MANILA, Philippines - For Ang Kapatiran Party vice presidential candidate Dominador “Jun” Chipeco, the secret to a happy and successful life is leaving behind unhappy memories and looking forward to a brighter tomorrow.
Upon waking up at 4:30 a.m., Jun prays and thanks God for another day.
He then eats his breakfast of oatmeal to prepare for a long day of meetings with people from all walks of life.
In the morning, he meets up with people from the streets of Marikina and Pasig. In the evening, he attends religious gatherings at the Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City.
Chipeco said he normally begins his political sorties in public markets where various types of people urge him to continue his quest for the second highest post in the land and bring a new brand of politics to the country.
On the average, Chipeco said he meets around 200 people daily.
Chipeco, who has a history of high blood pressure, said the daily campaign is a kind of therapy because since he hit the campaign trail, his blood pressure has remained normal and he expects this situation to last until the May 10 elections.
“I do not stress myself. I rest when I feel tired and I drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration,” he said.
He said he only takes a quick lunch then proceeds with his campaigning.
He added that he used to take a nap after lunch but is no longer able to do this since the campaign started.
Born on Feb. 14, 1943 in Pagsanjan Laguna, Chipeco’s childhood dream was to become a priest.
This was the reason why he enrolled in San Jose Seminary School in Quezon City.
He also dreamed of becoming a journalist but pursued his law studies at San Beda where he obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree.
Chipeco is married to Editha Sayoc Chipeco with whom he has three children.
Chipeco shared that since he was born on Valentine’s Day, he was often called Valentino during his younger years. He, however, resented this tag because he said this connotes someone who is a “womanizer.”
Controversial
Chipeco came into the limelight when the Ang Kapatiran Party filed a complaint before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) against ABS-CBN because he was excluded from the network’s Harapan vice presidential debate, which he said was a violation of Republic Act 9006 or the Fair Elections Act.
The AKP, however, withdrew the complaint after ABS-CBN sent a letter of apology and clarified that it was not their intention to exclude Chipeco.
Family dinners
After having dinner with his family in their home in Pasig, Chipeco turns on his computer and reads around 30 emails everyday.
“I receive emails from long lost friends, relatives and supporters,” he said.
Chipeco caps his day by reading newspapers and the Bible, then saying a prayer of thanks.
Chipeco and his partymates are optimistic that they would win the elections.
Should he lose, however, he said that he will continue helping other people.
“We must not dwell on the unhappy yesterday. We take our lessons from the past and use it as our guide in our daily struggles,” Chipeco said.