Transcript of SP Enrile's interview with Senate reporters

Q: Sir, yung tungkol po sa escort po ng mga witnesses sa ZTN at Legacy, sabi ng OSAA, binawi na po daw?

SP: I think so. Si Jun Lozada, I know. Pero 'yung sa Legacy, I'm not sure. Siguro, we will have to review that after we finish all these activities in connection with the last election.

Q: Sir,'yung PCOS machines pala darating mamaya?

SP: 'Yung galing sa Antipolo? I'm waiting for them. They're coming here.

Q: Ano 'yun, sir, for storage?

SP: No, for custody. Kami ang hiningi na custodians. We will take care of them and make sure that they are secure.

Q: Sir,anong use po noon sa Congressional canvassing?

SP: Wala. Pero hiningi ng mga tao na ang maging depository ay ang Senado. Kaya pumayag naman ang COMELEC.

Q: Kaya ba pumayag ang COMELEC, sir, dahil secured naman 'yung area?

SP: I don't know. Maybe, because they feel secured in the Senate. The PCOS machines are secured with our cameras.

Q: Sir, pwede ba 'yung gamitin as evidence don sa Congresional canvassing kung sakaling may allegation about frauds?

SP: We are not to use any other material except the manually-delivered COCs, including the election paraphernalia contained in the envelope that will come from each province, and from each urbanized city, and the electronically-transmitted COCs. Now, if there will be discrepancy between the two, then we will set that aside and will proceed with the canvass of the others. Later on we will go back, and if we cannot reconcile the difference, especially their substantial difference, then we will go to the ERs. Because the ERs are the primary documents upon which the CoCs were (disc?).

Q: Sir, kelan po 'yung result ng random manual audit?

SP: We want the result of the random manual audit before we start the canvass so that we can determine whether there is any error or discrepancies found. And this will make our canvass easier.

Q: Until when, sir, ang mga PCOS machines manatili sa Senado ?

SP: Until the whole electoral issues are fixed. Because I do not know whether those PCOS were used, or whether they were used at all, what they contain, if they contain anything. We are just the custodian.

Q: Sir, 'yung manual random audit ay by precinct level?

SP: 'Yun ay sa clustered precinct.

Q: 'yung result noon ay ide-demand po ba ng Congressional canvassing?

SP: We will ask for a report. I already notify the COMELEC on this.

Q: 'Yung canvassing na mag start this Tuesday, will it be fast?

SP: It depends upon the situation. We will try to make it fast but we are not going to sacrifice accuracy for speed. But we can assure the nation that we will finish it on time to proclaim a president and vice president before June 30. Ang estimate namin until June 4 'yung session para sa canvassing.

Q: Do you think the Senate will have quorum for the canvassing?

SP: I have notified the senators. And I think we have enough number to constitute a quorum.

Q: May nagpaalam sa inyo na magabroad, sir?

SP: Merong ilan. But some are already coming back. Senator Villar is going to America. He will not be here.

Q: Sir, any word po about Senator Lacson?

SP: I have no information regarding the where abouts of Senator Lacson, neither do I have any communication with him since he left the country. I would encourage him to come back and clear his name and participate in the activities of the Senate.

Q: Sir, doesn't his continued absence affect his mandate as a senator?

SP: No, unless somebody raises the issue. Si Senator Trillanes is under the custody of the court and is not attending sessions. But we respect his prerogatives as a senator. These people are not convicted by final judgment.

Q: Sir, si Senator Jinggoy will not attend the Congressional canvassing of the COCs?

SP: He will be going out of the country. He probably will inhibit himself in any activity regarding the canvass. But he will be present in order to be part of the required number of quorum for the senators.

Q: Sir, 'yung mga presidential candidates magpa- participate ba sila?

SP: They don't have to. But we need them for the quorum.

Q: Sir, kayo na po ba 'yung magpre-preside o magkakaroon ng canvassing committee? SP: We are going to form a committee of composed of equal number from the Senate and the House. But we do the active work of canvassing. The Speaker and I will be sitting in this committee.

Q:

SP: No, no, no. Walang notation. If ever merong di magkatugma ang manually-delivered COCs at saka 'yung electronically-transmitted COCs, then we will set it aside. Babalikan naming after we finish all the other CoCs.

Q: Sir, at what point will you require the COMELEC to present PCOS machine at the Congressional canvassing?

SP: We go to the ERs. If there is any defect or suspicion about any ER, then we go into that particular PCOS�. Now, here are the list of senators who requested for a travel order: Senator Villar, from May 12- 31 (he's going to Europe and Asia; Sen. Francis Pangilinan, from May 15- 20 ( America); Sen Estrada, May 15- 22 (Japan); Sen Legarda, from May 20 to June 3 ( France, U.K. and U.S.); Sen. Honasan, from June 5- 23 ( America).

Q: Sir, saan po natin masi- secure 'yung content ng flash card para hindi siya ma- tamper habang nasa custody ng COMELEC?

SP: I don't know. I have to presume good faith and honesty on the part of people concerned. If there is any tampering, then we'll see. We have documents that are present here. There are documents in the hands of people to whom the law required to be furnished of those documents. We will try to ask any of these parties to submit their copies.

