(0:00:00) Good afternoon, Madam Chair, Madam Senate President, dear colleagues. Let me start with a biblical principle: kung ano ang ating itatanim, yan ang ating aanihin. Baliktarin po natin, ito po ang ating inaani ngayon so balikan natin ano ba ang ating tinanim. So allow me to put on record three topics.
(0:00:24) First, ano ba ang karapatan at responsibilidad ng bawat Senador? Number two, when we talk about the dignity ng Senate at yung mga kasagsagan, kailan ba nag umpisa yun? And pangatlo na tingin kong napaka importante, ano ba priorities natin and how do we move forward. So, doon muna tayo sa ano ba ang karapatan at responsibilidad ng bawat Senador. Gusto ko pong sabihin sa sarili ko at sa bawat miyembro ng Senado na hawak mo yung beat.
(0:01:06) Mga Senador, hawak natin ang beat. Ano pong ibig sabihin? Hawak natin ang mic, lalo sa mga panahon na ito. Kahit sino po sa atin ang magsalita ay news sa panahon na ito. So kung pipiliin natin ay pagusapan ay edukasyon katulad ng sinabi ni Sen. Bam sa kaniyang vlog, yun po ay mapupunta sa record. Kung pag uusapan natin [ay] agriculture, agricultural smuggling, problema sa taniman ngayon, problema sa fertilizer, kapag pinagusapan po natin yung 7% inflation, pagusapan pa natin ilang araw pa ba meron tayong gasolina. At yun po ba ay kutalad noong the last 60 days na dagdag nang dagdag o panipis na ba ang supply worldwide.
(0:01:58) Kapag pinagusapan natin fiscal space po natin at ang dollar sa pesos, hawak po natin ang beat eh. Tayo po ang pwedeng mag dikta kung ano ang paguusapan. Pero tignan po natin yung interview since May 11. Dalawa lang naman eh: paano palitan muli si Alan Cayetano at pangalawa, bakit bumagsak ang dignidad ng ating Senado.
(0:02:25) Okay. I’m talking in general. Paisa-isa po, may nagsasalita tungkol sa inflation. Kanina lang po, si Senator Raffy Tulfo ay sinabi nga niya na dapat yung mga importante sa ating bayan. Pero ito pong Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, ang pinaguusapan po ay yung trese-onse eh. Pinaguusapan fireworks. Pinaguusapan, papalitan. I’m at your service and I am at your disposal. Show me 13 hands or 13 signatures. I will even administer your oath if you want to.
(0:03:07) Ano ang nasabi last week? Bumagsak daw ang Senado. Alam niyo kasundo ko si Sen. Win. I wasn’t joking, I was making him smile but I would vote for him. Pero sabi niya kanina ibalik ang dignidad ng Senado. Okay I’ll take it with good faith. Ang problema Sen. Win, yan ang narrative ng minority. Na simula noong Mayo 11, bumagsak. Sinabi ni Sen. Ping, may I allow and correct me Sen. Ping kung mali. Sabi niyo yung biruan ngayon, mas mabango pa yung House kaso sa Senate at usually kasi mas mataas ang Senate.
(0:03:49) I will take exception to that. Why? Because the Pulse Asia if I’m not mistaken in December 2019 when I was Speaker and Sen. Sotto was Senate President, the Senate was 66% and the House was 66%. When I was Speaker pareho lang ang performance rating ng House at Senado. Bumaksak po ang Senado noong nagsimula yung flood control dahil po ilan ang binanggit sa minority.
(0:04:29) Pero ilang beses sinasabi ng minority bakit ganoon kapag ka-minority may insertion daw pag ka-majority amendment. Una napakaraming ghost tapos konti na lang. Tapos si Sen. Jinggoy ganito daw in-insert. Tapos noong sinubpoena na ng ombudsman ang LDRMO, yung may hawak ng dokumento, wala naman pala. I won’t go into that because I do respect the hard work that every single Senator, may it be Sen. Marcoleta, may it be Sen. Erwin Tulfo or our Chairman, Sen. Lacson.
