Benny Abante

In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Mirandoand the surname or paternal family name is Abante.

Marie Paz Toledo

​

(m. 1977)​

Benny Abante
Official portrait, 2025
Member of the Philippine House of Representatives from Manila's 6th district
Incumbent
Assumed office July 8, 2025
Alma mater	Far Eastern University Citadel Baptist College (BA) Baptist Bible College (MA) Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (MPA)
Occupation	Politician pastor

Bienvenido "Benny" Mirando Abante Jr. (born July 15, 1951) is a Filipino politician and Bible-Baptist pastor who is serving as the representative of Manila's sixth district from 2019 to present, a position he previously held from 2004 to 2010. ^[1] He also served as a deputy speaker of the House from 2020 to 2022, minority leader of the House from 2019 to 2020, and as a member of the Manila City Council from 1992 to 1995. ^{[2] [3]} He is also the senior pastor of the Metropolitan Bible Baptist Ekklesia (formerly Metropolitan Bible Baptist Church and Ministries) in Santa Ana, Manila. ^[4]

Early life and education

Abante was born in Santa Ana, Manila, on July 15, 1951, as the eldest of four sons of Bienvenido "Ben" O. Abante Sr. and Priscilla Mirando. He has two younger brothers, both of whom grew up to be political ministers. ^[5]

While growing up, Abante took odd jobs such as shining shoes, selling newspapers and corsages, and working on a construction site. He also worked as an auditor. ^[5] Abante earned his bachelor's degree from Far Eastern University in 1971. ^[6] Later, he graduated with bachelor's and graduate degrees in theology at Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Missouri, and Baptist Bible College in Makati, respectively. ^[6] He also holds a master's degree in Government Management from Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. ^[7]

Theological career

In 1975, he founded the Metropolitan Bible Baptist Church and Ministries in Santa Ana, Manila. He is also involved in the academia, having been named 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 an honorary degree in theology by The Citadel Baptist College in 1985 and an honorary doctor of theology degree at Indianapolis Baptist College in 1987. ^[8]

In 1986, he founded the Bible Believers League for Morality and Democracy (BIBLEMODE), ^[9] and also heads the Abante International Ministries (AIM), the Grace and Truth Community International Foundation, Inc., and the Ben O. Abante Baptist Bible College. ^[10]

Early political career

Abante served as a councilor of Manila from the 6th district from 1992 to 1995. In August 1993, he sponsored a proposed ordinance prohibiting the exhibition of films in Manila that either glorify criminals or feature excessive sex scenes, arguing that these types of films "destroy the moral integrity and character of a person." ^[11] He was recognized by the Manila City Hall Press Club as the Outstanding Councilor of Manila in 1994. After his term as councilor, he ran for vice mayor in 1995, with Mel Lopez as his running mate, but both lost. ^[7]

He served as commissioner of the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor from 1996 to 1998. He was also named special assistant to the national chairman of Lakas–NUCD in 2000. ^{[6] [7]}

House of Representatives

Elections

Abante ran for and won a seat in the House of Representatives in 2004. Abante was reelected in 2007, but unsuccessfully defended his seat in 2010, losing to former representative Rosenda Ann "Sandy" Ocampo. He attempted a comeback to 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 re-election. 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. He was re-elected in 2022.

Abante ran again for congressman in 2025, ^[12] but narrowly lost to councilor Joey Uy. ^[13] However, the COMELEC Second Division proclaimed him as the duly re-elected representative after Uy's candidacy was declared void due to his citizenship. ^[14] On June 30, 2025, COMELEC en banc ruled with finality declaring Uy's candidacy null and void and affirmed Abante's reelection. ^[15] Abante was formally proclaimed congressman on July 8. ^[16]

Tenure

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 of the freedom of the press. ^[17] He also proposed an Anti-Sex Video Bill that imposes stiffer penalties on the people involved in the manufacture of sex videos. ^[18] 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 whether there was a quorum on the final session day. ^[19]

On July 10, 2020, he was one of the 11 representatives who voted to grant the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN. He was one of the two Manila lawmakers to grant the franchise, along with Edward Maceda. ^[20]

In late 2024, Abante headed the Quad Committee, which launched inquiries on alleged extrajudicial killings and other irregularities during the war on drugs campaign under former president Rodrigo Duterte. ^{[21] [22]} Alongside Santa Rosa Representative Danilo "Dan" Fernandez, he stepped down as the co-chairman of the committee in November 2024 after former Mandaluyong City Police Chief Hector Grijaldo accused them of pressuring him to admit the existence of the drug war reward system. ^[23]

But in February 2025 QuadCom hearings, he cursed "ah---namo" which means "your mother". His reason for this due to his anger at a content creator who accused him of being a protector of illegal drugs. His actions caught his committee co-members off-guard and Fernandez reminded him of his decorum. ^[24]

