TRANSCRIPT: Ambush interview of Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri
National Museum, Manila
March 9, 2023

Q: TALKS GOING AROUND ABOUT CHANGING THE SENATE LEADERSHIP. IS IT ABOUT CHARTER CHANGE?

SENATE PRESIDENT JUAN MIGUEL "MIGZ" ZUBIRI: Actually, may source din ako na nagsabi na dahil sa position ko nga on Charter Change. Ginagamit nila yung mabagal daw na output ng Senado for a unicameral parliament. May mga ganoong usapin. Pero hindi ko na papatulan yan kasi una sa lahat, ay gagawin lang namin yung tungkulin namin bilang Senado. In the Senate, it is a timebound and honored tradition na we take our time to pass the measures. Talagang ginagawa namin lahat para pagaralan itong mga issues na ito. Yan ang naging tradisyon sa Senado for decades and decades, since the start of the Philippine Senate. Nandito po tayo ngayon sa original Senate of the Philippines and that's the bulwark of the Senate as an institution. Kaya kung may black propaganda man sa akin, that's part of the game. Ako naman pag may 13 signatures, I'm willing to step down any time. Yan ay prerogative ng ating peers. We serve at the pleasure of our peers. Ang akin diyan is we are doing our best and we have been passing a lot of legislation.

This week alone two priority measures ang pinasa namin - sa AFP leadership, yung revolving door leadership problem has been resolved and passed on third reading. The other day, we passed the loan amortization condonation of the Agrarian Reform beneficiaries. Tuloy-tuloy yan, next week we will be passing a lot of measures. We also passed the ARAL bill to help indigent students get more help and assistance from government, for their educational needs. Marami kaming napapasa. Yung mga black prop na mga ganyan, hindi kami masisilaw, hindi maiistorbo ang aming trabaho. Tuloy-tuloy lang po ang aming trabaho sa Senado.

Rest assured to the Filipino people; we will work our best. Kung ang nickname ko ay ang "Trabahador ng Senado", sa tingin ko, makikita naman ng media na kami ang pinakahuling umaalis sa Senado, at talagang nagtra-trabaho para mapasa natin itong mga batas na ito. But it takes time because we respect each and every individual senator on their proposals, amendments and of course, debates. Ganoon talaga ang Senado. Mas mabagal. It's historical. Mas mabagal talaga ang Senado because we take more time. There are 24 of us that are debating and we allow these debates on the floor. We allow these debates, these issues to be tackled in the Committee level and we allow the amendments to be thoroughly discussed. Ok lang sa akin yun. Ang akin lang, sana, mag focus na tayo sa trabaho. Sa dami ng problema ng bansa, inflation. Nagpapasalamat nga ako sa gobyerno na mailalabas nila yung P1,000 per family na inflationary assistance. Sana madagdagan pa iyon. Let's also tackle salary increases for our people. I think it's about time that we should look at increasing the wages of our workers to a living wage not just a salary wage or daily wage but a living wage na komportable naman sila. We think we should share the blessings of this economic momentum, this push for economic recovery. Let's share this also sa ating mga manggagawa.

Q: FOR THE RECORD, ANO PO ANG POSITION NINYO ON CHARTER CHANGE?

SP ZUBIRI: It is not the priority of the President, it is also not our priority. Binabatikos na nga kami na hindi namin natatapos yung aming legislative agenda tapos Charter Change pa ang pag-uusapan? Aabot ng taon-taon iyan. Ang debate napakatindi, napaka-divisive na issue. Ang mangyayari diyan, baka hindi natin mapigilan na may biglang political amendments na maipapasok, magtanggal ng term limits, o extension ng mga terms. Siyempre magagalit ang taong bayan diyan.

Let us focus on the job at hand. Post-pandemic recovery, a Senate of national reconstruction. We will continue that agenda. We will continue to be focused on that. Tutulungan namin ang pangulo sa kanyang pagbenta at pag-invite ng mga investors dito sa ating bansa. Yan ang number one priority namin: Tulungan ang ating mga kababayan na umahon sa kahirapan.

Q: SAAN PO KAYA NANGGAGALING ANG PLOT?

SP ZUBIRI: I have no clue. Your guess is as good as mine. But that's par for the course. It's part of our territory as leader of the Senate. Ganyan din ang nangyari kay SP Sotto, there was a time na may mga "coup" rumors din. Ganyan din ang nangyari kay Sen. Koko Pimentel. Ganiyan din ang nangyari kay Sen. Frank Drilon, and the Senate Presidents previous to that. There always have been talks of "coup" rumors and black propaganda is all around. Ang importante, let us remain focused on the job at hand and this is a Senate for national reconstruction. Tuloy-tuloy lang po ang aming trabaho para sa ating mga kababayan.

Q: SIR, BAGO MAG-BREAK ANO PO 'YONG PRIORITY MAIPASA PA? LIKE 'YONG MAHARLIKA?

