(0:00:04) Praise God for this opportunity. Mga ka-Facebook, family ko sa Facebook, dito po sa Luzon, sa Visayas, sa Mindanao po, na binisita po natin ang mga taga Davao, Sarangani, at GenSan yesterday.
(0:00:18) At siyempre po, para ating special mention, ang mga talagang nagmamalasakit, hindi lang sa ating ekonomiya, hindi lang sa kanilang pamilya, pero sa ating buong bansa, ang ating mahal na mga OFWs. Magandang magandang hapon po sa inyo ngayon. Sa pagbati po natin ang magandang hapon, ang ating topic today, pag-usapan natin ng konti yung impeachment process para bago ito mag-umpisa in more or less two weeks from now, medyo mas familiar na po tayo lahat.
(0:00:54) Pangalawa po, yung mga issues surrounding the Blue Ribbon Committee and yung ibang statements po na ginawa ng ilan nating mga opisyal, maging si Senator Lacson, maging si Senate President Win Gatchalian, or si Blue Ribbon Chairperson Erwin Tulfo.
(0:01:13) And then, today is a special day sa pamilya Cayetano. Ang tawag po namin ay everlasting life anniversary. Kasi tayo’y naniniwala, when you are in Christ, you have everlasting life. So, nung binawian ng physical na katawan o nang buhay yung katawan ng aking ama dito, naniniwala kami, yun ang birthday niya in heaven. So ano yan, June 24. Tagal na po, 23 years. Parang sobrang tagal pero syempre dun sa mga nagmamahal sa kanya, parang kahapon lang.
(0:01:55) So, let’s start with a biblical principle. Ang purpose po natin in saying verses ay dalawa. One, I want to communicate that in everything we do, napaka-importante na kasama yung ating Creator.
(0:02:12) Yung creator o yung manufacturer, siya nakakaalam ng purpose ng bawat isa. Ang nag-manufacture o nag-create ng Toyota o Mitsubishi o BYD, siya may karapatan maglabas ng owner’s manual o kaya ng user’s guide. Ang nag-create ng iPhone, Samsung, Huawei, lahat ng napakagandang mga cellphone, yung user guide niyan, or yung mga tips, or yung mga upgrades sa kanyang operating system, yung manufacturer nakakaalam. So ako’y naniniwala din, sa ating bansa, sa mundong ito, meron divine creator. So the second purpose is really not the verse per se, but the biblical principle involved.
(0:03:05) So yung addressing myself to Christians, we believe kasi that the word is a living word. Ibig sabihin, hindi lang ito aral sa eskwelahan, hindi lang ito math or science or history. Living word ito, it changes you. Having said that, even for non-believers or those who believe something different or even kasi sa Christian community, napakadaming denominations, may major differences.
(0:03:31) For example, evangelicals at saka ang Catholics. But even yung Catholics, di ba? Between yung Opus Dei at saka yung Jesuits or ganun din sa evangelical, kung Pentecostal, kung Baptist, Presbyterian, di ba? Napakarami pong mga pagkakaiba pero may core beliefs. And these core beliefs, I’ll call them principles, di ba? Biblical principles. Kaya paulit-ulit po tayo na we can debate on opinions. Opinion yun eh.
(0:04:00) So natural, opinion mo, iba sa opinion ko. Pag sinabi ni Lani, mas gusto niyang ang suot ko ay blazer or suit. Pag sinabi naman ni Tintoi na, Sir, mas gusto ko pag suot mo t-shirt lang na plain. Pag sinabi naman ni George eh, iba talaga jacket. Kita mo si Robin Padilla. Ang gaganda ng jacket. So, opinion yun. Ang facts, dapat hindi tayo nag dedebate. Kaya nga fact yun. Ibig sabihin, yun talaga. So, is the world flat or is it round? Nung wala pang way to prove it as a fact, some people said it’s an opinion.
