Press Release
January 23, 2017

On the assembly and induction of officers of
Pilipinas Kong Mahal United Coalition

22 January 2017

Fighting for Justice and Dignity

HON. LEILA M. DE LIMA
Senator

Good day to all.

Thank you very much to all the organizers, especially to the members and leaders of Pilipinas Kong Mahal, for making this event possible.

During these challenging times, the chance to spend time with kindhearted people and very supportive people like you lifts up my spirit and reminds me why I continue fighting the good fight. I will continue fighting. (Applause) I thank you all for being here, kahit nga po Linggo ngayon, it's a Sunday, it's a good day, and I know you would like to relax or spend time with your family. Still, you chose to give me your time and show your support and encouragement.

In the face of everything that is happening in the Philippines today, these kinds of gatherings are concrete proof that there are still a lot of open-minded people from different sectors of society who are dedicated and ready to uphold democracy, justice, and human rights.

Dahil po sa inyo, lumalakas ang loob ko. (Applause) Sabi nga ho kanina ni Tito Robert, anuman ang ibato nilang paninira, tuloy lang po ako sa trabaho. Sulit ang pagod at sakripisyo dahil kasama ko kayong nakikipaglaban. Makakaasa po kaya ako na kasama ko kayo sa aking laban? (Applause)

Kilala ang Bacolod bilang "The City of Smiles." Sa tood lang: sa pagbisita ko diri, sa yuhum n'yo pa lang, nabatyagan ko ang inyo pagpalangga kag pag ugyon niyo sa akon. Madamo gid nga salamat.[1] (Applause)

And as everyone here realizes, I am perhaps most well known today for having invited upon myself the ire of President Duterte and the entire administration. My stance as an advocate for justice and human rights--my desire to simply do my duty--has become the reason why the most powerful man in the country and his allies are waging a vendetta on me.

It is clear he has not forgotten the days when I investigated the rampant killings in Davao City, attributed to the so-called Davao Death Squad. Hindi niya po yun nakalimutan. He would never forget that, and he would never forgive me for going there to Davao City and dare investigate him in his role dun sa mga tinatawag na DDS killings. Not to mention the fact that now, as a Senator, I initiated an inquiry into the spate of extrajudicial killings in the country. But that cost me my chairmanship of my committee, the Committee on Justice and Human Rights. Siyempre, masakit po yun sa akin kasi yan po ang aking mga core advocaies--hustisya at karapatang pantao. Justice and human rights--these are my core competencies. These are the advocacies closest to my heart: human rights and justice. Kaya nga po, yun po ang in-aspire ko pag nanalo po tayo sa eleksyon, na maging chairperson ng Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights. But dahil nga po sa ginawa natin, na pinaimbestiga natin yung EJKs, at prinisenta po natin bilang witness si Mr. Edgar Matobato, I was ousted from that role. And to be honest, it's really painful for me. But I accept that it is more a numbers game in the Senate. That it is, what I call, the tyranny of the majority.

As the most outspoken critic of President Duterte, I am also the most maligned, the most demonized, and as Senator Ping Lacson put it, "the most wiretapped" public figure in the country today. Hindi nga lang country ang pagkasabi ata ni Senator Ping, sabi pa niya: the most wiretapped in planet Earth. I think it is not even a joke. I know he meant it to be a joke, but I didn't take it as a joke. Wiretapping certain public figures now seems to be a priority of our law enforcers or state agents.

Wala naman ho kasi silang pakialam kung ano yung nasa batas. They consistently defy the rule of law. Grabe po ang panggigipit nila. Sobra na nga ang paninira nila sa akin sa publiko, pati pribado kong buhay at ng aking pamilya, dinadamay pa.

What else can we expect from a President who seems to have lost his conscience and his reason to Fentanyl, an extremely powerful drug that he admitted to use for his medication? What can we expect from a President who is used to having his way, no matter what the law says, and who seems to be drunk with power? What can we expect from a President who seems to have no plan to stop the killings today, and instead, continues to encourage it and excuse it?

Ang abi guru sang presidente sa kaugalingon niya hari-- kung ano gusto niya, amo na ang masunod.[2]

What else should I expect from the President, if he himself publicly stated: "I will destroy you"? What else should I expect from a man who has told me, quite bluntly, to go hang myself? I think yung iba sa inyo narinig din yung mga sinabi niya na yun. "I will destroy you." "You will never win this." "Go hang yourself."

At nakikita na nga natin ang sagot. Araw-araw na lang, kaliwa't kanan ang mga bangkay na natatagpuan sa mga lansangan, lalo na sa Metro Manila.

