Sotto takes swipe at rivals staging big rallies, shunning media interviews

TARLAC CITY — Vice presidential candidate Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Monday took a swipe at other contenders who are staging big rallies and evading media interviews.

Facing a cheering crowd during a town hall meeting at Tarlac State University, Sotto explained why he and his presidential running mate, Senator Panfilo Lacson, prefer conducting dialogues with sectoral groups instead of holding rallies.

“Dialogue ang gusto namin. Ayaw namin ng mga rally rally pagkatapos hindi mo naman naririnig kung ano yung gusto ng mga kababayan natin, kung ano ang kailangan nila, kung ano ang problema nila,” Sotto said.

(We prefer dialogues. We don’t want rallies, because in the end, we cannot hear what the Filipino people want, what they need, what their problems are.)

“E yung iba kasi, gusto nila malalaking rally, magsasalita lang sila at hindi makikinig sa inyo kasi ayaw nila. Di nila kayang sagutin yung mga tanong ninyo. Sa media ayaw magpa-interview, sa inyo pa? E di lalo na,” he added.

(Others want to stage big rallies, they will talk and they will not listen to you because they don’t want to. They cannot answer your questions. They won’t even entertain media interviews, what more with the general public?)

Sotto said he and Lacson are the opposite.

“Kami hindi po gano’n. Sapagkat kami ni Sen. Lacson ang public service record po namin, 83 years na pag pinagsama mo,” the Senate president said.

(We are not like that. Because Sen. Lacson and I, we have a combined 83 years in public service.)

Sotto also recalled how he physically presided over Senate sessions at the height of the pandemic.

“Never late, never absent, yan ang trabahong binigay niyo sa ‘min. Yung iba ngang mga katunggali namin ang kakapal e,” he said.

(Never late, never absent, that’s the duty you entrusted to us. Our rivals, they are shameless.)

“Dalawang taon nakatago sa likod ng computer, tapos ngayon lalabas, hihingi ng boto niyo,” he added.

(They hid behind their computers the past two years, and then they will emerge to ask for your vote.)

Lacson and Sotto started their week off here in Tarlac, a vote-rich province with over 898,000 registered voters. 

Later in the day, the Lacson-Sotto tandem will head to Pangasinan, another vote-rich province.

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