Press Release
January 24, 2023

TRANSCRIPT OF SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS INTERVIEW WITH MS KAREN DAVILA, ANC HEADSTART

Q: Let's start first with agriculture. In that panel interview, the President said inflation or the prices of basic commodities is keeping him up at night and he brought up the need for importation as a short-term solution and the timing of it because we are he says in an emergency situation. What are your thoughts on his response?

Senator Risa Hontiveros (SRH): I'm glad kahit in connection with what you talked about with him also, yung Maharlika Sovereign Fund, na nirerecognize ni Presidente na marami pang ibang problema, and one of the top ones is really agriculture. I'm also glad to hear na nirerecognize nila that importation actually is a double-edged sword. Posibleng short-term response siya but it shouldn't be the go-to or knee-jerk reaction of government, lalo na sa pagharap sa mga long-term agricultural problems natin.

Nakita natin and again I was pleasantly surprised to hear the President refer to the sugar importation fiasco as an earlier problematic situation, ngayon I'm raising the concerns about our looming egg shortage at saka yung onion crisis natin. Nagrerekomenda ako ng two-step policies sana ma-consider iyon ni Presidente.

Importing some onions some authorized by the President, sabi ko hindi muna yung buong amount, maybe half of that, and then hintayin muna yung resulta ng local onion harvest, for example, in Nueva Ecija, in Mindoro, in other provinces at i-check kung itong local produce natin will sufficiently meet the nation's demand. Also to see kung bilang suporta narin sa ating magsasaka, which again, the President recognized in his interview with you.

Sa looming egg shortage natin, importation is not even a part of the package of solutions kasi hindi tulad ng ibang inaangkat, asukal man yan, onions, dati mga karne, kung mag-angkat tayo ng itlog, by the time the egg supplies reach here, panis na yan. So there are other thigns to watch out for when it comes to the looming egg shortage. Kailangan talaga mag-shape up ang Dept. of Agriculture to effectively address this shortage and stem the looming or surging prices of eggs on the market.

Let's also please prepare for the spread of Avian influenza. Protektahan na natin halimbawa yung lalawigan ng Batangas, lalo na yung bayan ng San Jose, kasi ang hirap even one poultry farm madapuan ng Avian flue, hindi madaling gawin yung pag-cull ng libo-libong mga manok, which is the next step that may be necessary. DA has to be sure kung may kailangan mang i-cull there will be a quick indemnification of at least 100 pesos, not a small amount, for each chicken na hindi na mapagkakakitaan ng ating mga poultry farmers. Huwag nating ulitin our too little too late response vis-a-vis our hog raisers noong tinamaan sila ng swine flu so kailangan handa at mas mabilis yung mekanismo ng Dept. of Agriculture to distribute indemnification to our poultry farmers.

All of these are related to something, for the first time I heard the president mention, I'm glad sabi niya there will be a full-time DA secretary who will replace him. Sana sooner than later. I've been calling for that since the sugar importation fiasco. Huwag na sanang hintayin yung hearing pa ulit sa Senado at saka sa Kamara because all of these matters- the support for our farmers, whether poultry farmers or onion farmers, the preparation for the spread of pests or diseases among these crops or among these livestock animals, and the formulating and following policies - I hope the two-step policy napapakikinggan nila regarding the onion crisis. Lahat ito have to be overseen by a full-time DA secretary, kasi full-time, and in fact, longstanding problems din ang mga ito.

Q: Time was limited during that panel interview. We weren't able to expound as much. He did say there are advantages to him also being at the helm of agriculture right now. Kapag may inutos siya mas madali, siyempre dahil presidente, sumusunod ang lahat. Mas natatanggal ang redtape ... He is first going to reorganize, restructure, have certain policies made, before he actually appoints a full-time secretary. What are the disadvantages of this set-up, what we have now?

