Willie Ong shrugs off Isko-Sara headquarters in Bacolod City

The vice presidential candidate says he can work with any president and asks voters to choose a candidate who will prioritize public health

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines – Dr. Willie Ong, the running mate of presidential aspirant and Manila mayor Isko Moreno, shrugged off the establishment of an Isko-Sara Duterte headquarters in this city as an expression by politicians and citizens of their right to free choice.

At a press conference with Akson Demokratiko senate bet Carl Balita, Ong was asked whether the development reflected a split or just independent campaign initiatives.

“Alam naman natin, sa politika, maraming mix and match: may Isko-Sara, may (Vice President) Robredo-Sara, meron ding Robredo-(senator Tito) Sotto, at may ibang mga combinations din,” he pointed out. (Politics will always have many mix and match combinations.)

“Siempre, preferred ko si Mayor Isko Moreno. But I can work with any President. Whoever wins, it’s okay with me,” Ong said in a mix of Filipino and English. 

Ong said he has known Ferdinand Marcos Jr., presidential aspirant of Uniteam, for a long time. Marcos’ running mate is President Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter and Davao City mayor Sara. 

The President has refused to endorse any presidential bet after his daughter, an early leader in presidential surveys, chose to run for the vice presidency. 

This led to members of his dominant political alliance in Congress and local governments to choose various presidential bets while largely remaining loyal to the Davao City mayor’s candidacy.

Dozens of the President’s key political allies formed RoSa, for Robredo and Sara, a move seen as improving the odds for the Vice President, who is a far second in all national surveys behind Marcos. 

Cebu, on the top spot of vote-rich provinces, with around 3.288 million registered voters, has seen an Isko-Sara movement and a push by the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) for Robredo-Sotto. 

In Negros Occidental and this independent city, the few politicians backing Robredo are also for Sara, though pro-Robredo Governor Bong Lacson has endorsed Sotto for the vice presidency. Most local executives in the province, 28 of 31 mayors, have endorsed Marcos.

Ong said he remains unfazed by his low ratings in the surveys.

“If you believe in the Filipino, you will continue to fight for them,” he said.

Citing how Filipinos suffered during the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ong and Balita urged voters to choose leaders who can prioritize public health. – Rappler.com