They put the law and justice into their hands by killing small time drug users and pushers who belong to the poorest of the poor, the ones living in the slum communities and depressed areas.

A Rappler article said that since July 1, 2016--magugulat po kayo kasi yung figures nga po na nakalagay dito sa speech ko nung isang araw, mas mababa. Ngayon mas mataas na. This was just updated. Since July 1, 2016, there have already been 7,025 men, women, and children killed as a result of the so-called war on drugs. Nung isang araw 6,775 pa lang yan. As of last night, I think it's now 7,025, 2,500 of which are suspected drug personalities killed in police operations, as of January 17; and 3,603 victims in cases of deaths under investigation, including the vigilante killings, as of January 9.[3]

Pag-isipan ho natin yun. Just think: more than 7,025 corpses, and we are only in the seventh month of this administration. Talo pa ho yung mga pinatay o namatay nung Martial Law era, mga 3,000 plus. And kahit i-combine niyo po yung mga cases of EJKs or EJK victims nung mga nakaraan na mga administrasyon from Cory Aquino, to FVR, to Erap, to GMA, to PNoy, combined. Talong-talo na ho yung data on EJKs. But only after seven months under the bloodthirsty Duterte administration, almost 1,000 people killed each month, or more than 30 people killed each day.

Katanggap-tanggap ho ba yun? This is inhuman, abhorrent, and despicable. This is terrifying. Ewan ko po sa inyo, ako, natatakot po ako rito. Hindi ho ba dapat matakot tayo? Ano ho ba yung sinasabi nila na it brings to the community because the bad people, the bad guys are gone? Anong klase po yun? Does it really bring genuine peace in the community if there are dead people everyday, creating a culture of fear in the community?

Ilan pa ba ang mamamatay bago magising sa katotohanan ang mga pinuno natin? Ilan pang inosente--dumadami na po yung so-called collateral damage--ilan pa hong inosente ang madadamay bago magising sa pananahimik ang marami nating kababayan?

Can we not hear the cries of the bereaved families whose father, mother, son, daughter, or siblings have been shot dead?

Can we not see the violence and injustice happening in the streets in which even innocent victims have fallen, including aged 4, 5 and 7-year-old children? "Collateral damage", walang mga kamuwang-muwang. They were just there at the wrong time, at the wrong place, when somebody in their family was gunned down by these death squads. Look at that, 5, 4, 7 years old.

Have we been desensitized? Do we still pretend to feel safe, even if there seems to be evidence and growing international concern that we are turning into a barbaric society?

Putting aside the fact that our President has made offensive jokes about rape and curses in public habitually, and engages in misogynistic behavior, or sexist behavior na namamana ng ilan-ilan sa ating honorable congressmen. Look at how they conducted or handled the so-called House inquiry into the Bilibid drug trade. Seryoso kaya sila doon sa imbestigasyon nila into the so-called Bilibid drug trade? Ang pagkakaalam ko ho noon, dati na ho yan inimbestigahan by the House Committee on Justice. I was the Secretary of Justice when they conducted a series, also, of hearings right there in the Bilbid. Sinamahan ko rin sila na mga members na yan ng Justice Committee nung nag-ocular inspection sila sa Bilibid.

And some of them are the very same congressmen who were lording it over in that House inquiry na doon sa mga kabastusan ng mga linya ng kanilang questioning on certain resource persons in that House inquiry. Because yung agenda ho ng so-called inquiry na yan hindi naman ho para malaman ang katotohanan dun sa proliferation ng drug trade in the penitentiary, kundi pahiyain lang si Leila de Lima. And that is the very reason, ladies and gentleman, why I refused to participate in that inquiry. Alam ko na ho yung mangyayari. Babastusin lang ako nang husto dun. Ano ho ba yung objective nila? Para masira ang kredibilidad, para takutin si Leila de Lima, para tumahimik na lang po siya. Misogynistic behavior of some of our leaders. Sexist, offensive behavior. Naturingan pa man din sila na mga honourable congressmen.

Our children are growing up in an environment where it is okay to kill and see dead bodies all the time. This is the present we are living through: When you have no money or connections, when the door to your house--a shanty--can easily be broken down, you are murdered in cold blood.

Yet when you are connected with a powerful political figure, who can ask for a private meeting with the President, you are not even investigated for being present at a drug den. At nasan na po yung sinasabing big-time drug lord na yun na nakipag-meeting pa sa Pangulo? Kinasuhan na ho ba siya? Tumakas na ho yata.

