Graceful Exit? Lacson Resigns As Partido Reporma Shifts Support To Robredo

When presidential candidate Sen. Panfilo Lacson announced his resignation from his party, political observers described it as a “face-saving” act as local officials in the Davao region were reportedly ready to dump him and shift their support to his rival Vice president.

Insiders at the Partido Reporma told The Philippine STAR / OneNews.PH that Lacson already knew about the sudden change of heart of local officials in Davao del Norte and Davao del Sur for several weeks, refusing to meet with his party mates five times before the actual break on Thursday, March 24.

In early March, the sources said Lacson was advised to reassess his campaign after his numbers did not improve in surveys done by Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations. He was languishing behind former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., Robredo, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, and fellow senator and boxing icon Manny Pacquiao.

Lacson was supposedly told to start moving around the country – visit public markets to meet ordinary people, for instance – but he relied on his political ads on social media and legacy media.

According to the sources, party leaders and members found Lacson to be stubborn and would not bend to what they’re saying to win.

“Matigas ang ulo ni Ping (Lacson’s nickname), ayaw niya ng mga market visits,” one of the insiders said. “Hindi siya pulitiko. Ang sabi nga ng mga taga-Reporma, ito lang ang kandidatong ayaw manalo.”

While other presidential candidates would go an extra mile to please the crowd, Lacson was aloof. He preferred the “air war” strategy than the “ground war” being prepared by the party.

“We are ready to recruit political officers for Reporma in all 42,000 barangays and more than 1,600 towns and cities nationwide to do that ground campaigning,” the insider said. “We believe you cannot convert awareness and popularity into actual votes without an army of political officers at the ground.. The political ads help build awareness and popularity but the voters also wanted to see you in person on the ground. Doon mahina si Ping. Hindi pa siya epal tulad ng iba.”

During the early March meeting, party leaders gave Lacson two weeks to think over his options but he said he would not withdraw from the race. Two days ago, Lacson and Partido Reporma president Pantaleon Alvarez met where the latter told the senator of the party’s decision to abandon him.

Lacson has been allowed to make an announcement that he would resign from the party as a face-saving measure because the entire Partido Reporma team in the Davao region will endorse Robredo in a political rally.

“You can say it was a graceful exit,” a political strategist said. “They parted ways as friends but it was painful for Lacson who had also ran for president in 2004 but lost.”

The strategist said Robredo will benefit from the shift because she has a weak political base in this part of Mindanao. In the 2016 vice presidential elections, she lost in the Davao region. The votes went to now Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano.

“Leni now has a fighting chance. Both Davao del Norte and Davao del Sur have sizable numbers of voters. She will also have support in northern Mindanao, in the Zamboanga peninsula and in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM),” he added.

Robredo’s main rival, Marcos, is also weak in Mindanao and relies on the President Duterte’s daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, to carry him on May 9.

But some local officials in Mindanao have been campaigning for a Robredo-Sara (RoSa) tandem, which could further hurt Marcos’ chances of getting votes in the south.

Partido Reporma, on the other hand, may still support Senate President Vicente Sotto III as vice presidential candidate. The push for a Robredo-Sotto tandem echoed another vice presidential candidate’s call for the all bets for the country’s two highest positions to form a grand alliance to defeat Marcos and Duterte-Carpio.

Rizalito David said there is no way for all seven vice presidential candidates and nine presidential candidates to overtake the two frontrunners unless all of them will give way and support both Robredo and Sotto who have the best chances of winning.

David’s hope for a Robredo-Sotto tandem could be realized after Partido Reporma’s defection to the vice president’s camp.