(0:05:09) I respect the work. I disagree on many things but I do not criticize. Did I say bumaksak dahil sayo, sayo, sayo, sayo? Wala po. Kasi hawak natin ang beat. Sasabihin niyo po, yes bente-kwatro tayo. Yes. Pero kung labing isa sa atin ang sinasabi ang problema ay si Cayetano, palitan yan, at trese naman tayo na nagsasabing CON-ASS yan at impeachment yan, etc. yan, edi 24 na tayo na yan ang pinapakinggan ng tao.
(0:05:41) Hindi inflation, hindi yung ekonomiya, hindi yung teenage pregnancy, hindi yung tumataas na bilang ng mga may AIDS, hindi yung problema sa Philhealth, hinding hindi po na kawalan ng flu vaccine ng ating DOH. Napakarami pong issue.
(0:05:58) Mr. President, bakit po ba na yung Linggo ng May 11 ay naging napaka-masalimuot para sa atin at yun po ay naging bullseye para sa marami? First of all, hindi nanggaling sa bagong majority na kapag nag-takeover itong majority na ito ay i-dismiss po ang impeachment, ide-delay ang impeachment, magiging partial ang impeachment. Kailan po ninyo ako narinig na sinabi ko yung dating majority o minority ngayon? Pagka kayo ang majority, siguradong ma-impeach, siguradong guilty si Vice-President Sara? Wala po. Kasi nire-respeto ko politika nyo.
(0:06:41) Pero once na mag-oath kayo naniniwala ko impartial na kayo. Mahirap maniwala. Mahirap sa mga statements niyo tungkol sa Vice-President. Mahirap maniwala na kayo ay magiging impartial. Di ko nilalahat, ilan lang po sa inyo. But I recognize it’s the same for us.
Nahihirapang kayo maniwala na yung ilan sa amin malapit sa Vice-President. Ako personally malapit ako sa dating Pangulo, hindi po ako malapit sa Vice-President. Pero kung ako ay maniniwala na kayo pwedeng maging impartial, why can’t you give us the benefit of the doubt that we can also be impartial?
(0:07:21) Even Senator Padilla, who’s very close to the Vice President, na ang dami ng statements, sabi niya, kaya nga nagsasalita bago mag-oath, kasi once na mag-oath, susundin niya niyon. Ako po’y Kristiyano, siya po’y Muslim. Pero pareho kaming naniniwala, brother, di ba, na once nag-oath ka, kasalanan sa Diyos ang wag sundin ang oath.
(0:07:44) So, Madam President, it’s a two-way street. What’s the difference? The difference is the minority keeps speaking outside the session hall na hindi natin basta’t masagot. Senator Imee is speaking in the session hall na lahat sila ay pwedeng tumayo. Number two, outside the session hall, walang out of order. Dito po meron.
(0:08:09) I’ll go to that later kasi meron tayong rules at may way forward tayo. But the first thing po, yung binansagan po ang majority na ang dahilan daw po ay yung impeachment. We’ve proven that wrong. In fact, I’ll ask for another caucus tomorrow to finalize matters regarding the impeachment because on Thursday may final meeting naman yung Secretariat, yung magiging Clerk of Court, and we want to get your inputs. Secondly po, Senator Bato. He’s a member of this establishment. He is entitled to go to here and vote. Bakit naging issue na pumunta dito para bumoto lang? The leadership of the Senate determines the the direction of the Senate.
(0:08:59) The Senate is the last line of defense when it comes to democratic issues or issues that affect our democracy. That’s been the history of the Senate pre-martial law and after martial law. Kaya nga yun ang hinala bakit inabolish ng martial law. Because the independence of the Senate is very important. Yan po ang ginamit sa akin ni Sen. Koko then Sen. Tito Soto who I respect.
(0:09:27) During Duterte’s time, sabi nila, we have to have an independent Senate. Huwag si Alan kasi masyadong malapit. Well, I’m the first one now of four SPs since 2022 na hindi ko maka-claim na malapit sa presidente. Have any one of you given us the benefit of the doubt that we will have an independent Senate? Hindi ko na narinig yun eh.
