MANILA, Philippines - At four o’clock in the morning, Jay Sonza wakes up to face life’s newest challenges particularly in his campaign for the vice presidency this forthcoming elections.
Sonza starts his day with a thanksgiving prayer, then surfs the cable channels for the latest news here and abroad.
He also does some physical exercises before taking two to three cups of coffee and eating breakfast.
“We usually start our trip to our campaign areas at around 6 a.m. We monitor radio broadcasts while on board our vehicles. More often than not, we start our provincial sorties with visits to the market or to areas where there is a concentration of population,” Sonza said.
“We also visit radio stations and grant interviews to local media. These days, breakfast is often taken in marketplaces, where there are ‘carinderias’ (roadside eateries) and food is freshly cooked,” Sonza related.
He said his adventures from his daily political campaign bring back memories of his childhood at the foot of Mount Apo in Davao where he began building his dreams.
“I have always wanted to become a priest, but my late father did not approve of it. My other dream was to become a civil engineer. I was very good in math (my grades in algebra, trigonometry and physics were all 95 percent) but I didn’t have money to buy the materials for my engineering course. So I took a course that did not require extra expenses – Bachelor of Arts,” Sonza said.
He was born on Sept. 20, 1955 in Macabebe Pampanga, but his family migrated to Bansalan, Davao del Sur where he spent his childhood.
“I left the foot of Mount Apo to go to the city, bringing with me my hard earned savings of P81. I did odd jobs – shoeshine boy, newsboy, balut vendor, janitor. I got into media out of necessity. I needed a job to finance my college studies. The first available full-time job was that of a writer for radio. That started my career in broadcasting and journalism,” he said.
Sonza said he decided to run for the vice presidency because the call of the times is for good people to do something to help this nation rise from its current state – a victim of irresponsible leadership.
“The Philippines is going to the dogs! The other candidates (except for Ang Kapatiran vice presidential candidate Jun Chipeco) are all part of the 24 years of governance that led this country to where it is now,” he said.
He stressed that his educational achievement in the social sciences (political science and economics) and advance studies in policies, civil service and leadership, coupled with his experience as a government career executive and training in the corporate world, make him the best candidate for vice president.
“For more than three decades in media, I have witnessed how this country was run by politicians whose primary preoccupation is to win elections and make money on the side, leaving meaningful public service delivery to the civil servant and less and less money to support and implement programs,” Sonza said.
“I rise to the challenge of leading this country. My moral foundation, experience and training taught me that the only way for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing,” he said, paraphrasing British political theorist Edmund Burke.
Sonza said after lunch, he usually meets with his volunteer campaigners composed of KBL loyalists, Aksyon Demokratiko volunteers, Oasis of Love Catholic Renewal Community members, Marriage Encounter graduates, Ang Dating Daan members, Fraternity and Sorority brothers and sisters and fighting cock breeders.
Sonza is confident that he will emerge victorious in the coming 2010 elections because of the support of people who believe that the country needs a new breed of leaders.
He said he might be lagging behind in paid political surveys “but let us see what happens at the finish line when my tens of thousands of volunteers shall have delivered my secret weapons.”
But even with his grueling schedule, Sonza makes it a point to spend time with his family so if there is an opportunity, he heads home for dinner.
“As much as possible, I keep a very normal kind of life. Meaning, five days of full-time campaigning, one day with the family (this is usually spent for eating, playing and bonding activities with my wife and the kids) and another day for my personal and social life,” Sonza said.