Former Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Kim Henares says the 2022 poll season is giving off more toxic than positive vibes compared to previous elections as conflicting narratives and messages of hatred are getting delivered faster than ideas for development.
For this reason, Henares said it is crucial for Filipinos to elect a competent leader who would steer the nation forward without further dividing the country, and this is a responsibility that presidential candidate Senator Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson is more than willing and ready to take in the interest of public service.
‘’This election is increasingly becoming more toxic. The people are fighting each other. We need a president who is ready to serve. He (Lacson) would no longer study (to prepare himself for the job). He already knows what to do,’’ Henares said over DZRH radio Thursday, April 21.
Henares is currently working with Lacson as his assistant campaign manager. She said she preferred him over other presidential candidates because of his competence and unrivaled years of experience in governance and public service—both as law enforcement officer and lawmaker.
“Kasi karamihan naman ng mga batas na magaganda naman ‘yung mga batas ay sila (Lacson at Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III) naman ang gumawa (Because most of the good laws that we have right now were created by them (Lacson and his running mate Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III),’’ she said.
‘’Ang problema ng Pilipinas implementasyon. So, alam na nila kung paano nila i-implement, kasi sila naman ‘yung gumawa niyan,” she noted (The problem with the Philippines is its implementation. So, they know how to implement better because they’re the ones who created these laws),’’ she pointed out.
“‘Yon na nga ho, kasi napaka toxic nitong atmosphere, kailangan mo ng isang tao na pwedeng mag-unite sa Pilipinas, at the same time, makakadisiplina sa lahat ng tao lalo na ang mga pulis (And there you have it, because of this toxic atmosphere, we need a person who can unite the Philippines and, at the same time, enforce discipline on everyone, especially the police force). Ang mga pulis, okay naman ‘yan, basta disiplinado ‘yan (The policemen are okay as long as they are disciplined),’’ she added.
According to Henares, the next president is going to inherit problems that are more difficult to solve than what former President Benigno S. Aquino III had to deal with during his reign. These include the ballooning internal and external national debts as well as the effects of the continuing pandemic.
Lacson is campaigning to restore public trust in government and vowed to work toward the elimination of corruption in the country by institutionalizing sound fiscal policies through his flagship Budget Reform Advocacy for Village Empowerment (BRAVE) program.
Henares expressed hope that more voters would seriously consider the solutions that Lacson is offering in answer to the persistent problems plaguing our nation and not be dissuaded by his pre-election poll numbers.
“Ang parati naming naririnig is si Ping Lacson ang pinakamagaling, ang pinakahanda, pero hindi siya mananalo (What we keep on hearing is that Ping Lacson is the best, most prepared , but he will not win). E kung lahat ng tao na nagsasabi na siya ‘yung pinaka-competent at pinakahanda iboto siya ay tingin ko naman ho mananalo ho siya (But if all those who are saying that he is the most competent and most prepared vote for him, I believe he will win),’’ she said.
In the last few weeks of the campaign period, Henares said the Lacson-Sotto campaign trail is trying to convince Filipinos to vote for the tandem by actively recruiting them to join their movement. She dismissed rumors that they are holding "raffle draws" to drum up support for the duo.
‘’What we are doing is that we are reaching out to the people on the ground. We are recruiting them to join our movement. We are a movement not just a campaign team. So, for example, you attend a Ping Lacson rally and someone gives you an ID, that is not meant for a raffle entry,’’ she pointed out.
‘’Because we are recruiting people to join our movement, we are giving them IDs to represent that they are one with us. And every day we give them messages about Ping Lacson. So, the IDs are not meant for a raffle draw,’’ she added.