Magalong officially names Lacson as his presidential bet, asks fellow supporters not to give up on him

 

Magalong officially names Lacson as his presidential bet, asks fellow supporters not to give up on him

Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong has stated twice on record now that his top choice to take over as the 17th commander-in-chief of the Philippines in the upcoming 2022 national elections is no other than Partido Reporma chairman and standard-bearer Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson.

Magalong gave this categorical response when he was interviewed Monday over “Balitang Sapolitika” that was streamed live on Facebook. He said he had always been very vocal about his support for a possible Lacson presidency because of their shared principles in leadership and governance.

Both Lacson and Magalong had stellar careers in law enforcement when they served the Philippine National Police (PNP) before entering politics, where they also thrived because of their strong anti-corruption posture and high standards in public service.

Magalong reiterated that Lacson is the most influential person in his professional life. He was head of the Special Operations Battalion, the counterterrorism group of PNP, when Lacson became the leader of the entire national police body from 1999 to 2001 during the Estrada administration.

“The reason why I am this kind of person is because (of) someone when I was in the PNP. When I was serving under him, (he) has so much influence in the way I think, in the way I govern, in the way I manage—and that’s Senator Panfilo Lacson,” Magalong told program hosts Karol Di and Jun Mendoza.

While the two worked together during their time in the police force, Magalong said they were never that close when they were both still active in the service. But his former boss’ influence grew on him because of the way he transformed their organization that strictly adhered to his guiding principles.

“How he (Lacson) led the Philippine National Police, very transparent, grabe ang (there was a strong sense of) accountability. And you know, it’s all about governance and it’s the same thing that I’m applying. Governance beyond politics—that’s my battle cry now in the City of Baguio,” Magalong said.

Magalong also encouraged voters not to give in to the media hype over the early frontrunner in the presidential race just because of pre-election surveys. He said no matter what happens he won’t give up on Lacson despite the tough competition he is facing and he wants all his supporters to do the same.

“Alam mo (You know), the worst thing that one person will do when he sees na ‘ito magaling ito pero dahil hindi mananalo, ito na lang ang iboboto ko’ (this candidate is really good, but because people think he would not win, I would vote for someone else instead). I don’t think that should be the right mindset,” according to the Baguio City chief executive.

“Itong iboboto ko because nasa kanya lahat ng katangian ng isang lider na hinahanap ko. Maski na matalo pa siya, siya pa rin ang iboboto ko. (I would vote for him [Lacson] because he has all the qualities I find in a good leader. Win or lose, I would still vote for him.) Because it’s all about consistency, it’s all about conviction, it’s all about commitment,” he underscored.

“Huwag tayong bibitaw because alam natin na siya lang talaga ang makakapag-ayos nitong bansa. I saw it. Ako may personal experience ako, and ako, malaki ang conviction ko talaga na if there’s anyone who can lead this country, (it is Lacson). Because we can never do trial and error this time,” Magalong said.

(Let us not give up because we know he is the only person who can fix our country. I saw it. I have personal experience (on how he leads) and I have strong conviction that if there’s anyone who can lead this country, (it is Lacson). Because we can never do trial and error this time.)

In December last year, Lacson and Magalong had an informal meeting and discussed how smart technologies can be incorporated into programs for good governance. Magalong already started this in Baguio City by establishing its own state-of-the-art command and communications system.

This affinity for the positive effects of technology is also something they have in common. Lacson has been very supportive of the growth of science and technology in the Philippines as he believes these two interconnected fields of studies are crucial towards its economic development.

In the 18th Congress, Lacson authored Senate Bill No. 1303 or the Science for Change Program Act, intended to promote technological innovations and invest heavily on the research and development sectors to accelerate social progress.

“Dapat ang ating mga presidentiable talagang open sila (Our presidential aspirants must really be open) and they should embrace technology in promoting good governance. Good governance is the key in solving many of our ills and problems dito sa bayan natin (here in our country),” Magalong noted.

Lacson is running for president under Partido Reporma in tandem with Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III. Part of their overall agenda is the full digitalization of government services to streamline bureaucratic processes and eliminate corruption.