Press Release
July 7, 2011

TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW WITH SEN. FRANKLIN DRILON

Q: Background ni Uriarte?

She was very familiar with the President therefore she had the confidence and trust of the President that's why she was placed there. I have no information, it's just that her professional background would indicate her closeness with the former President, that is why she was placed there because she had the confidence of the former President.

Q: Implications ng mga sinasabi nya that it was PGMA who approved, it was signed before her, and even the diversion of funds for other purposes

Very, very damaging and the Ombudsman should take a look at these testimonies and see what liabilities former President has on the basis of that testimony under oath of Uriarte.

Q: What possible liabilities?

I do not want to make any conclusion at this point.

Q: She's claiming PCSO is under supervision of OP.

She's saying that the illegal acts were supervised by the OP. Does she realize the implications of her statement? There she was saying she should not be blamed, blame Malacanang because she was under GMA's supervision, they were the ones who approved this. Is that what she is saying? With those statements, then she is really putting former Pres. Arroyo in real trouble.

Q: What illegal acts?

She was saying that the intel funds were used for purposes other than intelligence gathering. She was saying she used it for other purposes.

Q: President approved was spent for intel

We saw the documents, they had the approval of the President. Uriarte said it was approved in her presence and she now says that...the liability, in effect, is with the President because she said she was being supervised by the OP.

Q: Is that tantamount to plunder?

That is a matter for the Ombudsman to determine.

Q: Were you satisfied with her answer na P130 or P150M were spent for the roll out of STL, and even for blood money?

No, no, no. I think there is reasonable basis that this was used for purposes other than intelligence-gathering and since it was during the election, there is basis for the suspicion that this was used during the election. P138.2 million in five, six months and even after the elections she was withdrawing P30 million in June... so this is really something that raises eyebrows and this gives justification for the very stringent rules that we impose in the GOCC Governance Act.

Q: Approved ni ex-President...kailangan pa ba nya magpaliwanag, hihingan nyo sya ng explanation?

Well it's up to her as former President, she enjoys certain courtesies, it's up to her whether she would want to explain this.

Q: It seems aware din ang ex-President na ginamit sa intel-gathering?

According to Uriarte, she appears to have knowledge of this and I'm surprised at this testimony. Mabigat itong sinabi nya.

Q: And the President is not immune from suit?

Yes, she's not immune

Q: Pwede magamit state witness si Uriarte if ever sampahan ng plunder si GMA?

Pwede.

Q: Ito maging kaso, basis para kasuhan ng plunder si GMA?

Plunder is a matter of, I do not want to go to a conclusion but the Ombudsman decides that, certainly there is basis for the Ombudsman to conduct a thorough investigation.

Q: Submission of documents to President, was that an attempt to cover up illegal use of funds?

No, she really sought the approval of the President because they sincerely believe that that is the process required.

Q: Katwiran ni Uriarte, pinagtatanggol, pagtatakip kay ex-President

Hindi ko alam kung ganyan ang pagtatakip eh lalong nababaon si Pres. Arroyo. Doon sa testimony ni Uriarte mukhang alam ni Pres. Arroyo na ang paggamit ng pera ay hindi sang-ayon doon sa approval.

Q: Do you believe the project ay existing talaga?

Sa akin hindi ako naniniwala doon sa sinasabi ni Uriarte. I believe that the funds were used for purpose other than purpose indicated because 2 taon pare-pareho ang purpose eh, nang pag withdraw ng funds, nang paghingi ng authority. The same activity for 2 years. Kaya mahirap isipin na tama yung ginawa nila.

Q: Are you convinced that the P150 million was used for the campaign?

I am convinced that the P150 million was used for purposes other than what it was authorized to be spent.

Q: Regular ba yun na when you leave the board, you submit all the documents to the OP, ni wala daw natira sa kanila, binigay lahat sa pres

To me that's not regular. That indicates something is being kept because in the regular course, they're supposed to turn over these documents to the successor. These are not personal records. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was the outgoing president at the very least she should have submitted to the records section of Malacanang, not personally to the president as she testified.

Q: Charges the old board faces?

Anti-graft can be a basis. Given the amounts, if it is shown that it is over P50 million, that can be plunder.

Q: Paki-expound lang yung kay Uriarte as witness against GMA.

Sa ating batas, kung ang testimony ni Uriarte ay kailangan at yun lang ang kanyang pwedeng gamitin, sa ating batas ay pwede siyang gawing state witness. Kung sya ang least guilty.

