(0:00:02) 2 Chronicles 20:12, For we are powerless against this great multitude that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you. Yan po ang pinadalang verse ni Brother Joel, ni Senator Joel at 10.48 a.m. today because we do feel the forces ganging up on us.
(0:00:28) Ito po ang sinagot ko sa kanya ng 11.38 AM. The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you. He will never leave nor forsake you. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. So first and foremost, I’d like to welcome you here today for the prayer. I do not know if this is a prayer. I know for a fact that this is an assembly of people who love God.
(0:00:57) And who want to submit to God. What I do not know is if this is the beginning of my journey as the senate president or if this is a despedida. Because unlike the office of the mayor, the office of the barangay chairperson, the office of the president, which are elected by the constituents, the senate president serves at the pleasure of the majority of the Senate.
(0:01:30) For me, it’s very significant because the number 13 in my limited knowledge of Hebrew language and culture is about change, about a seasonal change. And yesterday, someone sent me that the shortest serving Senate President, served for 13 days.
(0:01:59) So hindi ko alam kung matatalo ko yung 13 days o kung 7-8 days lang po tayo. But what I do know is this. The similarity between life and the Senate presidency is this. Life is from dirt to dirt. Di ba po, pinanganak tayo, si Adam ay galing sa lupa.
(0:02:22) Siya ay bumalik nung siya, nung ang physical niyang katawan ay namatay, bumalik sa lupa. Di ba? Our earthly father, Adam, came from soil. And when his body, earthly body rotted, it went back to soil. So, what matters is not when you’re born or when you die. What matters is what you do in between.
(0:02:49) So, my assent from councilor to senate president is galing ako sa lupa. I came from the most simple, a little bit of an advantage because my father was already in politics no. But one day, I will leave this office. Maybe today, maybe a month from now, maybe after the impeachment, who knows. But what matters is what I do in the middle.
(0:03:21) So as I’m speaking, or in between those two dates, remember we’re often asked, Pastors, if I accept the Lord Jesus Christ right now, and I am saved, Sana kunin na ako ni Lord. Why? Because it’s easier to die for God than to live for God. Di ba? The moment, the holy moment, that we receive the Lord Jesus Christ, Bishop Leo, and we are born again…
(0:03:50) is the greatest moment in our life because that, sorry, I don’t know who to quote, but that God-shaped hole in our heart is suddenly filled. So people use the day they got married, the day their son or daughter was born. These are all great days, amazing days, days that you will not trade in.
(0:04:18) But that doesn’t compare to the day that you are reconciled with God. But it is difficult the second, the minute after. You might not sin physically, but in your mind that’s there. So my point is, it is difficult to navigate as Senate President. I don’t expect you to agree with all of our decisions. But I’d like to tell you the truth.
(0:04:48) Sometime in 2003 2023, the attack on the Senate began. The attack on the Senate was not on Wednesday, May 13. And let me clarify. When President Marcos called me to say, I want you to know it was not the military, it was not the PNP, it was not the NBI, I told them to stand down. I believe him. I believe him.
(0:05:16) As a leader, I do tell people to charge or stand down. I do tell people, makialam, huwag kang makialam. But they don’t always follow. That’s why I told the President, Sir, Secretary Jonvic is here. The Chief PNP is here. I’m not sure if I said the Chief PNP, but the PNP is here. They will do an investigation, an independent investigation.
(0:05:43) Technically, I could have rejected their offer for investigation. I don’t know the technicalities there because of course someone had to investigate. But what I thought was prudent was that mag-joint yung ating investigation. General Mao is there in the back and he had reservations and…
(0:06:06) He had no reservations of sharing the CCTV. He had no reservations of a joint investigation. But there were periods in time where the PNP would interrogate or talk to the witness alone na wala kami. And I put to ease his, I said, noted your objection, but we have to show good faith. We have to believe someone.
(0:06:29) We can’t just believe in ourselves. And we have to believe when we prayed, God answered us. So my point is this. Last night, the NBI confidential agent that they call driver turned out positive for gunpowder. Whatever the technical term is there. And that person was caught inside the Senate, not in the GSIS.
