by: Dr. Laurence C. Mascay Repentance is not only being sorry. It is more about acknowledging our mistake, becoming sorrowful about it, and deciding to change our hearts which leads to a change of words and actions. As the Apostle Paul said, “I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds”. When a person genuinely repents, it is expressed outwardly.
Sadly, a number of people “repent” because they were caught in their wrongdoings, and not because they are repentant. Meaning, when their misdeeds were not uncovered they will continue to do it and will not repent at all. God’s Word says, “Whoever hides their sins will not be successful, but whoever confesses their sins and stops doing wrong will receive mercy. Great blessings belong to those who are careful to avoid sin, but stubborn people will have plenty of troubles”. Consequently, being unrepentant have serious consequences that are disastrous to the person involved, while humility in repentance results in blessings. An unrepentant heart is caused by pride! Pride is the failure to admit a mistake. Also, it is caused by the thought of being always right and refusal to accept for correction from others. Arrogant people are on the verge of colossal downfall and disgrace as pride leads to destruction. We tend to forget that acknowledging our misdeeds and shortcoming and repenting from them never makes us less of a person nor a degradation of ourselves. Instead, it is key to gaining favor from God and respect from people. In life, we should not expect people to repent, especially when they don’t want to. But let us be a man or woman of repentance whenever we fall into sin. Such is pleasing to our Creator. Apostle John syas, “If we confess our sins to God, He can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away.” In implication, whenever we commit a mistake, with the help of the Almighty, let us strive not to repeat it and live righteously as an outward expression that we have repented or have a change of heart. In humility in repentance, we receive a blessing; pride in an unrepentant heart results in disgrace.
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by: Micah A. Tecne As the author of book of Hebrews said that we need to obey our leaders and submit to their authority. Being under someone’s authority abhors us to follow what is instructed to us. It is a common practice to show our honor and reverence to the one who leads us. But what if we don’t agree or doubt the directions given to us and our perspectives and principles contradicts what is being instructed us to do? Are we going to do it or not? How can we still maintain a right attitude towards our leaders?
Is it possible that we can obey and not necessarily be submissive? Yes! It is possible for us to easily do the task given to us and we can still murmur, about it and despise our leaders. And because of our wrong attitude we are not able to produce excellent outputs. We lose our motivation that is silently sabotaging the whole work entrusted to us. It is easy to obey and follow instructions but it’s a great challenge for us to maintain a good attitude and be submissive to our leaders. John Bevere stated that obedience deals with our responsive actions toward authority. Submission deals with the attitude toward authority. Being submissive is a heart challenge for all of us especially when our principles contradicts the directives given to us. How will we, the righteous, maintain a submissive attitude towards a wicked leader? David still respected and honored King Saul who numerously attempted to kill him recognizing the authority God placed in the latter’s life. He had the opportunities to win over the king, but he chose not to place the judgment over his hands but to the One who appointed the king. He still revered and treated Saul as the king over Israel and who was God’s appointed. Again as John Bervere wrote that whether the authority is civil, family, church, or social, God admonishes a submissive regard to be our attitude, and we are to obey in action, unless authority tells us to do what is clearly seen as sin. We are called not to compromise but we are also admonished to still honor those who are in authority. The story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who refused to obey the verdict of the wicked King Nebuchadnezzar. They did not bow down to the kings statue as ordered given that it contradicts with their faith that enraged the king and summoned them. They still honored and revered the king as they stated their reason by speaking to him and acknowledging his position as his majesty. They were thrown into a burning furnace and miraculously, they were not burned and preserved that made the king convinced of what they stood for. Our best defense and assurance will always be a submissive heart towards the one who positioned people over us. May it be that we will be submissive in every way as Jonathan’s armor bearer once said, “Do all that you have in mind, go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.” This submissive attitude brought the two, the master and servant, to a glorious victory of killing some twenty men in an area of about half an acre. We don’t just obey , we submit! By: Mr. Nathaniel A. Saquiban In a country, like the Philippines, where poverty among the populace is one of the major problems, it is good to determine whether inequality is the root cause. According to the press release of the World Bank dated November 24, 2022, inequality remains high in our country. The top 1 percent of earners together capture 17 percent of national income, with only 14 percent being shared by the bottom 50 percent.
