Prospero Pichay podcast interview transcript, part 1
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 09:18am (Mla time) 03/14/2007
Editor's Note: What follows is the first part of a preliminary transcript of the Eleksyon2007 podcast interview with senatorial candidate Prospero Pichay.
JV Rufino: Our guest for this podcast is Congressman Prospero Pichay. Pichay is running for senator under the administration's Team Unity slate.
Welcome to the show Congressman. I'm JV Rufino, editor-in-chief of INQUIRER.net.
Prospero Pichay: Good day, JV, and good day to everyone.
JV Rufino: Our first question will be from Joel Guinto.
Prospero Pichay: Go ahead, Joel.
Joel Guinto: Hello, sir. Sir, why are you running for the Senate? Why should we “plant†you there especially since while in Congress you pushed for its abolition?
Prospero Pichay: Well, you know, I was asking that question myself. Why did I run for senator when I could have, you know, spent an easy life, go back to private life, run my business and make more money rather than go for another public office? But you know, when I started politics in 1998, I was a businessman. And then I went to my province in Surigao del Sur and ran for the first district of Surigao del Sur, to serve the people of Surigao del Sur because I noticed that my province was actually deteriorating.
It used to be a first-class province and then it deteriorated to become a third-class province because of the mismanagement of the politicians in my province. And while the other provinces were progressing…the development was very fast. Roads were paved and bridges were concreted and the barangays were energized. Hospitals were modernized. School buildings were built. In our province, it remained stagnant.
So I said, you know, I made good in business. I think it’s about time I served my people and so I ran. I did not pass through the ladder of running for councilor, mayor or board member. I ran as a congressman in the first district of Surigao. And true enough, because of our program, because of the platform that I presented to the people, I was elected by a landslide victory.
And since then I've been delivering a lot of projects in my province. 'Ika nga, before I ran, marami silang mga pangarap. And after I won, I was able to fulfill their dreams. Kaya marami tayong napakongkretong kalsada. Like, I think, I have paved around 150 kilometers of roads; when in fact, the few congressmen that were before me, only paved around 28 kilometers of road.
I have concreted around 40 bridges, energized 50 barangays and modernized all the hospitals there. So these were the dreams of my people in my district. And today I think they could see their dreams fulfilled.
And I think it's about time now that I move forward to be able to fulfill the dreams of our people in our country. So if I've done it in my district, I thought maybe I can do it for our entire country, for all the Filipino whose dreams have to be achieved.
dakung bakak! blah! blah! blah! maski pila pay ija isohol dak,, deli ak gajud moboto sa ija, kay ono man kitahay kon Cantilangnon cja or taga ccmcl or watever moboto nak dija???