All for one, one for all.
That might as well be the family motto of reelectionist Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan and Megastar Sharon Cuneta, together with their children Frankie, Miel and Miguel.
In the latest survey, Kiko is No. 4 among the 50 senatorial aspirants.
Sharon and the children have joined Kiko on the campaign trail, together with Kiko’s nephew Gab Valenciano (son of Kiko’s sister Angeli Pangilinan and Gary Valenciano) and his niece Julia Arenas. They call it “The Pangilinan Family Caravan” that has covered, among other places, Bohol, Cebu, Iloilo and Davao.
“The family caravan is our leg of the campaign,” Kiko told Funfare Update. “We’d like to emphasize how important it is for family to help one another and to support one another. It is also our way of raising our kids so they will know that there’s a world outside of their schools that they have to see, to raise their social awareness so that they, too, can be better citizens.”
Kiko said that there are three reasons why the family caravan was organized.
“I miss them,” said Kiko.
“To show how proud we are of him,” said Sharon to whom the campaign trail is not an alien terrain (remember, she came from a political family even before she married Kiko). “We are very proud of Dad. Politics is a different kind of animal. They say that everybody who goes into it turns dirty. Wrong. There are still some who don’t, and I’m proud that Dad is one of them.”
Kiko and Sharon: “It’s a learning experience for the children.”
Kiko has been in government service for more than 12 years (two terms as senator and 16 months as Presidential Assistant on Food Security and Agricultural Modernization).
“I can say that in all the years that Dad has been in government, wala kaming niyaman d’yan,” added Sharon. “Ang niyaman namin, puro pinaghirapan namin.”
Addressing the electorate, Kiko said, “May 9 is not just about electing people, it is about where we will bring our country. Do you want our country to move forward or do you want it to go back to the age when leaders use their positions for their own interests?”
(E-mail reactions at entphilstar@yahoo.com. You may also send your questions to askrickylo@gmail.com.)