Ping invades GMA bailiwick in Kidapawan, Cotabato

KIDAPAWAN CITY — Presidential candidate Sen. Panfilo Lacson virtually invaded President Arroyo’s bailiwick yesterday, as 20,000 people gathered at the city gymnasium to mark Kidapawan’s sixth year as a city.

Kidapawan City is reportedly the stronghold of the ruling Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats party and North Cotabato Gov. Emmanuel Piñol is known to be one of Mrs. Arroyo’s staunchest supporters in this part of the country.

Lacson said he was overwhelmed with the size of the crowd that greeted him — there were more people gathered at the Kidapawan gym than those who attended last Tuesday’s rally that launched his campaign in his hometown of Imus, Cavite.

Kidapawan Mayor Luis Malaluan said he could assure Lacson the support of at least 85 percent of the 62,000 voters in the city.

Malaluan admitted that he was originally a member of the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino who transferred to Lakas. However, he returned to the fold of the LDP this year when Lacson was declared as one of the LDP’s presidential candidates.

"I believe in Lacson. That is why I got back to LDP," he said.

Lacson also made brief stopovers at the public markets of the towns of Digos in Davao del Sur and Makilala in North Cotabato yesterday.

Lacson said he chose to run for president even without a running mate because at least two prospective vice presidential bets actually asked him for money when they discussed the possibility of being his running mate in the May elections.

The amount involved "tens and even hundreds of millions of pesos," he said, but refused to identify the two politicians. "They know who they are. They know I am referring to them."