To my dear colleagues, I am humbled for your support and trust to be elected as your Speaker of the House of the 18th Congress. I had three main considerations why we stood our ground and fought the battle:
First, and most importantly, this is for the Filipino people. The present leadership has been accused of putting political expediency above public service. This perception has scandalized the nation to a point wherein no less than President Rodrigo Duterte himself was prompted to deliver a wake-up call for this august body to shape up or ship out.
In his proclamation, our President ordered Congress to “resume the congressional deliberations on the proposed 2021 national budget, and to avoid any further delays on the prompt passage thereof in accordance with the Constitution and applicable laws, rules and regulations.”
As the head of a nation comprised of 109 million people, our President is voicing out the widespread sentiment that the interest of our people – – especially at this time of the covid19 pandemic and the concomitant crises it has spawned – – is being sacrificed before the altar of personal greed and political ambition.
Our countrymen need no further proof of this than the whimsical, illogical, irregular and immoral attempt to suspend Lower House deliberations until November 16, 2021, for no apparent reason other than to perpetuate the hold of the ruling clique.
It did not matter to them that by doing so, the rights and needs of a suffering people were trampled and disregarded, ironically by the very people who are supposed to represent and safeguard their interests.
Our people cannot wait, and they do not deserve to wait even more, simply because someone's political plans are now in peril.
The second reason is to restore a sense of statesmanship to this august body. To this day, there is that sense of reverence to the memory and the legacy of the men and women who once lit up its hallowed halls. It is incumbent upon each and every one of us who follow in their footsteps to respect their memory by living up to the code of honor to which they swore and lived by.
In recent days, the collective integrity of this body has been subjected to a nationwide uproar, sadly affecting many of its members who had no fault or participation. The proceedings and conducts of the present leadership is such that the 18th Congress has become an object of derision and contempt by a people disillusioned with the workings of ambitious politicians.
For sure, any level of redemption will require the collective commitment of every member of this august body. However, such a resolve has to start at the top, and it is to this end that this humble representation has committed to uphold and work for.
The lastly, the third reason is for that time-honored and yet increasingly challenged virtue called word of honor. When President Rodrigo Duterte brokered a term-sharing agreement last year, there were no conditions or collatilla attached to it. The gentleman’s agreement for two parties to serve alternately was sealed by a handshake, witnessed by the president himself. This was a bond of honor stronger than any written contract.
There is no need to open fresh wounds at this point, as there will come a right time for that. However, there is no denying that all this unnecessary turmoil we are currently experiencing resulted from the abject refusal to honor that agreement. There is no other way to look at it.
In the increasingly futile machinations to reject that covenant, there is one principle that was ignored and silenced – the virtue we call word of honor. While we quote verses from the Holy Book and mesmerize with elegant passages from Scripture, the blatant irony is that the
Good Book itself is a testament to God honoring a promise to mankind, and honoring His Word.
This humble representation apologizes to Mayor-President Rodrigo Duterte, the undisputed leader of this nation, who now stands assailed by the perceived rejection by this august body not only of the agreement which he personally established, but his very person, upon which that agreement was anchored.
A rejection of the agreement is a rejection of palabra de honor, and likewise a rejection of Mayor-President Rodrigo Duterte himself. If this agreement is honored in the breach, what future agreement will not be subjected to doubt and disbelief owing to our failure to honor it?
Let us show our countrymen that loyalty and fidelity to the promises we make are not mere conveniences for us. Let us be good examples of palabra de honor, and demonstrate that our word is our bond.
There comes a time in life that marks the destiny of an individual.
This is one such time for this humble representation. There is a choice between simply coasting along the shoreline within one's comfort zone, and launching into the deep to face uncertainty and dangers. Very often the latter represents the fulfillment of a higher calling.
For me, these verses from American poet Robert Frost sum up the sense of triumph that awaits one who chooses “The Road Not Taken”:
“I shall be telling this with a sigh/Somewhere ages and ages hence:/Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -/I took the one less travelled by./ And that has made all the difference.”
This is for our people, for this august body and the institution we call Congress, for the word of honor of our beloved President Duterte, and for God who makes all this happen, we will not let you down!
For God and Country.
Maraming salamat po!
Mabuhay po ang Kongreso! Mabuhay po ang sambayanang Pilipino!
