Alex Lacson

Alexander L. Lacson
Born	January , 1965 Kabankalan, Negros Occidental
Nationality	Filipino
Other names	"Pinoy" Lacson
Education	University of the Philippines Diliman, UP College of Law, Harvard Law School, Haggai Leadership Institute
Employer	Malcolm Law Office
Known for	lawyer, author, lecturer, philanthropist and politician.
Notable work	"12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country", "I Am Filipino"
Religion	Roman Catholic
Spouse(s)	Pia Peña
Children	Theo, Angely, Ally, and John
Parent(s)	Jose Lacson, Fe Lacson
Awards	Good Citizen/Good Filipino Award from the People Power Commission, February 25, 2009; Best Filipino (in Linguistics) Award from MI International School, March 2009; Young Filipino Achievers Award from Global Pinoy, 2006; Galing Pilipino Award from Galing Pilipino Movement, 2005.
Website	http://alexlacson.net

Alexander L. Lacson is a Filipino poet, writer, inspirational speaker, lawyer, businessman, change advocate, civil society leader, NGO worker and a builder of hope. He is best known as the author of the famous book entitled "12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country.",^[1] for his poem “I am Filipino” which is now being memorized by many grade and high school students in the country, and for running in the 2010 Philippine Senatorial Election.^[2]

Marsha Ledesma stated that "Alexander Lacson is more than just an author – he is a nation-builder." ^[3]

Personal life

Early life

Alex Lacson was born on January 5, 1965 in barangay Pinaginpinan, Kabankalan, Negros Occidental, the sixth of 8 children. His mother was a public school teacher who taught second grade elementary students in different barrios of Kabankalan. His father, who finished high school only, became a land surveyor and eventually a businessman. But his parents separated when Lacson was still in high school. He finished grade school at a public school, Esteban R. Abada Memorial School (ERAMS) in Kabankalan in 1978, graduating fifth in his batch. For his high school, he studied and finished at the Kabankalan Catholic College (High School Department) in 1982, where he was the salutatorian, CAT corps commander and student council president

During his early years in Kabankalan, there were two major events that took place in Lacson's life that shaped in a big way his present outlook in life

The first was the imprisonment of one of his closest friends, Father Vicente Dangan, the leader of KKK or Kristiyanong Katilingban of Kabankalan (Christians Community of Kabankalan). When nine peasant leaders of KKK were killed and buried in the hacienda of the Kabankalan Mayor, Fr. Dangan was among the very first to condemn it. When the Mayor was killed by the NPAs, Fr. Dangan was accused as one of the masterminds. He was imprisoned. Fr. Dangan was a parish priest in a church in Kabankalan where Lacson served as an altar boy for 4 years. Fr Dangan’s life’s motto of serving God by caring for the least and the last had deeply touched Lacson's young heart and mind.

Another event that shaped Alex’s life outlook was when he was suspended for one week by his high school authorities, after he led a school-wide boycott of classes in 1982, around two months before graduation. One of his officers in CAT, a classmate, was threatened and verbally abused by the husband of one of the faculty members. Lacson and his classmate’s parents demanded for apology and justice, but the school authorities did not act on their demands. After weeks of inaction, and taking to heart his being the batch’s student council president, Lacson led the boycott of classes, paralyzing the entire school for a few days. Lacson was class valedictorian from first year high school up the time of the boycott. When his grade in deportment went down, he graduated salutatorian.^[3]

Education

After finishing high school in 1982,^[3] Lacson was the abe to secure a full scholarship at the Philippine Military Academy in Baguio City. He studied there for three years, but then transferred to the University of the Philippines Diliman to earn a bachelor's degree in political science in 1991. In order to finance his studies at UP, he worked as a Professor's Assistant by day, and as a telemarketer by night. He also received help from his sister, who was working in Japan.^[3]

While studying political science, Lacson also worked part-time as the financial assistance he was receiving from his sister who was working in Japan was not enough. When he entered UP College of Law in Diliman, Lacson decided to work full-time during the day and studied law at night.

