GRACE POE's MANIFESTATION TRANSCRIPT
on Senate President Sotto's speech

Sen. Grace Poe: I would like to thank our consensus-building Senate President Sotto for standing up for the institution of the Senate so many times. For your courage to do that, to sometimes speak against what is merely popular in order to assert the integrity of the Senate and the senators. You have passed landmark legislation and your patience, work ethic, institutional knowledge of rules and laws are actually very remarkable. Thank you for being like a father to all of us. We enjoy most your sense of humor and your kindness. We know how you mediate tampuhan and fights in the Senate by being very fair and neutral. We appreciate that. And of course, we also thank our amiable, sometimes bolero, Majority Leader, who leads us on to believe that it's our turn already but then actually it's not. But then that's how laws get passed because we never lose hope and our Majority Leader always gives us a sense of optimism that it can be done when actually it can drag on for weeks before it can be given a part in the agenda.

So, Mr. President, I'd also like to thank our constructive and very mentoring Minority Leader. Certainly, I don't know how the Senate would be without his legal mind that guides us all the time from both sides of the political aisle.

And of course our economic wizard, our Pro Temp who also gives us the proper perspective when it comes to anything that has to deal with numbers and economics.

So we are very blessed to have such a good leadership team in the Senate, and I'm very fortunate and thankful. Salamat po.