Queenie Gonzales eyes House comeback, pushes for media workers’ welfare

Commission on Elections. INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines — Former Mandaluyong Rep. Queenie Gonzales is eyeing to return to the House of Representatives and has vowed to push for programs that will promote the welfare of media workers.

In an ambush interview on Tuesday, Gonzales said that as a former journalist, she knows that media workers miss out on many occasions because they are deployed to emergencies and big events.

“Maybe we’ll propose mental health seminars because I remember when I was with the media, we did not have a life outside of work, we can’t attend occasions, we do not have Christmas celebrations when the volcano erupts, we go there, so we miss out so many things in life,” the wife of outgoing Mandaluyong Rep. Neptali Gonzales II said in Filipino after filing her certificate of candidacy.

“So I think we have mental health issues that are hidden, but despite that, we still have to go to our beat and pursue stories and we forget about ourselves. So maybe we also need mental health [programs] where companies will push for longer leaves for media personnel to take care of their mental health,” she added.

Over the years, there have been calls for more mental health programs for journalists as they are at the frontlines during unfavorable weather conditions, crimes, and protests.

Last September, in celebration of Press Freedom in Cebu, the Cebu media conducted a mental health forum for journalists.

READ: Press Freedom 2024: Even in media, prioritize your mental health

Gonzales also said she is looking at regulating the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in content production as many have been using this technology to misinform or disinform the public.

“People are believing whatever the wrong information is done through AI.  So we have to regulate it somehow because it’s very harmful to the community,” she added in Filipino.

Gonzales was a member of the House during the 17th Congress, from 2016 to 2019. She also served as a deputy majority leader. She is the co-author of the Mental Health Law and the Universal Health Care Law.

“Education and health are fundamental rights that should be accessible to everyone. I have always believed that by empowering our citizens through quality education and healthcare, we lay the foundation for a stronger community,” she said.

Rep. Neptali Gonzales, meanwhile, said his wife is capable of being a lawmaker.

“I am confident with her abilities, not because she’s my wife, because once upon a time, she was also a congresswoman and in her very short stint as a congresswoman of the lone district of Mandaluyong, she was an assistant majority leader, which was promoted into deputy majority leader,” she said.

“In fact, she was able to take advantage of a lot of programs of our government, that’s why I always tell Mandaluyong residents that I’m very proud of her because, in her three years as a congresswoman of Mandaluyong, she effectively surpassed what I have done,” she added.

Gonzales is the seventh House aspirant who filed a COC on Tuesday, the last day for the Commission on Elections to accept applications for the 2025 elections.

As of Tuesday noon, 80 aspirants submitted their COCs for Metro Manila’s legislative districts.