BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Partido Reporma presidential candidate Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson his vice-presidential running mate, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto appeared to have been unbothered by the ongoing “political circus” as described by many voters.
This was after Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte filed her certificate for candidacy for vice president, as a substitute to the Lakas-CMD vice-presidential bet of the political party she recently joined.
President Rodrigo Duterte, according to Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, will compete against her daughter, Sara, for the vice president position, as a running mate of Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong Go, who also filed his COC as president on November 12, a few hours after Duterte-Carpio filed her COC through her lawyer.
Lacson told reporters during an On Line Kumustahan activity on November 13 at a gymnasium in Brgy. Tangub, Bacolod City, which was simultaneously aired live in 22 other satellite areas in six districts of Negros Occidental, that he refused to give a comment on it, explaining that he and his running mate have agreed not to do so, regarding any of their competitors.
“We want to keep the level of discourse into a high level, without resorting to mudslinging and using of gutter language”, the former Philippine National Police chief.
Sotto, who is affiliated with the Nationalist People’s Coalition, said they are focus in presenting their platforms and programs for the Filipino people, especially good governance among numerous others.
“It doesn’t matter to us, who is running,“ he stressed.
Lacson and Sotto were also accompanied by their senatorial bets, Negrense Monsour del Rosario and Dr. Minguita Padilla. Former PNP chief Guillermo Eleazar is also a senatorial bet of Partido Reporma, who substituted Paolo “Powee” Capino.
‘INTERESTING POLITICAL TIMES’
Senate majority floor leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, who is seeking reelection, described the ongoing political frenzy as “interesting political times.”
Zubiri, who went on a tour-visit in many areas of Negros Occidental on November 12 and 13, admitted that this was the first time he had experienced political maneuverings in the national level as a politician.
But I love them all. They are all my friends, Zubiri said, adding that three to four political groups adopted him as among their senatorial candidates.
He said they only asked him not to endorse anybody, which Zubiri said “acceptable to him.”
May the best man or woman win. Let the Filipino people to be the judge, Zubiri said in a press conference on November 13 at Stonehill Suites in Bacolod City.*
