Transcript of Interview of Senate President Franklin M. Drilon

Q: Kinu-consider ba ng LP si VP Binay as guest candidate?

SPFMD: Wala kaming pinag-uusapan dahil amin pong hinhintay ang desisyon ng Pangulong Noynoy bilang aming chairman. He will have a big say who will be the standard bearer of the LP. So at this point, we have not discussed it.

Q: May possibility na maimbithan siya?

We have not discussed it.

Q: Saan po kaya nanggagaling yung ganoong rumors?

SPFMD: Hindi ko alam.

Q: You mentioned may mga spin masters?

SPFMD: Because malapit na yung 2016, marami na namang - syempre, spin masters are there.

Q: May puwang po ba si VP Binay sa LP?

SPFMD: Next topic.

Q: Kino-consider ba ng LP na magkaroon ng tagalabas?

SPFMD: We have not discussed it. The President, being the chairman of the Party, he has a big say who the candidate of the LP will be. Certainly, the President will anoint somebody who will continue the reforms and who can show that indeed he is a candidate that has supported the reforms that were done by the President.

Q: Si Sec. Mar pa rin ba ang standard bearer ng LP?

SPFMD: The President will make the final decision as chairman of the party.

Q: Kapag kayo ang napili?

SPFMD: Pupulutin ako sa kangkungan siguro (laughs). You can see me walk here every day. I give it my best. The work in the Senate is my primary task at sisikapin kong gawin ang lahat para maibalik ang tiwala ng taumbayan sa Senado.

Q: Is the LP open to coalescing with the UNA?

SPFMD: Wala po kaming pinag-uusapan.

Q: Si Secretary Mar pa rin yun who tops the list of possible LP standard bearer?

SPFMD: If Sec. Mar makes public his desire to run for president, the Liberal Party will support him and I assume the president will support him.

Q: Ngayon Sir hindi pa lang siya nag-e-express?

SPFMD: Wala akong...Well, he has not made any public statement.

Q: On the Senate budget

SPFMD: Unang pinag aaralan namin yung capital outlay. Yung capital outlay na nagawa na last year, siguradong hindi na ibabalik. Tinitingnan namin yung items, but that is part of the process.

Q: Sa Lower House daw mas mataas this time around?

SPFMD: Hindi ko pa alam.