Lacson: Undersecretary organizing troll farms vs gov't critics, 2022 candidates

A government undersecretary is allegedly organizing at least two troll farms in each province to attack critics and even possible candidates in the 2022 elections who are not aligned with the administration, Senator Panfilo Lacson disclosed Tuesday.

“Ngayon pa lang mayroon akong alam na isang high official, sabihin na lang nating undersecretary na nag-oorganize na sa buong bansa sa bawat probinsya. Hinihingan na ng quota na mag-organize ng at least dalawang troll [farm] sa isang probinsya,” Lacson said.

(As early as now, I received information that a high official, an undersecretary, organizes at least two troll farms in each province across the country.)

Lacson got his information from one of his former staffers who was allegedly approached by the said undersecretary.

Furthermore, the senator's office is receiving a lot of information that many troll farms are operating to discredit the possible contenders of administration candidates for 2022.

“Maraming trolls na nag-ooperate para siraan ang mga posibleng makakalaban, di lang limitado sa amin, pati sa mga hindi aligned sa administration,” he said.

(There are a lot of trolls who are operating to attack those who are possible contenders of the administration bets. It is not only limited to us, but they also discredit those who are not aligned with the administration.)

Lacson said that the unnamed undersecretary may be “over eager” to serve the administration.

“You can just imagine if it materializes and using the resources of the government whether or not it was sanctioned by Malacañang. Well, I hope no and I don’t believe so,” he said.

The lawmaker reiterated his call to end money politics and entertainment politics, emphasizing the need to elevate the level of discourse in campaigns.

He said this has become a “vicious cycle” and the Filipinos will suffer from this type of politics.

Lacson is one of the names that is being floated as a possible presidential candidate in the upcoming 2022 national and local elections.

On Monday, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said he will be Lacson’s running mate if the latter decides to seek the country’s highest post.

Lacson confirmed this, saying it is already “cast in stone” that Sotto will be his running mate if he will run for the presidency.

But Lacson maintained that he is still “processing very carefully” if he will run considering the weight of responsibility that the next chief executive will face due to the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing national debt, and the West Philippine Sea issue, among others.

In April, a Pulse Asia survey result showed that Lacson was among the top 10 names who was considered as a preferred candidate for president for the May 2022 elections. — DVM, GMA News