Cebu will be one of the main battlegrounds for the 2022 national elections that will get much attention from the tandem of Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson and Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III.

With 3.2 million registered voters, Lacson and Sotto are expected to pursue their support by presenting the much-vaunted platform of government that the partners declared as the country’s hope in achieving progress, peace and good governance.

Sotto, vice presidential candidate of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, has been counting on Cebu as a bailiwick since his father is a pure Cebuano. His grandfather, the late Senator Vicente Sotto III, was among the most respected politicians to hail from Cebu.

The former senator was the author of Republic Act No. 53 or the Press Freedom law.

The provincial government hospital Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City was named in honor of his late grandfather.
 On the other hand, Lacson, standard bearer of the Partido Reporma, will also rely on strong backing from Cebuano’s who will not forget his contributions in fighting criminality in the province during his term as chief of the Philippine National Police.

Lacson was hailed as an adopted son of the province via Cebu City Council Resolution passed in 1991. He served as commander of the Cebu Metropolitan District Command (Metrodiscom) from 1989 to 1992 during the administration of former President Corazon Aquino.


The presidential duo arrived here around 9:00 AM Friday (December 10) to kick-start their scheduled tour of Visayas this weekend. Upon arrival, Lacson and Sotto headed straight to Banilad town where their respective provincial campaign teams established their headquarters.



The long-time public servants visited their campaign headquarters to lead a quick inauguration ceremonies, hold a joint press conference, and personally meet some of their supporters who appeared on-site to give both senators the warmest welcome possible.

 


Both senators will be counting on the assistance of their political allies in the province, including Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, and other local government officials of Cebu to muster grassroots level of support for their respective electoral bids.



Garcia leads ‘One Cebu,' the dominant political party in the province, which has been allied to the ruling PDP-Laban since 2017.

‘One Cebu’ is expected to shift political alliances this season as cracks between and among PDP-Laban party members continue.



Both Lacson and Sotto already had a previous meeting with Garcia, who continues to receive political personalities and parties currently participating in the

While an endorsement from Garcia would be welcome, the reform-oriented partners said they are willing to work even much harder to get their messages of good governance and anti-corruption efforts across the voters of Cebu.



Sotto said there are over 40 local government officials whose constituents would benefit from their Budget Reform Advocacy for Village Empowerment (BRAVE) program because the potential development plans that would be supported by their proposal are not confined to urban areas.



“The municipalities in the entire Cebu province will benefit, just like the other municipalities in the other provinces of the country will benefit much from BRAVE,” Sotto said, noting that political endorsements do not really guarantee a win for a particular set of candidates.