JC Delos Reyes

John Carlos "JC" G. de los Reyes (born February 14, 1970) is a Philippine councilor in Olongapo City and the presidential candidate of the Ang Kapatiran Party for the 2010 Philippine presidential election.

Educational Background and Career

De los Reyes studied in Ateneo de Manila for his elementary education, and graduated in De la Salle for his secondary education. He finished his Bachelor of Arts in Theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, which is considered as one of the most orthodox Catholic Universities in America.

In late 1993 he taught Philosophy in the Center for Research and Communication, now known as the University of Asia and the Pacific. During that time, he was under the tutelage of Father Joseph de Torre, a Spanish priest of the Holy Cross who wrote extensively on the social teachings of the Church.

In 1999 he finished his post-graduate studies in Public Administration from the University of the Philippines. In 2005 he finished his law degree at Saint Louis University in Baguio City.

Political career

In 1995, he was elected as the city councilor of Olongapo City. During his term, he focused on the poor, the youth and cooperatives.

In the 2007 elections, among 27 local and national candidates, he was the lone winner of the Ang Kapatiran Party, placing second among ten slots for the Olongapo City Council. This was achieved despite a decade absent from local politics.

His free legal assistance program under an informal project named JUSTICE CRUSADE has been widely successful among his constituents. He is presently prioritizing the institutionalization of the Barangay Human Rights Action Centers, the office mandated by law for the protection and prevention of human rights violations in the barangay.

As councilor, de los Reyes has spoken out and campaigned against illegal drugs, rampant violations of worker’s rights at Hanjin, Subic Bay and has campaigned against illegal fish cages in the area. He has also led protests against the proposed coal power plant and has been outspoken in criticizing government’s plan to open more casinos in Subic.

The boldest statement he has made for good governance is the filing of numerous cases before the Ombudsman against high ranking government officials where he himself is complainant. This is in line with his political policy of alleviating the people’s suffering by addressing the problem of expensive and increasing costs of basic needs like water, electricity, medicines, health care, etc., and insuring that these basic services are kept free and far from graft and corruption.

He has been nominated as Presidential candidate to the Philippines for the 2010 elections.

Organizations

The organizations he helped propagate as an active member since 1995 was the National Renewal Movement and the Ang Kapatiran National Political Party or the Alliance for the Common Good, a registered political party that seeks to promote the politics of genuine social concern. Presently, he is national animator of Solidarity Philippines, a movement to pro-actively advance the Social Justice Agenda of the Church and Executive-director of Breaking the Yoke of Poverty Foundation whose project is Jubillee homes for the Poor, a housing project for 60 families.

Personal life

De los Reyes is married to Dunia Valenzuela. He has three children from Valenzuela: Gabriel (aged 10), Santiago (aged 8), and Barbara (aged 6).