ALABEL, Saranggani - Independent senatorial candidate Raffy Tulfo has lauded presidential bets Senators Manny Pacquiao and Panfilo “Ping” Lacson for strongly pushing their advocacies to fight poverty and corruption in government.

In a recent news conference here, Tulfo admitted that his admiration for the two senators cannot be translated into an endorsement of their respective candidacies.

Tulfo, who is currently leading the pack in the senatorial surveys, pointed out that as an independent candidate who has received endorsement from at least three camps, he is not in a position to endorse any of the presidential bets, adding that his ultimate choice will be the one whose name will be written on the ballot on May 9.

“Sumasama ako kay Senator Ping noong nasa Cavite siya ilang beses na. Meron siyang adbokasiya na kapareho sa akin which is a strong stand against police abuses. (I have accompanied Senator Ping a number of times in Cavite. His advocacy which is a strong stand against police abuses is the same as mine),” said Tulfo.

The broadcaster popularly known as “Idol Raffy” added: “In fact naging idol ko siya (Lacson) noon pa man siya ay chief PNP (Philippine National Police). Nilinis niya ang kapulisan. (In fact he became my Idol since he became PNP chief. He cleaned the police service).”

Tulfo is included in the senatorial line up that won endorsement from the Pacquiao and the Lacson camps.

In his presidential bid, Lacson vowed to sweep government of corrupt and dishonest officials as soon as he is sworn into office as president.

During his term as PNP chief, the veteran senator boasted that he was able to get rid of the so-called “kotong cops” (extortionists) and led by example in his bid to cleanse the ranks of the police force.

The Lacson-Sotto campaign is guided by the messages “Aayusin ang Gobyerno, Aayusin ang Buhay ng mga Pilipino” (Fix the Government, Improve the Lives of Filipinos) and “Uubusin ang Magnanakaw” (Get Rid of the Thieves).

Pacquiao, on the other hand, has embedded his name in the list of Filipinos pursuing sincere advocacies to help improve the lives of the Filipino masses.

He vowed to provide decent homes to all homeless Filipinos including those who are still renting their living spaces.

Acompanied by senatorial candidates Raffy “Idol” Tulfo and Lutz Barbo, Pacquiao showed the media around the Pacman Village in the town of Alabel, Sarangani where he built 200 houses and distributed them for free to homeless families including those who were displaced by typhoon Yolanda in 2013.

Pacquiao said the area still has a lot of open spaces and he plans to build 1,000 houses just for this property which he built using money he earned from his successful professional boxing career.

Pacquiao said that if he wins the presidency, one of his centerpiece programs that can be equated to President Duterte’s "Build, Build, Build" is the massive housing construction project that aims to build at least 10 million houses in the next six years.

He said that these would not only provide free housing for the poor but would also provide jobs for tens of thousands of workers and provide a livelihood for those who are in the food and retail business, manufacturing, and even those belonging to the underground economy.

Pacquiao’s housing programs is one of his key agenda in his HEALTH of the Nation policy platform. HEALTH stands for Housing, Education, Aid, Livelihood, Transportation and Technology, and Health.