Test of Courage. Her other titles published by OMF Literature include Enjoy the Sunset, Hope Away from Home, Beyond the Honeymoon, Love and Courtship, and Love, Sex and Marriage. Some of her works have been translated to Korean and Vietnamese.


Our Beloved Philippines Today

by Alex Lacson

Our Philippines has become a country of many paradoxes.In the 1960s and 70s, our country had more graduates

from Harvard, Yale, Oxford and Cambridge, and other top overseas universities, than Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, or Taiwan, among others. And yet these countries progressed and prospered. We did not.

The great majority of our leaders are professing Christians, and are graduates of big Christian schools in the country. And yet many of them are among the least

“Christian” in their ways, and in their leadership and lifestyles.

The Philippines is the longest-established democracy in Asia, and yet ours is one of the least mature and least stable democracies, with no real political party system, strangled by a few political oligarchs.

Our country is one of the world’s richest when measured by natural resources and our peoples’ potential, and yet we have some of the most grave and widespread poverty problems in Asia.

17Our Beloved Philippines Today by Alex Lacson

Our economy has been growing rapidly in the past several years, but the growth has not reduced the poverty in our country; instead of benefitting the poor, the growth has added more wealth to the already wealthy few.

Our Economic System

Our country’s economic system today is dysfunctional. We have one of the world’s worst forms of capitalist system. The capitalist systems in Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, France, Germany, Sweden and other Nordic or Scandinavian countries are so much better than ours.

Consider the following facts.Today, the richest one percent of our population owns

and controls almost fifty percent of our country’s wealth and resources. (Source: Credit Suisse Global Wealth Watch; PDI, 16 Oct 2014). This is actually a worsening situation, because in the 1980s it was only around thirty percent. This wealth inequality is expected to worsen, with the richest one percent accumulating more and more of the nation’s wealth and resources.

Today, our country’s banking industry has a total of thirty-six commercial banks, with a combined fund and asset portfolio of around ₱7 Trillion. But over sixty percent of this ₱7 Trillion is owned and controlled by just four


families. (Source: Retired Chief Justice Reynato Puno’s Speech at the 2015 launching of the “Bagong Sistema, Bagong Pag-asa” Movement.)

From 2004 to 2009, our country’s economy grew by an average of 4.9% per year, putting our country’s economic performance among the top ten best in Asia, a region of forty-seven countries. And yet, paradoxically, our country’s poverty incidence also grew by 26.5% during that period, according to Dr. Cielito Habito, former NEDA Secretary during the Ramos Administration.

From 2010 to 2015, our country’s economy grew by an average of 5.3% annually, placing us in the world’s top five best performing economies. And yet that growth has not reduced our poverty; it has merely made the few rich families a lot richer, thereby increasing the number of Filipinos in the Forbes’ Top 500 Billionaires in the world.

According to many economists, around sixty percent of our country’s tremendous economic growth in the past several years benefitted only the companies of the richest one percent of our population.

In 2014, the combined net worth of the fifty wealthiest Filipinos was $74 Billion, or twenty-six percent of our country’s economic size or Gross Domestic Product that year. In that same year, the combined wealth of the six wealthiest Filipinos was already more than our country’s total national budget for that year.


According to Asian Institute of Management’s (AIM) study on the Philippine social pyramid, the upper class of our country is very, very small at only one tenth part of one percent (0.1%) of our population, or roughly 21,700 families, with each family earning a net income of at least ₱700,000.00 per year.

Today, the Philippines has the greatest inequality problem in Southeast Asia; indeed, one of the greatest inequality problems in the whole of Asia.

We should note, too, that our economic system today, as well as our pattern of economic growth in the past several years, is very unchristian. As a Christian nation, let us put the poor at the very center of development efforts, not the wealthy few who have already so much. In Christianity, there should be enough for the least and the last, the poor and the weak. In Christianity, surely, the importance should be given to the worker rather than to the income earned. But our present economic system, clearly, promotes gross inequality and favors the advantaged.

Furthermore, the system is not sustainable, and will surely encounter a breaking point.

Why is our economic system dysfunctional?A big part of the answer can be found in the political

realm, where our political and government leaders are tasked and mandated by the Constitution and the people to correct what’s wrong with our economic system.


Our Political System

The problem is, our political system — like our economic system — is also dysfunctional.

It is a system controlled — or strangled — by a small group of political oligarchs, as few perhaps as our country’s economic oligarchs. There are no genuine political parties, so there’s no real party system; rather our system is purely personality-oriented. One outcome from this situation is that a great majority of our political leaders are but

“political butterflies,” or political prostitutes. Also, the partylist system no longer protects the marginalized sectors and is now open to anyone, even to political dynasties, syndicates and groups whose intentions are dubious. In addition, there is no more premature campaigning (before the designated campaign period) as practically any candidate can start and go around campaigning, for as long as he or she does not say “vote for me.”

But let us focus on the issue of political dynasties.The situation is “worsening.” In the 1960s, 70s, 80s

and 90s, we never heard of a husband and wife becoming mayor and vice-mayor of a town at the same time. Or where the father and son became governor and vice-governor of the same province simultaneously. But today, in our time, this phenomenon has become so common. Go to Isabela province, and you will see several towns where husband and wife, or parent and child, are mayor and vice-


mayor of the same place at the same time. Go to Negros Occidental, you will encounter similar tandems in several towns.

This phenomenon is expected to worsen, as the local political dynasties in the provinces will most likely follow the examples of their fellow politicians from Makati, Taguig, San Juan, or Davao.

It is highly possible, perhaps in just a few elections from today, that fifty percent of the LGUs (local government units) in the country could be controlled by such notorious political tandems. When that happens, our political system should no longer correctly be called a democracy, but rather a familiocracy, a situation where these families in positions of power, and not the people, have almost completely taken over our country’s political system and institutions.

According to a 2014 study by AIM Policy Center, around seventy percent of the members of our Congress (both Senate and House of Representatives) are members of political dynasties, while around eighty percent of our Governors and Mayors nationwide also belong to political dynasties. And too often, they are related to one another.

There are only around 178 political dynasties, big and small put together, in the country, according to a study of Dr. Julio Teehankee, Dean of De La Salle University’s College of Arts & Letters. Stated bluntly, these 178 political dynasties have already captured our country’s political


system, as they have already captured our Congress and the local government unit leadership positions. Expectedly, they have also captured the leaderships in the barangays nationwide.

According to that study by AIM Policy Center, the areas with the serverest poverty problems in the country are those under the control of political dynasties, despite the fact that their families have been in positions of power for many years.

One of the most serious problems with our political leaders is this: they do not seem to be interested in fixing our dysfunctional economic and political systems.

Poverty: How do some of our poor deal with poverty?

According to the 2015 SWS Surveys, at least fifty percent of our population rated themselves as poor. Around eighteen percent, or roughly 18 million Filipinos, were classified as

“food poor” or “hungry poor.”Around 12.1 million Filipinos are suffering today

from “extreme hunger,” according to Philippine Statistical Authority (PSA), a government agency. How big is 12.1 million Filipinos suffering from “extreme hunger”?

That is bigger than the whole of Singapore, whose entire population is around 4.8 million population, or of


Sudan, Africa, with a population of around 4.7 million people. The 12.1 million Filipinos suffering from “extreme hunger” is more or less equal to the entire population of the nation of Israel which is at 12 million. Extremely hungry.

How do some of our poor people deal with poverty?Some parents sell one of their kidneys, so they would

have food for their children or money to pay their child’s tuition fees. Many such stories have been documented by GMA-7 and ABS-CBN.

To have food for their family, some mothers would push their young daughters to cybersex prostitution, claiming that this is better than stealing or doing bar prostitution because their daughters have to go naked only in front of computer video-cameras, without being physically touched by their customers. Apparently, this mentality is said to be prevalent among many mothers in squatter areas in Metro Manila and the rural areas.

Some of the poor kids would sniff solvents. And they do not beg for money anymore; they knock at your car’s window with a rock to demand it.

Even along stretches of EDSA, when traffic slows to a turtle’s pace, we meet the hungry poor. Indeed, kids have become bold and audacious enough to open your car door and snatch your cellphone or bag, if you have carelessly not locked all doors. Not surprisingly, many of the poor devise other crimes to get money for themselves or their families.


Others, of all ages, but with honor and too much dignity to stoop to crime, sadly choose death by suicide.

Our society’s present situation — wherein one percent of Filipinos own around fifty percent of our country’s wealth, while around 12.1 million of our people are suffering from extreme hunger — is not sustainable in the long term.

Poverty leads to hunger. Hunger leads to crime and violence.

John F. Kennedy put it so aptly, “A society who cannot help the many who are poor, cannot save the few who are rich.”

One major root cause of our many problems

What are the root causes of our country’s problems?To be sure, a number of factors contribute to our

country’s present situation. Among these are corruption, wrong policies, lack of political will to do the right thing and to enforce the law, constitutional and legal obstacles, as well as an inappropriate government system.

But my personal belief is this: many of our leaders today have themselves become a big part of our country’s problems. In fact, some of our leaders are even the cause.

A key question is – what is their motivation in running for public office? Is their primary motivation in running for mayor or congressman really to serve the people, or is it the


attraction of the public funds and power that are in that particular office, public funds and power that can greatly advance their businesses and family’s interests?

This fundamental motivation is reflected in the leaders’ deeds, decisions and policies. If husband and wife run for mayor and vice-mayor of the same place at the same time, what do you think is their primary motivation in running for public office? If a congressman makes his elder son run for mayor in one town and his younger son as vice-mayor in the adjacent municipality, what do you think is his primary motivation in doing that?

As mentioned earlier, there are only around 178 political dynasties in the country, but they have already captured seventy percent of our congress and eighty percent of the positions for governors and mayors nationwide. Clearly, they have already captured our nation’s political system.

Most of these dynasties have also become the richest families in their respective areas. Many of them own the biggest businesses, the tallest buildings, the grandest houses, and the fanciest cars in their localities.

And yet, rural poverty in the Philippines is at forty percent, the highest among Southeast Asian nations and among the highest in the world. Taiwan has only eight percent rural poverty, Malaysia eight percent also, Thailand, fourteen percent, and Vietnam seventeen percent.


Many poor from the rural areas come to Metro Manila and Metro Cebu to look for better opportunities. Metro Manila today has around 15 million people. Metro Cebu has around 5 million. If 5 million people from Metro Manila and 1 million from Metro Cebu would go back to their provincial origins because they have better opportunities there, most of the problems in Metro Manila and Metro Cebu would go away.

If we could create progress and development in the rural areas, we would be able to solve many of the problems in Metro Manila and Metro Cebu. Manila and Cebu would become vacation destinations for our people from the rural areas.

Rural development is the biggest piece of the puzzle. But our political dynasties have strangled our rural areas for a very long time. These politicians are the biggest obstacle to rural development. They divert public funds and resources to their personal coffers. They use the powers of their offices merely to advance their family and business interests.

These political dynasties thrive on our people’s poverty. They exist and expand because of poverty. Yes, they get some of their support from their local business partners and political cohorts, including national allies. But much of their support at election time come from the poor. Their political existence and survival depend on the poor.


Without the support of the poor, it is doubtful that they would even be elected.

This makes you wonder. Do these political dynasties want to lift their poor people out of poverty? These dynasties have the street smarts, and have sharp skills as political survivors. They know where their power and influence come from.

Most of these dynasties no longer hire the best consultants on how to develop their local economies. Many of them no longer seek for the best economic programs that can lift their poor constituents from poverty. Instead, many of them focus on small projects and easy deliverables – like basketball courts, waiting shelters, etc. – that do not improve the economic well-being of their people. They focus rather on the usual projects – like road asphalting or cementing, or construction of a small building here or an inconsequential bridge somewhere there – since they have already perfected their scheme on how to make kickbacks.

Do not get me wrong. There are good political dynasties, whose second or third generation leaders have better compassion, commitment and competence for public service. But they are very few, perhaps just around five percent of the entire lot.

Whenever I go to a city or municipality, I often find that it is the Mayor himself who is the problem. Whenever I am present at a hearing or when I go to the House of


Representatives or the Senate, I cannot help but wonder that some of them appear to be a big part, if not the cause, of the problem.

Practically all the problems we face in our nation today are rooted in one single factor – that of our leadership. In fact, corruption, wrong policies, lack of political will in doing the right thing and in enforcing the law – all these are merely by-products of leadership.

“Everything rises and falls with leadership,” says John Maxwell, a global leadership guru.

In the family, if the father or mother goes astray, the family would suffer. In a company, if the president is not good, the company will not prosper. In a municipality, if the Mayor is selfish and corrupt, that place will not progress or prosper.

How true John Maxwell’s leadership maxim is.

Do the Presidentiables offer to address these problems?

The five big questions that we need to check from all our presidentiables are these –

• First, who among them can stand up to the political dynasties, discipline and regulate them, so the public funds, resources and powers intended for the LGUs and the people are genuinely used for rural development?


• Second, who among them will support the passage of an anti-dynasty law that would democratize the elections and open up to the most qualified and deserving opportunities for public service in the provinces?

• Third, who among them has a good program for rural development, especially on how to develop the local economies, with a view in mind of raising the earnings of our farmers and fisherfolk who are our country’s poorest sectors?

• Fourth, who among them can stand up to the economic oligarchs in the country, to conscienticize or regulate them so they would do much more for their employees or for our many poor, so the gross inequality in our society could be addressed or at least be reduced?

• Fifth, who among them has a good plan for making our economy inclusive, so our graduates will have decent jobs or opportunities, so that our OFWs can come home and work in the country, near their families?

Measure your candidate using the formula of Franklin Delano Roosevelt who said in 1934: “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of the few who have much, but whether we are able to provide enough to the great many who have little.”


What is the solution?

The political dynasties who have captured our country’s political system have already built formidable political machineries in their respective localities. Their machineries include leaders and families in every purok in every barangay in their respective areas. They sustain their machineries by channeling government services to their supporters, like scholarships, educational assistance, health benefits, trainings and seminars, job opportunities, among others. As a result, these supporters, poor families, become beholden to the dynasties.

With these political machineries, it is very difficult to defeat the dynasties. No wonder, more than two hundred governors and mayors are running unopposed today for the May 2016 elections.

These political dynasties, with their formidable political machineries, deliver great bulk of votes to the national candidates running for the presidency, vice-presidency and senate.

With this set up, how then can we elect servant leaders for our people?

Once in a while, extremely charismatic persons emerge, who capture the hearts and minds of the people, like Among Eddie Panlilio of Pampanga and Grace Padaca of Isabela. But their victories were difficult to sustain since they were not able to build an alternative support


mechanism for good candidates in their areas, while their political opponents rebuilt and strengthened their own political machineries.

If we hope to elect servant leaders for the national and local positions, we need to build a mechanism or vehicle that can provide an alternative support mechanism for the good candidates nationwide.

At this juncture, allow me introduce to you PMTL, or the Pilipino Movement for Transformational Leadership.

PMTL is a coalition of Christian faith-based organizations from the Catholic, Evangelical and Protestant communities. In essence, the groups came together in unity to do God’s work in the political field, by providing a mechanism to enable our people to select and elect honest, competent, dedicated and God-centered servant leaders for our country.

The mechanism that PMTL adopted has two components:

1. the GabayKristo, and 2. the People’s Primary. GabayKristo is the common criteria and voter’s guide

that the PMTL member organizations have decided to use for our memberships. It is a set of twenty specific questions that evaluate the candidates in four areas: 1) Character, 2) Competence, 3) Integrity in Leadership & Public Service,


and 4) Faithfulness to God, Country & People. It has a grading system that allows voters to rate a candidate from 1 up to 5, 1 being the lowest grade and 5 the highest. The candidate who garners the highest score is the most deserving to be voted.

The adoption of GabayKristo as a common voters’ guide is historic. This is the first time in our nation’s history that the biggest faith-based organizations from the Catholic, Protestant and Evangelical communities have decided to adopt and use only one voters’ guide for all our memberships nationwide.

