The Official Website of Mar Roxas » Noynoy Aquino

After the Counting…

mars — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 08:22:28 +0000

I am happy that the highest office in the land has already been decided with a clear and overwhelming mandate. Binabati ko po ang aking standard-bearer, si President-elect Noynoy Aquino. Wala na pong duda sa kanyang tagumpay. From day one, the success of his campaign has been as important to me as the success of my own. Karangalan ko po ang maging bahagi ng isang matagumpay, tapat, at malinis na kampanya. Karangalan ko po ang patuloy na pagtulong sa tagumpay ng sambayanang Pilipino sa pamumuno ng administrasyong Aquino.

Taos-puso po akong nagpapasalamat sa lahat ng matiyagang pumila na nabilang na ang mga boto; sa humigit-kumulang 14 na milyong sumuporta sa aking kandidatura; pati na rin sa humigit-kumulang tatlong milyong Pilipinong hindi nabilang ang boto sa Congressional Canvass. Kahit kailan ay hindi ko po tatalikuran ang aking sagradong obligasyon sa inyo.

Utang ng loob ko po sa inyo na ipaglaban ang isang matapat at kumpletong bilangan, kasama na ang pag-usisa sa napakalaking bilang ng null votes sa eleksyon sa pagka-Bise Presidente. I have instructed my lawyers to gather records and evidence, and to study and prepare towards the possibility of filing an electoral protest. We have 30 days to do this. I owe it to our people to ensure that the electoral process will truly be an instrument of their will. Nananatili pong bukas ang pinto sa anumang pagkilos na hihilingin sa akin ng humigit-kumulang sa labing-apat na milyong Pilipinong sumuporta sa ating kilusan para sa makabuluhang pagbabago.

Beyond anything else, the Filipino people may rest assured that I stand firmly on the principle that has guided my entire political career: Country above self.

Bayan bago sarili. Para sa akin, hindi po ito campaign slogan lamang. Ito po ay isang batayang paninindigan. This principle will be my bedrock as I work to ensure that that the agenda for reform that President-Elect Noynoy Aquino and I painstakingly laid out will push through.

Let us all rally behind the leadership of President-elect Noynoy Aquino. It is my sincere prayer that the change our candidates swore to bring about in the campaign will be fulfilled. It is my pledge to continue to do everything within my power to support the people’s agenda under an Aquino administration.

People Power Anniversary Celebration at Araneta Coliseum

mars — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 03:36:43 +0000

Maraming salamat. Sa sobrang init na dinaramdam ninyo, ayan, umapoy na bigla ang ating confetti. Palakapan ninyo ngayon ang sarili ninyo!

Mga kababayan, nandito tayo ngayon—di malayo sa kung saan milyung-milyun ng ating mga kababayan ay nagtipon para manindigan laban sa pang-aapi; para harapang hamunin ang diktaturya: “gawin na ninyo ang gagawin ninyo, pero hindi kami aatras sa inyo!”

“Give us back our freedom! Give us back our dignity as free men, and leave us to make the best we can of our country!”

Nandito tayo ngayon, naka dilaw: kulay ng tapang at pag-asa. Kulay ni Tita Cory. Palakpakan ninyo ang EDSA!

Nandito tayo ngayon, handang tapusin ang minsang sinimulan ng EDSA.

Malaya na tayo ngayon. Ngayon, gagawin natin ang tunay na dapat gawin para ang mamamayang Pilipino ang siyang manaig dito sa ating sariling bansa. Ito ay para sa inyo at sa ating lahat: mahirap at may-kaya, bata at matanda, ang OFW at ang na-iwan niyang pamilya rito.

This is our country and we will get it back.

Every generation has its EDSA, just as every pasyon and Calvary has its Easter Redemption. In our grandparents’ time, our countrymen, in the millions, gathered in smaller groups to fight the Japanese invader. It took lots of courage. They faced much bigger risks. But their spirit and their sacrifice laid the groundwork for our country’s liberation.

In our parents’ time, our countrymen tried to build a progressive nation, raising it up from the wreckage of war to the heights of progress. The Philippines—our beloved country—was better off than all our neighbours combined.

Muntik na silang magtagumpay. Ngunit parang kandilang hinipan at namatay, ang mga pangarap nila’y nag-laho nung nagka Martial Law. Naging baril at dahas ang sukatan ng tama at mali.

Both our parents and we, our generation, jointly had its own EDSA.

Oh, it was something out of legend. With a cast of millions, our country played out a drama never seen in history – a battle between good and evil; giving and taking; between guns, goons and gold on the one hand, and plain guts on the other.

