Presidential aspirant Ping Lacson campaigns in Quezon City on February 9, 2022. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File
MANILA — Presidential candidate Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Tuesday said that he will no longer hold campaign events in the Ilocos provinces, the bailiwick of his fellow bet former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
In a text message to ABS-CBN News, Lacson said that he had canceled his scheduled lunch with former Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis “Chavit” Singson, due to time constraints.
Only his visit and campaign rally in Abra province is set to push through in his Northern Luzon trail Tuesday.
In Abra, Lacson is scheduled to have lunch with the Bersamins, one of the province’s political families, and a courtesy call to Bangued Bishop Leopoldo Jaucian.
"Abra na lang mga events today. I requested that the lunch with (former) Gov. (Chavit) Singson be cancelled kasi gipit sa oras considering that the Bersamins, the Reporma candidates have decided to stay with me and I want to personally thank them for it. They are also hosting early lunch at their ancestral home in Bangued, followed by a courtesy call with the bishop capped by a town hall meeting," Lacson said.
Lacson’s running-mate, vice presidential candidate Senate President Vicente Sotto III, was in Zambales for a party event with the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) which he chairs.
The tandem earlier visited Tarlac and Pangasinan for their campaigns.
Both Lacson and Sotto also said that they were “seriously considering” skipping the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) final debates after the poll body postponed them over the organizer’s payment mess.
They cited fixed schedules and campaign rallies in the postponed dates as their reason for the possible non-appearance in the third debates.
—with report from Zandro Ochona, ABS-CBN News
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