The second component of PMTL’s mechanism is the People’s Primary, a nomination process where those PMTL member organizations which are allowed by their charters and are willing to participate, may recommend two persons for President, two for VP, and fifteen for Senators, but must use the GabayKristo as the criteria. Thereafter, all the recommendees are ranked and rated by the Nomination Committee. The top two for President, top two for VP, and top fifteen for Senators will form and become the Shortlisted Candidates of PMTL.

The shortlist of candidates is then forwarded by PMTL to People’s Choice Movement, an entity that is separate and independent from PMTL. From here on, it is the People’s Choice Movement that will take responsibility over the shortlist. The People’s Choice Movement, on its own, may campaign for the Shortlisted Candidates as it is, or it


may ask the combined memberships of all PMTL member organizations to choose from among the Shortlisted Candidates who they want for President, VP and Senators. But participation and voting in the People’s Primary is purely voluntary on the part of any person or member of any organization. In addition, when voting in the People’s Primary, no person should carry his membership in any organization.

GabayKristo, as a voters’ guide, is separate and independent from the People’s Primary. Groups and people may choose to support and use the GabayKristo only, and not participate in the People’s Primary.

PMTL, as an entity and coalition, is non-partisan and will only provide guidance to the voters in general on how to choose and elect honest, competent, dedicated and God-centered servant leaders for the country. PMTL will not endorse any candidate for any specific position.

The People’s Choice Movement, whose membership is purely voluntary, will be the one that will handle the voting and selection in the People’s Primary, as well as promote and campaign for the winning candidates in the ways and manner they deem appropriate.

The People’s Choice Candidates will be required to sign a Covenant that they will implement the Reform Agenda (prepared by the PMTL) if and when they get elected into office.


PMTL has two immediate goals. First, it aims to reach 10 million voters who will use the GabayKristo as voter’s guide before and when voting. Second, it hopes to provide an alternative support mechanism to good and promising candidates who could be servant leaders for our country, so these candidates would not be beholden to jueteng lords, drug lords, smugglers, illegal loggers, or political dynasties.

All the member organizations of PMTL vow to do this for the long haul. The May 2016 elections is only the first round. The group intends to prepare for the Barangay Elections in October 2016, as well as for the 2019 national elections.

PMTL believes that, by the 2019 national elections, many national and local candidates would already start to conform to the criteria or standards of GabayKristo, if they would want to qualify for support by PMTL.

The CBCP, in its Pastoral Letter dated 30 January 2016, has commended and endorsed PMTL and the People’s Primary to all Catholic Bishops, laity and organizations to help PMTL attain its vision of electing honest, competent, dedicated, strong-willed and God-centered servant leaders for our country.

All our problems in the Philippines are only man-made, or caused by human beings. Therefore, surely, the solutions are possible if we work together in unity for the common good, for the welfare of our people.


The unity of good Christians and good Filipinos is crucial. It is only in unity that we can achieve the big reforms and changes we seek to happen in our society. Truly, if we are united, there is little we cannot do. But if we are divided, there is little we can do.

In the fight between good and evil, we have to be partisan. We need to be united in fighting for the common good and welfare of our people, especially for those who are too poor, who are too weak and too powerless to fight even for their dreams and basic needs.

With God’s love as our weapon, we can build a beautiful country where there is enough for everyone, where no one is left behind in hunger and poverty, a country where every child has a future, where dreams are possible to attain, where every person can reach his or her highest potential. This country would be one that can bring out the best in our people, one that can make the Filipino respected in the global stage, a country that is great and wonderful, not only in the eyes of the world, but moreso in the eyes of our Lord!

With God’s love as our weapon, let us repair and rebuild our country!

Alex Lacson is a writer of patriotic books, an inspirational speaker, lawyer, businessman, NGO worker, and a builder of hope. He is a great believer in the Filipino and in our


potential as a people. He is the author of the national bestselling books entitled 12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country and 12 Wonderful Things about the Filipino & our Motherland. He also wrote the poem I Am Filipino which is now being memorized by many elementary and high school students in many parts of the country. He is a partner at the Malcolm Law in Ortigas. He is also the lead convenor of PMTL (Pilipino Movement for Transformational Leadership). Visit www.gabaykristo.com and www.peopleschoice.com.ph. His email address is [email protected].

http://www.gabaykristo.com

http://www.peopleschoice.com.ph

http://www.peopleschoice.com.ph

mailto:alexlacson12%40gmail.com?subject=

mailto:alexlacson12%40gmail.com?subject=

37

Creating our own Opportunities as Christian Filipinos

by Bishop Reuben Abante as told to Stef Juan

As Christian Filipinos, we start with the relationship we have with Christ — we are still Filipinos, but there is the difference made by the Spirit of Christ in us. We become Christians because of faith, and we are defined by it. You can’t become a Christian simply by dreaming about it, or because you looked up at the moon and the stars and found them beautiful and inspiring. No! Christianity is, first of all, a relationship with Christ. Such a relationship begins in faith and continues in faith — and not just any faith, a biblical faith.

The Biblical Faith

Faith is not about having confidence in yourself. “Have faith in yourself.” No, that’s the wrong term. Neither is “Have faith in people.” Confidence and trust in people, yes, but faith needs to be in and exclusively from God’s Word.


But what is faith, really? It’s not just a result of hearing. The paradox is that while faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17), it is also a seed planted unto us and it bears fruit. And by that fruit, you start to understand what you are, and what the Bible also says about you.

And what does the Bible say? It says that we are sinners. We cannot make ourselves righteous before God. We cannot get to God by ourselves. This is why Christ came to earth. He died on the Cross. God loves us. He is gracious to us. He extends mercy. He shed His blood for our forgiveness. You do not come to that knowledge without the Word. You can’t see it in a flower or in a cloud, or anywhere in nature.

Faith is the very expression of God’s Word in your life. When God’s Word is planted in you, it begins to express itself in you, such that you become consistent with what it is telling you. If the Word of God tells you that you are a sinner, you say, “Yes, I am a sinner.” If the Word of God tells you that because you are a sinner, you don’t have any other hope other than Christ, you say, “Yes. Nobody else.” This results in your humbling yourself before God, your acknowledgement that you are a sinner. You receive Christ, you trust Him, and you receive Him. But that’s not the end of faith. Faith continues.

Faith continues in your obedience, it continues in your change, and it continues in your conversion because the Bible expresses it! Any man in Christ is a new creature,

39Creating our own Opportunities as Christian Filipinos by Bishop Reuben Abante

old things have passed away (2 Corinthians 5:17). So, in reading the Word of God, in hearing the Word of God, you become molded by it. You change; you are transformed because of the Word of God. You cannot be transformed by this world! You can only be transformed by the Word of God.

The Peculiar Filipino

So, a Christian is someone who begins by faith, and who is molded by the Word of God. You are not just a Christian in the sense that any Filipino who is not a Muslim might be called a “Christian.” A Filipino Christian should be, by definition, a person indwelt by the Word of God; the Filipino Christian should be a man or woman expressed, molded, and humbled by the Word, and a Filipino.

A Christian Filipino is distinctly Filipino.The word that the Bible uses is “peculiar” — “Peculiar people.” But that doesn’t mean “weird” or “unusual.” The word “peculiar” means being “above the usual.”

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the

praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; (1 Peter 2:9 KJV).

So, what does it mean to be “peculiar”? If the world is sitting down, we should be standing up. If the whole world


is standing up, we should be standing out. If the whole world is standing out, we should be outstanding. If the whole world still dares to be outstanding, we should be the standard.

Unfortunately, most Christian Filipinos are not taught to be that way. We are taught to mingle and be with the world, such that we don’t only mingle with the corrupt, we talk the same way as they do, and we even smell the same way! So, being a Christian is reduced to just a claim, and our lives lack distinction, lack any distinctive quality. This shouldn’t be.

Being a Christian Filipino means we should start with how God made us, and how the Word of God is shaping us. Our distinctive qualities should be visible even as we carry out the responsibilities of being Filipino citizens, including, or even especially, when exercising our democratic freedom to vote. Merely praying that God might give us a good President and asking Him for qualified senators is not enough.

In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus said, “as thou has believed, be it done unto you,” (Matthew 8:13). It means, we don’t just believe, but our belief system makes us. In faith, what you believe, you allow such to make you. I do not try to be a Christian. I am a Christian. We are the light of the world. So let your light so shine.


Voting According to our Faith and Beyond

We will never have the right President if we do not learn how to express who we are and what we are as Christian Filipinos. We need to understand clearly that if we’re just going to accept that our candidates are like this, if we do not ourselves learn how to live Christianly, nothing will happen. Because Jesus said, “According to your faith, be it done onto you,” (Matthew 5:14). According to your faith — so your faith makes you. And everything emanates from faith.

So, even if faith builds righteousness in you, you will still need to decide on some biblical standards and parameters on who to elect and install as President. We still need to vote according to who we are — how God has made us — not according to our perceptions of the candidates and their promises. And who we are flows from what we learn from the Word of God. Since a Christian Filipino is, first of all, a person molded by God’s Word, he acts and makes decisions consistent to God’s Word. And he makes his being Filipino according to God’s Word.

That’s why I say a Christian Filipino is still a Filipino. The faith that we have should be felt, should be heard, and should be appreciated by our own people.

First, we have to learn to make choices according to the right standards. If we let the standards outside of the Word


in, our standards will be diluted. Of course, we still need to balance our choices, consider what the candidate can contribute, is he competent and able, can he really do the job? When you give someone authority as President, you’re not just talking about making laws, you’re talking about implementing laws.

Christian Filipinos — who are taught by the Word of God to be obedient, but not just simply to the government, not simply to the President, but to the law. When the Word of God says “be subjected to the higher powers,” it’s not just simply the rule of a person, it is the rule of the law. Being ordained of God is not just in the institution, but also in governance. Governance means according to the rule of the law. The essence of a government is that it delivers what is good for man.

So, while we have the opportunity to choose our government leaders, let’s use that choice. It’s a matter of stewardship. Stewardship is how you handle and make use of what is in you in the best way possible — not just in the most efficient and most productive way. And when given such a right to vote, you shouldn’t waste it. And I do not simply look at it as merely choosing from what they are spoon-feeding us.

This is why I filed a petition to the Supreme Court for NOTA: None of the Above. It’s to allow us, the electorate, to express ourselves better by putting “None of the Above” on the ballot.


Because, Number One, it is a more intelligent expression of the electorate when faced with undesirable choices on the ballot.

Number Two, it would compel political parties to field better candidates. They’re not really fielding according to primaries, unlike in the United States. We don’t do that here. In the Liberal Party, they don’t do primaries. They just talk among themselves!

Number Three, there are even candidates who buy their own political parties! This is why we do not have the most deserving of candidates. We’re just choosing from the lot of mediocre candidates they present to us.

Number Four, it is also a security measure. We’ll be sure that they’re not going to give our vote to somebody else just because we don’t put a mark on our ballot.

What I seek to demonstrate here is that a Christian should contribute, not simply in making the choice from a number of candidates, but he or she should contribute in how we develop our electoral process.

It’s not just about being able to choose from who is being fielded in the elections, it is understanding the whole process, how we can be effective, how we can help the government and even the COMELEC. It’s not just being silent and praying, because, the Word of God says, seek the peace of the city — wherever God takes you — and pursue it. Yes, it’s possible to seek the peace in a passive way, but


the word “pursue” is not passive, it is active. We have so much of the passivity of Christianity in us, and many of us lack the positive and pro-active actions.

Creating our own opportunities

Opportunities actually emanate from how God has molded you. Someone once asked me, “Bishop, how do you choose opportunities?” You know, if we think about it, we actually invite the opportunities that come to us. For example, let’s say you’re a doctor, you start out as a general practitioner, then you go deep into the different fields and disciplines until you specialize in one field. In response – the patients who choose to come to you will change, because patients seek a doctor who can meet their need. They come to you because of who you are and what you have accomplished. That’s the same way with Christians.

If you only know “Read your Bible, pray everyday,” (from the children’s Sunday School chorus) no one’s going to ask you about anything. No one will ask for your counsel. But if you follow your God closely through life experiences, through the toughest times, if you take the Word of God as it is, and you trust God for everything, then people will come to you because they see some answers in you. These are your opportunities. As a church, we serve the community through programs such as holding free weddings for those who couldn’t afford it, providing


feedings for the children, – we even have a birth center across the street! Because of these services, or “ministries,” people and organizations want to collaborate with us, like help us build a community center! It is all done by God’s grace, as you also put in the work. This is how you become a Christian who makes your own opportunities.

It’s the same way when it comes to the elections — how will the opportunity of having a good President come to us? If we actively live out who we are and what we are as Christian Filipinos. And it’s God’s Word that makes us so.

Bishop Reuben Abante is the Senior Pastor of Lighthouse Bible Baptist Church. Before he surrendered to full-time church ministry in March 1995, he practiced his engineering profession and rose to become a division manager in a leading marketing institution dealing in electronics, electrical and communications systems and products. He served as a member of the Presidential Council on Values Formation, chaired by the former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He is also currently serving as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Great Lighthouse Foundation, Inc. and as Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Far East Broadcasting Company, among many others.


Casting your Vote for Christian Candidates?

by Rei Lemuel Crizaldo

Lately, the Philippines has witnessed some interesting shifts in the political involvement of the religious sector. From the prophetic role that Jaime Cardinal Sin actively played in rallying the citizens who served as the backbone of the peaceful EDSA revolution of 1986, the succeeding national elections saw a diversifying of the expressions of political engagement from faith communities. Weaning away from the strategy of amassing its collective power in the streets as a means of making a political statement, the different church groups in the country moved into making its presence felt by the number of votes it can muster and deliver. Especially in the past three presidential and local elections, the shift was as colorful as it was dramatic.

A Game of Thrones?

Elections after elections, the country would witness political candidates wooing the endorsement of religious ‘kingmakers’ such as Mike Velarde of the El Shaddai and the Davao-based Apollo Quiboloy. The most striking result, perhaps, would be the shady political clout amassed by the

47Casting your Vote for Christian Candidates? by Rei Lemuel Crizaldo

Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) brought about by their track-record of delivering solid ‘bloc-votes’ for their chosen political candidates. In 2013, the national debate regarding the RH Bill pushed parishes of the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) to enact its “Team Buhay versus Team Patay” campaign. It is a massive public effort to endorse candidates that align with the RCC’s Pro-Life stance, and to condemn those that are in opposition to it.

When notable segments of the evangelical and Pentecostal Christians also saw some action in 1998, their initiative gave birth to what is now called as ‘anointment’ — declaration of ‘anointed appointment’ by God to a specific candidate for a certain political position mediated via some sort of prophetic revelation complete with a promise of victory. As a result, the more politically-discerning among the evangelicals and Pentecostals learned a painful but very important lesson – electoral prophecies proved to be messier to manipulate than expected. Nonetheless, while some would expect that they would be ‘burned’ by meddling with politics and would once more just retreat and distance themselves from political affairs (‘napaso’ at

‘nadala’), the engagement instead morphed to a new level in the next election (‘mas lalong uminit’).1

1 In his book “Voting as a Christian (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2012),” Wayne Grudem identified a long-held conviction among evangelicals which he termed as “Do Evangelism, Not Politics” view. Adherents of this position are a-political and believe that changing people’s heart by preaching the Gospel is the only way Christians can hope to make a contribution in changing society (p. 20-21).


In 2004, Bro. Eddie Villanueva of the “Jesus is Lord” church (JIL) sent a shockwave by declaring a bid for the presidency. For the first time in recent memory, the country saw a religious minister (pastor) running for the highest office of the land.2 He launched an unprecedented grassroots campaign strategy which jolted the campaign strategies of traditional Philippine politics. Mainly volunteers from local churches, people were spending their own money to campaign for the pastor whom they feel is God’s best bet to restore righteousness in Philippine government. While the novelty campaign of Bro. Eddie gained much acclaim, it failed to beat the more sophisticated machinery of “Hello Garci” in 2004, and again the ‘yellow army’ of the Aquinos in 2010.3 Nonetheless, it forever altered the political psyche of the voters with regard to the boundaries of the roles traditionally reserved for the clergy. More so, it highlighted all the more the glaring disconnect between the principle of the “separation of church and state” legally enshrined in the Constitution and how involved and intrusive the religious sectors actually are in the political affairs of the country.

