'Surprise' coming: Lacson-Sotto tandem unveils 14 of 15 names on Senate slate

MANILA, Philippines — Presidential candidate Sen. Panfilo Lacson and his running-mate Senate President Vicente Sotto III unveiled Friday 14 names on their senatorial lineup, adding that a final entry would be revealed at a later date. 

Sotto bared the names to reporters, adding in Filipino: "We believe these are the right candidates for the Senate." Asked by Philstar.com if there was a 15th member of their lineup yet to be named, Sotto replied: "Yes. Surprise." 

There are only 12 seats up for grabs in 2022 but Lacson in an interview at the Kapihan sa Manila media forum Thursday said the tandem plans to leave it up to the electorate to choose from their slate.

"There are too many [names in our lineup] but better to have more than less," he said in Filipino. "After all, this is democracy. If we choose the fourteen, at the end of the day, we will leave it to the Filipino people in the electorate to choose their 12." 

The list is dominated by former and current lawmakers as well as candidates fielded by the Nationalist People's Coalition which is the party headed by Sotto. There are also three candidates from Partido Reporma, the party Lacson took over earlier this year. 

Overlapping Senate slates 

Notable entries on the list are four names who appear on Senate slates unveiled by presidential candidates Vice President Leni Robredo and Sen. Manny Pacquiao as well. They are: 

• Sorsogon Governor Francis "Chiz" Escudero (NPC) 
• Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri (Independent) 
• Sen. Joel Villanueva (Independent) 
• Former Vice President Jejomar Binay (United Nationalist Alliance) 
• Sen. Richard Gordon (Independent)

Meanwhile, the following names are being fielded by both Lacson and a Malacañang candidate: 

• Rep. Loren Legarda (Antique) is part of Pacquiao's lineup
• Former ICT Sec. Gregorio Honasan (Independent) is also being fielded by the administration-led faction of PDP-Laban 

Here are the other names on the Lacson-Sotto tandem's list: 

• Former Sen. JV Ejercito (NPC) 
• Former Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista (NPC) 
• Sen. Sherin Gatchalian (NPC) 
• Former Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel "Manny" Piñol (NPC) 
• Department of Health adviser and opthamologist Minguita Padilla (Partido Reporma) 
• Former Makati Rep. Monsour Del Rosario (Partido Reportma) 
• PWD advocate Paolo Capino (Partido Reporma) 

— Bella Perez-Rubio