Press Release
January 30, 2008

Transcript of interview with Senator Alan Peter Cayetano

SEN. ALAN CAYETANO: Unang-una dito namin ise-serve ang warrant hindi sa Hong Kong.

REPORTER: Sir what's next, magkocaucus ba kayo para finally mapaaresto or what?

SEN. ALAN CAYETANO: Well, minsan kasi yung caucus nagkakaroon pa ng delay so pinapatapos ko yung documentation ngayon. Tapos, mamaya sa floor and every opportunity I can get, to get the signatures, lalapitan ko na ang mga Senador. Although there's no objection, sinabi nga ni Sen. Enrile kanina na may nakikita silang difference kay Sec. Neri because he's a Cabinet official of this administration. So we will know what the thinking of the majority members of the Senate is when we ask for their signatures. But kay Mr. Lozada, I don't think there is a question at all. Even kay Sec. Neri, I'm not pre-empting. For all I know, there may be total support for that because I do believe sa lahat ng senador, klaro na karapatan naming ipatawag kung what questions they can answer. I will agree there are some questions that can be covered by executive privilege. So yun, pwede yun pag-usapan, pwedeng i-plead yun, pwedeng dalhin sa korte. But whether they should be here and should attend, klarong klaro yun.

REPORTER: Naubos na ba yung pasensya nyo?

SEN. ALAN CAYETANO: Matagal na.

REPORTER: Sir when will that happen?

SEN. ALAN CAYETANO: Well, if they finish it, this afternoon. But whether or not it's not finished, I will start consulting the members one by one because he can come back any time. We don't want the witness to disappear and we don't want Sec. Neri to suddenly have an official mission also to London, Hong Kong or wherever.

REPORTER: Are you referring to all members of the Senate?

SEN. ALAN CAYETANO: The members of the three Committees are practically almost all of the members of the Senate, if you include the ex-oficio.

REPORTER: Sir, how about the caution of Sen. Lacson in issuing a warrant to Lozada might prevent him from returning?

SEN. ALAN CAYETANO: I think that sends a clear message to people monitoring the hearing and to the family of Mr. Lozada that, that's not the intention of the Senate. But it was not made to a formal objection so the motion will stand. That's why I requested and I thank Sen. Enrile, Sen. Lacson and Sen. Biazon that they agreed that the people we will be sending to fetch him will be convertible. If he comes voluntarily, there will be security, if he refuses to come, they will be there to arrest him.

Reporter: Will there be another hearing?

SEN. ALAN CAYETANO: What is very important to us is that we could come up with a conclusion that can stand the scrutiny of local and foreign independent technical experts into the pricing of the project. So I'm confident that our findings as to whether our project is needed, our findings to whether or not, it should be if a project like that is needed whether it should be BOT or government and I'm confident that our conclusion will be solid. I'm also confident that the allegations about bribery and kickbacks at least the window that opened are officials to kickbacks and can be shown but to the exact figures and where the kickbacks will come from, we have to be very careful and precise. I mean we wouldn't want for example a findings ang kickbacks the over price is 150 million dollars tapos pagdating sa korte ang finding nila tama yung presyo. Ang value ng isang Committee report is not to shock and awe. Its not for a 1 day headliner stating that Senate finds XYZ. The value of the Committee report is that when the atmosphere or the environment permits, the agency tasked with prosecuting those who were involved the atmosphere permits the Committee report can be use as a solid document and evidence to be able to prosecute. Meaning, for example not necessarily only the first family including the Cabinet Officials and those beneath them, some doubt whether ma-prosecute yan within the next three years during this administration. Kung ang Committee report ay hindi solid, then after 2010 and we have a new administration and hopefully we will baka hindi rin maprosecute dahil magamit na ebidensya yung report but if solid yung ebidensya at very clear yung facts and figures and yung conclusions then after 2010 lahat ng akala nilang nakalaya na or they escape the long arm of the law, we will find out that they were wrong. My best example would be Sen. Magsaysay's leading of the fertilizer's scam. Usec Bolante and everyone underneath him and who has so far evaded justice in the Philippines, but because of the findings and because of the documents produced they will have a hard time evading justice forever. Dadating at dadating yung araw and that's the example of the Committee would like to follow. Of course there will be criticisms that we're being too careful and taking so much time but I'd rather air in the side of caution and make sure maganda yung report rather than come up with a report tomorrow but next month maku-question ang findings.

REPORTER: Sir the mere fact that Lozada left this morning, he said that they would appear di ba incriminating yon?

