MANILA, 7 May 2004 — Two religious groups reputed for their bloc-voting capability have agreed to endorse the candidacy of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in the May 10 election, and a television evangelist who is contesting the presidency is cying “foul!”
Arroyo’s campaign spokesman Michael Defensor announced yesterday that the leaders of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) and the El Shaddai movement have given their nod to Arroyo for separate reasons.
Defensor said INC leader Era?o Manalo endorsed her because the president had obeyed his advice on several issues affecting the country.
He said El Shaddai leader Mike Velarde, gave his “blessing” to Arroyo after she agreed to pursue a pro-life policy, to fight corruption even if her relatives become targets of an anti-graft campaign, and to unify with forces that support ousted President Joseph Estrada.
Both groups are known to vote as a bloc, although many El Shaddai members have it.
The 90-day campaign period ends at midnight on Saturday.
“For the longest time, GMA (Arroyo’s initials) has been consulting and asking for Ka Ernie Manalo’s guidance. During that time, she (the president) has been seeking Ka Ernie’s views on the country and obeying him,” said Defensor in Filipino.
Defensor said it was Manalo who advised the president to reach out to her political foes, including jailed ex-President Joseph Estrada, to “unify” the nation.
“I think the fact that she listened and understood Ka Ernie’s advice carried weight in his decision to endorse the president,” he said.
Defensor said the INC also endorsed Arroyo’s running mate, Senator Noli de Castro. “We asked for the help and support of Iglesia ni Cristo under the leadership of Ka Era?o Manalo and his son Ka Eduardo Manalo and we are thankful that they have decided to support President Arroyo,” Defensor told reporters in a news briefing aired live on government radio Radyo ng Bayan.
Defensor said the Palace received word from the INC Wednesday night about its decision to back Arroyo. He added the INC also gave the Palace the go-ahead to announce the decision.
The INC endorsement will give the president and de Castro two to four million votes, Defensor said.
As in past elections, Defensor said the Iglesia vote could prove to be the swing vote for Arroyo in her quest for victory.
“Everybody knows the big help the Iglesia can give in the election because it can influence not only its members but their families to vote for President Arroyo,” Defensor said.
“In the past, the INC support ensures victory,” Defensor added.
Despite the INC endorsement, Defensor said Arroyo would continue to woo voters in the last four days of the campaign. He said the administration’s target was for Arroyo to be a majority president to give her a clear mandate in the next six years.
Defensor said he was informed that sample ballots containing the names of Arroyo and de Castro would be distributed among the INC members and local chapters.
Robots
Reacting to the INC endorsement, evangelist and presidential candidate Eduardo “Brother Eddie” Villanueva bewailed that the Iglesia leadership did it again.
“I am against reducing people to robots,” Villanueva said, when asked to comment on the impending release of INC sample ballots, which will contain the names of candidates that the religious group will be endorsing.
“I respect the right of every Filipino. I am against religious block voting,” Villanueva told GMA Network’s “Unang Hirit” morning newscast.
Villanueva said he was confident that he would get the support of his Jesus Is Lord (JIL) Church Worldwide, even if he did not oblige members to vote for him.
“They believe in morality and righteousness. They will follow the principle of God in electing their leaders,” he said.
At religious services in INC chapels Wednesday, ministers told members to vote for the candidates their leaders were to endorse later this week.
In a show of force, Villanueva drew the biggest crowd so far in the campaign for Monday’s presidential election as hundreds of thousands of supporters turned out for a rally and prayer meeting last night.
“The liberation, the deliverance and the emancipation of the Filipino people have come,” Villanueva told his final rally as representatives of five other religious sects, including two Muslim community representatives, came on stage in a show of support.
Villanueva claimed about 5 million gathered at central Manila’s Rizal Park, but police estimated the crowd at 700,000.
Despite mustering the biggest turnouts, Villanueva has consistently run fifth in voter surveys behind incumbent President Arroyo, action film star Fernando Poe Jr., Sen. Panfilo Lacson and former Education Secretary Raul Roco.
Fiery Rhetoric
Villanueva, 57, denounced “shocking corruption, injustice and grinding poverty” and lamented the Philippines’ economic underdevelopment.
The former economics professor promised to establish a “righteous government” to make the Philippines “the America of Asia.”
“We will empower the Filipino people economically, politically, socially, morally, and that will be the beginning of the transformation of the Philippines into one of the greatest if not the greatest country on the face of the earth,” he told cheering supporters in his campaign colors of yellow and green.
Meanwhile, Poe said he was expecting his “miting de avance” (last campaign rally) in Makati City tomorrow to be an “inspirational” one, his personal campaign manager said yesterday.
Senator Vicente Sotto III said the four-hour event that starts at 5 p.m. near Paseo de Roxas corner Ayala Avenue would be an “inspirational rally” and would be bigger than the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino’s. “We hope to rally more of the undecided to our side,” Sotto said.
Sotto said that Poe would give a speech there that would center on his platform of government. He said there would be less entertainment although Poe’s friends from show business would be present. (Inputs from Inquirer News Service and agencies)