Lacson graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Law 1996.^[4] Despite being a working student for most of his years in college, Lacson also became the leader of three campus organizations - as president of the APSM (Association of Political Science Majors), as chairman of ISA (Independent Student Alliance) political party, and as Lord Chancellor of the Alpha Phi Beta at the UP College of Law. He was also a champion debater, as his UP Law Debate Team won the championship against Ateneo Law School during the Association of Law Schools of the Philippines (ALSP) in 1992.

In 2002, Lacson took a short summer program at the Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Mass., USA .^[3]

In 2007, Lacson also attended a month-long Christian leadership training at the Haggai Institute in Singapore, where he delivered the valedictory address for all graduates from more than 30 countries.

Family

His father was Jose Ramos Lacson from Kabankalan, Negros Occidental; his mother Fe Tenefrancia Ledesma of Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte.

Lacson is the sixth of 8 children, but the youngest died after a few hours after birth.

In 1990, Lacson and his siblings learned that they have a half-brother, the son of their father with another woman, who died giving birth to the child. In 1995, when Lacson was reviewing for the Bar Examinations, he took a leave from his review to look for his half-brother in Palawan. Through the help of his father's sisters, Lacson found him in remote barangay in Sicud, Rizal, Palawan where travel was difficult. When Lacson saw him for the first time, he immediately saw the face of his father in his half-brother. Lacson introduced himself, and they hugged. Lacson wanted to give to his half-brother the love that his father was not able to give him. Lacson looked for a job for his half-brother. And through the help of his father-in-law, Teodoro Pena, his half-brother was employed as a utility personnel (all around janitor-messenger) at the Palawan State University in Puerto Prinsesa. Lacson also decided to help the studies of all 4 children of his half-brother. The eldest finished college 5 years ago and is now working in a hotel in Puerto Prinsesa City. Another child is now employed in one of Lacson's companies.^[5]

In 1995, Lacson married fellow lawyer Pia Peña^[4] and the couple now have 4 children: Theo, Angeli, Ally, and John.^[5]

In 1999, at the height of Asian Financial crisis that severely hit many Asian countries including the Philippines, Lacson and his wife were tempted to migrate to the US or Canada. A year earlier, in 1998, one of Lacson's older brother and his family just immigrated to the US. The following year, in 1999, another brother of Lacson, together with his family, also decided to apply for migration to Canada. Lacson and his wife talked about it for almost a year. But by 2000, they decided to stay in country and live their lives in the land where God planted them.

Involvement in Politics

In 2001, Lacson threw his hat in politics and ran for seat in congress in the sixth (6th) District of Negros Occidental. He ran under the People Power Coalition that toppled then President Joseph Estrada during the Edsa People Power II. Unfortunately he lost to one of the oldest and most established political dynasties in that district.

In 2004, the congressman who defeated him in 2010 offered the congressional seat to him a number of times, in exchange for his support to the incumbent congressman's plan to run for mayor of Kabankalan City. But at that time, Lacson had lost his passion for politics and turned down the offer.

Instead, Lacson started writing books for the country.

In 2010, Lacson was invited to run for the senate under Liberal Party Coalition of President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III. He lost.

President Aquino offered him a position in the administration, but Lacson declined. Instead, Lacson continued writing patriotic books. In 2010, he also founded Kabayanihan Foundation to promote patriotism, good citizenship and small acts of kabayanihan to help our country.

Works

At present, Lacson is the CEO of Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA), an organization which runs and implements good governance programs in many national government agencies and local government units around the country.

He is also a co-founder and partner in Malcolm Law offices in Ortigas, Pasig City, Metro Manila. Among his law partners is Siegfred Mison, who previously served as the Commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration.

He also served as one of the legal counsels of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in the Philippines, from 1997-2004. He also wrote a weekly column in the Business World Newspaper, from 1996-2004, largely on legal matters affecting various sectors of the business industry. He also served as a Court Attorney of the Supreme Court Senior Associates Justice Teodoro Padilla, where he studied and made draft decisions on cases elevated to the Supreme Court. While at school, Lacson was also a working student, having worked as a telemarketer of Asia Trust Bank at one point, and as an assistant in the office of then UP President Jose Abueva while studying law at night.

Businesses

Lacson is currently the Chairman & CEO of a family food business in Manila. He is the also the president of Alay Pinoy Publishing House Inc, which publishes books, pamphlets and materials on patriotism, good citizenship and kabayanihan. He is likewise a co-founder and board member of Remax TRP Inc., a real estate agents’ support systems office located in Ayala, Alabang.

