Category: Past Speeches [before the 17th Congress]

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In the Service of Equal Opportunities for All

Speech before the Cebu Jaycees, Inc., 61st Chapter Induction and Turnover Ceremonies, Cebu City

Good evening.

There are three big, commonly repeated lies on earth: When a delinquent American tenant tells his landlord the check is in the mail, when a Japanese lover tells his friends he is more romantic than a Frenchman, and when a Filipino politician tells his audience he is about to deliver a short speech.

Permit me to thank the organizers of the JCI Cebu for making my homecoming possible.  Continue reading “In the Service of Equal Opportunities for All”

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Serving Others by Creating Equal Opportunity

Speech before the Rotary Club of Manila, Manila Polo Club, Makati City

After I accepted your invitation as your guest speaker today courtesy of Mr. Mon Pedrosa, a hearing on the WB mess was subsequently scheduled on this same day. So I requested Rotarian Mon if I could arrive just a little late, 1 p.m., 1:30 p.m., so I would be able to participate and spend more time asking questions in the WB hearing.

What I got from Mon was a big flat ‘No,’ with the threat that if I arrived late, he would be very embarrassed and be left with no option but to resign from the Rotary. I love Rotary, being a Rotarian myself, and I cannot allow Mon, a good Rotarian, to resign from the Rotary. In fact, I am a proud Rotarian. I used to be a very proud Rotarian until Jocjoc Bolante barged into the scene.

When it came time to choosing a service organization, I quickly identified with the Rotary because of its motto: Service above self.  Continue reading “Serving Others by Creating Equal Opportunity”

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Speech at the Naga College Foundation

Some 45 years ago, I was very much like any one of you. Maybe in a far worse situation. For what would you expect from poor parents having eight children, wanting to send each and everyone of them to school and finish college?

But those were good times. Those were times of good governance. Noong araw patas ang laban ng bawa’t mamamayan sa ating bansa. Equal opportunities, rich or poor, provided you have the talent, you have the intelligence, you have the capacity, you have the capability, puwede kang umangat sa iyong kinalalagyan.

Over time, that good governance deteriorated. Even during the time when tri-media was not as efficient as today, people seem to appreciate the transparency in government.  Continue reading “Speech at the Naga College Foundation”

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Speech at the 4th Pahinis Festival in Laua-an, Antique

You know, on the way here, I was talking to several people. Nagtanung-tanong din ako about Laua-an, and I came to a conclusion, if only Laua-an is the Republic of the Philippines, siguro masaya ang mga Pilipino.

One reason – I learned na walang utang ang munisipyo pero mayroon pang surplus na P13 million for this year, kaya sinabi ko, kung itong Laua-an ay Republika ng Pilipinas, sana wala tayong binabayaran na trilyon taun-taon sa WB, sa IMF, sa mga creditor banks kung saan-saan, year after year. We’re suffering a budget deficit of at least P200 billion, ang ibig sabihin nito, not only us but our children, our grandchildren will have to pay for the deficit, for the debt that wala naman silang kinalaman, na wala tayong kinalaman, ito’ y hiniram ng ating mga iba’t ibang administrasyon, tayo ngayon ang nagbabayad, tayo ang nagsa-suffer.  Continue reading “Speech at the 4th Pahinis Festival in Laua-an, Antique”

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Patas na Laban, Para sa Lahat: Towards a Society of Equal Opportunity

Speech at a symposium organized by the Political Science Society, Far Eastern University, FEU Auditorium, Manila

Let me begin with a true story.

Once upon a time there was a couple from Cavite who had eight children and making both ends meet was a constant struggle. The husband’s ancestors were of the landed gentry in Iloilo and how their side of the family got to Luzon is another long story altogether.

The father was a jeepney driver. And so the wife had to augment the family income by selling dried goods in their town’s public market. There were times when the couple had to forego their share of the day’s meals because the brood of eight always came first.  Continue reading “Patas na Laban, Para sa Lahat: Towards a Society of Equal Opportunity”