Pilgrimage for Peace 2010

Binhi sang Pagtuo

March 15, 2010

Dear Centralians and Friends,

Greetings from the campus!

The Convention Baptist Ministers Association (CBMA) has declared that the months of March and April be dedicated in learning the role of the church in shaping society especially as the Philippines is preparing for the May 2010 elections.

Let me share with you the PILGRIMAGE FOR PEACE 2010 Election Primer prepared by the CBMA leadership.* Please feel free to reproduce this and distribute to people.

Election fever is on again. TV ads, banners, flyers, caucuses, speeches, and promises are again robbing us of simple solace even at home. As the campaign period fires on, may our minds will not be carried away by the whims and schemes of those who aspire for power. Let no one blind us of the issues that had been besetting the Philippine society for so long. These issues are unequal sharing of land and resources, poverty, corruption, unemployment, religious indifference, foreign domination, and the like. Most recently, the nation seems to have been plagued with politics of impunity by many of those in power resulting to indiscriminate and extra-judicial killings and disappearances, and warlordism.

Most people are sick and tired of politics, especially election. This country have witnessed that in its most recent history, everything that could be used for cheating had been used for cheating. Many have grown hopeless and fatalistic. But some are not giving up because of some sign spots of hope. Some remain optimistic despite the gruesome state of the country because for them, Philippines is like any growing person. The setbacks are right of passage in the growing process.

The CBMA shares the same view. As we reclaim our nation, we cling on to the following: Hope, Vision, and Struggle – Hope amidst despair; Vision of a beloved community in the era of darkness; and protracted struggle for justice and lasting peace.

The 2010 elections is not only about changing the incumbent and electing to power anyone; this election is about Hope, Vision, and Struggle.

Meanwhile, we wish to equip our people with a critical awareness so each and everyone can cast their votes secretly, and the votes will be canvassed transparently. It is on this ground that we put forward the following:

PRAYER – The Bible says, pray continually. When there seems to be no one to turn to in these perilous times, a Christian can pray. And while one can always pray personally, let us remember that we can also pray as a community of faith. As you pray together, please bring into God’s throne of grace and mercy the issues that affect the life of the world God has created. These issues are maybe spiritual, economic, social, and political; in faith we can confidently say, “I know the Lord will answer all our prayers.”

EDUCATION – A good Christian is one who both believes and seeks to understand. As we have our individual and group Bible studies, let us not be contented only with what the Word of God means; let us proceed by asking what the Word means to the World today. Include in your study list Elections 2010 as the most pressing event. Make a thorough background check of the candidates. Check the daily papers, the internet; listen to the radio, get updated of TV news, and so on. Make use of every mode of communication that provides avenue for learning. Share what you glean with your fellow believers, neighbors, and anyone.

ANALYSE – Don’t get contented with mere data and raw information. Investigate. Be critical. Engage in formal and casual conversations with people. Stage a friendly and worthwhile debate. Agree to disagree. Wrestle with each other’s ideas and beliefs. On top of all, do not forget to respect one’s position. Hence, the future of this country does not only lie on the hands of its leaders, but on the maturity and vigilance of the people as a cohesive body to watch over those who govern them.

COMMIT – One can never know that you know what is right unless you make a decision on something. After scrutinizing the background and track records of the candidates and their parties, and after you have consolidated and articulated the people’s agenda, you have to make a decision. The decision is maybe very personal, but it may also be collective since others might be sharing the same thing. Let no one catch you in a compromise. Decide for someone or for something. It can maybe wrong, but that’s alright. The worse decision once could make is to have no judgment at all. Judge and decide.

ELECT– Suffrage is your basic right. With it, you can be equal with even the most powerful person in the country. That one vote that you have is worth your soul. It should neither be sold nor be given to someone popular, winnable, and had been winning the survey. It matters not that your choice of whom to vote is maybe very unpopular. It is maybe a swim against the water, but that is what it takes to be a live fish; by just going with the flow makes you a dead one. It may not be a winning vote, but a vote of principle; it may not be a timely vote, but at least a vote of hope. Unpopular, yes, but what is popular is not always right and what is right is not always popular. Make your vote an expression of protest against evil. Make your vote a flicker of light for others to see, so they will share the same vision and hopefully join the ongoing struggle for making a better community.

May God bless us all!

Sincerely,

Pastor Francis Neil G. Jalando-on

CBMA President

Assistant Chaplain, CPU

*Thanks to Pastor Elizer Geromiano, Dean of CBMA Institute, for writing the primer.