Passport to a New Philippines

A Guide to Political Renewal and Stability
by ANG KAPATIRAN PARTY
PASSPORT
TO A N EW
PHILIPPINES

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"Passport to the New Philippines"
Copyright 2008 by the Ang Kapatiran Party (AKP).
Cover and Book design by Six Degrees Strategic Design
Published by Reyes Publishing
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form or by any means -- electronic, mechanical, digital, or any other except
for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the Ang Kapatiran Party.
Where possible, sources have been duly acknowledged. If any material has been used without proper
credit, please notify Ang Kapatiran Party.
Printed in the Republic of the Philippines by the House Printers Corporation
ISBN

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"If a hundred parishes can host thriving chapters, of maybe 50 to 100
each critical mass
members each, by January 2010, Kapatiran may yet r
in time to make a difference in the May elections."
(Multiply Kapatiran, Newsstand, John Nery, Philippine Daily Inquirer, June 24,
2008)
"If only because this country needs to survive, Kapatiran has every
reason to thrive."
(Wanted: Opposition, There's The Rub, by Conrado de Quiros, Philippine Daily
Inquirer, August 16, 2007)
e that appeals to non-traditional
"It (Ang Kapatiran) is a party of the futur
politicians and the idealistic youth of the land."
(Viable Alternative, A Law Each Day Keeps Trouble Away, by Jose C. Sison, The
Philippine Star, October 5, 2004)
"Nandy Pacheco, indefatigable gun control advocate, has demonstrated
his civic spirit again by organizing the Kapatiran, which seeks to establish
a new leadership for the country to replace the trapo system that has
debased our democracy for decades."
(Ousting the `Trapo, Seprate Opinion, by Isagani A. Cruz, Philippine Daily Inquir
June 28, 2003)
er,
"If we are thinking of alternatives, Nandy Pacheco's Ang Kapatiran
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provides us with a vehicle for meaningful change.
(God be with you Nandy, Reveille, Ramon J. Farolan, Philippine Daily Inquirer,
February 12, 2007)

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ANG KAPATIRAN PRAYER for 2010 (Psalm 20:10)
CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH VERSION (CEV)
May the LORD send help from his temple
and come to your rescue from Mount Zion.

May he remember your gifts and be pleased
with what you bring.

May God do what you want most
and let all go well for you.

You will win victories, and we will celebrate, while raising
our banners in the name of our God.

May the LORD answer all of your prayers!

I am certain, LORD, that you will help your chosen king.

You will answer my prayers from your holy place in heaven,
and you will save me with your mighty arm.

Some people trust the power of chariots or horses,
but we trust you, LORD God.

Others will stumble and fall, but we will be strong
and stand firm.

Give the king victory, LORD, and answer our prayers.


www.angkapatiranparty.org

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CONTENTS
Preface







Introduction







Part One: Ang Kapatiran Party
1.1 Ang Kapatiran Party

1.1.1 Founding Principles
1.1.1.1 Declaration of a Consistent Ethic of Life

1.1.2 Unique Features
1.2 Vision
1.3 Mission
1.4 Political Platform

1.5 Requirements for AKP Candidates
1.6 Role Models

1.6.1 St. Thomas More
1.6.2 President Ramon Magsaysay
1.6.2.1 The Magsaysay Credo


1.7 Theme Song

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Part Two: Education
2.1 Basic Education

2.1.1 What Is Character?

2.1.2 Six Pillars of Character

2.1.3 Character Building

2.1.4 The Exercise of Good Character


2.1.4.1 Good Manners and Right Conduct


2.1.4.2 Back to Basics


2.1.4.3 Twelve Little Things Filipinos Can Do

2.1.5 Readings on Education


2.1.5.1 Human Options


2.1.5.2 No Man Can Serve Two Masters


2.1.5.3 How to Develop Character


2.1.5.4 Civic Duty and National Renewal


2.1.5.5 Proverbs



2.1.5.5.1 Portrait of a Scoundrel



2.1.5.5.2 Seven Things Hateful


to God

2.2 Political Education

2.2.1 Foundation and Purpose of Political

Communities


2.2.1.1 The Barangay

2.2.2 Qualities of a Responsible Political Party
2.2.3 Politics - What It Is, What It Is Not


2.2.3.1 Politics of Virtue


2.2.3.2 Politics of Duty


2.2.3.3 Politics of Stewardship


2.2.3.4 Politics of Transparency and Public


Accountability

2.2.4 The Philippine Constitution

2.2.5 Sovereignty of the People - What It Means
2.2.6 Voter's Responsibility

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Part Three: The Religious Dimension
3.1 Separation of Church and State