The above shows that only a small percent of the population enjoy a significant portion of the national income while a large percentage of the population share among themselves a meager portion of the national income. This signifies that there is maldistribution of wealth in our country, not because there is defect in the existing laws, processes, and procedures but how the riches of our country are managed and distributed. It is a fact that due to evil intent or motive, there are instances where the resources of our country are amassed by few who are in power. Selfish gain and partisanship largely affect the proper administration of our wealth. This results to inadequate modernization in places where development is much needed. This is where the value of equality comes into play. For this value to be observed, there is also a need to take into consideration the Spanish term called “delicadeza”. As a Filipino citizen, there must be a sense of shame or personal discipline not to take advantage of the plight of others or not to keep enjoying and maintaining a luxury life while others are in want. The Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees states, in relation to this, that public officials and employees should develop an understanding and appreciation of the socio-economic conditions prevailing in the country, especially in the depressed rural and urban areas. How then can we apply the value of equality in simple ways? By doing away with “palakasan” system and undue influence which normally deprive someone from a position of power who ought to possess it or divesting someone from any privilege such as promotion, job, incentives, or benefits who ought to receive it. It is also by eliminating any form of oppression in an office or by putting an end to any act of discrimination based on culture, race, religious belief, or political inclination. Allegedly, there are instances where a local government hardly receives support from the national government if the national leader lost in the last election in the locality or if the local leader is not a political ally of the national leader. This must come to an end. What does the government do in order to uphold the value of equality? Our country is replete with principles and laws on equality. In taxation itself, there is a principle called equality and uniformity in taxation which means that all taxable articles or kinds of property of the same class shall be taxed at the same rate. In the same manner, our constitution upholds the principle called equal protection of the laws under the bill of rights. This provision in our constitution is also called the equal protection clause which requires the following elements: (1) rest on substantial distinctions, (2) be germane to the purpose of the law, (3) not be limited to existing conditions only, and (4) apply equally to all members of the same class. Based from the above principles, the value of equality, thus, admits differences and distinctions. This means that in our jurisdiction, equality is not without classification. Instead, it recognizes the distinctive characteristics or condition of properties and individuals. It simply means that those who are situated alike must be treated alike and accorded the same protection, opportunities, privileges, and benefits. In other words, people or properties should not be treated equally with the others if there is a clear and identifiable differentiation. To do otherwise is perpetrating inequality and injustice. As we celebrate the national women’s month, let us therefore continue to ensure that women will be accorded the same rights and privileges as the men and let us continue to support the existing laws which uphold the protection of women against any form of violence or abuse. by: Nathaniel A. Saquiban Accountability is one of the most important values that we should observe as Filipinos. Our Constitution uphold and enforces it to the optimum standard at all times especially among civil servants in relation to the execution of their public functions. Section 1 of Article XI of the Constitution states that “Public office is a public trust. Public officers and employees must, at all times, be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty, and efficiency; act with patriotism and justice, and lead modest lives.”
