Transcript of Bulong Pulungan with Sen. Cynthia Villar (Sofitel)

Q: How do you feel in the Senate now? Dati you are a neophyte senator...

Villar: I am happy in the Senate because I got my committee. That is really my wish, to have the Committee on Agriculture and Food because I thought that many of the poor Filipinos are all in agriculture and my advocacy is poverty reduction. I can do a lot in that committee. There are so many problems in agriculture, sometimes you are overwhelmed but I tell myself that I will do my best, the best that I can ever do and I do not hope to solve all the problems. I am just hoping that I can solve as many problems as I can.

We have so many pending bills on agriculture. We have the Halal, because the Halal business is $2.3 billion worldwide and we really have to take a part of it. If you want to take advantage of being able to be part of that business, then we have to have a very good accreditation process. Kasi baka masira tayo kung pangit ang accreditation process natin and later on they will discover that it is not really Halal. That could be a blow against us. We are passing the Halal bill, which is the Halal accreditation law so that we can do it in the Philippines.

We have also the coco levy fund. The fund is around P70 billion in treasury bills and about P30 billion in assets. The poorest farmers are the coconut farmers. They earn on the average, P50 a day without intercropping. We really have to pass a law on the coco levy so that we can use the coco levy to help the coconut farmers.

Q: Where is the coco levy funds now?

Villar: It's in treasury bills, P70 billion and P30 billion in investment in companies like the Coconut Planters Bank, one of them.

The sugar industry is asking for a sugar industry fund kasi malapit na iyong AEC 2015. They want to have something to help them be competitive. Of course, we also have to pass the Fisheries Code to make our fishing industry more sustainable. It's just an amendment to the Philippine Fisheries Code. Marami pa silang nire-request but those are all in the pipeline, nagte-technical working group na.

Q: Do you see any of these bills passing within the next year?

Villar: Hopefully I can pass the four bills this coming session, this coming July 28.

Q: How about the cocolisap?

Villar: Cocolisap is more on implementation. I have finished hearing it. Ipinakita na naming lahat ang problema, lahat ng solusyon, yung talagang in-charge niyan PCA. I think the problem is when they teach a solution, there are many solutions and they cannot even determine which is the better solution. So we have to do everything.

Q: Why did it take them four years to realize the problem?

Villar: I think there is a misconception. Kasi since the coconut farmers are very poor, they cannot buy this spray, mga injection, dapat talaga gobyerno. But you know government is very slow in giving budget. That's another bill that I want to pass. I want to pass a bill that when there is something like this, parang counterpart ng kapag nagka Yolanda, merong state of calamity so the money will come faster. Magpa-pass kami ng law na kapag halimbawa may insect infestation, in that place they will declare a state of calamity and then there is SOP na on what to do. What money will come in, who will take care of the treatment and then sino ang agency in charge. Kasi ang naging problema dito, walang sistema, walang pera. How can you do that? Parang a little of everything, which is not enough. Hindi pa naka-quarantine. Dapat diyan on Day 1 may quarantine, kung dito nadiskubre, ika-quarantine na ito para hindi na kumalat. Hindi pa naka-quarantine hanggang ngayon. Kumalat na sa buong Region 4A, nasa Basilan na.

Q: Kumalat na sa mga prutas...

Villar: Because iyong cocolisap, nakakaapekto din sa ibang fruits. Hindi lang sa coconut.

Q: Who will take charge, national or local government?

Villar: Combination. You cannot do it without the cooperation of the local. Kasi ang mga disaster management, there is a disaster management council. Kapag may disaster, naa-activate. Gagawa kami ng ganoon in agriculture para kapag may ganito, may maa-activate and they would know what to do. Maiintitutionalize what you have to do. In the same manner sa prices, may law talaga, iyong Price Act of 2012, which is an amended law of 1991, na nagki-create ng cosumer protection group. Dapat iyong mga department na nagkaclassify and basic commodities, they should have a consumer protection group.

Q: Saan kukunin ang funds kung gusting manghiram ng farmers?

