Newly-elected Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero said he is ready to take on his new role as he tries to dismiss any more speculations surrounding his sudden leadership role.
“Mas gusto ko pag usapan kung anong nararapat nating gawin at hindi kung anomang maaring sakit or pagkagulat or pagtampo ng iba kaugnay ng bagay na yan (I prefer to discuss what we should be doing and whatever pain or surprise or grudges some people hold about this issue),” Escudero said in a press conference on Monday, May 20 a few hours after he took the helm of the Senate.
“Matapos ang halalan, palagi kong sinasabi tapos na dapat yun. Dapat umabante na tayo sa ngalan ng pinagsisilbihang sambayanan. At yun din naman ang sinabi ni Senate President Zubiri bago sya nag bitiw (I always say after elections, those things should be put to rest. We should move forward in the name of the nation we serve. And that is what also Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said before he resigned),” Escudero said.
“Ulitin ko, huwag na nating ungkatin. Kung gusto mong ungkatin ang masasakit na mga nakaraan manood ka na lang ng teleserye at dito mas nais kong pag-usapan ang mga susunod pa nating pwedeng hakbangin para mapagkaisahan at maisulong (I agree, let’s not bring it up anymore. If you want to bring up the painful past, then just watch some TV series, but here I would rather dicsuss things about what our next steps so we can agree on it and push it forward),” the lawmaker added.
Escudero took over the position vacated by Sen. Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, who said he is accepting his “demise” for failing to “follow instructions from the powers that be.”
However, in the end, Escudero said that whoever has the confidence of 13 senators has no reason to tell any more reasons on how the leadership change was orchestrated.
“Anumang sugat na nilikha nito, na ako’y humihingi ng paumanhin na maaaring nailikha nito o may nasaktan kaugnay nito. Kaya ayaw kong magkomentaryo kaugnay sa bagay na ‘yan (I apologize for whatever wounds it may have caused or if it has offended anyone. That’s why I no longer want to comment on the issue),” he further said.
Nevertheless, Escudero assured the public that nothing could influence his leadership in the Senate—even the President of the country.
According to him, proof of this was his friendship with the late President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.
“At sa tingin ko ay may proweba at ika nga may pwede na akong pakita at patunayan na kahit siya na ang pinakamalapit kong kaibigan, hindi niya ako naimpluwensyahan sa mga pasya ko noong panahong iyon at nandito kayo bilang saksi nuon (And I think I have proof to say and to show that even if he was a close friend, he wasn’t able to influence my decisions during those times and you were all witnesses to it),” he further told members of the press in the press conference.