00:00Mga kababayan, Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatu.
00:06Madayaw umayong adlaw kaninyong tanan.
00:09Magandang araw sa inyo lahat.
00:11Ang mga natutunghayan natin ngayon ay dapat ikabahala ng bawat Pilipinong naniniwala sa demokrasya,
00:21anuman ang kanilang paniniwala o kulay sa politika.
00:26Nakikita natin kung paano ginagamit ang mga insitusyon ng gobyerno at ang pera ng taong bayan laban sa anumang oposisyon.
00:36Sa halip na tutukan ang mga tunay na suliraning kinakaharap ng ating mga kababayan,
00:42ginagamit ang kapangyarihan upang patahimikin ang mga boses ng mga hindi sumasangayon.
00:49A democracy cannot survive when those in power see every critic as an enemy and every opposing voice as a
00:59threat.
01:00I have always believed that the independence of our institutions must be protected.
01:06This includes not only the Senate and the House of Representatives as institutions,
01:13but every senator and member of the House must be free to perform his or her constitutional duty according to
01:21conscience,
01:22free from threats, pressure, or any form of intimidation.
01:27Good governance does not require the elimination of opposition.
01:32Democracy works best when there is a healthy opposition that is free to question.
01:40A government that fears dissent is not demonstrating strength.
01:45It is revealing insecurity.
01:48And that insecurity is reflected in the direction our country is taking today.
01:55The current state of our nation reveals three disturbing realities.
02:03First, the effort to divert attention from legitimate questions surrounding the flood control controversy.
02:13Second, the willingness to disregard constitutional safeguards in pursuit of a politically motivated impeachment.
02:23And third, the relentless pursuit of greater political power under the guise of charter change.
02:32These are the symptoms of a government that has become more preoccupied with protecting power than serving the people.
02:42The Filipino people deserve a government focused on solving problems, not silencing critics,
02:50on strengthening institutions, not bending them to political ends,
02:56and on serving the nation, not perpetuating power.
03:02Democracy is not weakened by dissent.
03:06Democracy is weakened when those in power become afraid.
03:12And with it.
03:14Shukran.
03:15Shukran.
03:20Shukran.
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