Lacson to ‘active, silent’ supporters: Vote on May 9

MANILA, Philippines — Independent presidential candidate Sen. Panfilo Lacson yesterday called on his “active and silent” supporters and those “who truly believe in good and honest governance” to make sure they vote on May 9.

Lacson issued the statement in expressing puzzlement over what he described as his constant two-percent rating in pre-election polls that lately showed him getting zero votes both in the Visayas and Mindanao.

“Instead of speculating, it is best for me to just wait for the May 9 election results, which is not too long a wait after all,” he said.

“That being said, I call on all my active and silent supporters and those who truly believe in good, honest governance to go out on May 9 and cast their votes as it is the ultimate show of support that matters to Filipinos of the present and future generations,” he added.

The senator told a press conference in Tagaytay City, where he and his vice presidential running mate Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III met with local officials and sectoral groups, that he was curious to find out after the elections if he will really get zero votes in the said regions.

Lacson renewed his appeal to voters not to vote for thieves, liars and defrauders “because surely they will steal from us.”

For Sotto, voters should also look at the people around the candidate they are thinking of voting for.

“So if those around the candidate are a bad influence, what will happen? They are so many who are hungry, who have no jobs, farmers and fisherfolk are having a very difficult time, so with the MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises), we’ll elect those who will fatten their own pockets,” he said in Filipino.

He also asked Filipinos to take a look at the track record of the candidate they wish to elect and see if he or she really did do significant work for the country.

The Senate president said he and Lacson have no issue that their rivals have been copying their platform as it will help Filipinos and it shows that they have the best program for running the country.

“But also look and ask where your candidate was at the height of the hardship of the pandemic. What has your candidate done to help our countrymen nationwide, not just in some areas? So that’s where the true comparison will come, not only in platforms,” Sotto said in Filipino.

The vice presidential bet also noted that while some of their rivals hid behind their computers, he and Lacson physically attended every session and hearing even late at night just to pass laws that mandated the release of emergency assistance to Filipinos, including frontliners, hit by the pandemic.

Meanwhile, a broad coalition of evangelical churches in the Philippines has endorsed Sotto’s candidacy, saying he is the “righteous man of God” it is looking for to become one of the country’s next leaders.

After a thorough scrutiny of the candidates’ platforms and programs of government and overall character assessment, Bishop Joshua Carbonell of the Christian Coalition Movement (CCM), an alliance of more than 1,700 evangelical churches nationwide, said they agreed to endorse and support Sotto’s candidacy.

Carbonell revealed that they were further convinced that Sotto ought to be the next vice president of the country after they personally spoke with him and he laid out his plans and programs for the government should he be elected.

Bishop Vicente Vicencio, also of the CCM, noted their endorsement and support for Sotto’s candidacy is one way for the church to help the government.

Vicencio emphasized that it is of utmost importance that the next vice president of the country has the four character traits they are looking for: one who believes in the sanctity of life, marriage and gender, and one who has the moral conviction and ethical standard to become one of the country’s next leaders.