Transcript of the Press Conference of Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri

Press Conference Q&A

Q: (Hingi details...)

SP Juan Miguel "Migz" F. Zubiri: Gusto ko lang muna sabihin na nagpapasalamat po ako sa Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations, the Blue Ribbon Committee headed by chairman (Francis) Tolentino for a job well-done. He handled the hearings with professionalism and napakabilis na makuha niya ang mga information sa ating mga witnesses at nagpapasamat po ako sa kanya dahil inaksiyunan yugn akign talumpati na binigay ko po last month about this issue on the sugar importation. I'm also thankful that we will be coming out with a committee report very soon, hopefully aksiyunan po namin ito sa plenaryo yung mga pa-release ng ating committee chair bago po mag break. Hopefully we will have an approved committee report and of course if charges be to be filed and so be it. Justice delayed, is justice denied. I suggest that we will do our part to make sure na hindi po maulit ito. Itong pangyayaring illegal order na ito. Gusto ko rin pong banggitin na sa lahat po ng meetings natin with the SRA and sugar stakeholders, there are going to be certain recommendations and I believe that committee will also give certain recommendations that will make changes in the system. Dapat palitan na po yung nangyari sa SO4 (Sugar Order No. 4) meaning, kugn pwede wala na masyadong government intervention. Kung pwede po yung importation ibigay na directly sa ating mga high-demand users for example coca-cola, kung kulang po sila ng 50,000 metric tons we can give them a permit to import 50,000 metric tons sila na bahala po maghanap ng importer, sila nap o bahala mag-import nitong asukal na ito para sa ganoon wala nang isyu na "tongpats" kase diba pag hinid natin ginawa yan, there will always be questions of corruption in the agency. Tha SRA last night in my meeting with them, they have a new had Mr. David Alba, together with the representatives of the millers and farmers agreed. Para sa ganoon may reporma po na mangyayari sa SRA. Hindi nap o katulad nugn nangyari sa SO4 na piling pili nila yung importers, tapos tinaggal pa nila yung bond, which is a government protection for the consumers, kase syempre we are avoiding "pole vaulting" ibig sabihin po ng pole vaulting, for example kung dapat para sa coke yan, ang dineliver kalahati, yung kalahati itatago at ibebenta sa local market at a higher price. So the bond there is to protect the Philippine government to make sure that the importation goes directly to the demand-user, the end-user, the industrial user. Para sa ganun hindi din po kawawa ang ating magsasaka, at wala na pong issue on corruption. Kase it is up to for example Zesto, Pepsi cola, yugn coca-cola, all the big users of sugar to now just directly import on their own of sugar basta yung kailangan lang, katamtaman lang na hindi apektado ang ating mga magsasaka, dahil ang gusto po ng ating pangulo na hindi po dehado ang ating mga magsasaka and the only way to do that is unahin natin ang local stock, pag tapos na po, ubos na po local stock ng asukal, diyan na po tayo mag i-import ng asukal, kaya itong hearing na ito ay napaka importante, kaya nagpapasalamat ako kay chairman Tolentino because we will come up not only with findings of fact when it comes to violations of law, we will also come up with recommendations to prevent these things from happening again and to stop any form of corruption that may take place in the future for future importation of sugar if need be.

Q: On letter of ES sinasabi niya upon instruction ni BBM kaya hindi siya dadalo sa meeting. Pero tumawag pala siya sa inyo na pinapadalo siya?

SP Zubiri: I don't want to answer that. I think the ES should be the one to answer that. Kinausap ko siya dun sa taas kanina at sinabi ko sa kanya ay bakit nga yun ang binaggit mo sa sulat. Ang sabi niya it's because he felt that it was a state visit, the President was not around, he wanted that all hands on deck in Malacang. Nung nalaman na ni President, I think this morning, na na-subpoena, the President called me and said I'm sending the executive secretary as a show of respect to the Senate and the Blue Ribbon Committee to attend the hearing immediately kaya dumating and ating executive secretary. Other than that I cannot speculate on anything.

Q: Did you ever signed pa yun subpoena?

SP Zubiri: No I did not sign the subpoena. It's moot and academic because when it was brought up to me, he was already in my office, so sabi ko it is not necessary to sign.

Q: (Same question for Sen. Francis "Tol" Tolentino)

Sen. Tolentino: I signed that subpoena but... (unclear)

Q: Bakit po ba hindi relevant na tanungin kanina kugn nasa zoom meeting si PBBM nung August 4. Kase lumalabas na hybrid so may zoom meeting.

