Press Release
May 9, 2011

Transcript of Interview of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile

On Senators Estrada and Lacson

Ok lang naman. Wala namang personal na problema yung dalawa. Mabuti nga at buo na kami ngayon, 23 Senators. I was able to complete the numbers except we have one vacancy because kumandidato sa pagka-pangulo yung isa. Siya na ngayon ang Pangulo ng Pilipinas, si President Noynoy. Nuong nag-umpisa ako na Senate President, Senator Trillanes was confined in Camp Crame so I also tried my best to help him and work out his problem until finally he was allowed to join the Senate. Also in the case of Senator Lacson, I waited for the decision of the case by the judiciary. I reviewed his case, by the way, and I was also convinced that the position of the government was doubtful whether they can really get a conviction of him because there were doubts about the credence of the testimony of Col. Mancao. I am happy that nabuo muli ang Senado.

On the two committees given to Lacson

Naka-allot sa kanya yung committee na yun. Before he left, he was the chairman of the Committee on Accounts and we agreed in the caucus to let the Majority Floor Leader, Tito Sotto, handle the Committee on Accounts in the meantime but with the understanding that if Senator Lacson would return, then he would get it. In the same way, when we were distributing the committees, we asked the preference of Senator Lacson through his staff. I had no contact with him. I understood that he indicated his preference for the Defense Committee so we agreed to give that Committee to him, except that he was not here. We asked Senator Escudero to handle it in the meantime while he was away.

Q Prior to this day, kinausap po ninyo si Lacson or Jinggoy para magbati sa araw na ito?

Hindi. Wala, kusang loob nila yun.

Q Are you going to ask Senator Lacson to prioritize certain issues in his committee?

I do not have to ask him, I am sure he knows what he will do as chairman of that Committee. He is a trained soldier, he graduated from the Philippine Military Academy and he knows the problem of law and order in the country, and I am sure that he knows also the requirement of the country for external defense. I am confident that he will be able to handle the job quite well.

Q Bubuksan daw po ng Ethics Committee yung hearing para kay Senator Lacson, makakaapekto po ba ito sa trabaho niya?

Ewan ko lang kung bubuksan nila. Ano ang ethics problem nuon?

Q Yung filed ng isang grupo?

Well, I am sure that Senator Lacson can explain himself.

On the Senate's priority bills

Sa aking personal, yung Anti-Trust Law ang isinu-sulong ko. Yung cyber crime, yung revision ng powers ng National telecommunications Commission, power reduction bill na matagal ko nang sinu-sulong, amendment to the EPIRA in order to hasten the onset of the open access and retail competition, yung direct connection of the big consumers, and then yung People's Survival Fund, para sa ganoon, yung ating mga tao matulungan to adapt themselves to the emerging climatic conditions of the planet. Imagine, this is the first time in my recollection that we have a typhoon in May in the Philippines. We felt the wind yesterday, last night. I do not know whether it has subsided today. Some parts of the country have been hit already by that typhoon, and this is unusual.

Q Are you alarmed sa pagbabago ng panahon?

I think it is an accepted fact that many countries, including us, had been affected by heavy rain, unusually heavy downpour and destructive floods. Of course, we had floods before, but it's happening now, the quantum of water coming down to some parts of the country has been tremendously increased. These are causing floods, causing the loosening of hillsides, and eventually bringing about landslides and killing some people. I think it is time that we have to provide money for the government, exclusively designed for the assistance of people who are living in vulnerable areas.

On the positive outcome of the impeachment not pushing through

Unang-una, it saved us money, it saved us emotional pain, because you cannot deny that the impeachment trial would have been an emotional burden on this country because there are people who are sympathetic to the Ombudsman and there are people who are antagonistic to her. We have avoided a division, a rupture in the society that probably would have made the political divide more pronounced. It also lessened the burden on the legislators so that they could attend to more pressing problems of legislation for the country.

Q In terms po sa ginastos natin, malaki po ba ang nagastos natin for the impeachment?

Maliit lang. We trimmed down the budget. They asked me for a budget of P7 million, and I scaled it down to P5 million. Out of that siguro, we have spent a few hundred thousand pesos so far for the preparations.

Q Sir, anong gagawin sa mga gowns?

Well, for those who are interested in wearing it, they can wear it or put it in the museum of the senate.

Q Pero Sir, hindi na yung' gagamitin ulit?

We can store them and use them if there is a need to use them at some points in the future, who knows we might have another impeachment case?

Q Sir, yung' RH bill, if there is still a chance to pass it.

I do not know anong position ng mga ibang senador dito pero ako, it is a matter of faith for me. I will be voting against it. I do not want to tinker with God's design.

Q Sir, 'yong reaction sa posibleng maging next chief of staff si Mar Roxas?

Chief of Staff? Iba 'yong sa Chief of Staff sa Executive Secretary, 'yong Executive Secretary, that's a cabinet position. Chief of staff is different. "yong Chief of Staff will become simply a presidential assistant because we do not have any Chief of Staff in the Cabinet.

Q Parang demotion, Sir?

Well, he will become the chief adviser of the President. You see the Executive Secretary, that's why he is called the executive secretary, because he handles the executive office, he handles the office of the President. He is the one in charge of the personnel, even the household is under him, including the security of the palace is under the Executive Secretary. He is the no. 1 Cabinet member of the President, Primus Interpares. In effect, he is what they call little President because every report of all the other Cabinet members will be channeled into his office and it will be brought to the attention of the President. All Cabinet members are effectively below the executive secretary because he is the immediate alter ego of the President.

Q Sir, what about the chief of staff? What will be the responsibility of the chief of staff?