(0:07:01) They left a tactical bag at binalikan. And he was caught not by the OSAA. He was caught by the PNP at bySecretary Jonvic. So what is my point? We have to pray that the President gets the right information. From day one, actually from negative day 17, day 14, what do I mean by that?
(0:07:26) From the first time that one senator told me, Alan, ikaw na. Why do I say ikaw na? About two months ago, we had 14 senators. I have the proof. I have one copy. There are two copies of signatures, different names, of 14 senators choosing another senator as senate president. Pero grabe po.
(0:07:53) Magnitude, hindi ko alam ko anong magnitude earthquake to prevent that person from becoming the senate president. But I had faith, not knowing that ang plano ni Lord, a few months later, ako ilagay. So the wisdom the Lord gave me is start talking to people. So I started talking to people in the administration and simply say, what we can offer you is an impartial trial and what we can offer you is collaboration, not capitulation.
(0:08:25) We will not capitulate. Hindi pwedeng under the thumb ang Senate. The Senate cannot be dependent. Senate… executive and legislative are interdependent. But one cannot be totally dependent on the other. That will lead to a dictatorship. So yun lang pinahatid. When Senator Bato rode my car, sabi ko, Senator Bato, you know who I’m talking about, when I’m talking about, sino…
(0:08:53) If you trust me, I will try to navigate this. Sabi niya sa akin, I won’t be here if we don’t trust you, if I and we don’t trust you. Saturday night, he called me and said, I will not go there because dami ng checkpoint, it’s almost impossible, but give me the number of one senator who promised me number 14 siya. He called that senator.
(0:09:20) Sinabi niya… He told that senator, I will fight for you, I will campaign for you, do not be afraid, etc. Then he called me. Sabi niya, Alan, I talked to Senator Blank and I don’t think he will, kasi I told him, he promised me if you appear, he will appear. So sabi niya…
(0:09:46) I asked him questions. I don’t think he will go. Hindi pupunta lang. So sabi niya, hindi na rin ako pupunta kung hindi rin tayo 13. Sabi ko, sir, pang labing apat siya, pang 13 ka.
(0:10:00) Exactly ha, ito sinabi ni Senator Bato, pagpre-pray ko. At that moment, I felt the sincerity ng isang anak ng Diyos ay magtatanong sa Diyos, what should I do? And at that moment, yung prayer ko, Lord, if there are principalities or authorities preventing this, ilagay mo. Okay, backtrack.
(0:10:20) While I was talking to these people from the administration, I went to the former Senate President, Senator Chiz Escudero, and sabi ko, pare, pwede bang hindi ako? Anong ibig sabihin? Pwede bang si ate na lang? Kasi mas amiable siya.
(0:10:39) Wala siyang kaaway. Baka may sumama pa sa kabilang grupo, maybe two or three of them would join us. You’re closer to the other group than me. You’re closer to the administration than me. Baka you can make calls. Sige, I’ll make calls ganyan, pero kaya mo yan, pre. So sabi ko, no, sabi ko,I’ll pray and if God tells me, I’ll do it.
(0:11:06) But if it’s not clearly me, why should I do it? I’m comfortable. I mean, we’re finally in a place that, you know, with my small group in Transform the Nation, I’m doing what I want to do after a long time. Tahimik buhay namin, we have Sunday lunch or dinner.
(0:11:28) I play with my dog. I see my pamangkins. Wala akong kaaway dito sa floor. From 10 million bashers, I only have 2 million bashers. So, why would I want to re-enter? But he told me, no, simple. Go around the 12. And he said some names. Sabi niya, eto yung mga medyo marupok or vulnerable, go to them.
(0:11:59) If they say yes, then go. So I went to the next senator, same day, di pa ako nagtatanong, sabi niya, yes, I heard it’s you, I told you it’s you, yes, go for it. Then he asked me, should I call this, this? Sabi ko, if you call them, malalaman nila. But I’m asking you, baka bumigay ka when they exert pressure. I mean, prison time is not a joke.
