Press Release
February 21, 2012

Transcript of Interview of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile

On the impeachment trial of CJ Corona

Q Naging metikuloso po kayo sa kung paano nag-leak yung bank documents?

SP There is no question that the prosecutors attached the document. Meron silang sinama na dokumento na basehan doon sa subpoena duces tecum na hindi sa akin. Ngayon, nung pinirmahan ko yung subpoena duces tecum, hindi ko na kinuwestyon yun sapagkat I give credence naman to the House. Pero lumilitaw, sabi nung presidente at nung manager ng Katipunan branch ng PSBank, ay magkaiba doon sa original. So that means na may alteration daw. If it is not a fake document, at least it is an altered document.

Q But not fake sir?

SP May kaugnayan yan ngayon sa admissibility of the document as evidence. Kung natatandaan ninyo, nung tinanong ko sila yesterday, tinanong ko ang security procedure, who are the handlers of this document? Sabi nila, nakalagay sa vault at dalawang key numbers are given to two persons without the knowledge of the other. One, there is a number unknown to the other, and it requires two to open the vault. Tinanong ko kung sino pa ang ibang may access. Sabi ni manager, alternate siya doon sa officer, at meron pang isang alternate nung junior. Kaya di ba natatandaan ninyo, sinabi niya na nung nagkaroon na ng Articles of Impeachment, sinabi nung manager trinansfer niya yung records for safety. Inamin naman nung presidente kahapon. Pati doon sa pagtransfer na yun tinanong ko yesterday kung how the documents were handled. Doon sa central office, ganun din. Dalawa din, So, how did it leak? Then I remembered na in the course of the testimony nung manager before yesterday when I was asking her questions, sinabi niya they were audited, kaya yun ang tendency ng question ko, doon ako pumunta.

Q Kung malaman po na AMLA ang nagleak ng documents, admissible pa as evidence yung bank documents?

SP Illegal yun, bawal. The prohibition covers everybody from the President down.

Q Masastrike out yun?

SP Hindi pa malalaman. Depende yun sa kaso ngayon sa Korte Suprema.

Q Is that one possibility na totally ma-strike out kapag talagang illegally acquired?

SP I will not talk about possibility. It's bad to speculate in a case like this.

Q Would it depend on the SC and not on the Impeachment Court kung admissible yung evidence on the bank documents?

SP We will wait for the Supreme Court because there is a prohibition and there is an exclusionary provision, what we call in evidence, doon sa Republic Act 6426. Cannot be inquired into or looked into, or examined.

On Congressman Banal

Q Iimbitahin pa po ba si Congressman Banal?

SP Hindi na. Ako, personal, I will not invite any member of the House to come here and testify. Si Banal appeared here voluntarily at his own request, but I cannot send him an invitation or a subpoena. Otherwise, they can also do the reverse.

Q Enough na po yung narinig ninyo sa kanya last week?

SP Oo. Yung mga witnesses, sinabi na nila kung ano ang ginawa niya.

Q So wala na pong clarificatory question sa kanya sir?

SP Mahirap na tatawagin namin...kagaya nung Korte Suprema, hindi ako disposed na tatawagin sila even by invitation or by subpoena.

Q Unless ivolunteer po siya ng prosecution?

SP We must maintain always the trilateral system of our government. Three branches. Co-equal. Separate from each other, but they coordinate their work for the government.

On what to expect in this afternoon's impeachment proceedings

Q Ano po ang expectations later? Ipapatawag po ulit yung manager at presidente ng PSBank?

SP Hindi ko alam. Nasa prosecution yun, o nasa depensa yun. Nasa Senador yun kung gustong ipatawag.

Q As far as yung leak is concerned, tapos na kayo sir?

SP Wala na.

Q Clear na po ba na hindi nanggaling sa bangko yung leak sir?

SP Ako, I am convinced na the leak did not come from the bank. They submitted it by virtue of respecting the authority of the Bangko Sentral and AMLA. Whether AMLA or the Bangko Sentral was the source of the leak is a conclusion that can be drawn from the questions that I asked.

Q Ang sabi kahapon ni Sen. Joker Arroyo, dangerous yun?

SP Oo nga, dahil AMLA is not supposed to examine any account without going to court.

Q Tsaka prior notice?

SP Oo. Magkakaroon ngayon ng problema yan dito sa Bill na nakasalang dito. That will be examined very thoroughly pagdating ng hearing doon sa Bill na yun because that goes through private lives already. Kung totoo yun, they are not respecting the law anymore. They are not following the law which they are supposed to obey and implement. The Executive Department is the implementing body.

Q Ano po yung epekto nung dahil nga AMLA or possibly BSP yung kumuha nung document sa Impeachment Trial?

SP Magkakaroon ng problema yan at the time when they will offer the evidence because then, we will be confronted with the question. Can we admit this evidence given the fact that it was illegally obtained? Yan ang question dyan, but that will come later.

Q Naniniwala po ba kayo na hindi peke yung document? Yung Annex A?

SP The least that can be said about it is that it was altered.

Q Kung 2010 yun ginawa, ibig sabihin sir, prinoject si CJ Corona?

SP Hindi ko alam kung prinoject dahil marami namang kasama. Ewan ko.

Q Hindi po ba palaisipan din yun bakit sa kanya natyempuhan?

SP That is another issue to be looked at but not within the Impeachment Court. That is another jurisdiction.

Q Yung mga issue na kung nalabag yung mga banking laws?

SP That's a different issue all together. It is not within the jurisdiction of the Impeachment Court. Ang jurisdiction lang namin, impeachment. Period. Wala na, but any other matter, violation of laws, at saka obedience to prohibitory laws, and the protection of private lives, is within the jurisdiction of the courts.

Q Yung defense lawyers, merong nagmove na icontempt pa po ba sila?

SP Pinag-aaralan ko yan. Wag na natin palawakin, kung saan-saan tayo napupunta dito. We must focus our attention to the impeachment.

Q So pwede na po umusad sa Article 3 later?

SP Pwede na, pwede.

Q Doable po ba yung target na matapos yung impeachment by March 24?

SP Hindi ko alam kung how they can do it dahil hindi kami pwede magdesisyon kung hindi namin naririnig yung evidence ng defense. Otherwise, baka maging Bill of Attainder naman yung labas ng aming desisyon. Bill of Attainder, yan ay pinagbabawal ng Bill of Rights na hahatulan ng Kongreso yung tao na kriminal o gumawa ng krimen, na walang proper trial. Iniingatan namin lahat yan. Otherwise mahirap yan, kung magkaroon ng possibility na madeklara yung Impeachment Trial as unconstitutional. Gulo yun. Malaking gulo yun.

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