Dispatch from Crame No. 415:
Statement of Sen. Leila M. de Lima on Opposition Koalisyon and the Conspiracy of Hope

10/16/18

The politics of hate and fear brutalizes us. But it need not paralyze and subdue us. It can be confronted and addressed with our will and determination. It can even catalyze a common sense of purpose, unleash resistance and resolve, forge unity, and engender hope that things may change for the better.

Ito ang aking paniniwala.

Ganito rin sa tingin ko ang ang naging tema at direksyon ng talumpati nung isang araw ni VP Leni Robredo nang ipakilala nya ang Oposisyon Koalisyon para sa eleksyon sa Senado sa susunod na taon. Sinabi n'ya:

"Tinitingnan lang natin yung walo, buhay na ulit iyong pag-asa sa ating mga puso. Tinitingnan natin yung walo, sasabihin natin hindi pa naman ubos iyong pag-asa sa pulitika. Mayroon pa tayong pagkakataon para linisin kung anumang dumi ang nandiyan."

Yes, looking at Oposisyon Koalisyon (OK), you'd agree that, despite these dark times, hope still lingers. The coalition itself is a concrete expression of hope, borne from an emerging will and a growing determination of our people to turn back the tide of hatred and the wave of terror that engulf our socio-political landscape. More than the individual personalities, it is what the opposition slate represents and articulates as a collective that really count for more at this time and in this place.

Silang walo ay kumakatawan sa kakayahan at kahandaan ng oposisyon na tindigan at ipaglaban ang mga tunay na isyu ng bayan: kahirapan, pagyurak sa mga karapatan, paglapastangan sa demokrasya at soberanya, at kawalan ng katarungang panlipunan.

Silang walo ay malinaw na alternatibo sa bulok at palpak na liderato ng kasalukuyang administrasyon. Silang walo ay maningas na sulo ng pag-asa sa dilim at lagim ng kasalukuyang pulitika.

To continue unleashing a new kind of politics, we in the opposition must reach out and engage the broadest masses of our people, trust in the wisdom of our countrymen, and learn to work with them to secure not just electoral victories, but the bigger triumph of rebuilding our nation. Makinig. Matuto. Kumilos.

If we are to conspire to keep the hope alive for our country and people, we can decisively turn back the politics of hate and fear. We can reverse the tide of death, destruction and disorientation in our midst.

ALEJANO. AQUINO. DIOKNO. GUTOC. HILBAY. MACALINTAL. ROXAS. TAÑADA.

I pray for the success of OK. I pray for a better future for our nation.