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THE Christian Coalition for Righteousness, Justice and Truth (CCRJC), an umbrella group encompassing 120,000 Evangelical and Full-Gospel churches nationwide, including the Phil. Council of Evangelical Churches, Intercessors for the Philippines and Philippines for Jesus Movement wrote letters of protest to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and Vice-president Sarah Duterte, saying:
“The pro-“Nakba” vote is deeply offensive to us and grossly misrepresents the heart and sentiments of the vast majority of Filipinos who are of the Christian faith.
As one of the top five nations with the largest Christian majority population, we should have joined the 30 Christian countries who voted “No” to Nakba, including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, Sweden and Denmark. Or we could have at least abstained, as 47 nations did. But instead, we joined with 90 countries, many of them Muslim, who voted to call Israel a “Catastrophe.”
“For Christian Filipinos, Israel is the opposite of “Nakba.” (We) look up to Israel as a miracle and a tremendous blessing. It’s the origin of the Bible, the birthplace of Christianity and Promised Land of Jesus Christ’s return… It’s our most revered pilgrimage site, a place to pray and “walk where Jesus walked.”
“We are aware that there are ongoing conflicts between the Jews and Palestinian people. But as followers of the Prince of Peace, it is not our place to take sides, but to hope and pray for their healing and reconciliation. As Jesus Christ said: “Blessed are the peacemakers.”
“Our U.N. vote also sharply contradicts the national policy declaration made by president Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the 77th General Assembly of the United Nations last September 2022. He said that “The Philippines shall continue to be a friend to all and an enemy of none” and “differences should only be resolved by peaceful means.”
To assure Israel that the Philippines is not its enemy, Brother Eddie Villanueva, founder of Jesus is Lord church nationwide and affiliated with the Citizens Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC) filed a bill to launch “Philippines-Israel Friendship Day” which passed the Committee Level in Congress last February.
Intercessors for the Philippines initiated a social media barrage upholding and congratulating Israel on its 75th anniversary, targeting senators, congressmen and other government leaders.
The CCRJC ended its letter of protest to VP Sarah Duterte by citing her Jewish lineage, her support for “Holocaust remembrance Day” and stating that:
“As Bible believers, we know that God promised blessing to all who bless the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and curses those who curse them. (Genesis 12:2-3) We wish for our nation to be blest…to have no part at all in cursing Israel or harboring Anti-Semitic sentiment that could lead to another Holocaust. We join the throng of those who say ‘Never again.”
CCRJ also requested that Christian leaders should be made part of foreign-policy decision-making, specially concerning votes on Israel made at the U.N., United Nations Human Rights Commission, the International Criminal Court and other global forums. “This is to insure that our votes and declarations abroad are not made by anti-Israel minority groups, but espouse the will of our elected leaders and the Christian majority of our people.”