Hindi na kailangang ilista ang mga nangyari. Nakaukit na ito sa alaala ng ating lahi.

Hindi na kailangang idetalye ang kabayanihan ng mga nagtipon upang humarang sa tangke at harapin ang pang-aapi. No need to recall the countless, selfless deeds, big and small, of so many unknown, ordinary people who together achieved the extraordinary!

Together, we declared and we made happen the words first uttered by Moses to Pharoah, and Cory to Marcos: LET MY PEOPLE GO!!!

Ngayon, nandito tayo sa EDSA natin at ng ating mga anak. Ngayon, nandito tayo, upang sabihin sa mga desperadong maluklok sa puwesto; sa mga nagpupumilit na manahin ang trono para sa sarili nilang interes: Tama na! Sobra na! Hindi kami papayak! Lalaban kami!

Huwag laging kayo na lang: pagbigyan niyo naman ang tao.

Hindi natin ipinaglalaban na tayo naman. Ang ipinaglalaban natin: ang TAO naman. Let every Filipino taste the Filipino dream: Harinawa’y matikman ng bawat isa sa atin ang inaasam na pangarap ng bawat Pilipino.

Eto ang eksena sa aking isipan: sa loob ng isang bahay na gawa sa materiales Fuertes, si tatay, kakauwi lang galing sa trabaho. Si kuya at si ate, naka-uniporme, galing sa eskwela. Si lola/ masiglang nilalaro si baby. Buong pamilya, magkasama, masayang magkasalo sa mesang sagana sa pagkain, at sa tahanang puno ng pag-asa.

Basic to this is a government that is really of the people, by the people; and NOT for the cronies of the people in power. To them, we say: “give our country a chance, to be all that it can be, all that it was, and all it deserves to be – prosperous, proud and truly free.

Some people think they have the right to take power and run this country to the ground. Well, there is no such right. The only right is the right of the Filipino-people to a better life.

May mga gustong ituloy ang kanilang ligaya, ang ligayang naggagapos sa atin sa kahirapan. Ang sigaw natin : Hindi kami papayag! LALABAN KAMI!!!

Ito ang ating pagkakataon. Ito ang pagkakataon ng ating henerasyon.

Hindi ito magiging madali. Hindi ito i-aabot sa atin. Kailangan nating ipaglaban ito. Ngayon ang simula ng ating EDSA. Ang EDSA ng ating henerasyon.

Iilang tulog na lang, maitatama na natin ang mali. Ma-i-tuituwid na natin ang baluktot, Mailalagay na natin sa ayos ang ating landas. It is time. It is our time. Our time to make a difference. It is our time to show what we are made of, to SHOW what being a Filipino is all about.

It is our time to prove: WE ARE WORTH DYING FOR.

May 10 is more than an election. It is our Revolution. Ito ang Rebolusyun natin: para sa totoong kalayaan, sa totoong katarungan, sa totoong kaunlaran.

It is our People Power Revolution for everything that our great country can be. Ito ang ating People Power para sa kadakilaan na karapat-dapat-lang para sa ating lahi.

Mga minamahal na kababayan, lalaban po tayo! Maraming salamat, magandang hapon, mabuhay ang sambayanang Pilipino.

Noynoy Aquino is our hope

mars — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 18:15:34 +0000

As a physician I know from many years of medical practice that in life threatening conditions the key element to survival is hope, the will to live, the belief that all is not lost. Hope.

Ninoy Aquino inspired it in us in the darkest days of Martial law. Cory Aquino brought it in us in the face of military attacks against democracy.

In the midst of shocking corruption and misrule, Noynoy Aquino brings hope to us now.

We see Noynoy, honest, straightforward, incorruptible and we hope that our country will not break down, will not collapse, will not be defeated by the forces of greed and deception.

With Noynoy as President we shall regain our economic, moral and political health as a nation and as a people. This is my hope. Noynoy is our hope.

To see more blog entries from Dr. Balikbayan, visit http://mbautistamd.blogspot.com/

Remembering, Reliving History

mars — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 13:46:00 +0000

My father, Ninoy and Ka Jovy Salonga were the figureheads of the Liberal Party during the days of the dictator. In what seems to be a strange coincidence, Noy and myself are now thrust in that same boat with Ka Jovy still supportive of that never-ending fight against the bad guys. At least, I’d like to think of myself as being one of the good guys. With the recent events involving the Liberal Party and the overwhelming support it’s been getting, I’ve become a bit nostalgic, remembering tidbits of history:

My mother, of course, is a chapter all by herself. Two grenades hurled during the party’s miting de avance in 1971 caused shrapnel to scatter, hitting her leg in the process. I remember her telling me of what happened afterwards: the confusion, the screams in the background, her bodyguard scooping her up and carrying her as fast as possible away from the carnage. They ended up in a stranger’s car belonging to one Mr. Castaneda who was nice enough to bring them to Makati Med. She vividly recalls trying to find out where her wounds were, her head hitting the car’s ceiling frequently as the vehicle raced towards the hospital. My dad, also injured with Ninoy and Ka Jovy in another hospital, went to her the next day as soon as he was able.

