Pacquiao shrugs off Cayetano’s insults: I’m not ‘epal,’ ‘sipsip’

MANILA, Philippines — Respect begets respect.

This was how Senator Manny Pacquiao responded to Speaker Alan Cayetano’s attack against those who he felt were just grandstanding during last Monday’s hearing of the Senate committee on public services on ABS-CBN’s franchise.

READ: Cayetano twits ‘sipsip’ individuals amid ABS-CBN franchise woes

“As a legislator, ginagampanan lang ‘yung trabaho namin. Karapatan namin na i-hear ‘yung importanteng hearing ng renewal ng franchise. Siguro wala naman kaming nilabag doon at ginagampanan lang yung trabaho namin,” Pacquiao said in an interview at the Senate on Wednesday.

(As a legislator, we are just doing our job. It’s our right to hear that important hearing on the renewal of their franchise. I don’t think we committed any violation there since we’re just doing our job.)

“Kanya-kanya naman tayong opinion, kanya-kanya naman tayong paniniwala. Siguro ‘yun ang opinion niya, ‘yun ‘yung nasa puso niya, nasa isip niya kaya nasabi niya ‘yun,” he added.

(We have our own opinion, we have our own belief. That may be his opinion, that’s what’s in his heart — that’s why he said that.)

But he appealed to the House of Representatives to also respect the Senate.

“Respetuhin din ‘yung ginagawa dito ng Senado dahil nirerespeto din namin ‘yung lower house,” Pacquiao said.

(They should also respect what we do here in the Senate because we also respect the lower house.)

Pacquiao also shrugged off Cayetano’s name-calling.

“Para sa akin as an individual, balewala ‘yan sa akin dahil hindi naman ako epal, hindi naman ako sipsip at ginagawa ko ‘yung trabaho ko,” he said.

(For me, as an individual it’s nothing because I’m not grandstanding. I’m not brown-nosing and I’m just doing my job)

He said he is doing his job not for a friend, a company, or for the interest of only one person, but for those who may be affected by the ABS-CBN’s closure if its franchise is not renewed or extended.

Various measures have already been filed in the Senate and the House of Representatives either renewing the network’s franchise for another 25 years or extending it until December 31, 2022 while the 18th Congress deliberates.

Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla’s bill, meanwhile, sought to extend the ABS-CBN’s franchise only until December 31 this year.

ABS-CBN’s franchise is set to expire on May 4.

Congress will go on break on March 11 and will resume on the day of the franchise’s expiration.

Until now, however, the House has yet to hold a hearing on the franchise bills pending before it.