Presidential candidate Senator Panfilo Lacson and vice presidential bet Senate President Vicente Sotto III during a town hall meeting in Tarlac City on Monday, April 25, 2022. Photo from Lacson-Sotto media bureau
TARLAC CITY — Presidential candidate Senator Panfilo Lacson on Monday complained of certain “scheming” individuals who were trying to drive a wedge between him and his running mate, vice presidential contender Senate President Vicente Sotto III.
At a press conference here, Lacson slammed what he called the “scheming” attempts of their rivals.
“Do you see how scheming? Alam niyo kung gaano ka-scheming yung mga katunggali [Do you know how scheming our rivals are]? Ganoon kababa [That’s how low],” Lacson told reporters.
“Welcome naman na i-adopt nila si vice president (Sotto) pero mismong si vice president ang mage-endorse ng ibang presidential candidate? Ano sila, hilo?” he added, without mentioning names.
(We welcome if they adopt the vice president but if he will endorse another presidential candidate. Are they out of their mind?)
This, after Sotto disclosed that allies of some candidates are asking for his “support,” even going as far as supposedly asking him to endorse another candidate.
“Nagtatanong kung pwedeng mag-endorse ng iba. They don’t know us, so tigilan na lang nila. Even… they’re attempting to drive a wedge between the Senate President and myself. They don’t know us. They don’t know him, they don’t know me kaya dapat wag na lang ituloy yun,” Lacson went on.
[They’re asking if he (Sotto) can endorse another candidate. They don’t know us, so just stop it… They should just stop doing that.]
Lacson has repeatedly said that he is being asked by other camps to withdraw from the race.
On Easter Sunday last April 17, the senator joined two other presidential candidates — Manila Mayor Isko Moreno and former Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales — in insisting they will not back out from their respective bids.
Moreno even went so far as ask survey second-placer Vice President Leni Robredo to withdraw from the race to allow other candidates a chance to beat current frontrunner, former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.