Press briefing transcript of Majority Leader Sen. Vicente C. Sotto III

Sotto: Good morning everyone, thank you for having me, thank you for being here this morning, I would like to make a statement concerning the issues that have been coming out in the last few days. As a matter of fact the issues and events that are transpiring are actually very private to me and I have mix emotion on this issue.

I am sure you know what had transpired, may mga lumalabas na may kinalaman dun sa mga alleged fraud at palitan ng mga election returns at kung ano pa at nakawan nitong mga nakaraang araw and statements here and there. So, I would like to inform everybody that on this issue being the former campaign general manager of FPJ and later on became personal campaign manager.

There were instances, there were events, there were issues before na kinikimkim namin. As a matter of fact when we say naming, I mean FPJ and his close relatives, close friends and myself. Nung lumalabas ang mga issues na ito or statements from different personalities, I had mix emotion: Una, I am happy that the direct participants in this fraud have came out, there were no better witnesses than the one who did it them selves. Happy that finally someone is doing something about it, kasi 'yung mga sinasabi naming noon halos hindi nakarating sa publiko nung mga panahon na iyon.

Those days and nights that we spent in the canvassing hindi halos nakarating sa kababayan natin ang nangyayari o nagta-transpire dun eh. So, I'm glad it's coming out at the same time I am sad, nakakalungkot sapagkat nasaan sila nuong nakikipag laban kami, nuong kukonti ang boses naming sa national canvassing board, na naihahampas pa kami at ina-out vote kami, at binabali wala ang mga sinasabi naming kaya malungkot na maisip naming 'yan. It brings back painful memories, then I have heard a statement coming from personality na that should have been there in 2004 and stood up for what is right and what is correct pero hindi, tumulong pa sila para hindi lumabas ang katotohanan pagkatapos bigla akong makakarinig nang nagmamalinis, parang gustong maghugas kamay at parang ika-nga eh, parang sila pa ang dapat na tumulong sa papel ngayon.

It bothers my mind, it bothers my conscience, kaya I came out with statement that found it self in print, I think 2 days ago. So, with that, I hope I am making myself clear with this statement and I say this because of the mix emotion that I am feeling at this point, masaya, malungkot. Hopefully the department of justice will task by the executive department to find the proper investigative procedure and come up with the truth. Ang hinihingi natin dito sana maging consistent ang mga magi-imbestiga dito. Inumpisahan nila ito, tapusin natin, 'wag nating gawin itong ningas kugon na nabanggit lang at walang patutunguhan, inumpisan n'yo ito, tapusin natin.

Q: Sir, sinu-sino po 'yung mga tao na nagko-cause ng kalungkutan nyo na sinasabi n'yo sa amin.

Sotto: lahat ng pumigil sa amin nun, 'yung mga kasama naming sa senado, sila Senator Pangilinan na chairman ng canvassing board at mga iba pang members ng Senado nuong 12th Congress at House of Representatives sila Speaker De Venecia at sila Congressman Raul Gonzales na ang mga naririnig ko pa ay ang mga salitang wala namang evidence or lack of evidence, or absence of evidence. Our call in the national board of canvassers was the authenticity, the evidence is right under their noses, all we wanted is just to open one election returns in any of the areas we were pinpointing: Pangasinan, Cebu, ARMM, in fact even Iloilo. So the evidence was there, there is such thing what we call self-evident, common sense. In an area in Cebu there is barangay 3,000 votes in population we had the list and we presented it to them, ang boto 3,500.

Q: Sa ER 'yung Sir?

Sotto: Yes! Bakit hindi mo pabuksan? Noted eh!

Q: 'Yung mga legislators Sir na miyembro ng national board of canvassers na noted ang sagot sa inyong complaint dapat bang ipatawag sila sa mga hearings na gagawin?

Sotto: Siguro ang magandang panawagan sa kanila, kung ano ang mga nalalaman nila, kung sino man ang nakausap nila, mas maganda if they will come out and tell us. I over heard a fellow Senator challenging them, I understand Sen. Chiz Escudero challenging them to come into the open and say what they know. As a matter of fact isa sa mga nadamay dito na kasama natin ay si Sen. Loren Legarda. FPJ at si Loren 'yun kung titignan nyo, syempre pagpinag-usapan ang Cebu during that time 1998 Loren was number one in Cebuana, pagdating nuong 2001, Noli de Castro was number 13 although he was number nationwide, and then pagdating nuong 2004 biglang ang layo layo ng agwat ni Loren at Noli dapat 'yung siguro dikit o baka naman lamang pa si Loren. Kung titignan mo you will see. Let us concentrate on FPJ issue, nasabi ko lang yan dahil isa yan sa mga rhetoric ng mga pangyayari. Doon sa Cebu kung may barangay na 3,000 ang voting population at 3,500 ang bomoto at zero si FPJ ayaw mong buksan ang election returns, nakikita mo na sa canvass na ganun, nakikita mo na piniprisenta namin.

