A Rededication of Principles of Filipino Families

The following developments give Filipino families a cause for alarm which needs an immediate but deliberate response:

1. Transparency International, an anti-corruption watchdog, in its Corruption Perceptions Index of September last year, reported that the Philippines is one of the most corrupt nations in the world. With zero being the most corrupt and 10 as being the cleanest, the Philippines had a score of 2.3, and was ranked 141st out of 180 countries surveyed. Somalia, the African nation without a functioning government, is considered the most corrupt country with a score of 1.0, followed by Myanmar with 1.3, Iraq 1.3, Haiti 1.4 and Afghanistan 1.5.

2. Crimes are continually visited on our children, such as the case of Tara Santelices, the Ateneo de Manila college graduate who was shot on her birthday in August last year;

3. The investigation of the spread of sexually-explicit videos in the web and optical media focuses solely on the injury to a celebrated participant, forgetting their execrable influence on the minds of youths who have access to them;

4. A perceived lack of popular interest in the presidential elections of 2010, the failure of which could lead to socio-economic and political catastrophe for the country.

For these reasons, we, fathers, mothers and children of Filipino families reiterate the following principles that define the family as the basic unit of society:

1. Basic Values

By being as close to God as possible in a dangerous world, we will continue to pray and share on the articles of our faith every night as a family. When we attend religious service, we will go as one unit: father, mother and children, whenever they are available.

Fathers lead by example and are the first priest, pastor or mullah of their families. Mothers are the light of their families, supporting the initiatives of fathers who look after the welfare of their children not only in terms of material comfort, but more importantly in terms of imparting positive values.

We are committed to spend more and more time with each other. For those of us whose heads may be overseas workers, we depend on our relatives to promote a sense of family for the sake of our children who look to their elders for guidance and affection.

Fathers and mothers are friends to their children and their friends by spending with them quality and quantity time.

2. Place God in the Center

We believe that money, power, talent and other possessions are mere gifts, that material comfort is not an end but a blessing for knowing our Creator and placing Him in the center of our lives—first in our priorities always.

3. Love our Country

We offer the Philippines our patriotic fervor. We may be the most talented, most creative, most religious people on earth but our labors will come to nothing if we are lukewarm to the country to whom we owe our allegiance.

4. Protect Our Democracy

The country that started People Power in 1986, that directly or indirectly led to the peaceful dismantling of the infamous Berlin Wall in 1989 and a host of undemocratic regimes around the world such as those in Serbia, Georgia and Ukraine, is now in the grip of something more egregious than a dictatorship, and it is the lack of concern for our country's well being. Politicians with hidden agenda are unchecked because they are surrounded by sycophants who feed them with lies about their electability. Therefore, those of us with winnable qualities and leadership abilities will engage in political contest in 2010 and in the coming elections. The rest will give support by means of peaceful rallies, door-to-door interviews, blogs, letters to the editors, get-out-and-vote campaigns, fund-raising, merchandising and campaign stops for worthy candidates.

In conclusion, armed revolution is not an option. Migration used to be one, but the global economic downturn singles out Business Process Outsourcing companies as pockets of economic growth. Young people would rather stay in the Philippines because after all, the country is a happy place. All it needs is good government. If we present functional families as basic units of governance, then maybe, we have a chance to be reassessed for our perceived corruption, to live in peaceful communities where justice is served on time, to preserve the sanctity of sex as a marital honor with God as the third person in the triumvirate of holy procreation, and finally to deserve a leader who will look after our orphaned interests.

We, the undersigned, call on Filipino families to rededicate themselves to the principles herein stated: