The latest SWS Survey commissioned by Senator and Presidential aspirant Manny Villar shows that the top three front runners are: Senator Manny Villar (22%), Former President Joseph Estrada (19%), and Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero (18%). It’s not surprising to see this because Senator Villar has really been pouring out massive amounts of resources in trying to build his name for the upcoming 2010 elections. He’s been doing television, radio, print, and online for almost 6 months straight now and I can only assume that his spending will intensify even more when the real campaign season kicks in. By the way, I had coffee with Senator Villar a few weeks ago. You might want to read about it in my previous post.

Erap Estrada – Icon of the Masses
Former President Estrada, who has been reported to be going all over the Philippines in political sorties also put up good numbers. I can understand perfectly why he can get jailed for plunder and still enjoy the support from the masses. I’ve seen him on television and I’ve seen his Arthro commercial and there’s one thing that I can say confidently – this guy has the most charm and appeal for the average normal Filipino. The way he moves and speaks has been refined by years in the movie industry. He knows how to tickle the funny bone of the masses. What he lacks in actual political savvy, he makes up for it with wit, humor, and the ability to inspire.

Chiz – Constant Performer
Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero has been a constant solid performer in surveys since last year. This is interesting since he really hasn’t gotten out of his way to promote himself yet through television or radio. The most he’s done is to appear during Presidential forum events which are usually organized by TV stations or non-government agencies. His ability to easily connect with the youth is one of his strongest traits. Other than that, I believe that his hard line opposition to the Arroyo administration has sky rocketed his political capital in the past few years. Not once have I seen him stand down in favor of the administration. You can expect his ratings to soar even higher if and when he finally decides to announce his candidacy for President in 2010.

Like Senator Villar, I’ve had the honor of having coffee with this guy. You can read about the “Chiz” experience in my previous article.

Following the top 3 are VP Noli De Castro (14%), Senator Mar Roxas (10%), Senator Loren Legarda (6%), Senator Lacson (3%), Mayor Binay (3%), MMDA Chairman Fernando (1%), and Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro (0.3%).

Just some random thoughts on the other placers:

- Despite all the ad spending and his highly publicized engagement with Korina, Senator Roxas is still at 5th place. Awareness for Senator Roxas is there… but why aren’t the people picking him over the other candidates? Some people say that the SWS survey is biased since Senator Villar commissioned it. I would love to validate this survey through the next Pulse Asia report which should come out soon.

- Another puzzling trend is the decline of Senator Loren Legarda. She used to place fairly well in surveys but she’s been constantly going down in the past few months. I wonder what’s going on here. Maybe it’s the lack of media exposure?

- If Gibo’s performance doesn’t improve in the next Pulse Asia survey, I highly doubt he’ll be picked by the administration party to be the standard bearer.

- All three religious leaders: Among Ed, Bro. Eddie, and Bro. Mike are not even on the list. This maybe because they only declared recently. Would love to see the next survey to see if they can actually make an impact on the list.

- Also noticed that Senator Jamby Madrigal isn’t on the list as well. Let’s see next time if she’ll show up given her recent announcement. Since she’s insanely wealthy, I wouldn’t be surprised to see her match the intensity of the ads of Senators Villar and Roxas.

- Lastly, would love to see Senator Noynoy Aquino’s impact in the next survey.

Your thoughts on this guys? Feel free to leave a comment.

Related posts:

1. Latest SWS and Manila Standard Surveys say Villar is tied with Aquino; Pulse says otherwise
2. Pulse Asia Survey shows Villar still on top
3. Aquino and Villar dominate latest SWS survey

Jesus is Lord (JIL) leader Brother Eddie Villanueva formally announced his intentions to run for President in 2010 in a press conference in Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan. This officially makes him the third charismatic religious leader that’s joining the race for the highest position in the country in 2010. He joins the ranks of Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio and El Shaddai’s Brother Mike Velarde. The leader of JIL explained that he got cheated out of the 2004 elections and that he’s determined to win the elections this time around. He will be the standard bearer of the Bangon Pilipinas Movement.

Here’s the complete article on ABS-CBN Interactive:

MANILA – Jesus is Lord Movement founder Bro. Eddie Villanueva on Friday formally announced his bid to run in the May 2010 presidential election.

In a gathering in Barasoain Church compound in Malolos, Bulacan, Villanueva said he has accepted the nomination of Bangon Pilipinas party as its standard bearer at next year’s presidential elections.

This is not the first time that Villanueva will run for the highest elective post in the country. The spiritual leader ran and lost in the 2004 presidential election, which saw then-incumbent President Gloria Arroyo win a fresh mandate.

In his speech, Villanueva said massive cheating marred the 2004 elections, which saw him get zero votes in Cavite and Pangasinan despite having many supporters there. “The cheating in 2004 furthered my resolve to run again,” he said in an interview after his acceptance speech.

