PRESIDENTIAL aspirant Senator Panfilo Lacson on Thursday, November 18, 2021, vowed to waive his rights under the Bank Secrecy Law on his first day of office should he win as president to gain back public trust in the government.
Lacson, during the 47th Philippine Business Conference and Expo organized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said if he is elected as president, his first 100 days in office will be dedicated to laying the foundation for a clean government.
“To ensure our people that 'leadership by example' will set the tone of my administration, I will lead the way by signing a waiver of my rights under the Bank Secrecy Law and encourage all the members of the cabinet, down to the rank and file to do the same,” he said.
"This (waiving of rights) will happen on my first day in office, not in the first 100 days. This will signal our commitment to restoring the trust of our people in their public officials," he added.
Lacson also ensured appropriate funding for the implementation of the Universal Health Care Act within the first 100 days of his presidency to boost free vaccination to all, as well as for the provision of free coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) testing and treatment. This includes the procurement of newly developed medicines used against Covid-19 such as Molnupiravir and other anti-viral drugs.
He said this will also push the data-driven contact tracing to prevent the imposition of quarantine lockdowns.
Lacson said local government units and the private sector will play an important role in the implementation of the said programs.
He vowed that his administration will implement infrastructure programs with transparency and accountability.
“I will institute a geo-tagging system to provide an open data visualization platform containing all public infrastructure projects. Lahat ng proyekto kahit ghost projects pa makikita ng publiko (All of the projects, even ghost project, will be seen by the public)," he said.
Aside from continuing the government’s Build, Build, Build Program, Lacson said his government will also invest in “tangible gains” that will help improve the lives of the people such as easing traffic jams, reducing transport costs and improving connectivity of people.
Lacson’s infrastructure plans also include transport systems for the food supply chain, inter-island connectivity, regional food terminals and health facilities.
The senator also pledged to help improve connectivity in the country by investing more in the National Broadband Program, especially to centralize, simplify and automate all government processes and transactions.
He said this also aimed at eradicating corruption in government agencies.