Clearly, this so-called war on drugs has become anti-poor, in the same manner that the re-imposition of the death penalty would also be anti-poor. Once sentenced, convicted individuals who are poor cannot defend themselves or challenge their convictions because they have no lawyers or good lawyers. Walang pambayad kaya't walang makapag-asikaso sa kanilang mga kaso.

My prior experience as Secretary of Justice gave me a clear picture of what more needs to be done. Our system is riddled with gaps and pitfalls, and is susceptible to the miscarriage of justice. Ang pinaka-numero ko pong dahilan kung bakit kontrang-kontra po ako diyan, sa death penalty na yan, ay dahil nga kapag ginawa na at ito ay naipataw sa isang inosenteng tao pala, mababawi pa kaya yun? It is irreversible.

And on the issue of wrongful convictions, the Supreme Court's review of capital cases up to January 2006 revealed that four out of five death inmates have been wrongfully sentenced by the various lower courts. Of the 1,513 cases reviewed, almost half or 645 were modified from death penalty to reclusion perpetua or indeterminate sentence, close to a third, 456, were transferred to the Court of Appeals, 69 were acquitted, and 37 cases were remanded for further proceedings. Only 270 cases or 18 percent only reviewed were affirmed by the high court. 18 percent, so yung iba, mali yung pagpataw sa death penalty. So it's 82 percent yung mali ang pagpataw ng death penalty upon review by the Supreme Court. [4]

What we need is to ensure the swift delivery of justice--and this does not mean killing, whether extrajudicial or sanctioned by the re-imposition of the death penalty. Ang kailangan lang po ay swift delivery of justice, certainty of arrest, certainty of punishment. Hindi po natin kailangan ang death penalty.

Many of the people who have been killed in the administration's war on drugs were only suspected to be connected to drugs. Some were sentenced criminals by signs made of cardboard. The past few months have shown us the gravity of the fact that we cannot bring the dead back to life. We cannot atone for the wrongful deaths of those who did not even get a chance to prove their innocence.

Kasi nga ho yung EJKs, mas grabe pa sa death penalty. Dahil sa death penalty, dadaan pa sa proseso. Pero yung EJKs, wala. Summary execution, and some people are playing god. And that is definitely wrong.

This is why I stand firm in my opposition against both EJKs and the death penalty. I strongly believe that both are discriminatory to the poor. These are un-Christian, apart from the important fact that the death penalty or EJK has not been shown to reduce crime. Ano pong sinasabi nila na bumababa na daw po ang istatistika ng krimen mula nung inumpisahan nila itong sinasabi nilang Operation Tokhang, and then yung mga operations na yan which result to death and killings? How can they say that criminality--or the peace and order situation has improved when there are more dead bodies? Ano ho bang tawag dun? Di ba homicide or murder. So homicide, murder, these are against the law, against the Revised Penal Code, against the Constitution. So anong peace and order ang sinasabi nila? There cannot be peace and order if you violated the law. That's very clear.

Tini-twist-twist kasi nila yung mga ganyan eh in trying to convince people, in trying to justify what they're doing. Pero nakita niyo naman, takot na takot kapag sinasabi natin, kapag wina-warningan natin na kung hindi niyo ihinto yan, yang pagpapatay niyo araw-araw, be ready to face the consequence, maybe not now, but in the future. Be ready for interventions coming from international tribunals, for example, the ICC or the International Criminal Court. They're monitoring already the situation here. So puwedeng makalusot sila under our own legal mechanisms, pero makakalusot kaya sila sa ICC? Kayo na lang po ang sumagot niyan.

Others who push for the re-imposition of the death penalty even used the Bible to legitimize capital punishment. (Laughter) Alam niyo na po siguro kung sino yun. Kahit daw po si Hesukristo ay na-death penalty. Ang sa akin lang po, nung binitay ho ba si Kristo o pinatay si Hesukristo, may kasalanan ho ba siya? Ano hong klaseng argument yun for death penalty? (Laughter) Si Hesukristo ba may tunay na may sala?

This is why amid calls to reinstate the death penalty here in the Philippines, I filed a bill introducing a new penalty of imprisonment: qualified reclusion perpetua. It's sort of an alternative punishment to death penalty. Huwag lang death penalty. Dagdagan lang. Impose stiffer punishment for those convicted of extraordinary heinous crimes without having to deal with the problems that beset the death penalty system.