SRH: Those disadvantages are what are coming to the fore now. It's also a function of time. In fact, noong unang sinabi ni presidente, na concurrently magiging DA secretary sila, I actually welcomed it, sabi ko kung ang ibig sabihin niyan he will bring the full force of his office as the president to the work of the DA, but it's half a year already since naging DA secretary sila and we've already had that sugar importation fiasco, now the looming egg shortage, and the onion crisis are upon us. How long can he do all the work of a president at the same time mas partikular pero malalaki rin at maraming gawain ng isang DA secretary.

Aasahan pa ba natin siyang bantayan na yung looming egg crisis has to do with a smaller source of protein lalo na para sa mga mahihirap na pamilya? Dapat DA secretary yan. DOH Secretary nga isa pang wala pa tayo. I think the time is a bit pass already para humawak siya o magsuot ng dalawang malalaking sombrero, and bring on board another person for the DA in particular na magiging katandem niya sa ganitong mga problema, to avoid earlier mistakes and inadequacies tulad sa sugar importation fiasco at kaagad sagutin at paghandaan yung mga partikular na isyu tulad sa onion crisis natin at looming egg shortage.

Q: There's a viewer now saying that Senator Risa may just have driven the prices of eggs up by saying that there's a looming egg shortage. I was in divisoria yesterday and it was full of onions and eggs. What are your thoughts on that? What's the basis for saying there's a looming egg shortage?

SRH: Supply is already tighter at nagmahal ang mga itlog. Nagbiro, half-jokingly, half-sadly yung mga tao na ay yung pangako noon na bente pesos por kilo yung bigas, hindi yun nangyari, baka ang mangyari pa ay bente pesos por piraso ng itlog. So I'm not driving the prices up, I'm describing yung isang namomonitor na ng ating mga price monitors. We could probably also ask DTI, hindi pa siguro naapektuhan yung mga mayayamang pamilya pero naapektuhan na tayong mga middle-class families and sigurado yung mga mahihirap na pamilya natin. So, let's not wait for that shortage to emerge pero through various steps such as appointing a full-time DA secretary and adopting the proper policies and programs, unahan na natin iyon. At siguraduhing sapat ang itlog sa Pilipino.

Q: The Maharlika Investment Fund has already reached the Senate through a proposal coming from Senator Mark Villar and it turns out the bill supposedly filed by Sen. Villar is exactly the one passed in the House and none of the so-called reengineered version that Cong. Joey Salceda brought up on Headstart. You heard the president earlier. Give me a rundown on your thoughts on the Maharlika Investment Fund.

SRH: Pleasantly surprised ako na sinabi ni presidente na oo nga this is not workable, or we don't accept that yet, which was precisely my point na bago pa man may colleague ako sa Senado na nag-file ng bill na yan, and as you pointed out, it turns out it's without yet the so-called reengineering, eksaktong yung version na inaprubahan ng House. Hindi dapat pinapresenta ni presidente sa Davos.

It was still a very rough draft apparently from their end, work in progress. Kami nga sa Senado siguro marami sa amin nagulat bakit iprepresenta doon, we hadn't even begun to deliberate on it. So kumbaga, ang soft launch niya sa Davos, was really premature. There was nothing yet to present. They jumped the gun on this. I'm afraid it made the president look amateur. We don't need the sovereign wealth fund. Senate had its turn to express our minds about it, publicly, and then parang rehearsal ang ginawa nila doon of something that was still in very, very rough form. So very ill-advised.

When we talk about the contents of the proposed Maharlika fund, kahit pa yung di umanong reengineered version niya, I would still say it's premature. For one, the Philippines lacks the wealth windfall from exports to seed the sovereign fund, di tulad ng ibang mga bansa, whether you talk about Norway with its oil, even Indonesia with its petroleum and mineral exports as well, and as we were talking about earlier regarding agriculture, marami pang ibang problema na kailangan unahin bago itong sobrang rough draft, premature, wala pang ipapakitang ideya ng sovereign wealth fund.

