Bro. Eddie bucks religious bloc voting

ZAMBOANGA CITY — Bangon Pilipinas Movement (BPM) presidential candidate Bro. Eddie Villanueva called on religious groups yesterday not to impose any bloc voting on its members and instead allow them the freedom to choose their own candidate in the May 10 elections.

"I am earnestly against bloc voting. I don’t want the Filipino people reduced like robots by their religious leaders," Villanueva told reporters here.

He was reacting to reports that other candidates, including President Arroyo, were courting the Iglesia ni Cristo, a religious group known to vote as a bloc.

Villanueva, himself the head of the Jesus is Lord fellowship movement, said he would not dictate to his followers who to vote for.

He said the scheme of courting the religious sector was divisive.

"I want to educate Filipino people how to vote wisely," he said.

Villanueva said that some 3.2 million BPM members and supporters are being mobilized to safeguard the conduct of the elections against alleged administration plans for fraud.

During a BPM rally inside the ZAEC Summit gym here, Villanueva appealed to voters to express their convictions in choosing their candidate.

Villanueva arrived aboard a private plane shortly before noon and later motored around the city on a convoy with BPM members. He then met with local religious and labor union leaders.

Villanueva said that if elected, among the first things he plans to address are the decades-old secessionist problem in Mindanao and the communist insurgeny.

He said he would create a peace commission and immediately challenge rebel organizations to submit all their demands, "but minus the illegitimate, excessive, capricious and whimsical demands."

On his meeting Friday with Alyansa ng Pag-Asa candidate Raul Roco, the evangelist confirmed reports that Roco had asked him to "step down."

He said that he turned down the request with a compliment on his rival’s qualifications as candidate.

"I told my friend that if I was not running, I would probably be voting for him," he said.

Villanueva also confirmed the religious tone of their discussion.

"But I courteously rejected the offer because my decision to run for president is my commitment to God and my country and, therefore, is not negotiable," he said.

The preacher-turned-politician said that Roco couched his request for Villanueva’s withdrawal in biblical terms.

"He wants to be Moses and he asked me to be his Joshua," he said.

In the Bible, Moses was a religious leader who freed the people of Israel from slavery. Joshua was his successor, a successful military man.

But in yesterday’s STAR, Roco was quoted as asking Villanueva "to be my Joseph, to be my Daniel."

Villanueva said that he and Roco were both praying for divine guidance on the real meaning of the biblical passages they discussed.

During Roco’s absence from the country to seek medical treatment in the US, some officials of the Alyansa ng Pag-Asa met with their BPM counterparts to discuss a possible merger.

Officials of the BPM were reported to have offered at the time to adopt Alyansa’s national ticket, an offer which appears to have been withdrawn when Roco announced he would pursue his presidential bid.

BPM spokesman Luis Sison explained that they will only support candidates who have sought, and passed their criteria for, endorsement.

"And now that the merger is almost impossible, they have to apply for our endorsement," he said.