Independent senatorial candidate JV Ejercito holds a press briefing during a campaign sortie in Pangasinan province on Tuesday, May 3, 2022. (Photo by Yolanda Sotelo)
LINGAYEN, Pangasinan — Former Senator JV Ejercito courted Pangasinan voters on Tuesday (May 3), hoping he would land a seat this time when more Filipinos are already aware of the Universal Healthcare Act (UHCA) that he primarily sponsored when he was a senator.
Ejercito said despite challenges like running as an independent candidate, he decided to run to see the full implementation of the landmark UHCA if he wins.
The UHC law could have been a big help during the two years of the pandemic if it was fully implemented, he said.
He said his supposed “sibling rivalry” with Senator Jinggoy Estrada was highlighted in the 2019 elections, instead of the landmark bills that he sponsored and were passed just months before the election that year.
This time, he hoped more Filipinos would take notice of his accomplishments in the Senate.
Ejercito told local reporters that he had second thoughts about running after losing in the 2019 elections because of dilemmas, like having another brother, who is also running for senator, that could “affect my chances of winning.”
Another dilemma, he said, is staging a nationwide campaign, which he described as “tedious and expensive.”
“I was not financially ready,” he said.
He added: “But when the pandemic struck, daming problema, sa ospital, pag may surge, kulang rooms, problems sa Philhealth. So, looking from outside, if implemented lang properly ang UHC law, which I am the principal sponsor, malaki sana ang tulong,” he said.
This is why he decided to run, stressing that: “Maski mabigat ang laban na ito, lalaban tayo kasi sayang. I have mission and obligation to oversee the implementation of the UHC law.”
“It is a landmark law, but was not fully implemented. In the first year, the proposed budget was P257 billion for the first year of implementation. But its approved budget was only P170 billion,” he said.
Ejercito explained that the UHC is a 5 to 10-year program and a work in progress because it seeks to overhaul and improve the whole health care system of the country.
“As the principal sponsor, the one who knows the history and the mission of the law, it will be a big factor if I am there to oversee its proper implementation. So I decided to run against all odds, because obligation natin na tapusin para maramdamam ng Filipino,” he said.
Ejercito was also the sponsor of the creation of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (Housing) and the revitalization of the railways system.
While running as an independent candidate, Ejercito “moves mostly alone” but sometimes goes with presidential candidates Panfilo Lacson and Isko Moreno, who adopted him.
“But I don’t belong to the Uniteam or Pink so wala akong stage or built in crowd. But I show my gratitude to Lacson and Isko for adopting me,” he said, referring to presidential bets Panfilo Lacson and Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso.
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