El Shaddai backs Binay

MANILA, Philippines - The Catholic religious sect El Shaddai has endorsed Vice President Jejomar Binay for president and Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for vice president, the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) camp disclosed yesterday.

Joey Salgado, UNA communications head, said the endorsement came after Binay topped an internal survey conducted among El Shaddai members.

A statement saying “For president, majority voted for Jojo Binay” was read by El Shaddai Brothers Raffy delos Reyes and Rey Vargas over dwIX yesterday.

Quoting, Delos Reyes and Vargas, Salgado said the congregation’s choice was supported by El Shaddai leader Bro. Mike Velarde.

But Mel Robles, Buhay party-list president, said Velarde will not be endorsing any candidate but allowed the release of the mock polls to guide their members in the provinces.

Velarde also founded the Buhay party-list.

For senators, the group endorsed Sens. Teofisto Guingona III and Ralph Recto; former secretaries Rafael Alunan and Leila de Lima; Reps. Manny Pacquiao, Sherwin Gatchalian, Martin Romualdez and Roman Romulo; former senators Francis Pangilinan and Juan Miguel Zubiri; and former agency heads Francis Tolentino and Joel Villanueva.

El Shaddai claims to have eight million members worldwide.

“I am grateful and humbled by the endorsement of the members of El Shaddai and to Bro. Mike Velarde for giving me the opportunity to speak before his congregation,” Binay said.

UNA will hold its miting de avance this afternoon in Makati City, where Binay served as mayor for 21 years.

Binay also took a swipe at his rivals Liberal Party bet Mar Roxas, Sen. Grace Poe and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

“On Monday, May 9, the Filipinos will make history. The people will decide if we allow the present insensitive and inept government to continue, if we will allow the country to become more miserable in the hands of a dictator-like leader, or if we will accept a leader who once turned her back on the country in exchange of a comfortable life abroad,” the Vice President said.

Meanwhile, vice presidential candidate Sen. Gringo Honasan yesterday called on voters to be “vigilant” on Monday as he cited reports that some vote counting machines (VCMs) churned out names different from what were shaded on ballots during a test in Cagayan province.

Although saying, “we have no choice but to trust in the integrity of the VCMs to be used in the polls,” Honasan urged everyone to be vigilant as a perception of vote tampering or election results tampering might lead to anarchy, destabilization and a rise in criminality.

Honasan also downplayed Duterte’s lead in the surveys, saying “the number of undecided voters is growing, and we still have yet to feel the silent majority.”  – With Evelyn Macairan, Ding Cervantes