Good morning to everyone and all the – especially of course the new members of our party, the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas. Headed of course — who has been helmed really since the beginning of the campaign by Governor Jun Tamayo. But of course the origin of this goes back to my first run as vice president with General Tom Lantion that he – siya ang nauna that proposed this.

And the reason that we have done this is that of course our party, our group, we have turned a what was a minor party in the political spectrum into the majority party now in the country. And that is because not only for political convenience, not only to prepare for elections but because the true – there is an… I have always been of the belief that a party must stand for an ideology.

Pagka ‘yung partido ay walang ideology ay hindi talaga lalago. Palipat-lipat ang miyembro; kung minsan matibay, kung minsan mahina. At ‘yun ang mga nangyayari kung minsan dito sa Pilipinas dahil kung ano-anong partido ang ginagamit, lalong-lalo na ‘pag nadating na sa local government ay paiba-iba na.

Kaya’t kailangan mayroong – there has to be a central tenet and a central principle to what we are doing. And that is – we were talking here about federalism and what we have started to do. Kahit na – in all but name ay ating ginagawa ay talagang ay ibinibigay ang discretion, ang power, ang function hangga’t maaari sa pinakamababa na level na maaari nating gawin.

So, we are doing the first step of the federation – federal government for the Philippines in all but name, and that is what we will continue to do.

And that is very simple that derives from a very simple idea that the stability of a political structure is much more reliable when we have many power centers. If the power centers only belong here in Manila, then pabagsakin mo ‘yung Manila, bagsak ang buong Pilipinas.

But with the power centers being given to the local governments, to the local districts, and to those who are operating at the local level, and thereby bringing those power centers to many, many, many places, it makes for a more stable political structure and makes a more stable political life. Dahil kung may mangyari sa isang lugar, kahit bumagsak ‘yan, basta’t nasira, hindi na talaga puwede, nagkagiyera, whatever, tuloy pa rin ‘yung mga iba. Hindi nasisira ang buong sistema. And that is what we – that is the central ideology of the PFP.

Now, certainly, PFP is a political party. And therefore, that is why we are preparing for all the political cycles that are coming very soon. Ang una diyan, as we all know, tayo naman lahat ay dumaan diyan, as we all know, the barangay elections have a big impact, have a big effect on how the 2025 elections will turn out, kung ano ‘yung mga resulta diyan.

Kasi kung tayo magiging kandidato, mananalo tayo sa 2025, kailangan ay kailangan natin ng suporta ng barangay level. So, that is why it was incumbent upon us to now immediately try and organize ourselves so that we are prepared because there is always a synergy.

Kung mayroon tayong mga kasama na kailangan ng tulong galing sa partido, iyon. Kung may matibay na partido na talagang nagtatrabaho, na talagang may ginagawa ay makakatulong ‘yan doon sa ating kandidato. At ‘yun ang ating mga magiging – iyon ang ating pag-iisip kaya tayo nandito ngayon and that’s why we are here today.

So, we are trying to align the forces that are – we are trying to align the political forces that are in – that are like-minded political forces. And to that end, I think it is opportune time to be able to say that after this, we are going to continue to talk to other political parties and come to an agreement with them para nga patibayin natin nang husto ‘yung ating grupo. Kahit na nag-iiba ang ating mga partido, kahit na nag-iiba ang ating tinakbuhan ay puwede pa ring magtulungan.

So, I’m sure may – alam naman natin may mga conflict diyan kung minsan kasi kung mag-coalition tayo sa isang partido, baka may kandidato sila, may kandidato din tayo. That’s a sort of thing that we will have to work out. Kaya kailangan na natin umpisahan na ngayon and that’s why we are doing this.

And si Gov. Jun Tamayo has been working hard on keeping the party very well-organized and his priorities – the priorities that the party has chosen to focus upon in the last year has been more about governance than politics.

Dahil bago tayong pasok, marami tayong kailangang gawin, marami tayong kailangang palitan, marami tayong kailangang pag-isipan. So, that is what we have really been trying to do.

We are attempting to be – to transform the government, to transform the bureaucracy, to transform even the thinking of ordinary Filipino citizens and our politicians.

Ibahin natin ang pag-iisip para naman ay makaramdam naman ‘yung ating mga kababayan ng pagbabago na talagang ang pamahalaan ay nandiyan para tulungan sila at hindi upang maging warlord, upang magkaroon ng private army. Hindi ‘yan ang ating habol. Ang habol talaga natin ay gawin nating maganda ang sistema.

