Tito Sotto, Ping Lacson, Lito Lapid file COC for Senate

Former senators Vicente "Tito" Sotto III and Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, and reelectionist Senator Lito Lapid on Wednesday morning filed their certificates of candidacy (COC) for the 2025 midterm elections.

Sotto and Lapid are from Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC), while Lacson is NPC's guest candidate. 

All three of them are included in the 12-strong senatorial slate of the administration for the May 2025 polls. 

Lacson, who was a former presidential candidate in the 2022 national and local elections, has maintained that he is running as an independent candidate despite being included in President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos’ senatorial slate. 

In an interview, Sotto said he is seeking a Senate comeback because he wants to push for the passage of the bill that would “right-size” the government. 

“60 plus percent of the budget of government every year, more than P6 trillion, goes to personal services. And a big chunk also of the 40 percent goes to net servicing. So almost nothing is left to be given and distributed to our people. So rightsizing of government really is a very important thing that we should do,” the former Senate president said. 

Sotto also said he wants to combat fake news through legislation, as well as propose a law on 14th-month pay and hybrid elections. 

Lacson, on the other hand, pledged “to continue not availing of the pork barrel allocations in any shape or form” should he win the upcoming elections. 

“I will continue being a vanguard, if you will, of the annual national budget to the best of my ability. I will help President Bongbong Marcos pursue his administration's programs to benefit the majority of the Filipino people in alignment with his SONA (State of the Nation Address) message last year and in cadence with my personal credo —- ang tama ay ipaglaban, ang mali ay labanan. What is right must be kept right, what is wrong must be set right,” he said. 

Senate presidency 

Sotto, however, said that he is focused on getting reelected in the Senate rather than returning as Senate president. 

“The SP (Senate Presidency) is up to your colleagues. Bihirang-bihira sa siyam na Senate President na pinagsilbihan ko, mula po noong 1992, bihirang bihira roon iyong nilakad niya eh. Mas nangyayari kapag inaalok ng mga kasama [na maging Senate President ka]. Iyon ang nagiging matagumpay,” Sotto said. 

(It is rare since dating back to 1992 that the individual lobbies to be Senate president. Senate presidency is most likely to happen if your colleagues offer you that position. When that happens, you’ll succeed.) 

“Kasi kung nilakad mo... usually, hindi tumatagal eh. Sa akin kasi, it has not crossed my mind. I can always work as a regular Senator,” Sotto added.

(But if you lobbied for it, it usually falls apart quickly. As for me, it has not crossed my mind yet.)

Lapid, meanwhile, refused to give an interview to the media. 

According to Sotto, who also serves as NPC chairperson, Marcos’ Partido Federal Pilipinas (PFP) will ally with the NPC in preparation for the May 2025 midterm elections. 

This alliance was grounded on the two parties’ “desire for genuine unity, strength, and continued positive change,” he said.  —AOL/KBK, GMA Integrated News