Sanchez Mira, Cagayan—Partido Reporma standard-bearer Senator Panfilo "Ping" M. Lacson is convinced that holding direct conversations with the public is a much better indicator of voters’ outlook than relying on mainstream survey results, which already projected most presidential candidates on the losing end.
On his visit to Cagayan Valley region this week, Lacson justified his town hall style approach in most of his campaign sorties because it gives him the opportunity to talk to the people and discuss at length how he plans to solve the pressing national and local issues affecting their living conditions.
“Marami sa ating mga kababayan parang tumitingin lang sa—parang medyo mababaw ang pananaw, tumitingin sa popularidad (A lot of our countrymen are only looking at—it seems they have a narrow approach (in selecting future leaders), basing (their decisions) just on popularity). Hindi na masyadong nasusuri ano ba ‘yung pwedeng i-contribute ng isang kandidato sa isang bayan (They are not analyzing what a particular candidate can possibly contribute to their municipality),’’ Lacson told voters in Sanchez Mira, which he visited Tuesday afternoon.
For Lacson, it is crucial for every aspiring president or public servant to reach areas that are rarely visited by most candidates during election season, so the people in these far-flung communities would be well-informed of their proposed policies and programs of government.
Sanchez Mira is over 635 kilometers away north of Metro Manila. It is a third-class municipality in Cagayan with an estimated population of over 26,000, based on the 2020 census; 16,000-plus of whom are registered voters—70 percent are farmers/fisherfolk while 30 percent are professionals.
Lacson campaigned in the town alone as his running mate Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III had to travel back to Manila by Tuesday afternoon to attend some emergency meetings. The presidential candidate thanked the residents and local leaders of Sanchez Mira for their warm reception.
“Nagpapasalamat ako sa inyo, sa inyong lahat na naririto, at naririnig niyo ako [I am grateful to you, each one of you who are here today, because you can hear me). Depende na sa inyo kung paniniwalaan niyo ako o hindi pero lahat ng sinasabi ko sa inyo totoo. Hindi po ako marunong mambola,” said Lacson, who was applauded by his audience for his substantive dialogue with them (It is up to you if you’re going to believe me or not, but I can tell you, everything I said to you is true (because) I don’t know how to fool {the public}),’’ said Lacson, who was applauded by his audience for his substantive dialogue with them.
“Siguro kaya ‘yon ang dahilan kung bakit sa mga survey ay iba ‘yong namamayagpag at tayo hindi naman... Well, siguro may mali rin. Baka hindi naman isinasama ‘yung pangalan ko 'pag nagsu-survey (Maybe that not being able to fool the public is also one reason why other candidates are faring much better in the surveys and not us... Well, perhaps there’s something wrong, too. Maybe my name is not being included by the one conducting the surveys),’’ the former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief turned veteran lawmaker added.
Lacson assured the people of Sanchez Mira that good leadership and better public services wouldcome their way in the next six years if they help him and his running mate get voted into office to implement their reform-oriented policy directions and flagship programs.
“Kapag kami’y binigyan ng pagkakataon sa tulong ng ating Panginoon, at sa tulong ng ating mga mamamayan, basta isa lang masasabi namin sa inyo: ‘Hindi namin kayo bibiguin (If we are granted the opportunity to continue our public service with the help of our Lord and the support of our countrymen, we can only promise you one thing: ‘We will not let you down),’’ the presidential candidate vowed.
‘’We will steer the Philippines towards a better direction where the needs of ordinary citizens are provided through our national budget—it will reach you. It will not be strained to the extent that (public funds) are only going to who knows who,’’ he stressed.
Lacson and Sotto are actively promoting their Budget Reform Advocacy for Village Empowerment (BRAVE) program, which seeks to institutionalize the equitable distribution of public funds among local government units nationwide to spur a more inclusive social and economic progress for everyone.
‘’Because, again, we discovered through our years of national budget scrutiny... We will always go back to our national budget because it is the lifeblood of our economy, if not, the lifeblood of our country itself,’’ he emphasized.