AFTER securing the support of their allies in their hometowns of Imus, Cavite and Quezon City recently, Partido Reporma standard-bearer Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson and running mate Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III headed south to solidify their base in Davao del Norte.
Davao del Norte is considered a bailiwick of Lacson-Sotto in Mindanao by virtue of their strong alliance with Partido Reporma stalwarts former House Speaker and Rep. Pantaleon ‘Bebot’ Alvarez and incumbent Governor Edwin Jubahib, who committed solid support to campaign for their tandem.
Shortly upon arriving at the Davao City airport Friday morning, the tandem went straight to the Panabo Multipurpose Tourism Cultural and Sports Center, where they were welcomed by around 2,000 political allies and supporters wearing white campaign t-shirts.
At the socially distanced indoor assembly were the mayors, vice mayors, council members and constituents of: Panabo City, Tagum City, Island Garden City of Samal, Santo Tomas, Carmen, Kapalong, San Isidro, New Corella, Asuncion, Dujali and Talaingod.
In his remarks at the rally, Jubahib pointed out that Filipinos are in dire need of incorruptible leaders with good heart and pure intentions to serve the public, who will solve the age-old problems plaguing the nation such as insurgency, unemployment and poverty, among others.
“Tayo tuwing eleksyon every six years, nag-e-elect tayo ng presidente, bise presidente, senators at local candidates. Bakit ginagawa natin? Dahil nangangarap tayo na makapili ng isang pinuno na tatapos ng problema na hinaharap natin mula noon hanggang ngayon,” the DavNor governor said.
(Every six years, during an election, we vote for a president, vice president, senators and local candidates. Why do we do this? Because we dream of having leaders who can end the problems we are facing then and now.)
“At ang paniniwala ko, ang makapagtatapos sa problema ng Pilipinas (ay) walang iba (kundi sina) Senator Ping Lacson, Senator Tito Sotto at ang [aming mga kandidato para] senador,” Jubahib added.
(And I strongly believe that the people who can help end the problems of the Philippines are no other than Senator Ping Lacson, Senator Tito Sotto, and our candidates for senator.)
Senate President Sotto spoke about their platforms to ending corruption, including their flagship Budget Reform Advocacy for Village Empowerment (BRAVE) program, which he said would induce widespread social and economic development in the poorest communities of the country.
Lacson vowed to relentlessly push for their reform-oriented policies that would re-establish a good government, which the present and future generations of Filipinos can be proud of, reflecting the democratic ideals of Partido Reporma that embraced him to be its standard-bearer.
After their speaking engagements in Davao del Norte, Lacson and Sotto traveled to nearby Tagum City where similar activities were scheduled. They were joined at this leg of their campaign sortie by Partido Reporma senatorial aspirants Dr. Minguita Padilla and former Makati Rep. Monsour del Rosario.
Guest candidate former Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Piñol, who is a party mate of Sotto at the Nationalist People’s Coalition, also joined the gathering. He vouched for the leadership skills and good governance policies of both Lacson and Sotto to his fellow Mindanaoans.
Alvarez and Jubahib are the president and secretary-general of Partido Reporma respectively, which is the ruling party in Davao del Norte. They are leading the efforts to strengthen and consolidate support for the candidacies of Lacson, Sotto and the loyal members of their senatorial lineup.
They are seeking re-election themselves but are not facing serious challenge from their opponents, so they are concentrating instead on securing the electoral victory for the Lacson-Sotto tandem.