Former Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado has expressed support for presidential aspirant Panfilo Lacson, saying the country needed the senator’s advocacies on fiscal reforms.
Mercado underscored Lacson’s integrity of character and “clear vision and promises of transformation” anchored on the senator’s Budget Reform Advocacy for Village Empowerment (BRAVE) program.
The erstwhile Defense chief was among a group of former government officials who signed on Friday a manifesto of support for Lacson’s presidential bid.
Mercado publicly stood up for Lacson who is grappling with serious challenges confronting his national campaign.
He defended Lacson and his proposed reforms, saying many people apparently did not realize that the country needed to fix its mounting national debts and bring the state of the economy back to pre-pandemic levels, if not better.
“The most important law that is being passed by Congress is the budget because without money properly appropriated for certain programs and projects, the laws would be useless. That is what we call unfunded mandates,” Mercado said at the press conference of the so-called “Generals of Ping.”
According to Mercado, he could not help but notice some parallelisms between the supporters of Lacson and the legendary Spartan warriors led by King Leonidas, during the infamous “Battle of Thermopylae” where the underdogs and significantly outnumbered forces refused to give up the battle no matter the odds.
Although it became a cautionary tale of courageous defeat during the Greco-Persian wars in ancient Greek history, Mercado said Filipinos could all learn from the bravery, fighting spirit and valiant efforts of the Spartans in standing their ground.
“If we think about it, even if it seems that this battle is very difficult, let us be inspired by the Spartans. Three hundred of them took on 10,000. Let those who have been [there] and those who are going to join us more, be the source of our strength to know that we can win this fight, because we are fighting for something larger than the election,” Mercado said.