(0:12:23) I mean, it’s easy for us, especially in a Christian Catholic nation where all the saints or apostles or almost all were put to the test. But sometimes we read the ending na eh, di ba? It’s just like our athletes, we give them medals when they’re already, we give them all the money when they’re already gold medal. But we do not look at the time that they’re training at naghihirap sila.
(0:12:48) So sa pag-iikot ko, the final blow was really whether Senator Bato and he said, hindi na ako pupunta. So Sunday night, so I think it was Friday or Saturday, God gave me this impression. Alan, you trust Chiz. Chiz trusts Joel. Joel trusts Loren. Loren trust, but you don’t trust each other. So sabi ko, dapat pala magkaharap-harap.
(0:13:21) So parang sinabing magkita lahat ng Christian sa Luneta. JL trust CCF, trust PCEC, trust Bishop Leo, trust Bishop Dan, trust Bishop Oriel, trust Bishop Ardy, trust Bishop Benny. But meron wala sa grupo biglang sabihin, eh yung isa dyan, pro yung isa, hindi dadating yan. So although you trust each other individually as a group.
(0:13:51) Parang madaling medyo mag-create ng distrust. So actually, every single senator who came 12 Sunday night, ang sinabi ho ay came kahit na ay noon wala tayong 13. Because there’s a cost. There’s a cost. Can you imagine? We call the Senate free, independent. But just meeting together may cost.
(0:14:20) Just meeting, just 12 senators having dinner together on Monday. May cost. So lalo akong nag-overtime in that context. To tell everyone, we’re not here for or against anyone. We’re here to do our job. Because may crisis. And remember, during crisis, there’s also great opportunity. And remember that usually pag may crisis, nandun yung revival. Kasi nandun yung desperation ng tao. So the two points I want to make
(0:14:51) In 2023, there was an attempt to abolish the Senate. Okay. That was confirmed to everyone. Everyone knew that. But the surveys came out. Many things came out. Then siguro nung i-revive na, nagka-flood control naman. And then what we heard is that there’s a plan, impeachment, then change the Constitution. But this time around, do not abolish the Senate, but make it a regional Senate.
(0:15:20) To increase the number to 36, 48, or 60, or 70, which theoretically sounds very good. Who of us do not want a regional Senate? But the reality is, kung kayang medyong halos hawakan ang Senate kung 24, if you have 36, 48, it will become a semi-rubber stamp. That’s the reality. That’s the reality.
(0:15:47) If the Christian groups over the send ten people and they swear and they say, you know, we will be the conscience or the elders of the Christian community. You will be the apostles. Not only pastoral care, but apostolic leadership. They will be able to withstand, you know, like the battles between Peter and Paul. They will be able to meet as a group, pray and submit to the Lord.
(0:16:15) But you tell me put in a room 200 Christian leaders. No, it’s not about who is Judas or who is right or wrong. It’s just simply more, it’s simply easier to manipulate a bigger group than a smaller group.
(0:16:35) So in thanking you today, please don’t pray for me as Senate President. First, please pray that whatever plans the Lord has, there will be no spiritual, physical blockages. Remember, before running for Congress, ang prayer, Bishop Leonie, Brother Eddie sa akin, parang may nakita siyang wall. So he prayed that any wall blocking my destiny will be destroyed and then a bridge. So any wall that is blocking,I mean, all of you here are repositories of prophecies for the nation. And of course, all of us are praying that delayed lang yung iba doon, hindi cancelled. No? Okay. The IFP (Intercessors for the Philippines) have been interceding. Can I share just this one thing, the impression lang ni Lord? Hindi ko makalimutan eh, during year 2000, 1999 or 2000, Bishop Dan Balais prophesized na magkakaroon ng oil ang Pilipinas.
(0:17:37) I don’t remember now if that’s 99, 98, or 2000, but there’s some time during that time in… Hindi siya National Bible Day pa. I don’t know if it’s National Prayer Day or basta’t– it’s one of those big Christian… Pinrophesy ni Bishop Dan yon nadiscover Malampaya a year or two years later. Two or three years later.
