Transcript of Ambush Interview of Senate President Franklin Drilon October 23, 2013

On the Senators’ Caucus

SPFMD: Mamaya po sa caucus amin pong paguusapan kung ano ang sentimyento ng mga senador sa 2014 budget. Sa 2013 kung anuman ang naiiwan sa aming pork barrel ang napagpasiyahan kahapon ay yan po ay aming win-ne-waive. Hindi na po magsusubmit ng anumang proyekto sa 2013. Kaya yung savings sa 2013 PDAF ay aming hinihimok ang pangulo na gamitin para sa calamity funds na sa ngayon ay nagkukulang na. Kaya pwede po gamitin ng pangulo ang unused PDAF sa 2013 ng mga senador para sa calamity funds sa mga probinsya na nag-suffer dun sa lindol, sa mga nakalipas na bagyo at pati na rin sa Zamboanga City. Sa 2014, paguusapan po namin yan sa aming caucus.

Q: Sir, may headcount na po kayo kung ilan na yung kasama niyo for the total abolition beyond 2014?

SPFMD: Wala pa akong headcount at paguusapan mamaya.

Q: Sir, katanggap tanggap po ba sa inyo kung realignment lang po sa ibang agencies ang mangyari?

SPFMD: Siguro pagkatapos na siguro ng caucus. I do not want to preempt because ako po ay pangulo ng senado. Ayoko po agad magbigay ng sagot mga ganung klaseng tanong. Hintayin muna natin ang caucus.

Q: Sir, kapag dinelete yung PDAF sa 2014, mapupunta lang daw po ito sa unprogrammed funds?

SPFMD: Hindi totoo yan dahil bababa yung national budget. Yung budget mismo and expenditure program ay bababa. Halimbawa, just to demonstrate it, ang budget just theoretically ay P1.2 billion. Pag inalis yung P200 million na yun, that’s a portion. Pag sinabi kong aya kong gamitin yan at alisin yan sa budget, ang mangyayari ay ang budget ay magiging P1 billion nalang. Hindi talaga pupunta sa unprogrammed yan.

Q: Sir, bale bababa yung national budget?

SPFMD: Tama. Bababa ang national budget.

Q: What do we say to our colleagues on their discretion in identifying the price?

SPFMD: Well, we will discuss it later. We will have our own positions. I would wait for what the others would say.

Q: Diba hindi kayo pwede magbawas ng budget submitted by the President? Pano mababawi?

SPFMD: We can. What we cannot do is add to the budget. Ang hindi namin pwede gawin ay dagdagan ang budget ng national government. Ang example ng P1.2 billion hindi mo pwedeng gawin P1 billion and 201 million. Pero pwede mong gawin ay 1 billion 150 million nalang.

On his Pulse Asia Survey ratings

SPFMD: Hindi po ako nagulat dahilan sa binanatan ako. May demolition job laban sa akin dun sa mga ibig i-divert ang attention ng taongbayan sa tunay na issue ngayon. Ang issue ay katiwalian sa paggamit ng pork barrel. Ako po’y naniniwala na pag nagkaroon na ng maliwanag na paglilitis ng kaso sa husgado at maparusahan yung nagkasala at ma-acquit yung inosente, kami po ay makakabawi dito sa problemang ito. Sisikapin naman namin na talagang maibalik yung tiwala ng taongbayan sa Senado. Uulitin ko, ito ay isang survey lamang. Ako po’y naniniwala na kapag umiiral na ang ating sistema ng hustisya at maparusahan yung mga nagkamali at may kasalanan at ma-acquit yung inosente, makikita ng taongbayan na talagang pagkatiwalaan ang Senado dahil ang proseso sa hustisya ay gumugulong. Kami po ay gumagawa ng lahat para naman maibalik ang tiwala ng taongbayan. Halimbawa yung pag-waive namin ng 2013 PDAF, yun po ay isang paraan na mapakita namin sa taongbayan na andito naman kami para manungkulan. Ito po ay isang proseso ng paglilinis ng ating sistema. Mabigat man, ito po ay ating gawin.

Q: Sir, naramdaman niyo ba na naapektuhan kayo ng PDAF scam even if hindi naman po kayo involved?

SPFMD: Siyempre. Naapektuhan ako dahil sa demolition job. Hindi ako involved at handa akong harapin kahit sinuman. Wala akong tinatago dito.

