Lacson to ramp up campaign sans party

MANILA, Philippines — Independent presidential candidate Sen. Panfilo Lacson is raring to intensify his electoral battle in the second half of the campaign period without a political party.

Lacson said he is used to being a mandirigma (warrior) throughout his 50 years in public service, both as law enforcer and lawmaker.

“Being a mandirigma in all my public service life is useful. I am used to being alone in a lonely crusade against a corrupt system for the past 50 years. Nonetheless I am going all-in and all the way. Once a warrior, always a warrior,” he posted on Twitter over the weekend.

“I am used to starting a crusade – though it might be a difficult and lonely fight at first, the people would eventually see my point and join my cause. This is shown each time that my name has been put on the ballot, and the people have always renewed my mandate to serve them,” he added.

Last week, Lacson resigned as chairman of Partido Reporma after its president, former speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, announced that the party is going to shift support to Vice President Leni Robredo even as some groups within the party had declared that they are sticking with the senator.

Lacson also disclosed that Alvarez switched his allegiance after he could not cough up P800 million for the party’s campaign expenses.

The presidential aspirant had earlier lamented that “money politics” continues to run the country and warned that victors in the elections will only recover campaign expenses while in office for three or six years through corruption.

“As long as ‘money politics’ dominates our elections, it will be a vicious ‘cycle of revenge’ between candidates and voters: voters having a field day during the campaign period and candidates exacting vengeance for three or six years of victory. Kawawang Pilipinas (Poor Philippines),” he said.

Lacson stressed that the May 9 elections are about the country’s future, and the next leader should be trustworthy, the most experienced and most qualified.

“How is it that I am perceived to be the most knowledgeable in the management of government, way above the rest, and yet that does not factor in the surveys?” he said.

“Nonetheless, I will continue to champion my track record, qualities, platforms and standard of what the Philippines needs,” he added.

The senator, however, also earned the respect of many in the party, who have expressed their continued support for his presidential bid.

Last Saturday, leaders and members of Partido Reporma in Bohol tendered their irrevocable resignations from the party to support Lacson’s presidential bid.

Now banding together as the “Lacson-Sotto Support Group” in Bohol, they pledged their “strong and continued commitment and unequivocal support” to Lacson’s candidacy. These include Jagna Mayor Joseph Rañola and former provincial police chief Edgardo Ingking, Joseph Sevilla, Eduardo Aranay and Emmanuel Solomon Duites.

They said they chose to support Lacson “because we believe that we need a leader like him who has a clear vision on what he wants to do for our country and people and a clear plan based on science and hard data on how to accomplish it.”

“As a public servant who is proven to be incorruptible and one who leads by example, we need a leader like Sen. Lacson who can tame the bureaucracy in embracing good governance and restore the full trust of the Filipino people (in) the government,” they added.

Members of Reporma’s Cavite chapter had earlier also left the party to support Lacson.