(0:04:47) Pero nung may iba nang scientific way, lalo na nung nakapunta na ng space ang mga tao tapos nakita ang bilog, it’s a fact na bilog. But nowadays, pati ang facts, dine-debate. Kaya may alternative facts or may fake news pa nga kung fake talaga. That’s why, let’s go to principles. And what principle do I want to apply today? Yung biblical principle na kung anong ating itatanim, yan ang ating aanihin.
(0:05:17) Or what we sow, we will reap. Di ba? So, mula pa elementary or sa bahay, tinuruan tayo na kung anong itatanim, yan ang aanihin. So, hindi ka pwede magtanim ng mangga tapos santol ang iyong aanihin. So, there is a tragedy yung school shooting and then yung stabbing and although it’s happened before yung stabbing. And although napapanood natin sa television, for example, na nangyari sa US, I cannot imagine, of course, the parents. I mean, remember si ate po lost a child a few months after birth at sabi nga niya na no matter how people say, I understand, we feel for you, habang hindi mo naramdaman ay hindi mo masasabi.
(0:06:13) So, you know, I just wanna really pray for the parents, pray for the loved ones, sa mga nasawi, and of course, ask people to, you know, extend, to be sensitive, to pray for them. So, having said that, I also cannot say I can understand how the community feels, di ba?
(0:06:33) How yung classmates, yung mga na-trauma na bata, how the PTA, how yung mga homeroom teachers, how yung barangay, the barangay captain, everything is… it’s just a shock to us. So, we have to reflect kasi kung anong tinatanim natin sa isip ng mga bata. So, isang lumabas na kasi yung mga violent na mga application or yung mga napapanood sa social media. In a sense, hindi bago po yan kasi nung bata kami, kaya nga na ban din yung video games and then may ilan mga cartoons na nabandon. Kasi given naman sa ating lahat na garbage in is garbage out. But siguro ang gusto ko lang i-contribute sa discussion, nung araw kasi, kasi you may ask, bakit ibang-iba yung reaction?
(0:07:23) Kapag yung abuse ay nangyari sa bahay, so it could be any kind of abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse, it could be death, it could be injury. But bakit pag sa bahay, sa simbahan, or sa eskwelahan, grabe ang reaction ng buong, everyone, ng buong bansa, ng media, ng buong bansa. And dapat ha, dapat.
(0:07:48) Hindi tayo pwede ma-desensitize dyan. Hindi pwedeng maging normal yan. Maraming dapat hindi normal na naging normal na. That’s why nga, I won’t go there, but yung war on drugs, that’s why nga yung mga area na drug-infested, ay nag-resonate dun yung labanan ang drugs. Kasi nga, nung araw, parang siguro sa isang taon, isang beses lang mababalita na may 6-year-old or 3-year-old or 9-year-old na na-rape. O kaya yung sabihin na nagpatayan sa sariling bahay. Pero nung lumaganap talaga yung shabu…
(0:08:24) Parang buwan-buwan, minsan mas madalas pa may news ng heinous crimes o napaka-violent na crimes o napaka-karumaldumal na krimen na hindi natin ma-explain. Ang problema nga, nano-normalize.
(0:08:39) And then na-explain, kaya normal kasi nga, yung shabu really causes violence. But hindi talaga pwedeng manormalize yung shootings, killings sa school. Hindi dapat ma-normalize ang kahit anong klaseng abuse sa churches. At lalong-lalo na po sa bahay. So the reason po that we’re more sensitive when it is schools, churches, or home, is because this is the place where children should be safe. Diba? Sa bahay, kasi nga, bahay mo yan eh. Diba? Sino pang magmamahal sa’yo sa mundong ito, aside from God, kung hindi pamilya mo, nanay mo, tatay mo, mga kapatid mo, kung sino man nasa bahay. Diba? Church din. Diba? Why do you go there? You go to church because all religions teaches there’s something higher than us. There’s the spiritual world. At mahal ka ng Diyos.
