Transcript of Sen. Pia Cayetano's Speech
Proclamation
May 17, 2025

Una sa lahat, gusto ko magpasalamat sa ating mga guro na walang kapagod-pagod na naninilbihan po during this election period, at sa lahat ng volunteer and COMELEC workers, and of course, the Commission headed by Chairman George Garcia. Salamat sa mga supporters ko na for the fourth time, hinalal niyo ako bilang senator, sa staff ko na walang kapaguran na tumutulong sa akin, and of course, to my family, especially to my mom who is not here right now; but my mom, my brothers, my kids, and of course, to God.

Maikling kwento po. Twenty-one years ago, I was elected as the youngest-ever female senator. And I entered the Senate with a good name, with a background in law, and a mom of two young girls - my two young girls are no longer little girls, and I now have another son - and a work inspired by the legacy of my father, Senator Rene Companero Cayetano, and the public service of my brothers, Alan, Ren, and Lino. I had the privilege of watching, of observing, and learning from great men and women of the halls of the Senate, the late Miriam Defensor-Santiago, the late Edgardo Angara, Joker Arroyo, Juan Flavier, Nene Pimentel. They are all gone now, but I learned and I continue to keep their memory in my heart. And so, I know it's now my time to give back, not only to lead by example and to uphold and conduct myself in a manner becoming of a senator, but also to mentor the young. So I look around and sino ba yung newly elected and young dito? Walang iba kundi si Camille Villar. Syempre bata pa si Bam, pero hindi na new si Bam. Si Kiko naman who is not here with us, ahead pa yan sa akin. So si Camille lang, you are the only one I'll mentor, Camille.

But to the rest of my colleagues, I look forward to engaging with you in healthy and heartfelt debates, to argue with you, and sometimes to fight with you to the point na I will not talk to you that day because mainit talaga ang ulo ko dahil hindi tayo nagkakasundo. Pero hihimayin natin ng isa-isa ang mga batas na hinaharap natin sa mga kababayan natin because they deserve no less. They deserve no less than people that they elected, with different points of view, with different backgrounds, to argue their points, to find what is the best solution and not to compromise just because it's easier to compromise. But to find the very best that the Filipino people deserve.

We live now in the age of transformation and the age of innovation. We live in the time of acceleration, which means napakabilis pumalit ng mga bagay. Most of us were elected, grew up with a rotary phone, with a typewriter, with a filofax, with a fax machine, with a telegram. Ask your children or grandchildren sitting here today, do they even know those words? Telegram means something else today. I asked my kids if they knew what a filofax was and they did not know. So we must change, we must be willing to learn, to accept. The things that we grew up with are no longer the things that our young people are growing up with. And we can only do that if we humble ourselves and begin to learn all over again.

So with that, I will show up with a humble heart. I know that the Senate will stand up and be the leaders that this country deserves. So ako po ay nagpapakumbaba muli, nagpapasalamat sa inyong tiwala sa akin. And I am ready to serve my fourth term. Thank you very much.