Is there a need for a Christian legislative agenda?

First of two partsTHERE is an existing irony of sorts that the Philippines has been exhibiting as the unofficial capital of Christianity in Asia and the Pacific region.To explain this, it is widely known that the Philippines is known to be the only Christian nation in the largest continent of the world (Asia) and claims more than one-fourth of all the Christians in Asia. The Philippine Statistics Authority reported in February 2023 that, based on the 2020 census of 108,667,043 Filipinos, almost 90 percent are Christians (broken down as 78.81 percent Catholics and 10.8 percent to 11 percent Protestants). This 90 percent amounts to around 97,000,000 Filipinos who claim to be Christian.According to Gordon-Cornwell's Center for the Study of Global Christianity, as of the middle of the year 2021, there are approximately 382,829,000 Christians in Asia.Juxtaposing the Philippine data of Christians against that of the continent of Asia, Filipino Christians make up approximately 25.34 percent of the total Christian population in Asia. In other words, of every four Asian Christians, one is Filipino.However, despite this blessed honor of being called the only Christian nation in Asia, it is tragic to know that the country is also one of the most corrupt in the region.According to the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), the Philippines ranked 115th out of 180 countries with a score of 34 in the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).The Philippines' score of 34 is also well below the global average of 43 and the Asia-Pacific region's average of 45. In fact, it was only ahead of Mongolia (33), Pakistan (29), and Papua New Guinea (29), as well as countries with governments deemed autocratic, such as Laos (28), Bangladesh (24), Cambodia (22), Afghanistan (20), Myanmar (20) and North Korea (17).As to our Southeast Asian region, the Philippines is at the lower end of the spectrum.This irony of being a Christian yet lagging in official international measures of uprightness and efficiency has become a common occurrence for the Philippines. There seems to be a disconnect between the profession of faith by the Filipinos and the way that we run our society and government.Religion and religious organizations have had a profound impact on Philippine politics and governance ever since the colonial period when Catholicism was brought to us by a colonial power. The Church and priests, together with governmental authorities, ran the daily lives of the colonized communities. The Americans, on the other hand, expanded and institutionalized public education where many of the teachers (Thomasites) sent to different areas were Christian missionaries. Likewise, the EDSA People Power Revolution that deposed former dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. was largely supported by the religious sector, with the Archbishop of Manila, Jaime Cardinal Sin, calling the faithful to action.In current times, organized churches are deeply involved in electoral politics, both in selecting candidates and in Church members running for office. The Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ), known for its bloc voting practice among its members, has supported various presidential candidates over the years and has now extended to local and barangay elections. Similarly, with the running of televangelist and leader of the Jesus is Lord Movement, Bro. Eddie Villanueva, the political party-list "Bangon Pilipinas," secured 3 percent of the votes in the 2004 national elections. Some movements like the Pilipino Movement for Transformational Leadership (PMTL), which includes Catholics, Protestants and Born Again groups, have united to back "God-centered servants." More recently, the Christian Values Movement was organized within Christian circles with the vision of seeing a movement of God-fearing government leaders committed to nation-building towards righteousness and prosperity for the glory of God.These different initiatives saw the increased awareness, participation, and election of candidates fashioning themselves as "Christian politicians," especially those belonging to the Bible Believing Christians (Evangelicals) in the local and national offices. Congressmen and women (Senate and House of Representatives) have a number of well-known Christian leaders as their members. Several key government agencies and offices also have their own "Christian Fellowships" that have been organized voluntarily by employees, including the Office of the President (Fellowship of Christians in Government, or FOCIG).But despite the emergence of numerous "Christian" initiatives, there seems to be a lack of a profound Christian impact on the policies and legislation in the country. The push for liberal legislation seems to be moving forward where international liberal support has poured in. An observable fact is that when pushed in the heat of the legislative and policy process, the influence of the Christian and biblical worldview over policymakers dissolves and dissipates. The numbers would show that even among Christian legislators (Catholic or Protestant) when it comes to casting their votes on deeply moral and religious matters, one would still likely go along party or political lines. This means that their professed faith or religious organizations have a lesser influence on their politics than those liberal agendas (backed up by monied international organizations), where they may find better political benefit in the long run.To be concluded on July 18, 2024Lawyer Jeremiah B. Belgica, REB, EnP, was the first director general of the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA). He is a founder and co-managing partner of Belgica Aranas Baldueza de la Cruz and Associates. He is also a pastor and a sought-after speaker for Christian biblical law and [email protected]