Sen. Panfilo Lacson at the Senate plenary. Senate PRIB / Voltaire F. Domingo
MANILA, Philippines — A former lawmaker and an ally of Senator Panfilo Lacson, as well as some of his supporters, have called out the alleged platform “imitation” of his rivals in the 2022 presidential race.
“It has come to our attention that other presidential aspirants have been trying to ‘copy’ what Partido Reporma chairman and standard-bearer Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson has already announced in public in terms of campaign platforms,” former Antipolo Rep. Romeo Acop said in a statement released by Partido Reporma on Friday.
This, as Acop pointed to the quote: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”
“While this saying used to be taken so positively, we would like to pause for a moment and reflect whether this particular belief still rings true today or needs an update,” he said.
Among the platforms that were allegedly imitated from Lacson include his push for a “historic increase of budget infusion” for the Philippines’ research and development sector if elected president.
“Next was when he included plans for the full digitization of government services in the country as one way of addressing corruption and bureaucratic inefficiency,” Acop said.
“And then when he laid down his ‘future-proof’ strategies to address the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and how our economy can effectively recover from it without sacrificing the health and safety of our citizens, among others,” he added.
As a Lacson supporter, Acop said he personally feels to “find that other presidential aspirants are seemingly following the lead of our standard-bearer…when they also started issuing similar platforms and advocacies in their press releases.”
The former lawmaker did not specifically mention names.
“Maybe his (Lacson) political rivals realized that the solutions our leader and his team have been offering from the get-go are really what the country needs. That is the advantage when you have a Ping Lacson in your corner whose governance experience is so deep,” Acop said.
But Acop said some of the senator’s supporters stressed the need to “do something in response to other presidential aspirants stealing our ideas.”
“’Ang manggagaya ay kamag-anak ng magnanakaw [The imitator is related to a thief],’ they would say,” he said.
“This is true as, often, those who have been fooled by the imitators ended up feeling short of their expectations,” he added.
According to Acop, Lacson’s supporters agree that “the imitation of platform ideas has to stop at some point.”
“But in the interest of taking the high road again, we are pulling our ‘intellectual humility’ card,” he added.
“In a world where almost everyone claims to be the best and the brightest among the rest, yet keeps on failing to recognize their own blind spots, we would rather try and have a conversation with the curious and the intellectually humble,” Acop further said.
He then said other presidential aspirants should not hesitate to ask Lacson’s camp questions on the ideas they had supposedly imitated from the senator.
“After all, we also believe that great ideas are meant to be shared to inspire more people to work together and design more effective solutions to the different problems plaguing our nation. To other presidential aspirants, if you have questions as to how the ideas you have stolen can be explained to the public or carried out, feel free to ask us. We know what to do,” he said.
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