CITY OF SAN JOSE DEL MONTE–Re-electionist Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. welcomes criticisms against him being raised by some sectors particularly by social media bashers as part of being a public servant but he said, he did perform well his job as a senator.
In an interview with Bulacan-based reporters after the grand proclamation rally of the 12 senatorial candidates of President Marcos Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas in Bulacan held at the City College of San Jose del Monte on Friday, the senator said that he had strongly pushed himself to excel in all the works in the senate.
“Iyang mga negative, kasama iyan sa paglilingkod, hindi natin mapi-please lahat. Basta ako ay nag perform bilang senador, hindi po ako nagpabaya sa senado. Never been late, never been absent simula po noong 19th Congress, perfect attendance. marami po tayong batas na naipasa, hindi po tayo napahiya. Tayo po ay nagtrabaho, kahit po tayo ay naputulan ng Achilles tendon, nandoon pa rin ako sa senado kahit pipilay-pilay ako dahil gusto kong patunayan sa sambayanang Pilipino na hindi sila nagkamali sa pagboto sa akin,” he said.
“Umasa po kayo na tayo ay hindi nagpapabaya at gaya ng sinabi natin sa speech kanina, nakapagsulong tayo ng more than 2,000 na batas at nakapagpasa ng 343 sa mga ito,” he also said.
“We will ask the DPWH to pay”
Revilla vowed to continue to work hard when he gets re-elected in the May election.
He said he aimed to finish the pending bills on the building code as part of his chairmanship of the committee on public works.
Among his other priorities in his committee is the Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH)’s Master Plan on flooding for the whole country.
The senator said he is expecting the DPWH to submit the master plan this year.
“Sisingilin natin ang DPWH diyan sa master plan ng flooding sa buong bansa. Hopefully this year ay ma-present na nila iyan dahil iba na ang panahon ngayon, konting ulan lang ay grabe na ang pagbaha. Hindi pwede iyong patchi patchi lang ang pag gawa ng mga floodways natin. Hindi pwedeng bungi-bungi, dapat ay may masterplan. Tututukan natin iyan. Magtrabaho sila. Ang kailangan ay tutukan ang problema na iyon,” he said.
Other priority bills
The actor turned politician also told reporters that he has numerous other bills in the senate that are left pending and needed to be passed.
Among them are the optional retirement law for government employees, universal health for senior citizens, the legislated wake hike of P100 a day which the senator had long been pursuing to be passed. He said it has been recently passed by the lower house and it could even be P150.00 a day in the bicameral conference committee.
The senator said he also proposed a law that would raise to P10,000 worth the current P5,000 worth allowance of teachers.
He said the ceremonial giving of P10,000 cash incentive for centenarians, aged 80, 85, 90 and 95 years old which he also authored was just recently held and led by the President.
The actor turned politician also boasted the scrapping of the “no permit, no exam” policy among students. “Bawal na po iyan, hindi na ito pwede. May batas na tayo diyan, ang inyong lingkod ang nagsulong niyan. Ito po ang pagbabayad ko ng utang na loob sa inyo dahil walang Bong Revilla kung hindi dahil sa inyo pong lahat. Tandaan po ninyo si Bong Revilla ipaglalaban kayo hanggang sa huling patak ng kanyang dugo,” the senator added.
Cavite champion leader
Revilla, son of Ramon Revilla Sr., who was the first actor turned politician in their family also shared that he is now 30 years in the public service.
Before he was appointed in 2002 as chairman of Videogram Regulatory Board, he started as vice governor of the province of Cavite where he started his anti-illegal drug campaign.
He then became the governor of Cavite from which he transformed the province from its previous reputation as the murder capital of the Philippines into one of the most progressive provinces in the country.
In 2004, he was elected No. 2 in the senate race and earned the top post in 2010.
He said it was in that 2010 election when his political career suffered a major turbulence and turmoil. “Mula noon, matinding pagsubok ang dumating sa aking buhay, akala nila tatakbo ako sa higher position. Ganunaman, lumaban, pinatanayan na walang kasalanan. Kahit anong pagsubok huwag tayong susuko,” he said.
“Ako po ay isang mandirigma, habang nasasaktan lalong tumatapang, habang nasusugatan lumalaban,” ended the speech of the senator as his supporters and screamed and wave their Philippine flaglets in expression of admiration and support to him.
