Press Release
November 17, 2009

On C-5 road deal

As Majority Floor Leader we will not undermine the committee system of the Senate wherein we have to await the committee report before any action be taken for or against it. So, this will be tabled first under the Committee on Rules. So, hindi muna namin ita-tackle ito hintayin muna natin iyong committee report ng Committee of the Whole and then they can decided. They can vote whether they are dissenting or in approval of the committee report, but for us to tackle this simple resolution at this point in time is unparliamentary. It's unparliamentary because it undermines the committee system of the Senate.

Will there be sanctions against Senators who signed?

No naman. It's their individual prerogative naman. Iyong akin lang kasi it will be a bad precedent if we tackle this resolution before the committee report is actually tackled. Ngayon kung ginawa natin ito any member of the Senate can now file a simple resolution just get a majority of signatures from all our colleagues to amend a particular committee report before it even comes out of different committees of the Senate kaya hindi kami papayag na gawin iyon dahil na undermine niya iyong committee system ng Senado. Sana ang maganda doon naghintay muna sila sa committee report. Basahin nila iyong committee report at ilagay po nila ang boto nila doon kung dissenting ba sila or approval of the committee report. Iyan ang tama na dapat ginawa ng ating mga kasamahan.

(question audio not clear)

Well you know the committee report kasi will have to go through the plenary debates, so again magkakaroon ng botohan dito sa plenary. So they can always vote in favor of the committee report or against the committee report.

Resolution will be tackled?

The resolution as far as I'm concerned will be tabled in the Committee on Rules and we will await the committee report of the Committee of the Whole. So hindi muna namin ita-tackle iyong meat of the Senate resolution. But I hear some of our colleagues will stand up today in disgust dito sa nangyari sa committee. And I think also this has to be answered by those who were the proponents of this Senate resolution. Ang balita sa aming mga kasamahan sa majority na nakapirma ang balita daw hindi daw nila ilalabas iyan hanggang nailabas na ang committee report. So mukhang na one, two, three sila. Mukhang nabola sila. That is a sign of bad fate, not a sign of good fate. Sana huwag naman tayong magbolahan dito. Senador naman kaming lahat. We are all senators here. You should not tell your colleagues na you sign here tapos ilalabas namin iyan kapag nalabas na iyong committee report. Huwag naman iyong nakapairma na sila hindi pa lumalabas iyong committee report pin-preempt niyo iyong committee report para meron lang ipakita sa media, I think that is a sign of bad fate and that was confirmed to us by those who signed by our group na ilalabas daw ito pagkatapos ng committee report na ipinalabas na committee report ng Committee of the Whole.

May babawi ba doon sa mga miyembro ng majority?

I don't know. It's something to be seen. Hintayin niyo na lang. Abangan ang susunod na kabanata mukhang action pack today.

When do you expect the committee report to be ready?

It should be coming out this week or when we get back on December 1. Under Section 31, the committee has 30 session days to come out with the committee report before the members can take action on the floor. Katatapos lang ng committee hearing. The last committee hearing is within the 30 day session period. So, we still have time. They still have time to come out with the committee report. This pre-empting the committee report is I think quite unparliamentary. And I think it is a tactic. It's a PR tactic.

Puwede silang maipit niyan?

Hindi naman kasi hindi pa naman natin na ... they can always claim that any resolution can be filed naman. Hindi ba sinasabi nila you can file a resolution banning typhoons from coming to the Philippines, it's up to the Senate to approve it or not. Bobo na kami if we approve it. Yun nga lang for me as Majority Floor Leader, I think it undermines the committee system because we must wait for the committee report. And if there's inaction of the committee to come out with the committee report wala e, meron naman, ginagawa na iyong committee report so, hintayin na lang natin iyan bago tayo magdesisyon dito sa resolution na ito. And my suggestion to my colleagues you just vote on the committee report kung ayaw niyo iyong committee report e, di ayaw pero huwag na natin i-subvert into a simple resolution because the committee report is complete with facts and evidences. Bakit iyong loteng ito P3,000 iyong binili sa kanya P14,000? Tanungin natin iyan. Iyong mga bakit nandoon iyong presidente ng kumpanya na nagdidikta kay Atty. Dumlon na ganito iyong ilalagay para dito sa mga kalsadang ito. Iyan iyong mga katanungan na dapat sana iyong iba doon na hindi nag-a-attend ay mabasa sa committee report before they come up with this kind of decision. Ang akin lang antayin natin iyong committee report kahit papaano lahat ng ebidensya kontra or pabor ay nandoon tapos magdesisyon tayo pagkatapos noon.

Tingin niyo tumiyempo doon sa pag-aannounce ng tandem nila ni Sen. Loren?

You can put political color to it, as I said it's a cheap PR slant. Hindi kasi it undermines the leadership, the committee system. I have nothing against Sen. Villar ang akin lang they trying to subvert the committee system ayaw ko niyan.

Pero sa dami ng pumirma hindi ba nate-threaten iyong leadership structure?

Hindi naman. Well according to the people like Bong Revilla there's no threat of coup kasi sabi nila 12 na iyan one more na lang kudeta na. I spoke to Bong Revilla sabi niya that's BS. Actually that's BS and Sen. Honasan said that's BS it's not going to lead the Senate President. These are their individual votes probably but ang akin lang diyan ay hintayin na lang natin iyong committee report.

(audio not clear)

Di dissent sila. O di approve sila di ba? What if the committee report says that he's exonerated di lalabas na approve sila doon. E, di kung ang nakalagay doon they find him guilty dissent naman sila. That is the whole beauty of the committee system.

Totoo bang muntik ng mag-resign si JPE?

Ask him na lang. I don't want to add any comment to that but obviously the Senate President was very hurt. Because he feels you know, especially the members of the majority that had signed, he felt that at least the least that he could have done was to speak to him first before signing such resolution.

Masama ang loob niya doon sa mga kasamahan sa majority block?

Yeah of course. Wouldn't you? Kapamilya mo pumirma doon sa kapitbahay mo or kapuso mo pala or kamag-anak mo pumirma doon sa kapitbahay mo. Hind mo rin siya masisi dahil siyempre siya din iyong head of the committee of the whole. Sana kinausap na lang siya bago muna pumirma dito sa mga resolutions na ito.

Nakausap niyo iyong iba pumirma akala nila ilalabas iyong pinirmahan after na ilabas iyong committee report?

Ang sabi nila sa amin ang usapan daw nila is pagkatapos na ilabas ang committee report ilalabas daw nila itong resolution. Hindi before. Hindi ipe-preempt kaya nagagalit din sila. Ang sabi ko huwag naman ganoon co-equal senators naman kami sana walang bolahan.

News Latest News Feed