Villar: We are meeting with Landbank and DBP para sa agriculture, maka-avail ng mas murang capital ang mga farmers.

Q: Yung anti-usery law...

Villar: Wala na po iyon, mahirap i-implement.... Ito, parang ganoon din na kapag merong emergency, they would know what to do. Parang may standard operating procedure. Kasi nakita ko ang nangyari, no one would like to take the responsibility, nobody is giving money so how can you solve a problem without that? Parang sa prices, we have to have a Suggested Retail Price for every prime commodity, classified naman iyan kung ano ang pinakaimportante. Every time it would go beyond the SRP, meron nang police action. The Consumer Protection Group would have to investigate and they have to ask DOJ to file cases. If you don't file cases, they would do this every year and it will be a recurring problem.

Q: On treatment of cocolisap infection

Villar: Ang treatment is either, one, you spray or you raise the predator. Kasi itong cocolisap may kumakain nito. Iyon ang ire-raise mo para kainin sila. It's another kind of insect. Minsan ini-injectionan din ang mga trunk or pine-fertilize. Parang tao, pinapalakas ang immunity. Pine-fertilize ang existing coconut trees para hindi sila magkasakit. And then kung magkakasakit, lalo na iyong matatanda na, kung hindi naman ganun ka-productive, puputulin na lang and then mag-replant na. they also ask the Gnome Center of UP to find a variety that can fight cocolisap, para kapag itinanim mo, hindi kaya ng cocolisap. In addition to producing a kind na mas resistant sa cocolisap, dapat dwarfed then para mas medaling gamutin. Kasi ang problema ngayon masyadong mataas, paano gagamutin.

Q: Sa local governments may agricultural office, they should take care of everything kaya lang this office cannot fund the spraying...

Villar: Pero the provision of cure should be done by DA kasi wala naman tayong mae-expect sa coconut farmers, they are so poor... Bihira naman iyong talagang mayayaman. Ang mga coconut farmers maliliit din na may one hectare. Dapat gastahan na ang lahat kasi after all, it is the DA's responsibility....

Q: Hindi na dapat sisihin ang DA?

Villar: Dapat naman kasi that is their responsibility kaya lang parang out of practice, hindi alam ang gagawin, parang magulo. Dapat talaga i-institutiuonalize ang gagawin. Ang attitude ko dito, nakita na natin na nagkagulo, let's think of ways so that in the future this will not happen again. We should learn our lesson. Naghahanap na kami how they draft the National Disaster bill, kasi doon parang magdedeclare ka ng state of calamity, tapos maglalabas ng pera ang gobyerno, tapos ia-activate mo ang mga tao. Kasi merong Office of Crop Protection, kaya lang hindi nila na-coordinate. Iyong crop protection, that is their job. That should be activated. And also the local government, without them kaya ba ng DA na gawin lahat iyan.

Q: On coco lumber

Villar: Ang gumagawa ng coco lumber, halimbawa ikaw may plantation ka ng coconut, kinuha ng government under the Land Reform Act, iyong may ari para maisalvage lang ang whatever, pinagbili nila ang mga trees nila na coco lumber para may mapakinabangan sila sa farm nila bago kunin ng gobyerno. Iyon namang nasa Region 8, because natumba na, talagang nagbayad ang FAO ng cash for work para gawing coco lumber ang mga natumba na at para malinis din at makapagtanim uli and at the same time ginamit nila na pang-rebuild ng mga bahay. Okay naman iyon. In fact, nag-cash for work ang FAO para ma-convert and fallen trees... Coconut is one of our top exports kaya worried tayo. Coco oil is our top export kaya very important sa Philippines ang coconut.

Q: Affected na ba ang exports?

Villar: Medyo because tinamaan nang sabay, Yolanda. Ang affected sa Region 4 is one million trees na plus yung mga natumba noong Yolanda kaya double whammy tayo. But hopefully, magre-replant naman. Ang maganda dito because nakita ninyo na ang coconut farmers, they are the poorest, they earn an average of P50 a day. With this Yolanda, maeencourage mo sila because even if they replant now, it will take four to six years to benefit from the coconut. In the meantime, they are doing intercropping, nagtatanim sila ng vegetable, banana, corn. Kaya by the time lumaki ang coconut trees nila, meron na silang other crops. Kasi matagal na nating sinasabihan sila na mag-intercropping kayo para lumaki ang income ninyo pero hindi sila nakikinig. So ngayon wala na silang choice, nawala na ang coconut.

