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Decision of 1Sambayan nominees to decline nomination not a good start —Lacson
The decision of several nominees of 1Sambayan for president and vice president in the May 2022 elections to decline the nomination is not a good start for the opposition coalition, Senator Panfilo Lacson said Monday.
“I don’t think it’s a good start for 1Sambayan to say the least. Among those nominees, six of them, four have declined and only two are left. That doesn’t speak well of a convenors’ group making choices for the 2022 national elections,” Lacson said in an interview with ANC.
On Saturday, 1Sambayan revealed
that among their nominees were Vice President Leni Robredo, former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, Senator Grace Poe, CIBAC party-list Representative Eduardo Villanueva, lawyer Jose Manuel "Chel" Diokno, and Batangas Representative Vilma Santos-Recto.However, Poe issued a statement saying she has no plans to run for President while Santos-Recto said she still has no political plans for 2022.
Meanwhile, Senator Joel Villanueva said it was unlikely that his father would seek the higher office in 2022 due to the recent tragedy in their family.
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Diokno, for his part, said he is very honored by the nomination but "right now, I am focused on my Free Legal Helpdesk."
Lacson also believed that 1Sambayan is not inclusive enough noting that he was rejected by former Associate Justice Antonio Carpio because he was the author of Anti-Terror Law, which the group is questioning before the Supreme Court.
“I don’t think they are inclusive enough. People, at least those I have spoken to, think there’s exclusiveness in looking for nominees. They set the standards. I authored the Anti-Terror Law, most if not all in convenors' group are petitioners, right away former Associate Justice Carpio rejected my being nominated,” he said.
The senator earlier said he is still processing his plans for 2022. However, if ever he decides to seek the presidency, it is already “cast in stone” that Senate President Vicente Sotto III will be his running mate.—AOL, GMA News