TRANSCRIPT OF PRESS BRIEFING OF SENATOR TG GUINGONA

Senator TG Guingona We just finished the testimony of Dennis Cunanan and ang gagawin natin dito ay No. 1 irereview natin mabuti at bubusisiin natin ang mga sinabi niya, No. 2, ikukumpara natin sa mga statements ng mga ibang whistle blowers kung mayroon mang nagkakatugma o pagkalihis at No 3, titignan namin ang asa at ang mga kilos ni Mr. Cunanan ng sa ganoon malaman natin kung ang kilos at asa niya ay talagang nagsasabi niya ng tama, tapat o sapat. After all that, then can we only say that kung may kaguluhan 'yun testimony ni Mr. Dennis Cunanan.

Sir, did you see any inconsistencies in the testimony of Mr. Cunanan as compared to the testimony of Benhur Luy?

Well, right now ayoko muna sagutin yan sapagkat marami mga tanong ng mga senador at gusto ko muna ireview 'yung mga transcripts. But of course there is that one that was pointed out by Senator Koko Pimentel, na sinasabi ni Mr. Cunanan na hindi siya kumuha pero sinasabi ni Benhur Luy na mayroon kickback. So kailangan i-review naming 'yong records tapos we have to go back to the affidavits of the other whistleblowers, if may nagsabi ng ganoon then we can find out after reviewing everything.

Sir, you said that you will observe the demeanor of Mr. Cunanan but based on what he said, did he seem to tell the truth when he claimed that he did not receive any kickback?

The demeanor is only one aspect. We also have to compare what he said with the other whistle blowers in the past, in their transcripts or in their affidavits. Mahirap naman mag-husga base sa demeanor lang.

Sir, isn't it suspicious that he wasn't asked about that issue, he didn't bring it up? He didn't mention it in his affidavit? He didn't seem to remember if he went to the office of Janet Napoles? We will take that into consideration when we make evaluation.

Sir, sa personal opinion n'yo lang po, ano kinuha natin kay Cunanan kanina?

Well, basically what he said in his affidavit. Tinetesting ngayon ang mga senators 'yung credibility ng affidavit niya. Lalong-lalo na 'yun sinabi ni Sen. Grace Poe tungkol sa SALN niya, sa ITR...If I remember right, there is a requirement that he will submit some more documents, I think it's regarding his ITR. So, we still have to take a look on that.

Sir, medyo extreme opposite 'yung sinasabi ni Luy at ni Cunanan, paano kung after evaluating their statements napatunayan na isa sa kanila nagsisinungaling? Anong plano niyo gagawin?

Maybe we should ask the department of Justice that because I remember kanina 'yun na point out nga ni Sen. Koko, sabi ni Justice Secretary De Lima they will meet on that when they get back to the office. They will thresh it out so on that level dapat ang sagot d'yan ay ang Department of Justice.

Sir, pwede ba i-file ng perjury kasi they took their oaths today?

No, no because first of all they have to thresh it out, the three of them, Sec. De Lima, Mr. Cunanan and Benhur Luy. To say that you are going to file perjury now is extremely premature.

Sir, may common sentiments mga senators like hindi naman sinasabi ng totoo. When you review his testimony, his demeanor, is it one of you plans to recommend whether to include or exclude him as a witness?

We will look into that but right now I'd rather leave it to the Department of Justice, to thresh out all the inconsistencies that were pointed out by the other senators. We will wait their findings. So hindi mag re-recommend ang Blue Ribbon kung credible ba siya or qualified to be a state witness?

Hindi, we will leave that to the Department of Justice.

Walang ganyang authority? At least to recommend?

We can recommend, of course, but I rather leave that up to the Department of Justice. Anyway, that is not really within the scope of our authority.

Sir, napansin lang kasi namin na ang huling dalawang testigo na sina Tuason and Cunanan ay pareho ring may sabit sa pera. Ang Department of Justice kasi ay tanggap lang ng tanggap ng kagaya nila. Ang Senate ba ay hindi magkakaroon ng sarili nilang pagsasala? Kailangan ba nila ang kung ano ang nakukuhang testigo na nakukuha ng DOJ, kailangan din ba dapat tanggapin din lahat iyon ng Senado?

Kaya nga nagkakaroon ng hearing para ma testing ang mga affidavits tulad ng nangyari ngayon. Kaya tinatanong ng mga Senador, iyon ang pagsasala o pagte testing na ginagawa ng mga Senador.

Puwede po bang hindi na ipatawag o imbatahin sa Senado ang mga lumulutang sa DOJ? Kahit sino ay puwedeng tawagin sa Senado, iyon ang rule. We can call the whistleblowers. Mag-e evaluate na rin kami kung ano ang mga next na hakbang natin. Pasok na ba siya sa preliminary report?

Like I said, we will evaluate our next step.

Sir, in the last hearing, you characterized Ruby Tuason's testimony as a 3-pt winning shot. How would you characterize Cunanan's testimony?

