The Philippine Senate holds its regular flag-raising ceremony under the “new normal” policy with members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in attendance. (File photo by JOSEPH VIDAL / Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Panfilo Lacson and Senate President Vicente Sotto III, who recently confirmed their running in tandem in 2022, will back returning and reelectionist senators in the coming polls.
Asked who will be included in their senatorial line-up, Sotto said his party mates seeking a Senate seat in 2022 would be automatically included.
These are Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, House Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda, Sorsogon Gov. Francis Escudero, and former Sen. JV Ejercito.
“They’re all from NPC [Nationalist People’s Coalition],” Sotto, who is the acting chairman of the party, said in a DZMM Teleradyo interview.
He also mentioned Secretary Gringo Honasan of the Department of Information and Communications Technology as among those included in the senatorial line-up.
“Greg, of course. Maybe you know how Ping and Gringo are BFF’s,” Sotto said.
“Definitely, the reelectioinists, we will endorse them,” he further added, naming Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri and Senators Richard Gordon and Joel Villanueva.
According to Sotto, they were talking to more potential senatorial bets, whom he opted not to name them for now.
“We have others whom we like and are talking to. Before we release their names, we want first to talk to them so that they won’t be surprised,” he said.
“We might announce them and maybe they would say: ‘We don’t want that,’” he added.
On Tuesday, Lacson confirmed that he would be gunning for the presidency with Sotto as his vice presidential candidate.
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