Press Release
September 8, 2008

Transcript of interview with Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano

Sir what are the effects of SC decision on the hearing?

ASC: Alam mo pag hinimay mo ang desisyon ng Supreme court dalawa ang epekto nya unang una sa executive privilege dati malinaw na when you are talking about a crime wala itong executive privilege but right now parang yung weight na sinasabi na kapagka diplomatic o kaya military affairs ay pwedeng itago sa publiko sa senado at maybe even sa korte yung factual dito.

So actually nabigyan ang mga close advisers ng presidente at ang president eng parang isang pader na pwede silang magtago sa likod non. Kung dati parang full transparency and accountability ngayon itong legal doctrine na ito ay pwedeng pagtaguan. Ang difference , dati nadyan din yung legal doctrine nay an pero once na ipakita na ang dinidiscuss ng isang adviser at ng presidente ay isang krimen ay kailangan na nilang I reveal ang infact sa oral arguments ang halos lahat ng mga justices na nagsalita at halos lahat ng mga abogado na andon ay nag agree naman na bastat krimen ang napagusapan executive privilege does not apply. Thas why we are deciding whether to file a second motion for reconsideration or not.

The second one ay yung inaangal nga ng maraming legal luminaries is that parang yung aming rule making at kung ano yung rules ng senado ay parang naghimasok na ang korte. Kasi kung paano kami mag voting, kung paano kami magtanong ay kinuwestiyon din nila. Pero ito ay pinagaaralan pa naming at muli iniiisip namin kung magfifile ng second motion for reconsideration or kung irrecommend na lang sa rules committee at sa senate president yung maging mas specific at iclarify ang rules.

Sir maglalabas na daw po kayo ng preliminary report?

ASC: The lawyers and the staff of Blue Ribbon Committee will present to us some preliminary reports, then we will take it from there whether we need technical working group meetings or another hearing. But definitely the Supreme Court decision will impact on our time table because it will affect our calling of our next hearing. And it has also big effect on all the standing committees of the senate because the Supreme Court questioned the publication of our rules and some parts of our rules.

Sir after the prelim then another hearing?

ASC: Actually this report is for the Senators to see the totality of evidence, testimony that has been submitted to the committee vis a vis admissions or facts that we can take judicial notice of that has been reported to the media and then see whether it is enough to come out with the balancing of interest which is to come with a report of substance that we feel the public will get to know most if not all of the truth versus the other interest of delaying the report in order to get more information. That's what we're balancing now do we wait some more and have more hearings and wait for some other witnesses and delay the report or do we speed up the report in a sense sacrifice witnesses may come forward. Sir what if says lacking evidence?

ASC: Definitely we have one more hearing..thats definite. Now when do we have one more hearing or whether we have one more technical working group that's the question mark that we will answer after we have absorbed the committed staff submitted to us. For example, many columnists have been saying you have enough to come up with the report. We have to look at what we have vis a vis specific issues.

Sir sino ang mga isummon pa sa last hearing?

ASC: Well, everyone and anyone who still has something to say but as far as whom we will require to attend new will discussed that starting tomorrow depende sa report na isusubmit but magkakaroon ng delay dahil nga sa supreme court decision. Dahil lumalabas nga sa Supreme Court decision ay gustoi nilang ipublish namin and rules nba kaya naman naming gawin kaagad but aside from that meron silang mga comments�may part ng decision about our rules for example about giving advance questions na wala naman - hindi lang legislative body kung hindi pati korte ang pwedeng mag comply dito. Pwede naman kaming magbigay ng initial questions in advance pero ang follow up questions ang buhay ng isang interrogation ng isang cross examination o ng isang imbestigasyon. So ito yung mga matters na we will be discussing tomorrow.

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