(0:09:51) Panay, sinong malapit sa Malacanang? O yan, walang gagawin niya kung hindi, lalabanan ang Malacanang. Ito, ganyan. Yan ang usap-usapan. That’s the…
(0:10:00) That’s the not-so-secret. Why can’t we bind together, minority-majority, and be an independent Senate? Not to confront the executive, to collaborate, but also as checks and balances. Last point po, before I go to a way forward.
(0:10:20) Ba’t ba nagumpisa ito at ba’t ba nangyari yung May 13? Can you show the video kung anong ginawa sa ating empleyado? Madam President, can I have permission? This is a very short video. It’s of public record. And I want to honor Senator Migz kasi siya tumayo. At sinabi yung ginawa kay Terrence Lim ay hindi tama. But I didn’t know na ganito pala ang problema.
(0:10:46) Wag na yung buong video ng buong pangyayari ng May 11. Yun lang pong ginawa kay Terrence Lim.
(Plays video presentation.)
(0:11:08) Before that, baksak na siya dyan eh. Before that. Before that. Yung palabas pa lang.
(0:11:23) Madam Chair, may I ask? Kahit na naghalo yung video, but yung palabas pa lang…
(0:11:49) Okay, can you, I will say what it is, but can you show the video yung from the start, yung nanggagaling sa loob? Okay, so what happened is that we ordered arrested because they were held in contempt yung mga NBI agents who nakipaghabulan kay Senator Bato.
(0:12:18) When they were leaving the building, nagtutulakan, kinuha ng mga taga-NBI at ginulpi si Terrence Lim.
SPT LEGARDA:
(0:12:26) Just to clarify so that everyone knows, Terrence Lim is Senate security.
SP ALAN PETER CAYETANO:
(0:12:33) At yung isang taga-OSAA naman ay hinarangan at tinabihan ng isang taga-NBI. Nung gulpi at dapa na siya, lalo pang ginulpi, ayaw siyang palapitan sa medical. At nung siya’y binuhat, dinadala siya at pinosasan at dadalhin siya sa sasakyan ng NBI para dalhin sa NBI.
(0:12:55) Okay? That’s inside our premises. Have I heard anyone say that the dignity of the Senate is at stake here because the NBI ay nanggulpi sa loob ng ating premises ayaw sumunod sa order ng Senate President at tinatakot pa ang ibang OSAA at isasakay sa kotse at dadalhin sa NBI. Isa lang po sa minority ang narinig ko po. Si Migz Zubiri, former Senate President. Did you ever hear me say anything about that? No!
(0:13:40) Because we’re all waiting for the independent investigation. Do you have the video para kitang kita? Guys, kanina ko pa sinasabi. Excuse me, Madam President.
SPT LEGARDA:
(0:13:48) [Do] we have the video.
SP ALAN PETER CAYETANO:
(0:13:49) Can you show the whole video? Kahit yung ano. Yung palabas pa lang. Kahit na sabihin yung hindi kitang kita siya doon.
SPT LEGARDA:
(0:13:56) Mula sa simula, please, yung video.
SP ALAN PETER CAYETANO:
(0:14:01) Yung palabas pa lang sila Terrence doon sa harap.
SPT LEGARDA:
(0:14:05) Who’s in charge of the video? Yes, may we request?
SP ALAN PETER CAYETANO:
(0:14:09) While they’re preparing it, Madam Chair, this is what will set the tone of why our OSAA was on high alert on Tuesday and Wednesday. And that is why they were wearing vests, and that is why they had to have weapons. Because the NBI was treating the Senate like a palengke. Is that it?
SPT LEGARDA:
(0:14:54) The person in the white on the ground is Terrence Lim [of] OSAA…
SP ALAN PETER CAYETANO:
(0:14:36) And all those holding them back are NBI. Yung NBI pa ang pumipigil. Ang pulis nakatingin lang. Continue the video.
(Plays video presentation.)
