Election2022
Lacson

Senator of the Philippines

Personal Details

Born:




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Alma Mater:

Panfilo Morena Lacson June 1, 1948 (age 73) Imus, Cavite, Philippines

Independent (2004–2021; 2022–present)

Alice de Perio​

4

Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila Philippine Military Academy Imus Institute

Panfilo Lacson

Panfilo "Ping" Morena Lacson Sr. is a Filipino politician and former police general serving as a Senator since 2016, and previously from 2001 to 2013. He was the Director General of the Philippine National Police (PNP) from 1999 to 2001, and was a candidate in the 2004 presidential election. During his tenure as the chief of the PNP, he was known for instituting various reforms within the organization. His high approval rating and high-profile anti-corruption campaigns paved the way for his senate bid in 2001, where he won and placed tenth in the elections. He would later run for the presidency in 2004, but lost. After his failed campaign, Lacson continued his term; he would be reelected in 2007. After his first term in the senate, Lacson was appointed by then-President Benigno Aquino III as Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery in December 2013. He led the management and rehabilitation efforts of the central provinces in the Philippines affected by Typhoon Yolanda. While he initially planned to run for president again in 2016, he later opted to run for the senate in the 2016 elections. He won and ranked fourth in the said elections. Lacson is running in the 2022 presidential election as an independent candidate, initially under the Partido para sa Demokratikong Reporma.

Political Career

Lacson was appointed by then President Joseph Estrada to head the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF) and to serve as Philippine National Police Chief. Lacson's notable accomplishments were the reduction of corrupt policemen (Kotong Cops) and various organized crime syndicates engaged in kidnapping, drug trafficking, and other illegal activities. From April 30 to May 1, 2001, together with Juan Ponce Enrile, Gregorio Honasan, Miriam Defensor Santiago and Tito Sotto, he led the EDSA III protests against Gloria M. Arroyo. On May 1, 2001, the protesters stormed Malacañang Palace. Lacson ran for senator in the 2001 elections under the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP), which was affiliated with Estrada's Puwersa ng Masa coalition. He won a seat in the Senate, finishing in tenth place. In late 2006, Lacson said he might run as mayor of the city of Manila in the 2007 midterm elections. However, he rescinded that decision and instead ran for a second Senate term under the Genuine Opposition coalition. He won reelection in the 2007 senatorial elections senatorial elections, ranking third. On March 11, 2003, Lacson delivered a speech entitled Living Without Pork, exposing the evils and temptations presented by the pork barrel system, and called for its total abolition. During deliberations on the national budget, he stated he would make sure his PDAF allocation reverted to the National Treasury – in the process saving the government some PhP2.4 billion during his first 12 years in the Senate.Lacson ran for President in the 2004 general election against the incumbent president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. His candidacy stirred disagreements with its party president, Senator Edgardo Angara. The COMELEC decided to follow what was done in the Quirino-Avelino case splitting the certificates of votes into half. On September 8, 2021, Lacson and Tito Sotto launched their bid for president and vice president respectively, for the 2022 Philippine national election. Lacson and Sotto vowed to provide a stronger response to the pandemic, and vowed to restore public trust in the government. Lacson is the first to declare his bid for the presidency.