Bong Revilla, Lacson admit VP offers

Senators Panfilo Lacson and Ramon “Bong" Revilla Jr. on Monday said they have been offered to run for vice president next year.

In separate interviews, Lacson said he has been offered by Senator Francis “Chiz" Escudero to be his running mate in next year’s polls while Revilla said the offer came from an official in the Lakas-Kampi-CMD party, which is fielding Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. as its standard bearer.

Lacson said Escudero made the offer before leaving the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) last month.

"Matagal na yan. One to two months before pag-bolt niya sa party niya. In-express lang niya kung pwede ma-consider kaming dalawa na magkasama. Consideration lang naman kasi at the time buong-buo ang Chiz-Loren (Legarda) ticket. So he could not really make a categorical offer," Lacson said.

(That was one to two months before he left his party. He just asked if I would consider running with him. He could not really make a categorical offer then because the Chiz-Loren tandem was then almost a done deal.)

He said he welcomed the idea then but could not say if he’ll do the same thing if Escudero would repeat the offer now. "Mahirap mag-comment nang walang offer (It’s hard to give a comment now that there is no offer). That would be presumptuous," he said.

Talks are rife that Escudero would be getting Lacson as his running mate as Escudero’s campaign manager, Angelito Banayo, was the former campaign manager of Lacson when he ran for president in the 2004 elections.

Revilla, on the hand, said a high-ranking official from Lakas-Kampi approached him three days ago and asked him if he could be Teodoro’s running mate.

“I received offers from my party Lakas," he said without identifying the party official who approached him.

Revilla added that Teodoro himself had sent emissaries to him.

He said he would consult first his father, former Senator Ramon Revilla Jr., before coming with a decision.

The older Revilla has advised his son to just seek reelection in the May polls.

GMA

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