Sen. Tolentino: It has to be established, yung zoom meeting and yung CCTV for example capture by the cameras are confidential. We have a Data Privacy law and may mga jurisprudence na kapag yung involve na is yung chief executive, bawal talaga yun. So hindi pa natin alam kung totoo o hindi. But just the same I will be furnishing the transcripts if there is one, the CCTV footage if there is one. But, what was established during the latter part of the hearing hindi totoo yung 600,000 (metric tons) ngayon lang lumabas yun.

Q: Sir ano yung - Sir sabi ni SP no, before the break, (unclear) Sen. Tolentino: Ah, hindi ko nasabi kay SP, the committee report, the committee report -

Q: Ay sir sorry nawala daw po yung audio -

Sen Tolentino: Maliwanag na? Hindi ko lang nasabi kay SP, hindi ko nasabi kay SP kanina, God-willing by Thursday we will have the committee report. By Thursday, day after tomorrow. Day after tomorrow.

Q: (unclear) the directions that we're taking sir.

Sen. Tolentino: Hindi, tapos na yung committee report. Day after tomorrow, today is Tuesday, on Thursday.

Q: (unclear) you have established facts that you said that (unclear). Initially can you give us some established facts -

Sen. Tolentino: We showed it awhile ago.

Q: (unclear)

Sen. Tolentino: That will be part of the report so there is no more need to, there is no more hearing on Thursday. On Thursday, we will come out with the report.

Q: (unclear)

Sen. Tolentino: I think you'll just need to read the report. It will be encapsulated in the report.

Q: Sir paano yun, resource persons will be there on Thursday -

Sen. Tolentino: Hintayin niyo nalang. Hintayin niyo nalang because we have another hearing on Thursday, yung laptop.

Q: So paano po yun, you will read out the results first -

Sen. Tolentino: Hintayin niyo nalang, hintayin niyo nalang. Hintayin niyo nalang ma'am.

Q: Sir ano nalang yung mga ikakaso duon sa mga napatunayan -

Sen. Tolentino: I don't want to pre empt the decision of my colleagues. It will be a collegial decision. Ilang oras nalang yun, isang tulog nalang- dalawa. Okay na?

Q: Sir kay SP lang sir. Sir ano yung commitment niyo na maipapasa yung Sim Card Registration?

SP Zubiri: May- may hearing po tayo ng Sim Card Registration itong Thursday, na Thursday na po kasi may Commission on Appointments hearing bukas at hindi po pwede si Sen. Grace Poe dahil siya ay member ng Commission on Appointments. So Thursday po ang hearing baka ako I would suggest isang hearing nalang kasi we discussed this extensively in the 18th Congress and almost all the members of the 18th Congress are present- still in the, in this congress, and so hindi na po kailangan siguro na mapahabaan pa itong diskusyon na ito. I'm sure everyone of you here, I want to see a nod from all of you kung nakatanggap po kayo ng spam text. I'm sure all of you nakatanggap, ng media. I was tempted to ask in the floor yesterday a show of hands from everyone in the plenary and I'm sure we would have gotten everyone in the plenary had received either text messages na hindi ninyo kilala, spam messages at mga scammers. Maramin pong ganyan. Today ang dami kong natanggap, pati pangalan ko ha, "Hello Miguel", nakalagay doon, "Hello Miguel would you like to join e-sabong?" ganon, eh bawal na yung e-sabong eh, so obviously that's illegal. Kaya sabi ko nga dapat tapusin na natin ito. Let us pass the law requiring all consumers or buyers of these sim cards to register with government-issued IDs, dapat yan hindi lang isang ID dapat dalawa na talagang stating the facts kung sino talaga ang namimili nito para kung sa ganoon, mayroon po magtext sa inyo, agad agad po ninyo iforward yan, screenshot niyo, forward niyo sa NTC. That is a violation of our law- a violation of the law with penalties thereafter. So kailangan natin gawin ito. It's not only a matter of terrorism, protection of or yung tinatawag dito anti-terror measures, anti-criminality but it's also disturbing each and everyone of us everyday by getting all these spam messages. Tama ang sinabi ng colleagues natin may mga lola dyan at lolo, mga bata na nadadala at nabobola at nai-scam nitong mga taong ito. Very gullible nga, ika nga. So together with the good Senator Tolentino and the Blue Ribbon committee, we want to pass this immediately.

Q: Sir I have question lang po. Sir nabanggit kanina ni SP yung charges, Senator Toletino do you see the (unclear) ng pagkakaroon ng charges dito po sa sugar (unclear).

Sen Tolentino: Yung sugar hearing? Definitely. Charges will be filed. Hintayin niyo nalang. Hintayin niyo nalang.