Q: Galit na galit ka sa traders ng garlic...

Villar: Kasi ang price, P40 ang production cost for local. Iyung imported, P11 ang landed, P6 na duty, P17. Paano naman nakarating sa P300? Iyon ay kalokohan na. Kung P80 to P100, walang nagrereklamo. Sobra na iyong P300. Iyon ang ikinagagalit ko, kumita ka na sa P100, bakit mo pa gagawing P300?

Q: After that hearing, what happened?

Villar: Meron na akong pinatawag na National Garlic Action Team, they are composed of traders and farmer's cooperatives and DA. They determine how much to import every month. Siguro nasusunod ang trader kaysa iyong farmer's cooperative saka iyong DA. Alam mo minsan sa isang organization, kung sino ang mayaman, iyon ang masusunod. Who has the gold, rules. Hindi ba iyon ay ginawa para matulungan ang farmers, bakit naman nagkaganito? At saka sa ating bansa, on one hand we determine the SRP na mage-earn ang farmers, kawawa naman sila kung hindi sila kumita, pero at a certain point we protect the consumers. Parang we find a balance between the interest of the farmers and the consumer. Basta pakitain natin ang farmers para taon-taon magtatanim sila para food sufficient tayo but the price should be reasonable na may kita ang trader, ang farmer, ang retailer and at the same time acceptable sa consumer para naman ang consumer hindi nagagalit. So I think between P80 to P100, reasonable to everybody iyon. Kaya lang nagalit ang consumers kasi P280 to P320, sobra na iyon.

Q: Did you identify anyone? Traders or smugglers?

Villar: May smugglers din pero kung hindi in-allow ng Bureau of Plant Industry, hindi nagkaganoon.

Q: Ano ang ginagawa ng DTI?

Villar: Pumunta sa Senate iyong kanilang Consumer Protection Group. Hindi kasi naglagay ng SRP kaya hindi sila na-alarm. Like sugar, sugar is P50 per kilo. Everytime na lalagpas sa P50, nagrereact na ang Sugar Regulatory Administration. Sila pala, lahat ng sugar natin napo-produce nila. They allocate a certain amount for export. Kapag lumagpas ng P50 sa local, nire-reallocate nila ang export for local para ibalik sa below P50. Very responsible sila, they try to keep sugar at that price. Kapag lumagpas na doon, nagrereact na sila. Dapat lahat ng prime and basic commodities ganoon.

Q: Iyong ginagawang mixing commercial rice with animal feeds?

Villar: Idemanda na iyon. Iyong nagpapalit ng sako na NFA rice ginagawang commercial rice, idemanda na iyon. Kasi ang NFA talaga on the average, P27 to P32 lang iyon. Ang lowest na commercial ay P38, ngayon nga nasa P41. Iyong P41 ng commercial rice medyo reasonable kasi iyong pinagbibili ng farmer tumaas, kumita din ang farmers. Ang masama iyong mga P45 pataas.

Q: Iyong black rice?

Villar: That is special rice, hindi na iyon kino-control kasi obviously, you can buy black rice then you can afford it. Hindi na natin masyadong concern iyon, ang importante iyong mga gusting bumili ng mura makabili sa NFA at iyong ayaw sa NFA makabili ng reasonable... Of course, mas mura sa abroad, iyong Vietnam, pero kapag pinasok dito may duty rin.

Q: On rice importation

Villar: Ang nag-iimport right now is government to government, NFA. Kasi ngayon ang selling price ng rice sa market is around P19 to P25, hindi nabili ang NFA ng ganyan. They are only allowed to buy up to P17. So they import. Talaga namang may kulang. Siguro around 1 million metric tons a year. Iyon ang iimportin nila at kapag inimport nila iyon sa Vietnam, mura din. Ipagbibili nila ng P25 or P30 iyon. Hindi ma-provide ng farmers natin ang 100%. This year 1.5 million metric tons ang inimport nila to cover the gap. That's for the year.

