(Conclusion)

(The first part of the speech of former Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro, the Lakas-Kampi CMD standard-bearer for president of the Philippines, appeared in this space yesterday.)
We reiterate our commitment to strengthening the four pillars of our society. These pillars are: maka-Diyos, maka-tao, maka-bayan and maka-kalikasan.

With the EDSA revolution, we won our political liberties. These we should protect and strengthen. We won these after a century of struggle and we vow we shall not lose them.

Many in our society feel that our form of governance is no longer adequate to answer the problems we face. The call for structural reform has become louder and louder.

In the meantime, a smart government shall pursue higher economic growth utilizing the weapons of institutional innovations, indigenous knowledge and information technology with bias for execution through local governments and basic communities and forging strategic alliances with the private sector.

Now, we are in the arena where we must gain our full economic liberties and social liberties. The struggle for these will require of each one of us commitment and sacrifice. It will demand of us the need to save rather than to spend. It will demand of us a work ethic that will bring us to prosperity.

It will demand of us positive attitudes towards life because our destiny is to conquer, and conquer we shall.

All citizens should strive for excellence in whatever they do. We call on our scientists to help us advance in this march towards excellence. We call on our artists in the field of the arts to help us advance towards excellence. We call on our organized religious institutions, on our educational institutions of higher learning, on our social and business organizations to help us advance towards excellence. Excellence will be the key to our winning our struggles for economic and social liberties.

I therefore ask each member of our party to bring this message to our people. We stand for life, liberty and prosperity. We stand for shared sacrifice. We stand for excellence. Tell them that we shall manage our future. Tell them that victory for the Filipino people is the destiny of our party. Tell them that the future is here and now.

In Bicol, Gibo means work. Tell them that the cry of our nation is: “Gibo now! Gibo now!” Gibo now!”