Senator Panfilo Lacson joins a political rally in Panabo City, Davao del Norte. Image from Team Lacson-Sotto
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Panfilo Lacson on Friday opted not to comment on the dismissal of the disqualification cases against fellow presidential hopeful, former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, saying that he does not treat his rivals as enemies.
Lacson, who was in a political rally in Panabo City, Davao del Norte, said that he will continue to rely on his own “merits” during the campaign.
“We’d rather not comment because pursuant to our approach in our campaign, we rise on our merits, on our own platforms, our own programs, we don’t mind because we don’t treat them as our enemies,” Lacson told reporters during an interview.
“Ang kalaban natin common: yung pandemya, kahirapan, lahat. Napakaraming problema ng bansa. Yun ang kalaban natin. Hindi yung mga ibang tumatakbo,” he added.
(Our enemy is common: the pandemic, poverty, everything. Our country is facing a lot of problems. These are our problems. Not our fellow candidates.)
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Lacson is running under Partido Reporma with Senate President Vicente Sotto IIIl as his vice presidential running mate.
The two senators, together with several members of their senatorial slate, headed to Davao del Norte on the fourth day of the official campaign period.
Lacson described the province as the bailiwick of his party, whose president is former House Speaker and current Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez.
During their political rally at the Panabo Multipurpose Tourism Cultural and Sports Center, Lacson committed to relentlessly push for their reform-oriented policies to revive a good government.
For his part, Sotto detailed their tandem’s platforms, including their flagship Budget Reform Advocacy for Village Empowerment program, which they see as a way to stop corruption and induce widespread social and economic development in the poorest communities in the country.
Lacson and Sotto then traveled to nearby Tagum City, where another campaign rally was held.
They were joined by Partido Reporma senatorial aspirants Dr. Minguita Padilla and former Makati Rep. Monsour del Rosario as well as former Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol, who is a partymate of Sotto at the Nationalist People’s Coalition.
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