Presidential candidate Senator Panfilo Lacson (left) and vice presidential hopeful Senate President Vicente Sotto III (right) during their miting de avance in Cavite on Friday, May 6, 2022. (Photo from Lacson-Sotto media bureau)
CARMONA, Cavite — Presidential candidate Senator Panfilo Lacson rallied his supporters in his home province of Cavite to launch a “silent revolution” through their votes as he once again asked voters to shun “thieves” or face the consequences in the next six years.
Lacson, during his miting de avance here on Friday, asked voters to think of the future generation when casting their votes.
“Ang atin pong lalawigan ay napaka-makasaysayan. Ito ay hitik na hitik sa kasaysayan, ito ay tahanan ng mga bayani, tahanan ng mga rebolusyonaryo na handa na sumalungat sa agos ng mga lumang pulitika, lumang mga patakaran sa buhay,” Lacson said in his final campaign speech.
(Our province is rich in history…This is the land of heroes, home of the revolutionaries, who are always ready to go against the traditional politics and old way of living.)
‘Silent revolt’
“Sa lahat ng mga naririto na galing pa sa malalayong lugar—Rizal, Laguna, Tarlac, Bulacan, NCR (National Capital Region)—narito po at nagtitipun-tipon, nananawagan po ako sa inyo, inaanyayahan ko po kayo na maglunsad tayo ng isang rebolusyon,” he told the estimated crowd of 50,000 at the Verdant Square.
(To everyone who is here, some of whom came from as far as Rizal, Laguna, Tarlac, Bulacan, NCR (National Capital Region)—who are gathered here, I am appealing to you, I am inviting you to start a revolution.)
“Hindi po rebolusyon na katulad ng ipinaglaban ng ating mga ninuno, ng ating mga bayani. Ito po ay isang tahimik na rebolusyon na kung saan ang ating gamit ay ang ating mga panulat upang i-shade sa balota ang mga pangalan ng mga dapat at karapat-dapat na mamuno sa ating bansa,” Lacson further said.
(This is not the same as the revolution that our forefathers and heroes started. This is a silent revolution in which we are going to use the power of our pen (marker) to shade in our ballots the names of the rightful leaders of our nation.)
‘Beware of thieves’
As in his previous speeches, Lacson cautioned voters against choosing “thieves” to lead the country.
“Kapag tayo po ay nagkamali at ang ating naiboto ay isang magnanakaw, anim taon tayong pagnanakawan. Kapag tayo ay nagkamali at ang ating ibinoto ay manloloko, mapaglinlang, mapagkunwari, anim taon tayong lolokohin. Huwag natin payagan na ang ating kabataan, ang susunod na henerasyon ay mawalan ng pag-asa sa ating bayan,” he said.
(If make the mistake of electing a thief, they will steal from us for six years. If we elect someone who will deceive us, we will be fooled for six years. Let us not allow our children, the next generation lose hope in our country.)
He said there is still hope for the country to elect a rightful leader.
“May pag-asa ang Pilipinas. May pag-asa ang Cavite. May pag-asa ang Carmona. May pag-asa ang bawa’t sulok sa ating bansa basta pumili tayo ng tama,” he added.
(There is hope for the Philippines. There is hope for Cavite. There is hope for Carmona. There is hope in every corner of this country as long as we vote wisely.)
Corruption-free politics
For his part, Sotto reiterated the need for a new kind of politics—one that is free from corruption.
“Gusto namin ng bagong pulitika ang kailangan natin sa Pilipinas. Walang korapsyon, ang pera ng gobyerno dapat ibigay sa taumbayan [We want the new kind of politics in the Philippines, no corruption, the funds of the government should benefit the people] ,” the Senate president said.
“Sa matatapang, ang bukas ay pagkakataon, pagkakataon na natin ‘to Pilipinas, sa Lunes (May 9) [To the brave, the future is an opportunity, we are given this opportunity, on Monday],” he added.
Senate bets
Lacson and Sotto were joined by senatorial bets Dr. Minguita Padilla, former Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol and former Philippine National Police chief Guillermo Eleazar.
Former senators JV Ejercito and Gringo Honasan, who are seeking a return to the upper chamber, were also in attendance.
As he appealed for votes for Lacson, Piñol urged voters not to base their pick on popularity.
“Kapag hindi natin iboboto si [If we don’t vote for] Ping Lacson, we will be missing a golden opportunity of changing the future of this country, ‘wag nating sayangin. Piliin natin ang tama, ‘wag yung sikat [let’s not waste it. Let’s choose the right one, not the popular one],” the former agriculture chief said.
“Tulungan niyo po kami para matulungan namin kayo [Help us so we can help you],” Padilla told the crowd.
The Lacson-Sotto tandem is set to visit parts of Rizal, Laguna, Batangas and Cavite in a caravan on May 7, the last day of the campaign before Filipinos cast their votes on May 9.