Expecting another month of absence from the campaign trail due to knee surgery, vice presidential candidate and House Deputy Speaker Lito Atienza has designated showbiz daughter, Chichi, to stand in for him in campaign sorties throughout the country.
Currently hosting a morning show on state-run PTV 4, Chichi will have to resign if the Atienza family finalizes its decision to tap her to personally campaign for her father, who is a member of the House of Representatives under BUHAY Party-list.
Atienza has been missing national campaign sorties for his vice presidential bid, leaving PROMDI party standard-bearer Senator Manny Pacquiao on "solo flight".
Pacquiao recently barnstormed several localities in vote-rich provinces of Laguna, Rizal, and Pangasinan while Atienza was admitted to the hospital due to a knee injury.
Atienza went under the knife a few days ago and is expected to be discharged from the Makati Medical Center on Saturday, March 5.
He will still have to undergo a month-long rehabilitation from the surgery before his doctors could give him the go signal to join the campaign trail. Election day is on May 9, 2022.
Chichi is the youngest among Atienza's children. She is a producer and actress who appeared in films such as Angelito San Miguel: Ang Batang City Jail; Noel Juico, 16: Ang Batang Kriminal; and Abandonada.
In a media interview in Pangasinan, Pacquiao said he was expecting Atienza to join him in campaign rallies next month. But in the meantime, he urged his running mate to designate one of his children to join the sorties to personally speak for the former Manila mayor.
Atienza suffered a knee injury after a freak accident at his residence, a day before the proclamation rally of the Pacquiao-Atienza team in General Santos City, South Cotabato last month.