GRACE POE AMBUSH INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT

On public information hearing

Question: Ma'am how will it benefit the broadcast and social media news?

Poe: Eh kasi napapanahon na ang batas na ito to protect the sources of media. Ang nakalagay kasi sa batas, noong 1946 pa, print pa lang. Eh ngayon, mayroon na taong radio, may television, mayroon pa tayong internet or online sources. So pag meron, lalo na ngayon, ang daming nangyayari sa ating bansa, gusto naman nating protektahan ang mga nagbibigay ng impormasyon sa media na hindi sila matatakot na mabubuko sila lalung-lalo na kung ang gagawin nila ay makakatulong sa testimonya o kunyari sa pagbalangkas ng batas.

Q: So ma'am, first and last hearing ito?

Poe: First and last. Approved kaagad lahat, Office of the Solicitor General, yung DICT, National Press Club, Press Institute, lahat sila ay nag-agree that it's the right time to amend this seventy year old law.

Q: So mag-draft na ng committee report, ma'am?

Poe: Yes. Committee report na ito.

Q: On exceptions:

Poe: Yung exceptions kasi, pagdating sa national security...if it will affect the security of the state, I think that it's pretty common in all other different legislations. Pati naman sa FOI, diba? How is it...If it will propose danger, for example, to an ongoing investigation or protecting certain sources for ongoing criminal investigations, yung mga bagay na...police investigations, yung mga bagay na ganun, sa tingin ko naman kasama talaga iyan sa exception.

Q: So paano yung privileged communications?

Poe: Sa FOI yun. Yung presidential privileged communications. Dito naman, wala namang ganoon kasi sources ang pinag-uusapan natin. Unless ang source mo siguro ay yung presidente mismo na ayaw magpa-divulge. The president can use many other ways, for example, to protect himself, like his protection from suit, immunity from suit, presidential privilege, at tsaka...Presidente siya. So kahit na ano, hindi naman niya kailangan nito.

Q: When will the committee report be done?

Poe: Sana by next week. Mabigay na namin. Kasi yung Office of the Solicitor General gustong mag-submit ng isang final position paper pero in principle, they have no contradictions to it. And they asked for three days. Kasi sabi naman namin, we need it as soon as possible because next year, next week, we will all start deliberating on the budget. Tapos yung emergency powers minamadali din natin. So yun yung mga bagay. Ayaw ko namang matabunan itong batas na ito kasi importante. Baka makulong yung mga online..

Q: May counterpart daw sa House?

Poe: Mayroon na. Nauna na sila doon. Kaya wala nang problema ang bicam dito...

Q: So ma'am, isasabay ninyo ba ito sa FOI yung pagpapasa nito?

Poe: Mauuna ito sa FOI. Kasi alam mo yung PCOO, presidential communications operations office. magsa-submit sila ng consolidated FOI nila. Kasi remember, they have 300 something exemptions? So sabi nila, they'll put it into categories. So we're waiting for that. Tapos, I will be attending a conference in the Open Government partnership, the Philippines is one of the first signatories to that. It can also help kasi in crafting a more doable FOI. Kasi remember, ayaw natin yung--oo nga available yung information pero tatambakan ka ng isang tambak na impormasyon na hindi naman kailangan. So, may teknolohiya sa ibang bansa na maaari nating gamitin dito at ilagay na natin sa batas.

Q: On passage of FOI in the Senate

Poe: Yung FOI. I hope. Maybe January.

Q: Reaction sa US Elections?

Poe: First of all, hindi ako bumoto doon ah. Pero ako ay nakikiisa sa ating mga kababayan--talagang ibang klase ang mga eleksyon ngayon sa buong mundo. talagang nagkakaroon ng kakaibang radikal na pananaw. Hindi natin malalaman talaga hangga't nabilang na lahat. Sino ba ang nangunguna?

Q: Si Trump.

Poe: Trump. Kasi noong sa hearing nag-start, Trump pa rin. Pero wala pang California.

Q: Pasok na, ma'am...How will it affect the US-PH ties?

