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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Alyansa bets shrug off Duterte's threat to kill senators

Alyansa bets shrug off Duterte's threat to kill senators

Published Feb 18, 2025 08:47 am

At A Glance

  • Administration-backed senatorial aspirants on Tuesday, Feb. 18, just shrugged off former president Rodrigo Duterte's threat to "kill" and "blow up" incumbent senators as they saw no point of dignifying it.

Administration-backed senatorial aspirants on Tuesday, Feb. 18, just shrugged off former president Rodrigo Duterte's threat to "kill" and "blow up" incumbent senators as they saw no point of dignifying it.

"I'm treating it as a joke," former Senate president Tito Sotto said.

At a press conference held by the Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas in Pasay City, Sotto and two other candidates—former senators Ping Lacson and Manny Pacquiao—gave their respective reactions after Duterte joked about slaying 15 senators in order to ensure the victories of his own endorsed candidates under the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban).

"Once you start attacking personally, you have lost the debate," Sotto said.

Meanwhile, Lacson called on his fellow candidates and the public to help "de-escalate" the rift among those who are "powerful" because fighting does not help at all.

Pacquiao agreed and said that poll candidates should not treat each other as enemies.

"'Wag tayong mag-atake ng ibang tumatakbo dahil hindi naman sila ang kalaban natin (Let's not attack our fellow candidates because they are not our enemies)," Pacquiao said.

"Wala tayong kalaban dito. Demokrasya tayo. Ang taumbayan ang mamimili (We do not have any enemy here. We are a democracy, and it's the people who will elect us)," he added.

The boxing icon-turned-politician should also refrain from badmouthing other candidates, unless they want people to know that they have a vested interest in securing power and find the need to do so.

Lacson said that he and other candidates under Alyansa agreed that "there should be no negative campaigning and abrasive remarks that could be very divisive."

"Very divisive ang ating election (Our election is very divisive). Wag na nating dagdagan pa ng (Let's no longer add to that) divisivess," he said.

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Tito Sotto Manny Pacquiao matalinong boto 2025 Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas
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