Press Release - Pia expresses sympathy, outrage over MSU bombing

Thank you. Mr President, just a short manifestation. I join my colleagues in expressing our deepest sympathies for the loss of lives, the injuries, and the trauma that our brothers and sisters in Marawi, particularly those who were attending the mass in MSU, went through.

It's not just really the loss of lives, but the trauma of the whole community. As his honor mentioned, yung feeling na ito na naman tayo, yung tahimik na samahan nila ay magugulo na naman ng thoughts of distrust among each other, and we join our colleagues in our call for the immediate action of the authorities. That is, I think, the one step that can be taken to give a small degree of peace to the community and the loved ones who were left behind, that we are equally outraged, malayo man tayo geographically sa kanila, wala tayo doon sa time na nangyari yun, pero maramdaman nila na ganun kahalaga ang buhay ng bawat isa sa kanila.

Mr President, I'd also like to share that in the event I had earlier today, it was an event to recognize that violence against women and children do happen. And our event is entitled, 'Walk In Her Shoes.' And if our colleagues and everyone here in the Senate takes time to go through it, there are booths that show the lives of different women -- may farmer, may OFW. And then there is one who is from Mindanao, and then her story... because you'll press the audio and maririnig mo ang boses nila, and then there's a summary of their story. And her story is actually a story of armed conflict, yung bata pa lang siya, she had to flee her home because of armed conflict. And so yan nga ang pangarap niyo, Mr President, di ba? Nung pinasa natin ang batas na yan, precisely so that matapos na natin ito. That these people do not have to flee their homes.

So, when I heard that particular story, among the other stories featured there, it reminded me that this just happened again, again, in our country. So as I said, I join our colleagues in expressing our deepest sympathies and urging the authorities, as I know they do not need urging, but it's our way of also ensuring that they act swiftly.

And as Sen. Nancy Binay and I were chatting earlier, we need to review if places, including