Press Release
November 26, 2019

Transcript of Interview of Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III

On Rep. Velasco saying that the delay in the budget for the SEA Games did not come from the House of Representatives.

SP Sotto: Ha? Una, nagpalit sila ng leadership. Baka nakakalimutan nila na nagpalit din sila ng chairmanship. Baka nakakalimutan nila na imbis na isubmit sa amin by October 1 yung budget, sinubmit nila nung November 24. Ano ang magagawa namin less than a month? So in other words, hindi matatapos yun, imposible. Hindi naman kami basta na lang papatol na lang sa kahit anong isubo sa amin. So pagdating ng January, tinapos namin ang interpellation, pagdating ng February, tinapos namin ang tamang...pagmamadali pa yung ginawa naming yu, and then inapprove namin, and then nagbicam kami, at pagdating ng bicam, kung ano yung napagkasunduan, niratify namin, (unclear) yung buo na, yung napagkasunduan, niratify din nila. Pagkatapos, may ginalaw sila. Baka nakakalimutan nila na merong hindi lang P75 billion ang nakita namin, P95 billion ang nakita ng Presidente, na vineto. So paanong hindi sila ang may kasalanan ng delay? I am not talking about Congressman Velasco or Speaker Cayetano, I am talking about the House of Representatives in the Third Regular Session of the 17th Congress. Yung HoR na yun.

Q: Ano ang masasabi mo sa naghahanap lang ng masisisi?

SP Sotto: Ano lang yun siguro, medyo nasaktan lang sila doon sa pintas siguro ni Senator Drilon tungkol doon sa cauldron. Siguro ganun lang yun kaya parang binabalikan nila si Senator Drilon, pero in fairness, it was the idea of Senator Drilon kaya natapos yung tinatawag na impasse nung budget, nung 2019 budget. Sapagkat sinugest niya sa akin na lagyan ko na lang ng annotation. Sabi niya pirmahan ko na, lagyan ko ng annotation at ilahad ko sa Presidente kung alin yung sa tingin namin ay naging unconstitutional doon sa (unclear) as a matter of fact I placed an addendum na nakalista kung ano yung sinasabi namin. So I and together with the other members of the leadership of the Senate during that time, were ready for a reenacted budget because we cannot, I will not affix my signature to something that is unconstitutional, ganun. So, dapat nga siguro, hindi pwedeng sisihin si Senator Drilon sa delay, Sisihin siguro yung pagkakasubmit sa amin nuong November 24.

Q: Or the Senate?

SP Sotto: Oo, pati yung buong Senado hindi pwedeng sisihin. Kaya ang sagot ko nga sa inyo, hindi raw sila ang masisisi? Sabi ko nga, ha? Baka nakalimutan na nila, o baka wala sila noon doon, kaya sinasabi nila yan. Pero I am talking about the HoR, the Third Regular Session of the 17th Congress.

Q: For the record, you do not agree with the statement of Speaker Cayetano that he was saying that it was Senator Drilon who moved the budget of the SEA Games to the PSC tapos nacut daw to one third?

SP Sotto: That is a different story, that is not part of the delay of the budget. A cut is completely different from the so-called delay. Yung cut, siguro ang sense noon ni Senator Legarda, ay tanggapin yung suggestion ni Senator Drilon na sobra yung P7.5 billion at nung ipinasa yun, pumayag naman ang House. Pumayag sila doon. Eh di sana sa bicam, sinabi nila na kulang, ano? Meron pang tinatawag na private sponsorships na makukuha naman doon, so pareho nga ngayon, nakapag-raise yung Phisgoc ng P1.5 (unclear). But let me remind you also that syempre, (unclear) pa itong paguusap natin, but in my time, during the time of the South East Asian Games, mga Asian games na nilalaruan namin na napakadami naming medalyang pinapanalo, walang ginagasta ang gobyerno sa amin. There was no appropriations in the General Appropriations Act. Kami puro sari-sariling NSA, kanya-kanyang NSAs ang gumagastos. So, binigyan mo ng P6 billion, aba dapat magpasalamat sila, sapagkat kami nung araw, hindi nabibigyan ng ganun. Wala. In the 70s, early 80s.

Q: (Unclear) nakatulong din sa athletes yung PSC?

SP Sotto: In 8 events, in the 1977 SEA Games, I was part of the 8-man team. There were eight events, we won seven golds and one silver. Winipe-out nga namin ang kalaban. South East Asian Games yun. Walang government funding. Yung aming national sport association lang ang gumagastos. Dapat ganun.

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