(0:09:35) So maging pastor yan, maging imam, maging ministro, maging pastor, kung may abuse, whether masyadong strikto at napalo kang na-injure ka or whether it’s sexual abuse, it’s unacceptable. And then of course school. Because we send our children to school para nga mag-develop sila. Ang number one resource natin is not oil or gas or gold or livestock.
(0:10:00) It’s our children. So we expect those three places to be safe. So I hope as the investigations go on, yung local sa DepEd, yung NBI, PNP, I think Congress at Senate, di ba? At tignan po natin yung total environment ng estudyante. Kasi I was thinking about it, baka sabihin niyo, ano naman kinalaman ng K-12 sa nangyari? Eh guys, half day na lang po eh. Half day na lang most of our schools. I don’t know exactly sa Leyte.
(0:10:33) But most of our schools sa highly urbanized places are half day. So mas madami pang oras ang bata sa lansangan at saka sa social media. Diba? And then mga churches, most are punong-puno. So yung supervision din or yung personal time iba-iba depende sa church. And then homes are not as cohesive as they used to be. It depends. So my point is lang…
(0:11:01) We have to solve the problems, but we have to have very, very deep thought into this problem because existential ‘to sa pamilya ng bawat Pilipino. So again, I join the millions who are praying and also nakikiramay dun sa mga biktima at sa pamilya. And then of course we understand their cry for justice. And definitely this problem with teenagers who think that they can do anything, the discussion has been there for more than 10 years. Diba? So, uminit na ulit yung discussion niya yung 2016 pa, 2026 na eh. So, tama si Senator Robin na if there’s a reason to call a special session, it’ll be that. Diba? So, hindi po dahilan na wala pang members yung minority sa Committee on Justice because everyone can participate.
(0:11:53) Hindi naman kailangan yung botohan dyan. It’s really getting to a consensus of what law will be most proactive and relevant to us where we can protect our young people, not expose them to criminality, not treat them as hardened criminals, but also deter them and their parents from going into violence and violent crimes.
(0:12:22) So I promised you I’ll talk a little bit about the impeachment. So most of the news is about the pre-trial. So just two topics lang. Bakit pre-trial? Kasi if you remember po, nagkaroon ng time during the hearing of former Chief Justice Corona na bumagal at tumagal kasi nga habang nagta-trial, mina-mark pa yung mga ebidensya.
(0:12:45) And then, pag ang prosecution, biglang nagtanong, pwede bang yung second or third article ang ipresent or may s-skip kami? O kaya kung parehong dokumento or parehong witness ang gagamitin, debate pa parati. So, I really have to thank Senate Secretary Joel Montales and the professional Senate staff and yung mga researchers ng iba’t ibang mga opisina ng mga senador who all agreed na kailangan talaga yan.
(0:13:18) So although some might think na may ups and downs yan everyday, mas mabuti na yan kaso sa everyday sa trial magkaproblema. So having said that, the second point kasi I want to make, and I think this is the most important point in the trial, is yung political neutrality or yung impartiality. So, all throughout history, ang issue parati sa isang korte is to be impartial. Ibig sabihin po, walang kinikilingan.
(0:13:49) Hindi pwedeng umpisa pa lang, A versus B, kampe ako kay B. Kaya nga sa jury system, they have to make sure na yung mga nasa jury hindi biased. So supposedly sa system natin na may judge, sila dapat ay trained na kahit na may personal opinion or may feelings about it, they apply the law. So for example, kung isang judge namatayan, dahil sa drunk driving.
