Senate President Manny Villar said the absence of a God-centered governance led by servant-leaders is one of the reasons why the Philippines remains as fragmented as ever and continues to carry the heavy burden of poverty and injustice, a press release from his office said.

Speaking before more than 200 members of the Philippine National Breakfast Foundation, Inc. during their Prayer Breakfast Celebration on the theme “Servant Leadership: Not to be Observed, but to Serve,” in an undisclosed place yesterday, Villar underscored the need to call on God for His blessing and guidance in carrying out the solemn responsibility of leadership.

He said leaders, be they elected or appointed, are mere stewards of God and are also entrusted with the mission to be shepherd to His flock. Public service will remain a slogan unless it is rooted in the love for Christ.

Villar said Nelson Mandela is the best living proof of the transformative power of a God-inspired leadership. He said when Mandela was freed after 27 years of imprisonment for his strong advocacy of racial equality in Africa , the press release said.

“Mandela, who could have been reelected had he so wished, should be emulated by elected officials as a people's servant who believes that a leader does not have to hold on to his or her position to have power,” Villar said in the same press release.*

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