SEN. Panfilo Lacson, lamenting the “bastardized” multi-political party set up, is mulling over remedial legislation to revert to the old two-party system.
Citing the prevailing multi-party set-up “confusion” hounding past elections, Lacson confirmed he is asking Congress to end it to avoid common candidates on national electoral tickets and prevent “bastardizing” party affiliations.
Lacson, Partido Reporma chairman and its standard-bearer, is determined to press for the return of the two-party system, asserting it is “the overarching solution” to the country’s election woes.
“There must be an overarching solution to that, and it is a strong two-party system,” the senator stressed, noting that “over time nawala na lahat ’yan sa atin.”
He noted this is also the reason common candidates cannot be avoided, adding: “that is why an overhaul of the party system is needed.”
In a televised interview, the senator stressed that politicians “need to continue educating the people to banish the ‘entertainment politics’ and culture of mendicancy that sprouts during election season, especially with the 2022 national elections just six months away.”
“Hindi maso-solve ng TikTok ang problema ng bansa,” he said, adding this was why “we are presenting ‘KKK’-Kakayahan, Katapatan, Katapangan—in our campaign sorties.”
Lacson added that during their campaign sorties, “We do not resort to allow pure entertainment politics, that is why I said it is very important to educate the electorate.”
The senator affirmed that in following their reform agenda, Partido Reporma seeks to change the electoral system to “give Filipinos a government that will truly respond to their needs,” and not just give them handouts expected from politicians in every election season “that actually comes from their own taxes,” Lacson said.
At the same time, the senator confirmed that Partido Reporma fielded three official candidates for senator—former National Police Chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, former Congressman Monsour del Rosario, and Dr. Minguita Padilla—but also supports candidates under the Nationalist People’s Coalition, which is led by his running mate, Senate President Vicente Sotto III.
Apart from NPC, Partido Reporma is also allied with the National Unity Party of former Interior Secretary Ronaldo D. Puno.
Moreover, Lacson likewise clarified he was listed as guest candidate of two political parties in the 2016 elections but said the “adoption” system and the practice of fielding common candidates is not likely to end until the country’s party system is reformed.
Running under the NPC lineup are Lacson and Sotto’s current colleague in the Senate, Sherwin Gatchalian, as well as former Senators Chiz Escudero and Loren Legarda, former Cabinet member Manny Piñol, and former Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista.
Also being backed by Partido Reporma for the Senate are former Vice President Jejomar Binay and Senators Juan Miguel Zubiri and Joel Villanueva and broadcast journalist Raffy Tulfo, who are running as independent candidates.