July 2021 ~ THE LEADERS WE NEED IN 2022

Saturday, July 31, 2021

FAST TO COMPROMISE BILLIONS OF TAX RECEIVABLES FROM MNCS, QUICKER IN CLAIMING THAT HIDILYN DIAZ’S AWARDS AND WINNINGS ARE SUBJECT TO DONOR’S TAX - BIR IS INCORRECT AND SHOULD REVIEW R.A. 7549

Comelec inilatag ang nais na election health protocols para sa 2022

LACSON-SOTTO: HIDILYN DIAZ ON LEADERS THAT WE NEED FOR 2022!

July 30, 2021

Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson assured the public the Senate will pass the proposed P5.024-trillion national budget for 2022 on time, amid preparations for the May 2022 general elections.

Lacson, who will seek the presidency in 2022, said he and his fellow senators will do their duty to scrutinize the proposed budget and pass it before Congress’ December break.

“The passage of the national budget bill will not be delayed if we can help it. While we are aware of the Oct. 1-8 schedule for filing of certificates of candidacy, we can assure our people that the preparations for the 2022 elections will not disrupt our efforts to scrutinize and pass the national budget. Hangga’t nasa loob kami ng Senado at ginagampanan ang aming mga tungkulin bilang senador, we will be legislators first and foremost,” he said.

“Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III and I are hopeful there will be no reenacted budget, and that the budget bill will be passed before the December break,” he added.

The Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) has approved the expenditure ceiling of the 2022 National Expenditure Program at P5.024 trillion, 11.5 percent higher than the 2021 NEP.

But Lacson said this does not mean he will be any less eagle-eyed in inspecting the budget bill and questioning the officials concerned, to ensure accountability.

He said he will also grill officials on why the government’s borrowings are bigger than the projected deficit, even in an executive session if need be.

“What is unacceptable is that projects that did not go through planning and vetting are inserted into the budget bill, and there is no way for the implementing agency to determine if the project will not be substandard. That’s what we will fight for – proper accountability,” he said at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum Wednesday.

On the other hand, Lacson said he will examine the government’s spending for COVID-19 vaccines, to maximize limited resources and make sure there is no wastage of funds.

He also said the budget should have a much bigger allocation for research and development (R&D), than the miniscule share of the national budget – averaging only 0.4 percent in past years.

“Our homegrown scientists go abroad because they do not get enough support from the government,” he lamented.

Meanwhile, Lacson reiterated his call for a zero-budgeting approach, similar to how private corporations are run.

He stressed as well his advocacy to give more funds – along with greater responsibility and accountability – to local government units for their development projects.

Empowering the local government is at the heart of his Budget Reform Advocacy for Village Empowerment (BRAVE) bill, he noted. “I have not been so determined than now to see it through,” he said.

LACSON-SOTTO: Solo no more: Lacson to sit as chairman of revived Reporma party

LACSON-SOTTO LIVE @ KAPIHAN SA MANILA BAY

Sen Ping Lacson: Hidilyn Diaz Deserves to be Commissioned as AFP Officer for Olympic Feat

July 27, 2021

Lacson: Hidilyn Diaz Deserves to be Commissioned as AFP Officer for Olympic Feat

For bringing honor and inspiration to her country and people, Philippine Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz deserves to be commissioned as an officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

On this note, Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson suggested Tuesday to the Philippine Air Force (PAF) leadership that Diaz, a sergeant, be given such a commission, subject to existing laws and AFP regulations.

"As chairman of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, I would strongly recommend to the AFP leadership that she be given a rank as a commissioned officer of the PAF. It's the least the service can give her," Lacson said in an interview on CNN Philippines.

“Such a commission – either as a reserve or regular officer – is not just in recognition of her extraordinary feat, but also in recognition of her great potential to provide a good example to her fellow soldiers both as an athlete and as a leader,” he added.

He noted Diaz is very deserving, after she gave the Philippines its first Olympic Gold Medal in weightlifting Monday evening. "This is an even more extraordinary accomplishment, a first in our history," he added.

Also, Lacson said Diaz's feat gave 110 million Filipinos a major reason to celebrate amid the humongous problems they now face. "She makes us Filipinos very, very proud," he said.

He also said Diaz's saluting the Philippine flag and singing the National Anthem, "was the most touching moment that will be relived in our memories for a long, long time."

Meanwhile, Lacson said it is up to Malacañang to offer a public apology to Diaz - and to sports enthusiast and writer Gretchen Ho for wrongfully including them in a matrix authored by alias "Bikoy" in 2019.

"Apologies cannot be demanded nor urged. Even if the apologies are volunteered, they are worthless if not offered with sincerity. That said, it is only Malacañang who can on their own decide to offer that public apology to Hidilyn Diaz as well as to sports enthusiast and writer Gretchen Ho for wrongfully including them in a matrix authored by 'Bikoy,'" he said.

#SONA2021: Duterte’s last 5 years as Philippine president, in video

SONA 2021 (PTV)

SONA 2021 LIVE @ THE LEADERS WE NEED IN 2022 (Opening of Senate of the Philippines ahead of SONA 2021)

SONA 2021 LIVE @ THE LEADERS WE NEED IN 2022 (Opening of House of Representatives ahead of SONA 2021)

SEN PING LACSON: On the Proper Spending of Bayanihan Funds

Hulyo 25, 2021

Ang mga katagang ito ang dadalhin ng tambalang Ping Lacson-Tito Sotto sa hangarin nilang maibalik ang tiwala ng sambayanan sa pamahalaan.

"I will not fail you. I will not fail the Filipino people. We will not fail you. This is our last hurrah in public service, there is no room for selfish interests or personal motives," seryosong pananalita ni Lacson sa panayam sa kanya ng DWIZ radio nitong Sabado.