(0:14:19) Pero ang batas natin, drunk driving, ay six years lang. Hindi pwedeng sabihin ng judge, nine years ikulong yan. Kasi nga, kailangan niya sundin yung batas. But yung judge kasi is trained. So ang problema natin sa senator-judges, we’re not really trained as judges. Of course, some of us have been in other impeachment trials or whether sa House or sa Senate, so may konti nang experience. But still, ang layo sa training kahit na ng ating MTC or RTC judges. So, yung impartiality is very important. So, if you remember when we convened the court ng oath-taking, nauna ako at pagkatapos nag-oath naman yung lahat ng senator, makikita nyo po dito sa…
(0:15:07) Resolution Adopting the Rules of Procedure on Impeachment Trials Sa Rule 3, before the consideration of the Articles of Impeachment, the presiding officer shall administer the prescribed oath or affirmation to the members of the Senate then present and to the other members of the Senate as they may appear, whose duty shall be to take the same. Upon presentation of the articles to the Senate, the Senate shall specify the date and time for consideration of such articles, unless the Senate provides otherwise. So yan, ginawa natin lahat. Tingnan nyo yung next paragraph. Senators shall observe political neutrality during the course of impeachment trial. Tapos dinefine niya. Political neutrality shall be defined as an exercise of public official’s duty without unfair discrimination and regardless of party affiliation or preference.
(0:16:02) Okay, ulitin ko ha. Without unfair discrimination and regardless of party affiliation or preference. So whether admin ka and policy ng admin if it’s the policy of the admin to impeach a certain official and whether opposition ka at ayaw mo ma-impeach or baliktad.
(0:16:23) Admin ka, ayaw mo ma-impeach. Opposition ka, may gusto kang ma-impeach. Dapat may fairness. Dapat walang unfair discrimination. Dapat may political neutrality. That’s why, dun pa lang nung nabuo yung bagong majority nung May 11, ang sinabi sa amin ang priority, dalawa, ang ating ekonomiya at pangalawa, yung magkaroon ng fair at maayos,.
(0:16:48) Yun po ang sabi na fair at maayos, impartial at maayos na impeachment. Pero nagulat kami, bakit naging priority na buwagin yung bagong majority at tanggalin ako bilang Senate President. So, isang theory dyan na lumabas is that ayaw kasi talagang lumabas ang buong katotohanan tungkol sa massive corruption that has been going on for the last four years and yung simbolo ng massive corruption na yan ay nasa flood control.
(0:17:17) Nililiwanag ko po yun, kasi sabi nung iba, flood control lang. Hindi po. Napakaraming instances of corruption. Some are endemic. Some were there. For example, pag sinabing customs, BIR, DPWH, to be fair to the Marcos administration, even President Duterte said, na may corrupt na contractor sa DPWH, even President Duterte said, yan BIR, yan customs. Remember, may kinulong siya sa Bureau of Immigration, BID.
(0:17:44) Lalo po, during the time of President Pnoy, who we also honor today. Many people are honoring him. I had the privilege of also serving with him three terms sa Congress and then sa Senado. We were not always in agreement, but I recognize the good that he’s done, as I recognize the good done by President Duterte. And during the Pnoy years, anti-corruption was also very important. So having said that, nung lumabas yung Napoles, eh sabi, grabe, grabe naman to. May ghost, may yung pera parang dumadaan lang sa foundations tapos sa bulsa na ng politiko at ng contractor pumupunta. Eh ang problema mga kababayan, nagmukhang barya eh. Yung Napoles pagdating dito sa ghost project sa flood control, eh isipin nyo 350 billion a year. Eh yun ay sa flood control pa lang.
(0:18:32) Hanggang ngayon po, yung corruption dun sa maintenance projects na is another 300 billion a year, halos wala pa akong nababasa dyan. Napakarami pa po. Statement po ni Senator Win, paraphrasing, pag may lumabas na ebidensya, then pwede mag-hearing. I’m not so sure kung eksakto yun ang sinabi niya. So, I won’t comment sa kanya. Ba’t yung sinabi po ni Chairman Erwin na iikot na lang ba tayo sa flood control? O kaya yung sinabi ng iba, na kapag may bagong ebidensya. Hindi po ganun. Pag nag-iimbestiga ka, ikaw nag-huhukay. Ikaw nagi-investigate. Ikaw nag-uncover. At kahit sino po sa aming mga Senador [at] Congressman, basta’t neutral lang ho ha. Neutral lang. Huwag lang talaga maging alagad o aso o tuta ng Malacanang.