(0:18:00) I never understood why the Lord stopped there at ba’t hindi tayo yumaman until I watched Myles Munroe. Sabi ni Dr. Myles Munroe, whatever you do not manage, God will not continue or He will get it from you. Sabi ni Myles Munroe, if you’re asking for a bigger house but you can’t even clean your room, why will the Lord give you a bigger house? If you’re asking for a million pesos but 2,000 pesos na lang, nag-online betting ka pa. Naglo-lotto ka pa. Why should he give you 1 million pesos? So I realized God gave us an oil as appetizer. The main course of oil and gas that will make the Philippines very rich is just there.
(0:18:48) Pero sabi niya, anak, di pa kayo ready. Di pa kayo ready maging mayaman. Di ba? So that’s what I meant that yung prayers natin is for the nation. If the Lord gave me an 8-day mission, Monday to Monday, so be it. I’m happy. Don’t worry about me. But if He’s giving me a 30-day mission, a 45-day mission, everything else is vanity. Di ba? So meaning, if I want, huwag naman ako last, sana 14 days man lang ako, that’s vanity. Di ba? When one senator was asking me, ayaw mo maging Senate President? Sabi ko, I was already Speaker.
(0:19:29) So, of course, I want to be Senate President. How many Filipinos are given the opportunity to be speaker than to be senate? Of course, the political side, the ambitious side, but if it’s not for me, if it’s my vanity, so let me put it another way. Sabi ni Dr. Myles Munroe, if Moses could speak very well, what would have happened? I was thinking already, would the pharaoh have met him go much earlier?
(0:20:00) Hindi ba mag-yayawyaw or mag-ngangawngaw yung mga hudyo? Would he have had a better government? But I was shocked by his answer. His answer was that Aaron would lose his job. Oo nga naman, di ba? But all of us, we were in, my best friend and I, in 1999, went to Disneyland. And then there’s this drawing, and we told the guy…
(0:20:28) Can you draw me and my best friend? He said, sure. What character? Sabi niya, Batman and Penguin. Batman and Penguin? Sabi niya, why? My best friend and I looked at each other, looked at him. He told him, sir, no one wants to be Robin. No one wants to be second, third fiddle. You want to be Gideon?
(0:20:55) Di ba? You want to be Peter or Paul. You don’t want to be Thomas. You don’t want to be Judas. Di ba? You want to be… I mean, among the prophets, you probably don’t want to be Jonah. Di ba? But we all have a role. Di ba? So if my role is to be Aaron and someone else should be Senate President, so be it. Yun ang will ng Sovereign Lord. So…
(0:21:23) One early lesson the Lord gave me regarding Moses was this. When I ran for Vice Mayor, it was a real battle at the time. And COMELEC, I think, took four or six months to decide. And then it went to court. And the court, I think, three judges inhibited before the fourth judge. And a few days after I was proclaimed congressman in 1998, they proclaimed me as Vice Mayor.
(0:21:54) That’s how long it took. And when I was praying, I said, Lord, you could have put me there much earlier. Sabi niya, Lord I could have told the Pharaoh to let him go. But Moses had to grow through 40 years as the Pharaoh’s son.
(0:22:09) 40 years in the wilderness, and then 40 years there. At that time, I did not understand. I thought it’s simple disobedience why they spent 40 years in the desert. But then I heard one pastor preaching that, no, how can you be conquerors if your mindset is still of slaves? So God had to take out that mindset. So do not be mad at people who are bashing us. To be fair, some are legitimate.
(0:22:39) The ICC issue is a legitimate debate. What really happened here Wednesday night is a legitimate debate. Of course, we’re emotional because we’re here. We didn’t know if we’re going to get shot or not. So we’re emotional. But it’s a legitimate issue. Having a fair trial is a legitimate issue. So lahat ‘to legitimate issue. So pray for them because the problem nga is that there is no more tatay or nanay in the Philippines. Cindy Jacob made the drawing and said that the orphan spirit is one of the most grave problems in the Philippines. We don’t think there’s a father. So what is the father? The father is the one who will tell the children, you’re all wrong. You’re right on this.
