Senator-elect Robin Padilla to debate in Filipino: ‘I won’t be facing Americans’

Senator-elect Robin Padilla attends a briefing on the legislative process Tuesday, June 14, 2022. (Bibo Nueva Espana, Albert Calvelo/Senate PRIB)

MANILA, Philippines — Neophyte Senator-elect Robin Padilla said Tuesday he is “100 percent” ready to join the Senate, but will opt to debate in Filipino, saying he would be facing Filipino legislators, “not Americans.”

Padilla, who topped the 2022 senatorial elections, attended a legislative briefing  in the Senate ahead of the opening of the 19th Congress in July.

“One-hundred percent,” said Padilla when asked about his readiness to join the Senate.

Padilla said he is also ready to debate with his fellow legislators, but will do so using the vernacular, and not the English language.

“Tagalog… una, hindi naman Amerikano mga kaharap ko para mag-English ako. Siguro kung Amerikano, well I’m willing to debate. Pero mga Tagalog sila eh, eh ‘di Tagalog tayo,” Padilla said.

(Tagalog… for one, I will not be facing Americans for me to speak in English. If I am facing Americans, well I’m willing to debate. But they are Filipinos, so let’s use Tagalog.)

Padilla topped the senatorial elections after receiving over 26 million votes.

As a neophyte senator, Padilla took lessons at the Development Academy of the Philippines in preparation for his role as a legislator.

Asked if he found preparing for the Senate to be easy or difficult, Padilla said: “Lahat madali. Wala namang mahirap kasi gusto mong gawin eh.”

(Everything’s easy. Nothing is difficult when you like what you’re doing.)

“Pag gusto mong gawin, madali lang yon. Medyo ano lang, naninibago lang ako kasi hindi naman ako — summa cum laude ako sa cutting classes noong araw,” he added.

(If you wanna do something, it’s easy. It was just different. I was summa cum laude in cutting classes back in the day.)

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