Yet another party-list group has thrown their support for the candidacies of Liberal Party standard-bearer Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III and Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino vice-presidential bet Jejomar Binay.
Bandila party-list first nominee Bishop Nilo Tayag said the group will release a TV ad this week that will show their support for Aquino and Binay. Bandila, which stands for Bagong Bayan na Nagtataguyod ng Demokratikong Ideolohiya at Layunin, seeks to represent construction workers and the urban poor in Congress.
Tayag said the TV ad will show a Rubik's cube that will show different facets until it completes the "combination" of Aquino and Binay.
The Aglipayan bishop said the group chose Aquino because he has "moral ascendancy" over the other presidential candidates. He added that the Liberal Party bet has the qualifications to push for the group's "anti-trapo" movement.
On the other hand, Tayag said the group chose Binay because of his experience as a local executive and his history as a defender of human rights during the Marcos regime.
For his part, actor and Bandila party-list second nominee Onemig Bondoc said Aquino is the lone presidential candidate who is not lusting after power but was only persuaded to run after the death of his mother, former president Corazon Aquino, last August 1, 2009.
He added that Binay's experience as mayor of Makati will be an asset under an Aquino presidency.
Bandila is the second party-list group to support an "Aquino-Binay" tandem in the May 10 elections.
Earlier, gay party-list group Ang Ladlad said it decided to support Aquino and Binay because they are the only candidates with a gender component in their individual platforms.
Ang Ladlad chairman Danton Remoto said the group, which has about 25,000 members, backed Aquino because he is considered the "Mr. Clean of Philippine politics." He added that Binay has a long record in fighting for human rights, and that Ang Ladlad is supporting human rights for gays.
Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero, who backed out of the presidential race, is also actively campaigning for Aquino and Binay. He earlier said Aquino's "good heart" and Binay's experience are just what the country needs to progress.
Bandila nominee linked to Arroyo
Election watchdog Kontra Daya earlier identified Bandila as one of 49 accredited party-list groups with alleged questionable nominees and strong links to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Kontra Daya identified Tayag as a former activist who went over to the Marcos regime after a short period in detention during Martial
Law. It said Tayag had organized support rallies for President Joseph Estrada and then switched to the Arroyo camp after Estrada's ouster.
"In 2006, [Tayag] was part of the 'people's initiative' Charter change campaign called Sigaw ng Bayan, which was orchestrated by Arroyo allies. Until September 2009, he was being considered for inclusion in the senatorial lineup of the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan, the political party of the Marcos family," the group said.
On the other hand, Kontra Daya said Bondoc hails from a family of wealthy businessmen and even owns several businesses including the Benedictine International School of Quezon City.
Bondoc, a former matinee idol, admitted that he comes from a rich family. He added, however, that he has always gone out of his way to help the poor. He said he previously served as spokesman of the Department of Education and the Philippine Red Cross and even donated 2 hectares of land for people in Quezon.
In the interview, Tayag admitted that he and the other Bandila nominees are Freemasonry brothers who left the group temporarily to join the politics.
The bishop said he is counting on his fellow Masons in the Philippines, allegedly numbering 500,000, to support the Bandila party-list. He said the group is also counting on the support of the Philippine Guardians Brotherhood Incorporated.
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