And that’s why the idea of federalism became very important because, again, it is my firm belief that we really have to give… Ang aking laging sinasabi, which is very, very much in parallel with the thinking of federalism is that with all the systems that we are trying to put together, what we are trying to do is to make the decision process be made in as low a level as possible.

Dahil pagka nangangailangan tayo ng desisyon, dahan-dahan paaakyatin muna ‘yan hanggang – para paabutin pa sa presidente, paabutin pa sa Cabinet.

Kung kaya na nung governor, kung kaya na ng congressman, sila na mag-decide, sila naman nakakaalam. And I supposed that comes from my experience in local government and also in the legislature.

Unang-una, mas mabilis ang proseso. Kasi mag-aantay ‘yan, tapos anim na buwan ‘yan bago bumalik. Pagbalik, iba na itsura kaysa ‘yung pinadala ninyo. Alam natin lahat ‘yun. So, that’s why that is what we are trying to do. That’s why we still hold dear to everything that we do.

The central principle that we give the functions and the powers to – we allow functions and powers to be exercised at the lowest possible level. Siyempre ‘pag national, kailangan dito sa central office, dito sa Palasyo, sa mga Cabinet, tayo ang magde-decide.

Pero pagka naman ay maaari na sa regional level, maaari nang pag-usapan ng mga governor, ng mga congressman, kayo na ang bahala. Iyon ang ating central principle, kaya’t ‘yun ang ating sinusundan.

So, anyway, I’d like to welcome everyone. I just wanted to say that this is — hindi ako — hindi kasi ako sang-ayon doon sa mga marriage of convenience sa political party na nangyayari sa atin.

Kaya’t nagpapaliwanag ako, hindi ito partido para lang dahil wala kang mapuntahan na partido dahil mayroon tayong paniniwala, mayroon tayong hinahabol, mayroon tayong hangarin para sa ating bansa na pagandahin ang patakbo ng pamahalaan. At sa ganoong paraan ay mabigyan natin siyempre ng tulong, lalo na ngayon na nagkakagulo, kailangan nating pag-isipan ang mga strategies.

‘Pag tinitingnan natin, halimbawa ngayon, tinitingnan natin ‘yung presyo ng bigas, lahat ng lugar ay iba ang sitwasyon. So again, sino ang nagsasabi sa atin what that situation is? Iyong mga lokal. Hindi lamang mga politiko, kung ‘di pati ‘yung ating mga government workers, ‘yung ating mga scientists na kung ano-ano na nag-aral ng kung ano-ano na kailangan natin— kung paanong kailangan nating gawin.

So, I take the time to go through that so that we understand that this party stands for something and we will continue to stand for that.

And now that you have joined the party, we welcome you because we have now a bigger group who is continuing to work for the advocacy of improving the government bureaucracy, of improving the power situation in the Philippines in the sense that we are trying to make our political system as stable as possible.

Mga political theorists na sila ang nagsasabi na talagang kailangan ikalat ang kapangyarihan, huwag natin ilagay sa isang lugar.

So, that is what we are trying to do. And I’m very happy that we are at the beginnings of this organization of our party, that we are at the beginnings of our dealings not only with our own party but also with the other political players who are on the scene.

Kaya’t patitibayin natin nang husto dahil mayroon talaga tayong ipinaglalaban. Kailangan natin ng maraming kakampi, kailangan natin ng lahat ng tulong. At diyan nabuhay ‘yung aming tinatawag na whole-of-government at whole-of-nation approach dahil nga kailangan talaga lahat ay magkaisa.

Kaya’t lagi kong pinapaalala sa tao ‘yung pagkakaisa na ating sinigaw noong kampanya, hindi po ‘yan slogan, katotohanan ‘yun. ‘Yun talaga ang magiging solusyon sa ating mga problema.

All right. So, again, welcome to the party. Welcome to the Palace. I am very happy to have had this opportunity to swear you all in. Mayroon pa yatang susunod na mga iba para makita na natin kung saan tayo.

Soon we will hold – once we are completely organized, we will hold a caucus amongst all the party members. And tingnan natin kung ano ‘yung mga kailangan ng ating mga individual members. What the party needs to do.

We are practical politicians after all. Kailangan natin tingnan kung ano ‘yung political situation para naman mayroon tayong sagot sa mga problema na haharapin natin.

So, thank you all very much and I’m happy that you were able to come and take the oath personally here in the Palace.

Welcome to the PFP. Maraming salamat. [applause]

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