(0:19:28) Pwede po talaga nating bilangin eh. Yung 18 former Marines, sinabi nila may mga kasamahan sila. Active at hindi active. So yung isang lane lang yun, yung mga bodyguards. May magandang point yung sinabi sa akin ng isang public official. Sabi niya, Sen…
(0:19:45) Bakit ba ang daming debate kung may katotohanan o wala? So hindi pa niya sinasabi kung totoo o hindi yung testimony ng 18 Marines. Sinasabi niya lang, ba’t may debate pa kung yung mga former bodyguards or former Marines ay pwedeng mag-deliver o hindi, eh si Zaldy Co na mismo nagsabi na marami siyang pinadeliveran. Diba? And everyone agrees that former Congressman Zaldy Co is in the center of this. So hindi ko pa sinasabi na conclusive siya, a mastermind, or kumbaga sa gera siya ang isa sa pinakamalaking general, but we all agree, whether we believe what he said or hindi, that he’s in the center of that. At siya na nagsasabi nga, na yung mga nilikom niya ay hindi para sa sarili niya at may mga dinideliveran siya. Eh, ang imposible naman mag-isa siya nag-deliver. So, going back to my point, that’s one area to follow.
(0:20:39) Okay, number two, dami pang public officials. Ang dami nabanggit. So, dun sa inyo na nagtataka bakit ako inaaraw-araw ni Sen. Lacson, di ba nasabi ko na kasi nabuko sila eh. So, kasi kung susundan nyo, hukayin nyo yung ibang mga video at mga statement ni Sen. Lacson, dumating ang point, siya na yung sumasagot eh.
(0:21:01) Siya na nag-interpret kung ano sinabi ng mga witness. Siya na nagsasabing, ito, itong witness na to, okay. Ito, hindi. Ito, credible. Ito, hindi. Kinausap daw niya si Usec. Bernardo. Nag-deliver daw, pero hindi sa Malacanang o hindi sa mga taga-Malacanang. Kung hindi, or hindi sa first family, pero dito dineliver sa mga official na to. And then, ayaw niya patawag yung mga official na yan. So…
(0:21:25) Kahit na po yung mga imbestigador sa PNP na 6 months pa lang nag-training, nag-uumpisa na, may simple yan na kung paano mo susundan yung ebidensya. So napakaraming leads. So ang question lang, gagawin natin ba ito o hindi? Bakit ko ito inuugnay sa PNP impartial hearing?
(0:21:48) Kasi kung ang gusto ng administrasyon, eh kalimutan muna natin lahat ng ibang corruption. Impeachment muna kasi importante ito. Then that’s selective justice. Diba? Then that’s discriminating. Meaning, any other corruption, okay na lang sa atin. Basta dito na lang. Kasi, why? So, I mean, I won’t go into the reasons. Obvious naman, di ba? So, we have the rest of this week. We have next week. Why not call a blue ribbon hearing?
(0:22:17) Why not ask both the administration and the opposition, sinong gusto niyong witnesses? Nung araw, ganun eh. Naging chairman ako ng Blue Ribbon Committee eh. Kahit sinong member na magsabing, Sir, can we call ganyan? Kasi when you call a witness, for example, kung sampo kami mag-attend, ako gusto ko magtanong sa 18 Marines.
(0:22:35) Edi, oras ko yun eh. Edi, ako magtatanong doon. Ngayon, may nasabi silang hindi sang-ayon. O edi, magtanong sila. Kaya nagtataka nga ako kay Sen. Erwin, ba’t nagco-comment pa about the 18? E sabi niya, mag-inhibit siya. At si Sen. Pangilinan na dapat ang mag-hearing dyan. Kasi kung ang sasabihin po natin ay, sige, we’re getting organized. Okay, pero kung sasabihin niyo, Oy, tapusin natin impeachment, wala munang blue ribbon hearing.
