Press Release
December 17, 2009

Transcript of interview with Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile

ON THE COMELEC

Q: Sir, you just came from the COMELEC hearing. So, what's your feeling now about the controversial delay of the automation machine? Why is it delayed? Is it causing alarm?

SP: Ang delay lang naman ay 'yung makina na hindi pa dumating. Meron pa tayong limang buwan upang dumating 'yung mga makina. Tinanong ko doon sa hearing kanina sa COMELEC if they can assure na magkakaroon ng automated election. And they confirmed it. I also asked that, if in case automation is no longer possible, kaya ba nila na mag shift from automated election to manual election? And again they answered in the affirmative. At ang sabi ng COMELEC kailangan daw nila ng two-month preparation to shift from automation to manual election. Ang ibig sabihin nito, bago dumating ang dalawang buwan na 'yun, gagawa na ng desisyon ang COMELEC kung matutuloy ang automation o hindi. Hindi pwedeng walang eleksyon. Kailangang magkaroon ng eleksyon.

Q: Matuloy man o hindi, sir, ang automation, would Congress be concerned, and whose fault would it be?

SP: Sa ngayon, ang dapat nating isipin ay kung matutuloy ba ang eleksyon? Kahit ba automated or manual, basta may eleksyon. Napakadelikado kung walang eleksyon sa bansang ito. Mag-aaway-away ang mga Pilipino sapagkat maraming mga faction sa pulitika natin ngayon. Pero sa aking paningin, sa ilalim ng matibay na sinabi ng mga taga COMELEC, ay matutuloy ang automated eleksyon.

Q: Sir, what will happen tomorrow sa scenario ng last day of session?

SP: Bukas, mag se-session kami para aprubahan 'yung bicameral conference report sa budget na ginawa ng dalawang panel ng Senado at ng House of Representatives. I-ratify 'yun dun sa House at dito sa Senate. After ratification, 'yung budget ay iiral na on the 1st Day of January 2010. Pagkatapos ng ratification ng bicameral conference report bukas ay i-aadjourn na namin yung session sa Senado for the December break. At babalik kami uli sa session ng January 18, 2010.

Q: Can we go back to the automated election, kasi marami ang convinced na magkakaroon ng problema with the delivery of the machines. There are some Congressmen who are saying na baka mas maganda mag partial na lang. Will you consider making an amendment to the law?

SP: Mahirap yung partial dahil answer naman dun sa mga partial, kung automated yung iba at yung iba hindi automated, sino ang pipiliin nila na partial, sino ang hindi partial? Magkakaroon na naman ng duda d'yan na yung mga partial, ginawa yun sapagkat kontrolado ng mga ibang kandidato sa pagka-presidente. Kaya as much as possible, kung automation, automation. Kung manual, manual lahat para walang issue tungkol sa "o, ginawa yun partial dahil hawak ng administrasyon yun o hawak ni Tampulano o Tampulana yan". Mahirap yung ganun, lalong lalo na dun sa mga controlled area. May mga controlled areas dito sa pulitika na kayang-kaya nilang dominahan ang kanilang lipunan yung partial.

Q: Pero yung pagbalik sa manual, it will not require any act of Congress?

SP Hindi na kailangan yun dahil nasa Comelec ang kapangyarihan tungkol sa eleksyon eh. Gagamitin nila, automation ngayon ang gagamitin pero magmula pa sa umpisa, sinabi na namin sa kanila, "oo, aaprubahan namin itong automation pero, maghanda rin kayo sa manual kung saka-sakaling hindi mangyayari ang automation". Hanggang ngayon yun din ang tinututukan ko na sigurado na pwede silang magshift sa manual. Kahit na tayo gagastos ng pera, kailangan we have to be prudent enough to see to it that we must have an election. No election is a very costly proposition in this country. I would not even talk about it. We have to have an election.

Q: Hindi po ba parang doble ang trabaho na nagpaparepare yung Comelec for automated election?

SP Di bale na doble ang trabaho, kung yung lipunan natin ay tahimik. Kung hindi mo gagawin yun at nagkamali ang desisyon at hindi uubra yung automation, ano ang gagawin natin? Hindi pwedeng magsisisihan tayo. Kailangang may eleksyon.

Q: Sir, on your part, personally po, hopeful po ba kaya for full automation?

SP Yes.

Q: Sir ano po ang liability ng Smartmatic in case mag fail ang mga machines nila?

