As a center of Christian learning, we stand in the tradition of the sacred scriptures’ commitment to truth, to the institution of justice, to the promotion of human life, and the care of God’s creation.

As a community imbued with the Christian social vision and ethical commitment, we stand in the tradition of Christ’s preferential option for the poor and marginalized.

As a church-owned institution that promotes the ethos of Evangelical Christianity, we herald the social vision of the faith over against the political idolatries of our time.

As Christian Filipinos, we stand for our country’s sovereignty, national interest, and national patrimony. We advocate for the protection and promotion of our human rights and our God-given freedom as citizens of the republic.

I call on everyone in the UCC family to go out on May 9 and vote. Celebrate your right to suffrage and exercise it responsibly and prayerfully. Few are the times when we are called to participate directly in nation-building. The periodic national election is one among them. This is a sacred duty. Be sure that you have done your assignment as a citizen: do a thorough and intelligent analysis of our current social situation. Use the lens of the poor and marginalized in the course of your discernment. Read and re-read the candidates’ platform of government. Check on their backgrounds and character. This matters. Do not succumb to media manipulation and try to separate what’s propaganda from facts.

Learn from the lessons of the past; remember not to forget them lest we’ll be condemned to repeat them. Let our collective memory inform our vision and our votes. The civil Liberties we are enjoying today were bought with the blood of our heroes and martyrs. The least that we could do is to honor their toils and sacrifices with our votes. Pray before entering the voting precinct. Pray as you cast your vote. Pray as you go out of the precinct and commit yourself to protect your vote and the others’.

As UCCians, be guided by the UCC “F.I.R.E.S. criteria”:

We need a leader who is steeped in the faith – and with an upright moral compass

We need a leader with known integrity and probity

We need a leader who has shown or exhibited responsiveness and responsibility in his life and

work

We need a leader who excels on all things and on all fronts (hindi pwede ang “pwede na”)

We need a true servant-leader. One who has genuinely served his/her constituents in her/his capacity as a public servant

Or, we can be guided by the criteria of leadership that our faith community has set forth. In the words of the Scriptures-inspired Hymn, God Give Us A Leader penned by Luna & Perla Dingayan (HFJ#288), our [country] needs a leader

“… who cares for people who suffer and people in need … who listens to the cries of the poor, … a leader who lives by [God’s] word, a leader who shows us the way, who helps us to hope for a better day.”

“A leader who seeks not for silver or gold, a leader who longs for his/her people true freedom and food … who seeks not first place come what may and a leader who lives by God’s word.”

“A leader who leads her/his own people with justice and truth, a leader who works for true, lasting peace. … A leader who serves rather than to be served … who offers her/his life that others may live”