Once validated and with solid proof, Partido Reporma presidential candidate Sen. Panfilo Lacson yesterday warned they will confront those behind the “Oplan Wasak” to be mounted against him to destroy his presidential bid.
“There is no other way around it,” stressed Lacson, a veteran lawmaker and former chief of the Philippine National Police.
He claimed getting reports and threats of black propaganda being planned against him allegedly by groups supporting another presidential bet, who has been “apparently hurt” by his anti-corruption crusade.
Lacson said he remains undaunted by these dirty tactics and threats.
“For most of my career in public service, I was either eating death threats or smear campaigns for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This is not new to me,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lacson said an executive order institutionalizing the acceptance of the Philippine Identification (PhiIID) or Philippine Identification System Number (PSN) as sufficient proof of identity in all private and government transactions will mean better and easier lives for Filipinos, as well as foreign nationals residing and doing business in the Philippines.
The longtime public servant hailed President Rodrigo Duterte’s signing of the order to this effect.
“Thank you, President Rodrigo Duterte, for this. Being an author/sponsor of the measure in the Senate and a longtime advocate of the National ID system like you, I support you unequivocally in this regard,” said Lacson.
While he does not have the slightest intention to zero in on any particular person, much less other presidential candidates in his “Ubusin ang Magnanakaw” (Get Rid of Thieves) narrative, Lacson stressed he will not be cowed by the so-called “Oplan Wasak.”
The senator said he got information that a political group bankrolling the alleged black propaganda against him is working at the grassroots level. He said there were names, including the name of the group, coming out, but he is not at liberty to reveal them.
Lacson emphasized he is determined to stick to his guns in fighting all forms of corruption in government, which is the kind “that robs our people of their hopes and future.”
“But it’s high time that the people wake up to the reality that unbridled corruption destroys our nation and the future of our children,” he added.
In his campaign rallies, Lacson has called on voters to no longer choose leaders who would end up stealing from the country’s coffers. He has also repeatedly vowed to crack down on “thieves” within the government.
Lacson’s running mate, Senate President Vicente Sotto III, said there are people practicing dirty politics and besmirching Lacson for telling the truth.
He said they employ this dirty tactic so that people won’t believe Lacson.
Under Executive Order 162, the President cited “an urgent need to institutionalize the acceptance of the PhilID and PSN, as authenticated, as sufficient proof of identity and age in all government and private transactions, to improve efficiency in the delivery of social services, strengthen financial inclusion and promote ease of doing business.”
Lacson authored and sponsored the PhilSys (National ID) measure in the Senate, in hopes not only of helping fight crime but also allowing better access to social services for all Filipinos.
He cited the National ID system’s value in accelerating the delivery of social and other forms of public services by the government, as well as access of the public to services from the private sector – minus the hassle of bringing several different ID cards issued by various agencies.
Lacson, who had also spent 30 years as a law enforcer, pointed out as well the value of the National ID system in giving authorities the needed tools to fight crime and corruption.
The National ID system will also help the government improve its system of revenue collection, he added.
On the other hand, Lacson reiterated his call to the Philippine Statistics Authority to address the issue of delays in the delivery of National ID cards, and to intensify its information drive on how to apply for the PhilSys cards.
“It bears repeating that the PSA should expedite the printing and delivery of the National ID cards – as well as renew and intensify its information drive on how Filipinos can apply for them,” he said.