The AP Partylist announced on its social media pages its support for the candidacy of Vice President Leni Robredo and Senator Francisco “Kiko” Pangilinan.
AP Partylist first nominee Rep. Ronnie Ong attended the Pasiglaban Grand Rally held last March 20, Sunday in Pasig City where he met with Robredo and was among the individuals thanked by Robredo in her speech for their unwavering support.
AP Partylist is also among the supporters at the Davao grand rallies in support of Robredo and Pangilinan.
Ong said that with the support of Davao’s political stalwart Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez, the Robredo campaign has gained ground in regions 9, 10, and 11. Ong expects that support will continue to rise for Leni in the coming weeks.
Ong said that they chose to throw their support behind Robredo because he knows how hard she and her office worked during the pandemic. “She would always be there whenever and wherever she is needed,” Ong said. “That is the mark of a true leader. We believe in that core value as a public servant: You have to show up, you have to work, and you have to be there for your kababayan’s every day.”
Ong shared that he’d seen firsthand how Robredo worked hard to help various sectors during the pandemic. Last August 2020, Ong donated thousands of paper supplies to the Vice President’s office for her e-learning project, in time for the first leg of blended learning system or online and module classes during the first year of the pandemic.
“We also had similar projects with her. We also launched a Libreng Sakay program for health workers and frontliners, as well as establishing E-skwela Hub e-learning centers all over the country to help learners and students adapt to the new normal of classes,” Ong said.
“How we work, how we serve, and how we care for our kababayans at AP Partylist aligns with hers, and that’s why we support her.” Ong has been nicknamed by PeopleAsia as “the frontliner Congressman” because of his day-to-day COVID19 Bayanihan response on-ground that was more than the normal legislative work called upon congressmen.
AP Partylist’s overarching goal is a better quality of life for all Filipinos through better opportunities at livelihood and employment, which is also the theme of the Gobyernong Tapat campaign. “Many of the programs we are envisioning in AP Partylist also align with those in VP Leni’s platform, such as helping Filipinos who have lost their jobs because of the pandemic,” Ong explained.
“VP Leni is advocating for bakuna para sa lahat and has spoken about how she will bring the government to the communities. We have ‘Health on Wheels,’ which has the same principle: bringing health facilities especially to remote communities. That is exactly what we felt would be a solution to the health crisis in our country,” Ong declared.
Among AP Partylist’s staunch supporters is the King of Primetime, Coco Martin. “Dito na tayo sa byaheng aasenso ang lahat ng Pilipino kasama ang AP Partylist,” is what Martin says as he declares his support to his new partylist, encouraging his fellow Filipinos to join him in this advocacy. Even prior to the elections, Ong has worked alongside Martin in delivering relief and livelihood projects all over the country.