"We have no other agenda. Considering our age and track record in public service, we have something to offer the Filipino people," dagdag ni Lacson.

Sinabi ni Lacson - na nauna nang nagpahayag ng pagsabak sa pampanguluhang halalan sa 2022 - na hindi maliligaw ang sambayanan sa pagtahak sa landas para maibalik ang tiwala sa pamahalaan gamit bilang gabay ang sarili niyang panuntunan na “What is right must be kept right; what is wrong must be set right.”

Idiniin ng mambabatas ang pagpapatupad ng disiplinang pananalapi sa pamahalaan sa pamamagitan ng paggaya ng sistemang ginagamit ng mga nasa pribadong sektor na matalinong paglaan ng limitadong pondo at pag-iwas na magamit ang mga ito sa mga wala sa lugar na gastusin.

Ayon kay Lacson sa meeting ng Rotary Club of Alabang Madrigal Business Park, gumagapang ang bansa sa pagbangon buhat sa pagkalugmok na dulot ng pandemya, kung saan pumapangalawa ito sa pinakakulelat sa 53 ekonomiya kung ang pagbabatayan ay katatagan laban sa COVID-19.

Sa kabilang dako, inilahad ng senador ang isang surbey ng Social Weather Stations na nagpapakitang 48 porsiyento ng pamilyang Filipino ang nagsasabing sila ay mahirap; nasa 4.2 milyon na Pinoy ang nakaranas ng gutom sa nakalipas na tatlong buwan, habang umabot naman sa 4.14 milyon ang nakatambay na lamang o walang trabaho nitong April 2021.

Ayon pa kay Lacson, kailangang hanapan ng solusyon ng susunod na administrayon ang mga hamon na dulot ng pandemya at supilin ang malala nang graft and corruption.

"The top priority in these trying times is the pandemic. There are things to be attended to with urgency. For example, we have not been proactive in responding to the pandemic that hit us way back in January 2020," banggit ng mambabatas.

Idinagdag din niya na kailangang maging maagap ang gobyerno sa pagharap sa pandemya at mga epekto nito, at matuto na sa mga nangyari noong 2020 matapos na payagang makapasok sa bansa ang COVID-19 bunga ng kawalan ng matinong contact tracing at kabiguan na pagbawalan ang pagpasok ng mga dayuhan mula sa Mainland China.

Isa rin aniya sa dapat pang bigyan ng maagap na atensiyon ay ang graft and corruption sa pamamagitan ng pagpapakita ng mga lider ng katapatan at tamang asal upang ang mga ito ay pamarisan katulad lamang ng nakagawian ng mambabatas.

Noong pamunuan niya ang Philippine National Police noong 1999 hanggang 2001, nalutas ni Lacson ang problema sa kawalang-disiplina ng maraming pulis na nagpabago sa imahe ng ahensiya: nawala ang kotong cops, nawala ang kickback sa pagbili ng kagamitan at mga serbisyo bunga na rin ng mahigpit na pagpapairal ng "no-take policy" mula sa mga pinuno hanggang sa ibaba.

"After I got elected as a senator of the Republic, whenever I am confronted with a similar question about the biggest problem of government, my response has not changed - it is government, bad government. And, the solution lies in the face of the problem itself - it is called good government," pagbabalik-tanaw ni Lacson.

"Unless government officials see people at the top practicing what they preach, any effort to fight graft and corruption will not succeed," pahabol ni Lacson.

Lacson-Sotto: We Will Not Fail the Filipino People

July, 25, 2021

We will not fail the Filipino people.

This is the rallying cry of Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson and Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III as they seek to restore Filipinos' trust in the government.

"I will not fail you. I will not fail the Filipino people. We will not fail you. This is our last hurrah in public service, there is no room for selfish interests or personal motives," Lacson said in an interview on DWIZ radio Saturday.

"We have no other agenda. Considering our age and track record in public service, we have something to offer the Filipino people," he added.

Lacson, who has decided to run for the presidency in 2022, said Filipinos can only be guided by one principle, which serves as his personal motto: “What is right must be kept right; what is wrong must be set right.”

He reiterated the need for fiscal discipline - a trait that the government can learn from the private sector to maximize limited resources - and doing away with wasteful and unnecessary government spending.

The nation is struggling to recover from its harsh beating from the pandemic, ranking second to the last out of 53 economies in terms of resilience to the COVID-19 pandemic, he noted at the meeting of the Rotary Club of Alabang Madrigal Business Park.

On the other hand, he pointed out a recent Social Weather Stations survey showed 48% of Filipino families consider themselves poor; while some 4.2 million Filipinos experienced hunger in the past three months; and jobless Filipinos hit 4.14 million in April 2021.

Lacson said it is imperative for the next administration to address the challenges of the pandemic and eradicate graft and corruption. "The top priority in these trying times is the pandemic. There are things to be attended to with urgency. For example, we have not been proactive in responding to the pandemic that hit us way back in January 2020," he said.

He added it is high time the government adopt a proactive approach in addressing the pandemic and its effects, and learn from the lessons of early 2020, when it allowed the virus to spread due to its lack of efficient contact tracing and failure to bar the entry of visitors from Mainland China.

On the other hand, he said another priority should be eradicating graft and corruption, with leaders practicing leadership by example, which he said is second to none.

He recalled that when he headed the Philippine National Police from 1999 to 2001, he solved the problems of the PNP with a disciplined and reformed police force: "no more ‘kotong’ cops in the streets, no kickbacks in procurement under a strictly supervised 'no-take policy' imposed from top to bottom."

"Unless government officials see people at the top practicing what they preach, any effort to fight graft and corruption will not succeed," he added.