(0:15:23) Show the whole video yung hanggang binitbit sa kotse. O kaya yung CCTV. Hindi pa nakita nung maraming senador to. Madam Chair, that’s one reason na hindi ko sinisisi yung iba sa minority. Kasi ako mismo, hindi ko nakita yung buong video. That’s why I have communicated to everyone, including to the NBI. Mag-inhibit sila, tapusin natin ng buong-buo. yung inbestigasyon para makita natin kahit yung CCTV muna. But the point is Madam Chair, paglabas pa lang, dinukot siya, ginulpi, ayaw palapitan sa medical. Isipin niyo po sa loob ng sarili nating… Remember Madam President, this is not a department. We’re not the DOJ, the DOLE, DSWD. We are a branch of government.
(0:16:16) The Constitution says we are a co-equal branch. Ang OSAA ba pwede manggulpe sa loob ng Malacanang? Ang OSAA ba pwede manggulpe sa loob ng Supreme Court? Pero ba narinig ko yung dignity natin, niyurak? Yung ating dignity ay giniba dahil sa NBI? Wala po eh. Si Alan Cayetano pa rin ang pinagbibintangan nyo. Bakit ako ba nang gulpi dyan? Hindi po ako ang pumayag. If you see the video, more than 20 agents of the NBI were allowed in on May 11. And we already napagtagpi-tagpi. The OSAA then and the SECGEN were meeting. They even inspected the helipad and all parts kung saan po ay pe-pwesto yung mga NBI. So again, at this point, I’m not making a conclusion. At this point, I’m not pointing fingers. So let me move to the last point. Moving on, moving forward. Do you have the video ba? Pinakita niyo na kanina yung CCTV. Oh ayan, palabas pa lang.
(Plays video presentation.)
REPORTER ON VIDEO:
(0:18:07) Binubogbog si Terrence Lim na OSAA, Senate Employee.
SP ALAN CAYETANO:
(0:18:13) Binubugbog ng NBI sa loob ng Senate premises. At nung binugbog na, ayaw pang dalhin sa medical. Ayan, nakatayo na. Footage ng GMA yan. May footage din na dinadala sa kotse ng NBI. Pwede ba yung OSAA na kunin ang taga-PSG at isakay ng sasakyan ng Senate at kunin sa Malacanang? Pwede ba yung OSAA pumasok ng Supreme Court at kunin yung isang security ng Supreme Court at isakay? Yan, pinosasan, isasakay sa sasakyan ng NBI.
(0:18:58) Tingnan nyo sa kaliwa, yung mga taga-NBI pinipigilan yung ibang OSAA na tulungan si Terrence.
REPORTER ON VIDEO:
(0:19:16) Pinagtulungan ang isang Senate Security OSAA, Terrence Lim, ng mga taong allegedly, I’m not sure who they are, within Senate premises na nambugbog. Yung puno’t dulo nito ay hindi tayo sigurado kung ano ang kanilang gustong gawin.
SP ALAN CAYETANO:
(0:20:04) Madam President, I am a thousand percent sure, ten times over one hundred percent sure, that hindi ito in-authorize ni President Sotto. In fact, when this happened, ako na ang Senate President. So I’m also a thousand percent sure na hindi ko ito in-authorize. And if you look at our rules and the Constitution, we have jurisdiction over our premises. So, dun sa nagsasabing hindi inatake ang Senado, sige nagpipigil na nga ko, hindi na ko nagsasalita. Pero nakita niyong nangyari yan.
(0:20:39) So, anong context ng CON-ASS? I don’t take it against Sen. Sotto, Sen. Lacson, Sen. Bam Aquino, Sen. Kiko. They were not Senators from 2022 to 2025. When Sen. Migz Zubiri and the rest of the group had to deal with the PI issue. Okay, that’s in the past. So moving na. Okay. So I think lahat naman po tayo na ilabas na natin ang ating mga opinyon. And I’m not stopping anyone from talking. It’s a holiday on Wednesday. It’s a day that Muslim Filipinos will be celebrating. Dapat makiisa po tayo sa paniniwala ng bawat isa out of respect, not sa same paniniwala.
