00:00 [MUSIC]
00:05 Senator Meeks, you are a perfect attendance in your 15-year history as a legislator.
00:10 But they say you are a political maverick.
00:13 You were a spice boy during President Erap and Bumoto's time to impeach him.
00:19 You were a quiet president during President Gloria's time.
00:24 But now, they say you are like best friends forever with President BBM.
00:28 What do you think about that?
00:30 I am issue-oriented, Ma'am Malu.
00:33 There are certain, for example, charter change.
00:37 I did not agree, Ma'am Malu.
00:40 We didn't agree on the mode.
00:42 We didn't agree on the need to have it done right away.
00:46 Although many of my colleagues in the administration are pushing for it.
00:51 So, we are issue-oriented, Ma'am Malu.
00:54 The issue is good for the Filipino people.
00:58 We are there.
00:59 If we think our countrymen are weak, we are there in the plans of different groups.
01:07 Remember during the time of President Duterte,
01:10 when President Duterte signed the VFA, Visiting Forces Agreement,
01:15 he decided to suspend the Visiting Forces Agreement.
01:19 I was one of the people who went to the Supreme Court together with Senator Soto at the time, my Senate president,
01:24 to question if he can do that without approval of the Senate because the Senate is the ratifying body.
01:33 It's the body that ratified the VFA.
01:35 We won there, Ma'am Malu.
01:37 The Supreme Court had spoken and they said for treaties such as that,
01:42 it has to get concurrence of the Senate on repealing these treaties.
01:46 So we are issue-oriented, Ma'am Malu.
01:49 If we think it's for the good of our country, we are there.
01:53 I think my track record will speak for that, will speak for itself.
01:57 I don't see anything wrong with what President Marcos is doing.
02:02 He's ticking all the boxes, doing the right things.
02:06 There's no controversy.
02:08 He doesn't want controversy.
02:09 He doesn't want to have a charter change.
02:11 He told us first that we will be in trouble if our administration runs smoothly.
02:18 In fairness to him, he's doing the right things.
02:20 Of course, if there will be bad things that will come out, we will call it out,
02:24 being that the Senate is the last bastion of democracy in our country.
02:28 [Music]
Comments