Doc Willie Ong seeks Senate seat in 2025 despite battle with cancer
Former vice-presidential candidate Willie Ong announced that he will run for a senatorial seat in the 2025 midterm elections despite battling against sarcoma cancer.
Ong went on a Facebook livestream to give his audience an update about his health and announce that he will be filing his certificate of candidacy (COC) on Oct. 2.
"Second mission ko, i-sasave ko 'yung bansa sa corruption, sa evil, tsaka aayusin natin 'yung healthcare," he said. "I have to do it. Something's telling me to do it."
"I'll be filing for senator sa October 2, Wednesday. Nagawa ko na papeles, na notarize ko na. Si Doc Liza (his wife) nasa airplane na ngayon… 'sya magfa-file ng sa akin pero ako ang tatakbo," he continued in the livestream.
He said that he would go through the campaign and election season in the "cleanest way" possible, as he limits himself to a P500,000 budget, and will not accept any donations nor sponsorship throughout the campaign and election season.
He also announced that he would be running as an independent candidate, without the support of any political party. Given his limited budget and health concerns, Ong likened his campaign to a David vs. Goliath battle.
“Tatakbo tayo papakita natin na tunay ang Diyos. This time we’re gonna win it,” Ong said.
He acknowledged the challenges ahead, including competing against politicians who dominate the polls.
In the livestream, he also thanked all those who supported him. He also shared that he had undergone a second chemotherapy and would know about the results of his cyst by Oct. 9.
"'Yung bukol, so far, mukhang mabait naman siya. 'Wag ko lang dadaganan sa kanan. So, I think it's getting better. Sa kulay, nawala na yung jaundice ko, mas nakaka-kain na 'ko," he said.
Last Sept. 14, the 60-year-old health advocate disclosed his condition on his YouTube channel, saying his doctors found a 16x13x12 centimeter sarcoma in his abdomen, "hidden" behind his heart and in front of his spine. The mass "partially/completely" blocked Ong's esophagus, inferior vena cava, and right atrium.
"Ang bukol na ito, malaking malaki daw. Isa sa pinakamalaki na nakita nila," he said.