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How to Kickstart Your Vlog or Blog (Interviewed by James Deakin!)
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James Deakin invited me to guest on his daily Facebook Live show "Live at
5". We talked about how you can jumpstart your vlog or blog which is super
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Political Participation as a Christian Obligation
Political Participation as a Christian Obligation
In their better mood, I am called a pakialamero by some erring government officials who wish to keep their questionable public performances, well, private. It gets me into minor, and, once or twice, major trouble. Some say it’s because of the way I do things, my approach, how I attack given problem(s) at hand to get necessary things done. I suppose I am a pakialamero -- I meddle, poke and nose and find ways for the people to whom they are most accountable to, find out, makialam themselves and let the public be their judge and, where necessary, their executioner.
No, I am not running for any public office in 2010. Been there, done that. Being in public service since 1967, I would fall under the category of some as a traditional politician, although I will insist that not all traditional politicians are bad, in the same way that not everything traditional, conventional or customary is evil.
But let this column not be about me, or, God forbid, an apologist write-up for “trapos”, to which I was not long ago unfairly accused of. Let this column be about all of us, citizens of this poor but a country and people that deserves the best, and our role, paano tayong lahat makikialam, in the 2010 elections onwards.
Last week’s pastoral exhortation of CBCP President Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, D.D which he called Year of the Two Hearts for Peace-Building and Lay participation in Social Change reminded us of our Christian obligations in politics, to get organized, leading to positive and lasting changes for our people and country.
He said, “We challenge our Catholic laity, in particular, to take the lead in the task of moral renewal towards a deeper and more lasting change in the Philippine society. We challenge all lay people involved in politics to renounce corruption and bond together in the task of evangelizing politics for effective governance and the pursuit of the common good…We urge every Catholic lay person to give a concrete expression to Christian discipleship through responsible citizenship.”
I have always believed that WE ALL have a distinct and special role in the politics of nation building, one that must never start and end with the ballot during elections. This is how, together with a group of lay Catholics, we conceptualized Groups United to Serve God or GUTS in 1992. Bishop Teodoro C. Bacani, Jr mentioned GUTS in his book, Church in Politics, as a group with the “avowed purpose of asking Catholics in different parishes to make a united choice for the particular candidates the parishioners find deserving of election.”
GUTS is perhaps one “radical” approach in which without tinkering around or crossing the boundaries of the separation of church and state e.g. having the priest themselves run for public office, the Catholic Church and all other Christian faiths, for that matter, may exert their moral and spiritual role in building a nation led not of corrupt and incompetent government officials but by honest, God-fearing, competent and genuine public servants that are collectively and carefully chosen through an ala - US primary system by informed, enlightened and organized citizens. (Yes, we thought of adopting the “primaries” long before others did).
As much as the CBCP is encouraged by the rise in the call of the people for “moral regeneration” for our country, I am also personally excited by the fact that there are so many concerned groups and individuals who are formulating and working on ways towards finding just and lasting solution to the crisis of politics and governance in our country, some of them ‘hard-liners’ as my activist friend would say, but some are more realistic and open-minded. Now, if we could all work together and realize that real change can only happen when the do-gooders accept that the even traditional politicians can also contribute to nation building, mindful that there are good and bad politicians (traditional or pseudo-alternative) just as there are corrupt civil society members (like those who do not pay the correct taxes) and there are the real good ones.
Change can only happen when we all accept each other - take the bad with the good - believe in Redemption - give everybody a chance to reform like St Paul who was a murderer and formulate procedures where the fakes can be detected as soon as possible.
Yes, I am a pakialamero, even an idealist pakialamero, but I would rather be a pakialamero than a sleepless fence-sitter who knows that s/he can do something and contribute in improving the lives of many but dare not to.
Ka Willie talks about Groups United to Serve God (GUTS) with CCL
GROUPS UNITED TO SERVE GOD (GUTS)
by
Willie Buyson Villarama
Speech presented for the
Capitol Christian Leadership (CCL)
on June 3, 2008
Good morning! I am blessed and really quite excited to have been given this opportunity to be with you today in this worthy gathering. Certainly, more and more of these gatherings are taking place all over the country just as God-fearing, serious and concerned citizens such as yourselves seek to find possible solution to the various and ever growing concerns of good governance and on how we, as responsible citizens can better and concretely contribute towards this end.
The Bible, as we all believe, should be at the center of every home as it should also be at the heart of our national and political lives.
The Old and the New Testaments, the greatest books of all times, could become the well-spring of a new political movement that enshrines honest, moral and efficient government.
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good.” (2Timothy 3:16-17)
“Lahat ng kasulata’y kinasihan ng Diyos at magagamit sa pagtuturo ng katotohanan, sa pagpapabulaan sa maling aral, sa pagtutuwid sa likong gawain, at sa pag-akay sa matuwid na pamumuhay. Sa gayon, ang lingkod ng Diyos ay magiging handa sa lahat ng mabuting gawain” (2Timothy 3:16-17)
GUTS: WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT IS NOT
At the core of this movement is the Groups United to Serve GOD (GUTS), which seeks to unite, equip and empower men and women from all walks of faith. Its philosophy is that the only way to free our masses from ignorance, injustice, poverty and abuse is to encourage the Filipinos to read and follow the teachings of the Holy Bible — to direct/shepherd them toward the abundant and full life that Jesus Christ promised in John 10:10, including political life.
Groups United to Serve (GUTS), does not seek to disturb or contend with the principles of the separation of Church and State nor to create a new philosophy (close to the theology of liberation). It does not aim to make the Vatican, the Catholic Church or other faiths as alternative seats of power. GUTS aims to do is to make preacher-politicians as effective educators and campaigners for good governance and advocates of responsible emancipated citizenship.