Political positions

LGBT issues

In 2010, Abante filed a bill that proposed the criminalization of conducting same sex unions, which he views as "highly immoral, scandalous, and detestable." The bill aims to penalize couples and the solemnizing officer by fine and imprisonment. ^[25]

He has also filed a bill to institutionalize the rights of heterosexual people, including guaranteeing their right 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 protecting 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 appropriate. He also believes that LGBT people who face discrimination have "to be what God created us to be". ^[26]

Abante has opposed the passage of legislation guaranteeing rights of members of the LGBT community, believing that such measures would eventually lead to the legalisation of same sex unions. He views LGBT rights as more of a "moral issue" than a "rights issue". ^[27] He opposed the SOGIE Equality Bill, saying the constitution already grants sufficient rights. ^[28]

Despite his stances, Abante says he does not discriminate against the LGBT community, noting that he has supporters who are LGBT. ^[28]

Pornography

Abante has aimed to legislate a measure banning pornography. His House Bill No. 3305 was passed by the House of Representatives in 2008, which would prohibit the production of pornographic videos regardless of whether the subjects are adults or children; consensual or non-consensual. ^{[29] [30]}

Capital punishment

Abante supports capital punishment for crimes consisting of the following offenses: drug trafficking, massacre, child rape, and rape-slay. He had supported president Rodrigo Duterte's proposal to restore the death penalty for drug-related and heinous crimes. ^[31]

Personal life

Abante married Marie Paz Toledo in 1977 and has three children. His daughter Priscilla Marie is a lawyer and served as a councilor of Manila from the 6th district from 2013 to 2022 and spokesperson of the House of Representatives of the Philippines since 2025. ^{[32] [33]} His son, Benny Fog III is an incumbent councilor from the same district since 2022.^{[ citation needed ]}

Electoral performance

2025

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Joey Uy [b]	Aksyon Demokratiko	64,746	50.54
	Benny Abante	National Unity Party	63,358	49.46
Total			128,104	100.00
	National Unity Party hold

1. Previous term expired; Abante was seated late as the ruling on the disqualification case of Joey Uy, who defeated him in the 2025 election, remained contested.
2. The Commission on Elections ruled that Uy's certificate of candidacy is void ab initio ; declared Benny Abante as the duly elected representative of the district.

2022

2022 Philippine House of Representatives election in the 6th District of Manila

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	NUP	Benny Abante	95,431	79.37
	PRP	Romualdo Billanes	22,221	18.48
	Independent	Antonio Sityar II	2,582	2.15
Total votes			120,234	100.00
	NUP hold

2019

2019 Philippine House of Representatives elections

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Asenso	Benny Abante	49,795	46.21
	Bagumbayan	Patricia Yvette Ocampo	33,731	31.30
	PMP	Cassy Sison	24,239	22.49
Total votes			107,765	100.00
	Asenso gain from PDP–Laban

2016

2016 Philippine House of Representatives elections

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal	Sandy Ocampo	56,844	53.41
	Asenso	Benny Abante	48,260	45.35
	Independent	Richard Bautista	695	0.65
	Independent	Jose Castillo	623	0.59
Invalid or blank votes			6,774
Total votes			113,196
	Liberal hold

2013

2013 Philippine House of Representatives elections

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal	Sandy Ocampo	43,667	51.45
	UNA	Benny Abante	40,571	47.80
	Independent	Richard Bautista	407	0.48
	Independent	Francisco Candaza	225	0.27
Total votes			84,870	100.00
	Liberal hold

2010

2010 Philippine House of Representatives elections

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal	Sandy Ocampo	39,985	38.63
	Lakas–Kampi	Benny Abante	38,113	36.82
	Nacionalista	Danilo Lacuna	24,866	24.03
	Independent	Ramon Villanueva	204	0.20
	Independent	Joven Yuson	160	0.16
	PGRP	Marlo Gerardo Artacho	96	0.09
	Bigkis	Ronaldo Tibig	76	0.07
Valid ballots			103,500	95.70
Invalid or blank votes			4,654	4.30
Total votes			108,154	100.00
	Liberal gain from Lakas–Kampi

2004

2004 Philippine House of Representatives election at Manila's 6th district

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Lakas	Benny Abante	41,241	55.44
	Liberal	Sandy Ocampo	33,146	44.56
	KNP	Lou Veloso
	Independent	Julio Logarta Jr.
	Independent	Caridad Lao
	Independent	Romeo Nuñez
	Independent	Emmanuel Sunga
	Independent	Oswaldo Galla
Total votes			74,387	100.00
	Lakas hold

