PRESIDENTIAL candidate Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson yesterday said local candidates of the Partido Reporma have belied the statement of party president Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez that the lack of funding for the hiring of poll watchers prompted party members to withdraw their support from the senator’s candidacy.
Lacson said Reporma candidates from Pangasinan, Batangas and Bohol have denied that asked for financial support to pay for the allowances of poll watchers who would be hired for the May 9 elections.
“I asked them, ‘Are you asking for funds?’ ‘No, we are not asking for any. If ever we need funding, we will let you know but we never asked for any.’ So, I do not know why he [Alvarez] was saying that was the primary reason [for the withdrawal of support], that the party’s local candidates are not satisfied because they have no funds,” Lacson said in Filipino in an interview during a campaign sortie in Pasay City late Saturday afternoon.
Last Friday, Lacson disclosed that he was abandoned by the Partido Reporma because he cannot raise P800 million “in additional funding” that was requested by the camp of Alvarez. “Time to call a spade a spade. It was actually more about the issue of campaign expenses for their (Partido Reporma) local candidates,” Lacson said.
Lacson resigned as member and chairman of Partido Reporma last Thursday after Alvarez and a number of party members ditched him and shifted their support to Vice President Leni Robredo, saying she has more chances of winning due to pre-election survey ratings than Lacson, who has consistently placed at the bottom.
The senator said he would talk with other Partido Reporma local candidates to verify Alvarez’ statement on the alleged additional budget request.
“I’m still trying to contact the others because we have [local candidates] in Abra, and in Laguna. We have 360 local candidates all in all. I’m trying to contact all of them because I want to find out if that is the real reason. So far, the ones I have talked to said there are no problems in funds. They said that we can do with what we have, something like that and they never asked for funds,” Lacson said.
“I want to satisfy myself if that is the real reason. It appears now, so far, that it is not. There must be another reason,” he added.
Following Lacson’s revelation on the P800 million additional funding, Alvarez said the money will supposedly be used to pay the allowances and other expenses of 779,406 poll watchers that will be hired by the party and deployed to 389,703 polling precincts in two batches.
Members of the Partido Reporma based in Bohol have resigned from the party and signed a manifesto on March 26 saying that their continued support for Lacson “was born out of pure volunteerism and not for any other personal considerations.”
Those who signed the manifesto include Jagna town Mayor Joseph Ranola, party co-chairman; retired Police Brig. Gen. Edgardo Ingking, party co-chairman; Joseph Sevilla, 1st district councilor; Eduardo Aranay, 2nd district councilor; and Emmanuel Duites, 3rd district councilor.
Earlier, Reporma’s Cavite chapter members also left the party to support Lacson.
Partido Reporma founder and chairman emeritus Renato de Villa also expressed support for Lacson.