Q: (unclear)

Sen Tolentino: Hintayin niyo nalang, dalawang tulog lang yun eh. Hintayin niyo nalang.

Q: Sir si ES po ba ay off the hook na based dun sa last hearing (unclear) then ngayon lang po kasi siya humarap, for the two of you po ba, walang pananagutan (unclear)

Sen Tolentino: Again, we reiterate our gratitude for the Executive Secretary in attending this hearing despite a short notice. You've been a great help, lumabas yung subpoena through the media. So, off the hook, just wait for the report.

Q: Sir are you confident to say that you have gotten to the bottom of the (unclear) issue?

Sen. Tolentino: There are, there are- we focused on the contents of the privileged speech. We never deviated from something that was not referred to us - smugglers, cartel, etc. etc. So these are side issues that probably would be tackled by another committee, the committee on agriculture, otherwise we won't end. So we focused on the four corners of the SO4, its preparations, its aborted implementation, the people behind SO4, etc. etc. So doon lang.

Q: So no corruption sir, no corruption?

Sen. Tolentino: Just wait for the results

Q: kasama yung sinasabing tongpats?

SP Zubiri: Let me clarify para.. tignan mo naman o... pinag-usapan na natin yung SIM card registration may pumasok 'We are offering you a fund' of low interest rate 30,000 to 2 million loanable amount. Apply yes' kalokohan itong mga taong ito.

But on the issue of tongpats, sabi ko those are in the realm of possibility. Pwede mangyari iyon kasi industry insiders were saying that yun nga daw ang normal. Kaya nga gusto naming maglagay ng reporma. That's why the reform there is to give the stakeholders, specifically high-demand users the right to import on the amount. 'O kayo na bahala mag-import niyan.' Para mawala na yung collusion ng SRA with importers. See what had happened to SO4. Tinanggal na nila yung bond from what to be about 10 to 12 importers lang because they are able to pay the bond, it became 28. So lumawak siya and ibig sabihin niyan mawawala yung proteksyon ng gobyerno kung mawawala ang bond. So we want to make sure the safeguards are in place. Na wala nga pong tongpats.

Like in any government procurement, when there's due haste, there's suspicion. They're suspect. Where there's due haste, when they disregard requirements, they disregard documents, dyan na papasok yung malfeasance and misfeasance and possible violations of other laws of the land. This hearing is going to establish if there was an undue haste in the release of this illegal, as said by the president himself and the Malacañang spokesperson, illegal sugar order. And I totally trust the chairman to come up with a very just resolution and hopefully we get the support of our colleagues if not unanimous consent for its approval on the plenary.

Q: Requirements vote for the committee report

Sen. Tolentino: The requirements is 17 + 3 ex-officio. So majority is what? 11.

Q: Hindi na mangyayari plano niyo na basahin

Sen. Tolentino: Just wait.. kanina, remember, naligaw ako sa July 29. Nung sinabi ko nung lumindol nung 27, 28, 29, ang inaatupag pa nila ay SO4. So kaya just wait, dalawang tulog na lang.

Q: Kelang ang adjourn ng hearing

Sen. Tolentino: Nag-adjourn ang hearing. The committee is not yet discharged. The Committee is charged once you present it before the plenary. The committee still has jurisdiction [over the case].

Just wait, Just wait.

Q: How difficult was the investigation? Were you able to easily uncover the irregularity na nakikita niyo?

Sen. Tolentino: Sabi ko sa inyo may katapusan eh. May roadmap tayo sa start. On this day, sunod-sunod. So, eventually, through the assistance of the good Senate president, we got the Executive Secretary they want. Kung matatandaan niyo. So, hindi tayo naging neverending telenovela, but may deadline nga ako sinasabi ko na aking inimpose na by Thursday we will have the report. Siguro ngayon lang naexperience yun.

Q: Ipapatawag niyo pa si ES?

Sen. Tolentino: There's no need.

Q: Paano po yung sinasabing zoom meeting?

Sen. Tolentino: It will be given to me. Again, I mentioned the legality of that. Yung transcript na lang as requested by Sen. Hontiveros. But it doesn't affect, it will not affect the results.

Q: Why sir?

Sen. Tolentino: We have established a lot. SO4, how it was crafted. The removal of the performance bond. The assignor-assignee relationship, etc. etc. hindi kasama yung if indeed there was a zoom di ba.

Q: Just in the event lang sir, just a possibility, paano kung itong 600,000 na lumabas ay nasa transcript ng Zoom.