On giving immunity to Janet Lim Napoles

SPFMD: Nasa batas po yan sa witness protection program. Ang ibig lang sabihin nun, yung kanyang bibitiwan na salita ay hindi pwedeng magamit sa kanya. Ngunit, hindi ibig sabihin na abswelto siya sa kaso dahil maraming ebidensya na pwede pang iharap.

Q: Manggagaling ba sa Senate yung pag-grant ng immunity?

SPFMD: Manggagaling sa committee. Ngunit uulitin ko, ang ibig sabihin nun ay ang bibitiwan niyang salita sa Senado ay hindi pwedeng gamitin sa husgado laban sa kanya Ngunit hindi ibig sabihin na mawawalan na ng bias yung kaso laban sa kanya.

Q: Kelan pwede mag-offer ng immunity sa witness?

SPFMD: Anytime. The committee will decide that. Immunity in so far as her statements made in the Senate but not immunity from prosecution.

Q: Sir, advisable ba na ibigay sa kanya yung immunity?

SPFMD: Kung anuman yung gagawin niya, may abogado siya. 

 

Statement of Senate President Franklin M. Drilon on the latest Pulse Asia Survey

Press Release

23 October 2013

Refer to: Jeeno C. Arellano

(09053025098)

I am not surprised by the drop in my approval rating in the latest Pulse Asia Survey since I have been the subject of a vicious media vilification campaign in the past weeks by people intent to muddle the issues behind this pork barrel scandal and divert the public anger from the real culprits of the case.

However, I am confident that after our justice system takes its course; when after a speedy and impartial trial the guilty is punished and imprisoned and the innocent is acquitted, the Senate as an institution will emerge stronger and more credible in the eyes of the Filipino people.

As I have said, this pork barrel controversy is a painful cleansing process for both chambers of Congress and we, in the Senate, intend to go through this process in earnest.  Reforms in the Senate will start with the immediate and unconditional abolition of the pork barrel system.

I said it before and I say it again: the pork barrel scam is a great injustice to the Filipino people and I will not stop until the truth will come out in the Senate investigation and those responsible for corrupt practices will be held accountable for their actions. ###

Speech of Senate President Franklin M. Drilon during the awarding ceremonies of the 2012 Senate Secretariat Exemplary Employee Awards (SSEEA)

Office of Senate President Franklin M. Drilon
Speech	For Reference
21 October  2013	Jeeno C. Arrellano
(Monday)	09053025098

Mabuhay ang Senado! Batiin muna natin ang ating pinagpipitagang kalihim ng Senado, si Secretary Oscar G. Yabes, and the other officials of the Senate.

Mga kasama ko sa Senado, isang magandang umaga po sa inyong lahat. Una sa lahat, binabati ko kayong lahat ng isang masigabo at masayang ika-siyam-na-pu’t-pitong anibersaryo ng ating minamahal na institusyon. Palakpakan po natin ang ating mga sarili.

Let me also congratulate our outstanding employees, led by Homer A. Martin, Jr., who are exemplars of good public service. 

Also for the first time this morning, I heard the Senate Hymn, and I am indeed impressed and touched by the lyrics of the song. I have directed Secretary Yabes that this afternoon they should sing the Senate Hymn before the start of our session.

Today, as we mark our 97^th Anniversary, let us reflect on what each of us can do to strengthen our beloved institution which, as I speak, is wounded, and limping, from the relentless public beating because of the alleged Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam. 

My dear fellow workers, in the face of all these controversies and challenges, let us all be united in order to preserve the Senate as a bastion of our democratic life.  

     

This morning, I am happy to see your sanguine faces even if the past weeks have not been easy for us, for our beloved institution, and for our country. Apart from the controversies which our institution is facing today, our country, likewise, is faced with many difficult challenges. We have the Zamboanga incident, where some misguided countrymen of ours tried to remove part of our sovereignty; the typhoons that battered the whole country; and last week, the earthquakes that affected Cebu and Bohol that brought so much pain and suffering to our people.

It indeed saddens me to know that lives have been broken, communities have been displaced, and monuments of our rich cultural heritage have been destroyed. With the extent of the destruction, recovery may not be easy, and may even take years.

However, with the Filipino’s resilience and indomitable spirit, I am very sure that the affected communities will be able to rise again sooner than expected. Our nation will emerge from these trials much stronger and united. We only have to keep faith and believe in ourselves. In the meantime, your Senate will do what it can in order to help alleviate the suffering of our people.