Bro. Eddie’s example was replicated at various levels with several other pastors running for public office in different capacities. Some did manage to win as barangay 2 It has to be said that in 1935, Gregorio Aglipay, the first bishop of the Iglesia Filipina

Independiente (IFI) ran for the presidency albeit unsuccessfully against Manuel Quezon.3 See for example: Kate Mirandilla, “Poli-clicking as politicking: Online campaigning and

civic action in the 2004 national election,” in The Internet and National Elections A Comparative Study of Web Campaigning (London: Routledge, 2007).


captains, municipal councilors, mayors, and even as representatives in the halls of Congress.4 From the side of the Roman Catholic Church, ‘Among’ Ed Panlilio risked losing his ordination in the priesthood to win the governorship of Pampanga, all in the name of giving his townsfolk a crack at tasting good (if not godly) governance.

For sure, Filipinos have managed to live with the occasional critique pronounced by the churches against certain people in positions of power. But the recent examples of church leaders capturing government positions to wield political power for themselves opened a controversy of both theological and political nature. For those religious leaders who transitioned from ‘non-partisan’ to ‘partisan’ politics, those in the pew wonder: whose throne shall their loyalty eventually belong to – the earthly or the heavenly?5 Whether or not pastors and priests should be in politics created a considerable gulf of disagreement within the Christian community. This is rendered even more deeply as the differences in conviction inevitably caused divisions and ‘splits’ both among national and ministerial church networks.

4 In the House of the Representatives, examples would include Bishop Benny Abante of the 6th district of Manila (elected 2004/14th Congress). He was heralded as Most Outstanding Congressman for four times.

5 A good theological case could be made that a pastor serving in the halls of the government is still a service unto God. However, it will entail that the pastor is aware of the proper legal and theological delineation between the respective sphere of the church and that of the government. On the theological side, Abraham Kuyper’s concept of the ‘sovereignty of spheres’ is a helpful framework. Kuyper served both a pastor of the Reformed Church and as Prime Minister of the Netherlands.


A Holy Groupie?

For the ordinary lay Christian, there are good biblical bases, numerous historical examples, and hardly any explicit prohibitions from the Bible, in aspiring to be a government official.6 More so, the recent passing of former Sen. Jovito Salonga reminds us of how a Christian can faithfully live out his faith in the corridors of power.7 However, the issue of rallying the support of fellow Christians in supporting a Christian candidate proved to be the more contentious and divisive question. It did not help that churches are not exempted from the cultural trait of ‘kampi-kampi’ so common among Filipinos. It almost naturally estranged those who opted to support the ‘Christian candidate’ from those who reserve their votes for another. Among the evangelicals, it is common to hear, “Why settle for a non-evangelical? Why can’t we just get our act together and simply seize the opportunity to put more evangelicals

6 Romans 13:3-6 call government officials as ‘servants’ (‘diakonos’) and ‘ministers’ (‘leitourgos’) of God. More so, Joseph was Prime Minister in Egypt, Daniel was a high official in Babylon, William Wilberforce was a member of the British Parliament, and Abraham Kuyper was a Dutch Prime Minister. For more discussions regarding the legitimacy of partisan electoral engagement among Christians, see: Rei Lemuel Crizaldo,

“Advice ng Biblia sa Mga BOBOto,” in BOBOto Ka Ba? How to Think Smart and Vote Right (Mandaluyong City: OMF Literature, Inc., 2015) pp. 43-56.

7 Mrs. Evelyn Miranda-Feliciano chronicled and distilled Sen. Salonga’s insights on faith and politics in the book Faith in the Corridors of Power (Mandaluyong City: OMF Literature, Inc., 2012).


in government?”8 The others would simply retort, “Not so fast. Since when did a person’s religious affiliation become a guarantee for a splendid performance in public office?” Such disagreements were traced by Bishop Efraim Tendero to a gross lack of maturity among the evangelical community with regard to the diversity of permissible political persuasions within a democratic space.9 Ron Sider, observing a broader trend worldwide, ascribes such unfortunate squabbles to a glaring lack of a clear and systematic political theology articulated among evangelicals.10

The expectation and longing for a unified political front from the church community, coupled with the usual endorsements done by some leaders of church networks, also raise the question of whether such ‘informal’ mechanism that lays the foundation for ‘bloc-voting’ would build up or suppress each citizen’s democratic right to vote according to his or her conscience. Prof. Randy David issued an astute reminder that church leaders ought to be warned of,

8 It is worth noting that during the candidacy of former President Fidel V. Ramos (FVR), the challenge of encouraging the wider Roman Catholic electorate to consider voting for the first Protestant (UCCP) president was carried out by saying that FVR shall not be a president only of the Catholics or the Protestants, but of the Philippines. A clear strategy to downplay one’s religious affiliation on the side of the Protestants.

9 Efraim Tendero. “Intensity, Diversity, and Maturity,” Evangelicals Today, March-April 2004, p. 2, 10.

10 Ron Sider, Just Politics: A Guide for Christian Engagement (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Brazos Press, 2012) p. 3-9.


“…bringing their ecclesiastical power or authority to bear upon the political process. For example, no church should be able to dictate to its followers whom they should vote for in a political exercise like an election… no church should be able to use threats of ecclesiastical sanctions like ex-communication against individuals who do not subscribe to the Church’s position… What may amount to undue ecclesiastical meddling in political affairs is when religious authorities, like bishops and cardinals, employ the religious influence or personal power they wield over individual decision-makers… a situation where a priest or bishop directly or indirectly uses the authority of his ecclesiastical position to endorse or campaign for or against a candidate for public office.”11

The right of suffrage demands as well a flexible space that is free from coercion and presented with a range of possible choices. More so, it must also be pointed out that religious ‘bloc-voting’ in the Philippines could not easily be considered parallel with the case of the United States where the majority of its citizens vote either as a bloc of Republicans or Democrats. The US electorate chooses according to the specific platforms being represented by a strong two-party system — something the Philippines does not enjoy given the seeming ‘sari-sari store’ model that we see. The current ‘multi-party system’ rendered political parties in the Philippines to be no more than

11 Randy David. “The Church in the Public Square.” Windows, 2010. http://www.transformnation.ph/the-church-in-the-public-square/ (Accessed June 11, 2014)


campaign coalitions which a candidate joins and leaves at his or her convenience. The journalist Neal Cruz has aptly described the predicament, “Our political parties don’t stand for anything. They have different names, but they are practically the same. And the politicians have no loyalty to their parties at all; they are loyal only to themselves. So they flit from one party to another, like so many butterflies and bees in a flower garden.”12 Suffice to say, the question of religious ‘bloc-voting’ has to be assessed from an angle that takes into account the distinct political configuration of Philippine politics and the theological issues that surround it.

Dr. Melba Maggay, noted social anthropologist and missiologist, warns that a church should be careful not to reduce its political engagement into mere ‘politicking.’ She explains, “Politicking is when you use your institutional influence to put people into office. Now, the Church is not supposed to be in that business.”13 The question of motivation naturally follows. Elsewhere she writes, “[T]he tendency of churches to wield direct political power, in order to further their own interests as churches, is particularly disturbing. A church that has become a lobby, a pressure group that fights merely for its own ends, is in this sense no more than just another vested interest, to be fought and resisted…”14

12 As quoted in Renato Veloso, “Parties, Elections, and Democratization in Post-Martial Law Philippines” in Philippine Politics and Governance: An Introduction (Diliman, Quezon City: Department of Political Science, CSSP UP Diliman, 2006). p. 97.

13 What role should today’s Church play in politics?” in http://www.rappler.com/specials/pope-francis-ph/stories/75815-catholic-church-role-politics (accessed March 4, 2016).

14 Melba Maggay, Transforming Society: Reflections on the Kingdom and Politics (Quezon City: ISACC, 2004) p. 61.


When religious votes are being unscrupulously peddled in exchange for political favors or used to advance an agenda that privileges the religious interest of one particular group, the outworking of democracy is on its way to being imperiled.15 This is why mobilizing ‘bloc’ support for a candidate primarily on the basis of his or her religious affiliation has to be handled with utmost care.

Dangerous Great Expectations

Unfortunately, a form of “messiah-mentality” is deeply ingrained in the political psyche of the Filipino. This is true even within the ranks of the middle and upper classes, especially those already desperate for quick and immediate fixes to the country’s woes. Anyone who dazzles with glimpses of deliverance and redemption, no matter how unrealistic they may be, captures the votes of the disenfranchised electorate. That’s why the likes of Erap with hero-persona often turn out a winner among the bulk of the ‘masa.’ PNoy, in 2010, was elevated to such a status – the knight in yellow armor who shall root out corruption in the land. The widespread fascination with Mayor Duterte 15 For one, the Constitution forbids that public funds be used for purposes that favor one

particular religious organization. Article VI, Section 29, paragraph 2 of the Constitution of the Philippines, reads as follows: “No public money or property shall ever be appropriated, applied, or used, directly or indirectly, for the use, benefit, or support of any sect, church, denomination, sectarian institution, or system of religion, or for the use, benefit, or support of any priest, preacher, minister, or other religious teacher or dignitary as such, except when such priest, preacher, minister, or dignitary is assigned to the armed forces or to any penal institution, orphanage, or leprosarium.”


as Davao’s Punisher is of the same level of delight accorded to PNoy.

Painful it may be to say, but we Filipinos are wired to think along the simplistic polarities of bida/kontra-bida and tayo-tayo/sila-sila. Our sullen, colonized psyche, yearns and pleads for a hero who can take us all to victory (“silongan” concept of leadership). A Lapu-Lapu. A Bonifacio. A Manny Pacquiao. Anyone in whose arms we can take refuge and protection. That’s what personality-centered history classes in elementary and high school have done to us as a people. Not to mention, the daily doses of telenovelas in our living rooms.

Unfortunately, heroes don’t come easily. And if they do, they are often embattled as well with internal conflicts and contradictions. They need help as much as the help people expect from them. Heroes have monsters within them. And still to some other people, especially the fans of the Martial Law in the Philippines, ‘monsters’ are heroes too.

Filipino Christians seem to suffer as well from such ‘messiah-mentality’ albeit with distinct religious and spiritual overtones. The desire to put a fellow believer in government office comes with an unspoken expectation that the candidate, covered with power from on high, shall overturn the evils that have deeply entrenched into the various political institutions of the country. The flip side of that coin, however, is a strong conviction that all the


other candidates are rendered unworthy being lacking of pedigree in the spiritual and religious qualification.

However, whether the Christian candidate can actually deliver and measure up to such lofty expectations is another matter. For one, while character is very important for a leader, politics calls for more than good intentions or religious devotion. A good grasp of the complex problems afflicting the country is indispensable. A promising capacity and track-record to deal with the roots of which comes as a necessary corollary. A good network of people in power that will actually support one’s platform of solutions is another reality that an aspiring political leader has to contend with. Such qualities may not necessarily, nor automatically, be wielded by a Christian candidate.16 While we would certainly be grateful for political miracles to happen every once in a while, there is a good deal of science to doing politics that plays out day-to-day in the affairs of governing a country. It has been said that given a choice of two surgeons, though religious affiliation may factor as a consideration, the bottom line is preparedness and competence for the delicate job of surgery. The same goes in choosing to put a Christian in the arena of politics.

Rev. Herman Moldez pointed out something that Christians joining the squabble for political offices have

16 For more of this criteria in selecting candidates, see “May ‘K’ Ba Ang Kandidato Mo?” by the Christian Convergence for Good Governance in https://www.facebook.com/Kandidato5K/? (Accessed March 22, 2016)


to thoughtfully consider: the good purposes and values of Christianity definitely collide with the worldly culture of governance. This almost always renders Christians in political office paralyzed and ineffective.17 Thus, for him, pinning our hopes on electing Christians into public office may only end in disappointment.18 Instead, he argues to consider other ways, aside from partisan politics, in which Christians could make a dent in the political life of the nation as they push the agenda of God’s kingdom.19

Conclusion

By all means, the participation of competent and capable Christians in public office has to be welcomed especially in a democratic political space. Nonetheless, God’s operation in the world is not to be thought of as limited to agents and instruments that are necessarily Christian, much less religious.20 God can use anyone — even a donkey — to 17 Herman Moldez, “Upside Down Politics,” Evangelicals Today, March-April 2004, p. 14-15.18 For a more pessimistic analysis on the impact of Christian presence in government,

see also Greg Boyd, The Myth of the Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power is Destroying the Church (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2005). In light of Satan’s claim in Luke 4:5-7, Boyd is of the view that all use of government power is deeply infected by evil, demonic forces, with Satan as the acting CEO of all earthly governments. This view, however, is challenged by other passages of the Bible (Daniel 4:17 and Romans 13:1-2).

19 For a case study of how a non-partisan political engagement of local churches during election season could make a political impact, see Rey Lemuel Crizaldo and Emil Jonathan Soriano, “Engaging the Powers in Transforming Community” in Signs of Hope in the City: Renewing Urban Mission, Embracing Radical Hope, ed., Graham Hill (International Society for Urban Mission, 2015).

20 In the Old Testament, God has used pagan rulers in the likes of Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus to accomplish His will and execute His plans for the world. At one point, He even called Cyrus as his chosen (anointed) ‘servant’ (Isaiah 44:28, 45:1).


do His bidding, for He remains the sovereign Lord of this world. More so, in as much as His kingdom transcends the borders of the church, kingdom values and ideals also cross over to even among those who are not part of the church. Christians do not have the monopoly in yearning for justice, decency of life, dignity of labor, peace, and all that make for the ‘fullness of life’ being promised in John 10:10. The challenge is for the church community to forge ‘critical collaboration’ with, and reach out to, individuals and groups that strive for such things, work alongside them, and support them when they do “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy.”21

There is a fascinating passage in the Old Testament wherein an angel of the Lord came to Joshua. The Bible records that “Joshua went up to him and asked, ‘Are you for us or for our enemies?’ ‘Neither,’ he replied, ‘but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come’” (Joshua 5:13-14, NIV). This is a gentle reminder that God is not necessarily aligned with one political candidate or any political party. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.” The question then of supporting a Christian candidate has to shift from asking “who is God’s candidate” to the broader question of whether a vote for a candidate

21 See Philippians 4:8.


is a critical step towards accomplishing the purposes of the kingdom of God.

Rei Lemuel Crizaldo regularly conducts voter education for the Christian Convergence for Good Governance (CCGG). You can catch his regular editorials on public issues airing at 702 DZAS Oras na Pilipinas and appearing as a weekend column in the news daily People’s Tonite. He is currently a faculty at the Master in Social Work Department of the Asian Seminary of Christian Ministries (ASCM) in Makati. He has degrees in theology and mass communication, and earned his MA from the University of the Philippines–Diliman. Some of his books include Boring Ba Ang Bible Mo? (winner of the 2015 Filipino Reader’s Choice Awardee for Religious/Inspiration category) and BOBOto Ka Ba? How to Think Smart and Vote Right.


Church as Power Broker

by Melba P. Maggay, PhD

The church’s track record as it relates to the state has not been without blemish or lapses. Throughout the centuries, the church in its relationship with the world has swung from domination to capitulation, from separation to solidarity.

Domination was characteristic of periods when the church was in a majority situation, as in the time of Constantine up to the close of the Middle Ages, when the gilded throne of the papacy ruled with both the cross and the sword. Capitulation characterized periods when the church was weak and in a minority situation, with survival as its main agenda. Separation has been resorted to in times of internal rot and corruption, as with the monastic movement which saw isolation as a form of purification. Solidarity occupied the church in periods when repression caused it to be a voice to the voiceless, as with recent experiences in authoritarian and totalitarian regimes.

