Lacson won’t join rally size contest

Sen. Panfilo Lacson and Senate President Vicente Sotto III head to Cauayan City Hall to join the flag ceremony on Monday, Mar. 14, 2022. (Photo from the Lacson-Sotto Media Bureau)

MANILA, Philippines — The Partido Reporma tandem of Sen. Panfilo Lacson and Senate President Vicente Sotto III would rather engage potential voters in one-on-one interactions rather than try to draw big crowds and upstage rival groups whose rallies are mainly for entertainment, the duo said on Wednesday.

Speaking to journalists while on their campaign trail in Midsayap, North Cotabato, Lacson said they were comfortable with dialogues where they could have back-and-forth exchanges of views on various issues confronting the country.

“We’re comfortable with this setup, like engaging people in the dialogue [wherein] we listen to them [and] they listen to us. But let’s see if we can draw big crowds in the future, but at the moment, we are comfortable with what we are doing,” he said.

Lacson said that dialogues allow the duo to elaborate their proposed Budget Reform for Village Empowerment flagship program and people have been “very enthusiastic” and receptive of the proposal.

“Some local officials we spoke to are now planning to call a meeting among [tricycle drivers] as well as [the Department of Interior and Local Government] and [Department of Agriculture], as there is also fuel subsidy intended for farmers and fisherfolk,” he said.

According to Lacson, dialogues allow them to engage, interact and show people “what they intend to do and what they can do.”

“This is not only in terms of making promises, but actual, on-the-spot assistance, and to educate ordinary people, and educate them about their rights as citizens,” he said.