RP political situation remains fluid, says Lacson

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Panfilo Lacson said yesterday the political situation in the country remains fluid and some “phenomena” beyond the control of candidates could keep changing the country’s political landscape.

Lacson, who withdrew his bid for president, said he had not been positioning himself to be a vice presidential bet because an offer should come from a presidential wannabe.

“In the absence of any offer, you cannot make plans,” Lacson said over radio station dwIZ.

While Sen. Francis Escudero did mention a possible tandem with him when the young senator was still the standard-bearer of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, Lacson said he was not into talks with anybody at the moment.

If he would not run, Lacson said he would support the candidacies of Escudero, Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III or even the administration’s bet, Gilberto Teodoro because of their clean records.

But asked if it might be too late for him to join the race, Lacson said,  “One single event can completely change the political landscape.”

“We never heard of Noynoy before his mother (former President Corazon Aquino) passed away. This one event changed the political landscape of the country. We had been talking about it, Mar, Noynoy and Chiz (referring to Sen. Manuel Roxas II, Aquino and Escudero) in the lounge or session hall, there are phenomena that would be hard to explain and that’s where we could realize that being president or vice president is destiny,” Lacson said.

“Who would predict Mar will be a VP candidate when he had been groomed to be the Liberal Party’s standard-bearer all along? Who could have said Chiz would lose a party? Who could have said (Sen.) Loren (Legarda) is now being touted as the running mate of (Sen. Manuel) Villar? And what about the entry of (actor Edu) Manzano (as Teodoro’s running mate)? “ Lacson said.

Legarda said she would make an announcement on her platform-based alliance at the proper time.

“Many things happen that can shock you, and in a day the political situation has changed. So many things can happen that no one can predict, so we just have to study very well who we will support,” Lacson said.

He said the country’s fate was at stake and people could not afford to choose the wrong leader.

He said people should not be blinded by those offering help to save them from hunger in a day or bring them home from abroad.

The senator said he was quite clear about the candidates that he would not support.

“Villar should be the last person to dare the other presidentiables to have character and integrity because he has the least or none of either one or both. He’s no different from (President Arroyo). They both can say things which they are not. Very dangerous,” Lacson said.

He stressed that he would not support anybody who was accused of committing anomalies in government.   – Aurea Calica