(0:23:01) Sandali lang. Napakalaki. Mas malaki yung pinag-uusapan nating amounts. Parang bundok versus… So, yung pag-uusapan sa impeachment, hindi ko mamaliitin yun. Pero kung ano man ang pag-uusapan natin sa corruption compared sa impeachment, it is at the very least as important. But in terms of volume, of the money lost, napakalayo. Diba? So…
(0:23:25) So ang point ko po, kailangan nakakapag-multitask tayo. Diba? Kaya nga dini-distract eh. Kaya nga inaaraw-araw ako ni Senator Lacson, sasabihin niya, move on. Tapos siya din ang hihirit. Ang daming, i-explain ko yun yung sinasabi niyang hindi statesman. Ang i-explain ni Senator Lacson ito.
(0:23:45) Kasi ako, 2007, naging chairman ako ng Blue Ribbon Committee. Before that, three terms akong congressman. So, although nung congressman ako, nababantayan ko lang yung Blue Ribbon Committee, pero hindi naman ako nakakapag-participate. But from 2007 until recently, nababantayan ko at active ako dyan. Halos lahat ng naging chairman dyan, sinusundan ang ebidensya. Halos lahat ng naging chairman dyan sa Blue Ribbon Committee. May reklamo ka man, hindi nila sasabihin na committee de absuelto or…
(0:24:19) Iwa-whitewash, di ba? Pero during the time of Senator Lacson, kaisa-isa siyang chairman na obvious na obvious, dini-determine ang direction ng committee. Siya na nagtuturo kung sinong guilty o hindi. Pati papunta sa DOJ, papunta sa ombudsman, di ba? Parang nagpapasahan. So, very, very clear yun, di ba? So, kung gusto nyo ng pampaputi, punta kayo kay Senator Lacson kasi magaling mag-whitewash. O, baka may ano yan, may…
(0:24:49) Pampaputi, diba? So, yun ang kinocompare niya ako sa lahat ng naging Senate President. Sige, compare din kita. Diba? Kay Senator Gordon, ang comment lang naman dun dati, eh, mag-chance din magsalita yung iba. Once, si Senator Trillanes parang sinasabing. Pero, Sen. Gordon was always open. Anyone can ask questions. Pag sinabi mo, invite to, i-invite. O. Yung ibang naging chairman, Sen. TG, maraming nagalit sa kanyang senador. Marami. Kasi nga yung Napoles, maraming tinamaan. Actually, some thought nga he was too open kasi minsan hindi pa na-verify na pag-usapan. But walang whitewash. Baliktad, ang tingin nung iba, too open nga. Oh.
(0:25:35) Wala naman reklamo nung ako ang naging chairman ng Blue Ribbon. So, napakaraming iba sundan eh. Wala doon. Kaya hindi nag… Yung partial report, ngayon pinupuri niya ang ibang kasama natin. Pero nung una, pinupush niya na pirmahan yung report. Nakalimutan na rin yun. I won’t comment there, but I just want to say is number one, it’s too important for our country to be able to find a permanent solution, a permanent system, a real culture against corruption na masolve natin ito.
(0:26:05) Pag lumipas itong administrasyon at hindi natin sineryoso ang flood control at yung infra na corruption sa DPWH, babalik at babalik ito mas masama pa. Para itong TB na hindi nyo tinuloy yung gamot, magiging drug-resistant yung strain. Diba? So, parating sinasabi po yun pag tinitreat yung tuberculosis na kailangan, kahit maganda na pakiramdam mo, kailangan mo tapusin yung gamot. Hindi pwedeng sa pangatlong buwan, medyo maganda na pakiramdam mo. Hindi. Ganun din po sa corruption. Minsan lang tayo malingat dyan, mabibinat tayo na mas malaki pa. Nangyari na eh. From napoles to flood control, grabe po. Diba?