Poe: ...Ang masasabi ko lang, kahit na sino ang maging pangulo ng sinumang bansa, ang kailangan nating unahin ay ang interes ng ating mga kababayan sa tamang paraan. Pero kaibigan natin ang lahat, maski na sinong manalo. Kailangan i-advance natin ang ating interes, makipag-ugnayan tayo sa kahit na anong bansa na makakatulong sa ating lahat...

On emergency powers

Poe: We are just trying to craft a bill that will be doable, fiscally responsible and that will actually be effective in solving traffic. I must admit, we had to talk to several different experts. Just today, I spoke to a traffic expert who talked about certain things that must be considered. Bakit pa tayo mag-iimbento? Nandiyan na ang JICA study na pinagkagastusan natin ng napakalaki. Pwedeng doon mag-umpisa at huwag nang bagu-baguhin pa. Pero sabi ko nga, pangako ko na ipi-present ko na ito sa floor by the 3rd or 4th week of November. So doon at least we can all weigh in on it. Pwedeng sabihin ng mga kasama kong senador kung ano ba ang naayon o hindi.

Q: Ano ba yung contentious issue at the committee?

Poe: Unang-una ilalagay namin specifically kung anong mga projects and acceptable sa ngayon. Dahil baka naman magising tayo may proposal sila na monorail o cable car. Papayag ba tayo ng ganun? So ang plano namin ay ganito, mag-sasuggest kami ng mga proyekto na nakalagay na doon na nasa JICA study pero maglalagay din kami ng probisyon na nagsasabi kung wala man doon sa annex na aming inilagay, basta mayroon NEDA approval. Ngayon, pwedeng i-compel ang NEDA to facilitate the approval or the study, comments within two months. Pwedeng gawin iyon e, nakita mo nga ang NEDA biglang finastrack nila supposedly yung sa PNR line from standard guage to a bigger guage. So pwede nilang gawin iyon kung talagang tinutulak sila.

Q: Where will you get the funding apart from the JICA?

Poe: JICA doesn't necessarily give the funding. Of course there are other countries that will provide loans but it's mainly through the PPPs that they're trying to get funding and of course the General Appropriations Act later on. There are some projects that already have funding from the government but if you're talking about the eight trillion which they are proposing, they're going to have to explain where and what the sources of funding will come and that consumers will not be burdened with this debt.

Q: May concerns on that it's such a huge amount and the proposal comes at a time na gusto nila i-fastrack ito. There are concerns about possible corruption kasi nga malaki yung amount tapos mamadaliin pa. Does the panel share that concern also na maaaring malusutan ng possible...

Poe: Nandoon na tayo, right of way acquisition, bidding process iklian, but part of it will be the safeguards we're putting an oversight composed of members from the house and the Senate. Pero kapag sinabi naman na "e mapapagkatiwalaan mo ba yung kongreso at senado na magbantay niyan?" Kaya nga kukuha kami ng third party na mga advisers na kasama dito at lahat ng kontrata bago pa lang pirmahan, after a certain amount dapat pinapublish muna para makita natin. Hindi yung parang kapag napirmahan na saka lamang ganun. Pero bibigyan namin ang aming sarili ng taning. Kunwari ang kongreso at senado ay pwede lamang magreview nito within one week nakalabas na ang aming opinion.

Q: Acceptable ba yung pinagmamalaki nilang improvement na three minutes yung travel time sa EDSA?

Poe: Well, three minutes is three minutes. Obviously hindi mo mararamdaman iyon. Gawin nilang three minutes yung improvement everyday. After how many days 'di ba marami, baka one hour na tayo. Sige lang, let's try to be encouraging of them. Mayroong briefing ang MMDA bukas tungkol dun sa mga ibang proposals nila sa side-streets. Mag-aattend tayo doon. At least they're doing something without emergency powers and I think that's really important that the people will see the efforts that the government is extending as of now. Pero ako talaga, I'll be an advocate of pushing, even if it's a longterm production they really should begin the underground subway system construction. Kapag sinabi nila na it will cost three to five times more, kesa naman sa taas lahat ng traffic, three billion a day na nga tayo, sa ilalim na lang...