Faith in the Corridors of Power

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OMF L ITERATURE I NC .Manila, Philippines

Faithin the

Corridors

of Power

Evelyn Miranda-Feliciano

Reflecting on God, the Gospeland the Government with

Former Senate President Dr Jovito Salonga


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FAITH IN THE CORRIDORS OF POWERCopyright 2010 by Evelyn Miranda-Feliciano

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible: New Living Translation . 2nd edition NLT .

Copyright 1996, 2004 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Other Scripture quotations are taken from:

Holy Bible: Revised Standard Version. RSV . Old Testament section,copyright 1952 by the Division of the Christian Education of the

National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.New Testament section, copyright 1946 by the Division of the Christian

Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the UnitedStates of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language. Copyright 1993, 1994,1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission

of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

Published (2010) in the Philippines by

OMF Literature Inc.776 Boni Avenue

Mandaluyong City, Metro Manilawww.OMFLit.com

Cover designed by Jonathan de VeraInside pages designed by Aileen Barrongo

ISBN 978-971-009-059-4

Printed in the Philippines


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To those of us who love God and this country;who aspire for positions of leadership

to better serve our people;who desire nothing less than to leave noble

imprints in our history

of truth,justice,

peaceand righteousness.

May we have the courage of our heroes,and the clear vision of the Redeemed.


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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thank you, Dr Salonga (the Uncle Jovy ng Bayan) forgiving me the permission to write these reflective essays,interacting with your thoughts and the Holy Scriptures, an

enriching offshoot of working together with you on yourtwo more recent books. You did not only share your volu-minous (many still unpublished) documents with me, but

your heart as well, as one Christian to another over meals. You gifted me with your books from which I drew out yourthoughts, Not by Power or Wealth Alone , The Task of Build-

ing a Nation , The Intangibles that Make a Nation Great and A Journey of Struggle and Hope. What a great privilege forme not only to write about you, but hear you sing under

your breath, Amazing Grace. Thank you, OMF Lit for standing alongside me and

sharing the joy and the risk of publishing something not quite the usual kind of book your publishing is known for.May we open ourselves more to this lovely land of ours,share in her struggles and, in the best way we can, help inaddressing pressing social issues. Thank you, Paul Aragones,our forward-looking CEO, and OMF Lit personnel of out-standing caliber. My special appreciation to the editorialstaff, Yna, Beng, Joan, Lindy, among all others.


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Thank you, my husband David and sons, Bernard Daveand Karlo Blas, who share with me prayerful concerns andinvolvement in our community and country. Our table talksare often insightful.

Thank you, my praying friends (mostly women), who Imay not see often, but have assured me with their sustainedprayers as I write. Thinking of your support inspires me tocontinue on with the challenging, lonely task.

Thank you, Lourdes. As you ably put order in my house,I am able to put order in my thoughts.

And lastly, thank You, Lord. Without You, where wouldI and this book be ?


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CONTENTS

Foreword 11Introduction 13

An Opposition or an Enemy? 16 Ethics 18

And He Said, No 20 By Example 22

Peace Based on Justice 24 A Fresh Understanding 26

My Daily Offering 28 Competence 30

Bragging Rights 32 Sentinel of Justice 34

A Life of Relevance 36 Choosing the Way of the Cross 38

Unfailing Love 40 The Dread of Insignificance 42 Thank God No Matter What 44

Loving Our Land 46 The Educated Person 48

Richest Blessings from an Unjust Situation 50 His Power, His Strength 52 Leadership sans Position 54

Our Common Task 56 Air-conditioned Religion 58

Restoring Gods Image in Us 60 Servant Spirit 62 Flourishing Like Palm Trees 64


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One Less Headache 66 God Is in Control 68

Charter Change 70 Active Faith 72

Jockeying for Positions 74Not Pawns or Puppets 76

Standing Up 78 Knowing the Right and Defending It 80

What Makes a Nation Great? 82 Plans, Plans, Plans 84No to a New Car 86

Service Clothed in Humility 88 Living on Divine Extension 90

On Being President 92 Uncle, Win or Lose with Honor 94

Boldness in the Face of Doom 96 Constant Wrangling 98

Dont Let Go! 100 Respect for the Law 102

Learning to Walk 104 The Zeal for Freedom and Democracy 106

Wise Leadership 108

Coming Down from the Heights 110 The Power of Forgiveness 112 God-inspired Scripture 114

