You know us, Filipinos, we prefer to meet people personally before we pass judgment on them. - Francis Escudero

Politics is not my end-all and be-all. I don't eat politics for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And when I sleep, I don't dream politics.

We need then to pull together, like the defenders of Bataan and Corregidor, and take stock of the situation. For, today is not business as usual. The times demand that we set aside personal agendas for the urgent task at hand: that of leading our people in overcoming the difficult times in the days ahead.

The intermediate goal is the creation of millions of new jobs and livelihood opportunities. This would necessitate being able to successfully attract much greater amounts of direct investments, especially foreign investments.