Bangon Pilipinas is a political party which is not solely dominated by members or officials of Jesus is Lord Movement. Its senatorial slate includes former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Perfecto Yasay Jr., Tom Meneses of the Seventh-Day Adventista and Ramoncito Ocampo, a lay preacher of the charismatic group, El Shaddai.

Asked if Bangon Pilipinas is open to an alliance with the popular El Shaddai movement of Bro. Mike Velarde, Villanueva said: “Bukas kami sa anumang alyansa, basta ang partidong makakasama namin ay consistent sa aming vision at mission na good governance.”

Bangon Pilipinas is now preparing a shortlist of aspirants in its Vice-Presidential slot, which will be announced on October in Plaza Miranda, when the party launches its full-blown campaign.
as of 08/21/2009 5:16 PM

Here are video clips for your viewing pleasure:

With all three of them in the race, they’re just reducing the chances of the opposition in winning the top post in 2010. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the administration candidate is able to win again because the opposition vote is split up among a lot of candidates.

I personally believe that these three men are doing a great disservice to this country by doing what they’re doing. That’s just my personal opnion. They have the right to run, but I really don’t believe that they have the training, competencies, and experience needed for the Presidency.

Related posts:

1. “Politics of God” – Bro. Eddie Villanueva
2. What would you ask Bro. Eddie Villanueva?
3. El Shaddai Bro. Mike Velarde to Run in 2010?

It looks like El Shaddai leader Brother Mike Velarde isn’t done dropping bombshells. Just this morning in an interview with GMA 7, he revealed that he’s been talking with former President Erap Estrada about his political plans for 2010. In the interview, he revealed that either one of them will run in 2010. If the law doesn’t hinder Erap from running, then Brother Mike will bow out and support Estrada’s candidacy. If Erap is prohibited, then Erap will back up Brother Mike’s campaign instead. Now this is just one of the most insane alliances I’ve ever heard of but it looks like it will push through. This has a lot of implications that can really change the 2010 landscape.

Former President Estrada denied this though and explains that he only sent his son to talk with Brother Mike during his 70th birthday celebration. Ugh. Someone get their story straight before talking to the media.

Here’s the news clip that I’m talking about:

Here’s the direct quote on text for your perusal in English and in Filipino:

“Eto ire-reveal ko na sa inyo, nag-usap na kami ni Erap, ang usapan kung hindi ka mapipigil, sasabayan kita. Sabi niya bakit, sabi ko para kapag nadisqualify ka, ako ang kandidato mo, eh kung hindi ka madisqualify, ikaw ang kandidato ko, so we shook hands and that’s the deal,” he said.

(I will reveal this to you, Erap and I have already talked, we agreed that if he can’t be stopped, I will also run with him. He asked me why, I said that if he gets disqualified, I will be his candidate, if he doesn’t get disqualified, he will be my candidate, so we shook hands and that’s the deal.)

What I don’t understand here is that Brother Mike said earlier that the primary factor that will influence his decision to run would be the voice of his followers in El Shaddai. It looks like he’s listening to some other voice since he’s already working on alliances this early. I know that Jesus has been preaching forgiveness, but it’s just wrong to see a religious charismatic leader doing shady secret deals with a convicted plunderer. It’s just not right.

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Related posts:

1. Brother Mike Velarde Hints on Possible 2010 Candidacy Again
2. El Shaddai Bro. Mike Velarde to Run in 2010?
3. Erap will really run in 2010

El Shaddai leader Brother Mike Velarde opened his new church called the International House of Prayer in Paranque yesterday. More than being a religious event, it had shades of politics all over it. Presidential aspirants flocked to the opening in hopes of wooing votes from the 7M members of El Shaddai. Even President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was present during the proceedings. In his speech, Brother Mike hinted once again about his intentions to run for 2010 as President.

Here’s a direct quote from his speech:

“As of today, everyone’s a potential candidate. But most of the aspirants are my good friends. That’s another problem for me unless by divine guidance, they all give up in my favor.”

At least he has a good sense of humor.

Other than his hints, Brother Mike also explains that his support for the Arroyo administration ends in 2010 and he explains that he will be encouraging his church to vote for just 1 candidate, be it him or someone that he will endorse in the future.

Here’s the video for your viewing pleasure:

Related posts:

1. El Shaddai Bro. Mike Velarde to Run in 2010?
2. Brother Mike’s “Secret” Deal with Erap
3. 2010: Battle of the Relgious Groups

If you guys regularly read the newspaper then you probably would have noticed right now that Brother Eddie Villanueva has been releasing semi-political advertisements (Bagon Pilipinas campaign). He’s also appeared on several programs on TV wherein he talked about his plans for 2010. Other than him, we also have Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio who has already announced his intention to run for the Presidency. Lastly we have El Shaddai Brother Mike Velarde who recently said that he was considering his options as well for 2010. We now have three religious charismatic leaders who are saying that they’ve been called by God to lead the country as the President. This turn of events has so much implications in the political arena.

