Panfilo “Ping” Lacson. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Character is more important than campaign appearances, former Senator Panfilo Lacson said on Wednesday.
Lacson then urged voters to “look beyond the surface and learn more about the character of those running in next year’s elections.”
“Character should be the more important thing to look for in a candidate. We can elect better leaders by looking at qualifications, advocacies and track records,” he said in a statement.
“I am not comfortable with the sense of exclusivity, that certain guest candidates do not belong just because they don’t appear in a certain manner,” he added.
READ: Poe on dropping Lacson: Give others a chance
Although he said it is true that uniform color and party slogan may show unity among the candidates, Lacson said, “they should not also be used to project a ‘holier-than-thou’ and overbearing attitude of candidates.
“Nobody has the monopoly of integrity, competence and character,” said the former senator.
READ: Lacson: Poe dropped me from slate in favor of Edu Manzano
He issued the statement a day after he disclosed that he was dropped from the senatorial ticket of Senator Grace Poe in favor of another candidate, Edu Manzano.
An independent senatorial bet, Lacson was included as a guest candidate in the slates of both the Liberal Party and the United Nationalist Alliance. RAM