Ang tama, ipaglaban. Ang mali, labanan. These are the words which have guided Panfilo Morena Lacson’s career in government, which has spanned 50 years since his graduation from the Philippine Military Academy in 1971.
Bakit siya tumatakbo sa pagka-Pangulo? Lacson ran for President in 2004 as an independent and managed to garner ten percent of the total votes cast. His decision to run then was questioned by those in the opposition because Fernando Poe Jr., decided to contest the Presidency as proxy for his best friend Erap. The opposition’s strategy then was to rely on FPJ’s popularity with the masa and prevent Gloria Macapagal Arroyo from serving another six years as President. Recall that GMA reneged on her promise to Cory and Cardinal Sin to serve only the remaining term of Erap who was ousted in EDSA 2.
Lacson has been a Senator since 2001 when he first ran after he had to take early retirement from the Philippine National Police after GMA wrested the Presidency away from Joseph Estrada. He is assured of reelection if he ran for another term in the 2022 election but was prevailed upon by the group of retired senior officers of the AFP to run for President again in January of this year. As the senior Senator, he could’ve campaigned and won to become Senate President but decided to seek the Presidency instead.
Why? Lacson has always answered the higher calling. He could’ve faded away from public view after his stint as PNP Chief but he decided to vie for elective office instead in 2001. For him, this was the best way to continue his public service career where his impact would be felt the most.
Lacson placed 10th in the 2001 Senate race largely due to his excellent record as a member of the Philippine Constabulary, which he joined after graduation from the PMA, which later became the Philippine National Police, where he also served with distinction in different postings in Isabela, Laguna and Cebu.
He became a household word when he was appointed by then Vice-President Joseph Estrada as Chief of the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission’s (PACC) Task Force Habagat. He reached the pinnacle of his law enforcement career when he was appointed PNP Chief by President Estrada in 1999. He also concurrently headed the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force which replaced the PACC.
Lacson’s stint as PNP Chief hasn’t been matched to this day in terms of its approval ratings during his tenure. First, he ordered a strict no-take policy among the officers and men of the national police force. Second, he instituted a strict physical fitness requirement with a maximum waistline of no more than 34 inches. Next, insurance companies heaved a sigh of relief after he ordered all policemen who were utilizing recovered carnapped vehicles as their service vehicles to return them immediately to Camp Crame for proper disposition. Lastly, Lacson issued a stern warning about Kotong Cops who collected bribe money on a regular basis from public utility vehicle drivers and traders who transported goods from the provinces to Metro Manila and were routinely obligated to pay highway patrol and local police office checkpoints in their respective jurisdictions. This immediately had an impact on the price of the commodities these traders were selling in Metro Manila.
Why the focus on kotong? Ping, as he is fondly called by family and friends, never forgot the image of his father coming home from a hard day’s work plying the Imus-Lawton route in his jeepney. At a time when the minimum fare was P0.10 and the whole route one-way cost a passenger only P0.30, his father, Buenaventura, would have to share his daily earnings with errant traffic cops, once he was outside of Imus. “Pagod na pagod sa pag-mamaneho, wala ng gana kumain dahil sa antok, na-kotongan pa.”
This is what strengthened Lacson’s resolve to stamp out corruption in government. Since his election as Senator, Lacson has always returned his pork barrel allocation. He made it a point to study the ins and outs of the national budget which he has become an expert on now. He is such a stickler for integrity that he even resigned as the Vice-Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, which is tasked with reviewing the national budget, because he is a declared Presidential candidate and he doesn’t want the public thinking that there would be favors granted in return for support for his presidential bid.
Bakit siya lumahok na kandidato bilang Pangulo? Several retired senior AFP officers led by former Secretary of National Defense Renato De Villa and former Ambassador Ramon Farolan, convinced Lacson to run for President again because they were of the belief that the country needed an experienced, dedicated and honest leader to guide the country out of the worst global crisis which was caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. De Villa, Farolan and the other AFP officers were of the opinion that Lacson is best suited to lead the country during this crucial time when the only certainty is uncertainty.