Churches in the Philippines exhibit these tendencies in varying degrees and permutations. The Roman Catholic Church, being in the majority, wields much influence in

61

affairs of the state, while Protestant churches, as a minority, display more insular tendencies. Charismatic churches emphasize inwardness and the use of spectacular spiritual gifts that have yet to result in the practical out-working of justice on a national scale. The Iglesia Ni Cristo, on the other hand, directly uses worldly power to advance its own ends and pet political causes.

What do we make of these various church responses to the problem of political power? First, God’s Word has social dimensions that cannot be ignored. Social justice is a general concern of the church. The poor and the weak, as the newly-installed Pope Francis I reminded us, ought to be at the center of the church’s mission.

But secondly, the way to go about this is not to turn the church as an institution into a political power or a social welfare agency. The local church — or what Sir John Stott calls the ‘church gathered’ — cannot major in making political pronouncements, or even in economic development, for its primary calling is evangelism and discipleship. It is the ‘church scattered’ — that is, the people of God spread across social structures like business, media or government — who have the responsibility to see to it that the institutions in which its members serve are consistent with God’s purposes for society. Current corporate action by Christians seeking to impact governance and the theory and practice of their professions


is an example of the visibility of the church expressing itself in secular structures.

The Word of God certainly has something to say to errant powers. But there is a difference between being prophetic and mere politicking. The pulpit cannot be turned into a platform for passing judgment on sociopolitical issues. A church turned lobbyist is, in a sense, no more than just another vested interest, to be fought and resisted in much the same way that other vested interests need to be resisted when they begin to skew and subvert democratic processes.

The church has no need to play politics in order to wield influence. Simply by being itself, by being true to the power of its divine mandates and the purity of its purpose, it has power. It need not descend to the level of a power bloc by the acquisition of political clout.

A writer and a social anthropologist, Melba P. Maggay, PhD, is a sought-after international speaker and consultant on culture and social development issues, particularly at the interface of religion, culture, and development. A specialist in intercultural communication, she was a research fellow on the subject at the University of Cambridge in the UK under the auspices of Tyndale House, applying it to the question of culture and theology. She has lectured on this and other cross-cultural issues worldwide, including a stint as Northrup Visiting Professor at Hope College, Michigan and as Visiting Lecturer at All Nations Christian College in England. As a development specialist and practitioner, she has initiated

63Church as Power Broker by Melba P. Maggay, PhD

and supervised fresh research projects and groundbreaking grassroots work as President of the Institute for Studies in Asian Church and Culture, a research and training organization engaged in development, missiology and cross-cultural studies aimed at social transformation.


Liham para sa mga Pag-asa ng Bayan

by Ronald Molmisa

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.”

Margaret Mead American anthropologist

Minamahal kong kabataang Pinoy, Tawagin niyo na lang akong Kuya Ronald. Hindi

naman nagkakalayo ang ating edad. Kahit paano ay may ideya pa rin naman ako sa pinagkakaguluhan ninyong Korean/Western boy bands, anime characters, foreign music at OPM, at local/international telenovelas.

Ganunpaman, may ilang bagay na marahil ay hindi na ninyo naabutan. Nang sumabog ang EDSA uprising noong 1986, baka nagliligawan pa lamang ang inyong mga magulang. Nang pumutok naman ang EDSA 2, malamang busy pa kayo maglaro sa kanto ng patintero at step-yes-no. Mahina na rin ang inyong emotional at historical attachment sa Martial Law kaya umaasa na lang kayo sa mga textbooks at nagkalat na samu’t saring memes sa

65Liham para sa mga Pag-asa ng Bayan by Ronald Molmisa

Facebook kaya sa halip na ma-educate kayo ay lalo kayong nalito. Sumulat ako para mabigyan kayo ng payo kung paano ninyo titingnan ang inyong sarili bilang bahagi ng lipunan.

Hindi mapapasubalian ang inyong impluwensiya sa paghubog ng kasaysayan. Many of the world’s greatest accomplishments have been done by young men and women. Pinamunuan ni Alexander the Great ang buong imperyo ng Persiya bago siya maging tatlumpung-taong gulang. Maniniwala ba kayong si Mozart, isang sikat na classical composer, ay teenager lamang nang likhain niya ang karamihan sa kanyang mga komposisyon? Ginamit rin ng mga diktador na sina Adolf Hitler ng Germany at Benito Mussolini ng Italya ang maraming kabataan upang gawing mga sundalo noong World War II. Itinuturing ding isang youth at electronic revolution ang EDSA 2 (with the use of cellphones) na nagpatalsik kay dating Pangulong Estrada. Kayo na!

You are never too young to offer your lives for a nationalist cause. Nagsimulang mamayagpag ang ating mga pambansang bayani sa panahon ng kanilang kabataan. Isinulat ni Rizal ang kanyang unang nobela, ang Noli Me Tangere, sa edad na 26; itinatag ni Bonifacio ang Katipunan sa edad na 26; 20 taon naman ang Utak ng Katipunan na si Emilio Jacinto nang magsimulang magsulat para sa kilusan; naging heneral si Antonio Luna noong siya ay


29; nag-alay ng buhay si Gregorio del Pilar sa Labanan sa Pasong Tirad sa edad na 24.

Noong panahon ng mga Amerikano, mga kabataang lider din ang nanguna sa pamahalaan. Naging Speaker of the House si Sergio Osmena sa edad na 29; naging Resident Commissioner sa Washington si Manuel L. Quezon noong siya ay 32 taong gulang; sa edad na 32, naging Interior Secretary si Jose P. Laurel, samantalang 29 taon pa lamang si Manuel Roxas nang siya ay maging Speaker of the House.

Ang laki ng pangarap ng bayan natin para sa inyo. Inaasahan kayo sa pagpapalago ng ating bansa.1 Kayo ang tagapagdala ng kultura ng inyong henerasyon. Sampung taon mula ngayon ay kayo na ang aako sa responsibilidad na kasalukuyang hinahawakan ng mga nakakatanda. Kung ano ang inyong gawi at kaisipan ay siyang magiging values ng susunod na henerasyon.

Kapag nangarap kayo, siguradong apektado ang buong mundo. Ito ang dahilan kung bakit kayang-kaya ninyong baguhin ang pagkakamali ng ating mga ninuno. Nang magkaroon ng Civil War sa Rwanda, isang bansa sa Africa, noong 1990s, mga kabataan ang sinasabak sa labanan. Ito rin ang sitwasyon sa mahigit 70 taon nang labanang nagaganap sa Middle East sa pagitan ng mga Israelita at 1 Article II, section 13 of 1987 Constitution states: “The State recognizes the vital role

of the youth in nation-building and shall promote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social well-being. It shall inculcate in the youth patriotism and nationalism, and encourage their involvement in public and civic affairs.”


mga Palestino. Nagpapatuloy ang karahasan maging sa Mindanao dahil sa kultura ng galit at poot na ipinapasa ng mga naunang henerasyon sa isip at puso ng mga kabataan. Nasa inyong mga kamay ang pagpapatuloy o pagtatapos ng

“vicious cycle” ng karahasan na ito.

Maging Mabuting Mamamayan

May sasabihin ako, ha? Huwag sana kayong masaktan. Hindi naman kayo lahat ganito pero, bunga marahil ng inyong nakagisnang kultura, marami sa inyo ganito na ang hubog ng ugali – mas gusto ng marami na laging magsaya at maging happy-go-lucky (focus on self-fulfillment) kaysa paunlarin ang sarili (self-development). Ang tindi ng utak ninyo sa paggawa ng mga pilyo at kalokohang memes sa social media, pero tameme kapag seryosong usapan na ukol sa bayan. Kapag love issues, active na active sa kadaldalan at lahat opinionated, pero kapag usaping panlipunan na ang paksa, biglang tikom na ang bibig. Bakit ayaw magsalita? Dahil nahihiya? Dahil walang alam? O baka hindi talaga interesado? Huwag naman sana.

Hindi ko iyan sinasabi para pasakitan kayo. I am just informing you of your current condition. Kahit sa aming panahon, nagkaganyan din kami. But, as for me, pinilit kong lampasan ang mga “low expectations” sa akin ng lipunan. Hindi kami mayaman kaya nagsikap ako, nagtapos ng pag-aaral, nagturo sa unibersidad at patuloy


na nagtuturo sa mga kabataan sa iba’t ibang churches at organizations dito sa bansa at abroad. Hindi kayo tinawag para maging forever “pabebe.” You are created for a purpose.

Mataas ang level ng political apathy o ugaling walang pakialam ng maraming kabataan. May pinanggagalingan naman iyan. Namulat kasi kayo sa mga balita at usap-usapan ukol sa mga pulitiko na ginawang hobby ang pagnanakaw sa kaban ng bayan. Hindi ko kayo masisisi. Pero ano pa man ang inyong pananaw ukol sa pamahalaan, makisangkot man kayo o hindi, patuloy kayong maaapektuhan nito. From womb to tomb. Mula inyong duyan hanggang sa inyong libingan, may papel ang gobyerno sa buhay ninyo. Ito ang dahilan kung bakit kailangang mulat kayo sa mga nangyayari sa loob at labas nito. Educate yourself and get involved in governance processes.

Lahat naman tayo ay nagnanais na maging mabuting miyembro ng lipunan. Kailan ba natin masasabing tayo ay

“mabuting mamamayan”? Para sa Greek philosopher na si Aristotle, nakatuntong ito sa regular na pakikisangkot sa mga usaping pambayan.2 Para sa kanya, ang “excellence” bilang mamamayan ay nakasandig sa dalawang bagay: kahandaan ng bawat isa na sumunod sa kanilang lider at kakayahan na mamuno kung mabibigyan ng tamang

2 Social Science II Committee. 1992. Readings in Social Science II. Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press. pp.28-57.


pagsasanay. Sa ibang salita, ang mabuting mamamayan ay sumusunod sa batas ng bayan at nagsisikap na maging matinong lider ng lipunan.

Makakatulong sa pagpapalago ng inyong kamalayan bilang kabataan ang maayos na pag-aaral ng ating kasaysayan. Nakakalungkot makitang marami na sa inyo ay “skimmers” na lang at hindi na talaga “readers.” Noong high school days ko, na hindi pa masyado uso ang paggamit ng Internet, normal na magbasa kami ng mga nobela at panitikang Pinoy. Bawal umasa sa mga chapter summaries online. Basa kung basa.

Kabilang kayo sa “sound bites generation.” Nahumaling kayo sa mga one-liners. Sanay na sanay sa mga 140-character tweets. Ang laki ng epekto nito sa inyong reading habits. Maging ang mga basic rules sa grammar ay kay bilis ninyong balewalain. J3j3m0n n kUn6 m46$U74+ 4n6 174n $4 1ny0.3 At kapag nasisita kayo sa mga maling baybay (spelling) at pagbubuo ng ideya (sentence construction), mabilis kayong nagre-react at sinasabing masyado namang malupit ang mga so-called “grammar Nazis.” Ibang-iba na talaga ang inyong henerasyon.

Alam kong nagbabasa naman kayo pero ang tanong: inuunawa pa rin ba ninyo sa malalim at matalinong paraan

3 Translation: “Jejemon na kung magsulat ang ilan sa inyo.” Ang “jejemon” ay ang mahilig magsulat gamit ang iba’t ibang letra at symbols sa keyboard/keypad na hindi mabilis mauunawaan ng iba.


ang inyong mga binabasa? O hanggang WattPad4 stories na lang talaga? Sa halip na kayo mismo ang magsaliksik, hinahayaan ninyo na lang ang iba na maghain ng mga impormasyon para sa inyo. Parang ganito lang iyan: sila ang ngunguya at kayo ay lunok nang lunok na lang. Ang resulta: post nang post ang marami kahit hindi verified ang impormasyon. Think and analyze before you post, share or click.

Sa kabila ng lahat, napakataas ng inyong political idealism o positibong pananaw na mababago ang maling kalakaran sa lipunan. Punong-puno kayo ng pag-asa. This world would be worse off without this attitude. Huwag ipapagpag iyan sa inyong pagkatao else baka lamunin kayo ng maduming sistema ng lipunan. Be the salt and light of this world always.5

Bawal ang BoBotante

Masyado tayong nainlab sa ideya na ang mga pulitiko ang mga “Mesiyas” ng ating bayan. Ang hindi napapansin ng marami, sila rin ang dahilan bakit ang gulo much ng ating pulitika. Well, magulo talaga ang pulitika dahil nagtutunggalian ang napakaraming sektor ng lipunan para sa mga limitadong resources o yaman na nasa kamay ng pamahalaan.

4 Ang “wattpad.com” ay isang writing community website kung saan maaaring lumikha ng mga kuwento ang maraming Netizens.

5 Matthew 5:13-16


Ikinakapit natin madalas sa ating mga lider ang sagad sa langit at matitinding expectations. Parang pag-ibig lang iyan: may umaasa at mayroon daw nagpapaasa. Nagpapaasa ang maraming pulitiko tuwing election season. Tayo naman, sa pagnanais na umayos ang buhay, uber-asa naman. Kapag nagkamali naman ang itinuring na tagapagligtas, mabilis din nating isinusuka ang taong ating iniluklok sa puwesto. Huwag na huwag tanggalin ang kakayahang mag-isip at magsikap para sa sarili. Hindi mga pulitiko ang makakagawa niyan kundi tayong mga mamamayan.

Isang major tip ko sa inyo tuwing eleksiyon: iboto ninyo ang mga kandidatong talagang mayroon nang napatunayan (credentials) at puno ng integridad ang buhay. Kung nais ninyong matulungan ang nagdarahop, suportahan ninyo iyong talagang may first-hand experience sa kahirapan at hindi iyong nagpapanggap lang. Tingnan ninyo rin kung talagang kinakatawan nila ang sektor na kanilang pinanggalingan. Ibang-iba iyong naglakad nang kilo-kilometro noong sila ay bata pa papasok sa eskwela kaysa hatid-sundo ng limousine at Pajero sa isang private at naka-aircon na “posh” school.

Bumoto ng mga lider na mapagkumbaba at handang makinig sa publiko. Totoo ang kanta ng rapper na si Gloc9: sana’y matutunan nila na tumayo naman mula sa kanilang komportableng pagkakaupo nang malaman nila ang tunay na kalagayan ng bayan.


Huwag agad magpapaniwala sa mga pangakong binibitawan ng mga pulitiko tuwing eleksiyon: mataas na suweldo, papasemento ang harapan ng bahay ninyo, pagagawan kayo ng basketball court, pabababain ang poverty rate, pagbibigay ng benepisyo sa mahihirap at kung anu-ano pa. Sila iyong ibibigay ang buwan at bituin para lang makuha ang matamis ninyong boto. Bahagi talaga ng political campaigns ang “demagoguery” (one for your vocabulary iyan) o matatamis na pananalita na bibihag sa emosyon ng masa. Kasama na diyan ang mga artistang nagpipilit maging pulitiko kahit walang karanasan. Matuon sa mga nagawa na ng isang kandidato at hindi sa sinasabi nilang gagawin pa lamang.

Ang hindi alam ng marami ay kailangang dumaan sa matitinding debate sa plenaryo ng Kongreso o local government councils ang mga batas na tutupad sa kanilang mga pangako. There is more than meets the eye. Walang

“magic wand” sa pagpasa ng batas. Kaya ang iba, sa sobrang taas ng political expectations sa mga nangako, nadidismaya kapag hindi nakuha ang inaasahan. Kung hindi kayo mulat sa tunay na kalakaran at proseso sa ating mga political institutions (i.e. executive, legislative, judiciary), para kayong isang babae o lalakeng NBSB/NGSB (No BF/GF since birth) na mabilis na bibigay sa mga hungkag na pangako. Siguradong masasaktan ka.

