Lacson calls for ‘political ceasefire’ between Marcos and Duterte

FILE PHOTO: Former Sen. Panfilo Lacson called for a deescalation of the word war between the country’s two highest officials: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and Vice President Sara Duterte. (Voltaire Domingo/ Senate PRIB)

DAVAO CITY — Former Sen. Panfilo Lacson called for a deescalation of the word war between the country’s two highest officials.

“I have only one comment, let us not be entertained. Instead of further escalating the conflict that as of this moment is irreconcilable, kung hindi man natin maka intervene to, at least reconcile the differences, at least man lang let’s all help to deescalate the tension,” Lacson told journalists after speaking before a meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Mindanao Chapter (AmCham Mindanao).

Lacson said the political wrangling would generate second thoughts among investors to pursue their business plans in the country.

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“It’s really sad for the country,” he lamented, adding that the current situation “was unimaginable more than two years ago (that) this will even occur, this will happen.”

Lacson said that among other top officials of the country, Senate President Francis Escudero may still have some leverage to ask both leaders to come to a political ceasefire.

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“Maybe Congress, or at least at this point, not the House but the Senate, kasi hindi pa naman involved ‘yung Senate dito sa conflict. ‘Yung House, medyo tall order,” Lacson noted.

“I hope the other leaders of the country, specifically Senate President Escudero, find a way,” according to Lacson, for some “political ceasefire.”

“Sabi ko nga kanina sa speech ko, when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. We are the grass, the Filipino people, the country. The two elephants are the two highest elected officials of the land,” Lacson said.