(Part 3)

There are two major reasons why the Philippines stands out among nations in the world — both developed and developing — in the strong presence of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and people organizations (POs).

The first, as explained in the first article of this series, is a negative one: the Philippine Government often is in default in its primary responsibility of promoting the common good or, through incompetence and corruption, actually makes matters even worse. People in the private sector have no alternative but to take matters into their own hands to address public needs. Remember our rather cynical reference to the plot of the blockbuster film Godzilla Minus One in which, because of the inability of the ordinarily competent Japanese Government to meet the challenge after Japan was defeated in the Second World War, it had to take a rag tag group of private individuals to vanquish the nuclear-energized version of the monster Godzilla.

The second reason, though, in the case of many Catholic lay organizations involved in strengthening the institution of marriage and defending the sanctity of the family in the Philippines, is the application by the ordinary lay person and clergy in the Philippines of the most important principle of subsidiarity, one of the pillars of Catholic social doctrine. The principle states that what can be accomplished effectively by individuals and smaller groups of society in pursuing their common good should not be taken over by higher bodies, least of all by an all-powerful State. This principle is complemented by the principle of solidarity which mandates that individuals in a society should always promote the common good to the extent they can through their individual actions.

For example, in hundreds of Catholic parishes around the Philippine archipelago, the clergy, recognized lay groups like the ones described in the first two articles of this series, and authorized/licensed lay individuals, systematically conduct marriage preparation courses for soon-to-be-married couples. These courses usually consist of a few hours (in some instances one to two days) of a highly interactive process of affirming and better appreciating their motivations, intentions, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats regarding their intention of committing themselves for life, “until death do they part.” Through these marriage preparation or “pre-Cana”* conferences, the couples contemplating marriage have a final opportunity to determine if they are really meant for one another. The effectiveness of some styles of pre-Cana program is verifiable by the “long, indefinite range” fidelity of married couples concerned, or the eventual decision after the pre-Cana conference of couples not to push through with the wedding because of irreconcilable differences which can be discovered before they actually get married. One of the leading examples of pre-Cana courses is that offered by the Cenacle Sisters which lasts two nights and one full day. Among the Catholic dioceses, those that stand out when it comes to marriage preparation programs are the Diocese of Tagbilaran, the Prelature of Infanta, and the Prelature of Batanes. These have been noted for championing family solidarity through family forums, directed homilies, family-based pilgrimage tourism, and interventions by the basic ecclesial communities.

Some of these initiatives to strengthen the institution of marriage have targeted specialized groups. For example, the Chaplaincy of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), led by the head Chaplain, and the Bishop of the Military Vicariate, joined forces with several NGOs to put up a boot camp for uniformed personnel (Fire department, Police department and the BJMP national headquarters, staff, and jail officers nationwide). The purpose of the boot camp — which can last for two or three days — is to motivate the participating officials to work for personal integrity based on the principles of family, family life, and family unity. Among the participating NGOs are the EDUCHILD Foundation, the Consuelo “Chito” Madrigal Foundation, Inc., Defending Family Values Foundation, and the Mariano and Estelita de Jesus Que Professorial Chair of the University of Asia and the Pacific.

Then there is the Alalay sa Pamilya Foundation (APF), Inc. that targets millennials and centennials through values formation programs that include the appropriate preparation for marriage. The program is called Campaign for Character Education Tenacity (Cachet). As early as possible in their youth, Filipino girls and boys are being helped to make good and responsible day-to-day decisions in relation to such areas as family and family life, friendships and social responsibility; love, courtship, and marriage; and teenage lifestyle. This program has reached directly and personally students in 400 public elementary and high schools in the two largest education regions of the country, i.e., the NCR and Calabarzon.

As early as possible in the lifelong process of character formation, the participating youth are provided with the means to address the human weaknesses that can be obstacles to lifelong commitment to the inviolable institution of marriage. The tools include the items listed below, all with the help of continuing development formation through regular access to the Sacrament of Penance for the Catholics, spiritual guidance from their respective pastors, and tutoring from teachers and other elder mentors with the very close cooperation from the parents. To inspire other groups to replicate this well-structured program in preparing young people for married life, let me go into details about the components of Cachet:

1. Regular personal one-on-one mentoring of students and teacher-coaches, with continuing development of adult and young mentors in the art and approaches, the basics and nuances of personal mentoring.

2. Monthly Virtues-of-the-Month sessions related to the hallmarks of Personal Integrity, Family Solidarity, Civic Responsibility, and Universal Charity as well as the core values being promoted by the Department of Education such as Maka-Diyos, Maka-Tao, Maka-Kalikasan, at Maka-Bayan.

3. Providing those who freely request for them the audio called “Ten Minutes with Jesus” that can help the listeners grow in their Christian faith, the religion of most of them.

4. A Quiz Bee and Art Summit, for example, on the 500 Years of Christianity in the Philippines, or on the Life, Loves, and Works of St. Josemaria Escriva, the Modern Saint of Ordinary Life, who preached and wrote the most on the sanctity of marriage and of family life.

5. Competitions on video crafting about heroic family stories and descriptive-narrative-argumentative essays on current moral and spiritual issues, especially related to the inviolable institution of marriage and the sanctity of family life.

As an illustration of what can be done in individual public schools, let me cite two examples: the Bangkal High School in Makati and the Muntinlupa High School. In partnership with the Boy Scouts and the student body of different grade levels of the Bangkal High School in Makati, Cachet organized seminar forums with a focus on character building and values/virtues education. A similar program was organized at a larger scale with the Muntinlupa Science High School, targeting the star sections. The Variety program included writing essays or poetry on select videos featuring fatherhood and family life (with a special appearance of the famous composer singer Joe Mari Chan); self-direction; overcoming grave challenges in life; interactive sessions with young professionals on family life and love-courtship-relationships; and even cultural tours of historical places like Intramuros that involved comments on profile of family life during different stages of Philippine history.

(To be continued.)

*Pre-Cana is a course or consultation for couples preparing to be married in a Catholic church. The name is derived from John 2:1–12, the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee, where Jesus performed the miracle of turning water into wine.

Bernardo M. Villegas has a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard, is professor emeritus at the University of Asia and the Pacific, and a visiting professor at the IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain. He was a member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission.

bernardo.villegas@uap.asia