Press Release
October 11, 2012

TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW
Cayetano: No Senate coup right now

Reporter: Sir, the Senate coup, is this for real?

ASC: There are two possibilities. One is that political analysts' minds are more active now because as the campaign approaches it's very obvious that the UNA candidates would be campaigning together and the LP-NP and other coalitions will also be together.

Natural lang na may magtanong na "Kung kayo ay magkasama sa eleksyon at kayo ang may coalition, bakit sa Senate hindi yun ang ka-coalition mo?" Having said that, I have already said a couple of times that the configuration inside the Senate is different from that of political parties.

Two is that it can also be the camp of the Senate President preempting any of this because personally, I've noticed that every time there is a big issue like the Corona impeachment or the RH bill something like this always pops up. They always say that such a plan is being hatched.

Alam mo naman dito sa Senate, may tatlo o apat na Senador na sanay din sa mga coup whether dito sa Senate o sa labas. Sanay din sila sa counter-coup. So pwedeng kasama din ito sa psy-war ng mga kaalyado ng Senate President para subukan ang Malakanyang sa commitment nito na mag-hands off o tulungan sila. O pwede rin para subukan yung ibang mga miyembro. Pwede ring offshoot pa rin ito nung word war nila ni Sen. Trillanes.

But there is no truth that there is no harmony. In fact, we had a very nice discussion yesterday about money laundering. Everyone who was there was able to participate.

So question, is there a plot? Not right now. Can we guarantee that there will be no leadership change? No one can guarantee that because that is a prerogative of the majority of the members. But right now, I have always said, from a much-ignored minority of three, we have become a much-feared minority of four. Just you wait when we become five.

Actually, while we are still only four, I don't see a reason why there has to be coup jitters. I think it's really brought about by three factors. One is that when we're approaching a break, this is naturally brought to light. Two, because of the coalition. Three, because of the Enrile-Trillanes continuing saga.

Reporter: So walang nag-a-approach even sa minority? Hindi totoo yung mga ganoong balita?

ASC: There's no plot. Maybe every now and then, throughout the two years, they'll be people who will be analyzing including the senators. Halimbawa, sabihin mo na ganito karami ang NP, ganito karami ang LP, pinagsama.

Pero hindi ganito sa Senate. Kayong mga nagbabantay dito ay alam niyong individual dito. So you cannot count the NP members as one group and the LP members as another. Unlike with coalitions in elections that you count by groups, here in the Senate it's really individual.

When you say the LP, you have to talk to Sen. Guingona, Sen. Recto and Sen. Pangilinan separately. Usually, when it's only a few months to go before the break, everyone is rushing to file bills. Just like what is happening now with the budget.

But I've even heard speculations [regarding a possible period for leadership change] ranging from just finishing this session up to finishing up the budget to just finishing up this term. All of them are not true but they're not completely false because there's always a possibility.

Halimbawa, yung sasabihin na tatapusin lang yung term na ito. Of course no one can say that by 2013 his term will end. Even the Senate president is saying that he will let the Senators choose who they want to succeed him.

But there will always be speculations regarding that. Right now, there is no truth to those. In the Senate, in the event that this happens it is sudden. The more public it is, the more it will be discussed, the more that those who don't want a coup to occur will talk to others. The mere fact that it is being discussed means there is no coup. Kapag mas tahimik, mas delikado.

Reporter: Pero sir ikaw? In the event that this will happen, will you be interested to take part in such a move?

ASC: When you're in the minority, you're always looking for greener pastures. Kaya ka nga nasa minority. But I've always stated that while I disagree with Sen. Enrile on many legislative matters and policies, when it comes to leadership issues I maintain that he has been stable.

Meaning, right now I am not actively asking that he be changed. But when the time comes, it depends. Kasi yun nga ang problema or advantage sa Senate, very personal. Hindi pwede dito ang lapit mo, "Oy, papalitan siya ng Liberal o papalitan siya ng Nacionalista o papalitan siya..." The questions really are "Sino?" and "Ano yung theme?"

But like with me, I am quite settled in my role as the fiscalizer. Hindi ko rin ma-imagine na sa susunod na anim na buwan na magpapalit ako ng role at magiging majority. Pero hindi ko naman pwede isara ang pinto sa posibilidad kasi depende talaga kung ano ang opportunities na ibibigay sa akin lalo na ngayon na may coalition nga ang majority at ang minority.

But there has been a lot of events on both sidea, UNA and my coalition, even the President who's campaigning for LP-NP, I see that his personal friendship with the other side is till there. Kita mo naman yung book launching ni Sen. Enrile, nandun naman si Presidente.

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