Lacson-Sotto: Every day is anti-kotong day

MANILA, Philippines — As the world observed International Anti-Corruption Day yesterday, Partido Reporma chairman and standard-bearer Sen. Panfilo Lacson and running mate Senate President Vicente Sotto III vowed to carry out a relentless effort to eliminate corruption in government, if elected in 2022.

Lacson and Sotto said Filipinos must consider corruption an election issue when they choose the next set of leaders to steer the nation forward.

“We always maintain that one of the biggest problems in our country is corruption and we should really look into it. When our people make a choice on who they will vote for, they must always keep in mind those who can best solve the issue or problem of corruption in our country,” Lacson said during a virtual weekly “Meet the Press” forum.

Lacson said every day must be considered an “Anti-Kotong Day” in the Philippines as long as the culture of corruption persists. He renewed his commitment to enforce much-needed reforms in government the same way he did as chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

“If I become president and the Senate President is elected vice president, we will get rid of corruption in government. We can make that promise because have done it before,” he stressed.

He reminded Filipinos that ‘corruption kills,’ especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when the nation had to contend with the Pharmally scandal – one of the worst examples of large-scale corruption involving billions of public funds that could have been used for better projects.

Lacson said people must continue to express strong indignation over such stories because the issue of corruption is no laughing matter as he reiterated that Filipinos must never allow corruption scandals to be normalized across all sectors of society.

Lacson made a name for himself as custodian of the national budget in the Senate and enforced strict disciplinary measures against kotong (bribe-seeking) cops when he led the PNP between 1999 to 2001. He and Sotto vowed to keep leading by example if they get elected next year.

“When you start an anti-corruption drive, you should bring it all the way. No double standard, no lip service, no doublespeak. You should ‘walk the talk.’ And that is what the Senate President and I became known for. We always walk the talk,” he added.

For his part, Sotto said they will not let corrupt officials go unpunished, whether they be from the previous administration, the current administration or the incoming administration.

As part of their continuing commitment to stamp out corruption, Sotto said they have scheduled a hearing on Tuesday at the Senate to address the issue of vegetable smuggling, which puts some businesses at risk of losing their profits.

Partido Reporma senatorial candidate Dr. Minguita Padilla, for her part, agreed with the statements of the presidential duo. She said corruption is a threat not only to economic opportunities and livelihood of Filipinos but to food security as well.

“Food supply and security are two different things. But how can we have food security if there is corruption? So, like my standard-bearer and vice president, corruption to me is one of the worst things that is happening in the country,” Padilla said.