Mga kababayan, I have challenged the government 3 times- once in 1986, and twice in 1987 and 89- when I felt they failed to serve the people. And yet the same problems that drove me to raise my voice against a dictatorship are still the same problems we face today. Our real common permanent enemies are joblessness, hunger, homelessness, ignorance, sickness, injustice, and too much partisan politics.

Now, as a senior citizen, and looking back at my brash, younger self, I have come to realize that unlawful force is not always the best of answers. And I worry about the kind of world our children and grandchildren-- the next generation of citizens and leaders are facing; a highly globalized, technological world that even I find myself grasping to understand. Despite a more interconnected world, I feel as a people we have yet to come together, to work together in our collective National Interest. Our disconnection as Filipinos must be healed.

Our being Filipino belongs to all of us. I have supported many projects, sponsored and authored numerous laws that empower the Filipino, to create an environment where no one is too poor to even dream of a better life.

Almost thirty years have passed since the EDSA Revolution, and in our case (along with my fellow senior citizens of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement) that was the easy part. The most difficult part remains before us-- and that is building a better country together.

And together, we can heal this nation. For this nation to prosper, we need a stronger middle class. I am confident that this can be accomplished through:

Peace and Order- As a soldier, peace and order meant defending this country from those that threaten its people. Today, peace and order means more than that: it means respecting every citizen’s right to lead abundant and fulfilling lives. It means coming together to build a nation, and to protect her and her citizens from all harm. The biggest threat to peace and order in this country is poverty-- more and more people engage in stealing, carnapping, prostitution, and various criminal activities out of poverty. This is why I have policies that focus on

More Jobs- I have always wanted to see Filipinos thrive in their chosen fields, and create even more jobs. The National Land Use Act, upon implementation, will be able to drive the necessary infrastructure and environment for businesses to progress. Sa mga mangangalakal at mga manggagawa, this means better ways of transportation-- from roads to trains-- that can lessen the amount of time spent on commute between work and home. And since we are clearly able to define what our territories are for-- beyond malls and subdivisions, there is also agricultural, businesses, & commercial developments. The National Land Use Act encompasses the conservation of our heritage and develops even more industries and skills unique to the Filipino-- from basketball courts and football fields all across the country, to tourism of our choice of paradise, to enclaves for the arts and sciences. The possibilities are endless, as is the wealth of talent in this country.

The National Land Use Act will also highlight areas ridden with calamity. Places devastated with denuded forests, or prone to typhoons and earthquakes will be classified as critical. Hindi na maulit ang mga trahedya na naranasan natin-- the loss of loved ones to an earthquake, or flood, or typhoon.

The Filipino, as world class, is able to strike the balance between “for-profit” and love of country: that we can take care of our own, of our environment, of our air, rivers, and mountains, while creating lives teeming with abundance, where hunger and poverty barely exist.

And for this to happen, we all need to be empowered with the right information, hence The Freedom of Information, or the People's Ownership of Government Information Act (POGI Act of 2012), where everyone has access to the information that is rightfully theirs.

With transparency, we are able to ask questions and documents from the government, such as the SALN of certain officials, and budgets and contracts for projects. Lahat po tayo puwede magbantay kung saan talaga pumupunta ang kaban ng bayan, at magtanong tungkol sa mga transaction ng ating gobyerno. Paalala lang po, lahat po tayo may taya sa ating national interest, at lahat tayo may karapatan i-tama, at may pananagutan sa katiwalian na nangyayari sa ating paligid.

As a soldier battling the CPP-NPA and MNLF, hanggang sa paglaban sa diktadurya noong EDSA, at kahit noong 2 coups, nakaukit sa puso ko ang sambayanang Pilipino. Tinaya ko ang buhay ko para sa bayan, at handa pa rin ako tayain ang buhay ko para sa sambayanang Pilipino, as a servant of this Republic.

No problem is too big, or foreign power too strong to crush my dreams for this nation, and faith in her people. As long as we have hope in our nation, and in each other, then this nation, and her people, are not only worth dying for, but worth living for.