Senator-elect Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday said what the country needs is a “strong independent Senate” that will help the administration fulfill its role but will also call it out when it veers away from its mandate.
In his message during the proclamation of the 12 winning senators on May 18, 2022 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), Cayetano revealed that some senators who are vying for the Senate presidency have been calling him up apparently to get him on their side.
But he said those who are courting his support will have to deal with his strong stand on certain issues.
“Doon sa mga tatakbong Senate President… ang masasabi ko: I hate drugs. I hate e-sabong. I hate inefficiency in government. And I hate it when we seem helpless,” he said.
Cayetano said he would have wanted to yield his time to those running for Senate president but added it was not the time or place for them to speak.
Instead, he left them with this charge: “A strong independent Senate — (one) that will help Malacañang when it needs help but will also correct and fiscalize when they have to be told that something is wrong — is what our country needs now.”
God’s plan
Cayetano, who ran on a faith-based and values-oriented leadership platform, had consistently said he was willing to work with whoever wins the Presidency.
He added, however, that he would not do so blindly.
“Ibig sabihin, mulat dapat tayo sa lahat ng ating papasukin. Dapat open ang lahat sa suggestions,” he said in an earlier interview.
“Wherever I’m needed, I’ll help. ‘Pag tama, either I’ll be quiet or I’ll help. Pero kapag may mali, maaasahan ng ating mga kababayan [na tututol ako],” he added.
In his message during the proclamation, Cayetano said his guiding principle is based on Jeremiah 29:11: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.’”
“While the message is clear na maganda ang plano ng Diyos para sa atin, many forget that the devil also has plans for us – plans to steal, to kill, and to destroy,” he said, alluding to John 10:10 in the New Testament.
Cayetano said it is now up to all Filipinos to follow God’s plan for the country.
“Nasa kamay po nating lahat whether we will follow God’s plan for us and our beloved country especially for the suffering millions of FIlipinos who are hungry and jobless — or whether we’ll be part of the destroying and killing,” he said.
Cayetano also thanked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for “fulfilling God’s plan” for a clean, honest, and fair election.
“Opo it wasn’t perfect, but wala naman pong perfect kahit sa ibang bansa,” he said.
