“Ang manggagaya ay kamag-anak ng magnanakaw. (The imitator is a relative of a thief).

Supporters of Partido Reporma chairman and standard bearer Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson gave this comment after learning that certain candidates for the presidency have decided to become copycats of several items contained in the senator’s platform of governance.

Former Antipolo City Rep. Romeo Acop, a staunch supporter of Lacson, said it is time for those who steal platform ideas to stop even though he is reminded of the cliche that “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”

“To other presidential aspirants, if you have questions as to how the ideas you have stolen can be explained to the public or carried out, feel free to ask us. We know what to do,” said Acop with glaring sarcasm.

Before this, a few members of the Lacson camp were thinking of dismissing incidents of ‘platform imitations’ of the senator’s to-do list if he becomes president but some supporters “begged to differ.”

“Maybe his political rivals realized that the solutions our leader and his team have been offering from the get-go are really what the country needs." Acop said in a statement.

He added: "That is the advantage when you have a Ping Lacson in your corner whose governance experience is so deep."

However, there are those in the Lacson camp who feel that there are serious repercussions that the acts of “platform snatchers” might have on the lives of Filipinos.

“This is true as, often, those who have been fooled by the imitators ended up feeling short of their expectations. Therefore, we agree that the imitation of platform ideas has to stop at some point,” said Acop.

“But in the interest of taking the high road again, we are pulling our ‘intellectual humility’ card,” the former lawmaker stated.

“In a world where almost everyone claims to be the best and the brightest among the rest, yet keeps on failing to recognize their own blind spots, we would rather try and have a conversation with the curious and the intellectually humble,” Acop said.

The Lacson camp received a big surprise after finding out that the senator’s priorities in governance have been found in the campaign platform of other candidates.

Acop said that among these are Lacson’s vow to push for a “historic increase of budget infusion” for the Philippine research and development sector.

Lacson had also issued press released revealing his plans for the full digitizatin of government services as one way of addressing corruption and bureaucratic inefficiency.

“And then when he laid down his ‘future-proof’ strategies to address the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and how our economy can effectively recover from it without sacrificing the health and safety of our citizens, among others,” noted Acop.