The provision of the law is directed to public officials and employees because of the duty to give account to those who voted for them in the political office and to those who are paying their taxes with the expectation that excellent public service will be delivered to them. It is due to accountability that the standard of public service is high. It means that there is no room for poor performance and lackadaisical attitude in all aspects of administration. It also means that the value of accountability applies even outside office hours as it emphasizes that it should be practiced “at all times”. Simply put, a public official or employee cannot misbehave as they should be honorable representatives of the government. The importance of accountability is doubtless and needless to exaggerate. The Council for the Restoration of Filipino Values took note of its crucial role for the effective and efficient delivery of services to the public. This resulted to the crafting of its program called “Public Accountability and Values Enhancement Seminar” in order to reinforce the requirements of the law on accountability. We must realize that it is one of the values that is mandated to be applied in the discharge of public duties. Demanding the officials of the government to be accountable at all times means that accountability as a value should be observed at all times. It is an indispensable requirement for public service. It is a norm of conduct for public officials and employees. Section 4 of Republic Act 6713 states, “Public officials and employees shall commit themselves to the democratic way of life and values, maintain the principle of public accountability, and manifest by deeds the supremacy of civilian authority over the military”. In the same manner, while the Constitution focuses to govern the conduct of public officials and employees by imposing the value of accountability, it can also be said that accountability is applicable and expected of equal weight to us as private individuals. As citizens of the Philippines, we have the duty to take care of our country and keep its beauty. We should not be participant and contributory in the degeneration of our natural resources. The proper disposal of our garbage in itself is an act of accountability. Responsible mining and reforestation are also reflections of accountability. There are a lot of ways by which we can observe the value of accountability. We should therefore participate with the government in its effort to uphold the country from destruction. We should be law-abiding citizens rather than living selfishly at the expense of our country. As citizens of the Philippines, we are all receiving benefits from the wealth of our nation. We are all stakeholders and become affected of its progress or decline. Whatever happen to our country, we are all accountable. We should therefore continue to take into consideration the value of accountability in all our endeavors. by: Dr. Laurence C. Mascay A lot of civil servants are still in their respective jobs, not much due to the honorarium they receive but because of their love and dedication to it. We know some of them, through CRFV’s training and seminars, being in the service for many years and have no plans of stopping until the age of mandatory retirement. An agency is truly blessed to have dedicated men and women of unwavering service. Such a breed of people have “the willingness to give a lot of time and energy to something because it is important,” defines Cambridge Dictionary on dedication.
One significant reason why we have to be dedicated to our work or task is that what we do is an act of worship. The Scripture says, “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ”. Accordingly, worship is not only through prayer, Bible reading, and attending mass or church activities. But also in doing our duties and responsibilities in the field, office, and home. With this, we ought to exercise dedication. In the course of carrying out our work, there comes a time when we get exhausted, we are tempted to quit, and we get less to no recognition at all. In such situations, our dedication is tested and forged in fire. Nonetheless, a dedicated person will weather it through and continuously offer his time and energy because he recognizes that his role and what he does is valuable. In addition, a dedicated person knows why he does what he does. It is a worship to his creator God. Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president of the United States, said: “The man who builds a factory builds a temple, that the man who works there worships there, and to each is due, not scorn and blame, but reverence and praise.” Dedication to work must be exercised consistently. One way is by getting to the workplace before time. This means arriving 15 to 30 minutes before the work formally starts. Two, quality work - wherein outputs were excellently done thus needless to redo by colleagues or higher-ups. Three, take initiative. A dedicated person offers help to his peers though beyond his work sphere and working hour. In such a manner, a dedicated person is productive, and a valuable asset to his field of service. By: Micah A. Tecne Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, He looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Spirituality is defined by the quality of life generated and nourished by the Spirit of God, in which believers experience the power and presence of God in their lives. True spirituality comes from living under the control of the Holy Spirit and is evidenced by the fruit of the Spirit, spiritual maturity and growth in holiness. It is more than knowing the Almighty God but it’s encountering the Divine that drives us to believe and move us towards a divine purpose. Encountering the holy God causes us to turn from our wickedness towards His righteousness. All of our desires would be anchored in pursuing a life that is pleasing to Him: a righteous life with no compromise. We shift from our filthiness towards purity and holiness. We allow the divine to change us - our hearts and minds. Living a life of true spirituality is seen beyond what is seen by the naked eye. It is inward, which radiates on the outside of us. A divine shift! We no longer desire for our own self-gratification but to please the righteous God. Zacchaeus desired to encounter Jesus that brought Him into something spiritual, a life-changing experience! It was his decision; it was his choice with no external compulsion to repent from his wickedness and change. Our desire to live a life anchored on the value of spirituality starts with our firm decision to encounter the Divine Who enables us to move towards righteous lives. Are you desiring for a divine shift? Decide now! Have a genuine divine encounter through a genuine prayer like the Psalmist and David prayed: Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! By: Mr. Nathaniel A. Saquiban Excellence is the general description for outstanding, beyond average, or anything supreme. It is a value that is applicable to character and work output or services. It is expected among public servants and workers in the corporate world. The Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public officials and Employees requires that public officials and employees shall perform and discharge their duties with the highest degree of excellence, professionalism, intelligence and skill. In the same manner, employers of business enterprises expect their personnel to do their best in the performance of their duties in order to generate desirable profit.
