THE celebrity children of talent manager Annabelle Rama said they have become stronger as a family and remain united behind her bid for Cebu City’s north congressional district.
But while each of them have their own respective advocacies, not one of them is willing to join politics anytime soon.
“We’re having fun and bonding as a family as we join pulong-pulongs,” actress and beauty queen Ruffa Gutierrez said.
Rama, her husband Eddie Gutierrez and children Ruffa, Richard and Raymond Gutierrez visited Cebu Daily News during a campaign stop yesterday afternoon.
Annabelle identified health care and employment as her priorities after seeing the prevalent poverty in the city’s 46 barangays in the north district.
She said she will build health centers and distribute food and health cards to the people in the sitios and mountain barangays who need it the most.
Annabelle also said she will look into raising the senior citizens aid to P12,000 a year.
“I feel that I can help them. They also need jobs, adequate toilet facilities and an effective drainage system,” she said in Cebuano.
Her children also voiced out their commitment and advocacies.
“If she needs our help and guidance, we’re there. As a marketing consultant for Unilever, I can help promote Cebu City as a tourism and investment destination,” Raymond said.
Eddie Gutierrez said Annabelle is dedicated to serving Cebu City residents and has “future plans for Cebu City’s north district.”
“In my own way I will help her in her projects for the city’s senior citizens,” he said.
While Ruffa has no plans to enter politics, she said she is an advocate of women and children’s rights being an ambassador of Avon Philippines in its campaign against domestic violence.
“I have foundations for the less fortunate and I’ll be continuing my habitat for humanity in Cebu and come up with projects for the Filipino children,” she added.
Richard said if their mother is elected, he will extend assistance to projects providing fresh water in the mountain barangays, promote sports programs for the youth.
Annabelle said she could only pray for her election victory next week.
“Every minute of the day, I will just pray that the people vote from the heart,” she said. Correspondents Christine Emily L. Pantaleon and Peter L. Romanillos