Chapter 9
Election of Rev. Moley Famillaran, CPBC President-
It was May 1976. Four years, after President Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law. In Negros, Panay and different parts of the country there were continued and intensified human rights violations, killings and military abuses under President Marcos and Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile’s rule in the country.
In the Baptist Convention, Rev. Jesus Vaflor was President in 1974-May 1976. I am not so sure, who the General Secretary of the CPBC in 1975-1976.
In the midst of growing social, economic and political unrest, brought by arrests, imprisonments of thousands and thousands of people and killings under President Marcos’s martial rule, the Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches General Assembly met to elect the President, Vice President and 7 members of the Board of Trustees. A month later, the Board of Trustees will elect the CPBC General Secretary.
Bacolod Evangelical Church, the venue of the assembly, is the biggest Convention Baptist Church in Negros Occdental. It’s at Rosario & San Juan Streets, in Bacolod City. Here delegates, from Panay, Romblon, Mindoro, Manila, Luzon and Mindanao converged for the assembly.
Across Bacolod Evangelical Church was Bacolod Elementary School, a wide and big school in the city. The school assisted CPBC by opening their classrooms as housing for delegates - there delegates will slept, take baths & showers, have fellowship and sharing before and after the sessions in the assembly.
Rev. Pamplona was the minister. He was pastor of BEC for about 30 years. He was one of the respected pastors holding big pastorates. The 3- days General Assembly was filled with delegates.
At Central Maao Evangelical Church, we have 6 official delegates. They will have the right to vote officials of the Convention. We have also 8 visitors attending the assembly. They cannot vote. They came to listen, learn and have fellowship with the assembly.
Maao Central Evangelical Church choir sang in the assembly together with big churches - Bacolod Evangelical Church, Bacolod Cosmipolitan Church, Bakyas Baptist Church, La Carlota Evangelical Church and other churches that will provide music for the assembly.
The group that led CPBC before 1976 for some years, were committed church leaders and pastors. At the top of this leadership includes, Mr. Johnny de la Fuente, Rev. Levi Lajaylahay, Rev. Malvar Castillon and Atty. Reinero Noledo and Dr. Agustin Masa, President of Filamer Christian College.
They were at the helm of the national leadership. They were spiritual leaders. Except for a very few, however, most of the leaders have remained silent and voiceless under the growing repressions of the Marcos regimes.
A group of young pastors and church leaders were looking for change. They were young, with visions and dreams for the future – Rev. Sammy Formelleza, from Romblon and current Coordinator of Center for Education and Research (CER) Rev. Larry Leysa, Promotional Secretary of Iloilo Kasapulanan.
Rev. Eliseo Fantilaga, of Capiz and Coordinator of NCCP in Western Visayas, Pastor Tony Elequin of Antique, Domngo Bernal of Aklan,
In Negros Occidental, the group were headed by Fred and Victoria Bat-og, Baptist Youth leaders, Rev. Esfe Tandog, Provincial Minister of Negros Kasapulanan and Pastor Rudy Bernal of Maao Central Evangelical Church, with the church radio program, “Hour of Discovery”over DYHB in Bacolod. They were also surrounded with young leaders, with visions for change.
These pastors and church leaders have transformational minds and leadership that can touched and reached some pastors and leaders of the churches in the Kasapulanans and the Baptist Convention.
We attended the May 1976 CPBC Assembly ready to work for change. We were also committed to resist President Marcos martial rule. During the last 2 years, we were involved in seminars by the Center for Education and Research (CER), with Rev. Conrad Brown, trying to educate church people in leadership and formation. Some young pastors were involved in the trainings, headed by Rev. Sammy Formelleza.
I cannot remember the people who led the worships services, those who led workshops and those who preached the messages during the assembly. But for us, the call was clear. The need for change for change in the leadership of the Convention. A leadership with new visions, clear directons and capacity to mobilize the churches to respond to the problem of grave poverty and resist the growing repressions and human rights violation in the country.
The decision was made. We will worked and participate in the change of leadership. We made plans to mobilized delegates to attend the assembly.
We called on churches in Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan and Antique to help send delegates to the assembly, the churches providing money for delegates transportation, registration fees, foods and snacks during the assembly.
To assist some delegates who have difficulties to buy their food at the assembly mess halls, we organized a group who will cooked food for some delegates. One room in the Elementary school was requested where food can be cooked for delegates who have difficulties to buy their food. Fred and Vic Bat-og, joined groups that donates rice, vegetables, coffees, fish and meat for the delegates that who have difficulties on foods.
It was a great event, the CPBC assembly of 1976. But we have not identified the possible candidate for President yet.
After scouting the potentials in the assembly, it seems, no one has the capacity to defeat the candidate who was running with the backing of the CPBC administration. Fred Bat-og suggested to select a team of 10 pastors and church leaders to visit Rev. Moley Famillaran and asked him to provide the needed leadership.
We came to him at his office at Bacolod City Hall on the First Day. Rev. Famillaran thanked us for efforts to help. But he did not accept the challenge to run for President of CPBC. He said: “I am busy with my work as Secretary to the Mayor. I have to be at the office every day. It’s difficult to take responsibility with the Convention. It’s not easy to be President of the organization.” He requested the group to find another person to run for CPBC President.