3.2 Why the Church Must Be Involved in Politics

3.2.1 The Church's Responsibility to Build

Consciences for Justice

3.2.2 The Role of the Clergy in the Political World
3.3 The Unity of Religion and Politics
3.4 Politics as a Lay Christian Vocation
3.5 Doctrinal Notes on the Participation of Catholics
in Political Life

3.5.1 Relativism

3.5.2 Democracy

3.5.3 Freedom

3.5.4 Truth

3.5.5 Patriotism
REFERENCES
Part Four: Administration
National Officers
Office
Contact Numbers

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PREFACE
"If we are what we are today - a country with a great number
of poor and powerless people - one reason is the way we have
allowed politics to be debased and prostituted to the low level it
is in now." (1997 Pastoral Exhortation on Philippine Politics by
the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines)
Over the 11 years since that was written, the Philippine political
situation has gone from bad to worse. This deterioration has
not, however, taken place in isolation. Along with the moral
and political decay, the Philippines has suffered from several
crises and periods of serious social disruption, widespread
breakdown of peace and order, uneven and unfairly distributed
economic growth, sluggish investment levels, pitiful support for
education or other social programs, a steady disintegration of
major infrastructure projects, widespread corruption at all levels
of society, a massive outflow of workforce seeking employment
overseas, and a steady rise in absolute poverty. Something is
clearly very wrong. We Filipinos are betraying our country, our
children and ourselves. It is time to pull together, as one people.
It is time to act, and to act decisively, for all our sakes.
Several political cancer cells have to be excised. They include a
lack of understanding of what politics* are all about, an absence
of responsible and accountable political parties, and a loss of
the sense of the common good.

Politics have a moral dimension which can lead us either to
good or evil. Politics are not necessarily dirty. They can be good.
But bad politicians defile them and the people allow it.
"A just society must be the achievement of politics, not of the
Church. The direct duty to work for a just ordering of society is
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proper to the lay faithful." (Encyclical Letter, Deus Caritas Est.
Pope Benedict XVI)
For the voters, politics often mean voting on the basis of
personality. Voters don't bother to look into the moral character
of the candidates or the political platforms of the political parties.
This leads to a wholesale failure of the people to vote according
to their collective aspirations and to vote responsibly.
Voters do not realize that voting is a creative act of participating
in the building of a just and civil society. People fail to grasp
the full impact and meaning of the Constitutional provision that
states: "Sovereignty resides in the people, and all government
authority emanates from them."
A post-evaluation of EDSA I and EDSA II shows that while we
have succeeded in throwing the undesirables out of power,
we have failed to give the successors a "list of our clear
aspirations" for them to achieve for us.
People power should have twin objectives: to replace a regime
and to provide the replacement with a laundry list, so to speak,
of what the people want. We have attained the first objective
but have abjectly failed in the second.

For the traditional politicians (trapos), politics are a means of
enrichment and a source of influence and power for self and
family interests. The trapos look at public office as some sort of
private property to be passed from one generation to the next.
Family political dynasties are born and perpetuated.
Trapo politics come into play during and between election
periods.
_______________________________
* Politics = n. pl. the activities concerned with governing or with influencing
or winning and holding control of a government. (Other meanings take the
singular.) Miriam Webster's Third New International Dictionary, 1964
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The absence of responsible political parties was very much
evident in the 2007 elections when senatorial candidates ran
under either "Team Unity" or "GO", neither of which are political
parties.
The frequent absence of a quorum in the House of
Representatives is another example of party irresponsibility.
Political parties have failed to discipline erring members, just as
they have failed to interpret the aspirations of civil society and
orient them towards the common good.

We have lost our sense of the common good. We have become
too individualistic. We forget that by pursuing the community's
interests we benefit the individuals within it, including ourselves.
We must now develop a sense of community where people are
committed to the welfare of each other. All these are major
contributory factors to the political problems that the Philippines
now faces.
We would do well to remember the moral principle that men,
individually, are responsible for what they make of themselves;
but, collectively, they are responsible for the world in which they
live.
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