"You are the torchbearers of foresight. You bear the responsibility of anticipating change, of preparing with discipline, of envisioning with courage, and of listening with humility"

"The 12 percent VAT on basic food items, the ones low-income families and the poorest households actually consume, is a levy on the poor"

"They destroyed my life. That’s why I’m going to rebuild my life now. They destroyed or ruined my name, my reputation. Now that I’m free, I’m going to work hard to redeem my name, and complete vindication is the key."

"You failed to break me. I’m still standing, standing firm. I hope you will realize that what you did to me was a big mistake."

"While I know that I am a strong person, I never realized that I could still turn out to be stronger."

"I really needed to do the daily routines to keep me strong and hindi ako mawalan ng pag-asa (for me not to lose hope). I needed to survive this."

"Would people still remember me?"

"This is not about vengeance. This is about justice finally taking its course."

"This is how justice should work—those in power must be held to the same standards as everyone else,"

"Poetic justice and also vindication"

"Today, more than ever, I am convinced that I did the right thing of sacrificing my personal liberty and even my political career."

"I will stand my ground. For when they come after me and try to silence me, they are actually coming after those who cannot speak for themselves and defend themselves. I cannot, in good conscience, let that happen."

"You can never crucify Truth. You cannot permanently stall Justice."

"No high concrete walls, barbed wires, or caged environment can silence me. I remain free in spirit and unbroken. I’m not giving up on my causes for truth, justice and human rights."

"Their perpetual innocence and purity in spirit insulate them from the cruelty and irrationality of humankind."

"I’m no longer in a hurry. I don’t rush anymore."

"It lies in the pen I hold in my hands."

"You have hurdled your law studies under challenging circumstances—as a family man, as a father to two very young children, the elder of whom has autism, as a very patient and loving younger brother to a special brother… the silently suffering son to a controversial mother, who is now a victim of persecution."

"Democracy is the power of choice; and that power belongs to the Filipino people. The true value of that power of choice is its ability to address and solve the real conditions, problems and challenges that are facing our people."

"Every lie, every piece of fake news, every form of propaganda that is manufactured and shared by people is like a disease or a poison that will kill everything that is good and just about our beautiful nation."

"Blood money is what that is. Some people might not think that there is anything wrong about making money by making up stories, but they cannot be more wrong."

"Nations are weakened by false information."

"Remember, fake news is like a drug: it makes you feel good by making you see or hear things that you badly want to believe are real; but, in reality, it is a form of poison that will destroy from within."

"It doesn’t end with one campaign. But this win—this hard-earned, against-the-odds win—proves that even in a system built to discourage idealism, idealism can still break through,"

"We made space where there was none. We proved that truth, even when battered, can still make its way forward"

"But it had something more powerful—people like you"

"I lost my freedom, but I held on to my voice,"

"Irresponsibility must not become a culture."

"Hold accountable those who must be held accountable no matter how high the power so that corruption, violence and poverty no longer become a cycle in our country."

"I am a symbol of past injustice, hoping for a future where accountability reigns."

"There have also been many opportunities for cooperation in the field of cultural and heritage preservation; but nothing can be more pronounced than our joint initiative on climate action,”"

"Seize the moment? No. Create it."

"Culture is not mere adornment; it is a vital engine of livelihood and economic growth."

"Culture is what binds us as a nation."

"What we choose to preserve today—our knowledge, our traditions, our stories—will ripple through time, shaping lives long after we are gone."

"These terraces endure because of the quiet brilliance of a people who, long before the world had the language for it, understood sustainability, engineering, and balance."

"We need to invest in blue carbon initiatives that will help protect our coral reefs, seagrass beds, lush mangrove forests, and other coastal and marine sources. Let us implement Philippine environmental laws in our efforts to bring back the bounty and restore the ecological integrity of our bodies of water."

"The risks are rapidly growing not only for those in coastal communities, as climate change drives rising sea levels, warmer oceans and increasingly ferocious cyclones. We need to recalibrate our strategies on climate change adaptation, invest in blue carbon initiatives, and embrace the available solutions that nature presents to us."

"This has always been one of the challenges of the department. It's already the 2023 budget and it's still a challenge. My question is, will there be a time when we will no longer have backlog?"

"Let it be a lesson to those doing the budget — whether you’re a big department or a small bureau or commission — you present it to the DBM. You think about it for one year."

"The Supreme Court has now spoken with clarity on the matter of the ₱60 billion withdrawn from PhilHealth pursuant to Special Provision 1(d), Chapter XLIII of the 2024 General Appropriations Act, and Department of Finance Circular No. 003-2024. The Court declared the provision unconstitutional and directed, and I quote: As a consequence of the unconstitutional transfer of the subject PhilHealth fund to the National Treasury pursuant to Special Provision 1(d) of the 2024 GAA and DOF Circular 003-2024, the remitted funds amounting to ₱60 billion to PhilHealth must be returned to the coffers of PhilHealth."

"The bicameral conference must confront the question of whether this satisfies the Court’s directive to ‘return’ the full amount to PhilHealth."

"These practices—though indirect—operate in effect as fund diversions similar to what transpired in 2024. I will file a bill to ensure that sin tax earmarks and the statutory shares from PAGCOR and PCSO are automatically appropriated and released to PhilHealth, strengthening the integrity of its funding streams,"

"I’m not lecturing. No, it’s true because I was there for five years and sometimes hanggang last minute, they submit in the bicam. Why should they submit in the bicam? Pag-isipan nila ang kanilang NEP. National Expenditure Program, the President’s budget. That’s why ayaw na ayaw namin may insertions sa bicam."

"This is a gift of safety for our families and a gift of care for nature. Let’s search and clean drainages, let this be our collective offering as we close 2025."

"Every flood reminds us of what we failed to do. Let us not wait for another disaster to act. This should be our responsibility, starting at the barangay level."

"Barangay leaders and residents must work together to map canals and waterways, conduct regular clean-ups, strictly enforce the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, and mobilize monitoring teams to check drainage before and after heavy rains"

"I also call for community education campaigns to remind households that throwing trash into canals is both illegal and dangerous."

"This confirms the urgency of my appeal. Barangays are our frontlines of disaster prevention. No national plan will succeed if canals at the community level remain clogged with plastic, household waste, and construction debris."

"As principal author of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act and the Climate Change Act, I have always said that laws are only effective when implemented at the grassroots level. Every barangay that cleans and protects its drainage system is enforcing these laws in the most direct, life-saving way."