Lacson: I’ll join if Duterte visits Pag-asa island

MANILA, Philippines— Senator Panfilo Lacson has volunteered to join President Rodrigo Duterte should the Chief Executive decides to visit the Pag-asa island.

“If the President decides to visit the island, I volunteer to join him in my capacity as an elected senator of the Republic and as a freedom-loving Filipino,” Lacson said in a text message on Friday.

To ride a jet ski and plant the Philippine flag in areas being claimed by the country in the Spratlys was one of the President’s campaign promises when he ran for the presidency in 2016.

Lacson made the offer to join the President’s visit to the Pag-asa island as tension rises anew in the West Philippine Sea.

This, after the military confirmed that hundreds of Chinese vessels have swarmed Pag-asa island, one of the Philippine-occupied islands in the West Philippine Sea.

READ: Chinese sea militia swarms around Pag-asa Island – military

In a Twitter post, Lacson wrote a cryptic message directed to the President.

“Mr President: Barangay Pag-asa, Municipality of Kalayaan, Province of Palawan, Mimaropa ( Region IVB), Republic of the Philippines—,”  he said in his post.

The senator then cited some lines from the Philippine national anthem, “Lupang Hinirang.”

“Sa manlulupig, di ka pasisiil… Aming ligaya na ‘pag may mang-aapi, ang mamatay nang dahil sa iyo.”

Asked in a text message what he meant by his post, Lacson said: “We should not allow China to encircle, much less occupy the island of Pag-asa.”

“Let’s be reminded of what we sing every Monday morning, during our flag-raising ceremony.”  /muf