And still about the death penalty, hindi ho ba mismong ang ating Pope Francis, ang sabi niya talaga, the fifth commandment, "Thou shall not kill" applies to both the innocent and the guilty. Klarado ho na mensahe yan ni Pope Francis. Ano no crime ever deserved killing another human being. Siguro naman karamihan sa atin dito Katoliko. Siguro naman ho karamihan sa atin dito ay Christians. Naniniwala tayo sa inviolability and sanctity of life. So hindi ho tayo dapat tumanggap ng kung anumang argumento in favor of the reimposition of death penalty.

Let me borrow the words of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., in order to explain why I have never believed that peace and order can be achieved through violent means. In a book, he wrote:

"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. So it goes. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars."

Malinaw po sa ating kasaysayan: Walang ibang naidudulot ang pagmamalupit at karahasan, kundi karahasan din.

I know, many of you, like me, are already frustrated with this administration's failure to deliver its campaign promises.

Maayo lang sila sa paglapta sang mga binutig, sa mga sala nga impormasyon, kag pang into sa mga katawhan.[5]

Pito na sila ka bulan sa puwesto. Ano na ang na ubra nila? Karahasan. Patayan. Pag depensa sa mga tao nga gapatay sa mga wala bato.[6]

This is why I urge the Filipino people to remain vigilant.

Hindi puwedeng lagi na lang silang magpapalusot o kung may isyu silang gustong iwasan, maninisi sila ng iba.

Nasanay na siguro ang Pangulo na kapag wala nang ibang isagot, puro "kasalanan yan ni De Lima" nalang ang sinasabi niya. (Laughter) Or could this be their tactic to confuse the public? I'm talking about "kasalanan yan ni Leila de Lima".

Kapag ho may nangyayari, katulad nung latest jailbreak sa Cotabato, akala ko sa akin na naman ituturo yun. Pag may bomb scare, akala ko sa akin din ituturo. Kasi hindi lang daw ako the drug trade queen in the country today, kundi leading narcopolitician, and then narcoterrorist pa raw ako. Seryoso po. Meron pong kaso...I have one of those cases. Alam niyo po ang dami ko na pong kaso, siguro 16 na po. At isa sa mga kaso sa Ombudsman, violation of the Terrorism Financing Act. So ako ngayon ang leading terrorist of the country. And that's why that SolGen tags me as "public enemy no. 1". Mga sira-ulo, ano ho. (Laugther) Mga loonies. (Applause)

I have long felt that they are trying to make an example out of me--anyone who will go against them will be silenced and humiliated. By putting me in the spotlight, they are trying to distract public attention from the real and dire state of the nation. The proliferation of fake news has made matters worse. Isang problema ho natin yan, mga fake news. Napakadami po.

Back in September, when I was told that there are news report that literally the Queen herself, that is, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, had "expressed her joy" over reports that the so-called "Philippines Senate" had removed me as a member, going so far as to "congratulate" my fellow senators for having ousted me because I obviously, "should be dealt with" because I allegedly "wanted to bring confusion in Duterte's government"[7]--Isa po yan sa mga pinaka-unang fake news na ginawa nila para sa akin.

And upon seeing that, I was torn between being flattered to know that my profile was so high that news of my ouster ranks high in Her Majesty's foreign affairs agenda (Laughter), or just plain confused because I was, and am still, very much a Senator of the Republic. That was definitely one fake news that was so obviously fake that I would have simply laughed it off if it weren't for the possibility that even one of our person had been led to believe it.

Yan po kasi ang problema sa mga fake news, meron din po kasing mga ilan-ilan na naniniwala agad.

But when other fake news started getting more and more attention, and got more and more fake and dangerous in its ability to spread propaganda, I quickly realized that we have gotten to the point where it is not even close to being a laughing matter anymore.

Kung ano-anong iniimbento nila laban sa akin, sa pamilya ko, sa anak ko, sa kapatid ko, kahit sa pamangkin ko. Pinakita ho sa akin ang listahan ng aking Comms Group yung mga fake news tungkol sa akin. More than 30 fake news na pala. Akala ko, hindi pa aabot ng sampu. Just to cite examples, examples lang po kasi napakarami pang iba.

"Leila de Lima resigns as a Senator"; "NBI confirms Leila de Lima is the Queen of all drug lords in Philippines and pork barrel"; "De Lima on tight security after attempting suicide"; "De Lima's sister, Caroline De Lima arrested in China for drug trafficking"; De Lima's son arrested at airport--Berlin airport ang nakalagay sa balita na yan--with 50 kgs of drugs"; "Bagman at pamangkin ni Sen. De Lima dawit sa kalakaran ng droga".

