To Manila Standard: We wish to disabuse the minds of your readers of the malicious attacks made by Ernesto Hilario in his March 18, 2022 column against Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson.

Letter to the Publisher

March 18, 2022

Dear Sir,

We wish to disabuse the minds of your readers of the malicious attacks made by Ernesto Hilario in his March 18, 2022 column against Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, with Hilario’s insinuations ranging from ganging up on Vice President Ma. Leonor Robredo to being “Mr. Congeniality” to former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

First, Senator Lacson already made it clear that his warnings against a possible coalition government refer to the Communist Party of the Philippines, New People’s Army and National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF). He speaks from experience, having seen firsthand their abuses during his days in law enforcement.

It is sad that his warning was not only taken out of context but also twisted by some sectors to launch vicious attacks on him. Yet, considering some of those who are ganging up on him especially on social media, his warning cannot be dismissed.

Second, Senator Lacson is not in the business of attacking other candidates – but he will speak out on issues, regardless of who gets hurt. His record of calling out of wrongdoing, including by the President, will bear him out. In fact, he even issued a challenge to at least one candidate on Facebook to show up at the Commission on Elections’ presidential debate on Saturday.

Third, Hilario’s “column” seems consistent with the style of at least one candidate’s camp of trying to make the principal look good by making others look bad. We thus cannot help but wonder: Did he actually write the column and did not pass off someone else’s feed?

Nevertheless, we hope this sets the record straight. Thank you.

Joel Locsin
Media Relations Officer
Office of Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson