WATCH: ‘Salamat, Kaibigan’ by Senator Bong Revilla

MANILA, Philippines – First, his camp promised to make a “revelation” in his privilege speech on Monday, June 9. It turned out, he didn’t have an exposé but only read a long list not of those allegedly involved in the multi-billion-peso pork barrel scam, but of persons he wishes to thank in his climb to political success.

Ho-hum? Not really. Just as viewers had started to assume his privilege speech would be boring all the way to the end, Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr capped it with an audio-visual presentation of his history as a politician. It was to his newly recorded song “Salamat, Kaibigan” (Thank you, friend). (READ: Revilla privilege speech turns into a show)

Watch the music video below.

Below is the lyrics of the “Salamat, Kaibigan”:

Salamat sa inyong pagmamahal
Sa tiwala, pananalig, at dasal
Ang pagsubok sa ‘ting buhay ay
Hindi magtatagal
Katotohanan lilitaw
Sa gabay ng Maykapal.

Kailanman ay ‘di nang-iiwan
Sumama, nanalig sa anumang laban
Ngayon ang buhay ko
Ay pilit dinudungisan
Ngunit ‘di ako papayag
Hantungan ma’y kamatayan.

Salamat, mga kaibigan
Kailanman ay ‘di malilimutan
Kung ito man ang kapalaran
Nananalig pa rin sa katotohanan

Salamat, mga kaibigan
Kayo ang aking tanging sandigan
Pagmamahal ‘nyo ang nagbibigay kalakasan
Habang kayo ay nariyan
Lagi lamang tatandaan
Ikaw ako, ako ikaw
Magkaibigan.

Pagmamahal sa ‘ki’y bumubuo
Ipaglalaban, hindi pagugupo
Muli akong babangon at pagdating ng panahon
Muli magsasama, may dignidad taas-noo.

Salamat, mga kaibigan
Kailanman ay ‘di malilimutan
Kung ito man ang kapalaran
Nananalig pa rin sa katotohanan

Salamat, mga kaibigan
Kayo ang aking tanging sandigan
Pagmamahal ‘nyo ang nagbibigay kalakasan
Habang kayo ay nariyan
Lagi lamang tatandaan
Ikaw ako, ako ikaw
Magkaibigan.

Muli kayong babalikan
Hinding-hindi kailanman
Malilimutan

Thank you for your love
For the trust, faith, and prayers
The challenges in our lives
Won’t last for long
The truth will come out
Through God’s guidance

Never have I left anyone behind
In any battle I believed in
Now there are attempts
To tarnish my name
But I won’t allow it
Even if this leads me to the grave.

(Thank you, my friends
Whom I shall never forget
If this is our fate
We will still believe in the truth

Thank you, my friends
You are the ones I lean on
I draw strength from your love
As long as you’re around
Always remember
You and I, I and you
Are friends.

Love builds me up
I will fight, I won’t stand down
I will rise again, and when the time comes
We will be together again, dignified, with our heads held high

Thank you, my friends
Whom I shall never forget
If this is our fate
We will still believe in the truth

Thank you, my friends
You are the ones I lean on
I draw strength from your love
As long as you’re around
Always remember
You and I, I and you
Are friends.

I shall come back for you

Never ever will I forget you)

– Rappler.com