By “Preacher-Politicians,” we mean the religious leaders, monks, priests, pastors and ministers who shall not run for an elective office but shall instead dedicate to turning themselves and the members of GUTS into a new breed of citizens with a Godly Christian ethic: exemplars of the laws of God and the laws of men, men and women of character and values who will teach, lead by example and inspire others because they love the Lord first and our Country second.
GETTING GUTS TOGETHER
We propose to organize and give life to GUTS in the following manner:
1. Members of all faiths who spend up from three to four hours during their weekly worship or fellowship will be asked to optimize the sessions by giving the members lessons from the Holy Bible, lectures on civics and government, good governance, meaningful leadership and full-fledged citizenship.
2. To totally activate the movement towards this vision, we will encourage members of the different religious groups and other citizens to sign up and become members of GUTS. They shall obey the principles of the movement and commit themselves to lifetime service to God, country, family and community.
They shall organize themselves into a National Association or National Union.
3. As members of GUTS, they shall study the possibility of adapting the primary system practiced by the political parties (Democratic and Republican) in the United States in choosing common candidates in national, provincial and local elections. Why this system? It is because we believe that good governance starts with choosing the right leaders. Through this very democratic process, genuine member empowerment is made possible: the candidate(s) is collectively chosen by the members themselves (using as yardstick candidate's moral qualifications, public and private-sector experience, potential and fitness for office) and a formidable force of informed, enlightened and organized “political blocks” that can deliver winning votes is produced.
4. As an overview, way before the campaign of 2010, it shall be the duty of GUTS leaders and preachers to educate the members on the good and bad qualities of each major candidate – his/her character, loyalty to family and faith values, record, platform, vision of the future, and potential capability to deliver on his promises.
College diplomas or degrees will not be the only criteria in the selection of our candidate(s). More important is how he/she has lived his/her life, his/her hopes and programs for the Filipino people, how he/she proposes to improve their lives and their general welfare.
5. Two weeks before the start of the official campaign, GUTS members shall meet for one day in their respective localities to discuss the pluses and minuses of each candidate based on his compliance with the Word of God. At the end of the day, an Ecumenical Service or Holy Mass shall be celebrated. A secret balloting among the members shall be held to choose the official candidate. The winning candidate (s) shall be proclaimed immediately.
6. The National Association or National Union shall have its own Comelec to count the votes locally and nationally. Once the winner is proclaimed, GUTS members shall campaign for their COMMON CANDIDATE(S) chosen by the members collectively and not by a party or leader.
“Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.” (Exodus 18:21)
Hopefully, the “USA primary system Philippine-style” will encourage deserving and qualified men and women to run for office because they can count on solid local and national support from GUTS.
7. After the elections, the party members shall continue monitoring the elected candidates (whether endorsed by GUTS or not) to ensure that good governance practices are faithfully observed.
This system, hopefully, will end the conventional wisdom that for evil to triumph, good men have to do nothing.
This system could be replicated by other religious and civic groups who are willing to vote solidly in the interest of giving the poor responsible officials and responsive governments.
INSEPERABILITY OF PIETY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE
The first Philippine labor unions were organized by Jesuit priests to empower the workers through union organizing and collective bargaining. The goal was to help workers and their families enjoy labor justice (commensurate pay, humane working conditions, etc.)
Since piety and good governance go hand in hand in the Philippine setting, we wonder why there are no efforts to organize the citizens for political action, to organize the masses for active citizenship, to educate them and rally them behind a single cause for jobs, justice, prosperity, equality, good government and responsible leadership.
Limang daang taon tayong nasa ilalim ng Espanya at mga paring Kastila. Apatnapung taon tayong sakop ng mga Amerikano kung kalian nagsimulang umusbong ang iba’t-ibang Kristiyanong kongregasyon. Bakit ganito pa rin ang ating bansa?
Maliwanag ang katotohanan: Walang tunay na pag-unlad kung hiwalay sa Salita ng Diyos!
Kung gayon, kailangang may magsusumikap na organisahin at pag-isahin ang masa para sa kanilang kabutihan at kabutihan ng bayan. Kailangan at mahalaga na ang mga masa ay maturuang bumoto ng maayos, pumili ng mga karapat-dapat na mga namumuno upang tayo ay hindi manatiling nasa dilim tungkol sa gubyerno at pulitika.
With GUTS, we can see a light of hope.
Indeed, our people need leaders who were chosen “with God’s blessings and approval.” This can be achieved by informed and enlightened citizens nominating and electing leaders whose priority in life is to serve God -- hence to serve the people sincerely. Good governance starts with choosing the right leaders, under God’s guidance.
GUTS will help identify our local and national priorities, provide an alternative to the self-serving nomination process, build a new system of effective voting, elect truly deserving men and women, involve citizens in the choice and election of responsible leaders and offer an option to the current system which is dictated by political parties, party coalitions, big-time financiers and a group of shadowy kingmakers.
In closing, let me quote from an exemplary Christian, one who lives by example. In his recent speech before the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International (FGBMFI), Bohol Chapter – and I quote the Honorable Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Reynato Serrano Puno in illustrating the differences between “leadership in the material world and that in the spiritual world”:
“Leaders in the material world become leaders by the process of ascending the ladder of power, by allying themselves with powerful vested interests of society; by kowtowing to the majority even if it is wrong; by following the fashion of the time, by continuously pushing themselves up and pushing down those against them.
Leaders of the spiritual world are different. They lead by descending from the ladder of power; they descend to ally themselves not with the powerful but with the powerless; they do not follow the fad and the fashion of the time but what is right and righteous for all time; they do not push themselves up but down so others may be elevated.”
Photos captured from Mr. Benny Yadao's picassa album. Thanks Mr. Yadao!
