Panfilo Lacson 2022 presidential campaign

Panfilo Lacson

Panfilo Lacson, more commonly known as Ping Lacson, a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy first served in the Philippine Constabulary, holding numerous positions throughout his entire career. During the administration of President Joseph Estrada, he was appointed as head of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force and eventually as PNP Chief. During the Second EDSA Revolution, Lacson along with several PNP officers withdrew their support to President Estrada and eventually resigned from his post.

Lacson then ran and won for a Senate seat in 2001 and was reelected in 2007. Lacson earned the reputation of being the only Philippine Senator who didn't receive any Priority Development Assistance Fund or Pork Barrel during his term in the Senate. He also ran for the presidency in 2004, but lost to then-incumbent Gloria Macapagal Arroyo placing third in the presidential race.

After he finished his term in the Senate, Lacson was appointed by then-President Benigno Aquino III as Presidential Assistant on Rehabilitation and Recovery which is tasked for the rehabilitation of areas that were destructed by the Typhoon Yolanda.

Running mate

Main article: Tito Sotto

Tito Sotto

Vicente Sotto III, who is known in the entertainment industry as Tito Sotto is a known composer, comedian and TV host, being one of the most famous trio Tito, Vic and Joey or TVJ along with his younger brother Vic Sotto and Joey De Leon. He is also known as one of the original hosts of the longest-running noontime show Eat Bulaga!.

He started his political career in 1988 when he won as Vice Mayor of Quezon City. In 1992, Sotto ran for a Senate seat and placed as the topnotcher in the polls. He was then reelected in 1998. In 2007, he failed to reclaim his seat in the Senate and was appointed as Chairman of the Dangerous Drugs Board a year after.

In 2010, Sotto reclaimed his post in the Senate. During his first term, he held the position of Senate Majority Floor Leader. In 2016, Sotto was once again reelected and took the position of Senate President in 2018 up to the present.

Sotto stated that he is running for the position of Vice President, if his colleague Panfilo Lacson will run for president.[2] President Rodrigo Duterte in his sixth and final State of the Nation Address also called Sotto as the next vice president.

Lacson (right) and his running mate Sotto (left) filing their certificates of candidacy on October 6, 2021

By June 2021, Lacson and Sotto visited some provinces in Luzon for a series of consultative meetings.

On July 20, 2021, Lacson confirmed that they are definitely running for president with Tito Sotto as his running mate for vice president.[3] Both Lacson and Sotto reiterated that they are not "pro or anti-administration" but are alternative candidates.[4]

On September 8, 2021, Lacson and Sotto officially launched their presidential and vice presidential bid in a televised event entitled Ito ang Simula (lit. This is the Beginning) which was attended by mostly family and friends of both candidates. The 30-minute event which was aired in almost all television stations and through the internet was taped in an undisclosed location with a mixture of both live (composed only of friends of both Lacson and Sotto) and virtual audience.

Lacson and Sotto also bared their list of their senatorial candidates.[8] Among those include:[9]

• Herbert Bautista, former mayor of Quezon City
• Jejomar Binay, former Vice President of the Philippines
• Monsour del Rosario, former representative of Makati's first congressional district
• Guillermo Eleazar, former Philippine National Police chief
• JV Ejercito, former Senator
• Francis Escudero, former Senator, incumbent Governor of Sorsogon
• Sherwin Gatchalian, incumbent Senator
• Richard J. Gordon, senator
• Gregorio Honasan, secretary of information and communications technology
• Loren Legarda, former Senator, incumbent representative of Antique lone district, current house deputy speaker
• Ma. Dominga Cecilia Padilla, Eye Bank Foundation president and former head executive staff of the Department of Health
• Emmanuel Piñol, former Secretary of Agriculture and former Mindanao Development Authority chairman
• Joel Villanueva, incumbent Senator
• Juan Miguel Zubiri, incumbent Senator

Escudero, Legarda and Villanueva already announced their senatorial bid, while, Ejercito, Honasan, Larrazabal and Zubiri has yet to decide. Lucy Torres-Gomez, who is a member of the ruling PDP–Laban, was also included in the initial list of senatorial ticket of the PDP–Laban Cusi faction. However, she decided not to run in any national position, and would instead run for Mayor of Ormoc. Gregorio Larrazabal opted to run for representative of the 4th district of Leyte.

Former Vice President Jejomar Binay also announced his bid for senator as part of the senatorial ticket of Lacson and Sotto.[10] Binay also serves as chairman of the United Nationalist Alliance.

One of their senatorial candidates, media practitioner Paolo Capino, withdrew his candidacy. He was substituted by former Philippine National Police chief Guillermo Eleazar, who just retired from his post.