(0:23:32) So now it’s all algorithm. If you say something, so look, when you go home, If ever one of your pictures come up, you’ll have one algorithm saying, thank God you were there. And another algorithm saying, Pastor ka pa naman tapos pumunta ka dun? Di ba? but there’s no bigger figure, despite huge figures in the Philippines to say, guys, it’s never a problem to go to the…
(0:24:58) I mean, during the almost the worst time in Malacanang, Brother Eddie, Bishop Leo, I don’t know if Bishop R.A. was there. They were invited to GMA. And when they got there, GMA was sick. She did not come. And I didn’t know what Brother Eddie was going to say, but he met us after, and Brother Eddie said, it’s our fault. So I was a young congressman. Sabi ko, how can it be our fault? I mean, there’s so many issues against her. We go to Malacanang. We’re going to pray for her. She doesn’t show up.
(0:24:31) So sabi ni Brother Eddie, because the devil doesn’t want us to pray for her. That’s why she was given an affliction that day. We prayed that we go to Malacanang. We did not pray that she be well enough for us too. Same thing kay Billy Graham. When he was asked about Jimmy Swaggart, the pastors and ministers thought he was going to go hard on Jimmy Swaggart. Sabi ni Billy Graham, pray for him. It could have happened to me.
(0:25:04) The humility. It could have happened to me. So all of us, including me, have to make accusations. But it could have happened to me. And let me close lang with, I love witnessing because whether it’s theology, ideology, any eology, we can debate. But when you witness, it is something personal.
(0:25:30) My relationship with Bishop R.A., and who can forget R.A. in Congress. Republic Act yun eh. So Bishop R.A., my relationship with many of you were born love, humility, acceptance, service together, et cetera. My relationship with him was born from adversity because there are a group of Christians were against the impeachment of former President Arroyo.
(0:26:03) And the rhetoric was going up, but it was through the newspapers dahil hindi pa masyado yung social media. And siguro someone said, you’re both Christians. So Bishop R.A. quietly talked to some leaders and told them, is there anything wrong for us praying and listening to him? So he gathered a group of Christian leaders in one room.
(0:26:28) I entered, I felt talaga na parang… Hindi naman parang lion’s den. Hindi naman ako ide-devour. Parang, you’re welcome, but what are we doing here? We could be doing something better. Having said that, I did feel, because I knew some of the Christian leaders, that may welcome side. And I thought Bishop R.A. was the welcome side. But when he spoke, he said, I’m one of those who disagrees with you the most. But I’m here to pray for you and to listen to you.
(0:27:03) And maybe that’s what we need from the Christian community. To be the father who says, Adam, Eve, why are you hiding? He already knew what they did. But he still asked them, what did you do? So one request today is really to bind the lying spirit.
(0:27:24) I think if you only have one prayer left in you, let’s pray for the truth. Because if the truth starts and takes seed, I think all the reforms we’re talking about will bear fruit. Kung ano ang itatanim, yung ang aanihin. Whatever we sow, we will reap.
(0:27:45) So today I can spend a little bit more time sowing you know, a harder core support for me, for the 13, but let’s not do that. Let’s just ask God, none of us is 100% true. None of us know the 100% truth. But if the Holy Spirit is going to go around the Philippines, it’s going to change us. It’s going to start with the truth. What happened with our oil in Malampaya? What happened in the flood control? Is that complete or is that only one side?
(0:28:21) What’s gonna happen to impeachment? Is it really impartial or one side just convict her whatever happens, the other side is acquit her whatever happens. So that’s not an impartial trial.
(0:28:34) So let me stop there, but thank you. I know it’s Monday, it’s a busy day. Most of you were preaching yesterday. Ako din, I have to be in the office by two o’clock and prepare for the three o’clock and everything goes the way we thought it would go, then we will be convening as an impeachment court, and I will take my oath. If it doesn’t, then you’re a witness to history.
(0:28:59) Again, God bless you, and thank you for this opportunity.
