FORMER Senator and 2025 senatorial candidate Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson on Monday shared a simple but effective way to fight fake news: Just don’t share it.

In a message before the Elders of Valenzuela City (EVC), Lacson said Filipino netizens must know how to be discerning, and resist the temptation to share something without verifying it first.

“Fake news is a big problem now. We must be careful and discerning. But there are times we can easily tell a ‘news story’ is fake,” he said in Filipino.

“The problem with some netizens is that if they get excited, they share it. They are doing a disservice to the person at the receiving end of the fake news. So let’s not spread fake news, and let’s fight the spread of fake news,” he added.

Lacson said he had been at the receiving end of fake news when he first became a senator in 2001, being accused of being a drug lord and a money launderer, among other things. He was even accused of having millions of dollars stashed in bank accounts.

He said he had to take steps to fight the disinformation against him, including contacting the regional officer of the bank where he supposedly had the accounts to verify the details published in newspapers at the time. The regional officer said Lacson had no such accounts as claimed in the reports.

It was not until several years later that his accusers, including former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the late former ISAFP chief Victor Corpus apologized to Lacson and admitted being duped by “informer” Angelo “Ador” Mawanay. The Philippine Daily Inquirer also issued a public apology to Lacson for publishing articles based on the accusations that turned out to be false.

“A public apology is important to me because my name had been smeared for so long,” he said when seeking a public apology from the Inquirer.

Lacson said that while he still feels the “residual effects” of the fake news against him, he has forgiven his accusers.

“We should not bear grudges. That is what my parents told me, to be forgiving. Let us not bear a grudge because that is a heavy burden to bear when you go to sleep at night,” he said.

Lacson Gets Support for Senatorial Bid from Valenzuela City Leaders

In a related development, Lacson received a boost in his election bid for May in Valenzuela City, after Senator Sherwin “Win” T. Gatchalian promised to campaign for him.

Sen. Gatchalian, in a message after the Monday flag-raising ceremony in Valenzuela City, cited Lacson for his experience and excellence in the Senate, including finding sources of funds for free higher education.

“Let us choose a public servant who will truly serve the nation, not just from the heart but also from experience and excellence. That is why I am asking you to help campaign for Sen. Ping Lacson and make sure he wins,” he said in Filipino, before the Elders of Valenzuela City (EVC) after the flag-raising ceremony.

The senator also cited Lacson’s knack for finding questionable appropriations in the national budget, and having these realigned to meaningful programs like free higher education.

He recalled Lacson’s calling out an P8.3-billion appropriation involving the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)’s budget for 2017 – and introducing an amendment to remove it.

The senators eventually agreed to put the amount in the free tertiary education measure that was about to become a law.

“It was Sen. Lacson who found the budget to fund free tertiary education… If he had not called out the questionable fund, we would have had a free tertiary education law that was unfunded,” the senator said.

Also, Sen. Gatchalian lauded Lacson for being early to his appointments mainly because he valued people’s time.

“That is his personality – he doesn’t like to keep people waiting because he values their time,” the senator said.

Meanwhile, Mayor Weslie “Wes” Gatchalian lauded Lacson for carefully scrutinizing the backgrounds of those going through the Commission on Appointments. Lacson and now-Mayor Wes were colleagues in the CA when the mayor served as congressman.

For his part, Lacson lauded Senator and Mayor Gatchalian, as well as Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian, for their leadership that catapulted Valenzuela City from a small town that was formerly a part of Bulacan to a thriving, highly urbanized city.

“Thanks to the leadership of different leaders, highlighted by the leadership of three Gatchalians – Sec. Rex, Sen. Win and Mayor Wes – they catapulted Valenzuela City to becoming a highly urbanized city with a nominal GDP of P168.8 billion in 2023,” he said.

He also paid tribute to the Gatchalians’ patriarch William, who he said supported him in his crimefighting days as head of the then Presidential Anti-Crime Commission Task Force Habagat – particularly against kidnap-for-ransom gangs.

Meanwhile, Lacson reiterated his appeal to voters to be discerning and choose their senators wisely in May. He said there are four types of senatorial candidates:

* One who works and never steals from public funds;

* One who does his work but also steals public funds;

* One who is too lazy and does not work, but does not steal;

* One who is lazy and does not work, but only knows how to steal public funds.

“It is up to you to choose. We must be discerning so that we can give our nation hope,” he said.

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Ryan Ponce Pacpaco