Advocacies

He is the founder and chairman emeritus of Kabayanihan Foundation (KF) that seeks to promote patriotism, good citizenship, and small acts of kabayanihan among the Filipino people. The foundation’s primary goal is to help in raising a “Great Generation of the Filipino Youth” in the country.

He is the current Chairman of the Civil Service Commission’s Advisory Council, a multi-sector group composed of reputable leaders and personalities who assist the Civil Service Commission in improving its systems, operations and quality of public service.

He is also the Lead Convenor of the Pilipino Movement for Transformational Leadership (PMTL), a coalition of faith-based organizations from the catholic, Protestant and evangelical communities in the country which aims to build a mechanism that can help in electing honest, competent and dedicated servant leaders for our people. During the 2016 elections, the group adopted Gabay Kristo and used it as the common voter’s guide for all the member organizations of PMTL.

Lacson also currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of World Vision (Philippines), Alay Buhay Community Development Inc., Dilaab Foundation, Joey Velasco Foundation.

Lacson firmly believes in scholarships, as he is a product himself of scholarship, in high school and in college. Since 2001, he has been supporting scholars in his hometown Kabankalan, some of them are children of his own high school batchmates. He has also been supporting scholars under World Vision since 2007.

Philanthropy

The Lacsons have established a foundation to help unprivileged children through school, and are now subsidizing 27 scholars in different public schools in Negros Occidental, his hometown.^[4]

Books & Publications

Lacson is best known for his national bestselling book “12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country”, published in 2005.

In 2008, Lacson also composed the poem “I am Filipino” and its local version “Ako ay Pilipino”, which is now being memorized by grade school and high school students in some parts of the country.

In 2010, he composed another poem entitled “Our Dream Philippines”.

In 2011, he also wrote the following books – “12 Little Things Our Youth Can Do To Help our Country” and the “12 Little Things Global Filipinos Can Do To Help Our Motherland”.

In 2011, he also wrote the pamphlet “8 Principles of Success for the Filipino Youth”.

In 2012, he also wrote the “12 Wonderful Things about the Filipino & our Motherland”.

Famous Book: "12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country"

After Lacson and his wife Pia made the deliberate decision to live their lives in the Philippines instead of searching for greener pastures abroad, they also decided to advocate the idea that conditions in the Philippines could be improved if individual Filipinos took action to improve matters, rather than move to another country. Lacson reasoned: “The answer is in us as a people; that hope is in us as a people.”

When Lacson wrote and published this 108-page booklet "12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country^[6]", it immediately hit a raw nerve among many Filipinos.

Alex Lacson with his wife Pia at a 2010 fundraising event for the 2010 Philippine Senatorial Elections.

The twelve little things mentioned in the book title are:

1. Follow traffic rules. Follow the law.
2. Whenever you buy or pay for anything, always ask for an official receipt.
3. Don’t buy smuggled goods. Buy local. Buy Filipino. (Or, if you read the book, he suggests: 50-50).
4. When you talk to others, especially foreigners speak positively about us and our country.
5. Respect your traffic officer, policeman and soldier.
6. Do not litter. Dispose your garbage properly. Segregate. Recycle. Conserve.
7. Support your church.
8. During elections, do your solemn duty.
9. Pay your employees well.
10. Pay your taxes.
11. Adopt a scholar or a poor child.
12. Be a good parent. Teach your kids to follow the law and love our country.

Each of these 12 little things contains love of neighbor or fellow human being. They are small acts of love or small acts of heroism or patriotism that every Filipino, young or old, rich or poor, wherever in our archipelago or in the world, can do to help the country.

Maximo Soliven: “An Angel sent by God to help me”

According to Lacson, it was the legendary Philippine Star founder and columnist Maximo Soliven who opened the big door for him and the book. On 15 December 2005, just 5 months after the book was published, Max Soliven and Alex Lacson met for the first time in a busy street in Makati.

According to Soliven, his new BMW car conked out in the middle of the street. He tried to get help but everyone seemed busy and on a hurry. Then came along a white car, pulled by his side. The driver offered to help. It was Alex Lacson. Since Soliven could not find a taxi, Lacson drove him all the way to his house in Greenhills.