Ilan-ilang lang po yan sa mga pinakakalat nila na fake news. And it isn't just me or my family, fake news is also damaging, not just political careers, but serious advocacies that seek to protect the national interest by undermining the integrity of advocates like myself and Senator Trillanes, who, in one website are accused of having receiving a P500-million peso check from me, which he allegedly used to pay for political ads against the President during the election period[8] dahil nga daw Bilibid drug trade ako, napakadami pera ko, sabi ni Aguirre ang aking assets daw po ay 12 to 15 billion pesos. Ganun sila kasinugaling. Ganun sila kasama sa mga kasinungalingan nila. That website claims this to be "viral news", yung tungkol dun sa P500-million check to Senator Sonny, but is actually just a personal blog that lures people to click and visit it so that its owner can make money from the lies it publishes.

Even the Ombudsman has been the subject--or more like victim--of fake news. Ayon po sa isang headline, "Sabwatang De Lima at Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Nabunyag Na!!" May dalawang exclamation points pa. At nag-aanyaya pang "Alamin" ang istoryang naka-tag na "local news", "news" or "video" kuno, pero wala namang video na mapapanood. That site even has the guts to hold itself out to the cyberspace public as a "social news" site publishing "breaking news", but, curiously does not even state a date or time stamp for its article, or even the name of the author or contributor and, worse, contains a moronic disclaimer that it "cannot guarantee the legitimacy of some of the information" it publishes on its own site.

It is good that my colleagues, Senators Kiko Pangilinan and Sonny Trillanes have already filed Senate resolutions which seek to conduct an inquiry on the spate of fake news in social media. I am wholeheartedly supporting these, and in fact, I might deliver a privilege speech on this this coming week.

All these fake news aim to counteract the critical news coverage that the Duterte administration has received from the beginning. News coverage that, I might add, is accurate and well-documented. Remember the deceptive and insulting Marcos burial? The thousands who have died in the streets? The huge increase in the intel funds of the Office of the President? The alleged bribery attempt by Chinese businessman Jack Lam to former BI Associate Commissioners?

And now the "Tokhang for ransom" issue? This issue that is more than just an example of how evil elements are still operating in the guise of our law enforcers, but, more importantly, a display of how the blind faith and blanket license to kill given by the President is not just an ineffective means to address the illegal drugs problem, but, worse, one that creates a moral vacuum that allows graver crimes to be committed in the name of the law. Our public interest, in effect, is being used as an alibi for the rampant commission of crimes. We are being kidnapped, robbed and butchered allegedly in our own interest.

And yang kaso na yan, especially involving that Korean, the killing of that Korean, yung "Tokhang for ransom". That to me is a damning proof that it's the police that is behind these death squads. Yang mga involved diyan sa Tokhang for ransom na yan, sa Korean na yan, these are officials and personnel of the Anti-Illegal Drugs Unit itself of the PNP. And that Korean was killed right there inside Camp Crame. Hindi naman ho yata Camp Crame yan, Camp Crime na. (Laughter) Imagine that. So what is this? Yan po kasi ang sinasabi ko eh.

If you give license to the police to be undertaking those summary executions, then you are also giving them license to do more abuses, lalo na na pinagtatakpan sila, dinedepensahan sila, pinoprotektahan sila by no less than the President. Remember the Espinosa killing? May finding dun yung NBI na that was really execution. But anong sabi ng Pangulo? "Naniniwala ako dun sa mga pulis na yun." So what else can they expect?

These are the contentious issue that need to be tackled. These have divided our people and our society. Even us in the Senate have had heated debates about these issues. Ang masaklap, humahantong pa ang pagtatalo namin sa Senado sa personalan, yung mga ilan-ilan diyan nagkaka-personalan na.

What further adds to the public confusion is the President's constantly changing pronouncements. Even his spokespersons use their "creative imagination" to interpret the President's statements.

Talo pa ni Pangulong Duterte ang mga Miss Universe contestants dahil siya, laging may mga interpreters. (Applause)

One of them even blasted the media for their alleged irresponsible reporting on Duterte's Martial Law remarks--when there was ample documentation to show that no misquoting had taken place.

Kasi sabi mini-misquote lang palagi daw ng media ang Pangulo. Eh klarado naman ho yung mga lumalabas sa bibig ng ating Pangulo.

And as you very well know, they are also pushing for federalism. Tinatanong po ako dito kung ako daw po ay in favor of charter change. Ang sagot ko po: Under ideal circumstances, we can perhaps be assured that charter change will be undertaken solely to further the interests of the Filipino people.

