(UPDATE) Vice presidential aspirant Dr. Willie Ong on Thursday said he would rather focus pitching his proposed COVID response to the electorate than worry about the politics of beating his established rivals.
The running mate of Manila Mayor Isko Moreno is up against President Rodrigo Duterte and Senate President Vicente Sotto III. Ong, who gives free medical advice to his 16 million Facebook followers, said he would rather "keep an eye on the ball" than be threatened by his opponents.
"I am not competing against them, we're fighting against COVID. COVID is a medical problem, it's not a political problem," Ong told ANC in an interview.
"And during this time, from October to May, if I can send my message on what to do, we need more health workers right now," he added.
Ong formally announced his vice presidential candidacy on Wednesday, where he said he would go beyond promising medical supplies for a fixed number of days or months and instead provide support continuously as needed.
"My only strategy is all my decisions should be 100% pure and helping the people. Basta kung ano lang magagawa ko to help them. No hate, no anger, walang gantihan, no jealousy, no envy, tulong lang," he said.
"If I can do that, I'm very happy, that's how I reached this point. Tulong lang," he said.
Ong admitted that running for the second highest government post is a "big sacrifice" for him, considering that for the last 28 years he was focused on serving the public by providing them medical service.
He believes, however, that there should be a doctor in the government to address issues in the country's health system.
"Why did I run in 2019? We need a doctor inside the government. The pandemic will be here at least until 2024. [There may be] more pandemics to come," he added.
Ong previously ran for senator in the 2019 elections under the Lakas-CMD party, but only placed 18th overall with 7.6 million votes.
On Wednesday, Ong wrote to House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez to formalize his resignation from Lakas-CMD. He is set to be inducted as a member of the Aksyon Demokratiko party, where Moreno serves as president.
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