Ang Kapatiran won’t be beholden to Catholic Church, says VP bet

Despite the support of at least seven local bishops, vice presidential aspirant Dominador Chipeco Jr. gave assurance on Wednesday that the candidates of the Ang Kapatiran party would not be beholden to the Catholic Church should they win in the May elections. In dzBB’s Ikaw Na Ba?...The Vice Presidential Interview, Chipeco clarified that the flurry of support was given to their party without stings attached, as some of the bishops believe in the platforms and principles of Ang Kapatiran. "It [Kapatiran] should not [be beholden] and it must not. Ang aming loyalty foremost ay para....sa mga taong naniwala sa amin at hindi namin babaguhin yon," he said. Seven local bishops, including Antonio Tobias of Novaliches and retired bishop Teodoro Bacani, have expressed support for the Ang Kapatiran Party. The others include Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles, Vicente Navarra of Bacolod, Antonio Pepito Palang of San Jose, Mindoro, Joseph Nacua of Ilagan, Isabela, and Joel Zamudio Baylon of Legazpi, Albay. Ang Kapatiran has been advocating a political platform that is based on the Catholic Church’s social teachings, which include the hard-line stance of Ang Kapatiran standard bearer JC de los Reyes against the controversial Reproductive Health bill. Meanwhile, Chipeco said he wanted to be appointed to as secretary of Labor in case he's elected. Among his top priorities would be the removal of all forms of gambling and the review of the Labor Code, which he said is already outdated. Chipeco, who lags in opinion surveys, is pitted against Senators Manuel Roxas and Loren Legarda, former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Bayani Fernando, actor Edu Manzano, former Security and Exchange Commission chief Perfecto Yasay, and broadcaster Jay Sonza. — Aie Balagtas See/LBG, GMANews.TV