Dahil marami sa inyo ay involved sa mga gawain sa mga churches, ito may pagka-maanghang ngunit


kailangang sabihin: Huwag kayong magpapaniwala na ang Diyos ay may pinapanigang isang political party. Mas malawak sa pulitika ang paghahari ng Diyos. Issue-based dapat ang atake natin sa usapin ng tama o mali. Gawing moral guide ang Bibliya at hindi ang nagbabagong posisyon (or should I say emosyon) ng mga lider na may kanya-kanyang interes ding pinanghahawakan. Walang masama sa pagsunod sa inyong mga lider subalit kailangang manindigan pa rin kayo para sa inyong sarili. Huwag bumoto dahil lang sinabi ng inyong pastor, ministro o may board resolution ang church leadership. Kayo mismo ang magsuri ng mga kandidato. Gamitin natin ating kakayahang mag-isip at manindigan.

Huwag Panay Reklamo

Ang dali-dali nang magbulalas ng reklamo sa gobyerno ngayon. Ang kailangan mo lang ay ang sumusunod: matinding puna, cellphone/laptop, at Internet connection. Kitang-kita ninyo iyan sa mga Facebook fanatics na gumon sa pagpindot ng share button. Ang nakakalungkot lang ay maraming nagpo-post ng kung ano-ano na hindi muna inaalam ang buong istorya. Be prudent o matalino sa mga binabalandra ninyo sa social media. Maaaring magpakalat kayo ng mga maling impormasyon na magpapalala sa kultura ng cyberbullying at kasinungalingan. Huwag niyo nang hintaying makasuhan kayo ng online libel. Oh yes, may libel din sa mga online postings. Kaiingat kayo.


Bahagi ng anumang demokrasya ang protesta laban sa mga hindi makatarungang polisiya ng gobyerno (dissent). Ganunpaman, huwag sana kayong makilala bilang henerasyon na puro na lang reklamo. Mga nega-star at nega-tron. Iyong mataas lang ang sense of entitlement. Ganito ang attitude ng marami: READY, FIRE, AIM! React muna bago mag-reflect. Mas madaling makita kung ano ang mali sa pamahalaan ngunit mas mahirap ang maghain ng mga “feasible” at epektibong plano o alternatibo. If we really want to engage socio-political issues effectively, we should educate ourselves about principled governance and political leadership.

Tandaan: mas madaling magwasak kaysa magbuo. Bahagi ng inyong training bilang kabataan ang matutunang parangalan ang mga lider ng bayan, suportahan ang kanilang magagandang plano, matutong gumalang sa batas at mga institusyon sa lipunan.6 Hindi naman siguro lahat ng ginagawa ng pamahalaan, kailangang batikusin sa rally sa Mendiola at Liwasang Bonifacio, di ba? Mahirap iyong laging galit sa gobyerno. Nakaka-stress iyan kapatid. Huwag tayong masyadong matuon sa kung ano lang ang

“mali” sa ating mga lider kundi mas maging katuwang nila tayo sa pagsasaayos ng bansa. Lagi silang ipanalangin at ilapit sa Panginoon.7

6 Romans 13:1-77 1 Timothy 2:1-3


Magtatag ng Bagong Pulitika

Ang dami na nating pinagdaanan bilang isang bayan. Napakahirap pagkaisahin ang puso at isip ng mahigit 100 milyong Pinoy bunga na rin ng ating pagkakahiwa-hiwalay geographically, culturally at politically. Naging ritwal na nga ang pagpunta sa EDSA Shrine kapag may reklamo tayo sa ating mga lider. Pero kahit ilang EDSA pa ang maganap, kung hindi mababago ang puso at kaluluwa ng sambayanan, paulit-ulit lang iyan. Hindi tayo makakakawala sa siklo ng pagkakamali, pagsisisi at muling pagkakamali. Ika nga ng Apo Hiking Society at ni Gary Valenciano, hindi na tayo natuto.

Iwaksi na natin ang kaisipan na ang mga lider-gobyerno ang tanging pag-asa ng bayan. Sila kasi ang nakikitang may salapi at kapangyarihan. Kapag may basketball league kayo sa barangay, sila ang nilalapitan ninyo para sa inyong uniform. Kapag may kalamidad, sila ang inaasahan nating magbibigay ng relief goods. Kapag may piyesta o social welfare activities, ang mga mukha nila ang nakabandera sa mga tarpaulin. Lahat ng mga iyan ay magagawa ng normal na mamamayan.

Minsan, tinanong ang yumaong Senador Jovito Salonga kung bakit mas pinili niyang pumasok sa magulong mundo ng pulitika at iwan ang pagiging guro sa unibersidad. Ito ang kaniyang pahayag:


“It is partly because of a strong, deep-seated conviction that I had no right—whatever to condemn or criticize the governance of public affairs—as I usually did—if I were not prepared or willing, in my own little way, to do something about it. How could I talk about the need of cleaning up the much talked-about mess in the government unless I was prepared to disregard, for the moment, personal interests and get something done?”8

Isang paraan upang mabago ang masamang sistema ng pamamahala ay maging bahagi ng gobyerno ang matitinong lider. Kung nangangarap kayong mabago ang mga maling kalakaran sa pamahalaan, tuparin ang pangarap na iyan! But you need to equip yourself for the political calling. Hindi naman puwedeng sasabak ka lang sa isang bagay dahil “concerned” ka lang. Ika nga nila, the highway to hell is paved with good intentions. Kailangan ninyong linangin ang inyong kakayahan para hindi kayo mangapa sa dilim at magpadala sa maruming sistema na inyong masasaksihan.

Huwag nang sundan ang landas at gawi ng mga trapo (traditional politicians). Expert sila sa pagggamit ng 4 Gs — guns (instruments of violence), goons (i.e. private armies), gold (i.e. dirty money) and glitter (i.e. showbiz) — para manatili sa puwesto. Hindi ito madaling solusyunan, pero kailangang may magsimula ng pagbabago. Ituntong rin ang inyong mga paa sa lupa—alamin ang reyalidad ng pulitika 8 Salonga, Jovito. 2005. The Task of Building a Better Nation. Mandaluyong: Kilosbayan,

pp.26.


sa bansa at magsanay sa pamamahala. Ika nga ni Niccolo Machiavelli sa kaniyang obrang The Prince, kailangan ng isang lider hindi lang ng “fortuna” o tamang panahon o kapalaran kundi maging ng “virtu” o sapat na kakayahan para mamuno.9

Pakibaon ito sa inyong isip, puso at kaluluwa kung nais ninyong maging lingkod-bayan: kayo ang maglilingkod at hindi kayo ang paglilingkuran. Public service is a public trust. Ipagkakatiwala lang sa iyo ng mamamayan ang opisina ng pamahalaan upang maging kinatawan nila. Kaya nilang bawiin iyan anytime. Make sure you really deserve the trust and confidence of the people.

Ang Tunay na Pag-asa ng Bayan

Gasgas na gasgas na marahil sa inyong pandinig ang sinabi ni Rizal na ang “kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan.“ May tama at mali sa kanyang tinuran. Maaari talaga kayong maging instrumento ng pagbabago ng bayan. Sa kabilang banda, hindi lahat ng kabataan ay makakatulong sa layunin na iyan. Paano magiging pag-asa ng bayan ang mga rugby boys, ang mga gangsters na walang ginawa kung hindi magrambulan, ang mga kabataang adik sa pagdo-DOTA, ang mga batang kalye na hindi takot mambato ng mga bus at sasakyan? Bago sila maging kagamit-gamit para sa bayan, kailangan munang ayusin ang kanilang kaisipan.9 Ebenstein, William and Ebenstein, Alan. 2000. Great Political Thinkers (Plato to

Present) (6th edition). Thomson Wadsworth:Singapore. pp.283-301.


Anong uri ng kabataan ang positibong babago sa lipunan? Hindi lang basta kabataan kundi iyong may tunay na pagmamahal sa Diyos at bayan. Sila ang mga tinuran ni Apostol Pablo na halimbawa ng pag-ibig, kabanalan, pananampalataya at kalinisan sa isip, sa salita at sa gawa.10 Bahagi ka ba ng henerasyong iyan?

Kung hindi ka tinatawag sa pulitika, saan ka naman puwedeng pumunta? Hanapin mo kung nasaan ang mga taong nangangailangan ng iyong kalinga. Kayo na ang magkusang umabot sa kanila. Unahin ang mga hindi napapansin ng pamahalaan—silang mga nasa laylayan (marginalized sector) ng lipunan. Ang ating pagmamahal sa kanila ay nakatuntong sa katotohanang nilikha rin sila sa imahe ng Diyos at kailangang iparamdam sa kanila ang pag-ibig ng Panginoon.11

Isang simpleng paraan para maabot ninyo ang ating mga mahihirap na kababayan: magsimula kayong magturo sa mga batang-lansangan na hindi makapag-aral. Great equalizer ang edukasyon para sa lahat. Maghanap kayo ng mga puwedeng magbigay ng scholarship sa kanila. Sumama rin sa mga medical/social welfare missions. Mas makikita ninyo diyan ang tunay na mukha ng kahirapan. Babaguhin kayo ng mga karanasang iyan. Mas maibabaon sa inyong diwa na kailangan ninyong kumilos upang mabawasan ang paghihirap sa bansa.

10 1 Timothy 4:1211 Matthew 22:37-39, Exodus 22:25-27, Deuteronomy 15:7-11


Maniwala kayong may magandang kinabukasan ang ating bayan. Kasama ninyo ako sa mithiing iyan. Kailangan lang nating ayusin ang ating mga sarili. Hindi na natin kayang baguhin ang nakaraan, pero kayang-kaya nating baguhin ang resulta ng kinabukasan sa tulong ng Panginoon. Mabuhay ang kabataang Pinoy! Padayon!12

Ang inyong kaibigan,

Kuya Ronald

Mahigit 20 taon nang naglilingkod si Kuya Ronald Molmisa sa Ministeryo. Nagtapos sya ng BA Public Administration at Master in International Studies (major in Political Science) sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas-Diliman. Nagturo siya sa loob ng pitong taon sa tatlong nagungunang unibersidad sa bansa

— blue, green, at maroon — bago tuluyang ituon nang buo ang kanyang buhay sa ministeryo. Kasalukuyan siyang abala bilang Head Pastor ng Generation 3:16 Ministries, isang ministeryong nakatuon sa pag-abot ng kabataan at pamilyang Pinoy. Siya ang tagapagtaguyod ng Lovestruck Movement, isang samahan ng mga taong naniniwala sa dalawang simple subalit seryosong utos ng Panginoon: Love God, love people. Maari niyo siyang i-email sa [email protected] at bisitahin ang official website ng kanyang ministeryo: www.lovestruckmovement.org.

12 Ang “Padayon” ay nangangahulugang “sulong o “magpatuloy” sa wikang Hiligaynon.

mailto:rcmolmisa%40gmail.com?subject=

http://www.lovestruckmovement.org

http://www.lovestruckmovement.org


Why we Avoid Politics by Norman Cabrera

Fear of Man, Not of God

The biggest obstacle to our involvement in politics is fear of man.

Some fear to express their opinion publicly or in front of other people. Behind such fear lurks the fear of embarrassment. Uncertain, they would rather hide their thoughts or withdraw into silence. On political issues, their lack of knowledge leads to a weak, if not absent, stand on matters of great importance: “What would I say?” or “Ano ang sasabihin ko?”

Education on political issues could alleviate such fear. Here, the Church could play a crucial and pivotal role. And while the Church, through the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), has in the past issued several special full-length pastoral letters dealing with politics or political issues, its flock still needs moral and religious guidance. Even a small handful of issues of national importance, with past or existing initiatives confronting them, could bring about significant transformation to our social and political life as a people:

81Why we Avoid Politics by Norman Cabrera

issues such as political dynasties, freedom of information, gun control, political reform, repeal of the present mining act.

The proactive and massive information drive against the reproductive health bill, which the Church vigorously undertook in dioceses, parishes and pulpits across the nation, could serve as one model. But, why has education on other equally important issues not been given the same collective commitment and passion?

In 1997, in the CBCP’s Pastoral Exhortation on Philippine Politics, the institutional Church was asked “How do we go about changing the way politics is done in the Philippines so that, instead of being a stumbling block, it contributes to the integral development, including the spiritual growth, of our people? How do we renew politics so that it becomes a channel for our people’s wellbeing and growth in the life of grace? How do we ensure that the truths about faith and politics… do not remain unattainable ideals but become reality?”

Their answer: “The most basic work that has to be done is catechesis on politics or Christian education in politics.” Fifteen years after the document was written, nothing anywhere near that prescription has come into being. There appears to be little harmony between words and deeds when pastoral letters simply vanish into oblivion, as one archbishop somewhat confidentially lamented.


Others are fearful of facing peer pressure – of rejection and/or reprisal. Even politicians are confronted by enormous pressure to compromise. Giving strength to this peer pressure are cultural values such as “pakikisama,” “utang na loob,” and family-centeredness, that result in the weakness or lack of moral values – in ourselves, in our relationships, and in our social structures. The clergy themselves are not exempt from such pressure to keep quiet or to avoid confrontation. Very few people welcome and relish confrontation with others. But if our goal is to please man, we will fail, because any attempts to bring transformation to family, society, church or culture will eventually entail confrontation.

I heard it first from Nandy Pacheco, founder of Ang Kapatiran Party, who said: “Do not be afraid of what man will say. Be afraid of what God will say.” True enough, Paul said in Galatians 1:10, “For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Fear of man is a trap, and until it is replaced by a wholesome fear of God, we will never be able transform our society. It does take courage to run for office, and it takes courage for citizens to be involved in the political process rather than merely being passive.

Politics is Dirty

The second and rather strange reason for not getting


involved is the wrong or mistaken notion that politics is dirty. Yes, politics especially in the Philippines is dirty. That’s because politicians make it dirty and we, their sovereign, allow it.

“Politics, by itself, is not dirty,” once declared the late Cardinal Jaime L. Sin. “It’s good. It’s ordained for the good of the people. It is the people who run politics who make it dirty.”

In truth, politics may be described as the art of governance and public service. Vatican II describes politics as a “difficult and noble art.” Its aim is to realize the purpose of the State.

Politics in the widest sense is the “dynamic organization of society for the common good. As such it calls for the responsible active participation of all citizens,” as stated in the Congregation for Religious and Secular Institutes, Religious Life and Human Promotion.

“Politics is a vocation. It is as important a vocation [or calling] as being a family person, a parent, a doctor, or a priest. Politics is as important as family life, like the economy, or religion. I feel very sad when people denounce politics. There is nothing wrong with politics. It is bad politics that we want to purge from our nation’s life, not politics itself. There is no way we can avoid politics. We play politics in our everyday lives, without our realizing it. So politics is an essential ingredient of collective life,” said


UP Professor Randy David, in a speech at the meeting of Ang Kapatiran Party.

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver, Colorado, exhorted, “Politics involves the use of power. How we use that power has moral consequences. As Catholic citizens, we have a Gospel duty to work for justice through our nation’s policies. How we live our Catholic faith in our political decision-making has implications both for our nation’s moral health and our own relationship with God.”

Those implications were said best when the CBCP depicted our politics as “possibly the biggest bane of our life as a nation and the most pernicious obstacle to achieving our integral development.” This suggests that cleaning up and renewing politics ought to be at the top of the Church’s agenda. Political order has a huge bearing on moral formation. Each person is a bearer of particular values which may be reciprocally complementary, incompatible, or contradictory. Hence, unless we reform the way we practice politics, any amount of moral formation in the confines of family, schools, and churches could well be for naught. It cannot be said that the Church failed in doing its part in the people’s moral formation – but in the realm of political education, the Church has sadly fallen short in spreading the Gospel truth. Thus the CBCP’s own admission: “Our political culture denies, to our shame, our proud claim to the name Christian.”


It is Hopeless to Win

The third obstacle is a sense of hopelessness, or the lack of faith that we can make any difference. If it cannot be done, why bother?

But we must never say that anything is impossible for God. “Anyone who is among the living has hope” (Ecclesiastes 9:4). “No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame” (Psalm 25:3). “Those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land” (Psalm 37:9). “In your name I will hope, for your name is good” (Psalm 52:9). “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him” (Psalm 62:5). “You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas” (Psalm 65:5). “But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more” (Psalm 71:14). “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4). “Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold” (2 Corinthians 3:12).

