JEDDAH, 7 July 2003 — Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson yesterday said there was no stopping him from running for president in next year’s Philippine national election and that if he wins, Filipinos will see more of the cleansing he did in the national police force in his 14 months as chief.

In a forum with members of the Filipino community in Jeddah, the opposition lawmaker said he will get the entire government bureaucracy to shape up because unless this is done, there is no way the Philippines could move forward.

“The problem of our country is the government, not the Filipino people,” he said.

People are disillusioned, he said, because they are seeing everything bad being done by those in government. “Everything bad is there: graft, ineptitude, corruption, greed...,” he said during a free-wheeling dialogue that lasted for three hours.

Lacson arrived in the Kingdom on Wednesday with Representatives Agapito “Butz” Aquino of Makati and Didagen Dilangalen of Cotabato on the invitation of the Kilospasabay group based in Riyadh. His tour was extended to Alkhobar in the east on the invitation of community organizations there, and to Jeddah in the west by the Kasapi Congress. They left last night for Manila.

In yesterday’s forum, called “Kumustahan sa Jeddah” at the Marriot Hotel, Lacson was asked to give an overview of what he intended to do should he win in an election that might pit him against incumbent President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and former Sen. Raul Roco.

Next year, overseas Filipinos participate for the first time in Philippine elections under the Overseas Absentee Voting Act, and Filipinos in the Kingdom said they want to hear from aspirants for the presidency what their plans were, especially for OFWs.

“How would you intend to fix the Philippine economy so those OFWs who want to return home for good can do so without a feeling of uncertainty?” was one of the questions asked.

Lacson said that part of his overall plan was to address the government’s budget deficit through tax reforms and most especially by going after crooks, especially those in the bureaus of internal revenue (BIR) and customs (BOC).

He said the government is incurring huge deficits because many of the tax collectors are pocketing much of what they collect. “Kayo ang mga bagong bayani ngunit sila ang namamayani (you are the new heroes but they are lording it over you),” he said.

Someone pointed out that similar attempts at cleaning up the bureaucracy of crooks and misfits have been made in the past but have failed.

Congressman Aquino said he had been seeking answers to similar questions in his 20 years as a “street parliamentarian” and as member of Congress and have almost become disillusioned.

But he said he found an ally in Lacson, who has shown that he is willing to and is capable of facing unpopular issues head-on.

“Take the population problem. We all know what a runaway population such as ours could result in — more expenses for food, health, education, all of which stifles economic growth — but none of our politicians want to confront it for fear of the church. But here is one man who is saying he is willing to address it and look for solutions without fear,” Aquino said.

Aquino, a street activist leader when Lacson was a constabulary officer during the Marcos regime, also cited Lacson’s willingness to give up his allocation of the “pork barrel” fund for legislators, which he said is one reason the national budget continues to bloat.

Congressman Dilangalen said it was Lacson’s demonstration of his will to enforce the law that has won his (Dilangalen’s) admiration and support.

“One of the things our country needs is respect for the rule of law,” he said, lamenting that even members of the judiciary were violating what they are supposed to uphold.

Lacson said he could do what he has promised by leading by example.

“If you tell your subordinates not to accept gambling money, for instance, but you yourself are doing it, they will not listen to you,” he said.

As chief of the national police during the Estrada administration, he said, he dismissed more than 3,000 police officers and men in just 14 months in office for all kinds of violations.

He also forced police officers, including generals, to surrender all impounded vehicles that they have been using, and to work during their duty hours.

“When you enforce the law, there should be no exception,” he said. Lacson said his men followed him because he did not give in to pressures even from high officials, such as Supreme Court justices and lawmakers.

Lacson recalled that when then Sen. Miriam Santiago wanted a gun license, her husband, who was then undersecretary of local government, called him to request assistance.

Lacson said Santiago was compelled to go to Camp Crame and personally fill up the application form and submit requirements, in keeping with the law.

“She even corrected the wrong grammar in our application form,” he recalled.

On peace and order, Lacson said crooks, kidnappers and other criminals would think twice if there’s certainty of arrest and prosecution. “We are not seeing these right now,” he said.