By Jojo B. Lamaria
BAGUIO CITY, April 24 (PNA) – Former Senator Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson, today, April 24, announced that he is seeking to be elected in the highest elective position in the country.
In a press conference in Baguio City, Lacson said he is running as an independent candidate in the May 2016 National Elections.
”My platform of government remains to be what I started as a Senator and that is to eradicate graft and corruption in the government.”
Lacson said he initiated the removal of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) stating that he may not have known its general effect but he knows that it will solicit graft and corrupt practices.
He said there are still some ways of eradicating graft and corruption which he may be able to introduce, Lacson said.
Every elected President wants to start his own program and projects which is implementable in his term or for just six years, after his term of office, the next elected President will introduce his own program and projects, Lacson added.
There is a line agency that may be tapped to create a long term plan beyond the six year tenure of the elected President, he said.
The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) will have to handle this task and distribute plans and programs to the concerned line agency in as far as project implementation is concerned.
Asked about the ongoing peace talks and processes, Lacson said, that as an adviser to President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, he pointed out some of the 10-point conditions of the National Democratic Front (NDF) are unacceptable, citing one condition that states that the New People’s Army (NPA) be the administrator of all forest land in the country including watersheds and reservations.
In the same manner, the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) is not a perfect bill which the Lower House and the Senate should look into before its approval.
Lacson, on autonomy, said that the 1987 Constitution mandates the creation of one Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and one Cordillera Autonomous Region.
The ARMM will not be an effective Autonomous Region because of the different tribes, he said, referring to the Tausug, Maranao and Maguindanao.
Nur Misuari is a Tausug so, the Maranao and Maguindanao tribes felt they are being left out in aspects of development.
All tribes must be catered to, Lacson said, which is the same in the Cordillera Region.
Lacson’s solution is to creation of sub-regions so that resources from the national government may be divided equally between the tribes.
Lacson agrees to a bilateral talk with China and opined that the present administration should have agreed since this is what the aggressor wants.
Lacson said other Asian countries are now benefiting from the assistance from China where these countries shared its resources with the Chinese.
”There is might in strength and strength in numbers which the Philippines does not have but which the ASEAN Integration offers”, Lacson said with the belief that China may reconsider its position about the West Philippine Sea.
Lacson is in Baguio City as a Guest of Honor and Speaker in the awarding of the Rotary Club of Downtown Session’s (RCDS) Ten Most Outstanding Barangay Councilors of Baguio City through the invitation of former Youth Representative and RCDS Charter President Edgar Avila. (PNA)