These Scriptures give us hope and build our faith. The task to transform politics is about not losing hope. Rather, it is a faith journey.

Hope from God encourages, motivates, and keeps us on the road to faith, peace, and victory. Hopelessness breeds and creates the feeling of depression or cynicism.


CBCP articulates our collective hopelessness about our politics: “The well-intentioned among career officials and employees in government become demoralized early, or withdraw into silence, or resign altogether. And those who do opt to continue despite disillusionment are only too often harassed or eventually coopted into the system. People have become so cynical about government, about Congress and about the electoral process itself, that often they lose sight of the relevance of their vote to their life or future and sell it for momentary financial gain. The prime values of our faith – charity, justice, honesty, truth – these are of little or no consequence at all when it comes to our practice of politics in or out of election time.”

But the Scripture remains our great antidote. So, let us do something. Let us not give up on our

nation. Let us love the land of our birth – and everything in it – bequeathed to us by our forefathers – its natural resources, our spiritual values, language, traditions, and history.

“The direct duty to work for a just ordering of society is proper to the lay faithful… The Church has an indirect duty here, in that she is called to contribute to the purification of reason and to the reawakening of those moral forces without which just structures are neither established nor prove effective in the long run,” according to Pope Benedict XVI.


The Separation of Church and State

“When the separation of Church and State begins to mean separating religious faith from public life, we begin to separate government from morality and citizens from their consciences. And that leads to politics without character, which is now a national epidemic,” writes Archbishop Charles J. Chaput in “Render Unto Caesar: Serving the Nation by Living Our Catholic Beliefs in Political Life.”

The separation of Church and State is strictly defined in the 1987 Constitution to refer to two points only:

1. That no religion may be established as the official religion of the State, and that the State may not favor one religion over the others. At the same time,

2. The State shall forever allow the free exercise and enjoyment of religion and shall not require any religious test for the exercise of civil and political rights.

To be noted is the fact that nowhere does the Constitution prohibit the clergy and religious from participating in partisan politics. Rather, it is Church laws and traditional wisdom that prohibit such participation.

The separation of Church and State does not require division between belief and public action, moral principles and political choices. Rather, the separation of Church and


State protects the rights of believers and religious groups to practice their faith and act on their values in public life. The Constitution does not advocate for a separation of Church from the State at all, but the protection of religious freedom from the State.

Too often the separation of Church and State is invoked. This separation should not be used as an argument against the participation and involvement of the Church in shaping the politics of the country. Concretely, this means that the Bishops, Clergy and Laity must be involved in the area of politics when moral and Gospel values are at stake. Pope Benedict XVI says “The Church wishes to help form consciences in political life and to stimulate greater insight into the authentic requirements of justice.”

Religion cannot be divorced from politics because faith is incarnate and historical. As Karl Barth, a Swiss theologian, says, “the Church ceases to be the Church if it shirks the political problems of the time. All this requires a completely new attitude towards the relationship of religion with politics. … As for the saying that religion and politics do not mix, Church critics are overlooking the fact that the Gospels are full of accounts of Jesus’ ministry, championing the poor and standing up for the rights of the underprivileged and marginalized in the community. This cannot be characterized in any way as being apolitical.”

And, as it was stated in CBCP’s Pastoral Exhortation on Philippine Politics, “Any serious believer in God cannot allow


the state of our national politics… to persist. And in fact there is a duty for the Christian Catholic to transform politics by the Gospel. The Church, God’s people, must evangelize politics. God’s call to the Church is to preach the integral Gospel, the Gospel with all its social dimensions. The Gospel must influence every phase of life, every stratum of society, and ‘restore all things under Christ’ (Ephesians 1:10).”

Originally published in Why (Filipino) Catholics are Not, but Must Get, Involved in Politics.

Norman Cabrera is the Secretary-General of Ang Kapatiran, a Catholic Church-based political party founded in 2004.


A Parable for our Timeby Pastor Jun Gonzaga

Politics is in the air, like the smog in Metro Manila, we cannot help but breathe it in. We see it everywhere (forget about the COMELEC-designated areas and the limits on TV ads) and hear it everywhere (campaign jingles left and right, even on Sundays).

As believers, we cannot allow ourselves to be caught in this political frenzy. We must be ready to share the Gospel, if an opportunity presents itself. Better still, let’s be “prepared to explain (I believe the Greek word here is apologeia, where we get the word apologetics, but ‘explain’ will do) to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15). This verse, when applied to our topic, means that as believers, we can demonstrate hope in the way that we do politics, and that this elicits questions from others. And just like the example of our Lord in the gospel accounts, when asked, we can answer by sharing this parable from the book of Judges that tells about a people delegating power and choosing their leader:

“The trees once went out to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’

“But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my abundance, by which gods and men are honored, and go hold sway over the trees?’

91A Parable for our Time by Pastor Jun Gonzaga

“And the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us.’

“But the fig tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit and go hold sway over the trees?’

“And the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us.’“But the vine said to them, ‘Shall I leave my wine that cheers God and men and go hold sway over the trees?’

“Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come and reign over us.’ “And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If in good faith you are anointing me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade, but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon’” (Judges 9: 8—15 ESV).

First, the parable shows us examples of choosing a leader and the consequence of settling for the wrong one. People (“trees” in the parable) in those days chose their leader on the basis of nobility, but when they were refused, they settled for the ignoble. The three trees — olive tree, fig tree, and the grape vine — were symbolic of things valued at that time. Obviously, the bramble had no use at all.

Perhaps, we can say, by analogy, that nowadays we choose a leader on the merits of his/her strengths, whether these be in the area of economy, national security, or general administration. And whatever they seem to lack is compensated by the fact that aspiring leaders can choose their team. Thus, in the US, candidates are asked to reveal the names of their advisers to give the electorate the sense


of who the members of the cabinet will be for a particular candidate when elected.

What is common in the three examples is that the “trees” were choosing leaders that can ennoble them, leaders that can make a nation take pride in itself. If there is anything that our country needs now, it is this: Leaders who can ennoble the Filipino spirit.

However, an important element is missing in this analogy that we need to take note of in choosing a leader. I am referring to leadership style, whether the leader is consultative or dictatorial.

Let us not miss the thrust of the parable in the context of the story: Settling for the wrong kind of leader. The people of Shechem supported the conspiracy of one of their own, Abimelech. They funded his murderous plan to eliminate his half brothers so that he alone remained to continue the leadership of his father Gideon. The consequence: the people of Shechem got burned literally. And certainly, settling for the wrong kind of leader is choosing not “in good faith.” The elders of Shechem knew who Abimelech was, yet they chose him as their leader.

This example addresses the common default among well-meaning people to just choose the lesser evil. Taking this action, especially for believers, is not choosing in good faith.


The word of God urges us to choose with our conscience. Doing so is part of our submission to the God-ordained democratic system we are now in (Romans 13:5).

“Kung hindi kaya ng iyong konsiyensiya na iboto ang sinuman para sa nasabing posisyon, iwanan mong bakante.”

Others will argue that leaving a blank space on the ballot paves the way for a much worse candidate to win. Perhaps it would, but the Word of God urges us to choose with our conscience. Whoever gets elected, whether he/she acknowledges it or not, does not change the fact that he/she is God’s servant for God’s purpose (Romans 13:4). And as believers, when the circumstances place us in situations where we can address our elected leaders, let us not be ashamed to remind them of their God-given stewardship. Let us call them to task.

Second, let us not miss the over-arching theme of the book of Judges, that framed this parable.

“In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25 ESV).

This was stated tongue-in-cheek, because the author of Judges knew otherwise, but the people didn’t think the same way. The truth of the matter is that Yahweh, the LORD, is in fact the King of Israel. Obviously the elders of Shechem chose their leader without listening to Yahweh.


It’s the same case nowadays. People engage in politics with everyone doing what is right in their own eyes. The Roman Catholic hierarchy is trying to address this by coming up with their 10 commandments of choosing who to vote for. What we evangelicals have is our Voters’ Education Seminar.

In a way, the parable supports the common put-down statement, “the people deserve whoever they vote.” At least in the time of Judges, when people knew those who came forward to present themselves as leaders, we can say that they really deserved who they chose. For the people of Shechem, their choice was their doom.

How about today? I think, at best, this statement, when applied to our present political system and the social structure that sustains it, is unfair. People get elected by name recall and political machinery, and the candidates who have the means — whether wealth, position, or connection — ensure that they have the political machinery to win. This means that local politics and Philippine society are both stacked up against the masses.

Well-meaning leaders have tried to address the problem through the party list sub-system, but this also was easily corrupted. People who have the means are also being

“elected” through the party list. The anti-dynasty law is also meant to address this biased system, but this has also gotten us nowhere. We are still ruled by clans. The point is, the Filipino people don’t deserve who they vote for as long as


what they think is right in their own eyes is based on name recall (abetted by media) and is powerfully manipulated by political machinery.

This present condition of Philippine politics ought to make us realize, especially as believers, to never put our hope in politics. Not that politics is hopeless; the Lord can still work out His “miracles” if He chooses to (Think of EDSA I). He might still surprise us by installing a leader who our conscience cannot accept, but who later turns out to be good for our nation.

Thus, we need to pray. And may this be our witness in this time of seemingly endless politics.

Republished with permission from KBCF Scroll, magazine of Kamuning Bible Christian Fellowship, Quezon City, Philippines.

Jun Gonzaga is a voracious reader and listener. He is in “surprise mode” whenever he reads the Word of God and while reading materials to help him enjoy the Bible even more. He was a pastor at the Kamuning Bible Christian Fellowship for 21 years, and is currently a consultant for the Center for Community Transformation.


Considering the Christian Vote

by Bishop Noel A. Pantoja

We are all aware of the upcoming May 2016 elections and everything that comes with it — the debates, campaign gimmicks, political platforms, the scandals, and finally the elections. More than ever, the public have been enthusiastic in their participation — or at least airing their opinions on Facebook — in public discourse. More people are tuning in to the debates, and everybody has his own take on the news related to the candidates.

Which leaves us with a barrage of questions such as: Where is our place as Christians in our country’s politics? How do we decide who to vote for? Should we just give our votes to the candidates who share our faith? Should we ourselves be thinking of diving right into the heart of the maelstrom that is Philippine politics? Where should our faith bring us in our participation or non-participation in the national elections while we are trusting God with the results?

Exactly two months from this writing, our country will face one of the most important decisions we have to make — the choosing of the right leaders who will lead

97Considering the Christian Vote by Bishop Noel Pantoja

our country to progress, peace and order. We are once again faced with the question of what we should consider as the qualities of an excellent public servant, as well as the several issues Christians face in Philippine politics.

Choosing the Right Leaders

Stop Suhol (Bribery). For many decades, our countrymen have been electing leaders based on who gives the best ‘suhol’ or ‘price for their vote.’ Politicians are seen with their coordinators and leaders handing envelopes in barangays and cities trying to influence the voters into favouring them in their sacred ballots. On election day, those who have paid the most would likely get the support of many voters. This stinky system propagated by moneyed politicians has prevented many talented, gifted and qualified people from running because they have no money to fund such culture of vote buying. If this system is to be eradicated, the electorate must stand against the tide and resist the temptation to accept bribes and not sell their votes. Standing against this rotten system would change the election culture of vote buying into the honest selection of right leaders.

My friend Bishop Jonel Milan established a movement in our country called ASIN or Ang Suhol Iwaksi Natin. This movement calls for national transformation by standing against massive vote buying and cheating during elections.


Choose quality over popularity. I believe that there are hosts of great and talented people in our country who deserve to be in public office. There must be an intentional call in our churches and communities to encourage gifted and talented people to get involved in politics. Moneyed people, famous actors and actresses, and people without educational, or professional experience, but popularised by the media, are the ones who get the support of people. Many would say that gone are the days when statesmen, brilliant lawmakers and real nationalists led the nation because people today elect leaders based on popularity, instead of quality.Oppose alignment and unification. To perpetuate their rule in cities and provinces, influential families, traditional politicians, political clans and political parties, and dynasties would transact among themselves to forge so-called alignments, unifications, and agreements. These transactions are meant to ensure their win by dividing districts, provinces, and electoral sectors among themselves to create no-contest situations during elections. There is a great need for principled leaders and electorates to rise up from this situation to fight this system.

Integrity of Heart and Skillful Hands

There is a cry for leaders in our country to have leaders of integrity and excellent skills.


In the Bible, King David was a hero who killed the feared giant of the Philistine army. He was a mighty warrior. He led the golden years of Israel. Although his life was not without flaws or sin, having committed adultery and murder, the final description of his life was being called

“— a man after God’s own heart.”Psalm 78 tells the story of this tragic time in Israel’s

history— fathers and leaders and shepherds of the nation that led its people to unfaithfulness and disobedience. But it is also a story of God’s stubborn love.

Amazingly, in the end, the summary description of David’s leadership was that of integrity of heart and skillful hands.

“And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.” Psalm 78: 72, NIV

David, known to be a man after God’s own heart, sought to follow God’s will in his leadership, despite all his imperfections. Thus, God led him and blessed his leadership. His leadership was described as having integrity of heart. He had the humility to accept his failure and sins against God, and moved to amend and correct his situation. His leadership was also characterized by skillful hands, having the competence or ability to do something with excellence and effectiveness.


Choosing Leaders Based on their Stand on Critical National Issues

Politics involves convictions and opinions. There are issues inextricably intertwined with politics that affect Christians. Today, issues such as definition of marriage, capital punishment, family planning, care for the poor and the treatment of exploited and oppressed people, are important points to consider in choosing right leaders.

These issues affect spiritual matters and spiritual concerns. How elected leaders address these issues could influence Christians and how we would relate to certain sectors in society. These issues also show how militant, moderate, or passive candidates are. In choosing leaders for our country, we should discern how our candidates view these important issues.

Endorsement or Voters’ Education for Churches

An important question faced by pastors and church leaders in our country is, what can we do or cannot do legally? Or what is the policy of the church or denomination?

Organizations such as PCEC have maintained a non-partisan position during elections. The organization may get involved in voters’ education, but not the endorsement


of candidates. The only participation in the political process that is allowed is “indirect.”

On what a pastor, or church, can “do” politically, “Politics from the Pulpit,” posted January 7, 2008 on the “Out of Ur” blog compiled by Allen R. Bevere, says,

As a pastor, I can personally endorse a candidate. I can tell you who I like in the church parking lot or the grocery store aisle in normal conversation. I just can’t do it directly from the podium.As a pastor, I can also personally work for a candidate and contribute financially to their campaign, but the church itself cannot contribute financially with church funds even if approved by the membership.As a pastor, I can endorse a candidate in print, and use my title and the church I am affiliated with.As a pastor I am free to speak and teach on moral and social issues that may be integral to the political debate, such as abortion, gay marriage and economic matters – even if, by implication, it throws support toward one candidate and critiques another.As a church, we can also take official positions on such issues as long as we don’t directly endorse or oppose a candidate in the process.As a church, we can organize voter registrations and drives as long as they are directed at all eligible voters and not toward just one political party.


As a church, we can hold forums where candidates are invited to address the issues. If a candidate were to visit our church, they could be publicly recognized and introduced. We can even host candidates to speak from our stage, as long as that candidate is not directly endorsed nor urges the church to vote for them.As a church, we can distribute non-partisan voter guides giving information on where each candidate stands on the issues.And, of course, as a church we can offer our campus as a voting station.”

Would I speak if I am asked to speak openly about issues? Yes, very openly, I can speak openly on gay marriage, abortion, economic justice or racial reconciliation, but not in any way meant to be political. I would teach what the Bible says clearly and let the people decide from their consciences if their candidates abide by the teaching of the word of God.

Should Christians Run for Public Office?

Yes. When God calls you to run for public office, strive to make a difference in the political realm. If you sense God’s call for you to run for public office, you are entering into a role of standing against the onslaught of evil in society. Though you may be aligned with a political party and the platform the party carries, you are running primarily as


God’s agent of change and transformation and as salt and light of the world sent by God as ambassadors to the world. Should God favor one with success as public servant, one must emerge as a passionate servant within the circle of affairs influenced by God’s moral standards.

