​January is drawing to a close, but the message and promises for 2024 still stand. The high hopes and coruscating assurance of a blessed year abide. There is a solid confidence to see the fulfillment of every augured word proclaimed for us by The True and Almighty God. As the soul prospers, so will we flourish in all things. Thus, it is a year of supernatural abundance and exceptional prosperity in our lives. We are destined for extraordinary protection, progress, and provision. It will be an action-packed year, for we are destined only to experience the goodness and faithfulness of The Everlasting God. Dovetailed with God by the Spirit, we have access to every good and perfect gift from above. Spirituality is the way of the Spirit that spiritual people live.
 
Spiritual people live spirituality. There are a lot of notions that spiritual people are limited to those who serve as leaders of religious sects or denominations. Others consider only those who are so committed to a religious group. Devotees, if we may refer to them. But anybody and everyone has the right to become spiritual men and women. As for among us, being Public employees, we are spiritual people too. As we are called "public servants" who have a heart to inspire and affect the community, we are characterized by genuine concern and selflessness to serve others. Beholden to our commitment to public welfare, spirituality is as essential as exemplifying other values. We must practice it in public service as we exercise it in our private lives as an occupation.
 
The root word of spirituality is spirit; spirit was derived from the Latin spīritus, whose original meaning was "breath, breathing" and hence "spirit, soul, courage, vigor. Thus, spirituality entails attaching life and "meaning" to the work being done[W1]  in the workplace. It inspires us to connect to the Being higher than us- Our Almighty God. Moreover, spirituality can help us connect with our inner motivation and higher purpose. It will aid us in finding meaning in our work. It will revitalize a greater sense of calmness, peacefulness, a healthy mind, and well-being. A sense of well-being among the employees can be influential in developing motivation and improving public service quality. Spirituality in the workplace could also improve communication and build better relationships with co-workers, resulting in increased job satisfaction, productivity, and profitability. The goal of spirituality in the workplace is to create an environment that is accurately connected to God, establishing a culture of positivity and productivity.
 
A spiritually-based workplace can give employees a conscious awareness of family or community, support, and belonging. This leads to improved job gratification, personal fulfillment, and organizational commitment. Agencies and employers also are positioned to benefit from generating spirituality in the workplace or spiritually-filled environment. We acknowledge spirituality as a significant feature of an organizational culture. Offices with spiritually healthy workplaces tend to have lower employee discontent, decreased turnover rates, and minimized absenteeism. Negativity is shut down, and problems are addressed accordingly. Further, employees who feel cared for and supported spiritually are more likely to be life-carriers, creative, and innovative. Above all, spirituality will inspire every employee to embrace a new heart and spirit in their work. There will be a new mindset refocused on bringing glory to God and satisfaction among our clientele.
 
With these, we are positioned to receive the good promises of God that are all yes and amen for 2024 and beyond

​President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said in his last State of the Nation Address, “Our journey to progress requires not only unity and social cohesion amongst our people. It is also imperative that our nation remains intact and inviolable, our sovereignty preserved. We will protect our sovereign rights and preserve our territorial integrity, in defense of rules-based international order.”
 
Indeed, “protecting our sovereign rights and preserving our territorial integrity” is one of the pressing issues in the Philippines. We need to protect our country from outside invasion. However, we should not be blinded of the fact that our country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity can also be weakened, not just by foreign oppressors but internal oppressors. Undoubtedly, there can be oppressors within our turf that aggravates or intensify the challenging state of life of our citizens. These are the people who take advantage of their positions to gratify their selfish ambitions and greed, thereby shortchanging our nation’s fullest potential.
 
Every year, we appropriate budget amounting to trillions of pesos which are not even completely satisfied from our own savings and collections of taxes. We borrow money from international sources to sustain our government operational needs. To this date, we are not self-sufficient. On top of this, there is no guarantee that our big-ticket projects with the budget of billions of pesos are funded fully or accurately because of the ruthless practice of kickbacks and unwarranted commissions. Candidly, there are more unscrupulous insiders than outsiders.
 
Borrowing from an article of Asia Society on Building a Nation of Integrity, it highlighted that “To achieve a truly corrupt-free Philippines, each and every Filipino, must pledge to live a life of integrity”. Consequently, we can address serious problems such as poverty, increasing foreign and domestic debts, budget deficits, low investment, and the likes. It is beyond cavil that integrity is an inviolable core value if we are to win this nation to its glorious destiny, not just a developing country. The Civil Service Commission identified it right that integrity is one of the values that civil servants should possess. It is in pursuant to the provision of our Constitution in Article 2, Section 27 that says, “The State shall maintain honesty and integrity in the public service and take positive and effective measures against graft and corruption”.
 
In the same way, private citizens should observe the same. Nation building is the business of all. It is a public-private partnership endeavor.
 
As we contemplate on how we can significantly contribute in nation-building this year, let us commit or recommit to live a life of integrity. Our words and actions in and outside of the workplace have the power to influence others to uphold the same.