It was inside Lacson’s car where Max saw a few copies of his book. Four days later, on December 19, Soliven wrote a beautiful and touching article in his newspaper column entitled “A Filipino of Faith”.

The article became a hot item and became viral in social media. Many people called up the office of Soliven to inquire how to contact Lacson and where to buy his book. Lacson started receiving many speaking invitations. In 2006 alone, Lacson received more than 300 speaking invitations about his book.

The sales of Lacson’s book took off like a plane.

‘Max Soliven was part of God’s answer to my prayers’, said Lacson. While he was writing the book, there were nights that Lacson could not write and he only prayed. He specifically asked God to send him many wonderful people who can help him spread the book’s message to as many Filipinos as possible. Soliven was one of the many wonderful people God sent my way, said Lacson.

Awards

The awards Lacson has received over the years include:[2]

1. the Family Values Award, given by the Mormon Church in the Philippines, November 2014;
2. the Most Distinguished Lay Leader, Diocese of Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental, March 2013
3. the Good Citizen / Good Filipino award given by the Edsa People Power Commission in February 2009,
4. the Best in Filipino award, an award in Linguistics given by M.I. International School in 2009;
5. the Good Pilipino (a sticker award), given by Galing Pilipino Movement, 2006

2010 Senatorial Candidacy

Alex Lacson at a campaign event in March 2010.

On November 28, 2009, Florencio Abad, 2010 Presidential campaign manager for the Liberal Party of the Philippines announced that Lacson had been allotted the tenth slot on the party's slate of candidates for the Philippine Senate. Abad also noted that Lacson was instrumental in convincing Liberal Party standard bearer Noynoy Aquino to run for the presidency.^[2]

Lacson's chosen core message for the campaign was "Bayani ang Bawat Pilipino. Tayo ang mga Bayaning Kailangan ng Ating Bansa." ("Each Filipino is a Hero. We [ourselves] are the Heroes our Nation needs.") Issues he has identified as priority campaign concerns include: honest (government) service, employment, education, environmental protection, support to Overseas Filipino Workers, and the development of a Filipino culture that would spur national development ("Kulturang Pilipino na magpapaunlad sa ating bansa").^[5]

"3-Point Agenda to Optimize Opportunities"

While Lacson has not yet published a single document presenting his proposed legislative agenda in bullet points, his campaign speeches have championed a consistent plan of action. Writer Lester Cavestany summed up Lacson's points after one meeting, dubbing the resulting bullet points "Alex Lacson’s 3-Point Agenda to Optimize Opportunities":^[7]

Agenda: Educational Support

Plan of Action in the Senate:

• Community Learning Centers in the barangays
• Increase cooperation between private/nonprofit sector and government in providing education support (such as feeding programs, computers, etc)

Agenda: Scholarships

Plan of Action in the Senate:

• Focus on the Committee on Education in the Senate and initiate policies that would increase the number of scholars nationwide
• Bring the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority to the rural areas and institutionalize study-and-work tie-ups with the business sector

Agenda: Faith in the Filipino

Plan of Action in the Senate:

• Push for more socio-civic education in schools to teach the next generation about responsible citizenship

References

1. "About Atty. Alexander "Pinoy" L. Lacson: Speaker, Author, Lawyer, Father". alexlacson.net. Retrieved 2010-02-05.
2. Michael Lim Ubac (2009-11-28). "LP, NP bare senatorial candidates". The Philippine Daily Inquirer.
3. Ledesma, Marsha (August 2009). Living From The Heart: inspiring stories by successful people. Globetrotting Lens. ISBN 971-93784-2-5.
4. Lacson, Alexander L. (2005). 12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do to Help Our Country. Quezon City, Philippines: Alay Pinoy Publishing House. 971933570X.
5. "Atty. Alex "Pinoy" Lacson for Senator: Bagong Istorya" (Press release). Friends of Alex (Lacson Senatorial Campaign Group). 2010.
6. "12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country".
7. Cavestany, Lester (2010-03-04). "Ahh si Alex, Si Alexander Lacson". FILIPINO VOICES: Powered by A Collective Voice. FilipinoVoices. Retrieved 2010-03-10.