'We'll still be friends'—says Lacson after tandem drops Senate bets Gatchalian, Bautista
Partido Reporma standard bearer Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Thursday said he will remain friends with the candidates whom they dropped from their senatorial slate.
“One day lang naman yung eleksyon eh (The election is only one day). After election, we’ll still be friends. If they want, if they choose, we will still consider them as our friends,” Lacson said during the Lacson-Sotto tandem’s Meet the Press forum.
Lacson and his running mate, Senate President Vicente Sotto III had announced that Senator Sherwin Gatchalian and former Quezon City mayor Herbert Bautista would no longer be part of the senatorial slate of their tandem.
Both Gatchalian and Bautista are members of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), which Sotto chairs.They are now endorsing the tandem of Marcos, Jr. and Duterte-Carpio.
During the forum, Lacson showed a short video clip showing Gatchalian calling former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. the president and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio as the vice president.
Both Lacson and Sotto said they are amenable to their senatorial candidates joining the campaign rallies of their rivals so long as they do not openly endorse them.
“I understand politics. I’ve stayed in politics long enough. We understand na gusto rin nilang manalo (that they want to win) in any way or means that they think would suit them,” Lacson said.
“So we respect their decision. But we also have to respect our own standards. Ganun lang ka-simple yun (It’s that simple),” he said.