Freedom of expression - in particular, freedom of the press - guarantees popular participation in the decisions and actions of government, and popular participation is the essence of our democracy.

As our country bled . . . its leader's wife came to this podium piously to call for a new human order, this when thousands of Filipinos were political prisoners.

I would rather die a meaningful death than to live a meaningless life.

I would like to ask the many Filipino people to pray together, to help each other so that we will be able to preserve the democracy we restored 20 years ago.

The media's power is frail. Without the people's support, it can be shut off with the ease of turning a light switch.

It is true you cannot eat freedom and you cannot power machinery with democracy. But then neither can political prisoners turn on the light in the cells of a dictatorship.

Let's continue to pray for each other and ask the Lord to bring us closer to each other. He (God) will bring us not only 79 votes, but more than 79 (votes).