Jiggy Manicad makes senatorial bid official

Jiggy Manicad officially entered the political arena Wednesday after filing his certificate of candidacy for next year’s midterm elections.

The former TV broadcaster, who was initially believed to be part of PDP-Laban’s senatorial slate, is running as an independent candidate.

He will, however, have the backing of Hugpong ng Pagbabago, the regional political party founded and is being chaired by presidential daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio.

If he gets elected next year, Manicad said he would focus on a number of reforms, including the creation of a magna carta for rescue workers, the lowering of prices of petroleum products in the market, and the introduction of what he calls a “culture hour” in Philippine television.

“Ang nagtulak sa akin siguro po iyong aking araw-araw na exposure sa mga isyu sa ating lipunan. Ang accountability ko sa GMA bilang aking employer. Para sa akin hindi po sapat iyon, obviously maraming kakulangan. Nakita ko na iyong limitation ng role ko as a media person,” Manicad said of his decision to run.

Formerly the co-anchor of 24 Oras Weekend and co-host of Reporter’s Notebook, Manicad left the industry in April after a 23-year stint.

At the time, he gave a hint about his next move, saying in a video message that aired over GMA-7: “Sa 23 years ko pong pagiging journalist, naniniwala po akong kahit papaano’y nakapaghatid ako sa inyo ng public service at nawa po samahan ninyo ako sa pagsubok kong pumasok sa ibang lebel ng serbisyo publiko. At muli po, maraming salamat. Ako si Jiggy Manicad at see you soon.”

Watch his full Q&A with reporters below: