Lacson recalls fight against ‘jueteng’ lords in Laguna

Presidential candidate Sen. Panfilo Lacson (Photo from Lacson’s office.)

MANILA, Philippines — For Partido Reporma standard-bearer Sen. Panfilo Lacson, the campaign in Laguna province on Tuesday brought back memories of his fight against “jueteng” lords in the province when he was appointed police provincial director in 1992.

Speaking to supporters in Santa Cruz town, he recalled how he had made enemies with gambling lords whom he did not identify, after he supposedly refused a P1.8-million monthly payola from “jueteng” lords in exchange for turning a blind eye on the illegal numbers game operations.

“You know how much was the offer? I have not even assumed as provincial director, and they were offering me P1.8 million monthly from ‘jueteng.’ I did not have to do anything, I just look the other way, not to apprehend,” he said.

The Partido Reporma chair used the anecdote to drive his point about his relentless campaign against corruption if he is elected president.

In a speech at Santo Angel Sur covered court in Santa Cruz town, Lacson called on Laguna voters to help the entire Partido Reporma win in May 9 elections, and help them “fix the government.”

“Our main battlecry is to ‘fix the government in order to fix the lives of every Filipino.’ The main problem of our country is the government, and the solution lies in the government itself,” he said.

The Partido Reporma team resumed their regular campaign activities in one of the Southern Tagalog provinces with stops in Santa Cruz, Los Baños and Santa Rosa towns, and the cities of Biñan and Calamba.

Lacson, along with vice presidential aspirant Vicente Sotto III and senatorial bets Minguita Padilla and former Philippine National Police chief Guillermo Eleazar, as well as adopted candidates Manny Piñol, former senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, and former Information and Communications Secretary Gregorio Honasan.

Sotto lamented how the estimated P700 billion worth of taxpayers’ money lost to corruption yearly could have been used to provide free hospitalization and medicines for Filipinos.

Laguna province has more than 2 million registered voters, the fourth most vote-rich province next to Cebu, Cavite and Pangasinan, according to Commission on Election data.

—MELVIN GASCON