Q: To be fair to the president, what about the presentation in Davos- it was what you'd call, sounding off, would that be wrong? It's sounding off to see how potential investors may react and respond to it. Because their vision for the Maharlika fund is one that's similar to Indonesia, which accepts private investors. The president said it could be government to government. Indonesia accepts funding from other countries as well, companies from other countries. What's wrong with sounding something off?

SRH: Well there's nothing wrong with it in principle kung buong-buo na yung proposal o konsepto mo. Kahit sa trabaho namin sa gubyerno dito sa atin, people in the private sector, kahit yung mga kababayan natin sa civil society, you don't go to a meeting, let alone an important international meeting and present an idea na hinihingan mo ng suporta ng ibang mga bansa if you don't have not only a refined draft, unless you have some kind of national consensus behind it, eh yung Senado nga isa sa mga importanteng institusyon ng gubyerno, we haven't had our official say on it yet and ok let's not go as far as Norway, or even talk about Singapore, let's talk about Indonesia. Where's the portfolio of attractive projects? We don't have that yet. Dapat kasama yun sa paketeng iprinesenta sa Davos, if ever.

Hindi tulad ng Indonesia with their exports in minerals and petroleum, sila may tens of billions of dollars of ready project na yung bawat isang proyektong iyon, individually structured to attract capital. Dapat ganoon ka-polished ang presentation nila kung seryoso nila and as you said there are other countries there. Davos is a prime, international gathering, sanay sila sa mga sovereign wealth fund. Some of them have their own and they're managing them well. Even with Indonesia's oil commodity boom, 90% of their sovereign wealth fund capitalizations will be sourced from foreign institutions.

Q: With Indonesia, it started with a very small amount as well. So the argument that the Philippine amount is small may not fly because the Indonesia model started with something smaller.

SRH: Quite small, but what they had in big amounts was those ready-projects worth tens of billions of dollars cumulatively na trinabaho individually, strinucture to be attractive to the potential foreign capital.

Q: Senator are you even open to the sovereign wealth fund, to the Maharlika investment funds. You personally because at one point, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, he believes it can pass by April, this is clearly important to the president, in not so many words even you already know that this is something he wants as well, are you even open to it? Is this something you could vote for?

SRH: It's not something I could vote for yet. Dahil sa as we were talking about earlier marami pang ibang problema including agriculture, inflation, workers and employees wages the implementation the universal healthcare system and the fact that --

Q: But won't this help solve that? I mean if the fund then starts to grow and is used for projects? This is the argument of those who support the fund, this is used for projects like dams, nothing too risky, that's the idea of the fund, local projects won't this actually help solve the very problems you're mentioning in terms of more funding or more money that's going around the country?

SRH: This could help probably in the medium term. Once we attend to the basic problems first and then on top of that makagenerate tayo nung excess funds that we just don't have right now but if we attend to the basic problems and get the engine of our economy revving it up then we can begin generate those excess funds. Even the president said hindi dapat na yung pondo na mga GOCCs ay gamitin becasue there are priority expenditures

Q: Not from annual dividends -

SRH: Not from the annual dividends kaya mabuti binawi nila in the face of public reactions na gagamitin yung SSS at GSIS funds earlier in your interview with him, the President has also said hindi mula sa pera ng GOCCs, ibig sabihin kailangang i-generate pa ang sources nung mag-si-seed nung sovereign wealth fund, right now, we have trillions worth in debt so nasaan pa yung excess na kakailanganin para sa ganitong klaseng fund?

Q: Senator, the Maharlika fund bill that stands in the senate right now still uses, the proposal still uses 50B from the Landbank of the Philippines, 45B from the DBP and well it says that dividends from government financial institutions, financial ha including the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas as seed money so it's different from the re-engineered version of Congressman Salceda, so the money is there, what do you make of that proposal?

