VICE presidential candidate Rizalito David yesterday endorsed the candidacy of his rival, Senate President Vicente Sotto III, as he underscored the political experience and track record of the senator.
David, who is running for vice president under the Democratic Party of the Philippines, urged the clergy and members of the Roman Catholic Church to pick Sotto as the country’s next vice president because he is supposedly “the best man for the job.”
David, however, quickly clarified that his endorsement of Sotto does not mean that he will withdraw from the race.
In endorsing Sotto, David said: “He’s a very decent person, he’s a gentleman. In so far as all the candidates for the vice presidency is concerned, he is the most experienced among us in terms of governance.”
David said Catholics and pro-life movements “owe” Sotto a lot for the latter’s contribution to the rejection of laws which legalizes same sex marriage, divorce, abortion, and euthanasia.
“To me that is important because he loves life, he is pro-life,” David said in an interview with CNN Philippines on Wednesday.
David also cited Sotto’s love for his family.
“He listens to his wife, He’s a gentleman, he is a family man. Sa akin, kumbaga sa grupo namin na tumatakbo ngayon, siya ang may pinakamagandang track record na dapat tulungan (For me, among the vice presidential candidates, he [Sotto] has an exemplary track record who we must help [win as vice president]),” he also said.
Sotto thanked David for his endorsement.
“I would of course, be grateful to Lito David because I know him for being very religious and being a very conservative person. Thank you very much for the endorsement,” Sotto said in a press conference in Leyte where he and Sen. Panfilo Lacson campaigned yesterday.
Lacson said David was right in throwing his full support behind the Senate president.
“He (Sotto) is really the best there is. Just imagine a vice presidential candidate endorsing another vice presidential candidate. He must be the best,” Lacson said.
Sotto said he was against the idea of vice presidential candidates withdrawing and uniting behind a common candidate so they can unite against Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.
Sotto said: “We are not running because we want to defeat somebody. We are running because we want to offer the country a better program and a better way of running the affairs of the government on a national scale.”
