Press Release
November 10, 2009

Transcript of interview with the Senate Majority Leader

On budget issue

Pero wala sa agenda today?

No we're delayed. We're actually delayed because we were hoping na matapos to the third reading before the break kasi ipi-print pa nila iyong GAA. Alam mo napakatagal ang pag-print ng General Appropriations Act. So, sa tingin namin baka dumating na iyan transmitted to us by next week. Next week patapos na naman tayo dahil may break na naman tayo ng November 20 to December 1. So, sa tingin po namin ay December 1 na po tayo maguumpisa ng plenary debates for the budget. And we will dedicate the next three weeks bago magkaroon ng break on the budget hearing. Kaya namin ma-approve iyan third reading bago mag-Christmas break. Ang problema lang natin magkakaroon pa ng bicam iyan over the Christmas break. Sa tingin ko finally approval ng national budget natin ay aabot ng end of January.

And you can finally load what you have to do kasi di ba parang almost i-overhaul niyo with the calamity funds?

Yes lalagyan namin ng priorities on the calamity fund on the different rehabilitation efforts. Ang problema ko ngayon tao. Wala akong tao dito sa plenary nawawala iyong mga sponsors. Iyan puwede niyong i-announce iyan na nagko-complaint si Sen. Zubiri na iyong mga senador masyadong naaga ang kampanya. Huwag muna silang mangampanya dito muna sila.

Pero bawal pa iyon di ba? By January or by December?

Hindi iyong pagiikot. Ibig kong sabihin iyong pagiikot.

Re-enacted budget na tayo?

We may have one month re-enacted budget. We may have.

Anong ??? kapag nagkaroon ng re-enacted budget?

Wala naman. Hindi naman siguro magkakaroon ng napakalaking realignments in the old budget but we have no choice. It's not our fault. The delay is not with us. The delay was with the House because we were expecting the transmittal of the national budget today or yesterday. The procedure there is after 3rd reading they will print the 3rd reading copy. The 3rd reading copy iyong General Appropriations Act is one thousand plus pages iyan so matagal iyan. It will take about a week or two before ma-transmit iyan dito sa atin. So, we're looking at tackling the national budget on December 1 pa when we get back after the one week break for the filing of candidacies. So, it will take us about two weeks to date on it on plenary. We're looking at before Christmas the third reading approval of the budget. So, magkakaroon pa ng bicam iyon dahil ang sense of the Senate that we look at the national budget approved by the House and add provisions for rehabilitation for the typhoons that have hit us. And for the Climate Change or global warming phenomenon that will hit us next year. Remember that we've already had 26 typhoons that hit us this year alone. We're expecting maybe 26 or even more next year mas maraming bagyo ang tatama sa atin sa susunod na taon. So we need to have a budget that is responsive for that. So, magkakaroon talaga tayo ng bicam kapag magkaroon tayo ng bicam over the Christmas break sa tingin po natin mara-ratify pa natin iyan 3rd to 4th week of January.

Sir definitely magkaka-budget, kasi di ba sabi nila kapag before elections walang budget?

Magkaka-budget talaga. Mahirap din iyon re-enacted budget. The re-enacted budget is a budget that the discretion of where the funds will go will be up to the executive department. Ayaw naman natin niyan. Out of transparency ang gusto natin ay magkaroon po tayo ng approved budget kung saan hinimay-himay natin dito saan pupunta ang pondo. A re-enacted budget will basically become a budget without an exact designation of where the funding will be. So, it will be up to the executive and the different departments to make the realignments na sa tingin ko po ay dapat hindi natin payagan iyan. Dahil dapat himay-himayin natin. We have to look and filter out where the funds are going to. To make sure that this going to priority projects and programs and not to use as endeavors.

Sir committee hearings?

All committee hearings on the different departments tapos na. Plenary na tayo.

Pero there's not much resistance among your peers di ba when it comes to increasing the budget? Iyong provision for calamity.

No, no problem.

Figures?

I don't know the amount. I would not want to guess. Si Sen. Angara ang kausapin niyo diyan. Ang problema kasi the House passed it en toto wala silang in-amend. So, kami magkakaroon kami ng amendments dito. That is foregone conclusion, magkakaroon talaga ng amendments ng national budget dito sa senado whether it is carried over by the bicameral conference committee. After which I do not know. But definitely, we in the Senate are resign to the fact that we must increase the rehabilitation portion of the national budget in the light of so many typhoons na tumama sa atin. Thanks guys!

Sir kino-consider mo ba ang sarili mong tumakbong vice president?

Alam mo tinanong na sila sa akin iyon, they already asked me, I declined. I have been asked. I was one of the first na in-approach nila to run for vice president under Gibo, I decline. I decline kasi una sa lahat Majority Leader ako dito ang dami ko pang trabaho. Tsaka as a majority leader the whole senate, lahat iyan sila Noynoy, lahat iyan they are under me, so ,mahirap hindi ko mabigay iyong 100 percent commitment ko diyan.

Sinong nilapitan ngayon?

After that kinakusap nila si Gov. Vi, si Bong Revilla ngayon.

Si Pichay?

Hindi. Si loren at saka si Bong iyan ang mga kinakusap nila. Si Chiz but i do not know the status of this negotiations.

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