"Conviction, courage, and compassion"
I started working in politics when I was 23 years old. Since then, politics has become an important part of who I am and how I look at society. From politics, I have learned not only the might and magnitude, but the meaning and magnanimity of leadership.
I have seen how good politics has empowered leaders who helped their communities thrive, and I also saw how bad politics has allowed the corrupt to cause the breakdown of their very own communities. But notwithstanding the many failings and frustrations that come with it, I have never lost hope that politics can be a powerful platform for effecting positive change.
In fact, I cannot think of a more meaningful way to change society than politics. December of last year, the House of Representatives passed on third reading House Bill 7836, which hopefully would increase the age of sexual consent from the current 12 to 16 years old. Many of us are probably unaware that in a country where you need to be at least 18 years old to vote and 17 years to legally drive a car, the law presumes a 12- year-old to be entirely capable of consenting to having sex.
The age of sexual consent is important because it also sets the age for determining statutory rape. For statutory rape, the child only needs to prove two things: his or her age, and that the sexual act happened. As a result, under our existing laws, sexual intercourse with a child as young as 12 years is not automatically considered as child rape.
I could still remember that afternoon when the proposed measure authored by Tingog Party-List Rep. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez, House Bill 7836 was passed on third reading. I saw some of our child welfare advocates congratulating each other for this milestone. Everyone was emotional and teary-eyed. Then they reminded me, it took more than 20 years for this bill to be passed, even at the lower House. Their smiles made me realize that the hard work was indeed worth it.
The Senate has yet to pass their version of House Bill 7836 so that this bill would finally become part of the law of the land. While the delay has not been very encouraging, we remain hopefully that each Filipino child will have the fullest protection that they deserve.
This is one example of how politics can be a powerful platform for effecting positive change. But positive change is not something that only politicians are meant to achieve. It is a mission that many of us Filipino young leaders are called to embrace – to discover the opportunity to create positive change – through our careers and our crafts, by way of our positions and professions, and in our own homes and communities.
Three lessons that my own leadership experience in politics has taught me: Conviction, courage, and compassion.
First, conviction. No person can be a credible leader without the clarity of his or her convictions. Our aspirations about what and how our society ought to be must be first rooted firmly in your heart. The clarity of one’s conviction allows a leader to communicate more passionately his or her vision, so that others may be inspired to take up the same vision for themselves. The strength of one’s conviction will build constancy and consistency as well as patience and perseverance, especially in the face of towering challenges.
Second, courage. A leader must have the courage to challenge the status quo for the better. Fueled by one’s convictions, it is important for a leader to be brave enough to charter a course beyond the familiar and the foreseeable. Courage demands honesty to accept one’s limitations. But more importantly, it requires an undying faith to believe in better possibilities. This way, a leader inspires others to take action even in times of doubt and uncertainty.
Third, compassion. A true leader is motivated by sincere compassion, by one’s willingness to put oneself in the shoes of others. One cannot build leadership by way of theoretical conjecture, but only by immersing oneself in the stark realities of everyday life. While a good leader must already have a more empathetic understanding of the world around him or her, an even better leader must still be willing to learn. While a good leader communicates himself well, an even better leader is always ready to listen. Why a good leader effectively motivates others, an even better leader walks with others in bearing the demands of leadership.
This pandemic may be one of the worst crises that our generation has to go through, but I have reason to believe that this is one of the best times to be a leader. Away from our familiar comforts, we have learned to ascertain the why’s more than the how’s of leadership. Living in a time of uncertainty has taught us to be courageous in taking risks and going beyond the familiar. In these days, when life has become even more difficult for the least and last in our society, the more that we should be moved by our sincere compassion for others. When times are unsure and schedules uncertain, we find the courage to believe that while these trying times will soon come to pass, we must come out of it stronger and better.
Lest we forget, however, that leadership does not always mean doing the gigantic and monumental. To be more is not to be measured in the magnitude of what we do, but rather in the meaning of why we do things.
Passing the landmark bill increasing the age of sexual consent happened not without the huge amount of attention and study done by Tingog Party-List’s legislative team. But equally important are the small but significant actions that helped build confidence that not only was this a task worth doing, but despite all the past setbacks, this was something that we can accomplish together.
All of these mattered: The effort we took listening to our child welfare stakeholders, the reassuring gestures that made them understand that this was an issue important to us and even the friendship that made our work together even more enriching. This way, our small acts of kindness empowered us towards achieving a long overdue dream for all Filipino children.
My own experience in working for the passage of House Bill 7836 taught me never to lose sight of the simple things that matter most in life and leadership. Dare to make a difference even when not everyone will understand. Learn to understand your convictions with greater clarity. Lead with unrelenting courage in your heart. Live always with compassion and charity every day.
