PGMA's Speech during the Inauguration of Haven for Children

PGMA's Speech during the Inauguration of Haven for Children

The Haven for Children, Zapote Road Alabang, Muntinlupa City (17 Feb 2003)

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, JOE. NOT ONLY ARE YOU THE WIND BENEATH THE WINGS OF GINA. YOU ARE ALSO A GREAT ALLY, A GREAT AND RELIABLE POLITICAL ALLY, AND A GREAT AND RELIABLE ALLY IN MEANINGFUL LEGISLATION FOR THE GOOD OF OUR PEOPLE.

PRESIDENT CORAZON AQUINO, OUR ROLE MODEL, OUR HEROINE OF EDSA WHICH WE ARE CELEBRATING THIS MONTH OF FEBRUARY; AND OF COURSE -- AH NO, I WILL RECOGNIZE HER LAST -- I'D LIKE TO GREET THE VARIOUS CONGRESSMEN, MANY OF THEM ARE HERE TODAY. AND I'D LIKE TO ESPECIALLY MENTION, HEADED BY OUR HOST CONGRESSMAN, CONGRESSMAN RAFFY BIAZON; I'D LIKE TO GREET ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH HEADED BY SECRETARY DINKY SOLIMAN; I'D LIKE TO GREET ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR, WHO IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER CONTRIBUTED AND WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE SUCCESS OF THIS ENDEAVOR, REPRESENTED HERE ON THE STAGE BY JERRY CONTRERAS; AND OF COURSE, IF JOE IS THE WIND BENEATH HER WINGS, SHE IS ALSO THE WIND BENEATH JOE'S, OUR DEAR FRIEND GINA.

OUR FRIEND, MY FRIEND, MY KUMADRE, MY ADVISER, JOE'S SECRET WEAPON AND BASTION OF SUPPORT, THE INSTITUTIONAL AND NATURAL LEADER OF THE CONGRESSIONAL LADIES AND SPOUSES, THE PATRONESS OF BATTERED WOMEN AND NOW THE PATRONESS OF STREET CHILDREN AND OTHERS NEEDING SOCIAL PROTECTION. TO YOU GINA, OUR SINCEREST GREETINGS ONCE AGAIN, ON THE OCCASION OF YOUR BIRTHDAY THREE DAYS AGO.

THANK YOU FOR HELPING BUILD THIS HAVEN. THANK YOU FOR BUILDING THE VERY FIRST HAVEN WHICH PROVIDED ASSISTANCE AND PROTECTION TO, AS JOE SAID, SEVEN THOUSAND BATTERED WOMEN. I'D LIKE TO GIVE TWO LITTLE STORIES ABOUT THAT HAVEN IN MY OWN WORK WHEN I WAS IN DSWD. WHEN I WAS IN DSWD, YES, WE HAVE THE HAVEN INHERITED FROM GINA'S FIRST AND SECOND TERM AS FIRST LADY OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND HER CONGRESSIONAL SPOUSES. THAT WAS FOR BATTERED WOMEN. BUT DURING MY TIME, BECAUSE AS JOE SAID, I HAVE MADE IT A PRIORITY TO RESCUE STREETCHILDREN FROM THE STREETS, WE WERE RESCUING SO MANY WE RAN OUT OF PLACES TO PUT THEM IN, WHETHER PRIVATE OR PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS. AND SO, BECAUSE THE HAVEN WAS THERE, WE ASKED PERMISSION WHETHER WE COULD USE THE HAVEN NOT ONLY FOR THE BATTERED WOMEN BUT ALSO FOR THE BATTERED STREETCHILDREN. AND SO, WE HAD SQUATTERS THERE, STREETCHILDREN NOT JUST BATTERED WIVES. AND I HAD A GROUP OF LAWYERS WHO WERE HELPING US TO PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF THE STREETCHILDREN AND THE BATTERED WOMEN GOING TO COURT IN THEIR BEHALF. AND WHEN THEY WOULD GO TO HAVEN -- THAT WAS THE FIRST STOP OF THESE VOLUNTEER LAWYERS -- THEY SAID, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL PROJECT DSWD HAS. WHAT BEAUTIFUL FACILITIES AND WELL-RUN FACILITIES DSWD HAS. AND THEN WHEN THEY WENT ON TO HANDLE OTHER VICTIMS COMING... THEY WENT, AFTER THE HAVEN THEY WENT TO NAYONG KABATAAN IN PASAY CITY IN OUR AIRPORT PROPERTY AND THEY SAID, HINDI PALA LAHAT NG DSWD FACILITIES KASING GANDA NG HAVEN. OO, KASI HINDI NAMAN LAHAT BINIGYAN NG TULONG NI GINA DE VENECIA, SABI KO. ANYWAY, WITH THIS SUPPORT EVEN SOME OF THE CHILDREN IN NAYONG KABATAAN ARE GOING TO LIVE IN THIS BEAUTIFUL HOME OF GINA, THAT GINA AND THE CONGRESSIONAL SPOUSES BUILT.

