Press Release
August 5, 2013

Transcript of Ambush Interview of Senate President Franklin M. Drilon
after today's Session

Monday, August 05, 2013

Q: On whether to conduct an inquiry into pork barrel scam

Drilon: We decided whether or not to conduct an inquiry after the independent bodies like the NBI, COA, and the Ombudsman would finish their investigation. We will not conduct a parallel investigation. We will await - and allow and support - the investigation by the independent agencies.

The question was raised by one of the senators: will the public believe the results of our investigation? The unanimous response was no and we do not want to run interference; we don't want to do that and conduct our own investigation while these independent bodies are conducting their investigations.

Q: Are there any apprehensions on investigating your own colleagues?

Drilon: There was no specific mention of that, but I assume that is the underlying. The point of we will have a conflict of interest is something that we, senators, have considered.

Q: Is it possible that after the investigation is completed the Senate will decide not to push through its own investigation?

Drilon: It is possible that we will decide not to push through; it is possible that we decide to push through, depending on the results.

Q: Is public uproar considered?

Drilon: Precisely, if we decide to investigate, the consensus is nobody will believe us. That becomes part of the public uproar.

Q: On oversight committees

Drilon: We will rationalize the oversight committees so that we will be able to save funds by the end of the year. We are working on it and there is a consensus that we will have to rationalize the oversight committees with the end in view of saving funds at the end of the year. We are looking at least P50 million in year-round savings for 2013. It could be an annual savings because we only have five months left.

Q: Did you talk about which committees will be taken out?

Drilon: Wala pa.

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