How Do You Study Your Bible? 116 Not Losing a Single One 118 Solitude and Loneliness 120

Redemption 122

The Courage to Change the Things I Can 124Politics, Again! 126

Freedom and Strength 128


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Sharing the Suffering 130 A True Friend 132

Transactional Leadership vs. Transforming Leadership 134 The Invitation Is for the Hard-working 136

To Earn for a Living or to Learn about Life 138 Trained to Stand Ready 140

A Government in the Making 142 Light of the World 144

Saved Neither by Slander nor Silence 146 Respect Is Earned 148

Facing Death 150 Get Down to Specifics 152

True Prophets 154Give Generously, Work Diligently 156

Freedom and the Sacredness of Life 158 Qualities for Life 160

Reconcile, Forgive and Forget 162 Up from Prison 164

Watch Your Heart 166 Rule of Law 168

The Root of Moral Courage 170 The Love of Money 172

The Ministry of Law 174 The Role of a Critic 176 Politics as a Vocation 178

A Public Life 180 I am Sorry 182

A Cloud of Witnesses 184 The Journey Has Just Begun 186

Thanking God 188 Think (and Talk) about Faith in the Corridors of Power 190

Endnotes 210


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FOREWORD

At a time in Philippine history when darkness pervadesgreed, corruption, immorality, abuse of power, and thepursuit of self-preservation over public interest increasing toan alarming degree Faith in the Corridors of Power by Evelyn Miranda-Feliciano is a burst of light.

The author aptly quotes former Senator Dr JovitoSalonga, the temptations of power are such that powercorrodes and corrupts and blinds even the best of men; andit is to the health and to the good of the country that theparty in power, with all the patronage and public wealth at its command, be put in constant check of a critical opposi-

tion. Dr Salonga was not just stating the persistent prob-lem of governance, but also challenging all Filipinos, in andout of the government, to call on the Almighty God to in-tervene.

Evelyn Miranda-Feliciano, in her deep, reflective, chal-lenging style, engages the reader to pause and reflect on hisown Christian values. In one entry, she writes, If our reli-gion is a little air-conditioned room on one side of life, anescape, a refuge from the real issues, then the Gospel ismeaningless. Christianity in its true essence is not a formalreligion; it is a Faith that is either nothing or everything,embracing all of life or none at all.

The need to grapple with the Scriptural and cultural

intricacies of my own faith is much greater in this present time. With the pace of living getting insanely rapid; technol-ogy getting more highly complex and dynamic, making our


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world smaller; and Christianity being challenged against various beliefs, emerging worldviews and worldly percep-tions, Does my faith encompass these realities ? Do I have enough faith to address these issues and share the love of God in an unforgiving world ? The bottom line is I cannot give what I do not have.

What I want to haveand share with othersis a strong, vibrant and uncompromising faith as exemplified by Old

Testament characters such as Nehemiah and Daniel, as wellas 18 th to 19 th century leaders such as William Wilberforceand Abraham Lincoln.

In our government, there are many present-day heroes who are often ignored or bypassed; heroes who remain un-recognized except by the Almighty and Sovereign God, anda discerning few who seebeyond the dirty politicstheheroes faithful hearts. Evelyn Miranda-Feliciano, in inter-acting with the statesman Dr Jovito Salonga, tells us what kind of heroes our country needs today.

As a public servant for 24 years, I believe that Faith inthe Corridors of Power comes at a most significant time.Church and marketplace leaders like me need this book to

help us with our spiritual values especially as God contin-ues to help me and my co-laborers minister to government officials in the military and police. To keep ourselves fo-cused, relevant and useful, values need to be constantly challenged and strengthened. As Proverbs 27:17 reiterates,As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

May this book increase your love for God, country and

people, and may it also strengthen your faith.N IELS P ATRICK C. R ICONALLA

Chairman, Fellowship of Christians in Government, Inc. (FOCIG)


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Dr Salonga has this singular privilege of not simply living along life but a very productive, active life especially in therealm of national leadership, governance and the Christianfaith. He lives the truth which the psalmist sings:

Even in old age they will still produce fruit; They will remain vital and green. They will declare, The Lord is just!

