Sotto tells Drilon in his face: I’m not leaving Lacson for Robredo

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon asked Senate President Vicente Sotto III to ditch Senator Panfilo Lacson and run instead as the vice presidential candidate of Vice President Leni Robredo, Politiko has learned.

Politiko’s source said Drilon surprised Lacson and Sotto during a meeting on October 3 by asking the former Philippine National Police chief to give way to Robredo as a way of unifying the opposition.

Drilon, the source added, suggested that Sotto be Robredo’s running mate but he was rebuffed by the Senate President.

“We are all set with our organizations, sectoral groups and political parties nationwide. Even our supporters are already all in. Walang iwanan,” Sotto told Drilon.

Politiko’s source said Lacson and Sotto expected Drilon to discuss during the meeting the inclusion of at least three senatorial aspirants from the Liberal Party in their ticket.

So far, 15 politikos are vying for a spot in the Lacson-Sotto senatorial slate.

In the same meeting, Lacson told Robredo that efforts to unify the opposition ended when she rejected his earlier suggestion for presidential candidates to withdraw in favor of the politiko with the strongest showing in the surveys closest to the May 2022 polls.

“Sa akin, simple, simple ‘yung dahilan ko sa pagtutol doon sa proposal. Sa akin, ‘pag nag-file ako, kailangan kong ituloy ang laban.

‘Pag nag-file ako, hindi ako pwedeng umatras kahit gaano pa kahirap kasi prinisinta ko na ‘yung sarili ko sa publiko eh,” Robredo said.

Both Lacson and Robredo are trailing in the pre-election surveys.

Since Robredo spurned his offer, Lacson and Sotto proceeded with their planning and buildup for the 2022 elections with four major political parties lining behind the duo – Partido para sa Demokratikong Reporma chaired by Lacson, Nationalist People’s Coalition chaired by Sotto, National Unity Party led by former interior secretary and campaign strategist Ronnie Puno, and United Nationalist Alliance chaired by former Vice President Jejomar Binay.

As Sotto declared to Drilon and Robredo during the meeting: “We have reached the point of no return.”

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Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)