The tandem of presidential candidate Sen. Panfilo Lacson and his running mate Senate President Vicente Sotto III yesterday said “every day is anti-kotong day” and vowed no let-up in their anti-corruption drive if they are chosen by the people following the 2022 national elections.
The duo committed to be relentless in their pursuit to eliminate corruption in government as the world observed International Anti-Corruption Day on Thursday (December 9).
They underscored this message in a virtual meeting with journalists during their weekly “Meet the Press” forum, noting that Filipinos must still consider corruption an election issue when they choose the next set of leaders to steer the nation forward.
“We always maintain that one of the biggest problems in our country is corruption and we should really look into it. When our people make a choice on who they will vote for, they must always keep in mind those who can solve the issue or problem of corruption in our country,” said Lacson, who is running under Partido Reporma.
He reminded Filipinos that “corruption kills,” especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when the nation had to contend with the Pharmally scandal — one of the worst examples of large-scale corruption involving billions worth of public funds that could have been used for better projects.
The presidential bet said people must continue to express strong indignation over such stories because the issue of corruption is no laughing matter. He reiterated that Filipinos must never allow corruption scandals to be normalized across all sectors of society.
He said the Pharmally issue is infuriating, “but we can only express our anger, sometimes we would rather laugh at it. And to me, it is a bad sign when we just laugh at the problems that hound us where the issue of corruption is involved.”
“When we keep laughing at it, that means we have accepted it. But as long as the people remain angry over these problems, we have hope, and that is what we will be focusing on: corrupt officials will never get past the Lacson-Sotto administration,” he said.
Due to this, Lacson noted every day must be considered ‘Anti-Kotong Day’ in the Philippines as long as the culture of corruption persists.
He renewed his commitment to enforce much needed reforms in government the same way he did as chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
“For as long as the ‘kotong’ culture exists, every day will be ‘Anti-Kotong Day,’ that is what I can say. ‘Anti-Kotong Day’ will only stop once we eliminate corruption. I’ve already done it when I was Chief PNP, corruption in the streets was gone,” he added.
Lacson made a name for himself as custodian of the national budget in the Senate and enforced strict disciplinary measures against “kotong” (bribe-seeking) cops when he led the PNP between 1999 to 2001. He and Sotto vowed to keep leading by example once they are elected by the people.
“When you start an anti-corruption drive, you should bring it all the way. No double standard, no lip service, no doublespeak. You should ‘walk the talk.’ And that is what Senate President [Sotto] and I became known for. We always walk the talk,” he said.
“Given the chance—Senator Lacson and I—given the chance, we will go after them. We will not let corrupt officials go unpunished whether they are from the previous administration, this administration or the incoming administration,” Sotto echoed.
As part of their continuing commitment to stamp out corruption, Sotto said they have scheduled a hearing on Tuesday (December 14) at the Senate to address the issue of vegetable smuggling, which puts some businesses at risk of losing their profits.
“I have been listening to the business community, to the sector, and really to them corruption weakens the business climate in the country. And so that is what we have been pursuing,” the vice-presidential aspirant said.
“In the coming days, as Christmas draws near, there will be no let-up in our investigation. We will have a hearing on Tuesday to discuss the issue of vegetable smuggling,” Sotto added.