As the Halalan 2022 approaches, the public is becoming more familiar with the respective campaign brandings of the different electoral candidates, notably those who are vying for the presidential seat. The top five in the rankings, including Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo, “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao Sr., Panfilo “Ping Lacson,” and Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso were strengthening their respective campaign strategies to amplify their names and platforms.

Here follow the arguments regarding “Ka Leody” Quitain de Guzman, who has not been invited to media events since he doesn’t belong to the top 5. Unlike the mentioned contenders, he entered politics as an ordinary Filipino and was nameless to the public.

Moreover, he earned attention last January 22 after live-streaming his answers to The Jessica Soho Presidential Interviews to which he was not invited.

Despite not being as popular as the top five candidates, de Guzman became well-known among the general public as a byproduct of his efforts to bravely amplify his platforms as well as the struggles of the workers and the marginalized sectors of society. In this case, win or lose, he had proved himself already and was given the opportunity to represent himself in the media alongside other candidates such as through subsequent presidential debates.

Along with de Guzman and Marcos Jr., the SMNI Presidential debate held on February 15th introduced two unfamiliar faces. They were Norberto Borja Gonzales and Ernesto “Ernie” Corpuz Abella, two Presidential candidates we wouldn’t have heard about if it hadn’t been for the SMNI debate. Who are these candidates?

Norberto Borja Gonzales served as the presidential advisor for special concerns and presidential chief of staff from 2004 to 2005, then as National Security Advisor from 2005 to 2007 before being appointed as the 36th Secretary of National Defense under Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s administration. Gonzales earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ateneo de Davao University and took Masters degree from the University of the Philippines, Diliman before being imprisoned for contempt of Congress in 2005.

Gonzales is the chairman of the Philippine Democratic Socialist Party and a presidential aspirant in 2022. According to him, his presidential bid was stimulated by President Duterte’s unsatisfactory COVID-19 response and his desire to reform the Department of Agriculture by prioritizing “food production” if elected.

Running as an independent candidate, Ernesto “Ernie” Corpuz Abella was the former appointed Presidential Spokesperson of President Rodrigo Duterte from 2016 to 2017, he was then replaced by the former spokesperson and senatorial aspirant, Attorney Harry Roque upon vacancy. He served as the Undersecretary for Strategic Communications and Research of the Department of Foreign Affairs from 2017 to 2021 under the same presidential administration.

Prior to entering politics, he was the former CEO of AZ Agri-Products and the Operating Officer of F&P Agri-Inputs. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in pre-medicine at the Ateneo de Davao University and earned his master’s degree at Silliman University.

Abella calls for a rebalanced power in governance highlighting that the ordinary people are not ignored. He also plans to make the agriculture sector a “mega-industry” if wins the presidential seat.

Besides Gonzales and Abella, there are two more unrecognized aspirants who have taken the risk of winning the presidency, they are Faisal Mangondadato and Jose Montemayor Jr.

After losing the senatorial race in 2019, Faisal Mangondadato will run for the presidency in the 2022 national election. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technological degree at the Philippine Women’s University.

He is representing the Muslim community in Mindanao and was known as a businessman from Lanao Del Sur prior to his consecutive attempts in pursuing politics. His long-term observation of the country’s political leaders drove him to vie for the position. He is the presidential bet of the Katipunan ng Kamalayang Kayumanggi (KTPNAN) party.

Mangondadato envisions a federalist government system wherein the government is operated on “autopilot” with civil service experts administering their respective departments driven by initiatives while implying reforms.

We’ve witnessed long-term politicians, artists, athletes, lawyers, and many more individuals joining politics, but few chances have indeed been given to medical professionals to serve within the government. Hence, given the struggles of health workers in the country for the past few years, a doctor mustered the confidence to run for the presidency aiming to eradicate COVID-19, corruption, and criminality in the country.

He is Jose Montemayor Jr., a cardiologist-lawyer and a former President of the Philippine Society of Cardiac Catheterization and Interventions (PSCCI) running under the Democratic Party of the Philippines.

Montemayor Jr. is undoubtedly a competitive candidate, backed up by 13 university credentials from various universities and institutions, along with his medical and legal licenses. He attended 9 different schools in order to earn all of his distinctions and accomplishments. He was also an educator and author of various publications on medicine, economics, and law.

Montemayor Jr. states that the future president of the country should be someone knowledgeable about the COVID-19 virus and its effects on the country’s economy.

Moreover, netizens criticized some of these candidates, labeling them “incapable” due to their unfamiliar names compared to those who were regularly featured in various media outlets. However, if we evaluate these candidates, their educational credentials are insufficient to prove that they are also capable amidst their lack of popularity.

If you haven’t decided who to vote for president in the forthcoming national elections, consider revisiting the names of these underrated candidates and adding one to your shortlist.