‘I’m not gay,’ Lacson denies anew

Senator Panfilo Lacson. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson denied anew Friday that he’s gay as he threatened to tell the “cruel truth” about Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago if the feisty lawmaker spreads “lies” about him.

“If she isn’t crazy, I have cleared many times that I am not gay,” Lacson said in Filipino.

Lacson was reacting to Santiago’s speech at the Manila Hotel this Friday where she repeatedly mentioned about a political foe she described as gay and stupid. She did not name the person whom she even insinuated could have pocketed funds intended for the rent of their Senate offices.

Lacson said he would not take Santiago’s “insults” sitting down and threatened to tell the “cruel truth” about her.

“The thing is, I won’t start a fight with anybody as I did not initiate this quarrel with her; neither will I turn my back,” Lacson said in a text message.

“If she hits me hard, I’ll hit her back harder. If she insults me, I’ll insult her back and more harshly. But I will tell the cruel truth about her if she spreads lies about me,” he said.

He also accused Santiago of misusing funds when she allegedly used Senate money to pay the rent of her extended office in a building owned by her family.

“The issue against her is graft because she used the money of the people to pay for her personal expenses,” Lacson said.

In her speech, Santiago said that the use of funds was approved by the Senate even as she wondered if her unnamed nemesis was the one who actually pocketed the money intended for the same purpose.

Lacson, apparently reacting to Santiago’s tirade, denied any wrongdoing.

“I’m not like her who’s greedy. I have not pocketed any funds in all the time that I have been in government and I don’t accept bribes,” he said.

“And what about her? Perhaps, it will be better for her to answer appropriately and not like some crazy woman with graft cases at the Ombudsman,” Lacson said.

First posted 12:15p.m.