Two weeks ago, I attended the orientation and oathtaking of the new members of Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HnP), the regional political party founded by the daughter of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.

Some 4,000 new members from Davao Occidental and Davao del Sur took their oaths, along with the regional officers of HnP and those perceived to be viable senatorial candidates for the 2019 mid-term elections.

I was one of those who took their oaths. I did so knowing full well that I would not be a voting member, as I am a registered voter of Quezon City and HnP is not a national political party. My oath was purely an indication of my support for HnP and Mayor Sara.

The surge of support for HnP from different political parties in the country underscores the massive trust and confidence in Mayor Sara and in the President, given that HnP was established to unite those who support the Duterte administration.

During the HnP oathtaking, I was one of several personalities who were fortunate enough to have been endorsed by Mayor Sara for higher office, along with Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go; Senators Cynthia Villar, JV Ejercito and Sonny Angara; Representatives Pia Cayetano and Zajid Mangudadatu; Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos and Bureau of Corrections Chief and former PNP Chief Ronald de la Rosa.

I am, of course, grateful to Mayor Sara for her very kind gesture. I also thank Partido Demokratiko Pilipino, the party of the President, for considering me for inclusion in their Senate slate as “friend of the party.”

My foray into public governance is nothing but an accident. First and foremost, I was a human rights lawyer and activist denouncing abuses and excesses in the government. The experience led me to the belief that I could serve our countrymen better when I am part of the government.

I was fortunate to have been given a chance to serve as Representative of the Kabayan Partylist in the 17th Congress and I did not fail to deliver the platforms I promised.

I was one of the most active members of Congress, having authored 236 House measures during my 16-month stint as Representative. These include free irrigation to our poor farmers, free college education in state universities and colleges, a national feeding program to combat hunger for public school students, free wi-fi Internet access in public areas — all signed by the President.

Many of our readers are aware that I supported another candidate during the 2016 elections; thus, when the President invited me to join his Cabinet as his spokesman, I saw this as the Chief Executive’s willingness to work with all groups in order to unite the country and bring us greater progress.

I am a son of a pastor and a public school teacher so from being an activist in the University of the Philippines to becoming a legislator and now a spokesman, all these were unplanned. I just went with the flow and followed whatever God opened up for me. Thy will be done, as I always say.

For now, I have a full plate with requests for statements, interviews, meetings and speaking engagements. I am focused on my work as the spokesman of the President and defender of his administration. The Office of the Presidential Spokesperson, or OPS, as we call it, is a 24/7 job and is one of the toughest jobs in the world.