Leyte 4th District Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez. Contributed photo
MANILA, Philippines — Leyte Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez herself has assured Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III that she would join the Lacson-Sotto tandem should she decide to run for Senate in 2022.
Sotto said this on Monday as he branded as “fake news” a report that Torres-Gomez preferred to run under the group of newly-installed PDP-Laban president Alfonso Cusi, instead of joining their tandem.
Torres-Gomez — wife of actor Richad Gomez, who is now the Mayor of Ormoc City — is a member of PDP-Laban.
Both Senator Panfilo Lacson and Sotto have earlier announced their presidential and vice presidential bids in the 2022 elections.
“I also want to correct a fake news that came out stating that Congresswoman Lucy Torres daw does not want to join us but is joining the slate of Secretary Cusi… I was just on the phone with her last night e. Sya mismo yung kausap ko e. Hindi fake news yun e,” Sotto said in an online interview.
“And she said that if she decides to run for the Senate, she will join our group. We have the same, more or less, issues and concerns. That’s what she told me and very soon she will be coming out with an official statement. That was straight from her last night on the telephone,” he added.
Sotto earlier named Torres-Gomez as part of their possible senatorial candidates.
Also included in their senatorial slate are former Vice President Jejomar “Jojo” Binay, former Sen. JV Ejercito, former Senator and now Sorsogon Governor Francis “Chiz” Escudero, and incumbent Senators Sherwin Gatchalian and Richard Gordon.
Completing their lineup are: former Senator and incumbent Department of Information and Communications Technology Secretary Gringo Honasan, former Elections Commissioner Gregorio “Goyo” Larrazabal, former Senator and now Antique Rep. Loren Legarda, and incumbent Senators Joel Villanueva and Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri.
Sotto said they would endorse all the 11 possible senatorial bets but clarified the list was not the “official line up” yet of the Lacson- Sotto tandem.