The Jesus Is Lord Church Worldwide (JILCW)’s Statement
on the Recently-concluded Elections
As a church with the dictum GOD and COUNTRY, the Jesus Is Lord Church Worldwide (JILCW) has always been praying for good governance and righteous leadership, and for this election, God specifically answered us by giving us three victories:
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the come-from-behind win of senator-elect Joel “TESDAMAN” Villanueva who, as a first-timer in the senatorial race, shocked many by landing on the second spot;
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the miraculous, God-ordained victory of mayor-elect Joni “JJV” Villanueva whose phenomenal win via toss coin showed the divine vote of God Himself; and
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the consistent success of Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC) party-list, which, for the sixth time has secured a seat in the Congress.
But more than the personalities who won, the general success of the past election is reflected in the following:
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vote counting machine (VCM) glitches became smaller (2.55% versus 6.11% in 2013),
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vote transmission went faster (already at 74% at 10:50pm on the actual day of elections), and
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voter turnout soared higher (81.62% versus 73.1% in 2013).
Because these results, in themselves, bring us a sense of the Filipinos’ increasing involvement in nation-building and the government’s relentless perseverance in public service.
Therefore, we, the JILCW, call for a prayer of thanksgiving—foremost, a prayer of thanks to God for a fast, efficient, transparent, and peaceful elections and, secondarily, a prayer of thanks for the 140,000 policemen, 409,392 teachers, and the many government and non-government officials who became instruments in securing each of our votes.
Secondly, we call for a prayer of wisdom for all the winning candidates—starting with the president and vice president, the twelve senators, the 293 party-list and district congressmen, and the 17,736 local government officials. The task ahead of them is humongous and would, therefore, require the support and cooperation of all of us, 102 million Filipinos.
Hence, we call for a prayer of healing. After the bantering and arguing over conflicting viewpoints on issues of political concern, relationships had been broken. Now that election is over, regardless of who we voted for, may we forget our differences and, instead, remember our singular ancestry: we are Filipinos, all of us.
Our plea for prayer, therefore, is our plea for all Filipinos to UNITE. Because we know and we believe that national change and transformation is the duty of every Filipino, not just of the elect. So let us rally together. For our beloved nation.
Finally, to all Christians, let us also keep fighting the good fight of faith. Because we know and we believe that unless Christ Jesus is placed first in every pillar of society—that is, in the church and in the family, in the government, in business and economics, in education, in science and technology, in media and entertainment, in arts, and in the environment—our beloved nation will never truly see change.
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.”
(Psalm 33:12)