Mike Velarde for President?

“The Lord made me do it”.

Ah, the all too familiar excuse “religious” leaders use when they want a piece of another pie, that is politics.

Mike Velarde, leader of the Catholic sub-sect El Shaddai wants to be president in 2010. He’ll be joining other so-called “religious” leaders who chose to delve into politics, people like “Father” Ed Panlilio the current Governor of Pampanga and Televangelist Eddie Villanueva. Velarde said that it has been his dream to become president of the Philippines,

Velarde was among three religious figures to land a spot in a June 1 Pulse Asia survey of prefered 2010 presidential candidates.

In the survey, Velarde, Jesus Is Lord Movement leader Eddie Villanueva, and Pampanga Gov. Ed Panlilio each received a preference rating of 0.3 percent, 0.4 percent, and 0.2 percent, respectively.

"I don't think he has enough numbers to win the presidency," said Senator Panfilo Lacson, a losing presidential candidate in 2004. "But kung force to reckon with, o kung meron following, definitely meron. At kaya ba niyang mamuno o hindi? Siya lang ang makakasagot noon, and, of course, yung electorate."