Press Release
March 12, 2019

Transcript of interview of Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III

On tonight's meeting with the President

SP Sotto: Kagabi pinatawagan ako ng Presidente. Ang sabi sa akin, pumunta ako. Sabi ko, ano ang pag-uusapan? Budget daw. Sabi ko, pwede ko bang isama yung mga kasama ko? Si Loren at si Atty. Doblon? Siyempre si Ping? Oo daw. Gusto naman ni Loren, isama din dito ang leadership namin, si Ralph at si Migz, so pinasabihan ko. Yun ang background nun, so ngayon, di ko alam kung sino ang inimbita ng Presidente on the part of the House. Si ES Medialdea ang nakakaalam nun, kung meron, or kami lang muna, or whatever.

Q: Hindi pa clear kung kasama si Speaker Arroyo? May info daw na kasama si Speaker Arroyo?

SP Sotto: Di ko alam, si Presidente ang nag-imbita. Sino man ang nandoon, siya ang nang-imbita.

Q: Ano po yung expected na gagawin ninyo? Ipipresent nyo ba yung findings ng LBRMO?

SP Sotto: Oo kaya ko kasama si Atty. Doblon at saka si Loren, at saka si Ping para...

Q: Pero open kayo kung magkaharapan kayo ni Speaker at ni Nonoy Andaya?

SP Sotto: Yes, sure. Oo, okay lang.

Q: Ano yung magiging position ng Senate? Will you stand firm or willing ba kayo makipag-compromise if ever?

SP Sotto: Presently, our stand is that we sent the President what we ratified. Yun ang stand namin.

Q: For you that's the only way forward to end this stalemate?

SP Sotto: Oo, because that's the only way, that's the only legal way, there is no other legal way. You cannot touch the budget or any law after it was ratified already by both Houses. Kung meron silang sinasabing realignment, mga ganun na pinag-usapan nila, dapat ginawa nila yun bago nila niratify. Bakit ang bilis-bilis nila magratify tapos magtatagal sila sa pag-enroll? O pag-print at pag-enroll, di ba?

Q: Doon sa pag-itemize ng mga lump-sum allocations na naratify na, hindi rin kayo papayag na gawin pa yun ng House?

SP Sotto: I-itemize yung lump-sum appropriations nila?

Q: Opo.

SP Sotto: Wala namang ganun eh. Maliwanag na. Papayag ba kaming iratify yung bicam kung (unclear) malabo? Maliwanag, binago lang nila. Binabago pala, binabago nila, yung sinasabi nila na inaitemize daw nila. Tapos meron pang hinahamon na i-itemize daw namin yung mga sa senador. Hindi na kailangan. Titingnan mo lang yung journal ng Senate, makikita mo kung anu-ano yung mga sino ang nag-amend, pinasok na amendment. Sino sa amin, kitang-kita, sa floor namin ginawa. During the deliberations of the budget, while it was being sponsored, there were already manifestations on what the amendments will be. So alam mo na kung sino ang author ng amendment na yun, sino ang nagpasok ng amendment na yun, o yung mga individual amendments na maliliit naman, sinubmit na yun. Nasubmit ng maaga yun. So before it went to the bicameral, wala ng ginagalaw ang Senate. Wala na.

Q: Ano yung explanation ninyo doon sa pinakita po ni Andaya na February 11na list daw ng amendments ng Senate? Sabi niya that was submitted days after nung ratification?

SP Sotto: Hindi. Yung pinakita niya, attendance sheet yun. Attendance sheet yun, tinanong ko sa LBRMO kung ano yung sinasabi niya, sabi nila, hindi ho sir, attendance sheet yun, yung pinakita. Walang ginagalaw sa Senado after the ratification. Yung sinasabi nila naka-lista doon? Napasok na yun before the ratification.

Q: Are you hopeful na after tonight, maayos na yung gusot doon sa budget?

SP Sotto: I am (unclear) after tonight, mas malinaw na kung ano ang mangyayari.

Q: Which is?

SP Sotto: Which is either they remove the internal realignments after the ratification, or we have a re-enacted budget until July.

Q: May update na kayo sa LBRMO? Within the day expected na matapos yung review nila?

SP Sotto: Yes, within the day. This afternoon, I was planning to call them after we talk para ma-briefing ako ni Atty. Doblon, ma-briefing din si Loren before we talk to the President.

Q: Wala pa pong initial report na pinaparating sa inyo?

SP Sotto: Wala pang report pero ang duda ni Atty. Doblon, masyadong matagal ang reviewing doon, so malamang ito yung merong realignment nila. I don't know. It's hard to speculate, mabuti na yung hintayin ko na siya.

Q: Pwede ba namin kayo tawagan sir pagka may report na?

SP Sotto: Oo. Akala ko gusto ninyong tawagan si Atty. Doblon, pwede rin.

Q: Pwede namin siyang akyatin at hingan ng comment?

SP Sotto: Oo. Kung gusto niya, yes, why not? Kung papayag siya.

Q: Baka sir kailangan ng authority or approval ninyo?

SP Sotto: Tatawag naman sa akin yun pagka-ganun. Syempre papayagan ko naman siya dahil wala naman siyang sasabihin kungdi totoo. Tell the truth, and nothing but the truth, dapat ganun para wala tayong sabit. Kasi can you imagine, if they insist on their internal realignment, and therefore that is not what they passed in the ratification stage or pre-plenary, pagpalagay mo na na pinagbibintangan kami, the remote possibility na meron ding nagalaw ang Senado, na (unclear), pagpalagay na nating meron, then pareho kami, we will be complicit in the violation of the revised penal code, and violation of the Constitution. Yun yung provision against the, criminal offense yun. Yung falsification of legislative documents. Criminal offense yun.

Q: Yung sinabi ninyo kanina na its either they remove the realignments or you don't have a budget, ultimatum po yun?

SP Sotto: Hindi. You are asking me, ayoko naman to use the word ultimatum. You are asking me what our position will be? That will be our position when we face the President later. So, it's up to them. It's up to them to accept or not to accept our proposal. I will leave it also to the President to whether to accept or not to accept their explanation, di ba? Ako naman, on the side of the Senate, I have full authority of the members of the Senate, to diskartehan yan, I will wait before I decide on what to do. I will wait for their reaction later.

Q: Baka tumawag na lang ulit kami pag nareport na ng LBRMO yung findings nila.

SP Sotto: Mabuti pa.

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