Transcript of Sen. Cynthia Villar's press conference

Q: Reaction on SONA

Villar: Okay naman. Ganoon naman talaga ang SONA, you have to enumerate the ills of the country and how you propose to solve it.

Q: Ano sa inyo ang highlight?

Villar: For me kasi biased ako doon, iyong sinabi niya sa poverty-reduction and of course, iyong pinaka-popular, iyong crime and drugs and poverty reduction, which is really a lingering problem sa Philippines. For some reason, it seems we cannot solve it. Iyong poverty figure natin in 2010 is 25 percent. Hanggang ngayon it's still 25 percent. I guess that will be a perennial problem for the Philippines.

Q: On lower of tax

Villar: Ang tingin ko ang mga tao they like to pay but minsan kapag masyadong mataas ang babayaran, medyo nagkakaroon sila ng hesitance. I think pareho rin iyan, babaan mo pero kung marami ang magbabayad the revenues will be the same. I think lahat naman ng tao given a chance would like to become legitimate, you pay the right things except you cannot afford it or you feel you cannot afford it. It's a feeling, then you don't pay. But if it's lower, many people will be willing to pay. Iyong revenue ng government will be the same.

Q: Iyong iba hindi nagde-declare ng tama..

Villar: Kaya nga. Kasi ikaw, halimbawa mababa naman, you declare na lang. Mahirap din ang hindi nagde-declare. It creates a certain amount of uncertainty to a business man and to a person. Tingin ko kung bibigyan mo siya ng chance at ma-afford niyang magbayad, magbabayad na lang siya para wala na siyang worry.

Q: Since sinabi ni President Duterte and tungkol sa lower income and corporate tax, assurance ba iyon na maipapasa na ang batas?

Villar: There will be a very good chance na ma-approve. Kasi syempre, kung sinu-support ng President, and he is a popular president, then on the part of the legislators, may tendency sila to support.

Q: May chance ba na harangin like in the past admin?

Villar: Siya ang nag-appoint nun, tapos sila ang haharang sa iyo? Parang hindi logical iyon.

Q: Ano ang pwedeng maging problema ng Congress para ma-fulfill ang maraming promises sa SONA?

Villar: I guess we have to pass the enabling law for these to be implemented. At the same time, hindi naman komo nag-pass tayo ng enabling law susunod na ang bureaucracy. Siguro ang bigger challenge would be for the government bureaucracy to be able to do what he had promised. From my own experience, I find iyong being able to get the cooperation of the government bureaucracy more difficult than any of the problems.

Q: Iyong sinabi ni Pang. Duterte na pag-relax sa bank secrecy law, may idea ba kayo kung paano ito?

Villar: We have to see the enabling law.

Q: Are you inclined to support it?

Villar: We'll see how it will be worded. Kasi babalansehin mo iyan. Kasi iyong iba kaya ayaw ipakita ang financial capability nila, baka gamitin iyon ng bad elements, danger to you, may mga ganoon. Nalalaman nila ang personal life mo, mayroon ding danger iyon. So we have to balance it, the advantage and the disadvantage.

Q: Iyong pag-relax ng safety nets sa pag-open ng bank accounts... Villar: Hindi ba ganoon naman ngayon, may mga safety nets. Minsan kaya nila gustong buksan, for the crimes committed. But at the sam etime kapag inopen mo baka may crimes naman na ma-commit...

Q: Sabi nila Sen. Chiz merong pwedeng i-exempt...

Villar: For purposes siguro na ginagamit mo for graft and corruption, iyon pwede naman iyon you can ask exemption for that kasi wala namang problema, hindi ka naman nagnananakaw. Ang problema, baka naman ilalabas nila ang records mo gamitin naman ng iba to harm you.

Q: On the implementation of the Reproductive Health law...

Villar: That has been passed at may question na hindi binibigyan ng budget iyong birth control needs. Diba nagka-question iyan noong last budget deliberation, parang nawala ang budget for birth control sa DOH. Siguro iyon ang sinasabi niya.

Q: Did you vote for RH?

Villar: I am pro-life. It has been passed into law. When it has been passed into law, we followed the law.

Q: Can the Senate fast-track the emergency power for Duterte?

Villar: I think so. I'm not sure kung one month.

Q: Kanino mare-refer ito?

Villar: Depende. I think ang hinihingi niya for public works, kasi mga contracts sa mass transit system. Parang under DOTC.

Q: Do you see senators supporting federalism?

Villar: Depende kung anong provision ng federalism. Remember, federalism has many forms also. So we decide what form we are going to adopt. It will be subject to discussion.