Excellence, however, cannot be consistently demonstrated without possessing excellent nature on the inside. Any excellent act or work is the natural outcome of the exceptional character of a person performing such act or work. If a person is internally good, it is expected that he or she will do well outwardly. How then can a person be excellent on the inside? He or she must allow God to work on the inside of him or her because God is the source of all goodness and beauty. The above proposition is derived from the Scripture itself. In one of the accounts of Jesus Christ, there was a rich young man who ran up, knelt before Him, and asked “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.” Thus, God alone is good. But while He alone is good, He also intended to share His good nature to us. That is the reason why He created us according to His image and likeness. Having been created in the image and likeness of God, we, therefore, have the potential to become good and excellent as He is. Every time we fail, we just need to surrender our lives to Him that He will dwell in us and supply us the grace to be excellent. The need to be excellent nowadays is needless to state and is obvious under present circumstances. It is a must especially in the Philippines because the nation has been ripped-off of its beauty due to lack of excellence. The lack of discipline among us creates widespread and lasting devastation in the country. The poverty that we suffer now and the disservice to the public are simply the results of imperfection and continuing negative practices. We, ourselves, create our own disaster. While we plan well technically and financially to address any form of disaster that may happen, we devoid all these preparations due to poor implementation of established policies and programs. The ill effects of substandard projects alone make the innocent populace vulnerable to risk and hazards. Excellent, thus, should not only be a value but a goal to achieve in every field of endeavor. It is a short-term goal that once we have achieved it, we will likely attain and fulfill our long-term goals. It is like dealing first with the root cause of the problem in order to realize a lasting solution. In short, pursuing excellence is pursuing our dreams and visions. by: Atty Carolina Lim-Gamban 2022 is ending soon and it is always healthy to look back, count your blessings – tangible or non-tangible, and give thanks to the Almighty God.
The past years had been full of unexpected events that pressed and pushed us down. Numerous things happened as repercussions of the pandemic, international conflicts, and disasters. In retrospect, we can just take a deep breath and say, “Thank God, we are still alive.” Thank God we are still living while others had gone ahead because of Covid-19, debilitating diseases, accidents, wars and conflicts between nations, and the ill-effects of climate change. Thank God that we have something to eat on the table, and there is still enough for tomorrow. Thank God that we have shelter and clothing. Thank God that we have family or friends who are there to support us in times of loses and victories. Being thankful is a character that must be innate if we want to live a peaceful and joy-filled life. Cicero, one of the Roman Philosophers said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” Although these were not fully expounded, we can interpret his words saying that gratitude is the greatest virtue and all other virtues emanate from gratitude. When we are filled with thankfulness, our words, actions, and deeds are also pleasant, as it is said, out of the abundance of our hearts, the mouth speaks. When our hearts are filled with thankfulness, we are also filled with gladness that translates how we do, how we act, or how we say. Having a heart filled with gratitude will not make any room for anger, hatred, or other negative vibes. Instead, it encourages love, hope, peace, and joy. People with grateful hearts feel happier and more content, according to Madhuleena Roy Chowdhury. In her article entitled, A sincere “thank you” can help soothe one’s heart. It brings encouragement to the recipient and satisfaction to the giver. It helps in maintaining good relationship with others since we communicate better. Being thankful brings positive emotions and therefore can also impact our health. Saying “thank you,” expressing our gratitude in other ways, and receiving expressions of gratitude increases the release of dopamine and serotonin which makes us feel ‘good,’ according to the same article. So with all these, why not be filled and abound in thanksgiving? There are long-listed benefits of thankfulness and gratitude. How about you? Have you something to share about what it can do to you or what it has done to you? As the year ends, explore and validate its benefits by giving someone in your sphere of influence a sincere, “Thank you” and experience the benefits mentioned. Consider and recollect also what great things God has done for you this year and the previous years, and utter your sincerest thanks. