No corruption if I win — Bro. Eddie

He’s ready to take on the biggest problem of them all.

Bangon Pilipinas Movement (BPM) standard-bearer and television evangelist Eddie Villanueva yesterday promised to solve the problem of corruption in government if he wins the May elections.

Villanueva, founder of the Jesus is Lord (JIL) Church Worldwide, said he considers widespread corruption as the major reason why the Philippines’ foreign debt has ballooned to $3 trillion.

"Corruption has been endemic and deeply seated in our society," Villanueva said. "Its cyclical nature has caused far-flung poverty."

He said the World Bank estimates the Philippines has lost $248 billion to corruption — 25 percent of the national budget.

This money, Villanueva said, could have been used to build 1.3 billion classrooms, one million houses or 160,000 kilometers of roads to bring development and wealth to the provinces.

He said he was able to found the JIL Colleges, with different branches offering quality but affordable education. "We will provide free education to elementary and high school students and offer study now, pay later plans for college students," he said.

"Our curriculum (at JIL Colleges) is focused on mathematics, science and English," he said. "I will bring back history, because knowledge of our past promotes love of country."

He intends to carry out a "national moral transformation (through) seminars for all government officials, promote integrity in the judicial system, put more teeth in the laws against corruption, (assure) transparency in all government transactions," which includes the adoption of electronic procurement, auditing and accounting systems, as well as provide "leadership by example."

He said it is not enough to elect a strong leader with moral ascendancy, "it is necessary to rouse the masses to active moral transformation."

Villanueva said he intends to solve the problem of corruption "from top to bottom, whether in government, the military, the police, mass media, business and among the urban poor."

The BPM presidential bet also vowed to break up the "oligarchy that has been feeding on government coffers for the longest time."

However, he said the oligarchy could also be utilized to produce wealth for the country, instead of wasting their legitimately acquired legacy on politics.

He said he intends to ensure that government workers — including teachers, judges and justices, as well as military and police personnel — are given commensurate salaries, benefits, privileges and honors.

The BPM standard-bearer, who claims a following of two million registered voters, earlier proposed the creation of an independent anti-corruption agency similar in scope and nature to the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in Hong Kong. The proposed agency, he said, will be composed of "officials with moral ascendancy who can win the confidence of the people."

Villanueva believes that solving the problem of corruption would be simple if "we help each other, as our ancestors did long ago, in the tradition of damayan (empathy) and bayanihan (community spirit)."

Villanueva’s battlecry is, "Maniwala ka, babangon tayo (Believe, we will arise)!"

"I can guarantee you that under my leadership, we will emerge as a nation working together," he said.

Villanueva also urged the youth to help convince their parents to vote for the right candidates come election day, because it is the children’s future that is at stake.

"Tell your parents to show their love for country by choosing the righteous candidates," he said.

In another development, the BPM pressed the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to resolve the BPM petition seeking the exclusion of businessman Eddie Gil of the Isang Bansa Isang Diwa party from the list of official presidential candidates on the grounds that Gil is a nuisance candidate.

In its third motion for reconsideration filed Friday, the BPM said the petition to disqualify Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) standard-bearer Fernando Poe Jr., which was filed a day before the BPM petition against Gil, was already ruled upon by the Comelec.

On Feb. 19, the BPM filed a second motion for reconsideration seeking the resolution of its petition against Gil, after news reports came out that Gil and his party were unable to pay their hotel bills and transportation expenses — proof, BPM said, that Gil cannot finance a national campaign.

BPM lawyer Jordan Pizarras said two members of Gil’s senatorial ticket, celebrities Eddie Ilarde and Pilar Pilapil, left the Isang Bansa Isang Diwa party out of embarrassment.

Pizarras said he had been told by another senatorial candidate on the Isang Bansa Isang Diwa ticket that he was also leaving Gil’s party.

BPM has urged the Comelec to rule on the matter "without delay," noting that the case "has been delayed for a month already."

BPM said in a statement that "the election is fast approaching and (the Comelec) is giving the impression that it cannot obey the law and, hence, how can it implement its mandate of administering a clean, honest and orderly election."