Wednesday last week, the Senators authorized the donation of P6 million to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to assist in the relief operations. This amount was taken partly from the savings that the Senate generated because of your unselfish act of saving the budget by doing away with the Christmas Party in December—I must congratulate all of you for that unselfish act—and also savings from our decision to not to spend the allocation for our 97^th Anniversary celebration. This is the least we can do for our kababayans who are victims of these calamities and in dire need.

Moreover, we shall consider other measures that will help rehabilitate the affected areas and enable the victims to rebuild their lives. We must do our part to help our people who have been displaced, and communities which have been turned apart.

Today, I will propose a Senate resolution which will authorize the realignment, as part of the President’s calamity fund, of whatever is the balance in the Senators’ PDAF budget, restrained by the Supreme Court. Regardless of how the Supreme Court will decide on the Constitutionality of the PDAF, we will pass, and I will propose, a Senate resolution which will realign whatever is authorized and unused under the PDAF. Realign the same to the calamity funds, so that this fund can be augmented and respond adequately to the needs of our countrymen in the affected areas of our country.

Further, in our own backyard, we are practicing our version of corporate social responsibility. Until recently, you saw our more unfortunate brothers and sisters, about 175 informal settlers, just outside of our gates. With the assistance of Secretary Yabes and Major General Balajadia, we have relocated these 175 households in Trece Martires City, including those who were disqualified because they were not really settlers in this reclamation area. We assisted them. Now, as you go through this portion of our premises, we have relocated all of the 175 families, given them homes in Trece Martires, so that they can have safe and adequate dwelling. Also, at the same time, we were able to address a very serious security problem in our premises.

My fellow workers in government, despite the colossal challenges that we are facing now, let us not lose sight of our development goals. Let us remain loyal to the institution that we belong. Let us not lose faith in the Senate’s adherence to democratic values. Let us support the meaningful reforms that our government is instituting.

Our celebration today is an opportune time to reflect on the legacy of the former members of the Senate, and the national leaders who taught us the priceless lessons in policy making; in integrity in public service; and in governance. Let us be inspired by the sterling qualities, monumental work, courage and personal integrity, of all the public officials who passed through the Senate in their careers.

The people expect nothing from all of us public servants but hard work, unwavering dedication, and relentless pursuit of excellence. I encourage you to remain tireless in rendering excellent service, the kind of service that the Senate is known for, through the years.

So, my dear fellow workers, as I conclude, I challenge you, let us consider the controversies that we are facing today, as a challenge to all of us. To be united, defend this institution and bastion of democracy, and render better public service to our people, so that they will realize that we are here because we want to do our share in nation building. So that, in the future, when others would be here, where the future generations would be before us again, celebrating our anniversary, and they look back to the 97^thAnniversary of the Senate, the future generation can say, “if we are proud of the Senate, it is because of the hard work, of the dedication, of the men and women of the Senate, who were here on the 97^th Anniversary”.

My dear friends, my fellow workers in government, let us remain united, and let us fight for our institution, our beloved institution.

Marami pong salamat, magandang umaga po sa inyong lahat.  

Senate determined to abolish PDAF, says Drilon

Press Release

12 October 2013

Refer to: Jeeno C. Arellano

(0905.302.50.98)

_{Senate determined to abolish PDAF, says Drilon}

Senate President Franklin M. Drilon today/Oct. 12 said that insofar as the Senate is concerned, the senators will exercise all options available to them to dissolve the controversial Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) even in the absence of a Supreme Court ruling declaring it unconstitutional.

“Under my watch as Senate President, reforms will start with the immediate abolition of PDAF allocation for senators in the proposed 2014 national budget,” said Drilon.

While an actual vote has yet to be officially taken, the Senate chief said that a majority of the senators have publicly declared that they will do away with the PDAF allocations in 2014 in response to the people cry for change.

“There is no turning back as far as the pork barrel system is concerned. We have to institute these reforms in order to regain our people’s trust and confidence,” stressed Drilon.

Drilon issued the statement in response to Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio’s opinion that only an act of Congress or a Supreme Court ruling can abolish the PDAF.

He said there are available remedies to the Executive and the Congress to get rid of the pork barrel.

“We do not need a special law to abolish PDAF as an item in the General Appropriations Act. Aside from a court ruling that will declare the PDAF unconstitutional, the Executive or the Congress may exercise other options to abolish congressional pork barrel to respond to the clamor of the people,” said Drilon.

First, the President may opt not to include the PDAF item in the National Expenditures Program when he submits it to Congress on an annual basis. Second, the Congress may delete the PDAF item in the General Appropriations Act (GAA), an option which the Senate intends to do when the 2014 proposed national budget reaches the Senate.

