Dr Willie Ong: Up close and personal

ONE of the best memories of the nine-month campaign trail in 2022 was the opportunity to be up close and personal with one admirable person with the heart of a saint and the wisdom of a learned philosopher — cardiologist Dr. Willie Ong. He led me to his running mate, presidential aspirant Isko Moreno, and became a senatorial candidate under Aksyon Demokratiko, along with initially Samira Gutoc and Jopet Sison, later joined by John Catriciones. He was one of the first people who convinced me to jump into the noisy world of politics. He believes in me — and the feeling is mutual.

We were a small team of like-minded dreamers who offered ourselves to serve the Filipinos. We all fit in a chopper, a van, and as Mayor Isko would put it — in a tricycle. It was nine months full of great memories — ranging from serious talks to nonsense exchanges that shared with each other the dream of public service and life we envision. None of us emerged victorious in the elections, but we won each other's friendship and ended the journey with great lessons and deeper love for the Filipino people. It is a memory of a lifetime that you would wish to happen again and again — but that chapter closed, and we live happily ever after.