(0:21:28) I’m not suggesting we stop talking about politics. I’m suggesting number one, na pagbigayan ako ni Senator Imee na i-withdraw instead of ipa-strike off. Bakit po? Nakalagay kasi sa rules natin, any statement, and I- paraphrasing, that offends a senator or the institution. So, theoretically, may sabihin lang aking kaibigan, Senator Migz, even if it’s correct o hindi. The reason for this rule, what rule is that?
(0:22:13) “No senator under any circumstance shall use offensive or improper language against another senator or against any public institution.” This has happened many, many times in this August Hall. This has happened. We offended each other. But why do you have this rule? Because we’re collegial, eh? The reality is we have to go home tonight, upset at each other, but we have to go back tomorrow and work. Yun yung spirit na sinabi ni Senator Pia na nangamusta ba. Because siguro sa lahat sa atin, bukod sa hindi siya mapulitika, she genuinely treats everyone here as her friend.
(0:22:55) So when something traumatic happens, many of our kababayans don’t know that while myself, Senator Mark, were in my room, Senator Loren, Senator Camille, and Senator Pia, once the security find out na barilan na, rushed into my room, turned off the light, then pushed them into a smaller room, yung banyo. Di ba? So it’s traumatic. You may criticize what she said, how she said it, etc. But akala ko ba, all feelings are valid?
(0:23:27) Eh bakit pag na-trauma yung nasa majority ngayon, mali. Pero pag na-trauma yung minority, okay lang, di ba? I’m talking in general. Whether you talk about green, yellow, pink. So labas na ako dyan. Hindi naman ako Senate President ng buong bansa in the sense that I’m not elected like the Vice-President and the President. I’m Senate President but I am the servant leader of the 24 Senators including Senator Bato. I’m here at your service. Kung papayagan ako ni Senator Imee, then I’ll ask her to withdraw.
(0:24:04) Number two, kung papayagan ako ng minority, tomorrow let’s talk about the impeachment, but let’s also talk about what are your priorities. What are our priorities? Let’s use the last few session days. You want to talk about changing the Senate President? I won’t take it against you. It’s your right. Pero wag tayo dun sa integridad ng institusyon kasi syempre, de-depensa kami, di ba? Dahil ang tingin namin, bumagsak na to dati pa. We’re not pointing fingers bakit bumagsak. We’re just letting history judge it.
(0:24:42) Sabi po ng iba, “fresh start.” Bakit? Hindi ba fresh start pagdating ko? Hindi pa nga ako nags-start, inuupakan na ko eh. Ganun na ganun ang nangyari sa SEA games. When I was Secretary of Foreign Affairs, not a threat, serving everyone, wala akong problema sa SEA Games. As soon as I ran for Congress at sinabing mag-speaker, kaliwa‘t kanan na yung banat sa akin. But we proved them wrong. Nanahimik kami, overall champion, most number of gold medals, and it launched the careers of many in the Olympics. So, again, I can take that attitude. Sa SEA Games, nagpagulpi muna ako. Actually, wala naman akong choice. Pero hindi kami gumanti, bakit? Because in the end, the performance will decide or will dictate whether we were justified or not yung mga pinanggagawa.
(0:25:42) So the same with me. Judge me as Senate President every single day, every single week. Kung tatagal ako ng one month, two months, eh therefore two months, three months, four months, di ba? Pero yung inuunahan, hindi pa nga nag-uumpisa, fresh start na, medyo foul naman yun. Yes, it’s political, pero medyo foul naman, di ba? So I guess yun lang naman po ang spirit ng ating mga privileged speech dito na very political.
(0:26:08) Can we go back and start talking again about health, about education? That’s why we were unanimous in retaining and again putting Senator Win as the chairman of the PROTECT Committee because he was doing a good job in how the government can help us, noh? So again, my speech is not perfect. You want to interpellate me in a later date, etc.
(0:26:38) But lahat nung nasa minority may tama kayong sinabi kanina. Sabi niyo po, people are watching us. So, Senator Imee, the ball is first in your hands. Afterwards, it goes to the minority. Thank you for giving me this… Sandali lang po, Senator Padilla, na hindi ko tataasan ng boses, brother, ay magsasalita muna daw. Thank you for this opportunity, Madam Chair.
