Evangelist Eddie Villanueva of the religious group Jesus Is Lord (JIL) favors the abolition of the graft-tainted pork barrel but wants an alternative system for public funds to reach the poor and not remain “stagnant.”
“We are for the abolition of all wickedness. We are for abolition of all sources of corruption but there must be an alternative, or else what will happen to the so-called projects that provide social services for the poor?” Villanueva, who twice ran for president, said Friday in a press conference on JIL’s 35th anniversary gathering at Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park, Manila.
“It is easy to join the rhetoric… abolish every system. But be sure to find a replacement. We are absolutely in favor of abolition of all forms of corruption, but who will handle the people’s money? That is the question that should be answered by all God-loving Filipinos,” he added.
Asked if he would support the proposal for a people’s initiative to abolish the pork barrel and if he would urge JIL followers to sign the petition, Villanueva said he would study the petition first.
“[I want to have an] understanding, from A to Z, of the direction of the people’s initiative. We cannot use our leadership in influencing our members all over the country or all over the world just to sign the petition without understanding where are we going and what is the direction.”
He said there should be a special commission that would look for ways to fully utilize public funds for the people’s benefit, but the effort “requires a reformation and transformation of the entire society.”
“Whoever you put there, if they are not pure of heart and are easily tempted, the money will end up being stolen,” he said in Filipino.
The JIL’s anniversary celebration which gathered thousands of followers carried the theme “Revolution of Righteousness.”
“We have tried every kind of revolution out there: Mind revolution, armed revolution and even People Power revolution against a dictatorship. They were all, in a way, effective, but they were not really enough. We are still worse off than where we were before,” the JIL leader said.
“What we urgently need today is a revolution of righteousness. We need to involve God. It is only by involving God that this nation can truly be transformed,” he added.