Velarde son joins Congress

The son of influential El Shaddai leader Mike Velarde is now a congressman.

Rene Velarde will be among the seven new party-list representatives who will be proclaimed by the Commission on Election (Comelec) today, a mere 10 months before the May 2004 general elections.

The younger Velarde is the first nominee of the party-list Buhay or Buhay Hayaan Yumabong, which was endorsed by El Shaddai during the 2001 elections. Buhay is reportedly advocating for a pro-life or anti-abortion campaign.

"We believed in its (Buhay) principle, that is why we endorsed it," El Shaddai spokesman Mel Robles told The STAR. "(But) we have organization ties with it."

Velarde will join Joel Villanueva — the son of Bro. Eddie Villanueva, the leader of the Jesus is Lord movement — at the House of Representatives.

The younger Villanueva was earlier proclaimed as representative of party-list CIBAC.

Robles said he and other El Shaddai leaders will be present to witness the oath-taking of Velarde as a new congressman. He did not say however if the El Shaddai leader will be attending the oath-taking of his son.

Six other party-list representatives to be proclaimed today are from Anak Mindanao, Alyansang Bayanihan ng mga Magsasaka, Manggagawang Bukid at Mangingisda, Philippine Coconut Producers Federation Inc., Partido ng Manggagawa, Sanlakas and Abanse Pinay.

The proclamation of the seven party-list representatives completes the 12 party-list groups that have garnered the highest votes to secure at least one seat at the House. The law requires at least two-percent of the total votes cast for a party-list to get a seat at the House, with an additional seat for every additional two percent up to a maximum of three each.

The Comelec initially proclaimed only five party-list representatives following controversies questioning the qualification of 162 sectoral groups that participated in the 2001 elections.

Out of the 162, only 46 were declared by Comelec to have substantially complied with the "eight-point guideline" which required, among others, that they should belong to a marginalized and under-represented sector.

Out of the 46, only 12 garnered the two percent minimum vote count.

The militant Bayan Muna emerged with the highest number of garnered votes, landing three of their nominees — former communist spokesman Satur Ocampo, Liza Maza of Gabriela and Crispin Beltran of Kilusang Mayo Uno — at the House.

The other party-list groups that gained the maximum three seats were Akbayan, Butil, APEC and CIBAC.