Q: Federal-presidential kaysa parliament?

Villar: Kasi ang sinasabi niya iyong French model. Okay din. It's something that we have to read. Kasi wala pa namang material to read about it. They have been talking about it pero may naka-file na ba? Wala pa yata.

Q: May balita na ba kayo sa mga stranded OFWs...

Villar: Nainterview na natin sila, maraming OFW ang stranded sa Saudi Arabia kasi na-bankrupt ang kanilang kompanya. Iyong iba gustong umuwi, in fact, some of them we have brought home. Iyong iba are trying to wait for their separation pay. Ang problema sa Saudi Arabia, kailangan may exit permit. Hindi rin pwedeng lahat basta mo na lang pauuwiin. Some of them hindi kumukuha ng exit permit. Some of them wala, some of them still trying. Some of them gusto talagang mag-stay and look for another job . Iba-iba ang wishes nila kaya minsan mahirap din. Ang opinyon ko, lahat ng gustong umuwi, pauwiin mo.

Q: Are you satisfied with the committee given to you by the majority?

Villar: Okay naman. I can work with it. One of my advocacies also is environmental protection. At the same time, another committee of mine will be rural development, that is more or less related to agriculture. I can continue my advocacies on environment and agriculture.

Q: May panghihinayang ba na hindi ninyo nakuha ang agri since matindi ang passion ninyo para rito?

Villar: It's not naman a legislative advocacy, it's a personal advocacy so I can do it outside of the Senate.

Q: Since kayo na po ang magha-handle ng environment may mga areas na ba kayong pag-uusapan ni Secretary Gina Lopez?

Villar: Yes, how do we handle the proposed reclamation? Ano ba ang reclamation na pwede at hindi pwede. Iyong mining. I believe in responsible mining. Hindi naman ako in favor of illegal mining. Of course, ang greening program. We have to be really serious about our greening program. Our advocacy against illegal fishing. Kasi if we are unable to stop illegal fishing, our ocean will become virtual desert in the next generation or 30 years from now. Those are the things we have to do not for us but for the people kasi life blood ng tao iyan so we have to take care of that.

Q: Sabi ni Duterte, gusto niyang mag-create ng one-stop shop para sa pagpo-proseso ng mga OFW?

Villar: That is part of the Department of Migration and Development. Kung gusto niyang gawin iyon habang hindi pa napapasa, he can ask the government agencies na involved ngayon to get themselves together in one place for the OFWs. Ang problem ngayon ng OFWs, if you have a concern you don't know where to go. Do you go to DFA or DOLE. May mga agencies pa nga connected to the Office of the President. Pagsama-samahan na para ang mga OFWs hindi sila nako-confuse where to go. Buti kung naiintindihan nila ang lahat ng process. Pero iyong iba they are just simple people, gusto lang nila pumunta. Ang sinasabi nga niya kung papupuntahin mo sa iba't ibang lugar, ubos na ang araw sa traffic pa lang at sa transportation.

Q: Paano kayo napa-oo ng Supermajority to join them?

Villar; It's the request of the president. I think he talked to Alan and Koko na ang mga tao ayusin.

Q: Alan will join the Supermajority?

Villar: I think so. He is very supportive of the president.

Q: Ano ang comment ninyo sa sinabi ni Pres. Duterte against the Paris treaty?

Villar: He is right na hindi naman tayo talaga ang major culprit sa climate change and sa CO2 emission, very minor tayo. Lahat naman nakakaalam that it's US and China. They should take responsibility for that. Parang ang sinasabi niya, hindi naman tayo ang may cause noon, why do we delay our industrialization kung tayo ang pasusunurin nang husto. Sila naman before they industrialize, hindi naman sila sumunod. In a way, tama siya doon but we will see kung ano ang maganda. Of course, you want to send the message to our people to try and cooperate in protecting the environment. At the same, tingin niya necessary ang certain things na gawin para tayo ay maging competitive. For example, i think iyong coal, kasi mura ang coal relative to the renewable energy. Very important sa atin ang cost especially in a poor country like the Philippines. I do not know how they will balance it, the cost and the environmental aspect of it.

Q: On the unilateral ceasefire, sinaggest din ni former Speaker de Venecia na dapat may unpublished meeting din with the Abu Sayyaf...

Villar: I think it's how you view Abu Sayyaf. Iba iyong Muslim, MILF at MNLF sa Abu Sayyaf. Ano ba ang Abu Sayyaf, is it a legitimate organization of Muslim Filipinos or ito ay crime na talaga ang intention? How we view Abu Sayyaf, hindi ko naman specialty iyan, it's the work of the Department of National Defense.