After his defeat in the May 2022 vice presidential race, Senator Francis ‘’Kiko’’ Pangilinan today stepped down from national office after almost two decades in the 24-member Senate.

‘’It has truly been a distinct honor and a privilege to have been an elected public servant and leader in the unfolding of history in our beloved yet beleaguered nation, in fighting mightily in the trenches alongside each and everyone of you,’’ Pangilinan said in a statement released today.

‘’It has definitely been the most challenging, most meaningful and most difficult period in my political life thus far and to my mind, we emerged from it with our heads held high, our souls intact, ‘bloodied yet unbowed’,’’ he stressed.

‘’We are most certainly ending our 6 year term on a high note despite having been unable to achieve certain desired goals. This simply means that our journey, our struggle to help provide accountable and effective leadership is far from over. I must say that I would not have been able to reach this far without your own sacrifice, your own determination to do what is right in serving our people with our utmost and for this I wish to thank all of you. I beg your understanding too if in all that we have done I may have made it difficult for any of you,’’ he added.

Pangilinan emphasized that he definitely is not done yet and her would plod on mightily albeit ‘marching separately’ given the circumstances.

‘’A favorite saying I have embraced in my long years in national political office is that in life ‘we will have to play the cards that is dealt us’ no matter the difficulties. Our people have suffered more than most of us and so we must be strong for them, we must continue to fight for the weak and the voiceless, for our people and our country that we love dearly. In our common desire to defend the truth and uphold justice, we will continue to do so with unwavering resolve,’’ he said.

‘’This is definitely not the end, he pointed out.

“Thank you for fighting the good fight by my side together with many others. Thank you for keeping the faith. Thank you for keeping the torch burning, for being stewards and guardians of the eternal flame, so to speak, so that this flame we have within us today becomes a wildfire of truth and justice that will engulf the entire nation in time as God would have it. The work we have collectively begun remains unfinished. We will never surrender. We shall keep the faith. We will soldier on,’’he added.