After announcing to run for VP, Willie Ong bolts Lakas-CMD

Dr. Willie Ong. (Photo from Facebook)

MANILA, Philippines — Dr. Willie Ong has resigned from the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) party, which is allied with the Duterte administration, after announcing to join the vice presidential race in the 2022 elections alongside presidential aspirant Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno.

Ong formally resigned from Lakas-CMD in a letter dated September 22, and addressed to House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez, who also serves as the president of the party.

“With all due respect, and after having accepted the offer of Mayor Francisco ‘Isko Moreno’ Domagoso to be his vice presidential running mate in the forthcoming elections, I hereby tender my resignation as a member of [Lakas-CMD],” Ong said in a letter.

“I take this opportunity to thank the party, and you in particular, for having graciously accepted me into the party in the 2019 elections, and gave me a Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance at that time,” he added.

Ong ran for a senatorial seat in 2019 under Lakas-CMD and placed 18th overall.

“Though politics may bring us at different paths, please know that I continue to hold you in high esteem and my family will always treasure your friendship,” Ong said.

After Ong announced his intention to run for vice presidential next year, Romualdez said Moreno “made an excellent choice” in choosing the the medical doctor as his running mate.

“I have known Dr. Willie, a close friend, as a decent man whose heart is in the right place,” Romualdez said in a statement Wednesday.

“He truly cares for his fellowmen, and he has never wavered in his quest for a good government responsive to the needs of Filipinos,” he added.

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