SRH: Well, yun yung ilan sa unang inatrasan nila dahil people weighed in, no less than Bangko Sentral Governor Medalla na bilang independent financial institution, the prime bank of the country, hindi dapat ginagalaw yan and I've heard people also raising cautionary notes or voices even the President himself said not the GFIs and we would have to weigh in about the Landbank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines kasi may mga nagko-caution na kapag ginamit yung reserves kahit ng mga bangkong iyon that might impair government's capacity precisely to stem inflation na problema na it might impair the ability of the banking system to control the foreign exchange rate baka pati yung ating debt management capacity ay mabali so hindi pwedeng may new kid on the block, itong maharlika wealth fund biglang mag-a-appear sa eksena, ido-draw in yung mga reserves, not excess funds pero reserves ng ating mga established banking and financial institutions kasi marami ngang implikasyon yan.

Q: Philip Haggedorn from Act from Wealth, Philip Haggedorn is one of the experts always interviewed in ANC, he says he's listening to you right now, he says the key to any fund is its objectives. What is the objective of the Maharlika Fund if the objective is clear then those aligned with the objective will support private public foreign local are all aligned toward achieving an objective. This is not a wealth fund but this is an interesting term, a Philippine opportunity fund. What do you think of that? It sounds promising. You put money in a fund to make your money grow. So if it's a Philippine opportunity fund, does this resonate more with you?

SRH: It would resonate more with me also probably in the medium term kasi originally ang idea nila ay Maharlika Wealth Fund, now they are calling it Maharlika Investment Fund, it would be an opportunity fund pero kahit sa bawat household natin before we can go, everybody wants to go for opportunities, every family, bawat bansa rin lalo na, before we can go for opportunity, we have to address needs first. So yung pangangailangan tumitindi ng mga pamilyang Pilipino because of the inflation dahil sa mataas na presyo na mga pagkain at iba pang bilihin dahil mababa pa ang sweldo at sahod nila, the reduced buying power ng pocket ng Filipino family because of still coming out of the pandemic and recovering from the recession, yung needs natin for universal health care, we have to address those first. Bago tayo makatingin sa mga oportunidad. In fact, if we meet those needs first in the short term then going into the medium term there will be more Filipinos who are in need now but would be economically-empowered kapag nasagot natin yung mga pangangailangan na yun, to contribute to taking advantage of those opportunities, unahin muna natin ang mga dapat unahin. Lets not out the cart before the horse, in our excitement to set up an investment or opportunity fund papunta rin tayo dyan if we take the first steps first.

Q: The biggest challenge for President Marcos Jr right now seven months into office is really the inflation rate, the prices of basic commodities. Right now I'm reading, it stands at 8.1 percent, I'm reading from the Philippine Statistics Authority right now it said, 8.1 percent one could say one of the highest we've ever had. Is that fair?

SRH: Yes, it's fair the numbers bare it out even the PSA would say

Q: What would you want the president to do because he says it's keeping him up at night, he has an economic team and yet with everything he's trying to do the inflation rate doesn't seem to be going down to the rate that's bearable to the ordinary Filipino.

SRH: Well isa sa mga pinaka sensitive sa buong inflation is food inflation so if the President just really puts his shoulder to the agriculture issues and the food security issues we were talking about immediately now eggs and onions and testing these measures and having a positive effect on these he could apply similar programs and we could give the policy suypport for that in terms of other food in the Filipino food basket at yung iba pang mga basic na panganagilangan, kalusugan, utilities tulad ng kuryente, etc, then that could spread as a positive action on the different elements of overall inflation in the Philippines so that maybe not only he but more Filipino families could sleep better at night at dapat itataas ang sweldo so that the buying power is restored to the Filipino consumer at abot-kaya. ang presyo ng mga pangangailangan.

Q: In a political sphere, isn't it also dangerous for the President, because it will erode his political capital?

SRH: Yes.

Q: if the prices remain high for too long?

SRH: Right. And the prices of goods were among his campaign promises half a year ago e ngayon sila ang presidente, kalahating taon na, we have 5 and a half years to go so kailangan magpakita itong first quarter pa lang ng effective leadership and results sa pang-araw-araw na buhay ng mga Pilipino I don't think that a Maharlika wealth or investment or opportunity fund is top of mind sa ating karamihan ng mga Pilipino it's really the pocketbook issues, it's really the economic issues, dito muna sa ating bayan kapag mas naresolba natin ang mga isyung iyon, sino ba namang Pilipino ang hindi magiging proud to seek foreign capital to add to our domestic capital para sa mga oportunidad dito at sa mundo, but as I keep saying, first things first.

