Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Monday denied that he "red-tagged" the attendees of a campaign rally in General Trias, Cavite which a lawmaker claimed was participated by students who looked like activists.
"I never red-tagged anybody," Lacson said in a tweet in response to the backlash he received over his comment.
"I was simply warning those concerned to be wary of a possible coalition government with a movement whose sole objective is to seize power. Insurgency, like corruption, must end if we want peace and prosperity," he added.
Lacson, who is running for president in the May 9 elections, trended on Twitter on Sunday after his comment on an Inquirer story quoting Cavite Rep. Jesus Crisipin "Boying" Remulla did not sit well with netizens, particularly supporters of Vice President Leni Robredo.
Remulla was quoted in the Inquirer story claiming that those who attended the rally in General Trias last March 4 were paid P500 each, and that the students who participated looked like they were from the "left" and trained by the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.
While he did not mention the name of the candidate, Robredo and her team held a grand rally in General Trias Sports Park on March 4.
Commenting on the Inquirer story quoting Remulla, Lacson on Sunday said: "This is worrisome. A coalition government with the CPP/NPA/NDF will set back the gains of the government’s efforts to end the country’s decades-old insurgency problem."
Later that day, he addressed the criticisms he had been receiving but stood firm on his remark.
"With all the bashing I’m getting for the “coalition with the CPP/NPA/NDF” tweet I posted earlier, there must be basis for the age-old quote - ‘truth hurts’. I care for my country that continues to suffer from the longest-running insurgency in the world. I just want it to end," he said.
The Robredo People's Council in Cavite condemned the “malicious, destructive, irresponsible, and baseless” allegations against the grand rally in General Trias and maintained that the attendees were not paid P500 to come.
"Ang pakikilahok sa nasabing rally ay bunga ng nag-uumapaw na paghahangad ng mga Caviteño para sa pagbabago. Ito ay purong 'bolunterismo' – walang hinihinging kabayaran at kapalit kundi ang pag-asang maibabalik ang matino, mahusay, at may resibong pamamahala sa bayan," the group said in a statement.
“Ang iresponsable at mapanirang konklusyon na ito lalo pa’t nagmumula sa iginagalang na mga pinuno ng bansa ay sadyang makapaminsala sa moral at dignidad ng mga kabataang Caviteño na ang nais lamang ay iwasto ang pamamalakad sa ating pamahalaan,” it added.
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