El Shaddai, Caloocan Muslims endorse Echiverri

MANILA, Philippines - The El Shaddai Catholic charismatic group and the local Muslim community in Caloocan City endorsed yesterday Mayor Enrico Echiverri’s bid for re-election.

Their endorsement follows the endorsement by the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), announced last Wednesday.

“The endorsement of the INC, the El Shaddai, the Muslim community, the youth, the traders as well as barangay leaders is a huge honor for me. Residents of Caloocan can rest assured that I will continue the many projects that I’ve started in our beloved city,” Echiverri said.

Echiverri said the INC has some 50,000 voters in Caloocan, the El Shaddai around 30,000 while the local Muslim community has about 50,000 voters.

According to Echiverri, the INC also supported him when he ran as congressman for Caloocan City’s first district, while the El Shaddai backed him when he ran and won as mayor in 2004 and during his re-election in 2007.

He said they have consistently thrown their support for his candidacy “since they believe that I can bring progress in Caloocan.”

The mayor said that the “unanimous” endorsement by the two huge religious groups and the numerous business and local organizations is an indication of their trust in his administration, which he said created projects that “raised the quality of life” of his constituents.