Q: Hindi clear dun sa budget yung intel budget.

What they do is realign portions of their MOOE including PR. That's what they did. They realigned 20% or a minimum of P150 million of the PR funds.

Q: Allowed ba yun?

To realign is allowed.

Q: And it needs the approval of the President?

This is where the confusion starts because she says it was in their corporate operating budget. On the other hand, she said there was P60 million but they did not use that. 'We asked for another authority for P150 million.' It was so unusual and not consistent with standard corporate practices.

Q: You said Uriarte was lying.

Yes she was lying.

Q: She did it single-handedly?

I would not be able to know that.

Q: Paano yung DFA undersecretary getting cash for blood money? Is that okay?

The DFA's mandate is to save these people. The source of fund is the PCSO. That's a judgment call of using PCSO funds for this purpose which obviously is unauthorized under the charter of the PCSO.

Q: Anong mga batas ang na-violate?

Basically anti-graft law.

Q: Kanina ang sabi ni Uriarte she is hoping for a fair treatment in the Senate?

I think there was a fair treatment. She was given every opportunity to answer questions. Unfortunately dun sa mga sagot niya ay lalong binabaon ang sarili niya at ang Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Q: Mr. Morato said CoA report ay tampered with?

I think between CoA and Mr. Morato I would rather believe CoA.

Q: Ano ba ang profile ni Uriarte?

Obviously she's very close to the President having been associated with her way back in late 80s or early 90s as DTI undersecretary, as senator, as vice-president and as president. So that's a span of 20 years of association.

Q: Na-establish ba na the former president is really aware that these funds are being used for intel?

Obviously. That's in the documents itself.

Q: Sinabi nyo kanina unusual yung amount or yung intel...

Everything is unusual. Huge chunks of money being spent for what appears to be not very significant activities which would require not very significant budgets. Which would require such spending levels. Talagang nakakasuka.

Q: Sa blood money, do you know the undersecretary Conejos to be connected with GMA?

I only know him professionally. But can you imagine delivering to the DFA millinso of pesos in cash? That's most unusual. If it's an above-board transaction, you issue a check, you let him sign a voucher and you let him liquidate. Especially if it's allegedly for blood money... then afterwards you liquidate by presenting the signature of the recipient of the blood money. So I cannot understand why they delivered it in cold cash.

Q: Is there a way for us to trace the P138 million intel fund?

That's for the CoA to determine. That's not the role of the Blue Ribbon committee. Here, let me emphasize, that as a result of this testimony and the fact that we have gathered, we can have a strong basis to amend the charter of the PCSO and also the Governance Council for GOCCs would have its hands full in supervising the behavior of the board of the PCSO and the chief executive officer.

Q: Ano yung specific amendments?

I don't want to go into detail but in general we want to make sure that first there is a reasonable standard for allocation of the medical benefits and other benefits of the PCSO among the entire country and not based on political affiliations so that these benefits could really go to the recipients intended. Let's have standards for the grant of these benefits.

Q: Ang tatawagan niyo ng attention ay ang Ombudsman at DoJ para mag-investigate nito?

Yes.

Q: Ano ang culpability ni GMA doon kasi ang nag-initiate ng P160 million PCSO eh.

Yes but they approved it. Apparently they approved it with full knowledge.

Q: Dun sa binanggit nyo sa ambulances, ano ang indication nun?

There is a political patronage being exercised and the grant of the benefits is very partisan.

Q: Ka-partido po ba yun si Gov. Savillano?

No.

Q: Pero di pa na-issue sa kanya ang 20 ambulance units?

Mukhang naibigay na yon.

Q: Pero sir na-check na talagang mga kapartido yung mga nabigyan ng ambulances?

May listahan naman eh. I just pointed out that some are smarter than others.

Q: Sa closed door ine-expect nyo bang magsasabi ng totoo si Uriarte?

I don't know.

Q: Pabor kayo dun na magkaroon pa ng executive session?

Kung gusto nila mag executive session. Tignan natin. I don't think there's any national security involved. But if they want an executive session, I'm willing to go to it.

Q: Yung intel project document na kine-claim nila detailing the disbursements, you will get hold of that before the executive session?

Hindi ko alam. Alam mo itong intel and confidential fund is the most abused item in the budget. If we were very strict in looking at that in the previous hearings of the budget, we will be stricter this time in the 2012 budget.

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