Bago pa man siya nakilalang “pork hunter” ng Senado, kinatatakutan na kalaban si Panfilo “Ping” Lacson ng mga kidnap-for-ransom gangs – hindi lamang sa Metro Manila, kundi pati na rin sa Cebu.
Inaalala ni campaign spokesperson Ashley Acedillo kung paano namangha ang mga Cebuano sa pamamahala ni Lacson sa Metropolitan District Command ng Philippine Constabulary sa Cebu noong 1980s.
“Maybe the newer generation of Cebuanos were too young to remember that kidnapping was once a dreaded scourge in Cebu. It was only a certain Police Colonel Ping Lacson who turned the tables and became the scourge of the kidnappers,” ani Acedillo na lumaki sa Cebu.
Related: How Lacson Struck Fear Into the Hearts of Kidnappers Victimizing Cebuanos