Fragmented Vote
If all three of them run, that would spell disaster for the opposition. The religious voting block will be split among all three leaders. Christians might support Brother Eddie, while other Catholics might pick either Brother Mike or Governor Panlilio. This will only benefit the administration candidate – whoever he or she is. I’m sure that the Palace is all smiles when they heard these three guys announce their intentions to run for office.

The more candidates run for 2010, the less votes the strongest opposition candidate will have against the administration.

Experience and Expertise
Leading a church is a totally different from running a country. While these three men might be in good moral standing, I’m not really sold on their expertise in public administration. This country needs a leader that can hit the ground running once he or she is elected. We can’t afford a President that will take time to learn the ropes. Each administration only has 6 years, that’s why it’s important we get someone who understands how government agencies work so that there won’t be a “courting” period anymore.

With all due respect to these three guys, I can’t just imagine them running the country effectively. Yes, they can probably hammer down on corruption, but ultimately the Presidency is more than just that.

It’s like what Malcolm Gladwell said in his book, Outliers. A person needs at least 10,000 hours of practice in one field or skill before he can be a master. I’m sure that these three guys have more than 10,000 hours of practice in preaching and counseling. The question is if they have the competency for all the other skill sets required of the Chief Executive of the country? In fact, I really don’t think it will be easy to stamp out corruption if you don’t know how it’s being done in the first place.

If I’m not mistaken, it was Brother Eddie Villanueva who said in a television interview that if the church is weak, the nation will also be weak. If that’s the case, then focus on your church. Continue saving lives by having them commit to Jesus. Build your church and continue to disciple and reach out. That’s your way of building a better nation.

Presidency, Criticism, & Hate
Let’s face it, being President is probably one of the hardest jobs ever. You can never please everyone, so there will always be criticisms and insults hurled your way. Even US President Obama, who was hailed as one of the most charismatic and down-to-earth Presidents, is now reeling from the punches being thrown at him by his detractors and the media. What was once a hero is now shaping up to be a villain. Can Bro. Eddie, Bro. Mike, and Gov. Panlilio handle all that hate? Let me change the question a bit – can the groups they’re representing, be it El Shaddai or JIL, handle all of that? Spare your church from all of that intrigue.

Instead of being politicians yourselves, why not just disciple the politicians of today and tomorrow? Build leaders from your own church and maybe someday someone who’s aligned with your moral values and believes in the same things you do but has the necessary skills and experience can become President.

Related posts:

1. JIL Bro. Eddie Villanueva To Run for President in 2010
2. Brother Mike Velarde Hints on Possible 2010 Candidacy Again
3. El Shaddai Bro. Mike Velarde to Run in 2010?

It looks like it’s not just religious figureheads Pampanga Governor Among Ed Panilio and JIL Bro. Eddie Villanueva who are considering running for public office in 2010. In a news article on GMANEWS.TV, Bro. Mike explains that he wants to run in 2010 but he’s still not yet sure for what position. He also relates that he will consult with the core members of El Shaddai first before he finalizes his decision on whether he will run or if he will just endorse a candidate. It looks like the trend now these days is to be a charismatic religious leader then move on to politics. It’s weird to look at all three of them because they’re all claiming that it’s God who’s pushing them to run for the Presidency. I strongly recommend that they really examine their hearts if this is truly their calling.

Here’s an excerpt from the news article:

El Shaddai leader Mike Velarde on Wednesday revealed that he wants to run for public office in 2010 and is “consulting” with the core members of the worldwide charismatic movement on his plan.

Velarde said he wants to get the approval of the religious group’s supposed seven million followers in the country because without their support, his dream may not materialize.

“My entering politics lie in their hands because we believe that the voice of the people is the voice of the Lord. That dictum is not just for any people. It should be for the voice of the people of God,” he said.

“I am in the process of consulting our members nationwide and worldwide what to do in the 2010 elections,” he added.

He did not specify which position he was targeting. Last March, he said he would run in the 2010 presidential race if he will be endorsed by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

“’Pag sinabi sa akin ng CBCP, ‘ikaw na Brother Mike,’ sasabihin ko, ‘yes sir.’ Kasi masunurin ako, I’m a loyal soldier kasi ng simbahan,” Velarde said.

I’ll give this topic some more thought and I’ll probably write a follow-up article within the day.

Related posts:

1. Brother Mike Velarde Hints on Possible 2010 Candidacy Again
2. JIL Bro. Eddie Villanueva To Run for President in 2010
3. Brother Mike’s “Secret” Deal with Erap