Lacson: Calamity politics is lowest form of campaigning

 Lacson: Calamity politics is lowest form of campaigning

MANILA, Philippines — Noting that he has always helped calamity victims with or without elections, presidential aspirant Senator Panfilo Lacson slammed “calamity politics” as the “lowest form of campaigning.”

“In fact, I consider it abominable…Election or no election, we assist and help, period,” Lacson said in a statement Friday.

Lacson was asked about his reaction to the call made by Senator Manny Pacquiao for all presidential bets to come together for Filipinos affected by Typhoon Odette (international name: Rai).

Lacson and Pacquiao are both running for president in the May 2022 elections.

Pacquiao earlier appealed to fellow presidential aspirants to “set aside all politics” and pool their resources to help Filipinos displaced by the typhoon.

“If it was done through private communication, I would have responded privately as well and offered whatever resources we can share at our disposal in a coordinated effort,” Lacson said.

“Since it was done through media – it goes against my principled belief that ‘calamity politics’ is the lowest form of campaigning,” he added.

Lacson said his office, as well as friends and supporters, have helped Filipinos affected by past calamities “without fanfare and without any media coverage.”

“We did it in Cagayan Valley, and Bicol region and some other areas hit by strong typhoons,” he said.

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On Efforts to Help Victims of Typhoon Odette

On Efforts to Help Victims of Typhoon Odette

December 17, 2021

My take: “Calamity politics” is the lowest form of campaigning. It is abominable. We just help, period.

In fact, our BRAVE Movers can help us by identifying the hardest hit areas in their locations so we can send whatever assistance we can without fanfare. We did it before in Cagayan, Isabela and the Bicol region. We can do it again, election or no election.

If it was done through private communication, I would have responded privately as well and offered whatever resources we can share at our disposal in a coordinated effort.

Since it was done through media - it goes against my principled belief that “calamity politics” is the lowest form of campaigning. In fact I consider it abominable.

As in the past calamities, my Senate office as well as friends and supporters assisted without fanfare and without any media coverage. We did it in Cagayan Valley, and Bicol region and some other areas hit by strong typhoons.

Election or no election, we assist and help, period.

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Lacson: Contact Tracing is Key in Dealing with Omicron

Lacson: Contact Tracing is Key in Dealing with Omicron

Contact tracing is key to preventing the Omicron variant of Covid-19 from spreading.

Sen. Panfilo "Ping" M. Lacson stressed this Wednesday as he said the government must account for all the people who have come into contact with the two cases confirmed recently by the Department of Health.

"Contact tracing is key. The two have been here for quite a while. I hope all their co-passengers - and those whom they got in contact with before the detection of the Omicron variant - are all accounted for and closely monitored," Lacson said in a post on his Twitter account.

Earlier Wednesday, the DOH confirmed two cases of Omicron in the Philippines - a Filipino who returned from Japan, and a Nigerian national who arrived from Nigeria.

Both are now isolated in a facility managed by the Bureau of Quarantine, even as the DOH is verifying the health status of the passengers of these flights.

Lacson said the government and the public cannot afford to have the Omicron variant spread in the Philippines, as it can have devastating effects on our health and economy.

"It bears repeating that while the government must learn from past lapses to deal with the new variant, the public must also do their part by observing distancing and other health protocols," he said.

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Lacson Pushes 3-Pronged Solution to Finally Stop Agricultural Smuggling, Corruption

Lacson Pushes 3-Pronged Solution to Finally Stop Agricultural Smuggling, Corruption

Full automation of Customs operations, throwing the book at erring personnel minus double standards, and leadership by example.

This is the three-pronged solution needed to finally stop the persistent problem of agricultural smuggling as well as corruption in all agencies of government, Sen. Panfilo "Ping" M. Lacson said Wednesday.

"First, it is time to fully automate our Customs operations just like most, if not all, of our trading partner countries. Everything, from the filing of application for accreditation all the way to payment of taxes and duties, should be done online. This will eliminate human intervention every step of the way. Tingnan ko na lang kung makapang-kurakot pa ang mga tiwaling kawani nila (Let's see if corrupt personnel can still engage in corruption)," Lacson said.

Second, Lacson said, is to throw the book at erring personnel by applying only one standard in dealing with such scalawags.

But the third and most important measure is to practice leadership by example - a trait Lacson practiced during his careers both in law enforcement and lawmaking.

"This applies to all agencies of government, by the way," Lacson said of the three-pronged solution, which he will strictly implement should he win the presidential election in May 2022.