Q: Ano ang masasabi ninyo na ang mga farmers and fishermen ang may pinakamataas na poverty incidence?

Villar: Totoo iyon. A typical farmer and fisherman earn P150 a day, which is around P4,000 a month. When you say you live below the poverty line, it's P5,000. Sa mga farmer and fishermen, around 40%, nandoon below. Ang national average natin is 26.6. Sa kanila, 40. Ibig sabihin, mas mahirap sila sa typical Filipino... Siguro mali lang ang uri ng kanilang farming kasi iyong Benguet na predominantly an agricultural province, ang poverty index nila ngayon 2.8. Ang typical Metro Manila town is 3.5. Ibig sabihin, kung maganda ang agriculture mo, maitataas mo ang kabuhayan ng mga tao. Hindi masasabi na hindi kaya sa agriculture na itaas, depende how you do it. If you are so dedicated in making your agricultural productivity better, then you bring up the income of the people. Nueva Vizcaya is also a very good example. At iyong magagaling sa tourism like Aklan, 32 ang poverty index nila. Ang Cebu 22, ang Bohol 30 plus din.

Q: How's the rice terraces in Banaue? Napi-preserve?

Villar: They are trying to, in fact, nanggaling lang ako doon. Binigyan yata sila ng grant para ma-preserve... Sabi ko huwag ninyong pabayaan iyan, without that wala kayo.

Q: What will other departments do about garlic?

Villar: I'm giving them one week to do what they have to do. After one week, they have to make a report on what they have done. Specific naman ang instruction natin, magdetermine na kayo ng SRP. Everybody na nagbenta beyond that, imbestigahan na hindi ba? They have to justify their price. Pero ako, sure na sure ako na at P100 they earn.

Q: Iyong luya, P600 per kilo.

Villar: Naku naman. I think may nag-ooperate na rin, parang sabay-sabay na. May nagdedestabilize.

Q: So these traders will face you again after one week?

Villar: The one who will report will be the BPI. Ano ginawa nila? Ako, ayoko nang makipag-away sa traders. Dapat hulihin at kasuhan na diba? Pag-aralan kung ano ang problema and make our moves.

Q: Are you getting the support of the other senators?

Villar: Galit na galit din ang iba. Iyong mga babae galit na galit. Iyong mga lalaki, hindi naman sila namamalengke hindi naman siguro nila masyadong nararamdaman. Galit na galit din si Sen. Grace Poe.

Q: How are they supporting you in terms of legislation?

Villar: Alam mo sa amin sa Senate, we are 24 senators with 36 committees. Each one of us sa Majority, two committees each. Iyong Minority, one committee each. Kapag ikaw may committee, bahala ka na diyan, may committee rin ako na aalagaan ko. Kung may bill lang ako na dadalhin sa plenary, I need the vote, boboto sila. Nagsu-support sila kapag legislation. Pero iyong trabaho na mag-investigate, ikaw na iyon. Kasi meron na rin silang problema.

Q: Who is your counterpart in the House?

Villar: Kasi sa kanila iba iyong agriculture, iba ang fisheries, iba ang food. Tatlo ang counterpart ko sa House. Kasi 280 sila, we are just 24, we are just 10% of the House.

Q: Ikaw ang chairman ng agriculture...

Villar: And the committee on government corporations. That's why we passed the extension of the term of the Philippine National Railways... Nag-expire sila ng June 20, after 50 years. 1964 created ang PNR. Although the train services have deteriorated, I was so surprised that when I called all the local officials kung saan dumadaan ang PNR, lahat sila tuwang-tuwa sa PNR at ayaw nilang mawala. Even the senators like Sen. Pia, sabi niya, I want to see in my lifetime na mag-improve ang PNR so I'm supportive... I remember when I was second-year high school, I took PNR from Tutuban to Damortis, La Union. Pagdating sa Damortis, sumakay ako sa bus papuntang Baguio. And then when I graduated from college, I took the PNR from Tutuban to Ligao, Albay. From there, I took a bus to Irosin, Sorsogon. Ibig sabihin, maganda naman siya. They promised me that they will resume the Bicol trip by September.