Q: Possible ba sir na 'yung mga umupo sa canvass 'yun yung nag-connive to do this election fraud?

Sotto: Let me put it this way, all I'm saying is all personalities that coming out now, those witnesses, the investigation, lahat ito hindi kailangan kung nagbukas sila ng election returns, we going to know if we are right or they were right, we would have known if they are fraud committed, we would have known then if GMA won not FPJ won. Ganun ka simple dapat 'yun. Hindi dapat umabot dito kung pinagbigyan nila kami.

Q: Sir, sabi raw po ni Sen. Kiko wala kayong moral ascendancy to talk about cheating, ang problema nyo raw kasi you are with the cheater when you run under GMA?

Sotto: Ang totoo n'yan hindi ko dapat patulan 'yan dahil you going to change the topic, pinapalitan mo ang topic ng 2007, 2004 ang pinag-uusapan, so I should relegate that but hindi papatulan ko nalang ang baryang isyu na 'yan, iniilag mo na rin ang topic sa pinaguusapan, papatulan ko na rin. Nuong 2007, you have to get the fact straight, maliwanag na maliwanag I am a NPC member, the NPC had a coalition with Team Unity, aside from that, two of my close friends running as well, going to run for 2004 elections, Senators Gringo Honasan and Tessie Oreta ayaw isama sa opposition for one reason or another, anong gusto mo iwanan ko sila gaya ng style nila. I've always been consistent in my action and I standby with my decision, the NPC had coalition we did, we concede to the decision of the party, as a matter of fact, Inday Susan knew about it, I even told her about, even Grace Poe knew about it, I told them that we will going to enter into coalition because of NPC, and NPC headed by Amb. Danding Cojuanco who is very close to Inday Susan and to myself and to FPJ most especially, knew all these things, kaya walang issue ng moral ascendancy dun na pang change topic, hindi 'yun ang issue dun and isyu 2004.

Q: Dapat managot ang Mr. Noted?

Sotto: Dapat managot lahat, kaya ako natutuwa rito sa imbestigasyon, kaya nga sabi ko this investigation should continue, it should be consistent and tapusin natin ito.

Q: Sir ang katuwiran nila dapat SET ang mag-decision sa mga complaint nun hindi dapat sila ang umaksyon doon kaya puro noted lang.

Sotto: I'm glad you brought that up, because article 7 of the constitution is very clear, it says that the canvassing board can make their own rules and it is an issue of open principle, common sense and kailangan nun, botante 3,000, 3,500 ang bomoto, anong klaseng common sense ang wala ka and as I said the article 7, section 4 of the constitution is clear, the determination of the authenticity is within the power of national canvassing board. The Supreme Court or the PET is if there is a protest, pagkatapos na ng canvassing at magpo-protesta ka dun ang pasok ng SC.

Q: Bakit kaya hindi nila pinagtuunan ng pansin nuon 'yan?

Sotto: Ayaw ko naman pangunahan ang imbestigasyon na mangyayari. Tignan natin ang mangyayari dahil kung itutuloy nila ang imbestigasyon na 'yan at ayaw makipag-cooperate ni Garcillano napaka daming regional directors at provincial directors ng Comelec ng mga panahon na iyon na alam lahat ang kinilos ni Comelec Comm. Garcillano. As a matter of fact, the person you should ask about, who knows how Garcillano move is the present Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes, Kami magkasama ng panahon na iyon. Alam nya kung sino ang mga provincial at regional directors ng Comelec pati mga operators but as I said lets go on with the investigation, parang awa n'yo na tapusin natin ito.

Q: But Sir how do you feel na lumalabas ito ngayon na patay na si FPJ, tapos na rin naman ang term ni GMA, wala kung baga mapapakinabangan sa termino?

Sotto: it is in the interest of fairness and justice.