Interview with Senator Alan Peter "Compañero" Cayetano

ASC: Lahat naman kami ay boboto dun eventually, I think lahat kami ay dapat maging objective. At ang payo ko sa dalawang senador, kay Sen. Lacson at Sen. Madrigal ay multi-tasking. Bakit natigil ang pagmasid at pagtingin sa mga issues na dapat bantayan sa administrasyon na 'toh. Yung ibang mga imbistigasyon ay suddenly ay di na importante at nakatutok lang sa isang tao. So ituloy nyo yan, ituloy nyo kay Senator Villar dahil sa tingin nyo tama yan pero multi-task.

ASC: Lahat kami dito sa senado ay magiging objective pero lahat kami ay nasa sitwasyon na political ang pagiging miyembro ng committee. Political does not mean Partisan, meaning kahit sila eh, ang ibig bang sabihin magre-resign sila bilang senador dahil eventually dadating sa floor yung report at kailangan nilang mag-decide, sila nag-attend sila ng mga committee hearings sa iba-ibang mga corruption issues, eventually pwedeng dumating yung impeachment case does not mean hindi kami pwedeng mag-participate. Hindi katulad ng huwes na totally un-attached sa isang issue sya. Pero dito built in na sa constitution na there will be political issues and there will be political discussions. Except when you say your objective, meaning you're not partisan. Hindi yung pagpasok mo ng committee alam mo na kung sinong mananalo at yung matatalo, makinig ka rin sa ebidensya.

REPORTER: Anong effect nung financial crisis sa... global financial crisis sa budget...

ASC: Well, may mga nagsasabi na magtipid, maghigpit ng sinturon dahil sa financial crisis. Ang tingin ko ang tamang salita ay dapat gamitin sa tama ang pera. Kasi minsan pag nagtipid ang gobyerno ibig sabihin nagbawas ng gastusin, tao rin ang apektado. Halimbawa hindi lang sa mga social programs, pati sa mga infrastructure. So ang dapat gawin bawasan, tanggalin ang corruption. Ang talagang dapat gawin ay tanggalin ang mga projects na hindi papakinabangan ng mga mahihirap. At damihan ang mga projects na mapapakinabangan. So ang labanan natin ay efficiency at creativity. For example meron tayong road users board marami dyan, yung tagawalis... may trabaho.

Q: Reaction sa Impeachment muna sir...

ASC: Well I cannot comment as to the merit or thinking of the congressmen or the mechanisms that the congressmen will adopt because precisely we are probable jurors if the impeachment case reaches the senate. What is important bumalik ang tiwala sa impeachment process. Kung paano gagawin yon purely ang mga congressmen lang, mga representatives ng various districts ang makakasagot nyan. Now whether the items found in the complaint which are also the same topic investigated here in the senate magkaiba naman ang purpose parang yana ang investigation sa ombudsman, DOJ at ditto, ditto in aid of legislation for prosecution ditto naman for impeachment purposes. May sufficient tools at legal tools ang investigatory functions ng committee on justice at ng impeachment process sa house para mag imbestiga on their own sa mga issue na ito at hindi kami nito maaapektuhan. Kami ang mga trabaho ng mga senador ngayon is just to observe and wait kung anong magiging desisyon ng mga taga house. Of course many of us here who went to the process have strong feelings and are passionate about accountability and transparency in government. But we have to respect our new role here which is hindi kami ang nagfifile ng impeachment , hindi kami ang maghehear nyan kung hindi umabot ditto. So we will wait until the congressmen and the committee on justice decides. Ang ano lang naming is sana mabura yung sinasabi na it's a numbers game at talagang maiisip ng lahat it's a matter of justice regardless kung may mag endorse or wala hindi yun ang punto, ang punto yung laman ng complaint and its really up to the congressmen to tell us kung anong judgement nila sa laman.

Q: ZTE Report...

ASC: Kung ano man ang findings naming might seem confusing to others because pwedeng iba ang lumabas sa ombudsman iba ang sa DOJ at iba ang lumabas sa blu ribbon committee at sa senado. Ngunit as I said independent ang impeachment court, ang impeachment process empowers the congressmen to call witnesses, to demand documents,etc. so they can conduct their own independent probe. Kung anong findings nila will be binding as to them and as to the impeachment process. It will not binding as to criminal prosecution as to civil liability as to the senate as far as in aid of legislation or in aid of reforming or changing some of our laws in the name of reforms.

What we're doing, we're putting the report together issue per issue. So yung issue na kailangan bang ituloy yung NBN, may corruption ba don?, yung kay jun lozada, for each and instance that you can think about what is the applicable law, what is the testimony, what is the evidence...yon muna ang binubuo namin no...then after that we'll have a meeting with the two chairmen and drew up the conclusion. So hindi yung nauna ang conclusion eto yung gusto naming timing saka kami maghahanap ng ebidensiya. Although some have drawn up conclusions to their minds, still we're going to do it in legal way which is to list down the issues then ano yung testimony at ebidensiya per issue them come out with it.

Q: May inilabas na naman nab ago si Lacson kanina...

ASC: Well ang duty ng bawat member sa ethics committee and remember di lang sa ethics commiitte kundi sa senado as a whole mahalaga ang maging objective. So ibig sabihin kung may conclusion ka na na nilihis kailangan kumpleto ka sa facts na sibasabing nilihis. Because the mere fact na nakalagay na proponent ka at dinaanan ang lugar mo that doesn't mean na pinalihis mo ang project. That's why I asked kanina ang DPWH anong ibig sabihin ng proponent, ibig bang sabihin nito ikaw ang nagpalihis or ikaw ba ang naglagay o project mo yan as a whole. And nageexplain sila. At this time ang mahalaga ay mag convene kami at the soonest time possible and then ipasa ang rules and to hear all of the cases pending in a maaner that is acceptable to the public, meaning- transparent siya at alam ng tao lahat ng facts. Pero hindi pa rin nagbabago ang style ni Sen. Lacson at Sen. Madrigal- HULUGAN or installment angpagbibigay ng mga ebidensiya and we think precisely because they would prefer it trial by publicity rather than letting one of the committees have an independent an investigation into the matter . So that's their choice, they can have both naman at the same time.

Hindi ko sure yung mga conclusions na ibinibigay nila, because these two senators are very fond of jumping into conclusions an then later on nagkakamali pala sila sa conclusion nila. That's why its better na kunin muna lahat ng facts at ebidensiya para sigurado ka sa lahat ng mga conclusions na dinodraw mo rather than bawat dokumento na pumasok may ibang theory or may ibang conclusion na ibinibigay.