Should We Vote or Boycott?

I have heard many — out of dismay in the system and the prevailing problematic systems in the election process — have opted to boycott elections and give up their sacred privilege of suffrage. But, as Christian voters and responsible citizens of our country, we must vote at every opportunity and honour our sacred privilege.

In any election process, we face two realities: 1) All candidates are imperfect people — they are not God, and they will disappoint us at times. 2) All candidates do not have the power to change the course of the destiny of nations. We sometimes look to our candidates as messiahs and saviors of our country, the ones who will provide for us security, prosperity and power, but it does not work that way.

Such is the kind of expectation Israel had when they asked Prophet Samuel for a king. The people were desperately asking for a king who would rule them. A symbol of strength to make them powerful as the nations around them.


God later told Samuel: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.” 1 Samuel 8:7

The problem was that they put their faith in an earthly politician and had taken their eyes off of God. While we get involved in the political process, we should actively work and exercise our rights by voting and using our other given privileges to bring about righteousness in our country. We must also pray hard and call on God to change the nation.

We are commanded by God to pray for our leaders and our nation. “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” 1 Timothy 2:1-2

Let us go out and vote, choose our candidates wisely and pray for honest orderly and peaceful 2016 elections.

Bishop Noel Pantoja is the current National Director of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC), and also the Vice President and Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Philippine Bible Society (PBS).

105

Fighting for Righteousness in 2016

by Mila D. Aguilar

Being a born-again Christian and former activist, I’m heavily engaged in the 2016 elections. And that’s not just because Marcos Jr is running.

I see this election, like all elections since 2004, as a struggle between good and evil. In 2004, I was an active participant in the campaign of Bro. Eddie Villanueva because I believed it was time to push Christians into the political arena so that they could claim righteousness for the nation.

We called our party Bangon Pilipinas — Arise Philippines!We lost, of course. But we did win in at least one

respect: we were able to convince a number of Christians that they have a stake in the future of our nation, for on that future rests the establishment of the Kingdom of God.

Bro. Eddie ran and lost again in 2010, but it was in that period that I saw the blossoming of our slogan

“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”


This slogan of righteousness was picked up by Benigno Aquino III, gloriously translated into more understandable Tagalog: Daang Matuwid: Kung walang kurap, walang mahirap.

And not only that: our whole platform of government saw concrete translation in the platform of the Liberal Party, expressed in a more viable way, too!

So I was happy enough that we had made our mark on Philippine politics.

Moreover, miracle of miracles — in the next five and a half years Daang Matuwid proceeded apace, with plenty of tangible achievements we could only have dreamed of in 2004!

The PNoy (President Benigno Aquino III) administration trenchantly demonstrated that indeed, without corruption, funds could flow towards the poor in the form of “4Ps” (its conditional cash transfer program) in the form of PhilHealth, by way of first class roads and bridges.

Who can I credit that to? To Christians everywhere finally praying and fasting for the nation; to our efforts to educate and move the people; and to the perspicacity of Benigno Aquino III and his followers, some of whom came from Bangon Pilipinas.

But corruption continues to rear its ugly head in our nation.

107Fighting for Righteousness in 2016 by Mila D. Aguilar

And that is why I’m still heavily engaged in this election.In 2004, I went the rounds with a handful of Christians

presenting to hundreds of Christians a lecture we entitled “Birthing Lupang Hinirang.”

In that lecture, we outlined the history of the Philippines, starting with our pre-Hispanic tribes.

I always started with our people’s positive qualities, which were, in short, that:

1. we always believed in a Supreme Being; 2. our tribes were led, not ruled, by three people, one

of them a woman, each with their distinct but interrelated roles in the tribe;

3. women were the equals of men; and 4. we never subjugated each other or neighboring

countries.But for a long time I withheld speaking of a fifth quality,

which, as the years wore on, became more and more obvious to me.

And that fifth quality was that, in order to survive, our relatively tiny people had to trick their way through life, non-confrontationally overcoming their bigger oppressors that way.

In short, we Filipinos are tricksters of the first order.


And that is why corruption is so difficult to expunge from our national life.

I could give up, of course, in the face of these difficulties, and say “Pare-pareho lang naman sila e.”

But you see, sila includes not only the people at the top, but everyone. From the top to the very bottom!

Sila, the trickster, is the unique form of sin handed down to us by Adam and Eve. If for other peoples the prevalent sin is violence, or an exploitative and oppressive spirit, for us Filipinos the sin is a tendency to make lusot, to wrest privilege “nicely,” without too much kiaw-kiaw or etche-buretche.

Like all sins, this sin reflects a lack of faith in the God who saves, if we would but call on Him.

And I am a Filipino after all, so I can’t count myself immune from or above that particular sin.

I was especially alarmed to see, for this election, the forces of corruption arrayed against the nation’s newly-reestablished righteousness.

There are the downright corrupt.Those who claim not to be corrupt, but flaunt highly

questionable morals.There are those who assert moral purity, but are

slowly being unraveled by ties not only to every color of corruption.

109Fighting for Righteousness in 2016 by Mila D. Aguilar

And there is the legitimate son of the dictator himself, making a comeback in behalf of his dreaded father without in the least worrying over his horrifying legacy.

Not to mention the son of a Marcos crony, who is also running for vice president; and the leader of the coups that brought down our economy after EDSA, who is supposed to be a professing Christian but who hasn’t ever publicly repented of that grave sin.

In short, this election is showing corruption and sin in every corner of the political front.

That is why I have to fight it out all the way, for and with the righteous forces who have taken it upon themselves to put the nation aright.

I am too old to go around on sorties — I’ll be 67 by the end of March — so I have volunteered for the social media brigade.

I chose that, because social media is the Lord’s assignment to me. He reared me as a writer and preserved me for this time of the Internet, sustaining me through thirteen years in the underground, one and a half years in prison, and through a bout with cancer of the uterus three years ago. So I know what my role is in the endtimes and up to the end of my life: to write, to urge my countrymen to change through the Word, His Word, and to pave the way for the Second Coming of the Lord.


So each time I write something on Twitter and Facebook, or pin a poster to Pinterest, I’m not just campaigning for particular candidates of Daang Matuwid, I’m seeking to correct a skewed idea, a statement that promotes corruption, a view that flaunts immorality.

I am promoting righteousness, especially to Millennials who may have no idea what it means.

I am paving the way for the Kingdom of God to reign in the Philippines and in the hearts of Filipinos.

The way may still be bloody and the arguments may continue to be heated, but in the end, God always prevails.

And the experience has been without equal.

Mila D. Aguilar is a poet with eight books of poetry (one unpublished) and one autobiographical novel to her name. She stayed underground for thirteen years fighting the Marcos dictatorship until she was caught in 1984. She stayed in solitary confinement for one and a half months before being transferred to Bicutan, Marcos’s main “rehabilitation” camp for political prisoners. She was freed in February of 1986 by Cory Aquino, the day after the victory of EDSA. In 1990, she was born again in the Holy Spirit.

111

Sitting Out the Elections

A Conversation with Atty. Nandy Pacheco

At 83 years old, Attorney Nandy Pacheco is no stranger to the political life of the Philippines. Even though he has never held public office, he has been actively involved in working for positive change for most of his life. But he deems our political system as broken, and many others would agree. In 2004, Atty. Pacheco founded Ang Kapatiran, a Catholic Church-based party that he hoped would be the answer to the country’s political problems. However, none of the party’s candidates were voted into public office in the 2010 elections.

Months before this coming 2016 election, Atty. Pacheco announced that he had decided to boycott it. He is not voting for nor is he endorsing any of the candidates, nor is he participating in debates or discussions about it. But this doesn’t mean that he has given up on his mission to change the world. He’s just no longer attempting to do it with this political system.


OMF Lit: What is Ang Kapatiran Party?Atty. Pacheco: Ang Kapatiran Party’s main objective is to put Christ in the middle of politics. In the present situation, we have removed God from our politics. Ang Kapatiran believes our problem is moral, so we put moral guiding principles into our party. For a party to be responsible you have to have a platform with clear and specific objectives all aimed to bring about the common good. We are promoting a responsible political party, with a strong political platform and clear and specific objectives, all aimed at enhancing the common good.

Because politics, strictly speaking, exists for the common good. That’s the art of governance.

But shouldn’t this be the objective for all politicians? Why do you think this still needs to be stated explicitly for your party, and for everybody else in this country?Haven’t you read in the newspapers — the absences in the congress? When a law slated to be voted on does not affect certain representatives — or if those representatives consider a matter unimportant, or if a proposal is something with which they don’t agree — they don’t attend that session, so the congress wouldn’t have a quorum. This is not the way things should be! Just because you’ve been already elected as a congressman or a senator, it doesn’t mean that the party members are out of the picture, or that

113Sitting Out the Elections by Atty. Nandy Pacheco

you no longer have any responsibility to them on matters being discussed. A responsible political party has to ensure that its members do their job. But apparently few in our government agree.

Ang Kapatiran is the only party with a code of ethics. We promote the politics of virtue, the politics of duty, the politics of transparency.

It’s a puzzle to me now, that “politics” and “virtue” seem to be found at opposite ends of the spectrum.We are what we are because we have allowed politics to be debased and prostituted. If we want our country to change, we have to get involved. We have to put our money where our mouths are — so that’s what we did in founding Ang Kapatiran.

“All good Catholics must meddle in politics!” Pope Francis said, because politics should exist for the common good!

We founded this political party to change how we do things, but so far, nothing is happening, because as a people we have become so used to the existing system.

What do you mean nothing is happening?The present system contributes nothing good to the country. That’s why the culture of violence proliferates. Or take, as another example, the political dynasties. It’s already in the constitution that a law must be passed to ban political


dynasties — but nothing has happened! Our constitution was passed in 1987, it was already there when Cory Aquino was there, but nothing was done to follow through. In Ramos’s term, still nothing; Estrada, nothing; Macapagal, Aquino, nothing!

What our government needs is spiritual catechesis — because a bad seed bears bad fruit.

Our people, too, need a political catechesis. In other words, our people need oral instruction to know and understand political responsibility; we can’t count on our government. We are what we are because our people are not educated to understand politics.

What should be the first step in cleaning up the system? Where do we even begin?We begin with spreading the gospel of the Kapatiran, this is the answer to the problems that we have. That’s why, because of all the other political parties this coming election, we are boycotting this election.

Why boycotting? Because taking part in this system is a farce. How long have I been voting in these elections? Nothing has changed.

So, we need to do this one step at a time. First, we provide a good political education — which has been neglected. We have to create a system, in the government or private, that will enable us to touch base with the masses, the students and private individuals.


What about faith? Does it play a big part in this?Of course! If you don’t have faith in God, nothing good will happen. There is no doubt about that.

All Christians — whether Catholic or from other non-Catholic denominations – should work together in this. We need also to assure non-Christians from other faiths that our duty is to love one another, and to do no harm to anyone.

When you’re calling for boycott in the elections, what do you think will happen?Of course, a total boycott will not happen because each candidate has his own followers, so someone will win. What we’re aiming for is a low turnout. And at the same time, our demand is — that whoever wins should call a constitutional convention to study, discuss, and establish what would be the best system to put in place in our country. Because the Presidential type of system that we got from the Americans has failed. It’s not working. That’s why we should consider and study other political systems, for example the parliamentary system, or how about the federal?

What about the idea that in not voting in the elections, you are forfeiting the right to complain about the government?That’s true, but not voting, in this case, is also expressing what I want. I find the system bad, but how do I express


this? If I vote, it would be the same as giving my consent to this system.

If the system is not changed, it doesn’t matter who wins. Cheating happens left and right, whether you vote or not.

So, if enough people boycott the elections, you’ll be making a statement?Yes. When the election is over, we’ll make our demands. That’s the time also to organize a rally to demand to call a convention to find out what is good for all. What is the best system? By participating in the elections, we’re giving the politicians the satisfaction that even if the public doesn’t like the system, they can still be forced to work with it.

Some might say: “You have the option to abstain. Just don’t do anything.”

I want to accomplish more than that. I don’t want to have anything to do with the system, because the system is rotten. If I join in, I start rotting too.

So far, Ang Kapatiran Party hasn’t really gotten off the ground. What keeps you going?The easiest thing to do is to quit, I do admit that. But my faith keeps me going.

Everything worth doing is hard. You have to realize that first. You don’t expect that everything will be ok the moment you begin something. You can keep falling and


falling, but every time you fall, you rise. It all depends on God. As long as your motive is good. It’s better to die with a clean conscience, and knowing that you have done your part.

Don’t do things just to please people. You have to please God.

Atty. Reynaldo “Nandy” Pacheco is the founder and chairman emeritus of Ang Kapatiran, a Catholic Church-based political party founded in 2014. As a nine-year old child from Balanga, Bataan, he was forced to march in the infamous Death March in 1942. He eventually grew up to become a lawyer and communications expert who worked for the Vice Presidential campaign of Emanuel Pelaez in 1962, then in the United Nations, and in the Asian Development Bank for over twenty years. He is also head of the gun control advocacy group, the Gunless Society.


Hinga nang Malalimby Jord Earving A. Gadingan

Biyernes Santo. Tumulak kami papuntang Lobo, Batangas kasama ng pamilya nina E-boy at ilang piling kaibigan. Bago ang shades ni E-boy. May bagong shorts si Jet-jet. Lahat may bagong energy at excitement para sa bakasyon.

Nanalangin kami para sa matiwasay na paglalakbay at naging maige naman ang naging biyahe; pero hindi pala kami ligtas mula sa apoy ng gobyerno. Maii-spoil pala ang excitement namin. Pagdating namin ng San Juan, meron parang toll gate na humarang sa’min. Naningil ng parang toll fee, ₱20 kada isa, at bilang kapalit ng pagdaan namin ay inabutan kami ng papel na pinotokapi lang at ginupit-gupit na parang resibo. “Ecological fee” ang sabi sa resibo na wala man lang buwis ng bayan na selyo. Tipong kaya rin naming mag-produce ng mas kapani-paniwalang resibo. Parang nagoyo ang pakiramdam namin; parang kurapsyon. During Holy Week.

Habang tinutugaygay namin ang kalsada nilang maraming nakasampit na campaign posters at materials sa mga puno. May pumugak na sa kasama namin ng

“Kapag si __________ ang naging presidente, wala nang korapsyon.” “Kapag si ________ ang naging presidente, wala nang kahirapan.” “Kapag si __________ ang naging

119Hinga nang Malalim by Jord Earving A. Gadingan

presidente libre na lahat.” Hindi na naman ako makahinga kahit matagal nang uso ang oxygen. Naiinis na naman ako deep inside.

Lahat tayo naiinis kaya nga we throw rants sa social media, sa pulpit, sa text, at kahit sa kawawang atmosphere lang na may problema rin sa humanity. Naiinis tayo sa panlalamang at pag-abuso sa kapangyarihan. Naiinis tayo sa mga paskin ng mga politiko na panira sa ganda ng tanawin. Naiinis tayo sa baluktot na sistema. Naiinis tayo dahil kung kailan sana nagbabakasyon ka na ay naiinis ka pa. Naiinis tayo sa mga social rants itself dahil madalas ang lakas lang maka-bad vibes at stress. Puwede bang hukayin ang inis at hutukin ang mga reklamo natin into something na makakatulong sa sarili, sa ibang tao, at eventually, sa lipunan? Gusto ko lang isulat at ikulong ang inis ko sa papel, gawing eroplano at paliparin sa langit.

Nakakainis minsan manood ng debate. Aminin natin na kapag nanonood tayo ng PiliPinas Debates biased at subjective ang pakikinig natin sa salpukan ng mga manok natin. Naghihiyawan pa nga tayo kapag may sinabing nakakatawa o baros yung manok natin kahit wala namang kinalaman sa pinag-uusapang isyu. Binu-“boo” natin yung sinasabi ng hindi natin manok. Mabilis tayong makahanap ng inconsistency sa mga hindi natin manok. Marami sa atin may tinitingalang superhero. Marami sa’tin iniidolo ang mga action star.