After discussing the situation that night, the group felt, there was no one, but Rev. Famillaran to run for President with potentials to win. The group decided to visit him again and requsst him m ake himself available for the presidency of the Convention. On the 2nd day, another team of about 15 leaders came to see him with a final request for Rev. Famillaran to run for president.
Fred Bat-og said: “ We came to request you to run for President. We believe you are needed by the hour. If you will not, we will not pushed you. But we will not have a candidate for President in this assembly.”
Rev. Famillaran looked at all of us. He said. “Okey, I will run. I will file my candidacy. But I will not campaign. I will just visit the assembly, on the 3rd day, for about an hour to show my face, met some friends and shook hands with some who were in the assembly.”
We shooked hands with Rev. Famillaran. We told him, we were happy with his decision. We asked one to pray. Pastor Tony Elequin prayed for us all and Rev. Famillaran. We left the office of the Mayor that afternoon.
The elections of the next CPBC President was the big challenge of the time.
Most of the delegates were busy in the assembly hall at Bacolod Evangelical Church.
There were beautiful singings. There were sermons during the assembly, by well known speakers. Different choirs sang during different times of worships. Our choir at Maao Central Evangelical Church also sung our piece. We were all touched by the musical renditions of the different choirs.
There were food available in the mess hall of the assembly. In the Elementary School, delegates eat food prepared by the group’s cooks. There were excitements during that 3 day of the assembly.
The campaigns for elections of the CPBC leaders – President, Vice President and Board of Trustees was felt. It was a strong and hard campaigns. Mostly done in whispers and by raising of our hands, in a kind of salute. It was the first time, I participated in the election of officials of the Convention. I felt, it was a great spiritual exercise, being active in electing of CPBC officers. I felt, deep inside me, God was working in each of the delegates minds and hearts.
An hour before the casting of votes, I met one of the CPBC Board member, running for re-election. He said: “Rudy, your group were campaigning. That’s not right.” I said, yes, Sir. We’re campaigning. “This is an election of the highest officers of the Convention. In all elections, campaigns were needed. Issues must be discussed and clarified. We’re presenting an alternative person. And we propose alternative programs.” He looked at me. I smiled. Then, I laughed loud. And he laughed with me.
The election was held that afternoon. It was a solemn process. We elected the President, Vice President and 7 members of the Board of Trustees. We chosed from among the men and women who offered themselves in the service of the Lord, thru the leadership of the Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches.
Electing the top officials of the CPBC is a holy process. It’s a call for high and deeper commitments. The President, Vice President and Members of the Board, were not paid salaries for their services. They’re all volunteers. All of them accepted the call of Jesus for leadership through the CPBC.
At 7:30 PM, the result of the election canvas was announced. Rev. Moley Famillaran was elected President of the Convention. Also elected were the Vice President and members of the Board of Trustees.
That evening, Rev. Moley Famillaran, was installed as President. Also installed were the Vice President and the members of the Board of Trustees.
Rev. Famillaran was elected President, in one of the crucial period of our country’s history –when the country was struggling and many people were suffering under President Ferdinand Marcos martial law regime, the most deadly, brutal and corruption ridden regime in the country’s history.
Rev. Moley Famillaran election as CPBC President was a new milestone for the Baptist Convention’s ministries. There were major changes and directions made during his years leadership.
In the first 3 months of his term, with the new General Secretary, they led in the Program Planning Process that looked deep in the ministry of the CPBC and tried to worked and mobilized the 3 Programs of the Convention—Evangelism, Christian Education and Stewardship to be more relevant to the needs of the churches.
He started planning a pilot program on Urban Industrial Mission (UIM), in Insular Lumber Company (ILCO) in Hinobaan, Negros Occidental that soon became the 4th program of the Convention, the New Frontier Ministries, the development arms of CPBC.
The Children’ Development Programs was started under his leadership, where Kindernothilfe of Germany partnered with CPBC in children’s ministry. Mrs. Elsbeth Diel, a German and wife of Dr. Domingo Diel, Jr., was instrumental in the start of the KNH in Iloilo and Negros, that soon reaches many parts of the country.
These was followed with the Support an Orphan Program (SAO), the children’s program from Australia Baptist Federation, with feeding assistance, education from Kinder School to vocational and college education.
Rev. Famillaran with Rev. Edwin Lopz, General Secretary, worked to address the issues of Human Dignity, Human Rights violations and worked extensively to help address and alleviate deep poverty suffered by the people, in a society controlled by the rich, extremely rich and powerful economic and political warlords.
After serving for one term as President, Rev. Moley Familiaran accepted the God’s call to serve as Pastor of Cosmopolitan Church, a church related to the United Church of Christ in Philippines (UCCP). The UCCP stood strongly with the NCCP, against human rights violations and other abuses of the Marcos Martial rule.
He took the place of Rev. Cerilo Rigos, who was called to Pastor Ellenwood Church of Malate, Manila, also a UCCP member church. From this venue, Rev. Famillaran was called by the Board of International Ministries, to work in the US for services in Asia and the Pacific.
In the 1980’s, the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), the Philippine Indipendent Church (PIC) together with more than 20 organizations were tagged by the military as communists fronts.
These were hard and dangerous times to work for peace, justice and human rights. But many in the churches, in journalism, labor, peasantry, professionals, students, out-of-school-youths, lawyers, physicians and nurses, fishermen, ioined together, working for peace, justice, freedom and human rights.
Part of the series The Ministry Years (chapter 9 of 48)
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