SP Hindi ko alam. Saka na lang natin pagusapan yun. Ang dapat nating tutukan ngayon, kailangan magkaroon ng eleksyon. Yung eleksyon na yan ay hopefully magiging automated. Kung hindi man pwedeng automation ay magkakaroon tayo ng manual election. Simple lang ang pagiisip ko dyan eh. Hindi ko na iisipin yung sino ang may kasalanan nyan, Comelec ba yan, Smartmatic ba yan, o Congress ang may kasalanan nyan dahil hindi sila nakapagbigay ng budget kaagad o kaya hindi nila ginawa yung batas o kaya ay imbistiga sila ng imbistiga. Pabayaan mo na yan, ang kailangan ang tutukan natin ay magkaroon ng eleksyon.

ON C-5 ROAD EXTENSION

Q: Sir, I understand the legal staff of the Committee of the Whole has already submitted to you the draft of the report.

SP I have already signed it and it is being routed.

Q: Will you approve the report tomorrow?

SP No, no. I don't think we can get all the signatures tomorrow maybe that will be done in January na. I cannot tell you the findings as of now.

ON ADVANCES IN TAX COLLECTION AND BUDGET

SP You know, the national account requires that you collect taxes only per year annually. Income tax is an annual tax. VAT is a daily tax. In the same way that specific taxes are collected daily but you account for the collection of each year for purposes of budgeting. How can you distort your collection figures in relation to your budget if you are going to advance the tax of future years to go with prior years so that you will have a beautiful financial statement. I will not agree to that.

Q: So you will not sponsor any resolution?

SP You require a Congressional act not just a resolution.

Q: Sir, kung magshift po tayo ulit sa manual elections, saan po kukunin yung funds para sa printing of ballots?

SP Ang binudget namin sa Comelec ay mahigit na P11B, di ba? Ang cost ng automation I think is P7B. Meron pang naiiwang pera sa Comelec. Yung pera hindi importante na dito eh. Ang importante may election. ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Q: Sir, on climate change na sa Copenhagen, yun pong developed nations are looking for financial support for developing nations, madedelay daw po yung support?

SP First of all, ano yung financial support na yun? What's the basis of the financial support, to enable us to plant trees? Financial support to prevent us from cutting trees? Financial support to enable us to reduce our consumption of fuel? Ano ba ang basis non?

Q: Sir I think it includes yung carbon credits?

SP Kaya nga, anong basis nung carbon credit? Yung mga developed countries ang cause nitong climate change eh. Since they have been enjoying the benefits of their economic activities that caused climate change, and because of that, they have involved the entire humanity to suffer because of their inordinate use of their resources that caused changes in our climatic condition in the universe, in this planet, it stands to reason, and it is only just, that they should immediately respond to the problems of the innocent victims of their economic activities. They should not delay it.

Q: Sir, kung wala silang pera, pwede po bang unilaterally or bilaterally...

SP Bakit walang pera eh iimprenta lang nila ang pera nila eh, hindi ba?

Q: Sir, in case walang pera, can we condone na lang?

SP Well, if they have no money then they should at least cancel out so much of our foreign debts para tayo naman we can use that money in order to repair the damage of climate change on us.

Q: Sir, can individual countries do that o dapat may kasama tayo na neighbor?

SP Well, bahala yung ating mga leaders d'yan. Kung may climate change, ang may kasalanan niyan ay United States at Europe, the developed countries like Canada. Well, Canada is still alright in terms of energy, but the US, they use too much power and fuel, Europe the same thing, they use carbon. China. They should at least consider the plight ng mga maliliit na bayan kagaya natin. Hindi naman natin kasalanan na ang mundo ay sinakop ng napakakapal na carbon, at dahil d'yan ay napa-sama ang klima ng bansa. Sila ang gumawa niyan eh. Kaya umunlad ang kanilang bayan at mga mamamayan. Eh bakit naman parurusahan yung mga kagaya natin na hindi naman tumulong sa pag-iba ng klima sa mundo.

ON THE COMELEC

Q: Sir, the Comelec came up with a list of qualified presidential candidates and former President Estrada is one of them. Will it improve the standing of Erap?

SP I think so, in the surveys. Ako, I just depend upon what I see and what I hear when I go out in the field with Erap, or without Erap. Malaki ang bloke ng boto ni Erap. Kung gusto ninyong patunayan 'yan, patindigin ninyo si Erap maski anong kanto dito sa Maynila at yung mga iba, tignan natin kung saan pupunta yung mga tao.

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