On Tuesday, Lacson scored the persistence of agricultural smuggling, despite three laws having been passed to stop it.

He also questioned why the Bureau of Customs, during the Senate's hearing on the matter on Tuesday, reported filing only 75 cases, in spite of reporting to have intercepted/raided hundreds of smuggling activities in their anti-smuggling operations.

"Wala pang nakukulong (And up to now, no one has gone to jail for agricultural smuggling)," Lacson said in an interview on Radyo 5.

"Importante na mag-automate tayo. May batas tayo, ang Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. Computerized tayo pero ayaw mag-automate (We have to automate our systems. We have the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act. But while our systems are computerized, we do not seem to want to undergo automation)," he added.

On the other hand, Lacson said the right person should be appointed for the post. He cited the case of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), which is a health insurance agency that should be headed by one with knowledge of finance matters - yet whose ex-officio chairman is a doctor.

"Sa skills matching, may diperensya tayo kung sino ang ina-appoint. Hindi tugma ang position sa skills (We have a problem with skills matching. The appointees' skills don't match with the requirements of the job)," Lacson said.

In the meantime, Lacson said the Bureau of Customs should use its intelligence funds to unmask the violators of the laws against agricultural smuggling. He also vowed no letup in investigating the problem. "Institutional and organizational ang problema (The problem is institutional and organizational)," he said.

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Lacson scolds agri execs for allowing food imports that are ‘killing’ local farmers

Lacson scolds agri execs for allowing food imports that are ‘killing’ local farmers

Despite the drop in demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Benguet farmers continue to produce salad vegetables, like carrots, beans, lettuce, cabbages, and cauliflower, in 2020 and this year. They are now facing stiff competition from cheap smuggled carrots.

MANILA, Philippines — “Why are you killing your fellow Filipinos?”

Sen. Panfilo Lacson posed this question to agriculture officials at a Senate inquiry on Tuesday as he scolded them for allowing the “invasion” of the country by Korean strawberries and vegetables at the expense of local farmers.

“We are killing the local industry. Why import strawberries and carrots when we have strawberries and carrots here? I think your commitment to your fellow Filipinos should be more important than your commitment with importers,” Lacson said, addressing the Bureau of Plant Industry, which is under the Department of Agriculture’s (DA).

Fruits declared as ‘ornamental plants’

Senators conducted the inquiry after a representative of a Benguet farmers’ group raised to them the problems caused by “smuggled” strawberries declared as “ornamental plants” and vegetables from other countries.

Agot Balanoy, public relations officer of the League of Associations at the La Trinidad Vegetable Trading Areas, said these “smuggled” products not only negatively impact local farmers but are also feared to be unsafe due to a lack of pest risk analysis at the borders.

“In Benguet alone, we have 130,000 farmers who depend on agriculture, who depend on farming for their meager income,” she said, speaking in a mix of Filipino and English. “Now, if we don’t help these farmers, where will they get their income?”

She noted that farmers in Benguet and other parts of the Cordillera region supply 1.5 million kilograms of assorted vegetables to key markets in the Philippines daily.

“With this entry of smuggled goods, there are no orders for our vegetables here. The prices drop,” she said.

She particularly mentioned carrots and cabbages allegedly smuggled from China and Korean strawberries declared as “ornamental plants,” which she said continued to flood the markets.

“Of late, we have Korean strawberries arriving in Cebu, and we have learned that weekly there will be two container vans of strawberries arriving in Cebu,” she said, noting each container van is presumed to carry 25,000 kilograms of produce.

“We are wondering why the Department of Agriculture, through BPI, allowed this — because they have a permit. But their permit is for ornamental plants. Strawberries, according to our agriculturist here, are not ornamental plants,” Balanoy added.

“That is misdeclaration. Misdeclaration is a form of smuggling,” she stressed.

Smugglers, protectors

According to Balanoy, farmers are also “dismayed” over the failure to identify the smugglers of these products and their “protectors.”

“Why can we not identify the smugglers themselves? The protectors? They are so bold,” she added.

According to an official of the DA, the department is equally concerned about the issue of smuggling in the country.

“Smuggling is economic sabotage and this is hurting our farmers and fisherfolks. The Department of Agriculture has been looking into this issue and we have set up certain measures to curb smuggling,” DA Undersecretary for Regulations Zamzamin Ampatuan told senators.

“The basic concern of the DA is to ensure that these foods are safe and that they follow sanitary and phytosanitary standards, which is the basis for allowing import,” he added.

Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero, for his part, said a total of 55 criminal complaints had been filed by his bureau in the last three years against personalities over alleged smuggling — with 29 of those complaints filed in 2021.

Further, Guerrero said the BOC undertook 172 apprehensions of smuggled agricultural products this year.
“Our border protection and anti-smuggling efforts are being implemented through the conduct of intelligence and enforcement operations supported by our risk management system,” he said.

“It involves the examination and inspection of shipments at the ports and raids on warehouses and storage facilities containing smuggled goods,” he added.

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Ping Lacson: Panayam sa Radyo 5 (Ted Failon and DJ Chacha) | Dec. 15, 2021

Ping Lacson: Panayam sa Radyo 5 (Ted Failon and DJ Chacha) | Dec. 15, 2021

(Please Watch and Share)

👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

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LACSON-SOTTO HEADLINES NGAYON DISYEMBRE 15, 2021

 LACSON-SOTTO HEADLINES NGAYON DISYEMBRE 15, 2021

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Lacson, Sotto praise Duterte, Go for choosing ‘peace as their path’

Lacson, Sotto praise Duterte, Go for choosing ‘peace as their path’

MANILA, Philippines — Presidential aspirant Senator Panfilo Lacson has praised President Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Bong Go for choosing “peace as their path” as they withdrew their respective certificates of candidacy (COCs) for the May 2022 elections.

Both Duterte and Go on Tuesday formally dropped out from next year’s senatorial and presidential derby, respectively.

“Pres Duterte and Sen Bong Go have chosen peace as their path. Let’s give it to them and wish them well,” Lacson said in a tweet.

Lacson’s running mate, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, also welcomed the development calling it “a wise move.”

“It takes a wise man to sacrifice something that he loves and give way to others who can serve our country better,” Sotto said in a statement.

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LACSON-SOTTO ONLINE KUMUSTAHAN DECEMBER 18, 2021

LACSON-SOTTO ONLINE KUMUSTAHAN DECEMBER 18, 2021

 

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I LOVE MY OWN, MY NATIVE LAND!

 I LOVE MY OWN, MY NATIVE LAND!

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Lacson Takes Up Cudgels for Filipino Farmers Threatened by Korean Strawberry Entry, High Soya Prices

Lacson Takes Up Cudgels for Filipino Farmers Threatened by Korean Strawberry Entry, High Soya Prices

December 14, 2021 - "Why are you killing your fellow Filipinos? Gusto nyo mawalan ng hanapbuhay ang kababayan natin sa La Trinidad (Do you want our farmers in La Trinidad to lose their livelihood)?"

Sen. Panfilo "Ping" M. Lacson directed this question Tuesday at the Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) for allowing the "invasion" or importation of Korean strawberries into the country, at the expense of strawberry farmers in La Trinidad.

Lacson also echoed the concerns of the La Trinidad farmers that the entry of strawberries from Korea may also introduce pests and diseases that may affect Philippine agriculture.

"We are killing the local industry. Why import strawberries and carrots when we have strawberries and carrots here? I think your commitment to your fellow Filipinos should be more important than your commitment with importers," he told BPI's Ariel Bayot.

Also, Lacson rejected the reported claim by the BPI that it allows the importation of Korean strawberries because they have a different target market compared to La Trinidad strawberries.

Korean strawberries are reportedly sold at P1,500 per kilo while those from La Trinidad are sold at P200 per kilo. However, strawberries from Korea instead of those from La Trinidad are made available in high-end retail outlets.

Adding insult to injury, Lacson stressed, is that the importation is happening now during the peak season for strawberries. "Para kayo nananadya (It's as if you're doing this on purpose)," he told the BPI.

"Ang worry dito ng mga taga-La Trinidad, hindi lang ang influx ng smuggled agricultural products. Pag napasukan pa ng peste, yan pa isang concern kasi hindi dumadaan sa inspection (The worry of farmers especially in La Trinidad in Benguet is not just the influx of smuggled agricultural products. They are also concerned about agricultural pests that manage to slip past our authorities' inspection)," Lacson added.

Meanwhile, Lacson urged the DA to extend intervention to farmers who face the prospect of fertilizer prices being doubled due to the rising prices of soya despite the downward movement of soya prices in the international market.

"Whatever assistance you can render. Tataas ang meat products na locally produced, tataas din ang presyo ng gulay. Kailangan ng intervention (Whatever assistance you can render, do it because prices of local vegetables and meat products could go up. Intervention is needed)," he said.

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