THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT. I WOULD LIKEWISE WISH TO CO-SPONSOR THIS RESOLUTION HONORING ‘CHITO’ SOBREPEÑA. LISTENING TO OUR COLLEAGUES AND THEIR SPONSORSHIP AND THEIR CO-SPONSORSHIP SPEECHES, ONE CAN SEE THE LONG-LASTING DECADES LONG IMPACT OF ‘CHITO’ IN THE OUTSTANDING SEARCH OF FIRST TEACHERS, THEN THERE WERE POLICEMEN, SOLDIERS, AND NOW, THE METROBANK FOUNDATION’S OUTSTANDING FILIPINOS.
I FIRST MET ‘CHITO’ IN MY FIRST TERM, IN 2002 (OR) 2001 WITH THE THEN THE LATE GEORGE TY. SO THIS IS ABOUT OVER TWO DECADES AGO, AND LISTENING AGAIN TO OUR COLLEAGUES EARLIER, I WAS CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF THE METROBANK FOUNDATION SEARCH FOR TOP OUTSTANDING TEACHERS IN 2005 – ALSO IN MY FIRST TERM. AND SENATOR PIA CAYETANO, BECAME CHAIRPERSON. SENATOR VILLANUEVA, SENATOR LACSON ALSO, AND THAT IS A TESTAMENT TO THE PERSUASIVENESS OF ‘CHITO’ FOR BEING ABLE TO CONVINCE THE SENATORS – MAY QUORUM NA, IKA NGA, SA DAMI NG NAKUMBINSI NI ‘CHITO’ TO BE PART OF THEIR SEARCH. AND WE APPRECIATE WHAT HE DID AND HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO PUBLIC SERVICE AND HONORING OUR PUBLIC SERVANTS.
I WAS OUT OF THE COUNTRY LAST JANUARY, IT WAS THE BIRTHDAY OF MY WIFE AND WE CELEBRATED AND THAT’S WHY I WAS NOT ABLE TO ATTEND AND NOW I WISH TO AGAIN RELAY MY CONDOLENCES TO ANNA, GABRIEL, MICHAELA, THE FAMILY. BUT I BELIEVE HE LIVES ON. CHITO WILL LIVE ON – WITH THE ANNUAL AWARDS OF THE METROBANK FOUNDATION, ‘CHITO’ WILL ALWAYS BE PART OF THAT, HE WILL LIVE IN THE SEARCH, IN THE AWARDING, IN THE RECOGNITION OF OUR PUBLIC SERVANTS.
MARAMING SALAMAT, ‘CHITO’, FOR YOUR SACRIFICE, YOUR STEADFAST DEDICATION TO THE CAUSE OF PUBLIC SERVICE.
THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT.###