Partido Reporma presidential candidate Senator Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson stressed Wednesday (March 2) that said fake news is a disservice to the people, and spreading wrong information is harmful to others, especially during the campaign period for the May 9, 2022 national elections.

Lacson made the statement in reaction to a netizen who was commenting on a post on the three-term senator’s official Facebook page.

The longtime public servant had posted his thoughts after the recent CNN Philippines Presidential Debate on his goal to boost local government units (LGUs) through his flagship campaign platform, the Budget Reform Advocacy for Village Empowerment (BRAVE).

“It’s time to empower LGUs. Napakalaki ng hindi nagagamit sa national budget, P328B taun-taon ([It’s time to empower LGUs. Such a huge amount is left unused from the national budget, P328 billion every year). Bakit hindi natin i-download ito sa LGUs para sa sarili nilang infrastructure programs? Makaka-generate ito ng jobs, ma-de-decongest pa ang Metro Manila,” Lacson had posted (Why can’t we download this to LGUs to fund their own infrastructure programs? This would generate jobs and would even decongest Metro Manila),’’ Lacson said.

But one netizen commented: “Sana ginawa muna dati Senator Ping. Kayo naman gumagawa ng batas. Ba't ngayon pa na election na? ”

Lacson then replied: “Kung aaralin nyo po ang aking mga bills filed, napakatagal na po natin ito isinusulong

(If you study the bills I have filed {in the Senate}, I have been pushing this {BRAVE} for so long). Mali po ang inyong premise na para sa kampanya lamang ito (Your premise that this is just for the campaign is wrong). Kaya nga po tayo tumatakbo bilang pangulo, para hindi na ito idaan sa legislative, kundi through executive order na (That’s why I am running for President, so that this doesn’t need to go through the legislative {process)}, but through an executive order),’’ he added.

“Isa pong disservice sa kapwa po natin na magbitaw ng maling impormasyon ,” the Partido Reporma presidential bet added.

Still, Lacson continues to listen to suggestions and complaints posted on his personal or official social media accounts, which he acts on quietly and even before he decided to run for the presidency in the 2022 elections.

Other netizens have praised the way Lacson and running mate Senate President Vicente “Tito” C. Sotto III have carried out their campaign so far, commenting that they have learned much just from listening to the veteran public servants in their campaign sorties and on their live appearances in broadcast media.

‘’Kahit kadalasan nalilito ako sa mga terminologies ni Sen. Ping, marami naman akong natututunan sa pakikinig sa mga sagot niya (Even though I am often confused with the terminologies Senator Ping uses, I learn much from listening to his answers). Sana marami pa kayong debate/interviews na paunlakan para mas marami ang makarinig ng plataporma niyo (I hope you attend more debates/interviews so more people can listen to your platforms),’’ Nevana Baldonado said on Lacson’s Facebook post.

Starting last September when they were the first pair to officially declare their candidacies for President and Vice President, Lacson and Sotto have focused on laying down their platforms of governance instead of indulging the public in “showbiz” or “song-and-dance” politics.