FOR the People’s Progressive Humanist Liberal Party (PolPHIL Party), it is more fitting to install progressive leaders in Congress as the 2025 midterm elections approach in May next year.
During the meeting, PolPHIL particularly advocates for the potential entry into politics of the 81-year-old former priest – Edicio dela Torre, a political detainee and convenor of the West Philippines Sea – Atin Ito Coalition.
According to Rodolfo ‘Kid’ Cañeda, the national chairman of the PolPHIL party, the party decided to support dela Torre’s senatorial bid in a meeting of the national executive committee last week in Quezon City.
Participating in the Execom meeting were the PolPHIL Council of Elders, including Ed dela Torre, the current President of the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM); Rodolfo Salas, former chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines Chair, and labor leader Nilo dela Cruz.
Dela Torre admitted that accepting the challenge to run for a senatorial position was not easy.
He mentioned that he did not immediately accept the offer to run in the elections and instead encouraged the assembly to create a genuine strategic commitment to join the struggle in parliament.
“Every time the election season approaches, various social movements are active again which is a favorable condition for us to build a united front among their ranks,” said dela Torre.
The progressive former priest reminded that every brief moment of the electoral exercise energizes voters and social movements, alongside the call to make people understand their power and promote the desired eradication of the “rotten” political system in our country.
On the other hand, according to PolPHIL Gen. Sec Ric Serraño, “Tatay Ed” possesses the qualities of integrity, patriotism, and social awareness, having served the nation for decades.
Dela Torre is best known for founding the Education for Life Foundation (ELF), a non-governmental organization that trained leaders of indigenous movements and provided lessons drawn from life and student experiences to draw positive change.
At the age of 25, dela Torre was ordained as a priest under the Society of the Divine Word (Latin: Societas Verbi Divini) in December 1968.
He also served as a chaplain of the Federation of Free Farmers, an organization of farmers fighting for land reform.
“The declaration of martial law in 1972 pushed me to join the underground resistance. For our generation of Christian activists, this was our baptism into an honest-to-goodness revolution,” said dela Torre.
“I was a priest from 1968 to 1987, when the Vatican released my laicization paper (order of laicization).”
