"KAILANGAN NAMIN NG MGA KATULAD MO"
Mar on Senate President Jovito Salonga,
2007 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee

"Hindi pa yata puwedeng mag-retiro si Ka Jovy. Mas madilim ang langit noon kaysa ngayon, at kailangan natin ng mga lider na tulad niya na pagmumulan ng sinag ng katotohanan.

"Senator Jovy Salonga deserves the Ramon Magsaysay Award. Ka Jovy indeed exemplifies the true spirit of good governance, a concern for the people that all leaders must inculcate in their being.

"He exemplifies the principle of 'critical collaboration,' which never confuses loyalty to a leader with loyalty to the country.

"He has devoted his life to cultivating the essential, institutional tensions that are the very essence of democracy: the necessity to speak out and speak up, when one is in power, so that it is not abused when one holds it; and the duty to fiscalize, criticize and offer alternatives when one is in the political wilderness.

"As a member of the opposition and the Senate minority, I am indebted to him for his example. And all of us must follow Ka Jovy in his quest to put in place, in his own words, 'the intangibles that make a nation great.'

"The career of Ka Jovy and the story of the Liberal Party are indivisible. His political life has been lived according to principle, and it is principle that has defined his association with the Liberal Party. Ka Jovy's loyalty and vision have helped distinguish our party from the traditional politics of convenience.

"Ka Jovy's track record speaks for itself. Aside from winning the public's trust in three elections and eventually becoming Senate President, he was instrumental in the passage of key good governance measures: the Disclosure of Interest Act, the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees and the Act Defining and Penalizing the Crime of Plunder, among others. He also led the Senate in removing the remaining vestiges of American imperialism in the country.

"Ka Jovy, at so many points in his life, could have just given up, but instead, he gave himself up to the people. For one, he could have just given up and chosen to retreat to the safety of silence when the grenades at Plaza Miranda crippled him. Instead, it steeled his resolve to fight on.

"He could have given in when he was in power or close to power. Instead, he chose to continue to do the right thing, whatever the cost. Indeed, he is a true liberal, a true nationalist, a true statesman, a true leader."