Thank you, Sec. Anton for your introduction.

[Please take your seats.]

Of course, batiin natin ang ating mga kasama ngayon dahil dito sa ating paglalagda ng ating alyansa sa gitna ng Nacionalista Party. The Nacionalista Party Chairman and the former senate president, ang ating kaibigan, Sen. Manny Villar. Hindi ko na matanggal ‘yung Sen. nakakabit na sa pangalan na Sen. Manny Villar and of course, his wife Sen. Cynthia who has also been a very strong driving force in all that we have been doing together.

And I thank the NP National Director Mark Villar for his very kind comments and he has managed to bring back all of these memories that we share, not only with him, but with his parents and even with Camille over the years. And so, it brings back.. It really — I think just demonstrates and manifests how natural this alliance is in fact, at many, many levels.

At ang ating Partido Federal ng Pilipinas President and Governor of South Cot, Governor Jun Tamayo at lahat ng ating mga kasama, kasamahan sa PFP; other distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen, magandang umaga sa inyong lahat.

For many months now, we have forged alliances with some of the most influential parties that have led the country in recent years.

To better orchestrate our collective priorities and plans for the nation, the PFP is working closely with our colleagues from the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats, the Nationalist People’s Coalition,
[and] the National Unity Party.

And today, we have the opportunity to forge another partnership that will broaden the grand coalition working under the banner of Bagong Pilipinas.

We declare, the PFP, we declare officially its collaboration with the Nacionalista Party through the signing of our alliance.

With this, we form a strong united front that [would] help us fulfill our shared goal for the Filipino people.

And I’m sure everyone will agree that our goal is to strengthen the foundation of our nation to better serve our people.

Kaya naman ating ginagawa ito dahil patuloy ang ating — we are continuing to answer the call for unity and this is what I always explain to people. This is, of course, this is in preparation for the midterm elections. But nonetheless, it is something that we have been talking about during the presidential campaign.

Ang ating sigaw ay ang pagkakaisa, unity. And that continuing call for unity remains and that is why it is very gratifying to see that the significant, the big and influential and historical, national parties of the Philippines have come to answer that call for unity.

And it is very clear in my view and I think it has now been manifested, it has now been demonstrated by these alliances that it is also an understanding, it is also a consensus between our leaderships, the leaders of our country that unity is the key for us to move forward.

If we are spending our time, our resources and our energy with opposing one another, for political means, then we have very little time, resources, and energy left for transforming our country into a better place, to transforming the lives of our people.

And to say that we will — we came into office and when we leave office, that we leave the Philippines a better country and we leave the Filipinos in a better condition than we found them, when we first came into office.

That is the aspiration. That is the dream. And it can only be achieved through a unified effort by everyone and there is nothing more that we can do but to continue to work for that dream.

And this alliance now with the Nacionalista Party as I said is a very natural alliance. Ang ating ginawa ngayong araw dahil kailangan ma-formalize at institutionalize. Ngunit, kahit wala ‘yung pirmahan ay napakalapit na at napakatibay na ng pagsasama ng NP at lahat na — lahat, PFP. [applause]

Kagaya ng nabanggit ni Sen. Manny, ang aking ama ay tumakbo bilang pangulo under Nacionalista Party at ako naman ay noong ako’y tumakbo na ng national office ay Nacionalista pa rin. At lagi ko naman sinasabi at hindi — ako’y nangingilala naman ng utang na loob. Sinasabi ko, kung hindi sa NP, hindi ako naging presidente kaya’t talagang malaki ang utang na loob ko sa tulong na ginawa ng NP. That makes it a very natural alliance.

Umalis lang ako sa NP dahil tatakbo akong presidente, nagmamadali ako. NP was still — the Nacionalista Party leadership was still trying to assess what will be the political situation for the last political cycles, election ng 2022.

Sabi ko sa kanila, wala naman kaming hindi — hindi dahil hindi kami nagkasundo. Dahil ako’y nagmamadali at sinasabi nila, well wala tayong magagawa dahil ang iniisip ng partido ay siyempre lahat ng miyembro at ang buong partido.

Ako naman ang inaalala ko, ang kandidatura ko, kaya’t nagkaganyan. Ngunit, although technically I do not belong to the Nacionalista Party. I now am with the PFP. The alliances between, especially on a personal level, not only with me, but with the members of PFP and the members of the NP, ay hindi talaga nabawasan ‘yung katibayan na ‘yun. [applause] And that’s what — that is what we are formalizing here.

So, I am very, very happy to have — that we are today formalizing that alliance and that alliance now has formed the largest political bloc in the Philippines. And that political bloc… Kung saan man tayo nanggaling ay tayo’y nagkita-kita dahil sa pagkakasunduan natin na ang kailangan ng Pilipinas para — ang kailangan natin gawin para pagandahin ang Pilipinas, para pagandahin ang buhay ng bawat Pilipino, ang kailangan natin gawin ay sama-sama tayo. Dapat kapit-bisig tayo na nagtutulungan at hindi para lamang sa ating partido. Hindi para lamang sa ating mga sarili kung hindi talaga sa serbisyo, para sa ating mga kababayan. [applause]

Patuloy din — kaya tamang-tama dahil nga ang kasabihan sa NP ay higit sa lahat, ang bayan. At ‘yan ang ating sinusundan na pag-iisip. And that is why we are here today to formalize this relationship and to prepare ourselves to make sure that the leadership that will come, that will win after the election — the midterm election next year are the leaders who understand that we must put our partisan, our personal differences aside, whatever they may be.

Mayroong malaki, mayroong maliit. Ngunit, ang pinakamahalaga ay magkasundo tayo kung ano man ang pinakamaganda para matulungan natin ang ating mga kababayan. Iyan ang ating gagawin at sabay-sabay nating gagawin.

At inuuna natin lagi ang ating mga kababayan. Inuuna lagi natin ang Pilipinas. Kaya tayo nandito. Kaya’t ako’y nagpapasalamat sa ating mga kasamahan sa Nacionalista na tayo ay nagkaroon na ng formal alliance at ngayon ay paghandaan na natin na mailagay natin, matulungan natin ang mga kilala natin na talagang iniisip lamang ay hindi ang politika, hindi ang partido, hindi ang sarili kung hindi ang ating minamahal ng Pilipinas.

Maraming salamat sa inyong lahat. Magandang umaga sa inyo. [applause]

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