Press Release
March 16, 2011

Transcript of Interview of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile

On the preparedness of the government for a magnitude 9 earthquake

SP Hindi natin alam kung preparado o hindi preparado 'yung gobyerno sapagkat malaking preparation ang kailangan. Kailangang pag-aralan kung ano ang mga kundisyon ng ating mga structures sa Pilipinas, at saan ang probable area na tatamaan ng lindol. Pero by and large, meron namang ginagawa na paghahanda para sa kaligtasan ng ating mga kababayan.

Q Are you not worried that the Senate building is very near the sea?

SP No. This building is well constructed. I am sure that they have done pilings here so that this building will be sitting on a solid block of concrete pilings that have been done in order to make it stable. Kung tsunami naman ang pinag-uusapan natin, tinanong ko 'yun kanina kung maaaring pumasok ang tsunami sa Manila Bay. Pwede daw pero mababa naman 'yung tubig.

Q Sabi po ng Phivolcs anytime daw, pwede gumalaw 'yung Marikina fault?

SP 'Yung anytime, that can be anytime from today, up to X-century, di ba? Kaya 'yung mga sinasabi, of course, anything can happen to you. Something can happen to you. 'Yun ang ibig sabihin 'nun. Pwede ka masagasaan. Pwede kang kagatin ng ahas. Pwede kang masaksak. Pwede kang mahulog. 'Yun ang ibig sabihin ng anytime. Very indefinite 'yung mga ganung statement.

Q Tama po ba na sabihin ng Phivolcs 'yun?

SP Pwede. Tama 'yun, para palaging prepared tayo. Pag sinabi naman nila, 'di namin alam kung kailan', 'yun ang totoo. Hindi mo malalaman kung kailan dadating 'yung mga ganung pangyayari. Sasabihin nila, wala palang nalalaman itong Phivolcs na ito.

On the sudden closure of Banco Filipino

SP Dapat alamin ng Bangko Sentral 'yun kung bakit sapagkat pag nagdeclare ng holiday 'yung bangko, ibig sabihin nun wala na silang cash na pang-responde sa mga magwi-withdraw ng kanilang mga deposit. At may dahilan 'yun kung bakit.

On whether the Blue Ribbon committee report will be taken up in Plenary.

SP Ewan ko kung may sapat na pirma na. Hindi ko pa nakikita 'yung partial report na 'yun. Hindi pa yata naka-file sa Secretariat 'yung report na 'yun.

Q Sir, mukhang kayo na lang yata 'yung hindi nakakakita 'nung report, hindi ba sumasama ang loob ninyo?

SP Hindi. Bakit sasama ang loob ko sa report? Meron akong kopya sa itaas, pero hindi ko pa binabasa. Ako yata ang unang pinadalhan, pero hindi naman ako member ng Committee, bakit ko babasahin 'yung report?

Q Hindi po ba signatory kayo? Ex-officio member?

SP Signatory ba ako? Ex-officio member. Hindi naman ako kailangan pumirma nung report. At saka kahit hindi ko binasa 'yung report, pag pumunta dito sa Plenary, pwede naman ako magtanong. Hindi ko na kailangan na basahin 'yun, alam ko na ang nilalaman nun.

On the BIR

Q 'Yung BIR, ipapabawi na daw 'yung annual information returns?

SP 'Yun ang mahirap, susulong sila, pagkatapos, uurong. Dapat pag-aralan nilang mabuti bago sila gumawa ng desisyon para sa ganun, hindi lalabas na pag may sumigaw, aatras sila.

Q Sa tingin ninyo na, unconstitutional 'yun?

SP 'Yung SALN? Ako, nagpa-file ng SALN kahit na 'nung wala ako sa Senado. As a tax payer, meron 'yun. Required 'yun. Nasa batas yata 'yun, dahil I have been filing a statement of assets and liabilities to accompany my income tax return.

Q Kahit private dapat po may SALN?

SP Yes.

Q So dapat pinanindigan 'yun ng BIR?

SP 'Yun nga. Bakit sila umatras, 'yun ang hindi ko maintindihan.

On the group of supermarkets not accepting food items from Japan?

SP Hindi naman siguro tama 'yun. Kung 'yung mga food items na 'yun in transit na nung mangyari 'yung mga sakuna doon, bakit naman nila hindi tatanggapin?

Q Gusto daw nila na mag-issue ng clearance ang DOH?

SP Hindi naman siguro contaminated 'yung mga foodstuff na 'yun na galing sa Japan because kailan lang nangyari 'yung event doon, wala pang takot sa radiation problem noon. May over-reaction, 'yun ang problema natin. We are always over-reacting. Kailangan kalmado lang tayo. Pag-isipan nating mabuti 'yung ating ginagawa para 'wag matatalisod.

On Banco Filipino

Q Pwede po ma-penalize 'yung Banco Filipino?

