Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson slammed Thursday evening a malicious photo posted on social media that insinuated he is posturing for the 2022 elections.

Lacson said he has instructed his staff to identify those responsible for the malicious circulation of his photo with the caption “P-angulong I-aayos N-a muli ang G-obyerno,” and to uncover those behind the manipulated photo, which his office has already reported to Facebook as it is unauthorized.

“It is a dirty hatchet job, to put it mildly – being circulated at a time when some propagandists, with the aid of troll farms, are accusing me of politicking by criticizing the handling of the pandemic,” he said.

“Now comes this photo to make it appear that I’m really politicizing the situation – and nothing can be further from the truth,” he added.

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Lacson has repeatedly said that he has not decided on his political plans, if any, for the 2022 general elections.

Lacson noted the photo was circulated shortly after presidential spokesperson Harry Roque accused those who criticized the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic of politicking during President Rodrigo Duterte’s televised address to the nation Monday evening.

“Just because I criticize, pamumulitika na?” Lacson had replied to Roque, in a post on his Twitter account on Tuesday.

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