SENATE President Vicente Sotto III and Sen. Panfilo Lacson kicked off consultation meetings with local officials yesterday, just about three months before the filing of candidacy for the May 2022 elections.
Sotto, in a message to media, said he and Lacson visited the Barasoain Church in Malolos City before meeting with the city officials there.
He said it is the first leg of their consultation meetings in Luzon.
“Started our journey for Luzon consultative tour with a prayer. Besides, I go to church everyday anyway,” Sotto said in a message to the media.
A Facebook post from Sotto’s office said that the Senate President and Lacson sought “God’s guidance and wisdom” at the Barasoain Church in Malolos City before meeting with the city’s officials.
“Sinimulan nila ang kanilang ‘Tour of Luzon’ sa Barasoain Church sa Bulacan. Ang kanilang version ng tour of Luzon ay para kumustahin ang mga LGUs, tignan ang kanilang kalagayan at makakuha ng mga suhestiyon para sa post-COVID-19 recovery plan ng bansa (They started their ‘Tour of Luzon’ at the Barasoain Church in Bulacan. Their version of the tour of Luzon is aimed at knowing the condition of LGUs [local government units] so they can get suggestions for the country’s post-COVID-19 recovery plan),” it said.
Sotto and Lacson are holding consultative meetings with LGUs and stakeholders to determine if they can offer solutions to deal with the problems besetting the country.
Lacson has said that deciding to run for the presidency is not about prestige or being part of history, but being able to present solutions to the country’s problems, like the ballooning national debt, pandemic response, and issues on the West Philippine Sea, among others.
Sotto said that after the meeting in Malolos City, he and Lacson proceeded to Tarlac and Zambales. Today, they are set to visit Pangasinan and La Union, and the Ilocos provinces and Cagayan Valley on Saturday.
Sotto said they will still have to schedule their meetings in the Visayas and Mindanao.
Sotto and Lacson have signified their intention to run as vice president and president, respectively, in next year’s elections, although they have yet to make an official announcement on their candidacies.
Sotto is chairman of the Nationalist People’s Coalition while Lacson is an independent.
Lacson earlier said he will either seek the presidency next year or retire from politics even if he still eligible for another Senate term. If he runs for president, Lacson has also said, Sotto will be his running mate.
