Press Release
May 9, 2011

Transcript of Interview of Senate President
Juan Ponce Enrile On today's agenda

On today's agenda

SP I-archive namin yung impeachment. Binabasa ko yung materials for the day, maraming bagong bills na isinasalang. We have to look at them.

Q Hindi na po pupunta dito yung mga Congressmen?

SP Hindi na. Meron na silang communication sa amin, the Chairman of the Committee on Justice of the House, si Cong. Niel Tupas, sumulat sa amin at sinabi na they were notified already that the Ombudsman resigned, and so they consider the impeachment to be moot and academic.

On the priority bills

SP Sa akin, yung Anti-Trust Law. Pangalawa, yung law to reform the powers of the National Telecommunications Commission. Lumalaki, lumalawak yung problema ng mga text messages, cyber crime. Yung Cyber Crimes Bill, sinusulong ko rin yun. Power Reduction Bill, kailangan yun. Yung revision of the Public Land Act, titling of lands in the country, kailangan natin yun dahil yan ang pinanggagalingan ng gulo sa ating bansa, land issues. Yung Survival Fund. Climate Change. Makikita natin ngayon, may bagyo na ngayon sa Mayo. Nung araw, wala yan, so that means na talaga, nagbabago ang climatic condition in this planet. We'll have to look at all of these, at saka yung creation of funds to make our people adapt to the new condition.

Q How much can the Senate do in just 12 working days?

SP We will try to do whatever we can do because we have a term of six years. We are not going to do everything that we have to do in six years, in a day, or in a month or in a year.

On the proposed postponement of the ARMM elections

SP We will try to tackle that if we have the time to tackle that. We have notified informally the Commission on Elections to be prepared just in case we cannot really enact the law, although that has been certified by the President as an urgent bill.

On whether the RH Bill will be a priority

SP As far as we are concerned here, I don't think it is a priority. I'll be very frank with you. As far as I am concerned, I am not ready to tinker with anything that is an act of God.

Q Kailangan daw na mas maraming discussion kaya kailangan daw maging priority ang RH Bill?

SP There are many ways in which we can improve the lives of our people instead of trying to constrict the normal growth of our population. Instead of reducing the number of people that will participate in the pie, we should enlarge the pie. That, in a nutshell, is the policy position that I am taking.

On the appointment of Roxas as Chief-of-Staff

SP That is a function of the President. I will not pretend to advice a President regarding how he will do his job, and it involves his judgment and his action, in that respect, will either make or unmake the administration. If he thinks that that is the right thing to do, then we have to respect his judgment. I will leave that to him without any opinion so that there is no possibility of any influence one way or the other, coming from my side.

On there being 23 Senators, making the Senate more productive

SP Syempre. The bigger number is always a better number.

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