Filipinos must stop relying on “political hope” alone for national transformation and instead “rise up” to be instruments of positive change in their own spheres of influence.
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano stressed this in his speech at the Business As Mission (BAM) Asia Conference in Taguig City.
Cayetano pointed out that despite the Philippines being regarded as the Christian nation in Asia, poverty, suffering, and immorality persist because many Filipinos fail to live out their faith beyond church activities.
The veteran legislator called on leaders across all sectors, particularly Christians, to “come together” and embody righteousness in their respective fields.
The seasoned lawmaker said transformation cannot happen if some sectors promote positive values while others glorify immoral behaviors.
Emphasizing that “environment matters,” the senator said transformation will not happen “If the spheres of business, church, and government meet and say, ‘No more corruption,’ but then in the spheres of entertainment and media they glorify cheating and crime”.
He cited Singapore as an example of progress driven by a whole-of-government approach to integrity, emphasizing that integrity must be consistent across all levels of society for genuine transformation to occur.
“Integrity must be consistent across all levels of society for genuine transformation to occur.”
Cayetano warned that if corruption and immorality dominate in the country, even good efforts will be undermined.
“If Taguig is ‘good soil’ and your business is ‘good seed’, but suddenly the environment is all corruption and immorality, that will be the weed that chokes out the good seeds that’s growing,” he said.
Turning to business leaders, Cayetano reminded them not to let the pursuit of wealth override their values.
“Make money but do not make money your lord.”
“Make money but do not make money your lord,” he said, challenging them to use their influence to touch more lives.
Reflecting on his career, Cayetano shared how he rose through the ranks from municipal councilor to senator, Secretary of Foreign Affairs, and Speaker of the House.
After years of “soul searching,” however, he realized that being a Christian public servant means guiding others in government toward God.
“All of these titles are meaningless unless I do God’s work,” he concluded.