(0:26:49) So having said that, I just want to mention this. We can’t keep saying change. Then we just change administrations, change presidents, change ombudsman, change senate president. We have to change the political culture. We have to change our values. We have to change the foundations of what we call governance and values of governance. So I’m inviting everyone to tell marami na tayo sa page na to.
(0:27:15) Kung may ideas po kayo, let’s put together a Philippine agenda. I think yun po yung mali, from EDSA 1 until present, na kapag gusto natin ng rebolusyon, inaano natin tao, sama-sama na tayo, magkaisa tayo, sama-sama na tayo. Pero pagka napalitan na ng leader, kami leaders, kami na lang magde-decide.
(0:27:35) So, I think if we want a real change, you know, first, we have to ask God, Lord, anong masamang ginawa at anong… Number two, we have to do it together. So, special mention ko lang yung Tindig Pilipinas so, di ba, yung grupo nila, Kiko, nag-file sa ombudsman, so na-receive namin today. Kausapin ko pa lawyers ko, pero alam ko na, sinabi ko na sagot ko dyan. But I just want to congratulate them for doing the job for the administration. Alam ko naman na nung ginawa ko ito, sunod-sunod na mga kaso ang pupunta sa amin. Sanay na kami dyan, di ba? Sinabihan yung mga senador, pag hindi kayo umalis, kakasuhan, pag hindi kayo… So ang point ko lang…
(0:28:17) Just remember who you are, Kiko. Kiko ‘di ka… Aquino ka, hindi ka Kiko di Marcos. So don’t get instructions from the administration. In fact, kung nag-volunteer kayo, then you’re even doing them a favor. I know, merong kayong issue kay Senator Bato, so file the cases. File the cases. Mismong DILG nagsabi, nung nasa Senado yung si Senator Bato, walang warrant silang alam. So, paano naging obstruction of justice? But I’ll end there because I want to just spend a little bit of time to remind you what my dad stood for. So, maraming nagpo-post at nagpapasalamat naman ako sa lahat.
(0:28:57) And my dad was a fighter. He believed in education. Madalas niya sabihin sa amin na Alan, Renren, Lino, Pia, I can leave you, you know, a house, some money, pero mauubos yan. Pero the education, pag sineryoso nyo, walang makakaagaw sa inyo niyan. Then my mom’s a teacher. My dad was a disciplinarian. So there’s so, so many things I can tell you about my dad and salamat sa mga nakaalala sa kanya. But the most important thing is nung nagkasakit siya…
(0:29:26) He had an encounter and he saw a light. Ang tawag nung iba doon, Damascus experience. Kasi he kept on crying and then he kept on saying, why me? So akala namin, kasi ako yung nasa labas noon din, mommy ko nasa kwarto, so I ran to see them. Actually, I woke up, parang ako na hagis from the couch to the floor. We were in the US noon, nagpapagamot siya.
(0:29:50) And then, he was crying, why me, why me? So sabi ko, why me? Kasi nga, medyo, hindi pa niya alam na cancer sa tyan yun. Akala pa namin liver. Pero, masakit parati, may pain parati. Pero nung sinabi niya yung why me, sabi niya, alam niya yung ilaw na yun, na feel niya na si God yun. At why me, kasi parang sino siya para sabihin sa kanya ng Diyos na buhay siya, na I am a living God. Yun yung interpretation ko. So, hindi yun yung exact words. So, after that, alam niyo, may message on that. Ang message niya, number one, make God number one in your life.
(0:30:25) And number two, spend a little bit of time every day, every day with God. So, sa dami nang pwede ko sabihin about my dad, I know if he was here, ang dami niyang gustong sabihin, pero ang ulit-ulitin niya yun, na mga kababayan, mga kapatid, make God number one in our life.
(0:30:47) And then number two, always spend time with God. So I have a week naman at hindi rin ako nakapag-post nung Father’s Day. Medyo nag… Parang 10 years ako hindi may migraine but nagkamali ako. I drank grapefruit, citrus yun. So nag-migraine ako nung Sunday. But I can spend naman the next few days telling you also something about Father’s Day, about my dad. But what I want to say about Father’s Day and about my dad is that hindi tayo pwedeng fatherless.
