Presentation

1. 18th Congress of
the Philippines
BENNY ABANTE

2. BENNY ABANTE
• Bienvenido "Benny" Mirando Abante Jr. (born May 15, 1951) is a
Filipino politician and Bible Baptist pastor who is currently serving as
the representative of Manila's 6th district since 2019, a position he
previously held from 2004 to 2010. He also served as a House Deputy
Speaker from 2020 to 2022, House Minority Leader from 2019 to
2020, and a councilor of Manila from the 6th district from 1992 to
1995.[1][2] He is also the host pastor of the Metropolitan Bible Baptist
Church and Ministries in Santa Ana, Manila.

3. Early life and education
• Abante was born in Santa Mesa, Manila on July 15, 1951, the eldest of
four sons of the Rev. Ben O. Abante Sr. and Priscilla Mirando. He has
two younger brothers, who both grew up to be ministers.[3]
• He grew up taking on odd jobs such as shining shoes, selling
newspapers and corsages and working on a construction site at a
young age to support himself. He also worked as an auditor.[3] He
earned his bachelor's degree from Far Eastern University in 1971. He
later graduated with a bachelor's and graduate degrees in theology at
Citadel Baptist College in Sacramento, California and Baptist Bible
College in Makati, respectively. He also holds a master's degree in
Government Management from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng
Maynila.

4. Ministerial career
• In 1975, he started the Metropolitan Bible Baptist Church and
Ministries in Santa Ana, Manila. He is also in the academe, having
been named as the president of Metropolitan Lighthouse Theological
School and Institute in Quezon City and administrator of the
Metropolitan International Christian Academy in Manila in 1985. He
was conferred a honorary degree in theology at Citadel Baptist
College in 1985 and honorary doctor of theology at Indianapolis
Baptist College in 1987.
• In 1986, he founded the Bible Believers League for Morality and
Democracy (BIBLEMODE),[4] and also heads the Abante International
Ministries (AIM), the Grace and Truth Community International
Foundation, Inc., and the Ben O. Abante Baptist Bible College.

5. Political career
• He served as a councilor of Manila from the 6th district from 1992 to
1995. He was recognized by the Manila City Hall Press Club as the
Outstanding Councilor of Manila in 1994. After his term as councilor,
he served as commissioner of Presidential Commission for Urban
Poor, Manila from 1996 to 1998. He was also named special assistant
to national chairman of Lakas–NUCD in 2000.

6. House of Representatives
• He ran and won a seat in the House of Representatives in May 2004.
He was subsequently named chairman of the Committee on Public
Information. His major undertakings in his district focused on health,
education, social services and infrastructure development and/or
improvement. Abante's committee also scrutinized the Right of
Reply Bill that was criticized by the media organizations as a
curtailment to the freedom of the press.[5] He also proposed an Anti-
Sex Video Bill that imposes stiffer penalties of the people involved in
the manufacture of sex videos.[6] He was one of the principal authors
of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill during the 14th Congress. The
FOI bill was defeated in Congress after its opponents questioned if
there was a quorum on the final session day.

7. • Abante unsuccessfully defended his seat in the 2010 election, losing
to former representative Rosenda Ann "Sandy" Ocampo. He
attempted a comeback to the Congress in 2013 and 2016 but was
unsuccessful, losing both to Ocampo. Abante was elected as
Representative of Manila's 6th District in 2019 with the previous
incumbent Ocampo ineligible for reelection. He ran against Councilor
Cassy Sison and newcomer Yvette Ocampo, Sandy's sister. He ran
under the banner of Asenso Manileño with Isko Moreno running for
Mayor.
• On July 10, 2020, he is one of the 11 representatives who voted to
grant the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN. He is one of the two Manila
Lawmakers to grant the franchise along with Edward Maceda.[8] He
was re-elected in 2022.

8. Positions
• Abante has made some legislative proposals that affects the LGBT
community. In 2010, he filed a bill that proposed the criminalization of
conducting same sex unions, which he views "highly immoral,
scandalous and detestable", which aims to penalize couples and the
solemnizing officer by fine an imprisonment.

9. • He has also filed a bill to institutionalize the rights
of heterosexual people including guaranteeing them being able to
express opinions about LGBT issues according "to their religious
beliefs and practices and to biblical principles and standards." Since
there were efforts to introduce bills to protect the rights of LGBT
people, Abante argued that in the spirit of "justice, equity, and fair
play", a bill on heterosexuals, who he says are "actual and direct
creations of God" is apt. He also believes that LGBT people who face
discrimination ought to "to be what God created us to be".

10. • Abante has opposed the passage of a legislation guaranteeing rights
of members of the LGBT community, believing that such measure
would eventually lead to the legalization of same sex unions. He
believes that LGBT rights is more of a "moral issue" rather than a
"rights issue".[11] He opposed the SOGIE Equality Bill, saying the
constitution grants already sufficient rights.
• Despite his stances, Abante says he does not discriminate against the
LGBT community, noting that he had supporters who are LGBT.

11. Pornography
• Abante married Marie Paz Toledo in 1977, and has three children. His
daughter Priscilla Marie is a lawyer and had served as a councilor of
Manila from the 6th district from 2013 to 2022.[15] His son Benny Fog
III is an incumbent councilor from the same district since 2022.