Negrense senatorial aspirant, legal practitioner, and bestselling author Atty. Alexander “Kuya Alex” Lacson was the guest speaker of the virtual forum, “Patriotism in the time of the Pandemic”, a webinar organized by the Rotary Club of Bacolod headed by President Pauline G. Cuaycong and participated by various Rotary Clubs of Bacolods, Interactors and Rotaractors on Tuesday, November 18.
In his talk, the Ang Kapatiran Party senatorial standard-bearer thrashed out the importance of choosing the movers and shakers in the upcoming May 2022 national elections. Atty. Lacson stressed that political dynasties are a great stumbling block in Philippine politics attributable to the so-called “self-serving leaders”.
“I consider political dynasties as self-leaders and I consider them as a bottleneck of our country as they have controlled the LGU and the Congress. We cannot address the problems of corruption, mediocracy, bad policy, and bad governance as long as it is there.” Lacson said.
“We need to elect leaders who will put our country’s interests first and foremost”, he added. According to Atty. Lacson, a great leader must build a good character, display ample competence and a sense of commitment and compassion. “If we can elect good leaders, we can build a better Philippines,” he said.
A noble leader, he emphasized, must also have strong moral principles; should defy political dynasties; impose anti-poverty programs and address the global climate crisis. He also raised the alarm of the maritime disputes between China and the Philippines over the West Philippine Sea (WPS), especially in the light of the recent bullying of Chinese patrol ships, using water cannons against Philippine boats.
Atty. Lacson cited the book entitled, “Asia Couldron” written by Harvard professor and geopolitical expert Dr. Robert Kaplan, the bases of China’s possession of the West Philippine Sea. In that book, Kaplan called the WPS as the “Second Persian Gulf” and claimed that it has 70 to 130 billion barrels of oil deposits and 900 trillion cubic feet of natural gas that resulted to China’s obsession of the said territory desperately.
“This is the target of China”, Lacson emphasized, “and they want to get it (WPS) because it can sustain the economic and military power for the next 200 years.”
“But the West Philippine Sea is ours. “Sa Pilipinas ina. Sa mga Pilipino ina. Sa aton ina. It falls within the EEZ or exclusive economic zone of the Philippines as defined by UNCLOS or the UN Convention on the Law of the Seas”, stressed Lacson.
“We need a leader who truly loves the Philippines more than China. We need a leader that thinks of the interest of the Filipino people because patriotism is what we need in times of crisis”, he added.
Atty. Lacson also shared other small acts of love that we can do to help in our society inspired from his 2005 bestselling book, “The 12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do to Help Our Country.”
Present at the virtual event were Edgar Sy, President of Chinese Chamber – Bacolod; Bacolod Vice Mayor Elcid Familiaran; Rotary Assistant Governor Sharon Parrocho of Zone 6; Ma. Priscilla Hilado, President of Rotary Club – Bacolod South; Jeinz Kreistan Salgado, President of Rotary Club Metro Bacolod; and Floressa May Castro, President of Rotary Club of Bacolod Central.
Among those who also attended were Rotary officers and members from Binalbagan, Cadiz, Victorias, and even Aklan and Zamboanga. Several Kabankalanons like Fr. Jun Estoque, Noel Garbo, Leo Dote also joined the forum.
Lacson will be running for the senate under the senatorial slate of Vice-President Leni Robredo and Senator Kiko Pangilinan this coming May 2022 elections.
Photo Credit: Alex Lacson’s team