00:00Thank you, Mr. President.
00:01Mr. President, I rise on a matter of personal and collective privilege.
00:06Mr. President, it's almost one week after the election and the election here in the Senate.
00:15I don't think I can tell you that since Monday, what we have shown is that it doesn't happen.
00:24It doesn't happen to us, our employees, and our Filipinos.
00:34It's not a bad thing that happened here.
00:37And especially, it's not possible to make the Facebook Live, press conferences, and media interviews
00:44the consequences of these events.
01:07The situation stooped so low that here, in and around these same August halls,
01:16may pwedeng magkasanang barel sa harap ng mga sibilyan.
01:22Dear colleagues, kahit kailan, hindi yan nangyari sa Pilipinas.
01:27Kahit panahon ng kudeta, not even during the darkest days of martial law,
01:34did gunfire erupt within our halls.
01:37So, whether we stand in the minority or in the majority,
01:43the Senate, as an institution, has sustained a profound injury to its dignity,
01:51credibility, and moral authority before the Filipino people.
01:56And this frustrates me every day since Wednesday.
02:05Including in the context of initial findings from the investigation conducted by the Department of Justice,
02:13the Department of the Interior and Local Government,
02:15and the Philippine National Police, beginning to reveal various points.
02:23Patuloy pa rin ang investigasyon, Mr. President.
02:27At dapat lang.
02:28But still, this needs to be said.
02:32Kapag may nagpaputok ng barel, right here, in the people's house,
02:38kapag naghasik ka ng takot sa mga empleyado, sa media, sa security personnel,
02:46at sa mga sibilyan, kapag may natroma dahil sa karahasan,
02:52at umu-uwing nanginginig, at hindi mapakali sa sariling bahay,
02:59lampas na ito sa iso ng pamumulitika.
03:03Pambabastos na yan.
03:05At pangaabuso sa lahat-lahat ng ipinagkatiwala sa Senado bilang mga lingkod bayan.
03:12As we all know, democracy has always made room for disagreement.
03:18But, dear colleagues,
03:20Hindi na ito political disagreement.
03:23Hindi na ito iso ng kampihan.
03:26What should trouble us is the manner by which disagreement is being settled,
03:32which reflects a broader national discourse
03:36that has become more coarse and unforgiving
03:40when aggression is normalized
03:42and humiliation is treated as political currency.
03:47We cannot have a culture
03:49that proudly treats fellow Filipinos
03:52as enemies to be defeated,
03:55all in the name of clout.
03:58Yung mga pagbabanta,
04:00pambibintang,
04:02pananakit ng damdamin,
04:04hindi yan ang dapat ginagawang sukatan ng tapang.
04:09Kahit magkakatunggali sa politika,
04:12hindi tayo dapat ganyan sa isa't isa,
04:15lalo na dito sa Senado.
04:18Hindi ito tahanan ng ganyang kababang uri ng politika.
04:23Ngayon,
04:25higit sa kailanman,
04:27dapat manaig
04:28ang ating pagkapilipino.
04:31I refuse to believe
04:32na tayo mga Pilipino
04:34ay mga bulag
04:35na sumusunod sa sino mang politiko.
04:39I refuse to believe
04:41na wala nang natitirang
04:43malasakit,
04:44hiya,
04:45o pagmamahal sa bayan.
04:47Kasi ang mga krisis,
04:50ang mga sakuna,
04:52hindi yan nagtatanong
04:53kung sinong kakampi mo sa politika.
04:56Lahat tayo tinatamaan
04:58at lahat tayo may responsibilidad.
05:02At tayo mismo,
05:04dito sa Senado,
05:06kaya nating magkasundo.
05:08In fact,
05:10all of the laws
05:11I myself have championed
05:13could not have passed
05:15without the support
05:16of those
05:17from across
05:18the political aisle.
05:20And I refuse to believe
05:22that this institution
05:23that has crafted laws
05:25for the most marginalized,
05:28that has conducted
05:29crucial investigations
05:31that have moved the needle
05:33at various political junctures
05:35is beyond repair
05:37or redemption.
05:38Let us remember,
05:40Mr. President,
05:41that we have
05:42a bicamera legislature
05:44with a Senate
05:45elected at large
05:47precisely to have
05:49a body
05:50that can rise above
05:51parochial concerns
05:53and craft a vision
05:55for the entire nation.
05:58At kaya kong sabihin
06:00ng buong puso
06:01that this Senate has
06:03at its best
06:04shown
06:05that this agreement
06:07does not destroy
06:09our common duty.
06:11We have passed laws
06:13across party lines.
06:16That is why
06:17we cannot act
06:18as though nothing
06:19happened last week.
06:22Alam natin
06:22ang tama
06:23at mali.
06:24Alam natin
06:26kapag sumosobra na.
06:28And this is what
06:29our country needs
06:31from us now
06:32for the Senate
06:33in this difficult hour
06:36to reflect
06:37the best
06:38of our people.
06:40May we prove
06:41worthy
06:41of the trust
06:43that our people
06:44have placed in us.
06:46Marami pong salamat
06:47sa inyo
06:47at sa lahat,
06:48Mr. President.
06:49Before I recognize
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