The Tingog party-list group led by Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez on Friday night filed its CONA (Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance) to seek reelection following a productive first term in the House of Representatives.
Actress-singer Karla Estrada, the “momshie” of actor and recording artist Daniel Padilla, joined the group as its third nominee.
Estrada and Tingog second nominee Jude Acidre personally filed the CONA on behalf of other nominees before at the Commission on Elections' filing center at the Harbor Garden Tent of Sofitel Hotel in Pasay City.
They were accompanied by Luningning Lariosa, Tingog secretary general.
Romualdez, chairperson of the House Committee on the Welfare of Children and a registered nurse, is Tingog’s first nominee.
In running for its second term, Tingog aims to share its vision of transformational politics, shared governance, and development of the peripheries it established for and from its home in Eastern Visayas and spread it to other underserved areas of the country as a model for sustainable, inclusive, unified, and overall societal change in the Philippines.
Tingog hopes that it lives up to its name — the Visayan word for ‘voice’ — and continues to serve as the voice for the marginalized and underserved.
The group's second nominee, Acidre, is the chief of staff of Romualdez and the 2021 JCI Philippines president. He is a former youth leader, community volunteer and political affairs consultant. He hails from Barugo, Leyte.
Estrada, Carla Ford in real life, is an award-winning talk show host who advocates for education and volunteerism and has lent support for relief operations during calamities and other emergencies. She is from Tacloban City, Leyte.
Jaime Go, Tingog's fourth nominee, is an entrepreneur and civic leader from Tacloban City, while Alexis V. Yu, a pharmacist, entrepreneur and community leader from Basey, Samar, is the fifth nominee.
Tingog party-list group (formerly Tingog Sinirangan party-list group) is an advocacy group driven by pagbag-o, paglaum, and pag-uswag — the Waray words for change, hope and progress, respectively — by empowering and improving quality of life and outcomes for many Filipino families and communities in the margins of society, starting with its home region of Eastern Visayas (Region VIII).
The party hopes to bring about change from the ground up with an empowered electorate supported by higher family incomes and increased social services, especially for the most vulnerable, who are politically active and engaged in improving governance in their communities and, eventually, on a national scale.
TINGOG has been working closely with various government agencies to provide assistance and support programs to many in need, especially those who have been hard hit by the economic effects of the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Tingog offers the following programs:
• Medical Assistance to Indigent Patients program, medicines, vaccinations and wheelchair donations, and three Mobile Dental Vans through its partnership with the Department of Health;
• Assistance in Crisis Situations, Sustainable Livelihood Program and Family Food Packs through its partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development;
• Tulong Dunong Scholarship Program through its partnership with the Commission on Higher Education;
• Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers program, Government Internship Program and Nego-Karts program through its partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment; and
• Training for Work Scholarship Program through its partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.
In over two years of service to the people, Tingog has helped, as of July 16, 2021, over 20,381 beneficiaries through the MAIP program; 13,413 through the AICS program; 4,667 through the SLP; 12,751 through the TUPAD; 200 under the DOLE GIP; 20,000 scholars under the Tulong Dunong Program; and 12,120 TESDA grantees.
On infrastructure, as of July 16, 2021, over P1.553B has been allocated for infrastructure projects to improve a massively underdeveloped Eastern Visayas, with 398 infrastructure projects currently completed and ongoing.
In terms of legislation, Tingog has had 59 bills approved in the House of Representatives, 21 of which have now been signed into law.