MANILA, Philippines – Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III on Friday named 14 “preferred” senatorial candidates under the Sotto-Lacson slate.
Sotto and Senator Panfilo Lacson are running for vice president and president, respectively, in the upcoming national elections.
According to Sotto, the following are “deserving” candidates for the Senate:
- Antique Rep. Loren Legarda
- Sorsogon Gov. Chiz Escudero
- Senator Sherwin Gatchalian
- Former Senator JV Ejercito
- Former Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista,
- Former Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol
- Ophthalmologist Minguita Padilla
- Former Makati Representative Monsour del Rosario
- Media practioner and PWD advocate Paolo “Powee” Capino
- Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri
- Senator Joel Villanueva
- Senator Richard Gordon
- Former Vice President Jejomar Binay
- Former Communications and Information Technology Secretary Gringo Honasan
“Naniniwala po kami na ito ang mga kandidatong karapat-dapat sa Senado,” Sotto said in a statement.
(We believe that these candidates deserve to be in the Senate.)
Legarda, Escudero, Gatchalian, Ejercito, Bautista and Piñol belong to Sotto’s Nationalist People’s Coalition while Padilla, del Rosario and Capino are with Lacson’s Partido Reporma.
“Tulungan niyo po kami sa pagtaguyod sa kandidatura ng ating mga kaibigan. Nakakasiguro po kami na malaki ang maitutulong ng ating mga kandidato sa ating bansa, sa ating mga kababayan, at sa Senado,” the Senate leader added.
(Please help us promote the candidacies of our frienda. We are confident our candidates can contribute to the countey, to our countryment and to the Senate)
Lacson and Sotto, in separate interviews earlier, hinted that a surprise candidate would be part of their slate.