A Peaceful Transition

CHRISTIANITY TODAY/April 18, 1986

Most of the thousands of Filipinos who formed human barricades between armed opponents were Roman Catholics.

A group of believers has gathered under the banner “KONFES” at Gate 2 of Camp Aguinaldo in the Philippines. Yards away, two Filipino military leaders have holed up after defecting from the Marcos government. The Christians huddle around a radio. It is 5:20 A.M., February 24, and it appears a long-dreaded confrontation is at hand. Three battalions of heavily armed soldiers are a mile away and moving down the street toward the camp.

“The moment of truth,” says one softly. Quickly they assemble and lock arms, forming two lines in front of the gate. Isabelo F. Magalit, pastor of Diliman Bible Church, prays, “We have no courage of our own. We entrust our lives into your loving and mighty arms.”

The feared onslaught never comes. The next day, President Ferdinand Marcos leaves the Philippines after a 20-year reign. A sense of euphoria and amazement grips the Filipino people and, to some extent, the world. A potential civil war has been averted.

The 300 or so who gathered under the KONFES banner in Marcos’s last days were Protestant Christians associated with a citizen organization that monitored the February 7 presidential election. However, most of the people who formed human barricades to prevent armed conflict were Roman Catholics.

The huge proportion of Catholics is not surprising in a country where 85 percent claim allegiance to the Roman Catholic church. Only 3.5 percent in the country are Protestant, and even fewer would say they are evangelical.

Nevertheless, some, including Magalit, were disappointed. “Our contribution was not very large because evangelicals were hesitant to commit themselves.” he said. “[We] have lost some ground because we were not involved.”

The Roman Catholic church figured prominently in the months preceding the election and in the uncertain days that followed. The Catholic presence was especially visible in the final days.

“Catholics are saying their prayers have been answered because they prayed to Mother Mary,” Magalit said. “Mother Mary was very prominent in the barricades. There were statues of Mary, and processions behind Mary. And the nuns and priests were very instrumental in actually stopping tanks.”

Magalit added, “Evangelicals need to catch up on our homework concerning the Christian’s role in nation building. A nation is great only if it is righteous.”

The Diary of a Peaceful Rebel

Isabelo F. Magalit is pastor of the Diliman Bible Church in The Philippines. For three days he was “commander-inchief” of a group of Christians who formed a human barricade at Gate 2 of Camp Aguinaldo. Their goal was to prevent bloodshed between government forces outside the camp and rebel troops inside. Those inside included two former high-ranking officials who had left the government of Ferdinand Marcos. Magalit wrote a brief account of his three nights at the barricade. Excerpts follow:

Sunday evening, February 23

The decision to join the barricades was taken … right after the morning worship service.… We needed to act quickly because on Saturday evening Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and Lieut. Gen. Fidel Ramos announced at a press conference in Camp Aguinaldo that they were quitting the Marcos government, saying that Marcos did not win the election.…

We … proceeded to draw up a list of shifts, for people to sign up.… We all agreed that the civilian buffer was the most effective means for preventing a shooting war from breaking out.…

We reported to the outpost.… The first thing I noticed was the large number of people.… One hundred thousand? Perhaps twice that number. I took courage: surely the Marcos forces would not fire at such a large number of people.…

Our consensus seemed clear, but it was also evident we were all amateurs.… I was appointed Commander-in-Chief, meaning that I was to decide whether we stay or make a break for it.

We could all get killed.… (My wife had said when I left home: “You are responsible for the lives of the church people you bring along.”) I accepted the responsibility but also said to the Lord that the people who stayed all made their choices.

Monday at dawn, February 24

When the radio announced that President Marcos was reported to [be] on the way to Hong Kong, the cheering becomes deafening. There is dancing in the street.…

Monday morning, February 24

What a letdown when I go home to see President Marcos on TV. Our rejoicing was premature. He was still very much around, and in a fighting mood, threatening to wipe out the isolated Ramos and Enrile.…

Monday evening, February 24

People power has kept us safe, but the danger remained real. In spite of the constant reports of defections from the Marcos army to the Enrile/Ramos forces, we all knew that a large-scale attack was still possible.

Tuesday morning, February 25

The all-night shift go home to sleep but the daytime defenders of the barricade are even more numerous. There is a festive air, perhaps because everyone knows there is less danger when it is day.…

Tuesday evening, February 25

I preach at the 8 P.M. service, taking Amos 5:24 as my text. Why are we here?

I ask, and answer my own question by pointing to God’s concern that real religion is not ritual, but right relationships. Right relationship with God, that is righteousness. Right relationship with people, that is justice. The two are … strands of the same thread.…

At 10:30 we hear the news—confirmed by Voice of America [radio]—that Marcos and his family have flown from the palace to Clark Air Base, where two jets were waiting to transport them to the U.S.A.… [We] sing again. All our favorites. We cap it with “The Hallelujah Chorus.” Ambitious, but what better way to express our confidence in God who is Lord of the universe?

Divided

Agustin (Jun) Veneer, Jr., general secretary of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches, said that, in retrospect, “it would have been good to have marshaled the evangelical church as a whole … to occupy a highly visible place at the barricades.” He acknowledged the barricades were “a great deterrent to bloodshed.”

Evangelicals were united in judging the election fraudulent. But those attempting to hammer out a united response found themselves at opposite poles.

“Eventually, it was agreed that those who were led by God to do so should go there and form part of the human barricade,” Vencer said. “Other denominations gathered their people in churches and prayed and agonized for the protection of God upon those who went and for the avoidance of bloodshed.”

During the night after the defection of top members of the reform movement of the Philippine armed forces, Radio Veritas, the Roman Catholic station, appealed to Filipinos to take to the streets to form a human barricade around the dissident officials. The Far East Broadcasting Company station in Manila (Protestant) called on Christians to gather in churches and homes to pray.

“One of the most moving scenes was to see churches open up past midnight,” Vencer said. He added it was “amazing how people would pray with tears in their eyes and cry out in agony asking for God’s intervention that no bloodshed would take place. We believe in the power of prayer. They call it ‘people power.’ We call it ‘prayer power.’ ”

Religious Freedom

Because of the prominent role it played in the peaceful transition, the Roman Catholic church is riding a wave of popularity. With a sympathetic and devoutly Catholic president in office, the Catholic church is stronger today than it has been for decades. This has brought to the fore questions about how Protestant churches will be treated.

“To be very frank, there are some anxieties,” Veneer said. “It could create some hardship for the gospel because of a return to the traditionalism of the Catholics. Some people may not be eager to listen to another alternative.”

During the election campaign, new President Corazon Aquino was accused of being manipulated by the Catholic church. “That may be unfair to her,” Veneer said. He added that just before the election, Aquino’s office issued a commitment to observe freedom of religion and worship.

Said Magalit, “The Catholic church is committed—at least in public pronouncements—to respecting religious freedom. We must take them at their word. If there are instances where they go against it, then we must call their attention to it and require them to live up to their word.”

SHARON E. MUMPER

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