12K doctors support Leni-Kiko tandem; cite clear platform to address pandemic (Sabong News)

As the May 2022 elections draw near, over 12,000 doctors on Monday, April 4, have declared their full support for the presidential bid of Vice President Ma. Leonor “Leni” G. Robredo and her running mate Sen. Francis Pancratius “Kiko” N. Pangilinan. In the statement of the “Doctors for Leni and Kiko” group, it cited the clear platform of Robredo and Pangilinan to address the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. “Naniniwala kami na ngayon ang panahon na maging makatotohanan at manindigan upang pahalagahan ang buhay. Isang tambalan lamang ang nakikita naming may mga ganitong katangian, may malasakit sa Pilipino, at may malinaw na plataporma upang wakasan ang hirap na dulot ng pandemya at iangat ang antas ng pamumuhay ng bawat Pilipino (We believe now is the time to be realistic and stand up for the value of life. Only one tandem possesses such attributes, has genuine care for Filipinos, and has a clear platform to end the hardship caused by the pandemic and raise the standard of living of every Filipino),” the group said. The doctors supporting the Leni-Kiko tandem said they have witnessed how bad governance caused great poverty and the deaths of their fellow health workers and ordinary Filipinos. Dr. Gia Sison, a member of Doctors for Leni-Kiko-National Capital Region, said the statement was collated from more than 12,000 doctors all over the country who are backing the candidacy of the tandem. During the virtual declaration of support through Facebook Live, Dr. Wilfredo “Willie” Calma of “Robredocs Tarlac” said that the tandem has shown full support to health workers like them during the start of the pandemic. As he recalled how overwhelmed hospitals were in Tarlac, Calma said the Office of the Vice President (OVP) was the first to provide medical supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) to public and private hospitals in their province. “Napakalaking bagay noon para sa health workers (That was such a big thing for health workers),” he said, thanking the OVP for providing much-needed equipment at the height of the pandemic. Ilonggo Doctors for Leni and Kiko’s Dr. Cynthia Cabangal-Ng, who is also a lawyer, stressed that Robredo showed up and provided the needs of medical facilities to help address the Covid-19 pandemic, even narrating all the help provided by the OVP to Iloilo City and Iloilo province. “We strongly believe that Leni Robredo and Kiko Pangilinan will provide transparent, decent, accountable, responsive leadership and steer the Philippines to a better direction,” she said. For her part, Dr. Anna Lissa Chan of Zamboanga City Doctors for Leni-Kiko said that during the time they badly needed KN95 masks, PPEs, and other protective equipment, they suddenly appeared thanks to the OVP led by Robredo. She said the protective equipment from the OVP have been distributed to other public and private hospitals as they, too, were struggling to acquire such during that time.