After securing the support of their allies in their hometowns of Imus, Cavite, and Quezon City recently, Partido Reporma standard-bearer Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson and running mate Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III headed south to solidify their base in Davao del Norte.

Davao del Norte is considered a bailiwick of Lacson-Sotto in Mindanao by virtue of their strong alliance with Partido Reporma stalwarts former House Speaker and Rep. Pantaleon ‘Bebot’ Alvarez and incumbent Governor Edwin Jubahib, who committed solid support to campaign for their tandem.

Shortly upon arriving at the Davao City airport Friday morning, Lacson and Sotto went straight to the Panabo Multipurpose Tourism Cultural and Sports Center, where they were welcomed by around 2,000 political allies and supporters wearing white campaign t-shirts.

Zubiri

In a related development, Sotto was asked whether or not Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel ‘’Migz" Zubiri (Independent) remained in their senatorial lineup even if he is part of the BBM-Sara UniTeam and other tickets.

Sotto, chairman of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), said Zubiri followed their gentleman’s agreement which is that he (Zubiri) should not endorse other presidential and vice presidential candidates.

‘’Migz never openly endorsed them. We have the videos,’’ he added.

Earlier, the Lacson-Sotto tandem took out from its list of senatorial bets Senator Sherwin Gatchalian (NPC) and former Quezon City Mayor Herbert ‘’Bistek’’ Bautista.

The two attended the proclamation rally of former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte in Bulacan rather than the Lacson-Sotto tandem's proclamation rally in Imus, Cavite. Both rallies were held in the afternoon of Feb. 8.

Present in the socially-distanced indoor assembly in Davao del Norte were the mayors, vice mayors, council members and constituents of the following cities and municipalities: Panabo City, Tagum City, Island Garden City of Samal, Santo Tomas, Carmen, Kapalong, San Isidro, New Corella, Asuncion, Dujali, and Talaingod.

In his remarks at the rally, Jubahib pointed out that Filipinos are in dire need of incorruptible leaders with good heart and pure intentions to serve the public; who will solve the age-old problems plaguing the nation such as insurgency, unemployment and poverty, among others.

“Tayo tuwing eleksyon every six years, nag-e-elect tayo ng presidente, bise presidente, senators at local candidates. Bakit ginagawa natin? Dahil nangangarap tayo na makapili ng isang pinuno na tatapos ng problema na hinaharap natin mula noon hanggang ngayonn (Every six years, during an election, we vote for a president, vice president, senators and local candidates. Why do we do this? Because we dream of having leaders who can end the problems we are facing then and now)," the governor said.

“At ang paniniwala ko, ang makapagtatapos sa problema ng Pilipinas (ay) walang iba (kundi sina) Senator Ping Lacson, Senator Tito Sotto at ang senador (And I strongly believe that the people who can help end the problems of the Philippines are none other than Senator Ping Lacson, Senator Tito Sotto, and our candidates for senator),’’ Jubahib added.

Sotto spoke about their platforms geared toward ending corruption, including their flagship Budget Reform Advocacy for Village Empowerment (BRAVE) program, which he said would induce widespread social and economic development in the poorest communities of the country.

Lacson, for his part, vowed to relentlessly push for their reform-oriented policies that would re-establish a good government, which the present and future generations of Filipinos can be proud of, reflecting the democratic ideals of Partido Reporma that embraced him to be its standard-bearer.

After their speaking engagements here, Lacson and Sotto traveled to nearby Tagum City where similar activities have been scheduled. Present during this leg of their campaign sortie are Partido Reporma senatorial aspirants Dr. Minguita Padilla and former Makati City Rep. Monsour del Rosario.

Guest candidate former Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Piñol, who is a partymate of Sotto at the NPC, also joined the gathering. He vouched for the leadership skills and good governance policies of both Lacson and Sotto to his fellow Mindanaoans.

Alvarez and Jubahib are the president and secretary-general of Partido Reporma respectively, which is the ruling party in Davao del Norte. They are leading the efforts to strengthen and consolidate support for the candidacies of Lacson, Sotto, and the loyal members of their senatorial line-up.

They are seeking reelections themselves but are not facing serious challenges from their opponents, as majority of their constituents are generally satisfied with their administration. As such, they are concentrating instead on securing the electoral victory for the Lacson-Sotto tandem.