Panfilo "Ping" Morena Lacson Sr. (Tagalog pronunciation: [ˈlakson]; born June 1, 1948) is a Filipino former politician and police general who served as a senator for three terms: from 2001 to 2013 and from 2016 to 2022.

[19] His father, Buenaventura, was a jeepney driver whose experiences with "kotong cops" (extortionist policemen) eventually inspired him to fight extortion and other forms of corruption.

[23] Lacson also received from the Philippine Military Academy the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award on February 19, 2022, in recognition of his "more than 50 years of “dedicated, exemplary and unblemished service to the country characterized by his faithful adherence to the virtues of Courage, Loyalty and Integrity.

In 1981, Lacson was a Lieutenant Colonel with the PC-Metrocom, when he led a team that rescued now-tycoon Robina Gokongwei-Pe, daughter of businessman John Gokongwei Jr., from a kidnap-for-ransom gang.

While heading the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF), he was appointed to serve as Philippine National Police Chief in 1999, but did not get his 4-star rank due to former Santiago Aliño's retirement issues since 1998.

[36] Lacson's notable accomplishments were the reduction of corrupt policemen (Kotong Cops) and various organized crime syndicates engaged in kidnapping, drug trafficking, and other illegal activities.

Lacson refused to accept bribe money from illegal gambling operators and contractors and suppliers transacting business with the PNP, declining offers of monetary rewards from kidnap-for-ransom victims after rescuing them from their captors.

Most importantly, Lacson stopped the practice of "kotong cops," who extort money from public utility drivers, vegetable and rice dealers, and vendors.

On May 2, 2008, the Supreme Court of the Philippines resolved to take cognizance of the motion of the families of the slain Kuratong Baleleng members for revival of the murder case against police officials and Senator Panfilo Lacson.

[63] From April 26 to 30, 2001, together with Juan Ponce Enrile, Gregorio Honasan, Miriam Defensor Santiago and Tito Sotto, he spoke at the EDSA III rallies that called for Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's resignation and the reinstatement of Estrada to the presidency.

[23] Meanwhile, his alma mater, the Philippine Military Academy, conferred on him on February 19, 2022, the Lifetime Achievement Award citing his more than 50 years of “dedicated, exemplary and unblemished service to the country characterized by his faithful adherence to the virtues of Courage, Loyalty and Integrity.”[67] Lacson filed bills that aimed to improve public service, enhance reproductive health, promote investments, bolster the country's defense capabilities, He was one of the main authors of two legislative measures of the Aquino administration, one of which was the Reproductive Health Act.

His office crafted the Yolanda Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan (CRRP) with a PhP167 billion proposed funding, which provides for an overall strategic vision and integrated short-term, medium-term and long-term programs in the Yolanda-affected areas.

[79] However, due to low ratings in most pre-election presidential surveys, he decided to run for a senate seat as an independent candidate in the 2016 Philippine general election.

The system seeks to address the problems of constant delays and inconveniences in availing of basic public services and social security benefits due to inefficient and unreliable means of identifying the beneficiaries.

[94] Lacson filed Senate Bill 48,[95] which seeks to amend Republic Act 4200 to update the list of crimes where wiretapping may be deemed lawful under certain circumstances.

At a Senate hearing on January 28, 2017, Lacson showed a video of police officers in civilian clothing, appearing to plant evidence in an anti-drug operation – to stress his call for internal cleansing in the PNP.

[135] In late July 2021, Lacson became chairman of Partido Reporma,[136] a political party founded by former Philippine defense secretary Renato de Villa.

In a statement, he said he is a guest candidate of the Nationalist People's Coalition, one of five major political parties in an alliance with the administration Partido Federal ng Pilipinas.

Lacson noted that House members were allowed to identify P80 million worth of projects before the submission of the 2017 National Expenditure Program to Congress for deliberations – the pork barrel system already declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

[citation needed] Meanwhile, in the proposed 2020 budget, Lacson cited information from some House members regarding a plan to give each district P700 million, and each of 22 deputy Speakers P1.5 billion.

[157] In a privilege speech on July 29, 2019, Lacson detailed how the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) was spending beyond its means while its higher-ups "seem to turn a blind eye."

Not to mention the country's geographical location along the boundary of major tectonic plates and at the center of the typhoon belt, coupled by its socially and economically vulnerable population, it becomes even more imperative to review our four-decade-old National Building Code," Lacson said.

[184] Under the new law, the definition of hazing was expanded to include "physical or psychological suffering, harm or injury inflicted on a recruit, member, neophyte, or applicant" as a prerequisite for admission or for continued membership in an organization.

[114] Lacson said he is ready to closely monitor and call out potential abuses in the implementation of the law, adding he will not allow anyone to pervert the legislative intent of the measure that he had painstakingly sponsored on the Senate floor.

He also scored suggestions to amend the Anti-Terrorism Act, saying this would be "a disrespect to our comrades-in-arms as well as the countless civilians who fell victims to the atrocities of this terrorist group that has lost its ideological principles over the years – they murder, they rob, they extort, they harass and intimidate and worse, indiscriminately.

The law amends Section 450 of RA 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991, exempting a municipality from the land and population requirements if it generates at least P100 million for two consecutive years.

[203] Lacson was the principal author and sponsor of Senate Bill 2869 in the 15th Congress, which also sought to provide fixed terms for the AFP's chief of staff and major service commanders.

The leaders of our AFP will have the opportunity to implement their legacy programs instead of staying in office too briefly," said Lacson, adding that "(t)he revolving-door policy has always been a disservice to the mandates of the military leadership entrusted with the security and defense of the country.

[206] He said this new chapter in his life involves seeking to boost Philippine agriculture by planting the protein-rich sorghum while engaging in small-scale feed mills, hatcheries and fish cage farming in Mindanao and Luzon.

Through this, he said they hope to contribute to help make the Philippines food-sufficient while providing Filipino farmers with additional income outside the traditional rice planting season.