Q: Sir, how successful do you think was the recent automated election?

SP: I cannot make a judgment yet. In fairness to the government, there is no clear-cut, strong evidence to indicate that there has been any irregularities in the conduct of election thru this automated system. If there will come out any such evidence during the Congressional canvass, then and only then can I make any judgment. But it's possible that there might have been an isolated case of tampering. I do not know if there's any systematic and nationwide tampering of the results of the elections.

Q: ...

SP: I think Erap 's position is also fair enough since the canvass is not yet done by Congress. So I think it is not also warranted to require him to make a concession. It's only Congress, acting as a canvassing board, that can determine who are the winners for president and vice president.

Q: Sir, ano ang masasabi n'yo sa current composition ng Senado?

SP: It's too early to say that one group has a dominant position in the Senate. I have not studied the actual composition of the Senate.

Q: Sir, sabi po ni Sen. Miriam, Villar has the number daw para maging Senate president uli?

SP: Kung meron silang number, I don't have problem with that. I am not clinging in this position. I'm not actively seeking it.

Q: Sir, you think may number na talaga si Senator Villar.

SP: I doubt.

Q: Sir, matatapos na ba 'yung case ni Sen. Villar.

SP: I hope Congress will dispose of his case. I'm not the one who filed his case at the Ethics Committee.

Q: Sir, may immunity ba ang Senate President from Ethics Committee investigation?

SP: If he is the president of the Senate, and he has the support of the majority of the senators, then it can probably keep that under the rock. But that will surface every now and then as an issue against him. That will be a shadow over his head. Q: Sir, pwede bang magkaroon ng botohan doon sa Committee Report before the close of 14TH Congress?

SP: I don't know whether there's a possibility for that. Ang aming primary concern ay ang canvassing.

Q: So sinong most likely maging members ng committee na ipoform niyo?

SP: Hindi ko pa alam.Yung mga senador na walang relationships with the contenders, kagaya ni Greg Honasan, Kiko Pangilinan, Chiz Escudero, Joker Arroyo, Lito Lapid, Alan Cayetano, Si Pia (Cayetano), Ed Angara, Miriam Defensor. The people who have no relations and who are not participants in the vacancy. Si Dick Gordon cannot be, Si Mar, Si Noynoy, si Manny, si Loren, Jamby. But they can sit to give prestige and quorum.

Q. Sir, itong canvassing na ito, hindi ba it's the first time under an automated election, hindi ba supposedly mabilis din yong canvassing?

SP: Oo. Pero kailangan bubuksan namin yun COCs because the Constitution says "open the COCs". So the envelope containing the COCs will be opened- hard copy and then 'yung electronic results so you can compare. If they want, we can download a (hard) copy of that particular COC per province, then put it in a sealed envelope and attached it to the manually delivered COC after we finish.

Q: So 'yung canvassing will really show the accuracy of the polls?

SP: Yeah. Tapos kung may difference yung manually-delivered COC and electronically-transmitted COC, then we set it aside muna then we proceed. Later on, when we go back and we cannot reconcile the difference because it's a substantial difference, we go to the ERs. Then if there's still a problem, we see the PCOS machine.

Q: Sir, anong oras kayo sa Monday, yun special session?

SP: 3:00 o'clock. On Tuesday, 2:00 o'clock dun na sa Batasan. Nandun yung server na binuksan ko.

Q: Sir, sinong talagang panalo, Binay or Mar?

SP: I don't know. S'yempre sinasabi nila yung aking kandidato. Sa Liberal naman, sinasabi nila si Mar, so I cannot, personally, make a judgment because I am the one that will canvass their votes.

Q: Sir, nagulat ba kayo biglang angat ni Binay kasi di naman siya kilala?

SP: No. Hindi naman ako na surprise kasi malawak ang linkage ni Jojo. Nanjan yun sister cities niya. He has been a long time local executive and has links to all these local executives. Marami siyang contacts. Mayroon siyang isang organization, APO, Boy Scouts of the Philippines.

Q: Pero masaya si Erap that Binay is leading?

SP: Oo. Masaya. Erap has taken the result of the election in good stride.

Q: Sir, hindi ba masama loob ni Binay dun?

SP: Hindi naman, no. Hindi naman nagsasamaan loob 'yung dalawa.

Q: Sir, nakatulong din ba yong kay Chiz?

SP: OO. May epekto din. Kasi si Chiz may following din.

Q: ...

SP: Lahat ding predictions nila, makaroon failure of election, may junta, papalitan na si Enrile, sabi ko antay muna kayo. Tingnan muna natin kung may failure of election. Yong mga iba siguro gusto ma-control yong canvass. Sabi ko teka muna, dahan-dahan lang. Bayan ang pinaguusapan natin.

Q: Hindi ba kayo Sir na-surprise din kay Villar?

SP: Ako nagtataka talaga. Napakababa yung boto niya. Grabe yung frequency ng mga commercials niya, di ba? Five million lang nakuha niya against 14 million ni Noynoy. Si Erap, eight million ang layo. Malamang mayroon mga Villar votes na napunta kay Erap, NoyNoy at Gibo.