Mayor Arsenio H. Lacson: A political biography

• Main Author: Yabes, Rod Vincent M.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2002
• Subjects: Biography; Mayors; Local government
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/3028
• Institution: De La Salle University

This work highlights the political career of the late Arsenio H. Lacson, known as the fighting mayor of Manila. Since the work is focused on Lacson's role as a political leader, the study is a story of Lacson's pesonal battles for ascendancy, the maintenance and exercise of rule, the achievement of power through organization and all the details which appear on the front page of the historical paper. This thesis relied solely on printed data such as news accounts, annual reports, and news articles. Historical accounts were narrated to come up with an interpretation and an analysis. In contrast to political warlords and traditional politicians who relied on patronage, money and the use of violence to remain in power, Arsenio H. Lacson attained political supremacy through his flair for dramatics, pugnacity and gift of gab. But aside from these qualities, he had a firm sense of purpose, and he implemented the law without any hesitation or remorse. What made him a truly strong leader was his ability to free himself from the dictates of party leaders and President. The Manila mayor, not the opposition, was primarily the foremost fiscalizer of his own party, oftentimes doing the role of the devil's advocate and always a killjoy in the strictest sense of the word. He detested hypocrisy and defended what he believed was fair and just, even if that would mean getting into a rift with fellow Nacionalistas. He never succumbed to political pressures nor was he swayed by the winds of opinion. Being pilloried by his partymates also made him a hero in the eyes of the people.