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00:00Mga kababayan, ladies and gentlemen, assalamualaikum,
00:04barakmatulahi wa barakatuh,
00:06madayaw, mayong adlaw, kaninyong tanan,
00:09magandang araw sa inyong lahat.
00:11The officials of the Office of the Vice President,
00:14as well as each and every one of our satellite leads,
00:18satellite office leads,
00:21were in receipt of a letter from the chairman of the committee
00:25on good government and public accountability
00:28dated September 13, 2024,
00:32requesting our presence,
00:34or that of our duly authorized representatives,
00:37in today's initial deliberation
00:40with preliminary determination
00:43on Privilege Speech No. 379.
00:46In view of the said letter,
00:49I am appearing before you today
00:52not only as the head of office,
00:54but more importantly,
00:55as the duly authorized representative
00:59of all officials of the OVP,
01:04simply because we have not done anything wrong.
01:13There is no misuse of funds.
01:18If there are audit findings,
01:20we shall gladly respond to them
01:23before the Commission on Audit.
01:25And if there are legitimate cases to be filed,
01:29then we shall gladly respond to them
01:32before the appropriate courts.
01:34In relation to this,
01:36may I just say that I take notice of the opening speeches
01:42and nasabi doon,
01:45there is a determination of misfeasance,
01:49nonfeasance and malfeasance
01:52and those are cases
01:59that should properly be taken in the courts of law.
02:04What we are witnessing now
02:09is no ordinary legislative inquiry.
02:13This exercise is a well-funded
02:17and coordinated political attack.
02:20This much is evident
02:22from the very words of the privileged speech
02:26that prompted this inquiry.
02:29A speech that's simply meant to say,
02:33do not vote for Sara on 2028.
02:37It is clear to me
02:39that this inquiry is not about misused funds,
02:43accountability or governance.
02:45Instead, it is solely aimed at discrediting my name
02:50and my office to prevent future political contests.
02:57I have publicly stated my reasons
03:00as to why I have chosen not to defend
03:03the OVP's budget proposal for 2025.
03:07I have narrated the issues I encountered in previous years
03:12which can easily be confirmed.
03:15By looking at the NEP, the GAAP and the GAA
03:20for fiscal years 2023 and 2024.
03:25Further, I have even shared the drama
03:29that transpired last year
03:31regarding the confidential funds.
03:34Hence, just as we have done last year,
03:39we again leave the 2025 OVP budget
03:44to the pleasure of Congressman Martin Romuales.
03:49I am not asking for any special treatment,
03:55nor am I asking you to uphold any tradition.
03:59There is no disrespect.
04:02All I am saying is that
04:05you have the complete freedom to do whatever you wish
04:10with the OVP budget.
04:13If you feel that all the documentary submissions are not enough,
04:18then by all means, don't give a budget.
04:22To be honest, your budget is not a trifle
04:28because it is very easy to remove a budget.
04:34What you are trying to do is make a case for impeachment.
04:42I am not a candidate for the upcoming election.
04:47I am not a politician.
04:50All I do is to fulfill my oath of office
04:55and campaign platforms
04:58such as work, education, and a peaceful life.
05:08As I have said before and repeated several times,
05:14I am not the problem of this country.
05:20The real problem of this country is starvation,
05:25poverty, illegal drugs,
05:29crime, terrorism,
05:31insufficient health care,
05:34poor education,
05:36a lack of infrastructure for disasters,
05:41and many more.
05:46So you may try to destroy me.
05:49You can skin me alive
05:52and throw my ashes to the wind.
05:56But let it be known,
05:59you will find me unbowed.
06:03I will continue to serve the Filipino people
06:06no matter the personal cost or political intrigue.
06:12Having said that,
06:14I will not allow myself to be subjected to an inquiry
06:17based on an empty, privileged speech
06:21just so you can attack me
06:24and do indirectly what you failed to do directly
06:28during the budget hearings.
06:31I therefore request
06:34this committee to terminate this inquiry
06:37for its clear lack of any proposed legislation
06:42or substantive matter for discussion.