Marami sa naghahangad na umupo sa puwesto ay ibinibenta ang sarili sa packaging ng superhero. Kesyo reresolbahin ko ang krimen. Kesyo reresolbahin ko ang katiwalian. Kesyo susugpuin ko ang droga. Mabenta kasi sa Pinoy ang superhero at action star image. Naiinis ako sa paghahanap natin ng action star o superhero na pupuksa sa lahat ng halimaw at goons na problema ng bansa.

Sino ba namang may ayaw ng matapang, maaksyon, at may puso na pamumuno? Sino bang ayaw gumising isang araw na wala nang mga halimaw at goons ng lipunan? Kaya lang tinatanggal ng paghahanap natin ng action star ang pagiging stakeholder nating mamamayan sa pamahalaan. Hindi natin nakikita ang partisipasyon natin sa laban. Gusto lang nating gumising na one day oks manoks na ang lahat, napuksa na ang katiwalian, krimen, kahirapan, at lahat ng sumpa ng Third World country. Ang bansang naghahanap ng action star-superhero na presidente ay nagpapakita ng nakabangla at nanonood lang sa bumabagsak na bulalakaw na mga mamamayan.

Dahil sa komiks lang talaga may happy ending, pa’no kung hindi nagawa ng superhero ang inaasahan natin sa kanila? Babatuhin natin ang superhero na minsang iwinagayway natin ang kapa. Sisisihin ang mga nakaraang superhero at para mas mainis ka pa, malalaman mong yung superhero n’yo na inaasahang sasagip sa’yo mula sa guguhong tulay ang dahilan kung bakit mahuna ito. At ikot ikot lang ang ganitong kuwento kada anim na taon.

121Hinga nang Malalim by Jord Earving A. Gadingan

Ayokong pumikit lang sa simbahan para manalangin para sa bayan. Obviously, hindi ibubulong sa’yo ng Diyos kung anong pangalan ang ishe-shade mo sa ballot sheets sa eleksyon. Bibigyan ka N’ya ng talino at inaasahan N’yang mag-iisip ka.

Hindi spoonfeeder ang Diyos at wag tayong pabebe na ipinapasubo lahat ng desisyon natin sa buhay. Sige, ipanalangin mo kung sino ang dapat iboto pero wag mo namang i-shield na “kalooban ng Diyos” ang ibinoto mo dahil ipinalangin mo yung mabuti at ide-deklara mo pa ang pagkapanalo n’ya. Nag-ala COMELEC ka pa. Wag please. Huwag mong i-hyper spiritualize ang pagboto mo dahil karapatan din yan ng mga mamayang may iba pang diyos at mga walang diyos.

Naniniwala ako sa panalangin. Naniniwala ako sa gobyerno. Naniniwala ako sa Diyos lalo na ngayong panahon ng mga halimaw at goons. Naniniwala rin ako sa sarili ko. Pero hindi ako naniniwala sa action stars o sa mga superhero.

Ayokong sirain ang imahe ng kung sino mang action star at lalong ayokong maging abangers lang sa pagbabago. Gusto kong maging taga-likha, o maging bahagi ng inaasam na pagbabago at hindi ko magagawang tumulong sa nangangailangan, gamutin ang kamangmangan, at iabot ang kamay sa iba kung abala ko sa pagwawagayway ng kung kanino mang kapa.


Eh, san ba dapat mag-umpisa? Pagdating namin ng Lobo, Batangas, habang minamasdan ang ganda ng mga puno sa gilid ng matatarik na bundok, napapapikit sa ihip ng hangin habang nakatanaw sa kumikislap na dagat; may humarang na tali sa sasakyan namin. Mga grupo ng kabataan na parang may checkpoint, may siningil na parang donasyon, at may binigay na cut-out na ribbon na parang passes. Parang hindi na naman ako makahinga.

Si Jord Earving A. Gadingan o “Dyord” ay nag-aral sa Southern Luzon State University at patuloy na nag-aaral sa Tiaong Baptist Church. Naging volunteer writer, music tutor, editorial staff, at research assistant at kasalukuyan ay isang social worker. Naging bahagi na rin sya ng ilang antolohiya ng mga tula. Naging suki na rin sya ng rejection e-mails. Part-time blogger sa tsa-tsub.blogspot.com at part-time bespren kay E-boy.

http://tsa-tsub.blogspot.com

123

Choose with your Heart

by Ronaldo Patrocinio

I love the Philippines — this broken, beautiful nation. This land of our own — once a mere dream in the dark night of our history. Memories of countless heroes bleed from the cracks of our tumultuous past. Now, we wake up each morning living out the hope that our forefathers died for.

We are a romantic race, easily swooned by the serenade of wonderful promises, blushing at expensive gifts, wild gimmicks and bold statements.We fall in love too soon, believe so innocently, cast our hopes so desperately. We learn, but we are also quick to forget all the past and present heartaches quietly eroding our own sense of self-respect and dignity as a sovereign nation.

Do we really accept the love we think we deserve? Or have our sense of love become so twisted, so numbed, that we have allowed ourselves to be abused and taken advantage of over and over again?


I look at us, at our past lovers — er, leaders. I read the stories, the sad tragedies along with the happy memories. In the daytime, I see the sweet struggle of our government as it tries its best to be the partner it promises to be. At night, I hear the anguished cries of its failures: blames and denials and attempts to make things work out despite the odds. Economic debts and socio-emotional baggages competing on who grows the tallest pile.

It’s so reasonable to just give up. What’s the point? They’re all the same. They all disappoint. The right of suffrage has become nothing more than a rite to suffering; only we get to choose the kind of people who will hurt us again for the next few years.

Yet, we, who have known and understood love, know how stubborn it can truly be — especially when it’s about a love worth fighting for.

As someone who is still trying to comprehend Christ’s love, I can’t help but feel frustrated at His love story with the nation of Israel. Why would an omniscient God choose a hard-headed race? From worshipping other gods to choosing bad leaders, I can’t imagine how this nation could be so loved by God when He could have replaced her anytime He wanted. For such a wise Creator, how could He be so much of a fool for love?

And I can’t help but cry. Because I want to give up on the Philippine government that runs our nation. Because

125Choose with your Heart by Ronald Patrocinio

I want to give up on my fellow Filipinos who keep voting for the same corrupt politicians. Because I want to give up believing that change can happen.

It’s so unfair to fall in love with someone who can’t love you back the same way.

But that’s how love is — not because of what it offers, but of what we promised with it.

God loved and stayed faithful to the Israelites, not for the love they could give Him, but simply because He promised them that He would. Just as we promised to be the Filipino nation, not because of what we can benefit from each other, but because of who we can be together.

Yes, we are the Filipino nation. The Philippine government nor the constitution didn’t make us; we created our constitution and government because of love for our nation, a nation that had too long been fragmented, divided not only by land but in our hearts.

Time heals the broken heart — but maybe it is time for us to mend the broken heart of our nation.

I love the Philippines. I love this damaged, crazy yet amazing nation we have. And no matter what kind of leaders we choose today, no matter what success or failures wait on the shorelines of our future, I promise to have, and to hold on to, hope — with my vote and onwards, for better


and for worse, for richer and poorer, in sickness and health, until death do us part.

Because Philippines, God gave me you.#HugotForever

Ronaldo Patrocinio is a prolific Makati-based graphic designer born and raised in Bicol. He is also an amateur blogger and a caffeine-dependent over-thinker frantically finishing his first novel that should be released into the wild this year. You can read his blog at iamradical.wordpress.com.

http://iamradical.wordpress.com

127

On Faith, Feelings, and Politics

More than ever, people have been enthusiastic in their participation in public discourse — or at least in airing their opinions on Facebook — regarding the upcoming May 2016 elections. TV debates had been much awaited events, with nearly everyone tuning in, and everybody had his/her own take on the news related to the candidates. So we posted this question: “What do you feel strongly about in these coming national elections, in the light of your faith?” The following are excerpts from the replies we have received:

Thoughts from a Philippine Voter in the US by Beng Alba-Jones

You see, as long as I shall live, Filipino blood will run through my veins. No matter how many servings of mashed potatoes I eat, my love for rice will never be diluted. During this time, while the election fever is running high in the Philippines, I am not too far removed to feel it. Like any


other ordinary Filipino voter, I am doing my own research. I read the credentials of the candidates, asking God to help me separate the wheat from the chaff, the wise from the cunning, for my eyes to be able to distinguish between the selfish and the selfless. By the grace of God, I will vote wisely, in good conscience, untainted by cynicism, hopelessness or despair.

I believe in my country. I believe in my people. But more than my belief in sweet-talking politicians promising the moon and the stars, my unshakeable belief and faith in God trumps everything. Because like any other Christian who believes in divine sovereignty, I know the future of my land, ultimately, is in the Lord’s hands.

False Messiahby Percival Buncab

Sa papalapit na papalapit na eleksyon, oo nga’t mahalaga ang gagampanan ng magiging pangulo ng ating bansa. Kaya mahalagang pag-isipan nating mabuti kung sino ang dapat nating italaga. Pero mainam sigurong ating maalala, na anumang maging resuta, kung sinuman siya, hindi siya ang Messiah…

Oo nga’t napakaraming malalaking problema ng ating bansa. Pero bilang tinaguriang “only Christian nation in Asia” nakalimutan na yata nating ang pinakamabigat

129On Faith, Feelings, and Politics

nating problema ay kasalanan — ang problemang ugat ng iba pa nating problema. Sa bansa nating umiiyak para sa pagbabago, madali natin itong makaligtaan. Kaya ganoon na lang din kung paano natin hanapin ang solusyon sa ibang tao. Pero walang ibang Messiah. Si Jesus lang ang Tagapagligtas na magbabago sa bawat indibidwal, bawat indibidwal na bubuo ng pamayanan, pamayanang magdudulot ng mas malawak pang pagbabago.

Change starts within.

Happy Ever Afterby Justine Hail

We may not be in the season of overthrowing a dictator but in this current chapter of numbing corruption and indifference, we must plant deeds of responsible citizenship. Make seemingly ordinary choices that will change the trajectory of our story. Combat corruption and indifference with faithfulness. Vote for leaders of character and competence this coming elections; pay taxes; follow traffic signs. Take stock of your resources. Do you have the capacity to create employment? Do you have the talent to create inspiring art? Do you have the intelligence and boldness to lobby for a law? This is a season to plant and time will come when we receive the pay-off.


As citizens of this country, we don’t wait for a fairy tale to happen. We act on our mandate in the Constitution.

“We, the sovereign Filipino people, imploring the aid of Almighty God, in order to build a just and humane society and establish a Government that shall embody our ideals and aspirations…” This is a country God entrusted to us. We must be accountable for our dreams and aspirations for it. We must not give up the Philippines to Satan’s hands. We must dream.

Tayo’y Pilipino Bago Naging Botanteby Martin Valenzuela

Bago pa man tayo naging mga botante, tayo ay nauna munang maging mga Pilipino. Bago pa man tayo nagkaroon ng preperensya sa mga kumakandidatong lider ng bansa, nauna muna tayong maging mamamayan ng bansa. Kaya higit sa mga partido politikal, ang mas higit na dapat mangibabaw sa ating halalan ay ang ating pagiging makatao na pinatutunayan ng ating pagiging marespeto sa opinyon at paniniwala ng iba.

Ngunit higit sa lahat, bago pa man tayo naging Pilipino, tayo ay una munang naging anak at lingkod ng Diyos. Bilang isang Christian nation sa Asya, mas higit na dapat tayong kakitaan ng respeto at pag-ibig sa isa’t isa. Hindi politika ang nagbibigay sa atin ng identity at

131On Faith, Feelings, and Politics

national heritage. Tanging kay Hesus lang at sa ating pananampalataya sa Kanya tayo nagkakaroon ng tunay na pagkakabuklod-buklod sa kabila ng ating pagkakaiba-iba. Kay Hesus, ang politika ay may kabuluhan. Kay Hesus, ang gobyerno ay nagkakaroon ng katwiran. At bilang mga tagasunod ni Hesus, sa atin nawa magsimula ang pagwawaksi sa mga bagay na maaaring maging sanhi ng ating pagkakawatak-watak bilang isang kristiyanong bansa.

• • •How about you? What do you feel most strongly about Philippine Politics in the light of your faith? Join us in our forum at http://www.facebook.com/groups/whataboutphilippinepolitics or put in the hashtag #whataboutphilippinepolitics.

http://www.facebook.com/groups/whataboutphilippinepolitics



A Vision for the Nationby Dr. Isabelo F. Magalit

What kind of Philippines do I long to see?A land that IS PEACEFUL. Where Muslims and

Christians and animists and those with no religion at all can live together as friendly rivals but not as enemies. Where disputes are resolved by discussion and debate and not with the barrel of the gun. Where one may walk the streets at night unarmed and remain unharmed.

A people who are FREE. Free to think even the unthink able, free to worship God according to one’s best light, free to elect rulers and to replace them, free to argue one’s case in the media, free to travel wherever one pleases, free to live and work anywhere in the islands.

A territory that is SOVEREIGN. Friendly with all her neighbors, and working in solidarity with them in promoting regional interests. Cordial with all nations in the East and the West, the North and the South, but sovereign in her foreign policy. Free to chart her own destiny for Filipinos have the special duty to promote the welfare of their nation.

A nation that is JUST. Every man and woman and child receives his/her due. The poor are not discriminated

133A Vision for the Nation by Dr. Isabelo F. Magalit

against because of ignorance or lack of access to legal services. Judges and justices cannot be bought but dispense and apply the law with impartiality. Equal pay is given for equal work. Everyone has equal opportunity for education, housing, employment, medical care, and other social services.

A community that is PARTICIPATORY. People taking responsibility for their lives, and increasingly empowered to do so. Making decisions that affect their families and neighborhoods, their towns and cities, and the entire country. Being responsible for one another for “each man is his brother’s keeper.” Political in the broadest and best sense. Our stewardship includes the care of planet Earth, God’s appointed habitat for mankind.

A country that is PROSPEROUS. Not prosperity at the expense of freedom, but a progressive economy that grows from wise policies, efficient government, and honest business practices. Prosperity that does not merely make the rich even richer, but one that benefits all the people, reaching to all parts of the countryside, finally breaking the back of centuries of feudalism.

A society that is RIGHTEOUS. Only through the Christian gospel are people “put right with God,” so we evangelize as vigorously as we can. However, there is a public righteousness that Christians can promote as salt of the earth and light of the world. As an “overwhelming


minority,” we can influence the rest of society to minimize graft, tax evasion, violence, pros titution, and other expressions of a corrupt society.

“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Proverbs 14:34).

TODAY, God enabling me, I commit myself to making this dream become reality.

First published in PATMOS, magazine of the Institute for Studies in Asian Church and Culture, May 1992, Vol. 8.

Dr. Isabelo F. Magalit is the senior pastor of a local church affiliated to the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC). He was the president of Asian Theological Seminary for 16 years — from 1989 to 2005. During the EDSA Revolution of 1986, he led his church, the Diliman Bible Church, in manning the barricade in front of Gate 2 of Camp Aguinaldo. He has written a dozen books and booklets, including Who is a Real Christian?; Who is Jesus According to the New Testament? and Can a Christian Be a Nationalist? published by OMF Literature, Inc.

Prayer for the May 9 Elections (Adapted from Psalm 43 by Yna Reyes)

Why so downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God.

Hear me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation;

rescue the rule of this land from deceitful and wicked men and women.

You are God our stronghold. Why must our people go about suffering,

oppressed by the injustices of a corrupt political system?

Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide us on May 9 election day;

let them bring this nation to your righteous reign, to the center of your perfect will.

Then we, your children, will go to the altar of God, To God, our joy and our delight.

We will praise you with joyful singing, O God, our God.

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.

THERE’S STILL A LOT TO TALK ABOUT!

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