Lacson to Poe: Fighting city hall isn’t easy, survival victory enough

Senator Grace Poe and former Senator Panfilo Lacson. MARK ALVIC ESPLANA/INQUIRER SOUTHERN LUZON and INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Former Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has a piece of advice for presidential aspirant Senator Grace Poe: “Fighting city hall isn’t easy. Survival is victory enough. Winning is too much to ask.”

Lacson was reacting to Poe’s earlier statement that she feels she was fighting “city hall” apparently referring to a number of disqualification cases filed against her in a bid to stop her presidential bid in the 2016 elections.

READ: Poe on DQ cases: ‘I feel I am fighting City Hall’

“Take it from me. Fighting city hall isn’t easy. Survival is victory enough. Winning is too much to ask,” the former senator said on Twitter commenting on Poe’s statement.

However, Lacson, in a text message on Friday, clarified that his statement did not necessarily mean that he agreed with Poe’s claim that she was indeed fighting “city hall” “simply because I have no proof [or] information to that effect.”

“In fact, when Sen Bam Aquino voted against her DQ (disqualification) in the SET (Senate Electoral Tribunal), that should negate whatever suspicion that Malacañang has a hand in Sen. Poe’s woes as a candidate,” he said.

READ: Palace denies hand in Poe’s DQ: ‘Comelec is independent’

Aquino, a member of the Liberal Party (LP), was among those who voted to junk the disqualification case filed against Poe seeking to unseat her in the Senate over her citizenship.

“Having said that, I merely tweeted from her statement after I remembered how I fought GMA (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) and her band of propagandists and wrecking crew which was the entire city hall during her reign,” Lacson said. He is referring to the former President and now Pampanga Representative.

“I may not have won, but I’m sure I survived and to me that’s victory enough. Well, look at her and those who ganged up on me then, either frontally and directly, or behind my back and discreetly. While I’m not happy about their fate, the way they ended up wasn’t exactly what they had wished they did,” the former senator added.

Lacson is part of the senatorial tickets of LP and the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA). LP’s standard-bearer is former Secretary Mar Roxas, while UNA’s bet is Vice President Jejomar Binay. RAM