Press Release
January 28, 2008

Villar: RP in dire need of servant-leaders

Senate President Manny Villar said the absence of a God-centered governance led by servant-leaders is one of the reasons why the Philippines remains as fragmented as ever and continues to carry the heavy burden of poverty and injustice.

"Administrations have come and gone. Various policies and programs have been tried to bring the country closer to our dream of the Promised Land. But the goal has eluded us. Little do we realize that the idea of the Promised Land as mentioned in the Bible can only come from God. The Promised Land is given to the people who earnestly pray for it," Villar said.

Speaking before more than 200 members of the Philippine National Breakfast Foundation, Inc. (PNBFI) during the Prayer Breakfast Celebration with the theme "Servant Leadership: Not to be Observed, but to Serve," Villar underscored the need to call on God for His blessing and guidance in carrying out the solemn responsibility of leadership.

"Leaders, be they elected or appointed, are mere stewards of God. They are also entrusted with the mission to be shepherd to His flock," he said.

"Public service will remain a slogan unless it is rooted in the love for Christ. It is only when those in government begin to see the face of Christ in every Filipino with a purity of heart can there be a burning desire to serve and serve more. Leaders become servants because they see themselves as stewards and shepherds. A God-centered governance develops servant-leaders," he said.

Villar said Nelson Mandela is the best living proof of the transformative power of a God-inspired leadership. He said when Mandela was freed after 27 years of imprisonment for his strong advocacy of racial equality in Africa, "he rose above resentment and bitterness and vindictiveness so that his country could have a new beginning."

"Mandela, who could have been reelected had he so wished, should be emulated by elected officials as a people's servant who believes that a leader does not have to hold on to his or her position to have power," Villar said.

During the breakfast forum, the Nacionalista Party president also lauded the PNBFI for its effort in bringing under one roof national and local leaders, both elected and appointed, to reaffirm the essential truth of their faith.

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