And now a word from Bishop Soc

“Leadership without vision is treachery to the governed. Integral leadership also means setting the path toward the future.” Thus intoned youthful Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates “Soc” Villegas, the incoming Vice-President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), in a speech he delivered before members and officials of the Rotary Clubs of Pangasinan last week. Coming from any other bishop immediately after the recent “Pajero Bishops” controversy such pointed reminder would have been easily dismissed by the Palace guys as par for the course in the same manner that they casually shrugged off retired Marine Col. Generoso Mariano’s advisory on the “state of governance.” But it did not come from just anybody. It was uttered by someone considered one of the closest prelates to the Aquino family.

In terms of closeness, I would hazard that only the late Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin who, by the way, was the youthful bishop’s mentor and Jesuit theologian Catalino Arevalo, Tita Cory’s confesor and who remains close to the family, would top Bishop Villegas among all the clergy. Thus, his very words carry much weight. It can even be a guidepost on what he would probably tell P-Noy in a retreat or even in the confessional. That he chose to say so publicly makes it all the more emphatic and exemplary not only for P-Noy’s proper discernment but for all other leaders, in and out of government, whose words and actions impact on the lives of our people and the nation as a whole. It is not just a “wake up” call; it is an urgent advisory, a cry to the heavens, as it were, which P-Noy and the others can only dismiss at their peril.

The speech entitled “Integrity, Integral and Integrating” may well be Bishop Villlegas’ and the CBCP’s assessment of P-Noy’s first 365 days in office.

It came as no surprise therefore that Malacañang reacted gingerly to Bishop Villegas’ speech and adverted to P-Noy’s personal honesty and integrity and his declared “vision” for the country. Which is just as well. Anymore than that, especially if spoken in the same juvenile manner as the Palace guys did in responding to the “Pajero Bishops” and, lately, Colonel Mariano would have only merited more opprobium than necessary.

Parts of this landmark speech are excerpted not only for P-Noy and the other leaders to take to heart but for all who care for our people. Here goes: “Those who set their hearts on the plow cannot keep looking back. Leadership is moving forward with excitement. The task of the leader is not only to stay clean and live by integrity. Is it enough to be a man of integrity in order to lead? Integrity is a great capital asset in leadership but it is unfortunately not enough… The man of integrity must also be integral. Leadership is not just about moral ascendancy. It takes more than integrity of character to become a leader. Leadership is vision setting too..

“There should be a ‘balanced square’ of leadership of which only one side represents ‘integrity.’ The three other sides should represent economic progress and stability; political will and clarity of laws and the availability of education and social services… If these three sides are given equal support connected by integrity and blameless living even integrity itself will become part of our national ethics and the rays of bright future await us.

“Although not perfect, our President has been conscientiously trying to rise above the perception that all politicians are corrupt and all politics is dirty and no one becomes a politician and stays clean. After one year in office, the first word that comes to mind to describe the present national leadership is integrity. But leadership must be integrating. Leadership must embrace and unite not alienate and divide.

“Leadership must be a progressive action of seeking communion and making one..Beyond the oath taking, the leadership must be integrating. It must seek common ground. It must search for the common denominators. It must seek to unite the many apparently contrasting colors around us and paint a rainbow of harmony in the horizon.

“Prosecution for previous wrongdoings must be carried out to the full but such must be done in pursuit of justice not revenge. Political vendetta divides even more. The true statesman must reach out and seek consensus. The leader is a servant not only of those who support him but even those who do not share his vision. The man of integrity must also be a man of unity.”

We cannot but agree with this solid invocation from a tried and tested pastor. Somebody who stood by the late President Cory Aquino and her family in their darkest hours and who has remained faithful to the teachings of the Church. Someone who has remained on solid ground listening to the cries and, of course, sharing the hopes and the dreams of the millions out there yearning for deliverance from the bondage of poverty and injustice. Indeed, Archbishop Villegas’ words echo those of each one of us who dream of a future where integrity in living and community of purpose becomes real not simply a shibboleth or a distant dream. Given the trials and tribulations which I am sure our country and people will continue to face in the days ahead we will certainly hear more of these invocations not only from him but from others as we race towards a brighter dawn. We just hope these will not remain advisories but into purposive action for the greater good. –Jonathan De la Cruz, Daily Tribune