Sen Tolentino: I think that was mentioned several times by the president himself. 150,000 lang Amor.

Q: Yung 600,000 sir?

Sen. Tolentino: It's just ano, for me, ako na ito ha, after thought yung sinabi na 600,000. Kasi it came out of belatedly supplemental affidavit of Mr. Serafica. Yun yung question ko kanina, bakit ngayon mo lang nilabas yan? Nakaka 2 days na hearing na kami sa kanya. So, ngayon lang niya nilabas yun. There are questions of course.

SP Zubiri: I just want to add to the chairman statement that the Executive Secretary already flatly denied him ever saying this. Let's give them naman an opportunity sa tv, radio, newspaper and print na ilabas din yun kasi unang bulaga sa akin cellphone, BBM ask for 600,000. Mali kaagad yung.. you know it is coming from a guy who is accused of malfeasance, misfeasance and violations of law. And the ES himself had said the president never said that. It would be suffice to say na after thought talaga siya kasi noong day 1 pa lang, we keep on asking him the conversations they had. Hindi naman niya binanggit yung 600,000. Saan naman galing iyon

Q: Sorry Sir ah, why are we convinced na hindi totoo yung 600 thousand when it was backed by Balderama as well Sir?

SP Zubiri: Alam mo, I was in the, again I can only speak from the facts being in a particular meeting with the President. The President himself said during that hearing with the stakeholders' meeting, I had questioned why they needed three hundred thousand metric tons. Sabi ko ng sa kanila, bakit ganon kalaki? And I would like to quote the President on that. We had people in that room that were present in that meeting. I just should've asked them to come over and confirm what the President said. The President had asked, "Bakit ganon kalaki, three hundred thousand? Three hundred thousand nga lang yan, pano yung six hundred thousand?" So, I do not know the motive of these two gentlemen maybe to mottle the issue baka to throw a monkey wrench away from them. But the truth of the matter is, SO4 was hurriedly done, hurriedly signed and as admitted by these gentlemen, na sikreto nilang ginawa, hindi nila sinama yung deputy director, hindi nila sinabi, sinabihan ang mga deputy directors. They were in a room, in the SRA, nakatago, onky Serafica and his assistant that were drafting it. Dalawa lang daw sila o tatlo ang nag-draft niyan. Hindi niya pinaalam sa iba. Bakit, why the secrecy? Bakit napakasecret ng transaction na ito? Kaya nga sabi ko may mga violations pa on the process and that is where the chairman is going to decide now with extensive evidence that he has gathered.

Q: Sir this early you already have a decision that the former SRA officials are guilty of whatever wrongdoing as well as former Usec Sebastian?

SP Zubiri: I will wait for the results of the committee report. But there is, they have violated rules and procedures to the extent of what the penalties are and what the exact terminology would be, I am not a lawyer, I am an agriculturist/environmentalist by profession and education, I will leave it to the good gentleman from the Blue Ribbon Committee to come up with the findings. But as far as I'm concerned, there were violations of procedure particularly on the hastily approved or hastily signed SO number 4.

Q: (unclear)

Sen. Tolentino: Mr. Lamata is saying that Mr. Serafica died...

Q: Yes Sir. There's no shortage but according to Mr. Lobregat there's a shortage. So how are we going to (unclear)

Sen. Tolentino: That's why I asked for the inventory. Matatandaan niyo late nang dumating yung inventory, it will establish, part of the evidence naman yung dumating yung inventory kanina. It will establish prior to the issuance of SO4, if there was really a shortage, etc. etc. So again, I don't want to prolong your agony we just have two days more, you will have the committee report. Q: Sir may we have a copy of the inventory for transparency?

Sen. Tolentino: Yes, yes. It's now part of the committee's record, so it's a public record you can get it from the Blue Ribbon Secretariat.

Q: Sir of the six hundred thousand...

Sen. Tolentino: ten pages lang yun.

Q: Sir as (unclear) six hundred thousand claim of the two SRA officials, you think your opposition colleagues are just making (unclear)

Sen. Tolentino: I cannot speak for themselves.

Q: Sir with the appearance of ES, contradictory statements (unclear)

Sen. Tolentino: He's a primary source of information, no longer hearsay. So we remove the misinterpretation, misconception, signals, etc. etc. He's the primary source.

Q: So were you satisfied with the explanation, given by ES?

Sen. Tolentino: I think explaining it from his first sworn statement, you do not find enough gaps and loopholes that would make his cross examination today shaky. So it fits. It fits, preliminarily from where I stood an hour ago. But I'm not making conclusions. My advice to you Ma'am is wait for the report.

