Jamby vows ‘nontraditional’ campaign for presidency

No big proclamation rallies. No paid and bused-in crowds during sorties. No flashy campaign advertisements. Only discussions of platforms and interaction with people. This was how Senator Ana Consuela “Jamby" Madrigal — the lone female presidential candidate in the upcoming May polls — vowed on Tuesday to conduct her campaign in a “nontraditional" way, saying she would present herself to voters as an “alternative" to trapo or traditional politicians. During the first day of the campaign period for national candidates, Madrigal, accompanied by her French husband Eric Jean Claude Dudoignon Valade, chose to hear Mass at the Quiapo Church at 10 a.m. The senator said she wanted “to start the campaign with God." “Ever since I was a little kid, my father always [brought] us to the Quiapo Church to pay respects to the Black Nazarene. I think it’s only appropriate to start my campaign here," she told GMANews.TV. Madrigal, clad in her trademark apple green blazer, brown undershirt and denim pants, made the rounds and shook hands with vendors along nearby Carriedo Street after hearing Mass.
Not a trapo “Instead of the people going to my assemblies, I would go to them. That’s how I want it to be. I am not a trapo," she said. Later in the afternoon, the senator likewise gave out relief goods to more than 2,000 families whose houses were razed in Caloocan. “Sa halip na maghakot ako ng tao sa (Instead of paying people to go to my) proclamation rally, I will just help those in need," she said. Vendor Mary dela Cruz, 42, who even gave Madrigal a religious scapular for good luck, said she prefers Madrigal over the other presidential aspirants because of her track record as a senator. “Mabait naman siya, Iboboto ko siya dahil naging magaling s’yang senadora. Totoong tao siya (She is kind. I will vote for her because she has been a good senator. She’s a real person)," dela Cruz said. But for 36-year-old Maricel Aquino, a former migrant worker, Madrigal is not yet ready for the presidency. “Mas magaling siya na senadora. Mas kaya ng lalaki na humawak ng pamahalaan. Tingnan mo si President (Gloria Macapagal-) Arroyo, lalo lang tayo naghirap dahil sa kanya (She’s better as a senator. A male president can more capably run the government. Look at President Arroyo. We suffered more because of her)," Aquino said. Fasting for clean elections The senator also said she had been fasting “for clean elections" for the past 15 days. “This is my little sacrifice so that no matter how bad the administration wants to cheat for Senator Villar, it won’t happen," said Madrigal, a staunch critic of fellow senator and presidential aspirant Manuel Villar Jr. She added she chose to do away with full meals for a month “to cleanse her mind" for the campaign period. Despite her vow of holding a “nontraditional" campaign, Madrigal said she would also air her political advertisement soon. She however made it clear that actress Judy Ann Santos, who had endorsed her previous senatorial bid in TV commercials, would not appear in her plugs this time. “My ad will be about my family and my platform. I will air my ad at the right time, if Senator Villar has not yet bought all the airtime," she said with her now-famous acerbic humor. Madrigal is running as an independent candidate. She earlier said she would go on a solo campaign fueled by money left to her by her family, the wealthy and influential Madrigal clan from the Visayas. (See: Jamby files COC for president, plans solo campaign) — JV/NPA, GMANews.TV