Barangay Elections

Despite the election-related killings Comelec reports the national situation is generally peaceful. Our elections have so far been described as a popular Pyesta when lots of easy money is available. People are enjoying the pyesta. Never mind the moral corruption it is perpetuating and dulling people’s conscience.

Our Social Action Centers used to give, and are still giving, seminars on political actions or Church and Politics. But as usual they have become useless and a waste of time. On the eve of Election Day, when bags of cash money flood the area, people forget the political education seminars. This is a big pastoral and moral issue.

My take in this issue is educational on a long term basis. I am thinking of a strategy to prepare people for good governance. A long range program of educating good, intelligent, competent, moral, vision-led, political leaders before they run for seats in the barangay elections. I think with proper guidance we as Church leaders can start with our Gagmay’ng Kristohanong Katilingban (GKK) or Basic Ecclesial Communities (BEC).

In every GKK it is easy to spot talented and gifted youth. Once identified we offer them the necessary opportunities and means to grow and develop in an holistic and integrated way acquiring the necessary values and skills.

But we need to organize and create a group of experts who will plan with the help of the laity and the religious men and women from our schools. Foreign embassies are already doing this education and training of our talented youth for their own purposes, which creates suspicion about a possible hidden agenda.

Most of the successes and failures of leaders in society, government, business, and politics can be traced back to the ways they were educated and trained as young students.