Panfilo Lacson

Panfilo Lacson
Senator-elect of the Philippines
Assuming office
June 30, 2025
SucceedingN/A
Senator of the Philippines
In office
June 30, 2016  June 30, 2022
In office
June 30, 2001  June 30, 2013
Chair of the Senate National Defense and Security Committee
In office
July 23, 2019  June 30, 2022
Preceded byGregorio Honasan
Succeeded byJinggoy Estrada
Chair of the Senate Accounts Committee
In office
July 24, 2019  June 30, 2022
Preceded byGregorio Honasan
Succeeded byNancy Binay
Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery
In office
December 10, 2013  February 10, 2015
PresidentBenigno Aquino III
Chief of the Philippine National Police
In office
November 16, 1999  January 20, 2001
PresidentJoseph Estrada
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Preceded byEdmundo L. Larroza
Succeeded byLeandro Mendoza
Personal details
Born
Panfilo Morena Lacson

(1948-06-01) June 1, 1948
Imus, Cavite, Philippines
Political partyIndependent (2004–2021; 2022–present)
Other political
affiliations
Reporma (2021–2022)
LDP (2001–2004)
SpouseAlice de Perio
Children4
Alma materPhilippine Military Academy (BS)
Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (MPA)
Websitepinglacson.net
Military service
Branch/servicePhilippine Constabulary
Years of service1971 – 1991
Commands
Police career
ServicePhilippine Constabulary
Philippine National Police
Division
    • Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF)
    • Task Force Habagat – Presidential Anti-Crime Commission
Police officeLaguna Provincial Police
Service years1991–2001
Rank Director General

Panfilo "Ping" Morena Lacson Sr. (Tagalog pronunciation: [ˈlakson]; born June 1, 1948) is a Filipino politician who is a senator-elect of the Philippines. He is also a former police general who served as director general of the Philippine National Police (PNP) from 1999 to 2001. He was a candidate in the 2004 and 2022 Philippine presidential elections.

During his tenure as the chief of the PNP, he was known for instituting various reforms within the organization. Despite some controversies, his high approval rating and high-profile anti-corruption campaigns were key to his Senate bid in 2001, where he won and placed tenth in the elections. In January 2001, Lacson's withdrawal of police support for President Joseph Estrada was critical to Estrada's ouster in EDSA II. However, after Estrada was arrested on April 25, 2001, Lacson was among the politicians who spoke against his removal from office at pro-Estrada rallies that preceded the May 1 riots near Malacañang Palace. He ran for the presidency in 2004 but lost, though he continued to serve as senator until 2007. He won another six-year term in 2007.

After his first two terms in the Senate, Lacson was appointed by then-President Benigno Aquino III as Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery in December 2013. He led the management and rehabilitation efforts of the central provinces in the Philippines affected by Typhoon Yolanda.

In the 2016 elections, Lacson ran for senator and won, ranking fourth in the said elections.

Lacson made another attempt for the presidency of the Philippines during the 2022 Philippine presidential election, where he placed fifth, losing to Bongbong Marcos. After the election, Lacson said he would contribute to food security through an agri-aqua business.

Lacson's career as a police officer became the basis for two local action films: Task Force Habagat (1993) and Ping Lacson: Super Cop (2000).