Two former vice presidents are running for the Senate in 2022.
Former vice president Jejomar Binay on Thursday filed his certificate of candidacy for senator, saying he would give priority to helping the 4 million Filipinos who lost their jobs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We learned during this pandemic how the people have been deeply neglected. We need to fix this,” said the 78-year-old Binay after he filed his COC.
He also spoke of 3 million families who are experiencing hunger and the thousands of small businesses that have had no choice but to close down.
“We need to help them recover. Looking forward, we should work to rebuild our economy in a way that puts priority on creating stable jobs. We should reform our health care system. And the safety, welfare, and well-being of the people should always be our foremost concern,” he said.
In Manila, Binay’s predecessor in the position, former vice president Noli de Castro, took his oath as a member of the Aksyon Demokratiko party, which will field him as a senatorial candidate.
De Castro took his oath before Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, the party’s president and standard bearer, at the Bulwagan in Manila City Hall.
A post on Moreno’s Facebook page said De Castro, 72, will run for senator under the Aksyon Demokratiko party.
“The 72-year-old broadcaster, who announced his departure from ABS-CBN this morning, is set to run in next year’s senatorial race,” the post said.
A veteran broadcaster, De Castro served three years as senator from 2001 to 2004, before winning election and serving as vice president under the Arroyo administration.
De Castro was initially a front runner in the 2010 presidential election but lost his lead when Senator Benigno Aquino III declared his intent to run for president after his mother, democracy icon Cory Aquino, died. De Castro did not file to be included in the ballot, and later told an interview he would retire from politics at the end of his term and would go back to his career in broadcast journalism.
Binay, a human rights lawyer during martial law, is running under the ticket of presidential candidate Senator Panfilo Lacson and his running mate, Senate President Vicente Sotto III.
He was the longest serving mayor of Makati and served as the country’s vice president during the Aquino administration.
He was the first local government official appointed by Aquino’s mother, also the late former President Corazon Aquino after the 1986 EDSA Revolution.
“I have been in public service for more than 30 years. This is what I will offer to our people. We have done a lot for our fellow Filipinos. We can do more, and we should do more,” Binay said.