SP Pwede, dahil hindi dapat nila isasara 'yung kanilang bangko ng ganun lang. Mapeperwisyo 'yun kanilang mga depositors. Ibig sabihin nun, pananagutan ng Bangko Sentral 'yun, dahil they are supposed to supervise these banks and check them.

Q Pina-explain na po sila ng BSP pero 'yung inconvenience ng depositors for at least a day or two...

SP Alam mo, this is not the first time na mangyari 'yan sa Banco Filipino. Nung ako ay nasa Finance Department, I was Under-secretary and then later on I was the acting Secretary, nagkaroon din ng bank run 'yan, 'yung Banco Filipino na 'yan. Pero napigil namin, sapagkat sinuportahan ng Central Bank noon ng cash ang Banco Filipino, kasama 'yung Philippine Savings Bank. Ngayon na naman, nagkakaroon na naman sila ng problema. Ibig sabihin nun, masama ang management nung bangko na 'yun.

Q How plausible 'yung balita na smear campaign against them?

SP Hindi pwede 'yun. Kumakalat na tsismis, maski na kakalat ang tsismis, kung 'yung bangko mo ay liquid, hindi ka matatakot.

Q Maski magka-bank run?

SP Hindi. 'Yung bank run, madaling pigilin 'yun. Ipakita mo lang 'yung cash doon sa window doon sa mga depositor, uuwi na 'yun.

Q So dapat magsara na lang kung meron silang problema?

SP Hindi dapat. Kailangan isara kung may problema. Why should you allow a bank that is mismanaged to operate?

Q Pwede nang ground 'yung hindi nila pag-operate ng dalawang araw para i-order sila...

SP Nagbukas na ba ulit? Dapat pasukin ng Bangko Sentral 'yun at tingnan kung ano ang problema nung bangko na 'yun. You know, the money there does not belong to the bankers. It belongs to the depositors.

Q Ano po ang dapat gawin ng mga depositors?

SP Kawawa 'yung mga depositor. They have to be protected.

On the impeachment Court

Q Pagka naging Impeachment Court na po ang Senate, 'yung mga senator's capacity as judges, hindi kayo pwedeng mag-comment? Hindi na kayo pwedeng interbyuhin?

SP As much as possible, kung ako ang tatanungin, huwag silang magkokomentaryo tungkol sa kaso sapagkat huhusgahan nila 'yun.

Q Magkakaroon po ng self-imposed gag?

SP No. Anyway, the trial is open to the public. Open to the media. It will be covered by you. You can observe what's going on. You can hear the testimony of witnesses. You can hear the questions that can be asked about certain documents.

Q Paano po 'yung mga madudulas?

SP Kung may mga madadaldal d'yan, baka mainhibit sila.

Q Parang advise ninyo 'yun or will it become the policy?

SP I do not know yet what the rules will be. Ginagawa 'yung rules. As much as possible, there should be no interviews by members of the Senators. After the hearing, if they want to be interviewed, they can be interviewed, but during the hearing of the case, there should be no interruption so that the Senators can listen to the evidence well. Hindi kagaya nung kay Erap, maski na kami nandoon sa hearing, tinatawagan kami para interbyuhin kami. Hindi pwede 'yun.

Q Basta not during, okay lang po after?

SP After, yes. If they want to talk about the case, I would advise them not to, but that is only my suggestion.

Q Payag na po kayo sa Senators directly questioning?

SP Yes. We did that in the case of Erap but there is a limitation of time. Two minutes.

Q Ganun nga daw po 'yung nangyari kay Erap...?

SP Syempre. Kung hindi mo naintindihan 'yung mga tinatanong o 'yung sinabi nung witness, you clarify. I do not know whether they knew my leaning at that time. Now, in the case of Erap, there is no question that that was a political trial. He was the President of the country, there can be no more political person than the President of the Philippines. So, from the time of (inaudible), in Rome, all the way to Clinton in the United States, the trial of elected politicians by their peers is always a political trial, but in this case, we are going to try somebody who has never been elected by the people. She was appointed to a Constitutional Commission.

Q Sabi po ng iba baka mag-drag on 'yung impeachment trial?

SP Depende 'yun sa mga prosecutors, how skillful they will present their evidence.

Q Paano 'yung trabaho ninyo?

SP Sa umaga. Morning, we will have legislative work. In the afternoon, we will have the impeachment trial.

Q Papayagan ninyo ba 'yung prosecutors from the House to get private counsel?

SP No. I think the prosecutors should be the Congressmen themselves.

Q Pero nung panahon po ni Erap may private prosecutors?

SP Meron silang kinuha, si Marcelo. At that time, I do not know why. I think they had a hard time presenting the evidence. You know, pag hindi ka sanay sa trial work, mahirap magprisinta ng ebidensiya because may rules yan. You cannot ask leading questions. You cannot say, did you not say this? Is it not true that you said this?

Q So ngayon you prefer na sila ang magpresent ng case?

SP We have a panel of hotshot lawyers, I understand, so I think they would be enough.

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