He is my rock! There is nothing but goodness in him!

PSALM 92:14-15

I discovered the wealth of Dr Salongas thoughts when heengaged me in the writing of his two books: Not by Power or

Wealth Alone and A Test of Courage. Dr Salonga loves the Word;he loves God. He loves this country. In his long career in gov-ernment service, he has tried to live his life informed and shapedby Holy Scripturesas a Christian lawyer, a government offi-cial and a respected statesman. Yet, most of us dont know thisspiritual side (which I believe is the bedrock of his person)because we only see him from afara national figure oftensummoned for his wisdom when the nation is askew. Also, hiswritings are not readily accessible to us, ordinary Filipinos.

I thought we need to know this manone of the few pre-cious ones we have still around who could speak with authorityand relevance; credibility and power; depth and prescience onour national life. May these vignettes of his life and snippets of

his reflections on which I interacted with the Holy Scripturesinspire us to live our faith in the place of action, to keep our


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ethics engaged with conduct, and the Word at the centerof life.

It is also my hope that this book will elevate our interactionwith the Word, not only with personal issues but with societys,specifically in politics, the arena in which most of our lives isenmeshed. May a dawning come upon us that this countryafter all is worth living a long life for. Take it from our beloved,Dr Jovito R. Salonga!

Evelyn Miranda-Feliciano1 February 2010


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rophet Nathan confronts King David about his sin of mur-der and adultery. He plays the role of the opposition, but

he is not the kings enemy. All the prophet wants to do is tocondemn the grievous crimes of a ruler who has gone soft onhis moral obligations to his people. David, in giving in to hisselfish desires, has done his own peoplespecifically Uriah andhis wife, Bathshebaa great injustice.

We all need a Nathan, an opposition, to help us stay on theright course. Most times, they are our parents, or friends whoconfront us when we are wrong. For a moment they mightseem like the great antagonists in our life, but then, we realizelater on how right they were.

In a democracy, the role of the opposition is just asimportant as the party in power. Dr Salonga was no stranger

P

An Oppositionor an Enemy?

Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this

horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword

of the Ammonites and stolen his wife Because of what you have done,

I will cause your own household to rebel against you

You did it secretly, but I will make this happen to you

openly in the sight of all Israel.

2 SAMUEL 12:9, 1112


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to being in the opposition. The word, he explains, does notnecessarily mean an enemy ( kaaway or kalaban ) or traitor. InFilipino, opposition is tagasalungat which carries the idea of combating wrong. And that, exactly, is the oppositions role asNathans is in the life of King David.

Dr Salonga tells us that it is in times of crises that bothparty in power and the opposition have the crucial responsib-ility to show their loyalty to the cause of truth and freedom.

He explains, The temptations of power are such that powercorrodes and corrupts and blinds even the best of men; and itis to the health and to the good of the country that the partyin power, with all the patronage and the public wealth at itscommand, be put in constant check of a critical opposition. 1

And because in time, the opposition becomes the party in

power, it should be responsible in its criticisms. It should notuse the freedom to debate as a license to mislead and distortbut to enlighten, to ferret out truth so justice may triumph.

Thus he appeals for everyone to help elevate the level of political debate and dialogue in our country. It should be thekind that contributes to lucid thought and fearless criticismthat would persuade one and all that the survival of democracyin this country is more important than a temporary electoralvictory and that love of country is impossible unless we loveour fellowmen.


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hen we take our Christian faith seriously, we are bound todiscover what the Apostle Paul had discovered for himself.Real faith is not the kind that lazes out in the sun, soaking tanamidst swaying coconuts and gentle breezes. Rather, it is aconstant struggle to do the right thing.

