Political Involvement
In 2001, the Social Weather Stations estimated that the JIL’s voting strength was 307,000 or only 10% of its claimed membership. Today, JIL has 4 million members, Villanueva said. A week before the 1992 presidential elections, JIL Church founder Eddie Villanueva claims divine guidance to endorse Fidel Ramos. Ramos won becoming the country's first Protestant president, but his victory was tainted by allegations of wholesale cheating in Mindanao. Villanueva became his private chaplain. In 1997, Ramos unsuccessfully lobbied to amend the constitution and lift the single six-year presidential term limit. Villanueva lead the Philippines for Jesus Movement in petitioning for the change. In the 1998 Philippine presidential elections, Villanueva actively endorsed and "anointed" Jose de Venecia as the next president. De Venecia finished 6 million votes behind the very popular Joseph Estrada. In 1999, Villanueva along with the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches, Cardinal Sin and ex-President Corazon Aquino, strongly opposed Estrada's efforts to amend the constitution. In April 2001, Estrada is arrested on plunder charges, prompting his loyalists to demonstrate. Villanueva joined Pentecostal and Catholic leaders in condemning the rally. In the 2004 Philippine presidential election, Villanueva ran for president. Villanueva presented himself as someone who wanted to fight against “moral bankruptcy” and corruption in the Philippines. His supporters include Christian showbiz personalities Piolo Pascual, Donita Rose, Gary Valenciano and Kuh Ledesma. He got 1,988,218 votes or 6.16% of the total votes. He not only lost the race but also the votes of other Christian denominations and four megachurches in the country by the likes of Rev. Butch Conde of Bread of Life Ministries International, Rev. Peter Tan-Chi of Christ's Commission Fellowship, Dr. Luis Pantoja of Greenhills Christian Fellowship and Rev. Steve Murrel of Victory Christian Fellowship that believed he shouldn’t have run and they didn't support Villanueva because of the separation of church and state. When Gloria Arroyo won the election, Villanueva rejected Arroyo's overtures to join her administration. In July 2005, Arroyo called for constitutional changes amid accusations of corruption and election manipulation. The Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches supported Arroyo during impeachment investigations, while Villanueva called for Arroyo to resign. Villanueva alleges that Arroyo ordered her allies to shave off votes from him in the 2004 presidential election and transfer them to hers. Around 200,000 JIL members rallied and asked Arroyo to resign and call a snap election. In the 2010 Philippine presidential election, Villanueva ran for president again but lost receiving only 1,125,878 votes or 3.12% of the total votes.
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