Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano on Saturday called on fellow Christians to lead the country’s transformation by first practicing genuine repentance in their own lives, saying believers must first change themselves and help restore the Church before they can credibly demand reforms in society and government.
Speaking before over 300 Christians during the “Prayer for the Nation” event on July 25, 2026, Cayetano said the country’s future should not depend on politics alone but on Christians living out their faith.
“We’re here today talking about the Biblical hope because sa Monday we will hear the SONA. We’re praying for leaders, praying for our country, praying for our future. Pero hindi pwedeng y’ung hope natin nasa tao. Hindi pwedeng y’ung hope natin nasa pulitika o proseso,” he said.
Cayetano’s message comes two days before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), where the President is expected to discuss and give updates on the government’s progress and his take on various issues facing the country.
Cayetano urged fellow Christians to focus on what they can do regardless of who is in power.
“Between now and 2028 or 2028 to 2034, ano ba ang gagawin natin as God’s people para magkaroon ng pagbabago?” he said.
Four Rs of national transformation
Cayetano said national transformation begins with personal transformation, noting that leadership starts with governing oneself before leading a family, a community, or a nation.
“The first part ng pagbabago sa ating bansa ay revival of the heart. We have to admit na patay tayo because of sin. But because God forgave us, because His Son came, pwedeng mabuhay tayo ulit,” he said.
He stressed that no amount of political or institutional reform can succeed if people’s hearts remain unchanged.
“Kung lahat tayo patay ang puso, OK lang magnakaw, magsinungaling, mandaya sa exam, may hingian kapag nagbabayad ng tax. Walang pagbabago kahit baguhin mo yung sistema, kahit napakagaling ng leader,” he said.
From there, Cayetano said Christians should work toward restoring the Church by living according to the values they preach.
“Hindi po masasabi ng Church sa gobyerno, ‘Itigil n’yo y’ung sugal,’ kung mismong mga nasa Church nagsusugal, ” he said.
Only after Christians themselves have changed, he said, can they become effective agents of reform in society.
“‘Pag reformed na y’ung church, meron na po tayong power sa reformation of society,” he said, explaining that churches that model integrity gain the moral authority to influence communities, schools, and government institutions.
Cayetano said the common thread running through personal revival, church restoration, and societal reformation is genuine repentance before God.
“Y’ung repentance po, hindi ka ‘sorry’ dahil nahuli ka. ‘Sorry’ ka dahil mali at may sorrow sa heart mo, sa soul mo na nagkasala ka sa Panginoon o sa kapwa tao,” he said.
He said the country’s persistent problems ultimately reflect a lack of repentance.
“If nakukulangan kayo sa pagbabago sa ating bansa, sa kahit anong level – sa church, sa ekonomiya, sa gobyerno, sa edukasyon, sa kalusugan – it’s because kulang po ang ating repentance. Kaya hindi nagkakaroon ng revival, kaya nabibitin y’ung restoration,” he said.
The prayer event gathered Christians from different denominations to encourage them to unite around a common mission of national transformation rooted in Biblical values. Among the speakers were former Presidential Spokesperson and pastor Ernie Abella as well as pastor and former Anti-Red Tape Authority Director General Atty. Jeremiah Belgica.