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(Report of the ECP Panel to the Joint Committee on the
Philippine Covenant meeting in March 2009)
THE CONTEXT
Speaking on 11th January 2008 before the Philippine Bible Society during the launch of the National Bible Week (Jan. 21 to 27), Chief Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court Reynato Puno said:
“We abound in natural resources, our seas are abundant with fishes, our mountains are full of precious metals, our people overflow with talent.”
Yet, despite all these, he asks: “WHY ARE OUR PEOPLE POOR?”
The state of economic development of the country was summarized in an article in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, issue of 13th January 2008, as follows:
“THE GAP BETWEEN THE RICH and the poor in the Philippines is widening, with the richest 10 percent of families raking in more than a third of the country’s total income, according to government data released yesterday.
“The richest 1.74 million families earned 36 percent of the total 2006 family income of just over P3 trillion, the National Statistics Office said in a statement.
“The data placed the average family income at about P500 a day for a family of four, with few families having any savings. It said the survey indicated `a movement towards widening income disparity among families’ as suggested by the Gini coefficient, a global standard on measuring income equality within a population.
Chief Justice Puno, in his speech cited above, explained “why very few Filipinos are enjoying the so-called good life.’” He said:
“Many Filipinos are poor because the country’s wealth has always been controlled by a few greedy, rich families.
“The root cause of the problem of poverty is well-known. It is the relentless greed of a few families who, from the beginning of time, have always controlled the wealth of our country.
“These families have perpetuated their stranglehold on our country’s wealth, dynasty after dynasty. There is no end to their greed, no border to their covetousness.”
“The Greek philosopher Socrates was correct in saying that ultimately what makes a country poor is not its lack of natural resources but the greed of its few rich citizens.
Again, speaking at the commemoration of Independence Day last 12th June 2008, Chief Justice Puno said, in part:
“These are times that try the souls of men. But while we cannot win the fight for the poor overnight, we shall prevail over time. There is only one way to lose this fight – when we lose our sense of revolt on the revolting lives of the poor.”
This is the context in which the ECP pursues its mission.
On 19th February 2009, the Most Rev. Edward P. Malecdan was installed as the 4th Prime Bishop of the ECP, taking over from the Most Rev. Ignacio C. Soliba, who, on the next day, drove on to Tabuk where he would spend his retirement after 12 years of shepherding the ECP into the realization of its Vision 2007.
Bishop Soliba’s stint as Prime Bishop saw some of the most exciting events happening in the life of the ECP, as he assumed the position almost at the same time that the ECP committed to end TEC annual grant subsidy by December 2007. By 2004, the ECP was almost in panic as TEC budget support, although substantially reduced, stood at P9.3 million or 14% of its total annual budget. At that time, the ECP seemed to have exhausted all fund-generation avenues and it seemed almost impossible for it to survive without this amount or to further generate this amount from internal sources. Despite the grim prognosis, however, the ECP made a decision that starting 2005, it shall no longer use the grant subsidy for operational purposes but will add the same to its Centennial Endowment Fund [CEF]. By the end of 2005, all the fears of incurring huge deficits, serious inability to pay salaries in full, suspension of expansion work, etc. turned out to be unfounded as the whole Church was able to survive and end the year with even a small surplus. Effectively, therefore, ECP achieved full financial autonomy on 1st January 2005.
Part of this success story can be found in the Centennial Endowment Fund (CEF), an undertaking of both TEC and ECP, and which truly proved to be God’s gift to the people of both churches. TEC did its part in the campaign by providing a foundational grant of $250,000. Overcoming their initial reluctance, ECP congregations responded to the CEF campaign with renewed enthusiasm while dioceses and the province took a major priority shift in resource allocation towards building up this fund. It was a meaningful and productive exercise of collective responsibility so that by 31 December 2007, the CEF amounted to P144.8 million [with TEC contributing P12.5 million]. It is now a major source of local income.
The fruit of ECP work for three years (2005 – 2007) was almost miraculous. This most critical three-year period saw the ECP building the most number of churches (at any given year), some of which even resulted in the most beautiful structures. Likewise during the same period, St. Andrew’s Theological Seminary, received the highest number of enrollees. And, finally, the whole Church was able to produce P9.3 million in additional local income per year for three years to replace the grant subsidy which was re-allocated to the CEF. It was a most fitting conclusion to the era (of grant subsidy) that ran on for more than a century. And likewise a most encouraging step to a new beginning.
Bishop Malecdan comes into the office to lead the ECP in another vision – this time, VISION 2018, which is also an ambitious plan to bring the blessings of self-reliance to the level of the local churches. One of his first official acts was to convene a joint meeting of all national commissions and organizations in April 2009 to ensure that all planning and programming for the next five (5) years will have to be aligned to the accomplishment of Vision 2018.
Meanwhile, the ECP’s pursuit of the Five Marks of Mission has greatly intensified. Evangelism and Christian Education have taken center stage as the ECP witnesses a surge in renewal programs among local congregations. Its work on community development has become a major program, with about P25 million pesos a year for sustainable development projects in the communities. Likewise, the ECP remains to be a strong advocate of human rights and social justice and in bringing about “transformation of unjust structures of society.” |