Ping: I’m all about Yolanda right now

FORT DEL PILAR, Baguio City — Amid rumors that he is running for president in 2016, former senator Panfilo Lacson said he is "colorblind" to politics and would rather focus on rehabilitating typhoon-hit areas as Presidential Assistant on Rehabilitation and Recovery.

"I eat (Typhoon) 'Yolanda' for breakfast, I eat 'Yolanda' for lunch, I eat 'Yolanda' for dinner, I eat 'Yolanda' for snacks, and I dream of Yolanda when I go to sleep at night so I have nothing more in my mind except Yolanda," Lacson told reporters at the Philippine Military Academy alumni homecoming here yesterday.

"I don't think of 2016. I'm color blind to politics. As I said, Yolanda is all what I have in mind," he added.

Lacson was the guest of honor and speaker of the PMA alumni homecoming, which was attended by about 4,000 graduates and visitors. He is a member of the PMA "Matatag" (resilient) class of 1971.

Before his attendance to the event, there have been speculations that Lacson might run for president even if he is not aligned with any major political party.

The PMA Alumni Association Inc. clarified there is nothing political with the decision to pick Lacson as speaker and guest of honor.

"Number one, he is a cavalier himself and can relate to the event and number two it's because of his position as Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery," said PMAAAI public affairs chief Col. Romeo Brawner Jr.

"Our country has gone through a lot of challenges like calamities. We see the role of the armed forces and the cavaliers increasing with regard to helping our countrymen in terms of rehabilitation," he added.

Nevertheless, the highlights of Lacson's career as a politician and law enforcer were cited by PMAAAI chairman Reynaldo Reyes, who was tasked to introduce him.

"Observers note that his rise to national prominence started when he catapulted the Philippine National Police to one of its highest public approval ratings in its history," Reyes, a graduate of PMA class '64, said.