Press Release
October 13, 2008

Transcript of interview with Sen. Alan Peter "Companero" Cayetano re Impact of Global Crisis and DPWH

ASC: When there are uncertainties and there are problems in the economy, infrastructures programs are one that get reduce or get affected right away. I think no.1 we should not because it also_the economy___ and it also provides jobs. But that's why I brought up efficiency because, ah, let's say, kung nasasayang ang 15-20% ng isang project no for one reason or the other that would be corruption, may it be mali yung design yung timing or if release the fund earlier during the year or *during summer ginagawa ang projects mas efficient ang tingin ko kaya nating sagutin yung kakulangan ng funds o yung problema sa fundings pag my economic crisis thru additional efficiency and dito din papasok din talaga yung watch dog groups o yung mga NGO at tsaka yung sistema ng DPWH na tulungan silang bantayan at isumbong ang mga problema para nga maging efficient but definitely we have to keep spending for infrastructure and in fact during times of crisis there is also times of opportunity who ever is able spend wisely during time of crisis will get the benefits when good times come back. So for example napakalaki ng potential natin sa tourism and in the mean time na my crisis we still have local tourism for example to rely on kahit my apektado yung international or sometimes lumalakas pa yung international na tourism because malaki ang pound, malaki ang euro ang dollar compared sa pesos pero ang question will we be efficient or kokonti n nga ang pondo magiging in-efficient pa tayo so I think yung sa what kind of constructors or regulation we'll have. But aside from that I think we should have a system wherein, katulad nung great depression na merong work na binigay sa mga tao. Sa ngayon kasi yung sa road users, nagwawalis lang e. but I think yung mga small projects katulad ng mga basketball courts, ng mga waiting sheds, ng mga pathways, puedeng gumawa ng system ang gobyerno na hindi na ito dumaan ng contractor kung ito'y dumaan sa mga asosasyon o ccoperatiba ng mga mangagagawa. para less gastos, more efficient pero mas maraming tao na kikita at hindi contractor lang. _and these are small projects 1 million, 500 thousand, 200 hundred thousand. I think during times of crisis, ang labanan yung creativity, efficiency at creativity.

Q: Since Infra spending is a prime activity. Would you suggest an increase in the infra budget?

ASC: Yes especially for those that are true investments. For example, those that are for education. Dahil hindi mo talaga agad makikita ang resulta pero definitely enrichment to ng human resources natin. Those that are for tourism, dahil yung bawat piso na ginagastos mo dun, babalik rin sa iyo e. and also those that are in the far-flung provinces are suffering insurgency, napakita na na its development and not bullets that will address insurgency e. So etong taghirap ay ini-expect nila na dadami rin ang recruitment ng mga insurgents. Dahil nga walang trabaho. Pero baka pede gamitin to as a jewel tool of one giving work during the slim months and maybe the slim year. Number 2, also providing development in the area, encouraging investments to prevent the further growth of insurgency. Rather than spend on the military hardware and bullets and bombs, baka dapat infra ang dagdagan natin.

Q: Kanina si sen lacson asked for DPWH documents dun sa C5, sabi nila they have enough evidence pero they're still fish pa rin sila ng kumento.

ASC: Well from the start, ang aming reklamo is the way were doing this investigation, na parang political demolition job ang takbo rather than an honest to goodness investigation or yung term na palagi nilang ginagamit, na nagtatanong lang. But whats important at this point in time is that we all remain objective and we ask all the agencies to be accountable and transparent. Meaning walang pahirapan sa pagkuha ng documento or anything. But also that all of us do not draw conclusions that do not have a logical and reasonable basis. Meaning, kunin natin lahat ng facts and then tingnan natin together. Pero yung nangyayari na naghuhukay ka pa ng facts tapos may mga conclusions na. yung institution ang tinatamaan dahil nagiging irresponsible yung way na dini-discuss yung isang issue� it doesn't help people na isipin mo may corruption ditto, bukas may paliwanag na pala, the day after, may additional facts eh. So sa akin, we have to protect the institution and just make sure that any point in time, may transparency and accountability regardless kung sino ang ini imbestigahan..

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Never naman sila pumayag sa kahit ano ditto sa Senado, eh�Sanay na kami na parati nilang gusto is their way, but that's why there is a word, ang panaglan ng word na yon is "consensus" .so siguro dapat hintayin na magkaroon ng meeting na ma-approve yung rules and then kung ano yung consensus. Premature para magbigay ng kanya-kanyang opinion ditol, and there's also precedence, we have to look what they did in the past ...

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At this point in time anything is a possibility, but ayaw ko I pre-empt na kahit sino�Kasi, kahit ano naman sabihin mo, pag sinabi open, may aangal, pag sinabing may executive session, may aangal, so what's important is that yung facts ma kumpleto, alam ng tao. And then we can draw the conclusions together . Remember .in government, nothing is ever secret, so regardless whether some discussions will be held by the committee members themselves, I'm sure the facts of this case will be known to all.. In fact yung ang ginagawa nila, every other day naglalabas sila ng konting detalye para malaman ng tao�I have no doubt that ther'll be no problem as far as people knowing what's going on . Ang importante dito, hindi maano yung ibang trabaho ng Senado at makakapag multi-task tayo.

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