Former Senate President Vicente Sotto III聽聽
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Several administration senatorial candidates on Tuesday moved to deescalate tensions rather than stoking the fire brought by former President Rodrigo Duterte鈥檚 remark about killing incumbent senators, with one of the candidates saying he treats it like a joke.
In a press conference held in Pasay City on Tuesday, the Marcos administration-backed Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas candidates were asked about Duterte鈥檚 threats to just kill 15 senators to make way for more of his candidates entering the Senate.
Former Senate President Vicente Sotto III said he knows Duterte, and thinks the ex-leader is just joking.
Sotto, however, also advised other candidates to focus on issues only, as the moment they attack opponents on a personal basis, they have already lost the debate.
鈥淚鈥檓 treating it as a joke, kakilala ko naman, magkaibigan naman kami ni President Digong eh, pero sa akin kasi parang piece of advice sa ating mga politicians: kapag pinag-uusapan ang mga issues, it鈥檚 better we stick to the issues,鈥� Sotto said.
(I鈥檓 treating it as a joke, I know him, I am friends with President Digong, but for me I think it鈥檚 like a piece of advice for our politicians: when we talk about issues, it鈥檚 better we stick to the issues.)
鈥淥nce you start attacking personally, personal attacks on anyone, you have lost the debate.聽 It means you have lost the debate,鈥� Sotto added.
Former senator Panfilo Lacson said he does not want to comment on the issue, but noted that he and other Alyansa candidates previously took a , when they were asked about this before the first rally in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.
鈥溾�楶ag nag-aaway away 鈥榶ong mga makapangyarihang tao, sana, ang kahilingan ko, tumulong na lang tayo mag-deescalate sa halip na mag-escalate, kasi walang idudulot na maganda ito sa ating mga kababayan lalo na sa pangkaraniwang Pilipino.聽 Mas maganda 鈥榶ong, kung mangampanya, sarili lang na merito, katulad ng ginagawa namin,鈥� he said.
(When powerful people fight, I hope we just help in deescalating tensions rather than escalating issues, because it would not do anything good especially for the common Filipino.聽 It鈥檚 better if we launch campaigns based on our own merit, just like what we are doing.)
鈥淎ng posisyon namin, spontaneous, hindi kami nag-usap usap.聽 Walang negative campaigning, wala 鈥榶ong mga abrasive na remarks na makakapag-divide, kasi very divisive ang ating eleksyon, 鈥榳ag na nating pang dagdagan pa ng divisiveness.聽 So 鈥榶on lang ang aking hiling, mas maganda, ako ah, hindi na lang mag-comment,鈥� he added.
(Our position was made spontaneously, we did not talk about it.聽 We will not do negative campaigning, we will not resort to abrasive remarks which will divide the nation, because the elections are already very divisive, let us refrain from adding to that divisiveness.聽 So that鈥檚 my request for this election, it might be better for me not to comment on that.)
Last February 13, at the proclamation rally of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP) Senate slate for the 2025 midterm elections, Duterte to make room for their candidates.
鈥淣ow, there鈥檚 many of them. What should we do? Let鈥檚 kill the senators now to create vacancies,鈥� he said in Filipino, eliciting laughter from the audience.
Several of the former president鈥檚 critics have already called him out for the remarks, with ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro saying that murder and terrorism are
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino 鈥淜oko鈥� Pimentel 鈥� who used to be a key Duterte ally during the 17th Congress 鈥� meanwhile noted that mentioning death and killing at any given chance may be a worrying sign of a serious personality disorder.
Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre III, chief of the Philippine National Police 鈥� Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, has already filed a complaint of inciting sedition against former Duterte over these remarks.
Former senator Manny Pacquiao on the other hand 鈥� another former Duterte ally 鈥� said that candidates and people involved in the elections should refrain from mudslinging, to show respect for the country鈥檚 democracy.