Like I said, we will have to evaluate our next step according to: #1, we will have to review it, and evaluate it and scrutinize it. #2, we will have to compare it with the testimonies of other witnesses with the transcript of the past hearings; # 3, we will also have to take into account the demeanor of Dennis Cunanan. Then after we evaluate all of that, can we only come into a conclusion. Inconsistencies have been brought up earlier on Luy's and Cunanan's testimony. Given these inconsistencies brought up by Sen. Poe on Mr. Cunanan's lifestyle. We have to evaluate that. But you must remember, na ang layunin ng Blue Ribbon Committee ay hindi iyong prosecution. Ang layunin ditto ay ang pagsagot ng apat na tanong. What happened; How did it happen, who should answer; and, what we should do so that will not happen again. As long as we find sufficient information already to answer those questions, then we can say already that it is time to wrap up. As long as those 4 questions had been adequately answers. After 9 hearings, do we adequate and sufficient answers. After that, we like to evaluate everything. Is Dennis Cunanan qualified to this legislative immunity which he requested earlier?

Legislative Immunity is under the rules or law of the witness protection program and subject to the approval of the Senate President.

Can you give your own assessment not sticking for the Blue Ribbon Committee kung credible ba si Cunanan or kung talagang nakakuha siya ng kickback?

I cannot divorce my personal from the Blue Ribbon.. you know very well that I am the chairman of the Blue Ribbon I rather have evaluated it again. Like with the three criteria that I have said. On that criteria, ano pa po ang kulang para magkaroon tayo ulit ng other investigation for PDAF. We cannot answer that right now because we have to find out kung adequate na nga ba lahat ng information.

Hindi po kayo nababahala na baka abutin po kayo ng 2016, hindi tayo nakakapaglabas ng rekomendasyon, kapag minalas-malas tayo, medyo friendly dito sa mga nababanggit na kaalyado sa presidente, ano po ang nakikita ninyo dito?

We cannot control events. Akala ko tapos na, tapos Ruby Tuason came up. Akala ko tapos na, and then Dennis Cunanan came up. Can you imagine if Ms. Ruby Tason came up and then we said no, we won't call her? What would you have said? If Mr. Cunanan came up and we said we won't call her, what would you have said? So, really, we cannot control events. Now, this seems to be the last, but we don't know.

Yung po bang pagtawag sa mga pinagsasalita dito sa Blue Ribbon, botohan po ba ito ng miyembro? Paano ang sistema rito?

I decide.

You said that the committee might soon wrap up the investigation based on your evaluation, but earlier Senator Miriam said in her presscon that she suggested looking into the other non-Napoles NGOs which other senators also suggested. Is this part of the evaluation or do you think that this should be a separate investigation?

You can look at it that way, you can look at it separate, parang chapters in a book. For example, like I said, there is Malampaya, and yes there are the other non-Napoles NGOs. So there is Malampaya, but in Malampaya, from what we know, the Napoles NGOs are also involved. Yes, it is another topic, but it is also related. Then it has some relation. You can either look at it as a separate investigation, or an ongoing investigation, chapter by chapter by chapter.

Kay Ruby Tuason, sure na sure tayo sa kanyang testimonya, pero bakit dito kay Cunanan, kailangan pang iimbestiga?

It is better to follow the criteria that I just said, lalong lalo na dito na merong mga senador na nag-bring up ng issues like what Sen. Koko Pimentel and Sen. Grace Poe brought up. After the hearings, ano po yung mga legislative measures na nakita ninyong pwedeng isulong? Initially? Yung pag-accredit and evaluate ng mga NGOs, that will deal with the government. Nandiyan na yan, for example, SEC, and the Cooperative Development Authority. They accredit NGOs, they accredit cooperatives, but when it comes to dealing with government, I think there should be a more stricter standard and should be another regulatory body. Ang nakita namin, PCNC, is very much willing to take on the task nang sa ganoon, maiiwasan natin, Kasi, like it was shown in one of the hearings, sa SEC alone, in one year, twenty-five thousand NGOs, tapos walo lang yung tao nila. So, you can imagine what kind of evaluation can happen, but it is not the fault of SEC, because it is a function of their budget.

May challenge si Senator Miriam kay Atty. Gigi Reyes na isauli yung ninakaw na in-charge sa kanya, and then maging state witness na lang siya. Do you support her challenge?

That certainly is a valid issue and I think it is better for all those implicated to come out and tell the truth.

Quoting Sec. De Lima, sinasabi po niya kanina na parang she believes na talagang magsasalita si Janet Lim Napoles. Muli ba siyang Ipapatawag ng Blue Ribbon Committee?

Hindi na, until we know that she is willing to talk for certain, we won't call her, because we will just get more of the same.

How can we know that she will not talk?

Because she is not willing to talk, we will get more of the same, so until there is a positive declaration from Sec. De Lima, or from the Ombudsman, then that is the only time.