JC De los Reyes of Ang Kapatiran Party for President

[mannyamador]

---

Aquino ranks low in CBCP survey; De los Reyes on top
http://www.cbcpnews.com/?q=node/13125


MANILA, April 30, 2010— Liberal Party candidate Benigno Aquino III may be leading the surveys but he is way far on key issues on which the influential Catholic hierarchy has spoken.

Aquino ranked low because most of his positions contradict with that of the church based on a matrix conducted by the Media Office of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

Those lagging behind the pre-election surveys were instead the frontrunner if the matrix was to be judged.

John Carlos “JC” de los Reyes of Ang Kapatiran Party, for instance, topped the survey because most of his positions on issues matched with the “perspective” of the church.

He was followed by independent candidates Nicanor Perlas and Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal and Eddie Villanueva of Bangong Pilipinas Party but de los Reyes is a bit way ahead of them.

Entitled “Matrix of Presidentiables on Key Issues,” the matrix was published this week at CBCP Monitor, the official publication of the Media Office of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines after many days of research.

The candidates were judged based on their positions on issues like the reproductive health, death penalty, gun ban in public places except for law enforcers, political dynasties, transparency in government transactions and pork barrel.

From the overall tally Nacionalista Party standard bearer Manny Villar ranked 5th followed by Aquino, Richard Gordon of Bagumbayan Party, administration bet Gilberto Teodoro of Lakas-Kampi-CMD and Joseph Estrada of Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino.

Msgr. Pedro Quitorio, CBCP media director, clarified that the information on the matrix was not meant to endorse any candidate but to “educate” the voters.

“…So that people may know the positions of the candidates on issues like mining, human rights, and many others,” Quitorio said.

“It’s up to the voters now. Whether they are for or against RH bill, for example, they will have to take a serious decision,” he said.

Information on the matrix, he added, was culled from the candidates’ responses to letters, media interviews and from their interventions in the legislature.

“We have also culled them from observers who collaborated in our study, and viewed them from the perspective of the pastoral statements of the CBCP,” Quitorio said.

Some lay groups will republish the matrix in national broadsheets and reproduce them for distribution in all dioceses across the country.

Other issues raised on the matrix include agrarian reform, environment, Charter change, visiting forces agreement, gambling, and the reintroduction of the nuclear power as energy source. (Roy Lagarde/CBCPNews)


CBCP News