Press Release
February 18, 2011

Transcript of interview of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile

On Rabusa

SP The people who are affected are very emphatic about their position that they never dealt with him, like Gen. Abu, Gen. Villanueva. Although, Gen. Villanueva who was supposed to have rented a house, iniba 'yung usapan. Napunta doon sa bahay instead of 'yung P160 million na diniliver kay Gen. Villanueva. Pero, parang nagkaroon ng explanation 'yung mga pera na 'yun na ginamit sa operation. Hindi naman ebidensiya.

Q Pero sir, kanina 'yung former general as expected, puro denials.

SP Like Gen. Cimatu. As far as I am concerned, I think he was quite credible in his explanation. That drone is really for intelligence operation. It is precisely unmanned, because you use only unmanned equipment for gathering information. As far as to the price, according to him it was supposed to be $5 million if they will buy. But, they were using precisely a testing equipment to find out whether it was working. They spent $2 million to pay for the drone that crashed.

Q So initially, 'yung sinasabi ni Col. Rabusa, there was no bidding...?

SP You do not do any bidding for intelligence equipment. You will be telling the world that I have this equipment to use against you.

Q How about 'yung liquidation ng intelligence fund?

SP Authorized 'yun, but they establish a separate system of liquidating intelligence fund. Even in my time.

Q Sa assessment ninyo, ano na lang doon ang natitira sa testimony ni Rabusa ang acceptable as far as the Senate is concerned?

SP Hindi ko matandaan na. You have to go farther and deep if there is a case against any of these people and dig out their lifestyle, and so forth and so on. It will be the word of Rabusa against the word of these people. There are other explanations for the disbursement of these funds. Even he admitted that some of them were used for operations.

Q Mukhang ang problema po, sasabihin ni Rabusa na he turned over the money to Garcia?

SP 'Yun na nga. Well, at least in the case of Gen. Garcia, as far as the statement now of Rabusa that the money went to Gen. Villanueva, that is hearsay already because he got the information from Gen. Garcia.

Q And for Gen. Cimatu?

SP The same thing, and Gen. Garcia is under indictment for this appropriation and he is invoking his right to non-incrimination.

Q Is he still credible, sir?

SP I will not make a judgment.

Q Pichay said Rabusa was not entitled to be in the witness protection program?

SP They have to evaluate that. I do not know the standards used of determine the fitness of a person that will go to the witness protection program.

Q Is he entitled to parliamentary immunity?

SP He is immune here when he testifies. If he was lying, and it was found out that he was lying, he could be disciplined.

Q Do you see the need to continue with this investigation?

SP I think we are about to wind up, with the way things are.

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