Q: The number of trips, before we break on to another topic on human trafficking, cryptocurrency, Filipinos being used, this is a story that you had exposed but the number of trips, the President said, he did admit that they kept traveling but because he said as the new kid on the block, it was important to introduce himself to put himself out there to make himself known to other world leaders because of those moments it's now easier for him to connect with other world leaders through a phone call it's faster and it makes sense that way. But I wanted to ask you, he says that the next one is already in November which is APEC. So has the President been traveling too much? And do you believe there are benefits to these trips?

Senator Risa Hontiveros (SRH) : There are always possible benefits hindi ko naman yung tatawaran yun sa kaninumang President pero numerically kasi medyo parang sobra. In 7 months, 8 trips, samantalang nasusunog tayo sa mga domestic issues lalo na domestic economic issues people want to feel that our leader is in the house. Gustong maramdaman, gustong makita at gustong maramdaman ang leadership at effective leadership lalo sa mga isyu na umaaray ang mga tao. So medyo disproportionate ang higit sa isang biyahe per month, samantalang hindi lang linggo linggo pero araw-araw umaaray ang mga tao sa isyu. That's what I can say I don't think it was a good thing to do to be seen as doing in the first months so if he's traveling again in November then hopefully in the interim 8 or 9 months eh mas maramdaman yung leadership na hinihintay talaga especially on these painful issues.

Q: Let's talk about your expose, you've exposed that Filipinos are lured to jobs in Asia and yet they're actually victims of human trafficking through cryptocurrency fake businesses so to speak in areas like I believe, Myanmar and Cambodia. So where are we now?

SRH: We're in the eve of a hearing of the Senate committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality dito sa continuing, ang daming masasakit ano, they're promised good jobs in other countries in Asia, pag dating doon they're actually trafficked as human trafficking victims to other countries earlier we exposed that human trafficking to Myanmar, and now we exposed human trafficking to Cambodia, where like in Myanmar, pinipilit silang maging cryptoscammers, kaibiganin ang mga dayuhan in this case in Cambodia, kaibiganin at lokohin yung mga foreigners mula sa US at Canada to invest their funds their savings in peke palang crypto accounts. And this comes back to our own government authorities natuklasan na may mga opiysal ng Bureau of Immigration na naman pero in this case, sa Clark airport di umano sangkot sa human trafficking outbound to Cambodia and as we were talking about, so far, natuklasan natin sa Myanmar at sa Cambodia ay hubs nito human trafficking at crypto scamming operations. My gosh, nagmumukhang trafficking and crypto scamming industrial complex na ito. Yung latest victim-survivor na si Miles na nagsumbong sa amin because narinig niya yung expose namin sa syndicate sa Myanmar, sabi niya or alam namin na yung grupo na mga Pilipinong kasama ni Miles na nailigtas sa Cambodia, they were rescued by police authorities there thanks to the efforts also of the Philippine Embassy in Phnom Penh. Patuloy kaming nakikipagugnayan sa mga authoridad natin dito para mapauwi yung iba nating OFWs na nakasama ni Miles noon na biktima pa rin sa Cambodia.

Q: You've done a lot of work on this, and clearly you've involved yourself into this issue, you're making sure Filipinos go home but in terms of policies Senator, what changes can be made so that this won't keep happening? I mean clearly they don't seem like they will be trafficked in the beginning. It's always... it was a job in Thailand, then this happens already in the way. But Filipinos aren't going through the POEA, they're going through Facebook.