Well, they have to define that so that there will be no coalition. The decisions that have any impact on government operation must be signed by the Executive Secretary. That is a position established by law.

Q So kahit bagong position ang chief of staff?

Alam mo, sa America mayroon 'yan ng panahon ni Nixon. Nag umpisa 'yan si Heidelman at 'yong isa, parehong Aleman.

Q Pero under pa rin 'yung chief of staff sa ES?

No. Adviser ng President 'yon, he is not a part of the line departments. He is not a part of the bureaucracy. The entire government bureaucracy is under the President and the immediate alter-ego of the President is the Executive Secretary.

Q The chief of staff is not a cabinet member?

He could be given a cabinet rank but he is not a confirmable member of the Cabinet.

Q But what is your reaction, Sir, if ilalagay nga kay Mar?

I will not make any reaction. I will respect the decision of the President. He can have as many people around him as he wishes.

Q Under the present system, does the President need a Chief of Staff?

The adviser to the President, if he is going to be a chief of staff, that chief of staff will be in effect a person who will always be with the President and the President will tell him: " Kindly ask the cabinet to do this or to do that." He is not doing it on his own volition; he is doing it at the behest of the President. That is why he is the Chief of Staff. He is the Chief of the members of the staff of the President. Actually, the executive secretary is the head of bureaucracy.

Q Parang he will not be as powerful?

He cannot make decisions. The executive secretary signs decisions, sometimes for the President. Unless he is vested by the President with that power but legally, all decisions of the President, anybody who signs by order of the President or for the President must be fully vested by law by that power, this is my recollection.

Q But the chief of staff will not be in conflict with the role of the ES?

No. No. I don't think so. They will have to define it very carefully so there will be no clashes.

Q But the President can give the chief of staff the authority to sign if he wants to?

I won't do that if I were the President. The President may delegate to him what he wants to delegate but there are things that he cannot do because the law assigns it to particular cabinet members. For instance, in the case of the Department of Defense, the Secretary of National Defense recommends the promotion of senior officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to the President. The President cannot directly sign any procurement contract of the Department of Defense. It has to be signed by the Secretary of National Defense.

Q But what does it say when already have an ES and you still need a chief of staff, that the President cannot handle his matters?

You see, the President has a broad overview of the entire government, the entire nation. He cannot encompass all the problems. No President anywhere in the world that will know every detail coming from any department of government, especially on defense matters, security matters, economic matters and so forth. The Chief of Staff will be the one to analyze many of these problems for the President. But the final decision will the President himself. The Chief of Staff cannot decide for the President. He is not elected by the people to decide for the people.

On the possibility of Mar Roxas' appointment as "chief of staff" of the President

Chief of Staff? Iba 'yung chief of Staff sa posisyon ng executive secretary. 'Yung executive secretary, that's a cabinet position. Chief of staff is different. You become simply a presidential assistant. We do not have a Chief of Staff position in the cabinet. He will become the actual chief adviser of the President.

The Executive Secretary handles the executive office. He handles the Office of the President. He's the one in-charge with the personnel, even including the households and the security of the Palace. He's the No. 1 Cabinet member of the President. In effect, he is "little President" because every report of all other cabinet members will be channeled into his office before it will be brought to the attention of the President. All cabinet members are effectively below the Executive Secretary because he is the immediate alter ego of the President.

On what will be the responsibilities of the "Chief of Staff."

They have to define that so that there will be no collision. The decisions that have any impact on Government operation must be signed by the Executive Secretary. That's a position established by law. Sa America meron 'yan noong panahon ni President Nixon. 'Yung Chief of Staff ay adviser ng Presidente. He's not a part of the line department. He's not a part of the bureaucracy. The entire government bureaucracy is under the President and the immediate alter ego of the President is the Executive Secretary. The "chief of staff" could be given a cabinet rank. But that he is not a confirmable member of the cabinet.

On SP Enrile's reactions that there will be a "Chief of Staff"

I will not make any reaction. I respect the decision of the President. He can have as many people around him as he wishes. The adviser of the President- if he is going to be called the "chief of staff"- that chief of staff, will in effect, be a person who is always with the President and the President will tell him "kindly ask the cabinet to do this or to do that". He is not doing it on his own volition. He's doing it at the behest of the President. That's why he is Chief of Staff. He is the chief of the members of the staff of the President. Actually, the Executive Secretary is the head of the bureaucracy. The Chief of Staff cannot make decisions. The Executive Secretary signs decisions, sometimes, for the President. He is invested by the President with that power. But legally, all decisions of the President, anybody who signs by order of the President or for the President, must be fully invested by law.

On whether the Chief of Staff will be in conflict with the law

No. I don't think so. They have to define that very carefully so that there will be no clashes.

On whether the President can give the Chief of Staff the authority to sign orders

The President may delegate to the Chief of Staff what he wants to delegate. But there are things that he cannot do because the law assigns it to particular cabinet members. For instance, in the case of Department of Defense, the secretary of the National Defense recommends the promotion of senior officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to the President. He is the one who does this. The President cannot directly sign any procurement contract of the Department of Defense. It has to be signed by the secretary of National Defense.

On whether the President's appointment of a chief staff, on top of his having an Executive Secretary, means that he cannot handle all his responsibilities

The President has a broad overview of the entire government, the entire nation. He cannot encompass all the problems. There's no President in the world where he knows every detail coming from any department of the government, especially in defense matters and security matters, economic matters, and so forth. The Chief of Staff will be the one to analyze many of these matters. But the final decision will be the President himself. The Chief of Staff cannot decide for the President. He is not elected by the people to decide for the people.

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