SP ZUBIRI: Bago mag-break, actually walo 'yong pangako namin sa LEDAC bago mag-sine die, so that's June. Bago mag-break, siguro ipapasa na rin namin 'yong sa salt, revival of the salt industry, kasi maganda 'yan para sa livelihood ng ating mga kababayan. We'll pass the CDC Law, the Virology Institute.

Ang problema kasi dito sa CDC Law, Virology Institute, hindi sa amin ang problema, ang may problema 'yong government agencies. Ayaw nilang makipag-merge, ayaw nilang makipagcooperate na buawagin 'yong set up na 'yon at gawin itong CDC - Center for Disease Control - at Virology Institute. So I already gave instruction to Sen. Pia Cayetano, "Do what you think is right and let them follow the law." Hindi na tayo mikinig sa agencies ng gobyerno. Let's just pass the law because of what we feel is the right set up.

And then, all the others, 'yong Medical Reserve Corps Act, we'll hopefully pass it before the end of this month. So marami tayong ongoing na mga bill na napakahalaga, tuloy-tuloy po 'yan. Marami po tayong mapapasa.

So 'yong mga nagsasabing, "Mabagal ang Senado," time and time again, in the last 50 to 100 years, ang Senado talaga ay mas mabagal sa House of Representatives -- galing din po ako ng House of Representatives -- because we allow the 24 individual senators, to air their concerns, to air their amendments that will be thoroughly discussed on the floor. Baligtad sa amin, eh, 'yong debate [nasa] sa plenaryo...Sa House, ang debate nasa committee level, sa amin po ang debate nasa plenaryo. So that's the normal course for legislation. And we will respect -- I, as the leader of the Senate, consensus-builder po ako -- we respect every individual member of the Senate to propose amendments, to ask questions, and of course, give their ideas. We will never stifle the freedom of expression in the Senate, so 'yan ang mahalaga.

And I think, 'yong aking leadership style naman ay, alam naman ninyo, all of you, I am a consensus-builder, and of course, I get the consensus, get the opinion of each and everyone of my colleagues. I think that's why you've seen the strong support of my colleagues on my Senate presidency, it's because I respect each and everyone, and most importantly, I respect the traditions of the Senate. I am a man who believes in the institution. It's not political. Ako, 'pag may magalit sa akin dahil ginagawa 'yong tradisyon at rules ng Senado, pasenya na lang. Kasi 'yan po ang aming rules, 'yan po ang aming traditions, and we have to, I am a believer of this time-bound rules and traditions of the Senate.

Q: MAGKANO PO 'YONG BUDGET NG ECONGRESS?

SP ZUBIRI: Budget ng eCongress...joint 'yan, eh, both the Senate and House of Representative. I don't know the number, I don't want to guess the number, but it's not much. Hindi masyadong malaki.

Q: IN A NUTSHELL, PAANO PO MAKAKATULONG ITONG ECONGRESS SA TRABAHO PO NG SENADO?

SP ZUBIRI: Well, maganda itong eCongress, dahil ngayon, imbes na pupunta sa dalawang portal sa ng ating mga kababayan -- let's say, kukuha sila ng bill from the Senate, pupunta pa sila ng Senate website or sa House of Representatives websites -- [pinag]-isa na po namin siya. We united the websites as eCongress of the Philippines kung saan lahat ng batas, lahat ng panukala, lahat ng bills na finile ng mga senador, ng mga congressmen, isang website na lang po ang pupuntahan nila.

And I think that's good synergy, even with the talks of Charter change and all of that, we still keep a close relationship with Congress. I still hold Speaker Martin Romualdez as a dear friend, and we are not going to put any wedge between us para sa kaunlaran ng bayan. So 'yong partnership namin ng [House] with the Senate is firm and solid. And we'll continue to pass bills that will help our people, together. I think that's most important.

And I think today is a testament to that. Today is a testament that we are putting up an eCongress site, united as Congress of the Philippines -- Mababang Kapulungan at Mataas na Kapulungan -- na magkasama para sa pagbigay nitong serbisyo sa ating mga kababayan. I think we're moving away from the past, kanina, sabi ko nga, analog tayo nang analog, ngayon, modern na. In the advent of the pandemic, where we had to do everything through the internet, websites, and of course e-transactions, now, we are doing it as well, for information to our people. Information tehcnology to our people.

Tama 'yong sinabi ni [House] Majority Leader Manix [Dalipe] kanina, ang sabi niya, this is the best way to combat fake news, 'di ba, 'yong mga maling balita, dahil kung may problema po, just go to the website, you'll see, of course, the speeches of our colleagues, the debates that were discussed, the amendments that were proposed, who were the authors, who voted against, who voted in favor -- nandyan na po lahat. One package for our people.

Q: SIR, LAST FROM MY END, MAY COMMUNICATION PO BA FROM THE HOUSE LEADERSHIP NA SANA MAIPASA DIN PO NG SENATE 'YONG CHARTER CHANGE?

SP ZUBIRI: Wala.