In the realm of governance, having ethics is crucial. Ethics,Dr Salonga explains, is the discipline dealing with right andwrong. He points out that common sense tells us the thingsthat are right are the things that help people and society atlarge, such things as honesty, fairness, decency and account-ability. Its practical dimension is embodied in the oft-quotedGolden Rule enunciated by Jesus, Do for others what youwould like them to do for you (Matthew 7:12).

Dr Salonga lays it down in practical terms. This means, hesays, that if I dont want to be lied to, hence I should not lie to

Ethics

I have discovered this principle of lifethat when I want to do what is right,

I inevitably do what is wrong. I love Gods law with all my heart. But there is

another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power wins and

makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person

I am! Who will free me from the life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank

God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I

really want to obey Gods law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

ROMANS 7:2125

W


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others. I dont want my possessions stolen, therefore I shouldnot steal other peoples possessions. If I dont want to be cheatedby the other candidates for president, then I should not cheatthem. These should have been simple, if only our politicianshave brought their ethics with them when they entered poli-tics. Sadly, many seemed to have forgotten about it altogether.

The spiritual dimension of ethics is more than its recipro-city. People have an inner sense of right and wrong. That is

why we feel guilt and shame, Dr Salonga elucidates. And hequotes Abraham Lincoln who said, When I do good, I feelgood. When I do bad, I feel bad. Dr Salonga has earned morethan enough money by rendering his services as a lawyer forbig corporations. Yet he shares, my happiest moment was notwhen I received a handsome attorneys fee but when I de-

fended gratis et amorean old man, a friend of my late fatherwho was erroneously convicted by a biased judge. I appealedthe judgment of conviction, prepared the written brief atmy expense and personally argued his case in the Court of

Appeals, knowing he could not pay me even if he wanted to. When the judgment of acquittal came, I thought I was thehappiest man in the world. 2 He concludes that beyond honestyand fairness, compassion and caring for other people, espe-cially those who are in need, are among lifes highest ethicalvalues.

Let us put back ethics into our life. If in doubt as to whatcourse of action to take, hold it. Pause and pray and ask Godfor enlightenment.


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he story of Daniel and his three friendsexiles and slaves ina foreign landis familiar to us. They must have come from

blue-blooded Jewish families such that the king had interest inmaking them his palace servants and wanted them to get usedto the culture of his own people. Daniel and his friends wereoffered food by the king but they said, Thank you, but no!

Saying no was a great risk to their lives. Who would daredefy the kings order? But Daniel did and lived to tell theamazing story of his rise from being a defiant young slave tobecoming a cabinet member of the great Babylonian and Per-sian empires.

Saying no to the continued operation of the US bases inthe Philippines after it had reached its legal expiration in 1991was also a great risk for then Senate President Salonga. Evenformer President Cory Aquino took to the streets to rally for

the bases retention as the Senate deliberated on its fate.Sen. Salonga sealed it by voting, No. One last word, he said

T

And He Said,No

But Daniel made up his mind not to defile himself by eating the food

and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief official for

permission to eat other things instead.

DANIEL 1: 8


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in his historic speech, I have been warned by well-meaningfriends that my stand on this Treaty may hurt my chances of becoming president. That is an insignificant consequence. Intimes of great crisis, our martyrs and heroes offered their livesthat our people might become truly free. September 16, 1991may well be the day when we, in this Senate, found the soul,the true spirit of this nation because we mustered the courageand the will to declare the end of foreign military presence in

the Philippines and help pave the way to lasting peace hereand in the world. Blessed are the peacemakers, Jesus said inhis deathless Sermon on the Mount, for they shall be calledchildren of God.

I vote No to this Treaty. And if it were possible, I wouldvote 203 million times No! I vote a resounding Yes to the

Resolution of Non-concurrence. Salamat po at mabuhay ang bansang Pilipinas! 3

The No of the Senate was seconded by the Mt. Pinatuboeruption. The American government abandoned the bases.Contrary to the common fears, the Subic-Olongapo area isnow a thriving economic hub where Filipinos not only find

jobs but freedom from any foreign interference.May we, too, find the courage to say no to the things and

preferences that run counter to Gods will. May we be resolutewhen we say, No, and be sure when we say, Yes.

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Faith in the Corridors of Power