References

1. Sampang, Dianne; mmercado (July 8, 2025). "Benny Abante proclaimed Manila 6th district representative". Inquirer.net. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
2. Cruz, RG (December 7, 2020). "More Velasco allies named House deputy speakers". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
3. Cepeda, Mara (October 16, 2020). "House Minority Leader Abante Steps Down, Joins Velasco-Led Majority". Rappler. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
4. "Dr. Benny M. Abante, Jr". MBBE.org. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
5. "A Short Biographical Sketch Of The Honorable Congressman Benny M. Abante, Jr., Th. D." Metropolitan Bible Baptist Church & Ministries. Archived from the original on March 26, 2010. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
6. "Benny Abante - Presentation". Studocu. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
7. "Meet Bienvenido Abante, Electoral Candidate on Serbisyo.ph". Serbisyo PH. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
8. "Cong. Benny Abante.pptx". SlideShare. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
9. Agron, Edmon (July 3, 2018). "Baptist pastor explains Duterte's "stupid god" statement". eVolved. worldngayon.com. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
10. "The Clarion Call". BurningBush Web. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
11. Macapagal, Tony (August 11, 1993). "Manila may soon prohibit 'bad' movies". Manila Standard . Kamahalan Publishing Corp. p. 16. The sixth district alderman [Abante] said these films 'will have a lasting negative effect on the youth and can cause grave and irreparable damage to the image, character and culture of both the city [Manila] and the Filipino nation.'
12. de Leon, Dwight (February 26, 2025). "Test of popularity: Who are the quad committee members with opponents in 2025?". Rappler. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
13. Cruz, James Patrick (May 15, 2025). "Sara's revenge tour in Manila ends with 2 survivors, 1 casualty". Rappler. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
14. Sampang, Dianne (June 19, 2025). "Comelec division declares Abante winner of Manila's 6th district". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
15. Sampang, Dianne (July 8, 2025). "Comelec: Abante's win in House race final". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
16. Patinio, Ferdinand (July 8, 2025). "Comelec proclaims Abante as Manila 6th District Rep". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
17. Dalangin-Fernandez, Lira (March 5, 2009). "House begins discussing right of reply bill". INQUIRER.net. Archived from the original on July 25, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
18. Mabutas, Gabriel (June 13, 2009). "Bill vs sex videos pushed". Manila Bulletin . Retrieved December 15, 2011.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
19. Mangahas, Malou (June 7, 2010). "Secrets of Nograles House could be exposed by FOI". GMA News Online. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
20. Perez-Rubio, Bella (July 10, 2020). "List of lawmakers who voted for and against ABS-CBN franchise renewal". Philstar.com . Retrieved July 22, 2020.
21. Locus, Sundy (September 23, 2024). "Rep. Abante: House QuadCom to continue drug war probe during recess". GMA News. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
22. Lalu, Gabriel Pabico (August 19, 2024). "Drug war probe repetitive? Abante says new information coming out". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
23. Francisco, Abner (November 7, 2024). "Representatives Fernandez and Abante step down as Quad Comm chairs". Brigada News. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
24. Quismorio, Ellson (February 4, 2025). "Pastor-solon Abante nearly curses on camera in House probe on vloggers, trolls". Manila Bulletin.
25. Tabingco, Peter (February 24, 2010). "Same-sex marriage criminalized under bill". Business Insight Malaya. Archived from the original on February 24, 2010. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
26. "Pastor-solon Abante files pro-heterosexual rights bill, but downplays it later". Manila Bulletin. November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
27. "Pro-gay bill not a rights issue - House HR chair". GMA News. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
28. Gregorio, Xave (June 24, 2019). "House minority leader affirms stance vs anti-discrimination bill". CNN Philippines. Archived from the original on November 12, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
29. Diaz, Jess (June 2, 2009). "Blame Revilla, not House, for cybersex proliferation - lawmaker". The Philippine Star. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
30. Diaz, Jess. "House passes anti-pornography measure". The Philippine Star. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
31. Rita, Joviland (July 29, 2020). "'Pro-life' Abante backs Duterte's call for death penalty vs. heinous crimes". GMA News. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
32. Gutierrez, Dennis (February 16, 2022). "'Team Isko' taps 2 Manila councilors as new campaign spokespersons". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
33. Mangaluz, Jean (May 27, 2025). "Princess Abante named first-ever House spokesperson". Philstar.com. Retrieved June 19, 2025.

Political offices
Preceded by Danilo Suarez	House Minority Floor Leader 2019–2020	Succeeded by Joseph Stephen Paduano
House of Representatives of the Philippines
Preceded by Mark Jimenez	Member of the House of Representatives from Manila's 6th district 2004–2010	Succeeded by Sandy Ocampo
Preceded by Sandy Ocampo	Member of the House of Representatives from Manila's 6th district 2019–present	Incumbent