Transcript of Ambush Interview with Senate President Franklin M. Drilon

Q: On upcoming Liberal Party National Executive Council (NECO) meeting on Wednesday

SPFMD: PNoy will be there. The president will be there as the chairman of the party. He will preside over the business meeting of the NECO, after the business meeting, we will have the presentation of the presidential and vice presidential candidate of the party. The President will be there, as chairman of the party.

Q: Pati yung buong lineup ng senatorial candidates, kumpleto nang i-aannounce?

SPFMD: I don't know yet kung buong lineup ay maco-convene. But certainly the president will be there, the presidential and the vice-presidential candidate will be announced.

Q: So as of now, si Secretary Mar, meron na siyang VP?

SPFMD: Ilang tulog na lang, wait for it. Dalawang tulog na lang. We will not have that unless we have a vice-presidential candidate. Yes, we will have.

Q: Invited si Senator Cayetano, at si Representative Robredo?

SPFMD: I do not know if they were invited.

Q: Si Mayor Duterte, nakukumbinsing tumakbo for President. Diba sabi niyo earlier ay parang malilimit na lang to three presidential candidates.

SPFMD: Well I have no control over the decisions of Mayor Duterte. We can only say, "Welcome."

Q: Magiging game-changer ba siya?

SPFMD: As I said from the very start, we will continue presenting Mar Roxas as the rightful successor of the President to continue the principle of "Daang Matuwid."

Q: Yung sa Wednesday, ilang senatorial candidate na yung maannounce?

SPFMD: Hindi ko pa alam.

Q: Six percent na lang po yung lamang ni Senator Poe kay Secretary Roxas.

SPFMD: It's a dead heat race. Statistically tied, it's plus minus three. It's a dead heat at this point, so the race is on. The race is on. Talagang ito na ang umpisa, at nakikita natin na patuloy ang pagtaas ng ratings ni Secretary Mar. They are statistically tied.

Q: Kaya pang lampasan ni Secretary Mar in the next months?

SPFMD: Siyempre, we will not present a candidate who will not win. We are confident that we can make a distinction between Secretary Mar and his opponents.

Q: Hanggang next week na lang ang session?

SPFMD: May two weeks pa. Next week is just October 5. Naguumpisa pa lang ang week, six more session days.

Q: Kasama ngayon?

SPFMD: Yeah.

Q: Paano po ang BBL?

SPFMD: You can watch me everyday. I try my best, but I can only do so much. I'll keep on working on it, but you know, you can see the sessions everyday and now, again it's number one in our agenda.

That's the best I can do, because we have no (unclear) rule in the Senate.

Q: Despite that, walang assurance po ba na mapapasa ang BBL sa Senate?

SPFMD: Nobody can assure anything. We'll keep working on it, and we'll keep on talking to the senators.

Q: The mere fact that six session days na lang, malabo na ata.

SPFMD: We have six more session days. You make your own conclusion on that.