(0:31:18) And in attending nga a… the Go convention ng Victory Church. Yung unang speaker doon, hindi ako naka-attend pero pinaalala sa akin ng isang very close sa akin, Bishop June. I have the transcript. Meron siyang article, Fatherless No More. I hope many people can read that. I’ll see if it’s available. But basically, sinasabi niya yung tao na feeling niya fatherless siya. And there’s so many of that experience kasi madaming single parents na.
(0:31:49) But iba pa daw pagka-community, pagbansa, ang nakapag-feel na fatherless. But we don’t have to feel fatherless because we do have God the Father. And regardless of our belief, maraming nagdadasal, Diyos Ama. So, now there are people kasi who have bad experience sa tatay. Whether inabandon, whether abusive, kaya pag sinabi mong a father’s love, doble yung pag-ulila nila, yung pangungulila. Double. Kasi yung hindi ka naka-experience, tapos nakikita mo sa iba, na-experience sila yung isang father, nangungulila ka. Pero kung na-experience mo, tapos bad ang experience mo, hindi mo maiintindihan the father’s love. So yun ang aking prayer this week. Di lang naman dapat one day ang Father’s Day. Gawin na natin Father’s Week. Na ma-experience natin ang pagmamahal ng isang tatay.
(0:32:43) So yan din ang reminder ko, maging lalaki o babae ang barangay captain, ang principal sa school, ang directors sa gobyerno, ang mayors, governors. Sa ating mahal na Pangulo, let’s not let people feel that they’re fatherless. So ngayon na may economic crisis, problema ng earthquake sa Mindanao, yung mga killings na nangyayari sa mga eskwelahan, nangyayari sa Ateneo basketball team, people are looking for a father. Sometimes you didn’t ask to be the father, pero kung ikaw ay barangay captain, kung ikaw ay mayor, governor, ikaw ay presidente, ikaw ay head ng COA, ikaw ay head ng AFP, ikaw ay head ng PNP, people need a father.
(0:33:35) So sa ating pagdadasal at pagcelebrate ng Father Day, let’s also pray for the other fathers sa ating bansa. Kasi kapag naramdaman talaga ang pagmamahal ng isang tatay. Mararamdaman mo yung protection, yung comfort, at saka kahit may uncertainties, alam mong may panghahawakan ka. So, let me stop there and hope na despite lahat tong division sa ating bansa, ma-navigate po natin yung Blue Ribbon Committee, yung impeachment, and then itong mga sunod-sunod na violent crimes na nangyayari sa ating bansa. Don’t forget about our economy, ang pangangailangan ng ating mga magsasaka. Planting season ngayon medyo okay, but because of the Israel-US war, yung kakulangan ng fertilizer…
(0:34:32) Additional problem, even before the fertilizer may shortage at nagmahal, problematic na ang ating buong agriculture sector. And every administration has promised they’ll do more. I honor the Secretaries of Agriculture. Many of them have done a lot, pero napakarami pang pangangailangan ng ating bansa. And I fear that storm season is coming. Kita nyo po, konting ulan ng baha, kaliwat kanan, di ba? I mean…
(0:35:02) Again, kung anong itatanim yan ang aanihin. Nung pumutok yung flood control scam, yun ang nabanggit na natin po yan. Pagka hindi mo tinuloy yung ibang flood control projects, yung linis-linis lang, tapos massive urbanization, tuloy-tuloy yung pollution, climate change. So, yung dadating na baha, dadating na super El Niño, dadating na economic, sunod-sunod na problema. So, let’s pray, no? For father of a nation, father ng schools, father ng mga bawat bayan at siyudad, di ba? So, kailangan po natin yan. So, thank you for the time you spend with me dito. And thank you sa mga kapatid natin sa media. God bless you po.
