Monsour del Rosario is 11th candidate in 1Sambayan’s Senate slate

MANILA, Philippines – A month before the May 9 polls, opposition coalition 1Sambayan named former Makati congressman Monsour del Rosario as their 11th senatorial candidate.

Del Rosario joined the 1Sambayan press conference in Dagupan City, where former senior associate justice Antonio Carpio and former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales were also present.

“Ako’y nagpapasalamat (I thank them) that they have accepted me to be one of their candidates officially,” Del Rosario said, referring to 1Sambayan.

A day before 1Sambayan’s announcement on Friday, April 8, Del Rosario was at the campaign rally for presidential candidate Leni Robredo in Tagum City, Davao del Norte, and endorsed her bid.

Ex-Makati lawmaker and now senatorial aspirant Monsour del Rosario of Partido Reporma now speaking here. After Alvarez endorsed Robredo, Del Rosario also abandoned Senator Ping Lacson and shifted support to Robredo. #PHVote pic.twitter.com/DwsMrzlRl9
— Mara Cepeda (@maracepeda) April 7, 2022

In Friday’s media forum, Del Rosario outlined his platform for healthcare workers, children with disabilities, athletes, and agriculture.

The aspiring senator said he wanted to propose “Healthcare Hero Cards” for Professional Regulation Commission-licensed health workers, like radiologic technologists, medical technologists, and nurses. These cards would give them the same benefits as senior citizens and persons with disabilities.

“I find it sad to think about how our nurses study here, and then after they graduate, they work in Philippine hospitals for two years, and then they’re out of the country taking care of foreigners,” Del Rosario said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Del Rosario said he wanted to raise their salaries so that they would be enticed to work in the country instead of abroad.

Del Rosario also wants to put up institutions in each province to cater to children with disabilities so that they can have wider access to education.

“The goal of these institutions is for the children to have inclusion in regular schools eventually. Maybe they won’t graduate, but they’ll have vocational degrees, they’ll do something with their lives and be more productive,” he said.

Del Rosario, the first Filipino Olympian for taekwondo, also wants to push for pension for retired athletes who have won representing the Philippines in international sporting events. He said this advocacy came from his talks with athletes-turned-coaches who lost business during the pandemic and were looking for foreigners who were willing to buy their medals.

“Kaya naman eh. Nagawa ng ibang countries ‘yan (We can do that. Other countries have done it),” he said.

The longtime athlete also proposed for the government to prioritize only five sports for Filipinos to excel in. “We put so much money in basketball but we will never become Olympic champions there. I want to focus on these five sports and give the youth character building, and at the same time, nation-building,” he said.

For his agriculture platform, Del Rosario said that he wanted to help make the Philippines more self-sufficient in its food supply by limiting importation and smuggling.

Del Rosario is the only Reporma senatorial candidate to join Davao del Norte 1st District Representative Pantaleon Alvarez in shifting support from erstwhile party standard-bearer Panfilo Lacson to Robredo. Del Rosario is a friend of Alvarez from working in the 17th Congress from 2016 to 2019.

In backing Robredo, Del Rosario had said that his ideals matched with the presidential candidates vision of competent and clean governance.

Del Rosario is the latest senatorial candidate to be endorsed by the coalition, which supports the tandem of Robredo and Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan. In March, 1Sambayan also endorsed reelectionist Senator Richard “Dick” Gordon and Makabayan bet and Kilusang Mayo Uno chairperson Elmer “Ka Bong” Labog.

Other candidates under 1Sambayan’s slate are: