(FILE) Senate President Vicente Sotto III (left) chats with Sen. Panfilo Lacson before the start of the plenary session Tuesday, September 29, 2020. (Joseph Vidal/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Panfilo Lacson and Senate President Vicente Sotto III, who are considering running as a tandem in 2022, are planning to officially announce their candidacies for the upcoming elections on August 5.
This was disclosed by Sotto, who is considering joining the vice presidential race in 2022, with Lacson as his presidential candidate.
“Ang plano namin ni Sen. Lacson, officially maga-announce kami sa August 5, tentatively. August 5 ang target,” the Senate president said in an interview with radio station DWIZ on Saturday.
(Our plan is to officially announce it on August 5, tentatively. Our target is to announce it on August 5.)
Sotto and Lacson are currently embarking on a consultative tour around Luzon and meeting with different local officials.
“Gusto namin mapulsuhan ang mga kababayan natin,” Sotto said.
(We want to get the pulse of our countrymen.)
Aside from local officials, Sotto said that he and Lacson talked with religious leaders as well as representatives from the private sectors and got a “very encouraging” response from them.
“Marami silang tanong, kadalasan open forum kami, yung mga sagot namin at sinasabi naming programa na nasa isip namin sapul sa pangangailangan nila,” he added.
(They have a lot of questions, we mostly engaged in an open forum, our answers and the programs we want to implement can really solve their needs.)
“Natutuwa sila. Nakakalakas ng loob. Very encouraging at natutuwa sila sa mga programang naririnig nila sa amin,” Sotto further said.
(They’re glad. It’s very encouraging, they’re reactive well with the programs we are suggesting.)
Lacson and Sotto kicked off their Luzon consultative tour late last week in Bulacan.
The two senators will be in Luzon until Sunday and are planning dates for consultative meetings in Visayas and Mindanao next week.