Senate President Vicente Sotto III (in yellow) and Senator Panfilo Lacson (in black) pray at the Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan, on Thursday, July 8, 2021, ahead of their consultative meeting with local officials. Photo from Sotto’s office
Senators Panfilo Lacson and Vicente Sotto III on Thursday embarked on a series of consultations in Luzon provinces to determine voters’ support for their plan to run for the two highest offices in the land in next year’s May 9 elections.
The duo started their consultative meetings in Bulacan, stopping by the historic Barasoain Church in Malolos City to “seek God’s guidance and wisdom” before meeting with local officials there.
“Started our journey for Luzon consultative tour with a prayer,” Sotto told reporters in a Viber message on Thursday after he posted on Facebook photos of himself and Lacson praying at Barasoain Church, site of the 1898 Philippine Assembly.
Sotto, who is Senate president, said they proceeded to Tarlac and Zambales provinces after their meetings in Bulacan and will proceed to the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union on Friday.
Sotto said they will meet on Saturday with local officials in Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte provinces, before shifting to the country’s northeastern corridor, Cagayan province in Cagayan Valley.
The Senate president said they were still planning similar consultations in the Visayas and Mindanao.
President or retirement
In earlier interviews, Lacson admitted he is choosing between running for President in 2022, or retiring from politics altogether after he finishes his second consecutive term as senator.
He said he promised Sotto the Senate president would be his running mate if Lacson decided to run for the country’s highest office.
Sotto said he was also considering running for Vice President, but clarified they were still in the process of conducting consultations.
Sotto said on June 7 that he would “definitely” team up with Lacson in the 2022 polls if the latter decided to join the presidential race.
“We are seriously contemplating it because there are some groups and some sectors that have approached me and Senator Lacson. If Senator Lacson decides to run for president, I will definitely be his running mate,” Sotto said. He said he would make his final decision after President Rodrigo Duterte’s State of Nation Address later this month.
“July, maybe August, September, thereabouts,” Sotto earlier said when asked about his timeline in announcing his political plans.
“I am not in the habit of saying that I will not run and then all of a sudden I will file my certificate of candidacy. Let the other politicians do that. Not in our party,” added Sotto, who is acting chair of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC).
The 29-year-old NPC, founded by industrialist Eduardo Cojuangco in 1992, was instrumental in the election of former President Joseph Estrada in 1998 and has for members three senators, 35 congressmen, seven governors, six vice governors, 90 provincial board members and an undetermined number of mayors all over the country.
The 73-year-old Lacson, a former national police chief who is on his second nonconsecutive term as senator, garnered 16.9 million votes—fourth among elected senators—when he ran in 2016. He is still eligible for another term.
On the other hand, Sotto, 72, is a television celebrity who was first elected to political office in 1988, or 33 years ago. He was third among elected senators in the 2016 elections with 17.2 million votes and has served four times. He is not eligible for reelection as senator.