SEN. ALAN CAYETANO: The mere fact that the DOTC and everyone under the government does not want to appear says truly that its year of the rat and here in the Senate, we smell big rats. Precisely that's why hearings are important, because if you don't come, may rason yan but if you do come kahit magsinungaling ka mahuhuli yun sa cross-examination or sa pag-eexamine ng witness. Kung nagsasabi ka ng totoo lalabas at lalabas yun.

REPORTER: Sir you said that your Committee is having difficulty in coming up with the technical people to evaluate the claims of the Jarius and Joey de Venecia, how do you plan to overcome these difficulties?

SEN. ALAN CAYETANO: By keep looking for people who will allow themselves to be a consultant of the Committee or who will testify. I mean before last week we didn't have any figures from Mr. de Venecia nor from Mr. Jarius and even DOTC refused to give us detailed explanation of the costings. So through persistence, through faith and everyone wanting to get conclusions and the pressure from the media to the people involved. It's just like the Garci issue that's why there's no closure because people continue to look for closure. So we're continuing to look for people to evaluate all of these. But we will do our best regardless if we get technical people or not. There's more than one way to skin a cat. The same thing that happened to North Rail but finally they were able to make comparisons.

REPORTER: So Senator, walang kasiguraduhan kung kailan i-wrap up?

SEN. ALAN CAYETANO: Let me just say, very soon. We are just waiting for Mr. Lozada, Mr. Neri then the technical experts for the pricing. Then after that we have about thousands of pages of transcripts.

REPORTER: Pano kung maging Garci ito na wala pang closure hanggang ngayon?

SEN. ALAN CAYETANO: Well, ang closure ng issue does not depend on the closure of the Committee. Yung kasing imbistigasyon sa Garci, paulit-ulit yun. Ang issue kasi sumasara lang pag adequately explained or kung may naprosecute na. So even if the Senate, halimbawa, sinabi ko ngayon tigilan na natin to maglalabas kami ng report pero kung next year may lalabas na witness that doesn't mean you cannot open it. That's what happened to Garci in this Congress, the 14th Congress. Nang dumating si agent Doble, binuksan namin ang matagal nang tapos. So closure to the issue and closure to the Committee hearings are two different things. We're preparing for closure to the Committee but unless those who did this are prosecuted, it will be left hanging. Kasi after this ipapasa din sa Ombudsman but for example, will the Ombudsman take the steps of actually prosecuting the allies of this administration. I give them the benefit of the doubt but I'll be looking over their shoulders.

REPORTER: Sir, sila Senator Pimentel kanina is saying na dapat stronger backbone for the Blue Ribbon. Ano po ang objective niyo?

SEN. ALAN CAYETANO: Let me reverse the question. Has there been any Blue Ribbon Committee before na may napilitang magresign? Na yung contract inatras? Pero hindi pa nga kami tapos, binubuo nila bagong NBN contract. Ang ibig sabihin sa skin, everyone has their own objective. Yung iba yung objective nila, matapos lang. Ako ang objective ko mapigilan ang isang kontratang hindi natin kailangan. So I do believe that while we have these hearings may pressure sa kanila na huwag ituloy muna yung bagong NBN project. I'm not saying I'm right. I'm just saying na pag naging consensus pareho nung dalawa, yung iba hindi lang naman nagsasalita sa microphone pero sinasabi din sa akin na huwag muna�. There's a lot of people who have different agendas here outside the Senate. May kasamang mga political play to, ayaw din naming magpagamit. But sometimes we don't have a choice. So, but definitely for example next week kasi we have to either conclude or hold another hearing don sa gift-giving and then we have to start both the Transco and the Cebu hearing so definitely ayoko rin na tumagal pa tong ZTE because nahahamper pa yung ibang for investigations. Kung ito lang yung investigation, magduda kayo na hindi ko to tatapusin but because we have at least 4 more other investigations, you have at least that assurance that ZTE has to conclude besides there's always rumors of coup so I want to at least I want submit 2 Committee Reports before those rumors get louder and hopefully they won't.

REPORTER: If kailangan si Lozada why can't you bring him here?

SEN. ALAN CAYETANO: Because that's not the rule. If I ordered their arrest now with only 6 members, he can go to any court in the country and how it will look if a mere RTC Judge tells a Senator of the land, ang sarili nyang rule nakalagay majority anim lang kayo pinaaresto nyo. So that's the point there.

REPORTER: Are you going to vote according to membership of the lead Committee?

SEN. ALAN CAYETANO: Yes, lead Committee. Nine ang computation ng Broom. Kasi ang nasa rules, 17 members. So kung 8-8, 16 kulang ng isa. Talagang yung report is a challenge even to us kasi documents lang napakarami, alangan naming lahat iattach naming lahat. It's a challenge. Being optimistic and hope it will come up with a very good report and sana maging maganda at self-fullfilling ito.

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