But these are not ideal circumstances to say the least. It's the worst time to tinker with our Constitution. It's too big a risk, especially given the kind of power-hungry, abusive and morally bankrupt leaders calling the shots these days. I cannot trust a regime with authoritarian and oppressive tendencies, and propensity to engage in outright lies and deceptions to initiate changes in our Constitution.

Honestly, I wouldn't even trust this government with the responsibility of looking after my beloved dogs, (Laughter) trese po ang aking mga aso--let alone with messing with the Fundamental Law of my beloved country.

Maganda nga po siguro ang layunin nito, pero kaduda-duda naman ang mga nasa likod ng nagsusulong ng Federalismo: mga politikong dati nang umabuso sa kapangyarihan at gusto ulit maghari-harian.

Rest assured that as Senator, I will be a critical voice in discussing this bill. The relentless attacks against my character have not kept me from actively participating in floor debates and public hearings. Like some of my fellow Senators, I am focused on ensuring that the laws we produce will deliver the greatest benefit to the Filipino people.

I would ask your help in doing my job: If you see that the administration is doing the right thing, then let's acknowledge it. At the same time, if we see wrong--if we see them working against the Filipino people, let's make our voices heard. (Applause)

Hindi tayo puwedeng manahimik lang. Sabi nga po ni Fr. Robert Reyes, what he sees now is the evil of silence, not just the evil of impunity. Hindi tayo puwedeng magbulag-bulagan habang buhay.

And allow me to quote another author. Professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, who passed away in July of last year, once wrote:

"We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must--at that moment--become the center of the universe."

We have to fight for the rights, not only of ourselves, but also the rights of others--especially those who cannot defend themselves, like those being killed everyday. We have to stand for the rights of all, because if we do not, we are making it easier for our own rights to be abused.

I urge the public. Let your voices be heard. Use media coverage to understand the issues. Do not abuse or misuse social media. There are so many lies and propaganda in social media resulting to a culture of hate. Do not be a part of this. Use your freedom of speech to educate and to enlighten. Use it always with due regard for the rights of others and for the good of our country.

I believe that none of us here want glory or fame. As Filipinos, I know that we want the same things: justice, peace and order, integrity in government. And I know that we will do our part to ensure that we save our country. (Applause)

Hindi po natin hahayaang masira nang tuluyan ang ating lipunan. Gawin natin ang lahat ng ating makakaya upang ipaglaban ang tama. Gaya ninyo, hindi ko tatalikuran ang aking mga kababayan, bansa, at Panginoon.

Ano man ka bug at ang pagtilaw, mabato ko sa pinaka ulihi ko nga ginhawa, tindugan ko ang kung ano ang tsakto, kung ano ang kamatuuran, nga may hustisya, kag demokrasya. tindugan ko ang bilog nga Filipino, matindog ko upod sa inyo. Madamo gid nga salamat.[9] Maraming salamat po. (Applause)

________________________________________

[1] Kilala ang Bacolod City bilang "The City of Smiles". At sa totoo lang: Sa ngiti n'yo palang, ramdam ko na ang lambing ng inyong pagmamahal at pakikiisa. Maraming salamat po.

[2] Ang tingin siguro ng Pangulo sa sarili ay hari, di dapat masuway ang utos niya.

[3] Bueza, Michael. IN NUMBERS: The Philippines' 'war on drugs'. http://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/145814-numbers-statistics-philippines-war-drugs. Updated 17 January 2017.

[4] Debate on death penalty rages anew. Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. http://pcij.org/blog/2006/04/17/debate-on-death-penalty-rages-anew. 17 April 2006

[5] Magaling lang sila sa pagkakalat ng kasinungalingan, ng maling impormasyon, at panloloko sa taumbayan.

[6] Pitong buwan na sila sa puwesto. Ano na ba ang nagawa nila? Karahasan. Patayan. Pagtatanggol sa mga ilegal na pumapatay ng mga walang kalaban-laban.

[7] http://thet1mes.com/uk-congratulates-philippines-senate-for-ousting-de-lima/ (accessed 21 January 2017).

[8] http://whattrendz.blogspot.com/2016/09/viral-news-trillanes-and-his-500.html?m=1 (accessed 21 January 2017).

[9] Gaano man kabigat ang pagsubok, lalaban ako. Down to my last breath, I will stand with what is right, with truth, with justice, with democracy. I will stand with the Filipino people. I will stand with you. Maraming salamat.

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