No endorsement yet from Sotto’s nephew Vico, but Lacson says there’s ‘meeting of minds’

Presidential candidate Sen. Panfilo Lacson and vice presidential bet Senate President Vicente Sotto III pay a courtesy visit to Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto. Photo from Lacson-Sotto media bureau

MANILA, Philippines — While there is no clear endorsement yet from his running mate’s nephew, Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto, presidential candidate Senator Panfilo Lacson said his platforms align with the local executive’s own advocacies of a clean government free of corruption.

Lacson and his running mate, vice presidential candidate Senate President Vicente Sotto III, paid a courtesy visit to the Pasig mayor earlier in the day and held a closed-door chat that lasted for over an hour.

“The commitment was that we were very much accorded courtesy in our courtesy call, it says a lot of things…It’s more than enough, it says a thousand words,” Sotto said when asked if his nephew made a commitment to him and Lacson.

The Senate president further said he is “very much aware” of the situation his nephew is in. The mayor is part of Aksyon Demokratiko, the party backing the presidential bid of Manila Mayor Isko Moreno.

The younger Sotto, however, has not made any public endorsement of any presidential or vice presidential bets. He earlier said he wants to distance himself from national politics.

“Nasabi na niya noon pa na he didn’t want to involve himself in national politics and ‘I’m concentrating in Pasig City.’ Sapagkat yung kanyang affiliation doon saan kanyang political party e ayaw namang niyang mag-involve niyan at meron din naman siya kasing family relations,” the Senate president said.

(He already said before that he did not want to involve himself in national politics and he said “I’m concentrating in Pasig City.” Because of his affiliation with his political party, he did not want to be involved there because he also has family relations.)

“So pinakamaganda na yun na kami ay tinanggap ni Mayor Vico sa pagbisita sa kanya, kasama yung aming mga ka-grupo,” he added. Former Senator Gringo Honasan, a Lacson-Sotto tandem guest senatorial candidate, joined them.

(So it’s already great that Mayor Vico welcomed us when we visited him.)

“Yung aming campaign manager sa Pasig ay si (Our campaign manager in Pasig is) Vic Sotto,” Sotto then joked, referring to the mayor’s father and his younger brother, Vic, who was also present during the meeting.

Presidential candidate Sen. Panfilo Lacson and vice presidential bet Senate President Vicente Sotto III with Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto. Photo from Lacson-Sotto media bureau

Meanwhile, Lacson said his platforms are aligned with what the Pasig mayor stands for.

“Likeminded…hindi lang kami, pati si Senate President. So, ramdam niya rin na yung plataporma namin umaayon o naka-align sa kanyang ginagawa sa Pasig City,” the presidential bet said.

(Likeminded…not only me and Vico, but also Vico and Senate President, he felt that our platform aligns with what he is doing in Pasig City.)

“Maski ‘di expressly pinagusapan kanina, meeting of the minds, nagkakaintindihan. Iisa yung advocacy, yung clean government, anti-corruption, etcetera,” he added.

(Even if it was not expressly said, there’s a meeting of the minds, we understand each other. We have similar advocacies, clean government, anti-corruption, etcetera.)

‘Nothing political’

After the hour-long meeting between his son, nephew and Lacson, Vic said “nothing political” was discussed.

“Kwentuhan lang naman [We were just chatting], nothing political,” the Eat Bulaga host said.

Asked if he was instrumental in Wednesday’s meeting, Vic said: “Alam mo kasi si Vico, anak ko di ba? So obvious naman na.”

(You know Vico is my son, so it’s obvious.)

“Tinanong ko lang kailan maluwag ang sched nya and, of course, hindi naman sila nagkakaiba ng mga adbokasiya sa mga gustong mangyari sa gobyerno, gustong ayusin ang gobyerno,” he added.

(I asked him when he is free, and of course their advocacies are not that different from each other, what they want to happen to the government, to fix the government.)

After their courtesy call to the Pasig mayor, the Lacson-Sotto tandem headed to the Pasig City Mega Market to hold a town hall meeting there.