Bro. Eddie's party building machinery for 2010 presidential bid

By ANGELO L. GUTIERREZ, abs-cbnNEWS.com | 10/05/2008 10:07 PM

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JIL's Bro. Eddie Villanueva signing bibles given to media at the press conference.

Evangelist Bro. Eduardo "Eddie" Villanueva of the Jesus Is Lord Movement said he will run in the 2010 presidential elections but only if his political party has the “nationwide, reasonable” political machinery.

Leo Alconga, acting spokesman of Bangon Pilipinas party, said that on a scale of one to 10, the party is already at eight, or two notches shy of mustering the political clout that Villanueva is asking for.

Villanueva said that leaders of Bangon Pilipinas, which he founded and used a political vehicle for his presidential bid in 2004, have been convincing him since last year to campaign again for president.

“I just told them: I have to be true to you. Before I entertain that idea, show [me] first that Bangon has nationwide, reasonable machinery and pray to God [for] people to have the consensus to fight for genuine change. That was my answer to them,” the evangelist told reporters before leading the JIL's 30th anniversary celebration at Luneta Park in Manila on Sunday.

Alconga, however, said it is still too early to say if the political party will be able to muster enough force to make Villanueva’s next presidential bid viable.

He said the party is going around and consulting JIL leaders and supporters for the past eight months in connection with the group’s mission to convince Villanueva to run again.

Alconga said the group is now focused on strengthening its “grassroots nationwide network.”

He said the group is also “secretly scouting” for local government officials who may be supported by the political party in the 2010 elections.

No ‘it’ for presidency yet

Villanueva, meanwhile, said he has no personal ambition at the moment to campaign again for president in 2010.

“I have to confess to you, [running for the] presidency doesn’t have any “it” to me,” he said.

"I have no iota of personal ambition whatsoever," he added.

However, if the possibility arises, Villanueva said he may entertain the challenge.

"If the situation arises, and God will reveal to me that I should lead our beloved people to the promise land, and if the Filipino people are clamoring for genuine change or reforms, there is a possibility that I will entertain that challenge.”

For now, he said his prayers are for God to raise someone who may be supported by JIL and Bangon Pilipinas.

Three Cs

Villanueva said a presidential wannabe who wants to get the support of both JIL and Bangon Pilipinas in the 2010 elections should have the three Cs: competence, character and courage.

He explained competence as in someone who has a good vision and wisdom; a character for integrity, honesty, sincerity; and finally “good” courage.

Villanueva said at least four “presidentiables” had sent feelers seeking JIL and Bangon Pilipinas’ support in the 2010 elections.

Alconga said the presidentiables were asking for an audience with the movement. He, however, said the group is not yet ready to grant these requests.

Villanueva and Alconga declined to name the four politicians, but said they belong to the top four political parties in the country.

Alconga told abs-cbnNEWS.com that Bangon Pilipinas leaders are currently focused in creating competitive political machinery because they still prefer Villanueva to be their presidential candidate.

“We pray na makumbinsi namin siya (Villanueva), kasi ang Bangon talagang siya pa rin ang aming gustong tumakbo (We pray that we will be able to convince him, because Bangon still prefers him to be the standard bearer),” he said.

If the Bangon Pilipinas leaders' effort to come up with a strong political machinery before 2010, Alconga said the group has the option of entering into an alliance with other political parties.

He said, however, that the political parties and their presidential candidates will be "interrogated" by the Bangon Pilipinas executive committee and will be judged through the JIL's "moral" criteria for a righteous governance.

Villanueva has Kaya Natin’s support

Leaders of Kaya Natin Movement, a group that advocates ethical leadership in national and local governance, who were invited to join the JIL anniversary, expressed support for Villanueva’s possible candidacy in 2010.

Priest-turn-politician and Pampanga Gov. Ed Panlilio said he had been convincing Villanueva to run again.

“I’m pushing for him to run because he is most qualified, more competent and he has the expertise and he has righteousness,” Panlilio said.

The Pampanga governor, the first priest to be elected to public office, said he advised Villanueva to break free from his experience in the 2004 elections.

“I told him sometime ago that his first stint was just a small step along the way. The great US president Abraham Lincoln lost five times,” he said.

Panlilio added that he feels Villanueva has a better chance in 2010 because Filipinos are now seriously looking for a “more credible person to lead the country.”

Isabela Gov. Grace Padaca, for her part, said Villanueva may be the right person to run for president in 2010 because “he has no conflict [of interest].”

The other members of Kaya Natin Movement who attended the celebration were Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo and Gov. Rafael Nantes of Quezon province.

Villanueva, meanwhile, said the JIL will have a "special pray-over" the four local politicians during the celebration because they are the symbol of transformational leadership.

At the launch of the Kaya Natin Movement in July, the local officials said they have been avoiding discussions on whom to support in the coming presidential election.

However, the local officials said they will be ready to support a moral leader, whose standards are aligned with the Catholic Church.