By Liza Soriano

MANILA — Newly installed Senate President Chiz Escudero disclosed on Wednesday (05 June 2024) that he initiated a lunch meeting with former Senate president Tito Sotto and former Senator Panfilo Lacson for advice being the Senate head.

“Nagkita kami. Nag-lunch kami kahapon…Bilang paghingi ng payo… sa nauna sa akin bilang pagtanggap na hindi ko naman pwedeng hawak lahat ng kaalaman kaugnay ng pwestong hinahawakan ko ngayon,” Escudero said.

The Senate chief said that the former senator advised him on  his administrative functions, adding that Sotto quoted former Senator Neptali Gonzales.

Escudero also shared that they reminisced about the times when they were working together in the upper chamber.

“Naging maganda ‘yung pag-uusap namin… Maganda ring ma-reminisce ‘yung pagsasama namin noon na sana mangyari din uli sa hinaharap dahil sa napipinto nilang pagtakbo kung matutuloy,” he added.

Sotto and Lacson have not yet disclosed whether they will run in the 2025 elections.

(el Amigo/MNM)

By Junex Doronio

MANILA — Saying that aid distribution not part of lawmakers’ job, former Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Sunday lashed at lawmakers’ presence in the distribution of Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD, Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS), and other forms of government aid.

The defeated 2022 presidential candidate made the statement in apparent dig at Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez who led the aid distribution to some 3,000 residents in Siquijor.

“Hindi lang sa ‘di obligasyon ng congressmen at senator mag-distribute ng TUPAD, AICS at kung anu-ano pa. Illegal yan, bawal ‘yan. Kasi ang papel ng Kongreso sa budget process, ang budget authorization, pag-legislate. Hindi pwede mag-implement,” Lacson blurted out in his Sunday interview with Teleradyo Serbisyo.

Maharlika NuMedia learned that the Sunday distribution of P1,000 worth of rice and P1,000 cash assistance in Siquijor province was facilitated under the Cash and Rice Distribution (CARD) Program, a joint initiative of Romualdez and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Lacson stood pat in his declaration that such actions by lawmakers — without mentioning Romualdez — is “unconstitutional” and “illegal.”

He stressed that a lawmaker’s main obligation on government aid is to scrutinize the yearly National Expenditure Program (NEP) of the government, which also carries its budgetary requirements for the given year.

Lacson explained that this is followed by Congress’ responsibility to legislate the national budget and authorize the government to utilize the fund.

Political pundits told Maharlika NuMedia that Lacson is now apparently making his presence felt for his senatorial run in next year’s midterm elections and possible presidential bid in 2028, taking notice of Romualdez’s consistent rise in approval ratings on recent surveys.

(el Amigo/MNM)

MANILA — Former senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has praised President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s forward-thinking agenda, focusing on social programs that empower families to escape poverty rather than fostering dependence on dole-outs.

In his New Year’s message, President Marcos highlighted that assistance programs like cash subsidies and emergency employment aid are designed not to perpetuate dependency but to provide a foundation for vulnerable individuals to overcome their challenging circumstances.

He emphasized, “Most aids are not a type of permanent welfare, as we do not promote a life of dependency.”

Lacson concurred with the President’s approach, emphasizing the need to reshape these initiatives into sustainable livelihoods and job opportunities. In a Filipino post on X (formerly Twitter), Lacson expressed, “A very laudable pronouncement of the President, which should have long been the policy in providing aid to poor Filipinos.”

The former senator reiterated his stance on social programs, aligning with the President’s thrust towards solutions that prioritize driving people back to work rather than sustaining a life reliant on dole-outs.

President Marcos stressed that effective aid aims to liberate Filipinos from poverty, not confine them to perpetual hardship.

(El Amigo/MNM)

By Junex Doronio

JUST LIKE “THE TERMINATOR” movie character who said “I’m back,” former senator and defeated presidential candidate Panfilo “Ping” Lacson made his presence felt again when he tweeted for the inclusion of Pag-asa Island in Palawan province as an additional site for American troops and their equipment in the country in accordance with the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the United States and the Philippines.

The original five EDCA sites are Cesar Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga, Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation in Nueva Ecija, Lumbia Airport in Cagayan De Oro, Antonio Bautista Air Base in Puerto Princesa, Palawan; and Benito Ebuen Air Base in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.

“Now that focus is on Barangay Pag-asa, Kalayaan, Palawan, let’s push for an EDCA site on the island and test the resolve of our Mutual Defense Treaty partner in maintaining stability in the West Philippines Sea,” Lacson tweeted on Sunday, October 8.

In April, the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. gave US forces access to four more military camps to strengthen the defense alliance. These are Naval Base Camilo Osias in Sta. Ana, Cagayan; Lal-lo Airport in Lal-lo Cagayan; Camp Melchor Dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela; and Balabac Island in Palawan.

The former senator was apparently referring to the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty that obligates the United States and the Philippines to help defend each other in major conflicts. It applies to armed attacks on either of their armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft anywhere in the Pacific, including anywhere in the South China Sea.

Lacson — who may run for Senate again in 2025 — made the proposal to test the US commitment to keeping stability in the West Philippine Sea in the wake of China’s aggressive territorial claims. (ai/mnm)