Lacson, Sotto mulling over ties with Binay, Gordon

Sen. Panfilo Lacosn (left) Senate President Vicente Sotto III (right) during a “Meet the Press” forum on Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022. (Photo from Lacson’s office)

MANILA, Philippines — The inclusion of reelectionist Sen. Richard Gordon and former Vice President Jejomar Binay in the senatorial slate of the Partido Reporma now hangs in the balance as they were found endorsing the party’s rival candidates for president and vice president, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said on Tuesday.

Sotto said he and standard-bearer Sen. Panfilo Lacson were not currently endorsing the Senate bids of Gordon and Binay, but clarified they have not yet been dropped by the party.

“It’s obvious that they (Gordon and Binay) are supporting other presidential and other vice-presidential candidates already, so we are limiting [our endorsement] to those who we really think are endorsing [us],” he said.

“What we are saying is that we are endorsing a number of names or senatorial slate and now we are trimming it down. As of now officially we are endorsing 11, and it happens that there are still only 11 of them who we want to become senators and whose candidacy we are endorsing,” he said.

According to Sotto, it appears that Gordon was already backing the tandem of Vice President Leni Robredo and Sen. Francis Pangilinan, with his previous appearances, the latest of which was the political rally in Quezon City on Sunday.

As for Binay, Sotto said: “We have not talked to him.”

—MELVIN GASCON

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