2022 Philippine Elections

Nonagenarian daughter of former Cavite lawmaker goes house-to-house for Robredo

Tina Ganzon-Ozaeta

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Nonagenarian daughter of former Cavite lawmaker goes house-to-house for Robredo

CIVIC DUTY. Age is no barrier to Irene Montano DeLos Angeles as she goes around their Tagaytay City community to campaign for presidential candidate and Vice President Leni Robredo,

Heero Potter Facebook (with permission)

She scores a win on her first try, chatting up a patriarch of a big clan, who pledges to take care of the family

BATANGAS, Philippines – Even at the age of 91, Irene Montano DeLos Angeles makes her way along the streets of hilly Tagaytay city to engage in house to house campaigns for presidential candidate VP Leni Robredo. 

“The first house that I went to, I saw the children playing basketball so I motioned for someone to come and help me find the others,” Irene said.

“He brought me to the house of the lolo at lola ng lahat, may 100 bahay sa paligid, and he said I was the first one to come. So we talked about the elections, they were listening intently and said he would take care of the whole family,” Irene added, describing a typical rural patriarch’s rule within a clan.

Hailing from Cavite province’s prominent Montano clan, Irene is the daughter of political kingpin Senator Justiniano Montano, who also served as a representative of the province. She is the sister of Delfin Montano, the second elected governor of Cavite who served four consecutive terms.

Her father was a well respected politician and was known to be one of the country’s last great statesmen.  As a lawmaker he authored Act. No. 32 also known as the “Montano Law” which provided confiscation of vast haciendas in Cavite and their partitioning among the tenants working on them.  

In the Senate,  he authored the resolution creating the now famous and powerful Blue Ribbon Committee. He also served as chairman of the committee on Labor and Immigration and the committee on provincial and Municipal Governments and Cities, was a member of the Commission on Appointments and the Senate Electoral Tribunal.

Senator Montano is also known as one of the first to file impeachment charges against former President Ferdinand Marcos after the Jabidah Massacre in 1968.

His dream was for his daughter, Irene, to become the first lady justice of the Supreme Court, but she was destined for something else.  

She became part of a community that gave utmost importance to the gospel and caring for the poorest of the poor, and was instrumental in establishing social centers like Bukas Palad and Pag-asa.

““Kasi I work with those people when I was in Pag-asa and so I felt that we have to do what our 1% so that God can do his 99%. I felt that was my 1% out of love for those people,” she said.

Despite her age and the dangers of the pandemic, Irene is out there campaigning for a candidate that she believes in – someone who will fight for the plight of those most in need.  

“I am so happy about Filipinos, talking to our people and how good they are. I was tired but very happy.  It was a joy to be with our people,” Irene shared.  – Rappler.com

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