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Let us be reminded in the next year ahead not to be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let our requests be made known to God. Be amazed of what thankfulness and gratefulness to God and fellowmen can do to you. by: Ame-Phil O. Saquiban As the year draws to a close, it is a good time to reflect on how well we have used our words. Can we recall situations where our words enlightened, encouraged and edified others? Were there instances where our responses damped a joyous atmosphere, stirred up fear and worry, altered the flow of discussion, placed others in an uncomfortable or disadvantaged position, or even shaken our relationship with family members, friends and colleagues? Were there moments, too, where we felt disturbed, worried, uncertain, or even regretted after uttering words that could have been rephrased or exercised with due restraint? Surely each of us has varied experiences and different stories to tell. Much more when we feel so convicted with Saint Paul’s admonition about “not letting unwholesome words ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is good for building up others, according to the need and the occasion, so that it will be a blessing to those who hear”.
In various contexts, imagine the positive influence, inspiration and impact we make when words used are apt and on point. However, when careless, loose, or foul words are used, it could ruin relationships, leave others wounded, change the course of the team discussion, and a lot more could go awry. Indeed, “life and death are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs). This shows that each of us has the power to choose to release or declare life or death. While it is true that we can no longer take back our words once uttered, we can still choose to take responsibility of what we have said especially those moments when a gentle answer would have been more appropriate, a non-judgmental remark would have been more acceptable, and an encouraging comment would have shown more care and sensitivity. Taking responsibility for our words is non-negotiable for a person who has the resolve to walk with integrity, which is defined as “consistently adhering to moral and ethical principles” (CSC-CSI). When we have fallen short several times of using our tongue to speak life this year, it is not too late yet. We can still take responsibility for our words. Through an honest time of reflection coupled with humility, we can acknowledge our lapses and work it out with the concerned individuals or groups. By doing so, we walk our talk and we go back to the place of wholeness. As we strive to be men and women with integrity, taking responsibility for what we say and even how we say it does matter. by: Dr. Laurence C. Mascay Unity and fellowship among teammates, workmates, and colleagues are essential in attaining goals and purpose. Unity is being one or united in heart and deeds as a team or group in the pursuit of achieving a vision, and fellowship is good camaraderie among the team members for healthy, happy, and harmonious working relationships that result in the attainment of such vision. Unity and fellowship are inseparable and indispensable in the family, workplace, and any field for the attainment of success, vision, and growth.
Unnumbered misunderstandings, disagreements, and conflicts happen, time and again, due to disunity and dis-fellowship. Also, because of the personal goals and selfish interests of others that are different and detrimental to what their office or organization hopes for. The 28th president of the United States, Woodrow Wilson, reminds such people that “We cannot be separated in interest or divided in purpose. We stand together until the end.” The Scripture says, “Aim for perfect harmony, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another.” We cannot expect that our colleagues will subscribe to the above persuasion. But we can decide and strive to live by it and be one of the few individuals who does what he/she says. Therefore, we can make a difference! We can be a catalyst for positive change in our place. As often said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world,” in your family and the workplace. In our work and service, there are greater causes wherein we play important roles and necessitates us to be united with our colleagues. One is the achievement of our mandates as servant heroes. Another is our country’s national motto: Maka-Diyos, Maka-Tao, Makakalikasan, Makabansa. Such is a guiding and uniting principle we ought to live by as civil servants for better public service toward a better Philippines. Furthermore, as Values Restoration Officers, we look forward to “A community marked with a character of an honest and righteous environment geared towards a graft-free society.” Consequently, we have to be united fellows for these causes by embodying unity and fellowship as a way of life and service. |
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