IBALIK ANG TIWALA

  Sotto to PATAFA: Leave EJ Obiena alone Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III on Thursday, January 6 said sports associations should leave Olympian EJ Obiena alone to allow him to concentrate on his training instead of being sidetracked by threatened law suits for alleged misuse of funds. “Leave EJ alone. Allow him to focus on his tournaments,” Sotto, himself a former national athlete who represented the country on international bowling competitions, said. Sotto said he was a national athlete too and he feels the frustration that the Philippine pole vaulter is feeling now. ‘ ’It’s hard to train in another country without your family and the culture that you are used to. Our athletes represent the country in a different level. They should be getting our support and not being attacked by sports associations,” he pointed out. Sotto said the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) should have settled its differences with Obiena privately and not announced its gripes ...

  Suspended All the major presidential campaign groups suspended activities in the face of sharply rising infections. The suspensions could last a couple of weeks or more and could have implications for the eventual outcomes of the elections. The headquarters of the BBM-Sara campaign was first to announce a suspension of activities after several campaign workers tested positive for COVID-19. The others followed suit. Leni Robredo had to self-isolate after exposure to an infected person. Ping Lacson is in quarantine. Manny Pacquiao and Isko Moreno have postponed all campaign activities until further notice to avoid spreader events. Of course, the official campaign period doesn’t begin until after a month. But that is a mere bureaucratic stipulation. The race for president and vice president could be settled in the pre-campaign phase. Every indication points to the race breaking wide open. The leading candidate, according to the voter preference surveys, has now cornered over half th...

  Sotto picks 2 senators to counter ‘No-el’ ploy MANILA, Philippines — Amid persistent talk of a “no-election (No-el)” scenario, Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Wednesday revealed he already had two colleagues in mind who could hypothetically serve as the interim Senate president and take over temporarily as the country’s leader if no other higher official is elected by June 30. Sotto said he was not taking any chances despite reassurances from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) that it would foil any plot to delay the May 9 polls and extend the terms of incumbent officials, including that of President Duterte. “At least two [senators] fit the strategy,” he told the Inquirer in a Viber message. But he declined to give names, saying only that his picks should be among the 12 remaining senators whose terms were not lapsing this year. These were Senators Grace Poe, Cynthia Villar, Aquilino Pimentel III, Juan Edgardo Angara, Christopher Go, Nancy Binay, Pia Cayetano, Ronald de...

  Lacson in self-isolation after COVID-19 exposure MANILA, Philippines — Senator Panfilo Lacson is now in self-isolation after being exposed to his son who recently tested positive for the coronavirus. Lacson said Tuesday that he already got swab-tested and will await the result tomorrow, January 5. “In isolation with [a] sore throat after getting exposed. Many relatives and friends are saying their household members have tested positive,” the senator said in a tweet. In a message to reporters, the senator said his kasambahay (househelp) and driver tested positive for the virus on Tuesday morning. “[A] lawyer friend’s whole household also [tested] positive. Some relatives [are] also exhibiting symptoms. I got exposed to my son last Sunday. His positive RT PCR test result arrived last night, hence my self-isolation,” he said in a message to reporters. “Already informed all those I got in contact with. They’re taking precautions already,” he added. Lacson reminded the public to obser...

Lacson not withdrawing — Ty An ally of Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Tuesday came in his defense amid calls by supporters of a fellow presidential candidate for him to withdraw from next year’s elections. Former congressman Arnel Ty, the treasurer of Lacson’s Partido Reporma, said their party does not believe their standard-bearer’s ranking in the latest Pulse Asia survey is reason enough for him to back out. Lacson was at fourth with six percent of the respondents’ votes. Former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. topped the poll with 53 percent, followed by Vice President Leni Robredo with 20 percent, and Senator Manny Pacquiao and Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso, who were tied at third spot with eight percent apiece. Ty chided the supporters of another presidential candidate who called on the opposition to present a unified candidate for Malacañang against the administration party, now without its own candidate following the withdrawal of Senator Christopher “Bo...

  Lacson won't quit presidential race, says partymate PRESIDENTIAL candidate Sen.  Panfilo Lacson  won't stop campaigning despite being behind in the surveys, Partido Reporma president Rep.  Pantaleon  "Bebot" Alvarez said on Wednesday. Lacson, Partido Reporma chairman, was seeking the presidency in the May 2022 national elections with Senate President  Vicente  "Tito" Sotto 3rd, Nationalist People's Coalition chairman as his running mate. The official campaign period started on February 9.       360p geselecteerd als afspeelkwaliteit In a radio interview on Wednesday, Alvarez said whatever happens Lacson should not withdraw from the presidential race because it would deprive Filipino voters of the chance to pick "the right leader" in the May 9 elections. He said that Lacson remains the most qualified for the position of Chief Executive among the contenders for the presidency. Alvarez deplored the "dirty tricks" of other camps ...

  Reporma treasurer Ty: Lacson not quitting race amid rival ‘innuendoes’ Partymates in the Partido Reporma on Tuesday said they believe their chairman and standard bearer, Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, would not drop his presidential bid despite being behind in most surveys conducted ahead of the official campaign season for the 2022 national elections. Meanwhile, Lacson confirmed on Twitter that he was isolating after one of his sons caught COVID. The longtime public servant said he had a sore throat, adding that many of his friends and relatives were saying their household members tested positive as well. “We likewise disagree with the views of some who say our chairman should quit now that he is lagging in election surveys and give way to another candidate in a bid to unite the so-called opposition,” said Rep. Arnel Ty, the party’s treasurer. These persons, he said, conveniently forget that their chosen leader “abandoned the party the candidate had belonged to – which, mind you...