This is the official Website of Damayan.   Damayan is a Party List that occupies   number 147 in COMELEC’s Certified List of Candidates for the May 9, 2022 National and Local Elections.  It is also called “Damayan Para sa Reporma Tungo sa Inklusibo at Laganap na mga opportunidad Ngayon.”

We are three nominees, namely:  1) Manuel “Even” Reyes VII, 2) Guillermo “Jay” Hernandez, 3) Christopher Medina Gallego.   We are not politicians.     We are ordinary guys.  But we have been helping people early on.  We have been taught by our parents to have a high regard for public service and the common good.

Truth to tell, we have been quite successful in our own fields of endeavor.   If entering into politics is about getting more financial deals, as commonly perceived,  we are not that.   We are getting into politics because we believe, as Pope Francis says, that “Politics is noble.  It is the highest form of charity.”  If done honestly and seriously, politics is the best way to help people and pursue the common good.  It is the art of good governance.

This is the reason why we enter politics.  This is the reason why we are into Damayan.   Besides, as the songs goes, “We only pass this way but once.  Any good thing therefore, that we can do or any kindness that we can show to any fellow human being, let us do it now.  Let us not defer nor neglect it, for we shall not pass this way again.”

Manuel “Even” Reyes VII

Si Manuel S. Reyes VII ay isang matagumpay na negosyante.   At an early age nahubog na sya sa pagtulong sa negosyo ng kanyang pamilya hangang siya na mismo ang naging katuwang ng maraming negosyo tulad ng real state at marami pang iba.

Notably, one of his most successful ventures is the establishment of MSR Healthcare which is a company that equips many hospitals across the country with technologically advanced tools and medical supplies that ensure their superior and sustainable operations. Consequently, this has benefited millions of Filipinos seeking quality health care.

Packed with a good track record as a hardworking entrepreneur, he has championed the cause of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).   This has become his advocacy, bunsod ng kanyang paniniwala na ang entrepreneurship ay may malaking maitutulong sa pagunlad ang bansa—at sa paglago na rin ng bawat pamilyang Pilipino.

As the mastered the ropes of managing various business enterprises, this has also instilled in him rather deeply the value of helping others, especially those in need—which is the core value of Damayan.

As first nominee of partylist group Damayan, he is committed to push for legislations of that will pursue relevant measures to protect and promote MSMEs and thereby uplift the lives of underprivileged Filipinos.

Guillermo “Jay” Hernandez, Jr

Captain Guillermo “Jay” Hernandez is a commercial airline pilot and an Airbus instructor doing mostly chartered flights internationally. Sa kasagsagan ng pandemya, na-involve siya sa pag-transport ng mga kailangang medical supplies, pati na rin sa pagsundo ng mga OFW repatriates sa ibang bansa, gaya sa East Timor. Sa kasamaang palad, tinamaan siya ng Covid sa isang flight sa India but survived.  

Although flying has always been a childhood dream for Captain Jay, this did not come that convenient. His educational background in marketing as well as in sports & recreational management pati na rin ang kanyang Master of Science Degree in Marketing brought him first to other fields of employment & business. Na-involve muna siya sa family business na real estate at industrial fuel distribution. Nagtrabaho din siya sa isang BPO Group and was trained at Prudential Financial in Florida, USA. At nagkaroon din siya ng karanasan sa government service working for the President of PDIC.  

While helping in his family business, he has learned the rudiments of entrepreneurship and is now part of a company involved in medium-income housing. He believes that Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) play a very significant role in our country’s economic development.  

Bilang panganay sa apat na magkakapatid, maaga nyang natutunan ang pagiging responsible at pagiging maasikaso sa kapwa, lalong lalo na sa mga nangangailangan tulad ng kanyang kapatid na PWD.  Nahubog sya sa murang edad ng kanyang mga magulang sa mga proyekto sa PWDs and calamity victims. Being a former UAAP athlete for 5 yrs, he teaches judo to the less privileged kids for free. He has a soft spot in his heart for the poor and the needy—the very core value of Damayan.  

He is committed to pursue through Damayan Party List, legislations for a meaningful and practical government support upang mai-angat ang buhay ng mga maliliit na mga negosyante, gaya ng small online sellers at iba pang sector ng underground economy. Kaakibat nito isusulong din niya ang kinakailangang pamamaraan for poverty alleviation at job generation para sa masang Pilipino.

Christopher Medina Gallego

Chris Gallego excelled in sports when he was in Brent High School. Aside from being in the volleyball and track and field teams, he was in the varsity basketball team where he became team captain.

The Brent Varsity Team competed with other schools in cities in Asia such as Shanghai, China and Osaka, Japan.  Chris Gallego earned the awards of Most Valuable Player (MVG), “Coaches Choice”, and Free Throw Champion in the Asian Pacific Activities Conference (APAC).

He  graduated from the University of San Francisco, California, USA, with a degree in Exercise Sports Science with a Minor in Business. After college, he worked at the prestigious gym, Equinox, and became a high lever tier-3 trainer. As a top trainer, his clients included Business leaders and other Professionals (lawyers, doctors).

In 2015, he left his job to pursue a passion – to train in Jiu Jitsu full time at one of the world’s most renowned Jiu Jitsu gym located in Southern California, USA. After years of intensive training, Chris won tournaments that pitted the best jiu jitsu fighters in the world. He qualified to join the biggest tournament in the United States, which was the US National Pro. His outstanding performance there qualified him, in turn, to join the Abu Dhabi World Pro. His numerous trophies and medals in the national and world stage include a bronze medal at the Masters World Championships.

Upon returning to the Philippines in late 2017, he joined the Philippine team in Jiu Jitsu and worked for the family businesses which included being a Trustee of the Manuel V. Gallego Foundation Colleges in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija.

The Manuel V. Gallego Foundation Colleges has been in existence since 1963 and has produced thousands of successful graduates, many of whom were scholars of the school locally and abroad. The Founder is the late Dr. Manuel Viola Gallego, the great-grandfather of Chris, who serve our country as Congressman of Nueva Ecija in 1931 and 1941 during the Quezon Administration, the First Secretary of Education of the New Republic of the Philippines under President Roxas, and Ambassador Plenipotentiary during the Quirino administration, among other positions in national organizations such as the Philippine Constitutional Association (PHILCONA) and Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities (PACU).