Boost or blow to his Senate campaign?

Just a few weeks ago, the popular doctor on social media Willie Ong shocked the public by disclosing that he’s been diagnosed with sarcoma, a rare cancer affecting the bones and soft tissue. He said that the tumor, hidden behind his heart and in front of his spine, measures 16x13x12 centimeters — roughly the size of a football.

Despite this, Ong has decided to fight another battle: a Senate run.

While receiving treatment in Singapore, his wife, Dr. Lisa Ong, filed his certificate of candidacy with the Commission on Elections on Thursday, October 3.

Facing the media with teary eyes and quivering, Lisa was too emotional to answer questions. Their legal counsel addressed the questions instead.

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A few days before, on Monday, September 30, a frail and bald Dr. Willie Ong appeared on Facebook live to announce his bid for the Senate.

He has made it clear that he won’t spend heavily on his campaign, opting instead to leverage the power of social media.

Ong’s spokesperson, lawyer Gilberto Lauengco, said that the doctor will return to the Philippines by December for a limited on-ground campaign and will fully utilize social media throughout the election period.

If online engagement is any indicator of success, Ong is ahead of the pack. An analysis by The Nerve from September 1 to 30 revealed that conversations about Ong dominated the online landscape, especially on September 14, the day he disclosed his diagnosis. 

Engagement on his posts peaked the following day, September 15. This comparative timeline shows who among the potential senatorial candidates dominated the online landscape. 

His video addressing his health condition garnered 6.1 million views, 177,000 reactions, 37,200 comments, and 25,700 shares. 

In a follow-up video, Ong, visibly breathless and speaking in gasps, took aim at the country’s healthcare system and corrupt politicians, lamenting the state of public health.

 “Our countrymen are very poor. They don’t have access to healthcare. They’re dying because of the corruption of politicians,” he said.

The public’s response to Ong’s candid and emotional videos has been overwhelming. People are sending well wishes to their favorite medical content creator.

Viewers resonated deeply with Ong’s message about the high cost of healthcare, as many Filipinos, they say, are just one medical bill away from crippling debt.

He amassed over 4.6 million engagements on Facebook, outpacing even incumbent senators like Bong Revilla, Bong Go, and Bato Dela Rosa — despite Go having spent heavily on Facebook ads.

Ong’s announcement about his cancer even overshadowed key topics on Facebook such as the arrest of high-profile fugitives like dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo and Pastor Apollo Quiboloy.

Previous to this, Ong was also the target of AI-generated disinformation. Rappler’s fact checking team tracked the many Facebook accounts that have been exploiting his popularity and credibility as a physician to promote health products; most of these so-called companies are not registered with the Food and Drug Administration.

A familiar but different narrative?

Candidates battling illness while campaigning isn’t new. 

In 2016, the late Miriam Defensor-Santiago, then senator, ran for president while fighting stage 4 lung cancer, which she claimed was under control. (READ: The last battle of Miriam Defensor-Santiago.)

Unlike Ong, who has been transparent about his diagnosis, Santiago was not. Public pressure mounted for her to release her medical records, which she refused to do, calling the demand a violation of her human rights.

From the moment she declared her presidential bid, Santiago consistently ranked lowest in all polls conducted by Pulse Asia, Social Weather Stations, and The Standard.

In the recent September Pulse Asia survey, Ong ranked between 14th and 22nd, with 19.8% of respondents supporting him. He trails Las Piñas District Representative Camille Villar and former senator Kiko Pangilinan, who have 20.2% and 20.5% voter preference, respectively.

The survey was conducted from September 6 to 13, before Ong announced his cancer diagnosis.

Does it translate to votes?

Santiago and Ong also share another similarity: social media popularity. This didn’t translate into votes for both of them.

Santiago finished fifth in the 2016 presidential race with 1.42 million votes and passed away just months later, on September 29, 2016. Rodrigo Duterte won that race.

When Ong first dipped his toes into politics in 2019 as a senatorial candidate, he garnered 7,495,895 votes, finishing in 18th place.

In the 2022 elections, he ran for vice president alongside Aksyon Demokratiko standard-bearer Isko Moreno, landing fourth place with 8,251,267 votes, or 3.59%.

While social media has played a key role in past elections — from Duterte’s 2016 presidential bid to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s 2022 campaign, which relied on networked disinformation and propaganda — both Marcos and Duterte launched massive on-ground campaigns and forged key alliances.

Ong seems to be following a similar strategy he did in previous elections. But there’s a new element: his battle with cancer.

Will this challenge weigh him down or bring him votes? – Rappler.com

Decoded is a Rappler series that explores the challenges and opportunities that come with living in transformative times. It is produced by The Nerve, a data forensics company that enables changemakers to navigate real-world trends and issues through narrative and network investigations. Taking the best of human and machine, we enable partners to unlock powerful insights that shape informed decisions. Composed of a team of data scientists, strategists, award-winning storytellers, and designers, the company is on a mission to deliver data with real-world impact.