SRH: This was also the case for our victim survivors in Myanmar ganito rin sina Miles sa Cambodia, they're promised seemingly decent jobs, and seemingly real jobs sa pamamagitan ng social media platforms only to land in really dubious and abusive work environments. Nakakalungkot nga, we just passed the Expanded Anti-trafficking in Persons Act and yet following that nadiskubre namin itong mga ongoing trafficking and crypto scamming syndicates in other ASEAN countries. So ibig sabihin kailangan humabol yung implementasyon nitong bagong at pinalakas na anti-trafficking law. Of course dahil may crypto scamming operations na lumitaw dito na pinipilit yung ating mga trafficked Filipinos na magtrabaho then it means kailangan natin tingnan yung mga regulations kaugnay ng internet-based negosyo, kung ano yung proper regulation na dapat gawin dito, ano yung mga obligasyon ng mga internet service providers na mga financial intermediaries even some social media platforms nabanggit nga natin yung Facebook, yung ating mga victim-survivors sa Myanmar also said they would contact their intended victims even through Linkedin, professional apps and also through dating apps. So there's a whole kumbaga dark ecosystem out there na kinakasangkapan...

Q: Is there a way to make this an inter-government problem? Enforcement in those certain countries already have to be involved in watching out.

SRH: Lalo na dahil ilan sa mga bansang ito yung dinadaanan tulad ng Thailand, Malaysia, at yung pinupuntahan tulad ng Maynmar at Cambodia many of these tulad natin sa Pilipinas are already signatories to ASEAN conventions and protocols against trafficking.

Nagsimula ng tumulong sa ating mga authoridad in the case of the Myanmar victim-survivors and now Cambodia victim-survivor, sana madagdagan, na tumulong yung foreign police authorities and some foreign embassies sa ating DFA, sa ating mga embassies, Department of Migrant Workers, hanggang sa makauwi sila dito. So yes this is a global, definitely a regional problem and yes dapat magpatuloy at mapalawak, in fact maging comprehensive ang regional intergovernmental cooperation para in the firsthand mapalakas ang immigration authorities, BI here in the Philippines is really in the hot seat again, pati sa Clark ngayon in terms of this human trafficking, kailangan ng inter-government cooperation in terms of aiding distressed OFWs and other nationals, may iba pang mga Asian peoples, tinatraffick at pinapa-crypto scam tulad ng ating mga kababayan, and then pag-uwi ulit ng mga victim-survivors, yung pagtutulungan ng iba't ibang ASEAN governments for their mental health and employment and livelihood rehabilitation.

Q: On the West Philippine Sea. This was one of the issues brought up in the panel interview with President Marcos Jr. Just recently a Chinese coast guard reportedly drove away again a Filipino fishing boat in Ayungin Shoal of course this isn't the first incident of this nature, the President has said we haven't reached a compromise yet with China but there has to be of course I mean he said repeated I can't remember the words he used but repeated note verbals, letting them know we don't agree with this but Senator this is even coming from the past administrations. This is something President Marcos Jr. has inherited. But what can be done to put a stop to this now. How can we make China listen?

SRH: Kailangan magbuo ng loob si Presidente to speak clearly and unequivocally para marinig siya at maintindihan ng Tsina. He cannot say that a compromise has not yet been reached, for example on Ayungin Shoal. Ang Ayungin Shoal ay bahagi ng Exclusive Economic Zone ng Pilipinas na kung may ibang bansang halimbawa makikipagnegosya sa atin diyan, kailangan niya humingi ng permiso. And definitely wala sa dapat gawin o pwedeng hingiin ng permiso to drive away Filipino fisherfolk from our, hello, exclusive economic zone. There can be no compromise sa sinabi ng Hague ruling na walang kwenta yang nine dash line na sinasabi ng Tsina sa loob ng Philippine territory. There can be no compromise on national sovereignty. Sinabi na ni Presidente noong kampanya he will not seed on square inch of Philippine territory, iapply niya din sa katubigan, that he will not seed square water unit of measurement sa ating exclusive economic zone at sa ating national territory. Walang compromises diyan. Ang compromise sa 'Atin ang Pilipinas' ay hindi karapat dapat sa isang presidente.

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