IN THIS COMPLEX, AS JOE SAID, VALUABLE COMPLEX, WE HAVE FOUR INSTITUTIONS. ONE IS MARILAC HILLS, PROBABLY THE ONE THAT'S LEFT BEHIND NOW AS FAR AS FACILITIES ARE CONCERNED BECAUSE IT'S ALMOST TOTALLY GOVERNMENT RUN AND GOVERNMENT SUPPORTED. THEN THERE IS... AND I CONGRATULATE THE DSWD BECAUSE NO MATTER HOW SMALL THEIR RESOURCES ARE... YOU KNOW, THAT THE WHOLE BUDGET OF DSWD IS ONLY 1.5 BILLION PESOS, AND THAT HALF OF THAT IS SALARIES. SO THAT ITS OPERATING BUDGET IS ONLY ABOUT 700 MILLION PESOS. AND YET, MARILLAC HILLS IS DOING AS BRAVELY AS IT CAN WITHIN THEIR FACILITIES.

THEN THE SECOND ONE BUILT WAS GINA'S. MARILLAC HILLS IS FOR THE BATTERED GIRLS, TEENAGERS. AND GINA BUILT HAVEN FOR THE BATTERED WIVES AND WOMEN. AND THEN FATHER ROCKY EVANGELISTA BUILT HIS COMPLEX FOR THE STREETCHILDREN. FATHER... BUT 2,000 WILL BE YOUR CAPACITY? 1,000. BUT YOU KNOW, THERE'S NOT JUST MORE THAN 1,000 STREETCHILDREN. AND SO THIS IS THE FOURTH COMPLEX. AS I SAID, THE FATHER HAD 1,000 CAPACITY, WE WERE RESCUING THE STREETCHILDREN MORE, MUCH MORE THAN 1,000. AND THEY HAD TO GO TO THIS BEAUTIFUL HOME OF THE HAVEN BECAUSE IT HAD GREAT FACILITIES AND THE CHILDREN WERE VERY HAPPY THERE. AND NOW THEY WILL BE HERE.

SO, I THANK GINA, AND I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT THE HAVEN... BECAUSE THE HAVEN WAS BUILT BY THE CONGRESSIONAL SPOUSES BUT IT'S BEING RUN BY THE GOVERNMENT. SO, THEREFORE, IT IS TECHNICALLY A GOVERNMENT CENTER. AND AS A GOVERNMENT CENTER IT IS THE MOST EXCELLENT GOVERNMENT CENTER FOR SOCIAL PROTECTION THAT WE HAVE IN THE COUNTRY TODAY. AND WE OWE IT TO GINA AND HER LEADERSHIP AND THE CONGRESSIONAL SPOUSES. THAT'S WHY GINA TODAY, WE PAY TRIBUTE TO YOU AS WELL AS TO THE CONGRESSIONAL SPOUSES FOUNDATION THAT YOU HAVE ABLY LED THROUGH THESE YEARS.

I THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP. UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP THE CONGRESSIONAL SPOUSES HAVE BONDED AND BANDED TOGETHER TO DO THEIR WORK FOR OUR VULNERABLE AND EXPLOITED SISTERS AND NOW OUR CHILDREN. BUT NOT ONLY THAT. THE CONGRESSIONAL SPOUSES FELLOWSHIP, AMONG THEMSELVES, HAS PROVIDED A SUPPORT GROUP THAT HELPED BRING ABOUT FOR JOE THE BIGGEST MAJORITY FOR THE SPEAKERSHIP IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. AND THIS CONTINUING BONDING OF THE CONGRESSIONAL SPOUSES ALSO PROVIDES A BRIDGE OF UNDERSTANDING EVEN WITH THE MINORITY, IT HELPS BRING ABOUT AN ATMOSPHERE WHERE THE MINORITY IS A CONSTRUCTIVE DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTION THAT IMPROVES LEGISLATION RATHER THAN STOPS IT, RATHER THAN OBSTRUCTS AND SABOTAGES THE REPUBLIC.

AND WITH GINA AS HIS SECRET WEAPON, THEREFORE, JOE HAS BEEN ABLE TO CONSOLIDATE HIS OWN LEADERSHIP IN CONGRESS IN SUCH A WAY THAT THE WORK OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES IN CONGRESS IS SPEEDY AND RESULTS IN HOUSE-APPROVED BILLS THAT TRULY REFLECT THE NATIONAL INTEREST AND TRULY SHOWS THAT WHEN IT COMES TO LEGISLATION, THE CONGRESSMEN AND CONGRESSWOMEN AS A WHOLE CAN RESIST THE DICTATES OF VESTED INTERESTS. JOE AND THE CONGRESSMEN AND CONGRESSWOMEN HAVE PASSED HOUSE BILL AFTER HOUSE BILL THAT REQUIRED GREAT POLITICAL WILL TO RISE ABOVE THE FORMIDABLE LOBBY OF VESTED INTERESTS. AND I WANT TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK NOT ONLY GINA AND THE CONGRESSIONAL SPOUSES FOR THE GREAT LOVE THAT YOU'VE SHOWN HERE BUT TO THANK JOE AND THE CONGRESSMEN AND CONGRESSWOMEN FOR THE GREAT POLITICAL WILL THAT YOU HAVE BEEN SHOWING IN THESE PAST MONTHS AND WEEKS. AND THROUGH GINA I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS ONCE AGAIN BUT ALSO DIRECTLY, BECAUSE JOE IS RIGHT HERE, MY ADMIRATION FOR JOE'S VERY HIGH SENSE OF NATIONAL INTEREST AND THE FORTITUDE WITH WHICH HE PURSUES IT EVEN AT RISK OF GREAT POLITICAL COST. BUT I BELIEVE THAT ONE REASON WHY JOE CAN TAKE THESE RISKS IS THAT IN A CRUNCH, IF EVER NEED BE, HE WILL HAVE THE UNITY OF THE CONGRESSIONAL SPOUSES BEHIND HIM TO GATHER ALL YOU FOLKS.

GINA, THE POLITICAL WILL THAT YOU HAVE ENABLED JOE TO DEMONSTRATE IN CONGRESS BECAUSE OF YOUR GREAT SUPPORT AND SOLIDARITY WITH THE CONGRESSIONAL SPOUSES IS A GREAT CONTRIBUTION THAT YOU ARE MAKING TO THE BUILDING OF A STRONG REPUBLIC. THANK YOU GINA, FOR THAT CONTRIBUTION.

AND ONCE AGAIN, CONGRATULATIONS, GINA, AND THE CONGRESSIONAL SPOUSES. MAY THE GOOD LORD CONTINUE TO BLESS AND INSPIRE YOU TO HELP THE MEN, THE WOMEN AND THE CHILDREN WHO ARE MOST IN NEED OF CARE, AND INSPIRE YOU TO CONTINUE SUPPORTING YOUR SPOUSES IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AS THEY DO THE LEGISLATION THAT IS TRULY GOOD FOR THE PEOPLE.

TO OUR DEAREST GINA, MAY YOU CONTINUE TO BE BLESSED. MAY YOU CONTINUE TO BE A MODEL TO WOMEN, AS WELL AS TO MEN, IN LEADING A LIFE FOR OTHERS.

ONCE AGAIN, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KUMADRE AND THANK YOU.

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