The Shepherd’s Voice

Good Governance is among the topmost agenda of those who desire for a better Philippines. In our country where a very great number of our people wallow in abject poverty and misery, while tremendous social privileges and deference are accorded to the rich and powerful, majority of our people desire for good governance since today some of those who are holding key positions in the public office are apparently veering away from the original design of God’s governance. With this in mind, there is truly a pressing call for every Filipino to take an active part in the promotion and realization of a dedicated commitment to, transparency, and professionalism in public service. This also implies, especially among Christians who comprise the vast majority of the Philippine population, that good governance should now become an essential part of Christian mission.

We are called to exercise responsible stewardship over all creation. Such a stewardship is exercised in our daily activities which we can rightfully consider as a prolongation of God’s continuing work of creating, and a service to our fellowmen (CFC341). The principle of stewardship is dynamically linked with the idea of good governance, that is, a way of life that ensures sustainable human development.

In the beginning, God created us after his own image and likeness. “Let us make a man in our image image, after our likeness…[they] shall have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that move earth.” How blessed are we! Among all creatures, only we human beings receive the unique and special favor to be created in the image and likeness of the Maker. Only we favorably share in the Creator’s “goodness” from which flows the special character of a steward. Hence, being stewards is a gift and an intrinsic character of human persons.

God affirms and makes it clear this gift of stewardship when he commanded and gave human beings His full trust to have dominion over all other creatures. To have dominion does not mean “to lord it over,” but to responsibly manage everything that God entrusted to us, men. In other words, we esteem the responsibility to be “in charge” whatever the creator has given them. To be “in charge” is not only assuming the power to govern according to the design of the one who entrusts.

In today’s context, stewardship takes the form of good governance. The concept of good governance is not new. It is as old as human civilization. Simply put “governance” means: the process of decision making and the process by which decisions are implemented (or not implemented). It is broadly defined as the exercise of political, economic, and administrative authority to manage country’s resources for development. It is an exercise of good management where every constituent of the society can benefit and enjoy the goods that are meant to be shared by the whole community.

Unfortunately for most of us, good governance still remains an unreachable dream. After each elections, we cannot help but wallow in frustrations because we fell short again of our
Expectations.
Good governance is not something that we wait until it happens; it is rather our choice to make it happen. The fulfillment of this noble ideal is within reach. The young people, who comprise the majority of voters on the 2010 election and whose principles remain untainted by dismal politicking, are a vital sign of power to effect a significant change. Still oozing with enthusiasm, the youth can go to the frontiers and become vanguards in this cause for a clean, honest, and peaceful elections.
However, over and above, this timely endeavor for good governance must begin within ourselves. Nothing better can happen in a community where both leaders and constituents cheat. Good governance thrives only when each constituents, in his own way, can be trusted to perform his responsibility well.