ELECTIONS 2022 | Presidential hopeful Lacson joins a small political party organized by an ex-general

July 29, 2021 , 05:44 PM

By Clarist Zablan

(July 29, 2021) – A sitting senator and a former national police chief planning to seek the presidency next year has joined a small political party organized by a retired general, hoping to expand his base of support from soldiers and police officers.

Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Thursday took his oath as a member of the Reporma Party before its president, Davao del Norte Congressman Pantaleon Alvarez and its founder and chairman emeritus, Renato de Villa.

He was immediately made the chairman of the party and the potential standard bearer in next year’s presidential elections.

“My advocacies are well-aligned with those of Reporma like people’s sovereignty and democracy, decentralization and devolution of powers, social justice responsibility, strong economic foundation, environmental awareness, voters’ education, among others,” Lacson said.

This is the second time Lacson is seeking the presidency after he lost to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2004.

Both De Villa and Lacson served as head of the national police force and graduated from the same military academy.

De Villa, who has retired from politics, organized the Reporma party in 1997 and ran for president in the 1998 national elections won by a movie action hero Joseph Estrada. De Villa counted on the support of the uniformed service after service as constabulary chief, armed forces chief, defense secretary and an executive secretary to president Fidel Ramos.

After his defeat, the party lay dormant but was revived by Alvarez last year after he left the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino- Lakas ng Bayah (PDP-Laban), a year after he was ousted as leader of the House of Representatives.

Lacson said the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) led by his friend, Senate President Vicente Sotto III, is open to hold a dialogue and form atactical alliance for the 2022 elections.

Sotto has expressed interest in running for vice president under Lacson’s banner.

Lacson and Sotto are also talking to other political leaders to build a larger alliance against President Rodrigo Duterte’s candidate. Duterte is no longer eligible to run for a second term under the 1987 Constitution.

Lacson and Vice President Leonor Robredo, leader of the opposition, have already met and discussed the possibility of fielding a single presidential candidate. Former senator Bam Aquino also attended the meeting. Independent Senator Richard Gordon also met with her.

But former senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillianes IV, a staunch critic of the president, expressed displeasure at the meeting.

On Twitter, he said the Magdalo Group, which he founded, will no longer back her and the Liberal Party if they give way to Lacson, citing his role in the detention of another senator, Leila de Lima.

On July 21, Lacson and Sotto set out to consult supporters by going around the country on their plans to run for the two highest government positions next year.

Presenting themselves as the “alternative” candidates rather than as the pro-administration or opposition, the two also bared their campaign platforms based on “kakayahan, katapangan, at katapatan.”

On August 4, the two will bare their complete sensorial lineup made of four incumbents seeking re-election, four former senators who are staging a comeback and two new faces, including a celebrity congresswoman. (MM)

Privacy Statement

Our Privacy Commitment

TV5 Network Inc. values and respects your privacy. We are committed to safeguarding your personal data in compliance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its implementing rules and regulations.

We have developed a Privacy Policy that adopts and observes appropriate standards for personal data protection. While our Privacy Policy sets out the general principles governing the collection, use, and disclosure of our users’ personal information, our Privacy Commitment seeks to inform you more about TV5’s privacy practices.

Why do we collect your personal information (as applicable)?

We may collect and maintain basic information about you as site user of TV5 sites for the following purposes:

To deliver news and updates on current events, sports, esports and entertainment;
To share livestreams of news and sports events;
To understand our viewers’ needs and preferences;
To meet legal and regulatory requirements; and
To perform other processes or disclosures that are required to comply with pertinent laws, rules, or regulations.

Where do we get your personal information?

There are several ways we collect your personal information.

Information that you personally provided.

Most of the personal information we have are those that you have provided us when you:
- Register to our programs or services;
- Inquired, filed a complaint or requested for our services;
- Took part in our research and surveys; and/or
- Became our Partner, Vendor, Contractor or Supplier.

Information we collect during your engagement with us

We also collect information as you use our products and services, like:
- Viewing our websites;
- Activities that are being tracked by our website cookies;
- Calling our hotline;
- Using our apps, websites, and self-service channels and portals; and/or
- Joining our promos, prize raffles, or rewards and loyalty programs.

Information we collect from other sources

Other means of collection of information may be through:
- Our market research initiatives;
- When you visit and use our websites and mobile application; and
- Subsidiaries, affiliates, and third-party business partners to whom you have given consent to share your information to us.

When do we disclose personal information?

There may be instances when we are required to share the information you provided us. In such cases, we ensure that your personal information will be disclosed on a confidential manner, through secure channels and in compliance with the Data Privacy Act and other privacy laws.

We will never share, rent, or sell your personal information to third parties outside of TV5 except in special cases where you have given consent, and in cases described in our privacy policy.

In some instances, we may be required to disclose your personal information to our agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, business partners and other third-party agencies and service providers as part of our regular business operations and for the provision of our programs and services. This means we might share your information with our service providers, contractors, and professional advisers who help us provide our services.

How we protect your personal information

The integrity, confidentiality, and security of your information is important to us. We have implemented technical, organizational, and physical security measures that are designed to protect your information from unauthorized or fraudulent access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, and other unlawful activities.

We also put in effect the following safeguards:

We keep and protect your information using a secured server behind a firewall, encryption and security controls;
We keep your information only for as long as it is necessary for us to (a) provide the products and services that you avail from us, (b) for our legitimate business purposes, (c) to comply with pertinent laws, and (d) for special cases that will require the exercise or defense of legal claims;
We limit the access to your information only to qualified and authorized personnel who are trained to handle your information with strict confidentiality;
We undergo regular audits and rigorous testing of our infrastructure’s security protocols to ensure your data is always protected;
We promptly notify you and the National Privacy Commission when sensitive personal information that may, under the circumstances, be used to enable identity fraud are reasonably believed to have been acquired by an unauthorized person; and
We let you update your information securely to keep our records accurate.

TV5 will not collect, use, or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than the purpose that you may have given your consent for.

What are your choices?

We make sure that we have your consent to continue to collect, use, and disclose your personal information for the purposes that we have identified. We want you to know that you may object or withdraw your consent and/or edit your consent preferences at any time.

If you wish to have access to the personal information in our custody or if you think that the personal information you provided is incomplete, or otherwise inaccurate, you may get in touch with our Data Protection Officer through the contact details provided below. In some instances, we may request for supporting documents or proof before we effect requested changes.

Data Protection Officer
TV5 Network Inc.
Reliance corner Sheridan Streets
Mandaluyong City
tv5dataprivacy@tv5.com.ph

What happens when there are changes in our Policy?

From time to time, we may update our privacy policy and practices to comply with changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements, adapt to new technologies and protocols, and align with the best practices of the industry.

You will be provided notices if the changes are significant and, if we are required by law, we will obtain your updated consent.