Velarde endorses 3 more candidates

The White Vote Movement led by the Catholic charismatic group El Shaddai endorsed three more senatorial candidates on top of the six it earlier named for the May 13 elections.

In an event held at the Velarde-owned Amvel City in Parañaque City on Saturday, El Shaddai leader and the movement’s spokesman Mike Velarde announced that they were also supporting United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) candidates Nancy Binay, Richard Gordon and Miguel Zubiri.

The three were in addition to the earlier endorsed candidates: UNA’s JV Ejercito, Gringo Honasan, Mitos Magsaysay and Team PNoy’s Koko Pimentel, Antonio Trillanes IV and Cynthia Villar.

In exchange for El Shaddai’s support, Velarde said that the candidates were made to sign a “pledge of commitment” to always fight for the Catholic Church’s stand once they get elected.

“They made a commitment that if they win, they will fight any proposed law that is against the family and anything that will lead to the annihilation of the Filipino race and things that are against the Word of God, against the commandments of God,” said Velarde.

He said the White Vote Movement will also monitor the candidates they endorsed “so we can also guide them.”

Earlier, Velarde explained that the movement was supporting these candidates because they stood with the Church in opposing the reproductive health (RH) law.

Other groups involved in the White Vote Movement include Couples for Christ-Foundation for Family and Life, Catholic Women’s League, Focolare Movement and Bukas Loob sa Diyos.

Velarde said previous experience showed that some candidates the El Shaddai had supported in last elections voted for the RH law.

“I pleaded with them to defer the bill for further deliberations so the people may know the truth and yet when the voting came, they were there. Anyway, there is always a day of reckoning. We won’t get back at them but we will act towards the right direction,” said Velarde in his speech.

The candidates the movement endorsed have also been dubbed “Team Buhay” by the Diocese of Bacolod because they voted against the family planning measure, except for Villar.

But Velarde noted that since Villar’s husband, Sen. Manuel Villar, voted against the RH bill, “his vote can be considered as the vote of the wife.”