I was 14 then. Too young to understand what it was like for my mom, my dad, Ninoy and Ka Jovy, and all the other great ones who stood against the shadow of martial law. I do remember though that my parents were constantly being pressured by Marcos to support his authoritarian regime. I equally remember how they always turned him down.

The national elections obviously did not push through after martial law was declared. Ninoy, my dad, and Ka Jovy eventually found themselves in the States, plotting to restore democracy and civil liberties in our homeland. I remember my father dying before he could see the plans bear fruit. I remember the televised assassination of Ninoy. I remember my family and the Aquinos grieving on both occasions. Ria and I were in New York during the assassination and we were one of the first to reach Tita Cory and her children in Boston. The memories of those events will stay with me forever. The nation was left to fend for itself at a time when its heroes were either dying or being arrested one by one.

And later, from out of nowhere, I remember the turning point in the battle: a reluctant housewife entering the arena against a ruthless military-run government. What’s more, the Filipino people rallying unconditionally behind a yellow banner with two-fingers raised in defiance: Laban!

Fast forward to the present: the enemies of today aren’t as obvious as the past but they still reek of that familiar scent of graft, cronyism, and corruption. History now seems to be repeating itself with a nation uniting under a worthy challenger, forced by circumstance, to overcome another tide and another kind of evil. I, for one, cannot wait for it to happen again.

In memory of my dad,
M.

Declaration of Vice Presidential Bid

admin — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:20:49 +0000

Salamat, Noynoy, sa tiwalang ipinagkaloob mo sa akin. Salamat sa karangalang maging kasama mo sa paglilingkod sa bayan. Thank you for this opportunity to work with you as we raise the banner of reform. Thank you for the privilege of joining you and all our kababayans in the fight for decency and integrity in public service, and for a government that puts the people’s interest first.

Taos-puso ko pong tinatanggap ang hamon na isulong ang tunay na reporma sa ating bansa.T aos-puso ko pong tinatanggap ang responsibilidad na maging kabalikat ni Noynoy sa kanyang laban para sa pagbabago. Taos-puso ko pong tinatanggap ang maging katambal ni Noynoy Aquino.

But this fight is not just about Noynoy and me. It’s bigger than the two of us, it is bigger than the Liberal Party. It is about our collective thirst for change.

It is about our thirst for change finally overcoming those who want to continue the tayu-tayo system, the horse-trading, the greed, the self-interest, the transactional politics that has been the biggest roadblock to progress and prosperity for all.

Tungkol ito sa matuwid laban sa baluktot. Tungkol ito sa tapat laban sa tiwali. Tungkol ito sa tama laban sa mali.

Noy, you have raised the banner. Ito ang bandila ng reporma at pag-asa. Ito ang maglalagay ng pagkain sa mesa, dahil hindi na nanakawin ang pondo ng mga magsasaka. Ito ang magbibigay ng trabaho sa taumbayan, dahil hindi na kokotangan ang mga namumuhunan. Ito ang magpapaabot-kaya sa presyo ng gamot, dahil hindi na makikipagsabwatan sa mga abusadong pharmaceutical companies.

My friends, this is going to be a tough battle. We should not be lulled into complacency. We are up against forces who will fight tooth and nail, fair and unfair, legal and illegal, against us. Sa kanila yata, tuloy ang ligaya; sa atin naman, tuloy ang laban.

Kailangan nating isulong ang bandila ni Noy at ng reporma. Mahirap ang laban na ito, pero nasa kamay natin ang ating kapalaran.

Kung bawat araw, ang bawat isa sa atin ay makahimok ng isa pang kasangga natin, tiyak ang ating tagumpay.

Our opponents will exhaust all avenues in order to win. They have been robbing us for so long, and they want to continue robbing us. Pero hindi tayo papayag na manakaw din nila ang ating pag-asa.

Taglay ni Noynoy ang susi ng pagbabago: matapat na puso, malasakit sa kapwa, at pinakamahalaga, pagmamahal sa bayan. Buong-loob kong isinusulong si Noynoy Aquino. I am honored to join him in this field of battle.

