Sotto looks forward to facing other vice presidential bets in debates

By: Dennis Gutierrez - 3 years ago

FILE PHOTO: Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III. /Photo from Office of Senate President)

MANILA, Philippines — Vice presidential candidate Vicente Sotto III is more than prepared to face his rivals in upcoming debates as it will give him a better chance to lay out plans to uplift the lives of the Filipinos.

Sotto said he has been hinting as early as August last year what he and his running mate, presidential candidate Panfilo Lacson, intend to do to improve the lives of Filipinos even if they have not yet formally announced their plan to join the May 2022 elections.

Sotto and Lacson officially announced their intent to join in the May elections on September 8, 2021, or a month before filing their certificates of candidacy.

“Sa amin kasi for ilang months na ito, August pa of 2021 sinasabi na namin mga gusto naming gawin. Kaya natutuwa ako lately narinig ko ibang kandidato sinasabi ang sinasabi namin. Na-echo nila,” said Sotto, the incumbent Senate President.

(This has been going on for months already. We have been telling the people what our plans are for the people as early as August 2021. That’s why I am glad that our opponents have been also saying what we said. They are echoing our advocacies.)

This coming Saturday, February 26, CNN Philippines will host a vice presidential debate with seven candidates confirming their attendance, including Sotto, former Rep. Walden Bello, Manny SD Lopez, Rizalito David, Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, Carlos Serapio, and Dr. Willie Ong.

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio and Rep. Lito Atienza will not attend the event.

On Sunday, February 27, the same network will host a presidential debate with nine of the 10 candidates expressing their willingness to participate. They are Lacson, Leody de Guzman, Ernesto Abella, Jose Montemayor Jr., Norberto Gonzales, Senator Emmanuel Pacquiao, Faisal Mangondato, Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, and Leni Robredo.

Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is the only presidential candidate who will skip the debate, citing conflict of schedule.

Sotto said debates are the best forum in which candidates can woo the voters since it will bring out the best, or the worst, in them.

He said people can have a better appreciation of a candidate’s perspective once they watch the debates, as he recalled an instance when a decided voter changed his mind in their favor after watching past debates.

“Pagkatapos ng debate, sabi ng anak niya, nagbago ang isip ko, iboboto…si Sen. Lacson (After the debate was over, his son told him, I have changed my mind, I will now vote for Sen. Lacson),” he added.

For his part, Lacson said debates bring out the true character of a candidate, especially when asked abrupt questions.

“Bukod sa knowledge, ang lumalabas sa debate at forum, character. Lalo ang biglaang tanong, nang pinakita ang pic ng Malacañang, una ko naisip ‘public servant’…Somebody said ‘seat of power’, another said ‘Palasyo.’ Doon makikita mo ang biglang pag-iisip, ano ang instinctive kapag nakita ang larawan,” said Lacson, an incumbent senator.

(Aside from knowledge, debates and forum bring out character, especially in abrupt questions. When we were shown a picture of Malacañang, the first thing that came to my mind was ‘public servant’…Somebody said ‘seat of power’, while another said ‘Palace’. It is here that we can see the instinctive thinking of a person once you show him or her a picture).