Bro. Eddie vows to be ‘moral compass’ in Senate

VOICE OF THE SAGUIGUILID NO. 31 Evangelist Bro. Eddie Villanueva of Bangon Pilipinas, a student activist in the ’70s, visits PUP, his alma mater. NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines—SayinG “your vote is sacred,” Bangon Pilipinas party senatorial candidate Eduardo “Bro. Eddie” Villanueva asked supporters in a “miting de avance” to reject any attempt by traditional politicians to buy their votes.

Entire families, wearing mostly yellow green shirts, joined show biz personalities, like singers Gary Valenciano and Kuh Ledesma, and comedians, in the Saturday night rally at Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City.

In his remarks, Villanueva urged the people not to vote for “trapos” (traditional politicians) and “vote for new politics” instead. He vowed to “be a moral compass as I bring a righteous revolution to the Senate.”

“A moral leadership is the foundation of good governance,” he said.

Villanueva gave high marks to President Aquino, especially to his “daang matuwid” (righteous path) crusade but warned that “it will not succeed without the full support of the citizenry.”

“The nation must work as a team imbued with a strength of purpose and ready to forego petty advantages in favor of larger national goals,” said the Jesus is Lord church leader.

Villanueva promised to be the “voice of the saguiguilid,” or the marginalized groups, in the Senate. “If elected, I will make sure the country’s saguiguilid will not be left out of the country’s economic achievements,” he said, pledging to push for propoor legislation.

Church groups

“I hope that on Election Day, voters won’t forget senatorial candidate No. 31, your humble servant Bro. Eddie, and for party-list No. 92, which is Cibac (Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption),” Villanueva said in an interview.

Also at the rally to support Villanueva’s third foray into politics was Philippine Basketball Association star Jonas Villanueva, his nephew. Representatives of other religious groups, including the National Council of Churches in the Philippines, also expressed support.

Religious groups with bloc-voting members are seeking to widen their influence in Congress through the party-list system.

Based on the sample ballots distributed by Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC), executive minister Eduardo Manalo has asked his flock to vote for ACT-CIS (Anti-Crime and Terrorism Community Involvement and Support) in the Quezon City area and for 1-SAGIP (Social Amelioration & Genuine Intervention on Poverty) in Las Piñas.

Pastor Apollo Quiboloy of the Davao-based group Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name, endorsed three party-list groups—ACT-CIS, 1-BAP and OFW Family Club Inc.

Appeal to Comelec

Although religious groups are banned from joining party-list organizations, their affiliates are working as advocacy groups to penetrate Congress. A new party-list group, Ang Prolife, is reportedly backed by the Catholic Church.

Gabriela Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan said the Catholic Church and other religious groups had exploited the party-list system to infiltrate Congress. She said the Commission on Elections (Comelec) should clamp down on this practice before the line between religion and politics gets blurred in Congress.

There are 123 party-list groups vying for 20 percent of the seats in Congress. This is equivalent to 58 seats.

To get a seat, a party-list group should win at least 2 percent of the total votes cast for all party-list groups. A group can get up to three seats depending on how many get the minimum 2-percent vote and the total votes obtained.

Pundits say only the topnotcher is likely to get three seats and that at least 200,000 votes are needed to get one seat.

Bishop’s appeal

In Lucena City in Quezon province, Bishop Emilio Marquez used the pulpit on Sunday to enjoin Catholics not to vote for candidates seeking endorsement from INC.

“Don’t sell your votes,” Marquez said at a Mass. “Vote according to the dictates of your conscience. And lastly, don’t vote for candidates asking for endorsement from Iglesia Ni Cristo.”

Marquez told the Inquirer on the phone that the appeal not to vote for INC-endorsed candidates was the position adopted by the late Bishop Alfredo Ma. Obviar, the first administrator of the Diocese of Lucena.

“And that’s also my position,” he said.

The Inquirer tried to get the reaction of local INC ministers but was told by a sect member the matter was being addressed by sect leaders in Manila.

Conscience vote

Another local INC member, Joey Lipa, said he respected Marquez’s appeal to the faithful. “The question is, will they obey him?” Lipa said.

Quezon has a voting population of 1.1 million. Around 35,000 to 45,000 belong to the INC, according to estimates.

In his homily, Marquez emphasized he was not endorsing any candidate. He said he was not inclined to follow other Catholic bishops who issued “sample ballots” in their respective dioceses.

“Just vote according to the dictates of your conscience,” Marquez said. “Respect your vote as you respect yourself.”