FILE PHOTO: President Vicente Sotto III looks on as Senator Panfilo Lacson speaks. Senate PRIB photo
MANILA, Philippines — Citing the results of recent pre-election surveys, Senator Panfilo Lacson on Wednesday admitted that his vice presidential running mate, Senate President Vicente Sotto III, “has more chances of winning” in the 2022 elections.
Lacson, however, said he will give his presidential bid a “good fight,” adding he has never been “so determined [more] than now.”
“Si Senate President has more chances…Let’s face reality, mababa ako sa survey at this point. Si Senate President, medyo nakakaangat siya and he has more chances of winning, of making it than ako. That’s reality,” Lacson told the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum on Wednesday.
(The Senate President has more chances…Let’s face reality, I am ranking low in the surveys at this point. But the Senate President is ranking pretty high and he has more chances of winning, of making it more than me. That’s reality.)
“Pero ang nasa isip na lang namin nga na ito na yung last hurrah namin e. Ako meron pa akong isang term (as a senator) pero sabi ko, ayoko na rin talaga…hindi na talaga ako babalik sa Senate come what may,” he added.
(But in our minds, this is already our last hurrah. I have one term left in the Senate but I said, I will no longer return to the Senate come what may.)
Lacson and Sotto were the first to announce their respective bids in the 2022 polls. Lacson will seek the presidency while Sotto will be running for vice president.
In a recent Pulse Asia pre-election survey, Lacson only got a 7-percent voter preference as a presidential candidate, a 21-point difference from the most preferred presidential bet, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.
Sotto, meanwhile, ranked as the third most preferred vice-presidential candidate with a 10-percent voter preference.
‘A good fight’
Lacson said Sotto had urged him before not to close his doors on the presidency.
“Nung kinausap niya ako, sabi niya ‘wag mo munang sarhan ng pinto kasi ako nag-iisip ako na tumakbong vice president at sino pa ba naman yung hahangarin kong maka-partner kundi siyempre yung kabisado ko na’,” Lacson recalled.
(When he talked to me before he said ‘don’t close your doors yet because I’m thinking of running for vice president and who better to partner up with me than the one who I already know.’)
Further, he said some “very respectable people in the military circle” appealed to him that they want to witness a Philippine Military Academy (PMA) alumnus lead the country before they die.
Lacson, a former Philippine National Police chief, belongs to PMA Class 1971.
“Ito yung mga, sabihin nating, naka-attract sa akin…I’m speaking my mind, I’m speaking my heart out…Talagang pinagaralan kong mabuti…naalala ko yung kabataan ko na hindi ganito itsura nung bansa natin nung mga bata pa kamim” he said.
(This is among the things that attracted me…I’m speaking my mind, I’m speaking my heart out…I really thought this through…I remembered when I was young, this is not what our country looked like.)
“Noon talagang maayos ang pamumuhay. Ngayon, over time, nag-deteriorate tayo nang nag-deteriorate. Sa tinging ko naman meron kaming maiaambag,” he added.
(Before, life was really decent. But now, over time, the country began deteriorating. I think we can offer something.)
Further, Lacson said he and Sotto are prepared for whatever outcome the elections next year will bring.
“If [we] don’t make it, we’re prepared for it and at least we gave it a good fight at ang pinaglalaban namin hindi yung sarili namin kasi wala na kaming ipaglalaban sa sarili namin, ang ipaglalaban namin dito, yung mga kababayan natin,” he said.
(If we don’t make it, we’re prepared for it and at least we gave it a good fight and what we’re fighting for is not for our benefit but for our countrymen.)
“If sa tingin nila short kami sa expectation nila at hindi namin makamit yung aming hinahangan na makapaglingkod pa for the last days of our careers and then at least lumaban kami,” he added.
(if they think we fall short of their expectation and we won’t achieve our goal of serving the country for the last days of our careers, at least we fought for it.)