Among the present crop of Presidential candidates, Lacson has the longest tenure in government service totaling 50 years. He has been a Senator for the past 17 years. He was appointed Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery when he was termed out in the Senate and was tasked with the development of the comprehensive relief and rehabilitation plan for the survivors of Supertyphoon Yolanda. When he resigned his position, he submitted the Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan to then President Benigno S. Aquino III. This was quite an achievement considering the Executive Order creating the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery didn’t specify funding sources. Lacson had to cobble together donations and worked with NGOs and international aid organizations to solicit funding for his office. This is proof that Lacson not only delivers exemplary performance in the legislative, but also in an executive position as well.
His track record as a legislator speaks to his diligence and focus on improving the plight of the average Filipino and advancing the interests of members of the Armed Forces and other uniformed government personnel Among the key measures he has sponsored or co-sponsored are the following:
Republic Act 3713: The Anti-Terrorism Bill
Republic Act 11279: Act Transferring the Training of Police Recruits from the Philippine Public Safety College to the Philippine National Police
Republic Act 11200: An Act Providing for Rank Classification in the Philippine National Police
Republic Act 11059: An Act Establishing a Retirement Benefit System in the Office of the Ombudsman
Republic Act 10973: Restoring the Subpoena Powers of the PNP-CIDG
Republic Act 10969: The Free Irrigation Law
Republic Act 10927: Amending the Anti-Money Laundering Act to Include Casinos as ‘Covered Persons’
Republic Act 10591: An Act Providing for a Comprehensive Law on Firearms, Light Weapons and Ammunition
Republic Act 10354: the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012
Republic Act 10351: The Sin Tax Reform Law
Republic Act 10349: An Act Amending the Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program
Republic Act 11279: Act Transferring the Training of Police Recruits from the Philippine Public Safety College to the Philippine National Police
Republic Act 11200: An Act Providing for Rank Classification in the Philippine National Police
Republic Act 11059: An Act Establishing a Retirement Benefit System in the Office of the Ombudsman
Republic Act 10973: Restoring the Subpoena Powers of the PNP-CIDG
Republic Act 10969: The Free Irrigation Law
Republic Act 10927: Amending the Anti-Money Laundering Act to Include Casinos as ‘Covered Persons’
Republic Act 10591: An Act Providing for a Comprehensive Law on Firearms, Light Weapons and Ammunition
Republic Act 10354: The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012
Republic Act 10351: The Sin Tax Reform Law
Republic Act 10349: An Act Amending the Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program
As part of his valedictory in the Senate, Lacson is pushing for the passage of his Budget Reform for Village Empowerment Act (BRAVE) and the Military and Other Uniformed Government Personnell Pension Act (UMP) before the end of the legislative sessions. BRAVE would allocate development funds from the provincial down to the barangay level, free from the the control of the Congressmen and the Executive when it comes to disbursement. The legislation has adequate check and balance measures in terms of absorptive capacity, project monitoring and Congressional oversight in project completion.
The UMP would finally establish a pension fund for military and other uniformed government personnel’s pensions in order to prevent the fiscal crisis it may create if the annual pensions are continually appropriated from the national budget annually. This is the result of the abolition of the AFP-RSBS due to insolvency as a result of corruption and bad investments.
In terms of track record, experience and qualifications, Panfilo Morena Lacson is most qualified to become the next President of the Republic of the Philippines. In this election cycle, he continues to conduct himself with strict adherence to his principles which is why he continues to advocate for an issue-based campaign devoid of mudslinging and black propaganda. He continues to focus on presenting his governance platform to Filipinos so they can make an informed choice among the candidates who are in the race.
As Lacson has repeated again and again, he and Senate President Tito Sotto are neither pro-Administration or pro-Opposition. They are pro-Philippines.
“Bakit mo ipauubaya ang kapakanan ng Pilipino sa hindi dalubhasa sa kalakaran ng pamahalaan? Sa panahon ng matinding krisis, tanging dalubhasa lang ang maasahan ibangon ang bansa sa kahirapan.”
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