This is the speech of Senator Risa Hontiveros that caused the meltdown of Sen. Pia Cayetano.
But anong mali sa sinabi ni Sen. Risa? She recognized the difficulties and the differences of the Senators but like a true leader, ang sinabi niya ay we cannot continue to remain divided. We can be better than this.
At ang sabi nya - “And this is what the country needs from us now: for the Senate, in this difficult hour, to reflect the best of our people.”
Ang tunay na lider ay hindi nagtatanong na “Bakit walang kumamusta sa akin?”
Bagkus, ang tunay na lider ay nag-aadhika na kaya nating “lampasan ang mga makasariling alalahanin at humubog ng isang pananaw para sa buong bansa.”
Yan ang puno’t dulo ng speech ni Risa. Basahin po ang kanyang privilege speech.
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PRIVILEGE SPEECH OF SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS
May 20, 2026
Salamat po, Mr. President, I rise on a matter of personal and collective privilege.
Mr. President, halos isang linggo na matapos ang habulan at barilan dito sa Senado. Sa loob-loob ko, hindi ako mapanatag na simula noong Lunes, ang ipinapakita natin ay… para bang walang nangyari… na para bang hindi nabastos ang ating institusyon, ang ating mga empleyado, at ang mga Pilipino. Hindi maliit na bagay ang nangyari dito, at lalong hindi dapat inaasa sa mga Facebook Live, press conferences at media interviews ang pagtatahi-tahi ng mga pangyayari.
Ganito na ba talaga kababa ang inabot ng ating pulitika sa Pilipinas? Ito na ba tayo, Mr. President? Tuluyan na bang nilihis ng pulitika ang ating mga pamantayan sa pakikipagkapwa?
The situation stooped so low that here, in and around these same August halls, may pwedeng magkasa ng baril sa harap ng mga sibilyan. Dear colleagues, kahit kailan hindi yan nangyari sa Pilipinas kahit panahon ng kudeta, not even during the darkest days of Martial Law, did gunfire erupt within our halls.
So, whether we stand in the minority or the majority, the Senate, as an institution, has sustained a profound injury to its dignity, credibility, and moral authority before the Filipino people.
And this frustrates me, every day since Wednesday. Including in the context of initial findings from the investigation conducted by the Department of Justice, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the Philippine National Police beginning to reveal various points.
Patuloy pa rin ang imbestigasyon Mr president at dapat lang but still this needs to be said: Kapag may nagpaputok ng baril, right here in the People’s House, kapag naghasik ka ng takot sa mga empleyado, sa media, sa security personnel, at sa mga sibilyan, kapag may na-trauma dahil sa karahasan at umuuwing nanginginig at hindi mapakali sa sariling bahay, lampas na ito sa isyu ng pamumulitika. Pambabastos na yan at pang-aabuso sa lahat-lahat ng ipinagkatiwala sa Senado bilang mga lingkod-bayan.
As we all know, democracy has always made room for disagreement. But dear colleagues, hindi na ito political disagreement, hindi na ito isyu ng kampihan. What should trouble us is the manner by which disagreement is being settled, which reflects a broader national discourse that has become more coarse and unforgiving; when aggression is normalized, and humiliation is treated as political currency. We cannot have a culture that proudly treats fellow Filipinos as enemies to be defeated, all in the name of clout. Yung mga pagbabanta, pambibintang, pananakit ng damdamin, hindi yan ang dapat ginagawang sukatan ng tapang.
Kahit magkakatunggali sa pulitika, hindi tayo dapat ganyan sa isa’t-isa, lalo na dito sa Senado. Hindi ito tahanan ng ganyang kababang uri ng pulitika. Ngayon, higit sa kailanman, dapat manaig ang ating pagka-Pilipino.
I refuse to believe na tayong mga Pilipino ay mga bulag na sumusunod sa sinumang pulitiko. I refuse to believe na wala nang natitirang malasakit, hiya, o pagmamahal sa bayan.
Kasi ang mga krisis, ang mga sakuna… hindi yan nagtatanong kung sino ang kakampi mo sa pulitika. Lahat tayo tinatamaan, at lahat tayo may responsibilidad.
At tayo mismo, dito sa Senado, kaya nating magkasundo– in fact, all of the laws I myself have championed could not have passed without the support of those from across the political aisle.
And I refuse to believe that this institution that has crafted laws for the most marginalized, that has conducted crucial investigations, that have moved the needle at various political junctures, is beyond repair or redemption.
Let us remember, Mr. President, that we have a bicameral legislature with a Senate elected at large, precisely to have a body that can rise above parochial concerns and craft a vision for the entire nation.
At kaya kong sabihin ng buong puso, that this Senate has, at its best, shown that disagreement does not destroy our common duty. We have passed laws across party lines.
That is why we cannot act as though nothing happened last week. Alam natin ang tama at mali. Alam natin kapag may sumosobra na.
And this is what the country needs from us now: for the Senate, in this difficult hour, to reflect the best of our people.
May we prove worthy of the trust that our people have placed in us.
Marami pong salamat sa inyo at sa lahat, Mr. President.
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