To all of us here in this hall and all across this great nation, who are fighting alongside him, make no mistake about it: We will not back down from this fight, not now, not ever.

The fog of cynicism has already lifted from our hearts. Ngayon, puwede na muling mangarap.

Sama-sama tayo. Hindi namin kayo pababayaan. Lalaban tayo!

Country Above Self

mars — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:38:43 +0000

Country above self. Good versus evil.

These are not mere catchphrases, nor marketing tools to sway people to vote this way or that. This is the simple truth that cannot be clouded by layers of lies and unfulfilled promises of a government that now is known as the most corrupt that we Filipinos have ever had.

As you know, a few weeks ago I made the most difficult decision of my life. It was certainly heart wrenching and painful to tell family, friends, and supporters in Club Filipino that I was going to give way to Noy… but I believed then, as I do now, that it was the right thing to do. Not just for myself or for those who supported me, but for a country eagerly waiting to be united against a familiar foe. Of course, I speak of graft, corruption, and the many evils that follow in their wake. I know that most of you may see these traditional lines as motherhood statements or the usual words politicians use to gain votes, pacify the crowd, and continue this ruinous cycle. I tell you now, with what conviction that I can muster, that these are not abstract words; that they exist in the highest offices of the land; and that the most opportune time to fight this evil is May 2010.

And this is where Noy comes in. People are beginning to believe again. As recent events have shown, he captured the passion of a country and united it against this overwhelming sense of paralysis. Stepping aside, though a hard decision on my part, is a small role to play in this struggle.

A movement has been born. I ask you to join it and reclaim a government that is rightfully yours. A few weeks ago I took the first step towards this direction. I intend to take many more steps in the near future. Let this serve as an invitation to you, reader, activist, scholar, and friend, to do the same.

Hindi ko kayo pababayaan. Mahal na mahal ko kayo. Lalaban tayo!

Speech: Country Above Self

mars — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 04:54:17 +0000

Country above self. Bayan bago ang sarili.

Iyan ang habilin ng aking lolo, President Manuel Roxas.

Our nation is in trouble. Leadership is bankrupt. Institutions are in disarray. People are hungry. Noynoy Aquino and I share the same outrage over the mess we are all in, the same way we share the solution–clean, honest, selfless public service.

Marami at matindi ang mga problema ng bansa. Kailangan nating ayusin. Matindi ang kalaban. We need a determined force for good far stronger than the festering evil around us.

We need to fight just as our own fathers fought dictatorship, and just as both died believing that good will conquer evil.

Noynoy and I want to make a difference, but we also know that we need to unite to achieve what we want.

I am the President of the Liberal Party.

It is within my power to preside over a potentially divisive process or to make the party a bridge for the forces of change. I choose to lead unity, not division. Bilang pinuno ng aking Partido, magdedesisyon ako.

Mahal ko ang Partido Liberal. My grandfather founded it. My father led it during the most difficult times of Martial Law. Sa harap ng peligro, sa kabila ng napakaraming tukso–hindi siya sumuko. He inspired me–to stay the course, to fight the good fight, to pass the test of true character. To believe.

Over the weekend, Noynoy and I had many long conversations… Masinsinang usapan. We agreed: Let us forget about ourselves for a moment. This is not about us, this is about our people and our country. This is about our common dream. The dream of our parents.

But let us not remain a country of dreamers. Tama na ang pangarap. Gawin na natin, ngayon. Today, I am announcing my support for the candidacy of Noynoy Aquino for President in 2010. Noy has made it clear to me that he wants to carry the torch of leadership.

The passing of our beloved former President Aquino has reawakened a passion among us. I acknowledge this as fuel to bring us to the realization of our dream: Good will triumph over evil.

Ito na ang pinakamabigat na desisyon sa buhay ko. Maniwala man kayo o hindi, ginagawa ko ito para sa bayan, para sa inyo. I do this for unity in support of change. And if that means that somebody must make the sacrifice, it must be me. Ako na.

To you Noy, I say: I began the campaign to sow the seeds para sa pagbabago at reporma. You must now be the one to grow them in the arena of leadership. Hindi kami maghihiwalay ni Noy. I will stand with him.

At sa aking mga kababayan, sa mga nagtiwala sa akin: Mahal na mahal ko po kayo. Mahal na mahal ko po ang ating bayan. Hindi rin tayo maghihiwalay. Itutuloy natin ang pagbabago sa ating bansa. Itutuloy natin ang laban para sa reporma!

Kay Noy, at sa aking mga kababayan: Country above self! Bayan bago sarili! Hindi ko kayo pababayaan! Lalaban tayo!