Senate President Vicente Sotto III during a “Meet the Press” forum on Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022. (Photo from Sen. Lacson’s office)
MANILA, Philippines — After withdrawing his support for presidential candidate Sen. Panfilo Lacson, Davao del Norte 1st District Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez said Partido Reporma is still backing the vice presidential bid of Senate President Vicente Sotto III.
Sotto is Lacson’s runningmate.
“Si Senate President Tito Sotto (I am supporting Senate President Tito Sotto),” Alvarez said in an interview with The Chiefs on Thursday night when asked who the party will support in the vice presidential race after opting to support instead the presidential bid of Vice President Leni Robredo.
Sotto, who chairs the National People’s Coalition, is Lacson’s running mate in the May 9 elections.
Meanwhile, Alvarez asked Robredo to consider the senatorial candidates of Partido Reporma.
So far, senatorial candidate Monsour Del Rosario has declared support for Robredo.
“Hindi ko po alam ang amin kung kukunin… pero kami, ako ay sa grupo namin, patuloy ang suporta namin kay Monsour Del Rosario at sa iba pang mga kandidato ng Reporma pagka-senador,” Alvarez said.
(I don’t know if they will adopt our candidates but for us, our group is still supporting Monsour Del Rosario and other Reporma candidates for senator.)
“Ngayon, kung kukunin siya (Del Rosario) ni VP Leni ay ako ay nagpapasalamat at ako ay nakikiusap din na sana ma-consider ni VP Leni na kunin din yung mga senatorial candidates ng Reporma,” he added.
(If VP Leni will take Del Rosario then I am thankful, and I am also asking VP Leni to consider adopting the senatorial candidates of Reporma.)
Lacson on Thursday stepped down as chairman of Partido Reporma, saying he had sensed the withdrawal of his party’s support more than a month earlier.
Shortly after Lacson resigned from the post, Alvarez, who serves as the party president, announced that they are now backing Robredo’s candidacy.
Alvarez said he believes in the leadership qualities of Lacson but there are two frontrunners right now — Robredo and former senator Bongbong Marcos — and he prefers to support the Vice President.
Alvarez said ‘decisive action’ is needed right now with little time left before the 2022 national elections.
Meantime, Sotto assured his running mate that he was sticking with him.