Lacson-Sotto tandem now vows support for Marcos admin
LAOAG, ILOCOS NORTE, Philippines — In 2022 former senators Panfilo Lacson and Vicente Sotto III ran for president and vice president, respectively, against eventual winner President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
But fast forward to 2025, both Lacson and Sotto are now again seeking Senate seats as part of the administration-backed Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas, vowing to support Marcos’ legislative agenda.
In their respective speeches during the proclamation rally on Tuesday, held at the Centennial Arena, Lacson and Sotto said that they will help Marcos in enacting change for the country.
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“Ngayon naman, kailangan po ng tulong ni President Bongbong Marcos. Kaya po kami nariririto upang sumuporta sa kanya. Kaya ‘yong aming buong grupo ay umaasa na tutulungan niyo kaming magtagumpay, sapagkat ‘pag kami ang nagtagumpay, magtatagumpay si President Marcos,” Sotto told the crowd.
(Now, President Bongbong Marcos needs help. That’s why we are here to support him. That’s why our entire group hopes that you can help us achieve victory, because if we win in the elections, it will also be a win for President Marcos.)
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Article continues after this advertisement“At ’pag nagtagumpay si President Marcos, magtatagumpay ang buong Pilipinas,” he added.
(And if President Marcos succeeds, it will be a victory for the entire Philippines.)
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Lacson meanwhile narrated how he was able to interact with Ilocano natives when he was still a police officer, later adding that there are now three prominent Ilocanos in Malacañang—Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, and Marcos.
“Ang pangatlo at pinaka-prominenteng Ilokano sa Malacañang, ang matapat—matapat sa tungkulin, matapat sa bayan, matapat sa bansang Pilipinas—si Pangulong Bongbong Marcos,” he said.
(The third and most prominent Ilocano in Malacañang, the person who is true—true to his duty, true to the country, and true to the Philippines—President Bongbong Marcos.)
“Ako po, kung sakaling bibigyan ng pagkakataon ay tutulong, magiging katuwang ng Pangulong Marcos sa pagtataguyod upang maging maganda ang kinabukasan ng ating bansa, at kinabukasan ng susunod na lahi ng Pilipino,” he added.
(For me, in case I am given a chance to help, I will be a partner of President Marcos in establishing a good future for our country, and for the future of the next generation of Filipinos.)
Aside from Lacson and Sotto, another member of the Alyansa slate faced off against Marcos in 2022: former senator Manny Pacquiao.
Pacquiao, who also ran for president, questioned why there are so many people fighting the Marcos administration when it has several good programs.
“Pilipinas kong mahal, ang tanong ko po […] nasaan ka na ngayon? Ano nang nangyari, bakit tayo nagkahiwa-hiwalay, bakit tayo nag-aaway away. Kung sinong naka-upo, may mga kumokontra,” he said.
(My beloved Philippines, where are you now? What happened, why are we far from each other, why are we fighting each other? Why are we contradicting those who are in position?)
“Ang programa ng ating Pangulo ay napaka-ganda, doon sa Bagong Pilipinas po, may kasama po doon, ang isa sa nagustuhan ko ay ‘yong sustainable livelihood at saka pabahay,” he added.
(The program of our President is a good one, because in Bagong Pilipinas, it is included — one of the programs I liked — is sustainable livelihood and socialized housing.)
Earlier, Marcos appealed to people to vote straight for Alyansa, as these candidates are the best that the country could offer.
In his speech, the Chief Executive appeared to take a jab at former president Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, as he mentioned several issues thrown against his predecessor like human rights violations in the drug war, alleged mismanagement during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the proliferation of Philippine offshore gaming operators.
The Chief Executive also seemed to allude to Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder and senatorial bet Apollo Quiboloy—a close ally of Duterte. According to Marcos, none of the Alyansa senatorial candidates play holy only to be charged for allegedly abusing women and minors as young as 12 years old.
There is a huge chance that the majority of the Alyansa bets would make it to the Senate, based on recent surveys. Reports from Pulse Asia released on Monday showed that 10 of the administration bets are on the top 14 slots, with ACT-CIS party-list Rep. Erwin Tulfo leading the way at the first spot.
Another survey, this time from OCTA Research, showed that 11 of the top 14 candidates belong to Alyansa.