Q: By now it is all suspended?

Villar: Na-suspend sila noong 2012 kasi nabagyo, nasira ang bridge somewhere in the South so nireconstruct...

Q: What do you hope to achieve within the next year?

Villar: Iyong Coco Levy bill, iyong sa sugar, Halal, fisheries code, saka yung sa insect infestation.

Q: You are really tied up sa food security...

Villar: My advocacy is tatlo lang, poverty reduction, OFW assistance at saka environment protection. I thought, if I will be in agriculture, majority of them in agriculture, 40%, are living below the poverty line. I can help a lot in my committee. I may not be able to solve all the problems, but I will do my best to help them. At least, mabawasan ang 40%.

Q: Iyong OFWs? They live below the poverty line?

Villar: No, okay sila. Except na marami silang problema in their jobs. Pero kung okay ka naman na OFW, iyong pinakamaliit yatang sweldo $200, mga domestic, mga P10,000. Walang problema sa earning, ang problema nila abuses, legal rights, human trafficking. Tapos kung mapauwi sila, na-abuse sila doon, then you go back to poverty again, same problem because no employment here.

Q: On poverty and population

Villar: Kasi ako, pro-RH ako. I am with Couples for Christ. We are pro-life. I tend to think na there are countries like, I talked to Mahathir in 2010. He said his only regret is that they were not able to field a large population that will enable Malaysia to stand on its own. Kasi they are so dependent on export, on tourism, ang market nila external. Kakaunti lang sila, I think 30 or 50 million lang sila. Sabi niya, if we have enough population, then whather happens outside ng Malaysia, we are okay. Kasi kung may domestic market ka, you are okay. Hindi ka dependent sa mga nagyayari sa ibang bansa. Kung konti population mo and you depend on other markets, paano kung nagka-recession abroad, recession ka rin? That enlightened me that if you have little population, may problem din. Sa akin, it's how you manage your population. If you can make your population educated, they know how to work, they have good values, then even if we have a large population, we can manage. The problem is that we are not able to manage our population.

Q: What can you say about your colleagues charged with plunder?

Villar: It's sad also because after all they are colleagues. You are just 24, kayo lang ang magkakasama doon, nakukulong pa ang iba. But we cannot do anything because it's the law, we have to implement the law. Although we were sad, we don't like this to happen. Remember, kapag sira ang institution, sira na kaming lahat. This has an effect on us. If you see iyong survey this March, bagsak kaming lahat. Whether we did good or bad, kasama kaming bumabagsak kasama nila. It's the institution. We have been in Congress and Senate long. My husband was Speaker of the House in 1998 and he was Senate President in 2006. We have always monitored the popularity of the House and the Senate because it's a reflection on you, you are the Senate president or the Speaker of the House, how they perceive your institution. Because if your institution is not popular, then you automatically become unpopular also. So we monitor. In those times, talagang sa lahat ng institution, Judiciary, Executive, House of Representatives, Senate, pinakamalakas palagi ang Senate. Very independent-minded ang Senate, they don't commit mistakes, ganyan, kasi they are elected by the whole country, they are very careful. Ngayon mababa kami.

Q: Si Binay mataas...

Villar: I think iyong vice presidency, as long as you don't quarrel with the president, then you are popular. Kasi ano ba ang hahanapin sa iyo? Hindi ka naman responsible for anything... Lahat ng vice president during their term, popular. Si Gloria popular noon, until lumaban lang siya kay Erap. And then si Noli de Castro is very popular, Binay is very popular. Si Erap noong time ni Ramos, popular siya.

Q: What do you think is going to be Pres. Aquino's legacy?