Q: Sir would you say na si Serafica and Sebastian, were they...

Sen. Tolentino: Just wait for the report. Baka magkamali ako eh. Nagkamali na nga ako kanina, natanong ko pala si Balderama kala ko si JV...

Q: On Thursday, ready na yung committee report with signature of the members?

Sen. Tolentino: Just wait. Thank you Ma'am, thank you.

SP Zubiri: Ano daw? What's that? Quiet guys.

Q: May mga nagcocomment po kasi sa social media na it seems like some of the senators are lawyering for ES. That's the perception. Sir what's your comment on tha?

SP Zubiri: How are we lawyering for the ES? He's been subpoenaed so I had to request as a co-equal branch of government, the executive, that he appear to avoid any crisis. And he appeared. That not lawyering, that's just the rules. He was going to get a subpoena by the committee. No one is lawyering for him. It's just that we want to know the truth and I don't want it politicized. Kasi alam mo maraming gusting makakita na mitumba si Presidente. Kabago-bago pa lang niya, wala pa siyang one hundred days. So some people are trying to politicize this issue and twist it. I think the facts are clear, wait on Thursday on the findings of the committee. But we don't want to politicize this issue because there's no politics here involved. It's just the President and his capacity as Secretary of Department of Agriculture is trying to look out for the best interest of the farmers and during these discussions, this is what had materialized and he called it an illegal signed document that he did not agreed on and we picked it up here, with my speech in the floor and to see if these people will or should be punished. If they committed the crime, they should be punished. So that's the job of the Blue Ribbon Committee and the beauty of this Blue Ribbon Committee is that he wants, the Chairman want it immediately approved and dispensed with so that action can be taken. He's always telling me justice delayed is justice denied.

Sen. Tolentino: So if I may add, yung subpoena, alam niyo naman siguro yung effects non kung di siya naka-comply, di siya dumating, alam niyo na siguro yon diba. So we thank him for attending. Thank you thank you.

SP Zubiri: Thank you.

Q: So ma-aadress nun Sir yung smuggling, corruption?

SP Zubiri: Pala cgay ko. guston

Q: Including the over importation of agriculture products?

SP Zubiri: Yes. Lock, stock, and barrel. I'm expecting the incoming president to scrutinize everything. He knows what's going on. As a matter of fact, I am not sure if I am at liberty to say so, but I know for a fact that he already has a list of those involved in the smuggling.

Q: Sir na-share niyo po yung committee report ng Committee of the Whole kay BBM, napag-usapan niyo?

SP Zubiri: Napag-usapan namin.

Q: And then may list din po kayo nung involved, nai-share niyo din?

SP Zubiri: Yes, in fact, I think it escaped your notice that in the last day of the Senate when I manifested that the Bills and Index has received the committee report of the Committee of the Whole on the agricultural smuggling. So it's now public record, so if you want to look into it, you ask the Senate Secretariat for a copy.

Q: Sir any commitment from BBM nung mai-share niyo yung list niyo ng mga involved sa smuggling?

SP Zubiri: Well, perhaps in so many words, he did not need to commit to me anything like that but I sensed sa usapan naming na bothered siya sa corruption na pinag-usapan sa DA sa customs.

Q: Sir sabi niyo may list na siya nung smugglers, did he tell yu what he plans to do with that?

SP Zubiri: No we did nit talk about that.

Q: Sir you and senator Ping planning, one way or another, to help him curb smuggling, importation, kasi diba we had these series of hearings

SP Zubiri: Kung kami ang tatanungin at may maitutulong kami, I'm sure Senator Ping and I would be able to give our perspective on those issues. As of July 1 we will be, the last day of June, we will be plain citizens,we will be observers and perhaps armchair critics.

Q: Elaborate ko lang Sir, yung observation niyo na bothered si BBM sa corruption, may sinabi ba siya Sir?

SP Zubiri: Well when we were talking about it, he was shaking his head. I know, I sensed it. His facial expression, the way he's shaking his head, he was disgusted with what he was hearing.

Q: Sir walang specific instruction, kasi hindi pa naman siya talagang formally nagaassume, pero meron na bang na-mention na plan how to address itong corruption?

SP Zubiri: Hindi. To me, I was both surprised but pleasantly surprised than happy in his decision to be the acting secretary of agriculture.

Q: Sir parang yun yung nag-triggerbakit nagdecide siya na siya muna ang magiging...

SP Zubiri: I don't know.

Q: SP clarification lang, yung bothered si BBM you were talking about smuggling sa DA, sa BOC or both?

SP Zubiri: Both.