Transcript of Interview of Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III

On the resolution filed by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV

Senate President Koko Pimentel: ...It will be referred to the proper committee.

Q: Pero as far as you're concerned?

SPKP: Kung pwede sanang di na pag-aksayahan ng panahon kasi nangyari na yan before with different characters involved. Kung ganun lang, nakita na natin yung kinaratnan. So baka maulit lang but it should be processed properly. It will now be the call of the chairman. When he will schedule it. How he will treat it. Who are the resource persons he will invite?

Q: ...pero yung committee chairman in case magdecide siya mag...

SPKP: Dito sa Senate, walang censorship dito. We follow procedure.

Q: Kahit hindi na siya bagong issue. I mean issue na yan nung campaign pa.

SPKP: Call na ni chairman yun kung sa tingin niya... Siyempre since we are all elected public officials, si chairman na rin ang mag-weigh kung may political repercussion para sa kanya kung bibigyan niya ng importansya kasi yung oras eh. I mean ang dami nating kailangang gawin.

Q: Sir, nagreact po kasi si Senator Trillanes dun sa statement niyo na waste of time. Sabi niya, masyado daw po kayong ninenerbyos para sa "amo" niyo. Yun yung term niya.

SPKP: Ewan ko kung nanginginig yung boses ko ngayon pwede akong ninenerbyos ngayon pero hindi naman ata. Anyway, tama naman yung reaction niya because he's also obsessed with the issue. Malay mo pag di pag-usapan yung issue, manginig din yung kamay niya.

Q: Sir, paano ba yung usaping legal? Sabi kasi nung iba, kapag walang predicate crime, hindi mo pwedeng imbestigahan

SPKP: Ipasa na natin kay chairman yan. Bahala na si chairman ng committee.

Q: Sir, dun sa statement niyo na the Senate is not the proper body pero sinasabi niyo na you are not censorsing. Walang censorship ditto sa Senate.

SPKP: Ganito kasi 'yon. All Senators have mandate from the people. I will have to respect the mandate to a senator given by the people. If he wants to file something, we have to include it in our reference of business. We have a committee system in the Senate, it will be referred to the proper committee. The person in charge of the committee is the committee chair.

Q: Pero sir, as far as you're concerned, hindi dapat Senate ang mag-imbestiga?

SPKP: Para kasing nabasa ko yung press release niya na if he has the goods, derecho na. Go to the proper agency.

Q: Which is the proper agency?

SPKP: Eh di ipa-research niya sa lawyers niya kung saan yung proper agency.

Q: Pero sir, sabi niya, tinanggap niya lang yung hamon ng pangulo na imbestigahan ng Congress yung kanyang bank accounts according to Senator Trillanes?

SPKP: Yun nga siguro yung motivation ng pag-file niya. The fact is na-file na niya. We will process it properly in accordance with our rules.

Q: Sir, nag-file na siya sa Ombudsman. So yun ba yung proper body to investigate it?

SPKP: Depende. What does he have. Ano bang goods ang hawak niya?

Q: Sir, he was quoting the Vera files reports

SPKP: Publication na then i-qu-quote mo pa so anong nangyari don? Ang layo na nun ah.

On which committee will the resolution be referred to

SPKP: Nakalagay naman don pero i-che-check ko dahil meron kaming committee diyan na first determination. Depende sa allegation, babasahin ko muna. Dalawa lang naman yung logical dun - Banks or Blue Ribbon... kasi baka patungo dun sa money laundering.

Q: Sir, yung sa Sanofi Pasteur, pwede yun sa International court

SPKP: Ganito, pagdating sa Sanofi Pasteur, ayaw daw ibalik yung full refund. Depende sa kontrata natin. Basahin natin yung kontrata sa kanila. Ang modern contracts kasi ngayon, meron nang provision or paragraph on dispute resolution. So depende sa nakasulat don. If you recall, the government of the Republic of the Philippines parati tayong kinakasuhan sa mga International court then pumapayag tayo sa ganun. Ang next question ko is kung wala yun sa kontrata with Sanofi Pasteur, bakit natin pinayagan na ganun? So dapat tignan natin how to... If there's a dispute arising from the contract, how is it resolved? So let's look at the contract first.