JC de los Reyes: From rebellious teen to God-fearing candidate

When it comes to political issues, presidential aspirant John Carlos "JC" de los Reyes is known for his conservative stance. He has staunchly opposed issues that could have made him popular with the younger and more liberal generation such as gay rights, the Reproductive Health bill, and pre-marital sex.

What most people don't know, however, is that before de los Reyes became the standard bearer of Ang Kapatiran Party (AKP)—a political grouping that promotes the teachings of the Catholic Church—he had a rebellious childhood that drove him to try marijuana and join a fraternity known for gang wars. He even sat as a judge for a gay contest organized by, in his words, his “homosexual friends" while he was a Sociology student at the University of the Philippines (UP) in Los Baños, Laguna. “I felt the need to belong because my family life was not stable. My parents had a rocky marriage. There was a time in my life that I sought security from my peers," he told GMANews.TV. His attitude changed after his parents, who were separated for five years, reconciled and formed a religious organization that advocated family values. What he calls the “wayward" life of his “rich and spoiled" friends from UP also prompted him to improve himself, de los Reyes said. Politics over priesthood The youngest among the nine presidential aspirants, the 40-year-old De los Reyes is no stranger to politics and government service. His mother is entrepreneur Barbara Gordon, who also happens to be the sister of another presidential aspirant, Sen. Richard Gordon. His father, Antonio de los Reyes, is the former executive director of the Commission on Population. He finished his elementary education at the Ateneo de Manila and graduated from high school at De la Salle. After one year of college at UP Los Baños, he enrolled at the Franciscan University of Steubenville in the U.S. where he finished his B.A. in Theology in preparation for the priesthood. De los Reyes was all set for the religious life in Rome when he came back to the Philippines in 1993. Seeing what he described as the political “disarray" in the country, he turned his back on priesthood and sought public office instead. In 1995, de los Reyes ran and won as councilor in Olongapo City under the Nacionalista Party. After one term he went back to the academe, taking up public administration at UP Diliman and finishing law at the St. Louis University in Baguio City. He flunked the bar exams, however, so he decided not to pursue the profession. Instead, he became a founding member of the Alliance for the Common Good or Ang Kapatiran Party, which was accredited as a national political party by the Comelec on May 8 , 2004. Three years later, when he ran again as city councilor in Olongapo, de los Reyes became the only candidate of AKP to win in the polls. As councilor, he helped provide free legal assistance to his constituents, institutionalized the creation of barangay human rights action centers, and actively campaigned against illegal drugs. Net worth His inexperience in public administration becomes apparent in his 2008 Statement of Assets and Liabilities (SALN), where de los Reyes declared a net worth of P19.5 million consisting of four cars and three real estate properties, including a condominium unit worth P2 million. In an interview with GMANews’ Mark Salazar in “Vote Book," de los Reyes denied owning two of the real estate properties—the condo unit and a house on West Bajac-Bajac in Olongap. He acknowledged that both properties are registered under his name, but said the condo unit really belongs to AKP. while the house belongs to his mother. When asked about a residential property in Baguio City with an assessed value of P4 million that he did not declare in his SALN, de los Reyes explained that the house belongs to him but the lot is the property of his mother and two siblings. De los Reyes also neglected to state his business interests but admitted during his interview with GMA News that he owns a brick factory and a water refilling station, among others. ‘Radical’ Out of the three senatorial candidates and 30 local candidates the AKP fielded in 2007, only de los Reyes emerged victorious. With his feat, it was not surprising that the party chose him as standard bearer when AKP decided to enter the presidential race this year. The AKP bet describes himself as “radical" despite his strong opposition to the Reproductive Health bill and the use of artificial birth control. He often stutters during debates, but nonetheless, he would passionately push for natural birth planning, saying several provisions of the RH bill go against the teaching of the Church. A father of three children, he dismisses the argument that the bill could solve the country's ballooning population. He also believes that parents, not teachers, should teach kids about sex education. Among his rivals, the AKP bet is the only candidate who has been openly endorsed by six local bishops. They include Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles, who once said the Church should maintain a non-partisan stance. De los Reyes has vowed to dismantle political dynasties “even if I will be affected." He said he will also lower taxes to unburden the poor, and impose a total gun ban to address the peace and order situation in the country. Should he win in May 10 polls, de los Reyes said he would reform the government and introduce “principled politics" that would get rid of corruption and patronage. Equal opportunity for candidates AKP President Eric Manalang has been saying the party has ample funds to run a “decent" campaign, confined mostly to provincial sorties and public appearances. However, he admits that they do not have enough money to buy air time or ad space in newspapers. He told GMANews.TV that most of their campaign money comes from “contributions from the people who believe in them," but refused to divulge the donors. Even if he had the money, De los Reyes has said he would not splurge on commercials just to introduce himself to the electorate. Instead, he would use the money to build schools and houses for the poor. Given their financial situation, AKP has urged the media and the Commission on Elections to comply with the Fair Elections Act of 2001, which mandates equal opportunities for all candidates. The party urged the Comelec to provide national candidates free air time and print space as provided under the law. The AKP has even filed a complaint against a broadcast network for excluding AKP vice presidential bet Dominador Chipeco in one of its public debates. The party has seven other senatorial candidates: Manuel Valdehuesa, retired Col. Hector Tarrazona, Reginald Tamayo, Rizalito David, and lawyers Jo Aurea Imbon, Grace Riñoza-Plazo, and Adrian Sison. They have at least 60 local candidates all over the country, according to Rica Manalang, AKP media and logistics officer. During their campaign sorties, the AKP usually pays courtesy calls to the archdioceses of the provinces they visit before going around the town. They target market places where they distribute campaign fliers. Unlike the other presidential candidates, however, the AKP’s motorcades are noticeably lacking in crowd drawing power. Three weeks before the polls, de los Reyes and his party mates still lag in preference surveys conducted by respected pollsters Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations. In the latest Pulse Asia survey, de los Reyes ranked seventh among the nine candidates with a rating of 0.2 percent. But de los Reyes dismisses the poll results, saying it will not deter him from introducing reforms in the country. He added that if the poll results were true, he would feel bad for the electorate as it would mean “they are not ready for principled politics." – YA/GMANews.TV