Third, if Congress passes the national budget with PDAF, the President can exercise power of line item veto. Lastly, the President can fully or partially impound release of any item in the GAA, including PDAF.

Meanwhile, Drilon said the Senate will prioritize the passage of the Freedom of Information Bill, which is crucial in the fight against corruption, when the Senate resumes its session on Monday.

“We will begin the period of interpellations on the proposed legislation this week, so that it will be approved by the end of the year,” he said. ###

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Kind Regards,

Jeeno C. Arellano

Office of Senator Franklin M. Drilon

0932-208-4767

Senate to tackle FOI, budget, economic bills when session resumes Monday

	Public Relations and Information Bureau
Press Release		For Reference
11 October 2013 (Friday)		Sammy Santos
		552-6723

Senate to tackle FOI, budget, economic bills

when session resumes Monday

The Senate will resume its session on Monday, October 14, after a two-week recess.

             Senate President Franklin Drilon said the Senate will prioritize the debates of the Freedom of Information Bill, which is crucial in the fight against corruption when enacted into law.  The bill has been approved on the committee level and is expected be passed on final reading by the end of the year.

             Drilon said the Senate Committee on Public Information chaired by Sen. Grace Poe started with the sponsorship period of the FOI bill last September 24. “We will begin the period of interpellation and subsequently with the period of amendments when session will resume on Monday,” he said.

            The FOI bill seeks to adopt and implement a policy of full public disclosure of all government transactions, involving public interest, with appropriate safeguards to protect national security and national interest.

             Drilon said the Senate will also push for measures aimed at reducing poverty and unemployment.  In a speech before the Makati Business Club two weeks ago, Drilon said the Senate will push for policies that will encourage investments in agriculture, tourism, services and manufacturing constructions.

             “We want to introduce a comprehensive package of reforms that will improve the business climate, create jobs, reduce poverty and foster transparency and accountability,” he added.

              Likewise, Drilon disclosed, the Senate has committed itself to pass the 2014 national budget on time. He said the Senate has been working hard, holding budget hearings of various departments and institutions during the two-week recess.

 Also on Monday, the Senate is expected to hold a caucus to discuss, among others, the question on whether the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee should issue a subpoena to compel pork barrel scam principal suspect Janet Lim Napoles to appear before the committee’s inquiry on the alleged misuse of the Priority Development Allocation Fund (PDAF).

            At the same time, Drilon said the Chamber will also work for the passage of the rationalization of fiscal incentives, which seeks to remove various incentives granted to businesses and investors such as tax breaks that are either excessive or no longer necessary. Based on previous estimates by the Department of Finance, the rationalization of fiscal incentives bill could generate up to P10 billion in additional revenues.

            “Our study in the Senate shows that there are around 186 laws which provide numerous fiscal and non-fiscal incentives and subsidies to foreign and domestic investors. We will reassess and harmonized these laws to avoid redundant and overlapping incentives to cut unnecessary revenue loss,” he said.

             Drilon said the Senate will review restrictions in specific laws cited in the Foreign Investment Negative List to increase foreign investments and generate employment.  He said activities such as retail trade enterprises with paid-up capital of less than $2.5 million, contracts for the construction and repair of locally-funded public works, contracts for the supply of materials to Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCC), adjustment, lending and financial companies and investment houses regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission will open up to foreign investors.

He said the Senate is studying the rationalization of the Mining Fiscal Regime which will give the government a more equitable share of mining revenues as well as push for the amendments to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

Drilon said the proposed amendments aim to strengthen the BSP’s monetary stability function by restoring the authority to obtain data from private persons or entities and authority to issue negotiable certificates of indebtedness even during normal times; strengthen BSP’s financial stability function by enhancing its supervisory authority and providing legal protection for its officials when performing official duties and strengthen BSP’s corporate and financial viability by increasing the bank’s capitalization.

He said the Senate will push for the passage of the amendments of the Cabotage Law which will allow foreign registered vessels to engage in coastwise trade in the country and open the market to competition.

            “The Senate is also considering numerous bills that will provide protection, security and other benefits to whistleblowers and to address the increasing backlog of cases in the Sandiganbayan. I have filed a bill allowing individual justices of this Court to sit and receive evidence for and in behalf of his Division,” Drilon said.

            If enacted into law, Drilon said, his proposed legislation will significantly expedite the resolution of cases in the Sandiganbayan where over 2,500 cases are being tried by only five trial courts. 

                                       --30--