Prayer, worship songs mark Montemayor-David campaign kickoff for Eleksyon 2022

Presidential aspirant Dr. Jose Montemayor Jr. and running mate Rizalito David on Tuesday officially launched their campaign for the May 9 elections.

The tandem’s proclamation event, held in a condominium unit in Pasay City, was marked by prayer and worship songs.  It was attended by members of Montemayor's political party Democratic Party of the Philippines and several pastors from different churches.

Montemayor said that the strength of his presidential bid is in the Lord, with his campaign dubbed as “Sa gabay ng Diyos, ang Bansa ay aayos." He earlier said that this proclamation is a “classic example of faith-based approach” to glorify God.

He also said that fame is not necessary if one aims to become president.

“Kailangan ba ang kasikatan? Hindi po. With all of these, alam niyo po, ang kailangan humility and compassion,” Montemayor said, stressing that he wants to help the oppressed and treat the sick.

(Is popularity necessary? No. With all of these, humility and compassion are needed.)

“Hindi kailangan ng kasikatan para paglingkuran mo ang ating mga kababayan, lalong lalo na ang ating Diyos,” he added.

(One does not need fame to serve our countrymen, especially our God.)

COVID-19 response

With plenty of attendees present in the event not wearing face masks, Montemayor stressed that he and his camp “physically and spiritually” observed the protocols set by the Commission of Elections (Comelec).

“Palagay ko we are not violating that guidelines. Sila [other aspirants] mismo bina-violate nila by being chaotic and riotous. Diba? But ako, we physically, spiritually followed every aspect of the campaign,” he said.

(I think we are not violating those guidelines. Other aspirants violate by being chaotic and riotous. For us, we are physically and spiritually following every aspect of the campaign.)

Under Comelec Resolution No. 10732, one of the activities strictly prohibited during in-person campaigns in all alert level categories is crowding or allowing crowds that violate minimum public health standards around the candidate and his or her companions.

READ: The do's and don'ts during campaign season amid the pandemic

Comelec on Tuesday also urged the supporters and candidates to comply with minimum health protocols including wearing of face masks and face shields especially in “high-risk environments such as campaign events.”

Montemayor said that he was not comfortable wearing a face mask while speaking as he wants to articulate his views clearly.

“Wala pang scientific study na nagpo-prove na ang face mask ay effective. Actually, medical technologist din ako, hindi ko ine-encourage ‘yung ‘wag kayong magsuot ng mask. It’s up to you, kung gusto niyo magsuot o hindi magsuot,” he said.

(There is no scientific study yet that proves that face masks are effective. I am also a medical technologist, I do not encourage you not to wear a mask. It’s up to you, whether you want to wear it or not.)

Montemayor’s camp on Monday also said that the condominium where the proclamation was held could accommodate a hundred attendees with no vaccination status nor testing required.

If elected as president, Montemayor said that the COVID-19 could be easily controlled as he would no longer employ a “test, trace, treat” approach, stressing that the RT-PCR tests are “nothing” as they could yield false positive results.

“‘Yung antigen test, walang kwentang examination. Why? Antibody dapat, hindi antigen. ‘Yung antigen, magka-flu ka lang, positive ka na,” he said.

(The antigen is a useless examination because it should be an antibody. With antigen, once you get a flu, you will test positive.)

He then took a swipe at President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration for its militaristic approach to combat the pandemic.

“‘Yan ang problema ‘pag nangunguna ang mga sundalo sa IATF. Sabi ko, hindi mo naman mababaril ang COVID. Ibang iba talaga kapag knowledgeable ang isang lider sa problema, sa may sakit,” he said.

(That’s the problem when the soldiers lead the IATF. You can't shoot COVID. It is really very different when a leader is knowledgeable in the problem and about the sick.)

Montemayor said he would instead focus on preventing the COVID-19 infection by strengthening the immunity of the people through fruits and vegetables, and vitamins.

He also vowed to mitigate the impact of the pandemic by increasing the salary of the healthcare workers.

Montemayor promised to eliminate COVID-19, corruption, and criminality when he filed his certificate of candidacy for president in Eleksyon 2022 in October 2021. —KBK, GMA News