TRANSCRIPT OF SEN. SERGE OSMEÑA'S AMBUSH INTERVIEW

On Amb. Domingo Lee's confirmation

Q: For the third time deferred na naman ang confirmation ni Amb. Lee...

Serge: Well, yes. He could not answer questions that were so simple. We did ask him and he did promise to study issues of the Spratlys. Malaking headache, masakit sa ulo 'yang Spratlys na 'yan. Napakalaki po ng kalaban natin diyan. And he has to show the committee that he is qualified, that he has done his homework. BUT HE HAS DONE ALMOST ZERO HOMEWORKS!

Noong pinatawag ko po iyong isang Undersecretary (ng DFA), she would answer all my questions dun sa harap ni Ambassador Lee. So sabi ko, I'd rather send this lady to Beijing.

I am concerned for our country. 'Yun lang.

Q: Did you invoke Sectiion 21?

Serge: No, I did not invoke any section. The committee respects that I am not yet through with my questioning and would allow me to continue until I am fully satistfied, or until I get tired.

Q: Kung hindi talaga ma-satisfy ni Domingo Lee ang mga questions mo, will you keep on deferring?

Serge: Well, dinefer po namin because we ran out of time, it was already 1 pm. The committee only has so much time for hearings because we have a trial at 2 pm. So, that's the reason.

On the Impeachment Trial of CJ Renato Corona

Q: It was revealed yesterday that CJ Corona earned P21 million in allowances, do you see anything wrong with that?

Serge: It's too early for that. I don't want to discuss the merits. They have not fully presented their case yet. Mahirap naman mag-jump to conclusions at this time.

Q: On witness Demetrio Vicente. Do you find him credible?

Serge: Yes, yes. I found him credible.

Q: Why?

Serge: Because he likes bonsai, and I like bonsai [ :) ] No, really. He was credible. His answers, the consistency, he seemed to know what he was doing. He was quite sure of his facts. He was not perfect, which indicates a patino of truth. And I confirmed with certain people if he lived there, and they said yes, they have visited him there. As a matter of fact, he has one of the largest collection of bonsai kaya ang laki ng lupain niya, 3,400 square meters. I was wondering what on earth anybody would need in 3,400 square meters. It's full of bonsai. And he is one of the best bonsai artists in this country.

Q: The fact na after 20 years hindi pa rin nakapangalan sa kanya 'yung property?

Serge: That's a matter of laziness. And yes, it happens in this country. I have relatives whose properties are still under the name of their lolas. Kinatamaran lang 'yan.

You see as far as properties are concerned, in the United States, when you close escrow on a property, escrow ang ginagamit na salita dun, automatic 'yan eh, nandiyan na 'yung pangalan mo. Pero dito, ang daming klaseng transfer eh -- you pay the tax, you put it in your name, may sales contract in your name. You know, after a while, you get lazy eh. You don't want to go back and effectuate the transfer of title. So, yes, because it's so tedious to undertake certain things in this country, going through the buearocracy, many people has over-looked transfering titles.

Q: Si Ombudsman Morales po ba ang kinontak ninyo?

Serge: No. This is another friend whom I use as a consultant, he has a doctorate. He texted me first, then I called him and he said, 'I know this fellow, he is very credible, and this fellow is very respectful.'

Q: May mali po ba dun sa pag-testify ng Supreme Court employee for the Chief Justice when they did not show up when they were called by the prosecution?

Serge: Well, makikita mo selective ano. Selective ang pagdala ng witness galing sa Supreme Court dito. But I will leave it to the Court as a whole to make its decision on this. But yes, it looks funny.