Three weeks before the May 2022 elections, four presidential candidates on Sunday took a united stand and said they will not withdraw their respective bids in the upcoming May 2022 elections.
Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno, former defense secretary Norberto Gonzales and Sen. Manny Pacquiao made a commitment they will finish their presidential bids.
Lacson said he, Moreno, Gonzales and Pacquiao would like to remind the voters that the 2022 presidential race is not only set for two candidates—former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. and Vice President Leni Robredo.
“They were trying to strip us of our supporters, ‘yung mga (our) support group. Nangyari sa akin, ‘yung Reporma na-hijack; and then si Mayor Isko, ‘yung kanyang ‘Ikaw ’ doon sa Cebu, ganoon din (it happened to me, the Partido Reporma was hijacked, and Mayor Isko, his supporters in Cebu, also jumped ship),” Lacson pointed out during the press conference at the Manila Peninsula Hotel.
Lacson was joined by his running mate, Senate President Vicente Sotto III. Moreno’s running mate, vice presidential aspirant Dr. Willie Ong was also present during the press conference. Pacquiao, however, was not present during the press conference but is on his way from General Santos City.
Last Monday, Lacson claimed that former Quezon City mayor Brigido “Jun” Simon suddenly approached him while in Pampanga was urging him to withdraw in favor of Robredo, and said they would be pushing for the tandem of the vice president and Sotto.
The senator said he had already thumbed down the proposal and insisted that he and Sotto already had an agreement to support each other all the way up until the end of the voting period.
The camp of Robredo has already refuted the claims they are asking anyone from their camp to ask Lacson to drop his candidacy.
Lacson, however, said he is standing by his experience and said he was appalled by the apparent attempts to “subvert the will of the electorate.”
“So, marami talagang attempts and parang nili-limit na lang ‘yung choice or choices sa dalawa, nakakahon na lang (there were really so many attempts as if they are limiting the peoples’ choices down to two, and box it) and that’s the reason why we have to do this,” he pointed out.
“That among 111-(million) or so Filipinos, million Filipinos, hindi lang dalawa ‘yung pagpipilian. Actually, meron pang ibang tumatakbo (That the choices are not limited two. There are other candidates who are running),” he said.