Responding to the call of Sen. Manny Pacquiao to help people from Visayas and Mindanao devastated by typhoon Odette, Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Friday instead lashed back at his fellow presidential candidate.
Since the call was done through media, Lacson emphasized it goes against his principled belief that “calamity politics” is the lowest form of campaigning.
“In fact, I consider it abominable,” said Lacson, who once served as rehabilitation czar under the Aquino administration after the country was hit by super typhoon Yolanda.
If the call of Pacquiao was done through private communication, Lacson, chairman and standard bearer of Partido Reporma, said he would have responded privately as well.
Lacson said he would have “offered whatever resources we can share at our disposal in a coordinated effort.”
As in past calamities, he said his Senate office “as well as friends and supporters assisted without fanfare and without any media coverage.”
“We did it in Cagayan Valley, and Bicol region and some other areas hit by strong typhoons,” stressed Lacson.
“Election or no election, we assist and help, period,” he added.
Meanwhile, provinces are sure to receive at least P1 billion each for their development and livelihood projects from the national government Lacson and running mate Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III are elected as President and Vice President, respectively, following the 2022 national elections.
Apart from the P1 billion for each of the country’s 82 provinces, the 1,634 cities and municipalities in the country would also receive at least P100 million, and every one of the 42,000 barangays nationwide would get P5 million only for development and livelihood under the Lacson-Sotto flagship Budget Reform Advocacy for Village Empowerment (BRAVE) program.
The longtime public servants reiterated this during their recent “Online Kumustahan” leg with local officials and Partido Reporma supporters in Naga City, Cebu, adding this would truly help local governments and even remote villages to plan projects around their needs for the years ahead.
“As per our computation, since P400 billion is not being used annually in allocations under the national budget, we thought of BRAVE (to optimize how the budget is used),” Lacson said.
This only happens, the veteran lawmaker added, if the national government is actively listening to local communities’ needs and priorities.