Villar: Pres. Aquino ran on corruption, pag walang corrupt, walang mahirap. I think he will rise or fall on that. Iyon naman ang pinangako niya. Tinatanong nila ako, bakit nagkaganyan, ang daming pinakulong, sabi ko kasi ang president natin he ran on the platform of anti-corruption. He cannot be otherwise... That will be his legacy. The problem is, what if it's not continued by the next administration, tapos ang legacy. Unlike if the legacy has been economic, kahit na magloko-loko, iyong nabuild mong economic trend remains kahit iba pa ang maging president. But corruption, pag corrupt ang next president, patay na ang legacy.

Q: Who is the likely presidential candidate?

Villar: Ang popular ngayon ay si Binay. But we can never tell. Maraming mangyayari pa, two years pa. like two years before the 2010 election, hindi pa nagkakasakit si Cory. Who would think that PNoy would become president?

Q: Is Sen. Miriam serious when she said she is running for president?

Villar: Sabi niya may Manny, kung gagaling siya. I mean, she is colorful. She makes herself colorful. Siya lang naman makakasalita nang ganoon ang get away with it. Ako siguro kung may cancer ako, baka nawala na ako dito, nagtago na ako. Siya, with all the hoopla.

Q: How do you assess media covering the scandal?

Villar: I guess that is what we call real expectation of the media. You cannot expect otherwise. But my only request sa media, you can destroy so many lives by just printing something which you don't try to research on. Kasi minsan sasabihin ng mga tao, hindi naman totoo, and then ipi-print nyo na, kapag na-print nyo na, hindi na pwedeng bawiin iyon. You destroy the lives of these people. Iyon lang ang malungkot... Kasi minsan halimbawa pinrint nyo na hindi naman totoo, nasisira iyong tao, mabuti naman siya, then you are foregoing his chance to serve you and they might be better. Like for example iyong sinama ni Napoles sila Pimentel, my God, if you know the Pimentels, alam mo na hindi totoo iyon... Hindi na bale si Koko, bata iyan. Si Sen. Nene, kawawa naman. Alam nyo naman si Sen. Nene is so simple, hindi naman siya nagluko in his lifetime. Hindi naman tama na retired na ang tao, nananahimik, ipi-print nyo pa na kasabwat ni Napoles. I cannot imagine that. Buti kami ni Manny, kahit nyo kami siraan, we are more lucky, we have a business, we have choices. Nene has choices also meron siyang School of Government sa Makati. But I find it so cruel. Marami din namang nag-serve sa atin na mabuting tao, they don't deserve that. Kilala ko sila, I've never seen a more simple person that Nene Pimentel.

Q: How is Sen. Manny Villar?

Villar: You know naman si Manny has always been a reluctant politician. He was really a businessman. Kaya lang by accident, napunta siya sa politics and he made also good there. But love nya rin ang kanyang business. He is back in business, doing many things. I think it's good also, by making your business successful; you are helping a lot of people, employment, giving good competition to other companies. Kasi alam mo, sa mga consumer, masa maraming competition, better kasi they can get the best service out of it...

Q: On Manila Bay reclamation

Villar: I think finally, they have decided to build an airport beyond Sangley. Baka hindi naman airport ang i-build nila, iba naman. So it's a continuous struggle... But sabi ni Secretary Singson, under my watch nothing will be built in Manila Bay. Kasi alam mo, ang problema natin ngayon, umulan lang ng konti bumabaha na. Malaki ang problema ng public works doon. Siguro ayaw na talaga nilang mag-build sa Manila Bay because that is the outlet. If you impede the outlet, the more problem you have.

Q: On truck ban causing the prices to go up

Villar: Hindi naman lahat. For example, iyong mga produce natin from the provinces, they don't bring it to the port. Kasi kung ibibigay lang sa mga tao.. nakita nyo ang mga rice ang warehouses sa Bulacan. They don't go into Metro Manila. The problem is, bakit hindi nila i-encourage na pumunta sa Batangas port saka sa Subic port. I think they are planning to give incentive sa mga lilipat sa Batangas port and Subic port. Kasi talagang may problem tayo sa Manila. Kasi kapag ang Manila nag-impose, talagang kawawa ang port of Manila. We cannot force naman the Mayor if he doesn't want.