Transcript of Interview of Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III

On the possible abolition of the Presidential Communications Operations Office

SP Sotto: Imbento nung nakaraang administrasyon ang PCOO. We already gave them two years (unclear). Mas maganda kung maging streamlined, gawing Office of the Press Secretary na tutal si Martin Andanar was confirmed in the Commission on Appointments actually as press secretary technically because there is no PCOO in the (unclear).

Q: So abolition ng PCOO?

SP Sotto: Parang ganun, ibabalik sa dati. We don't call it collapse, we don't call it abolition, it is reverting to the original Office of the Press Secretary which was more effective from the time of Cory to the time of Erap.

Q: Hindi na po magrerequire ng EO for that?

SP Sotto: Hindi na, we can do it in the budget because all we have to do is place the budget that is allotted to the PCOO into the Office of the Press Secretary.

Q: Intact po yung proposed budget?

SP Sotto: Yung budget, magiging intact yun, maaaring mabawasan, maaaring madagdagan, depende sa usapan, depende sa mga debate, depende sa justification ng gastos nila, but the important thing is that they can streamline. Maiistreamline nila.

Q: Ano po ang position ni Martin Andanar under the Office of the Press Secretary?

SP Sotto: Siya ang press secretary.

Q: How about the other officials of the PCOO? Ano ang mangyayari sa kanila?

SP Sotto: Problema na ni Martin Andanar yun.

Q: Ano po ang difference ng press secretary's office sa PCOO?

SP Sotto: Yun na nga ang gusto naming malaman, ano ang diperensiya. Originally yung Office of the Press Secretary talaga yun. Yun ang effective, (unclear).

Q: Non-effective po ang PCOO kaya kailangan ibalik sa OPS?

SP Sotto: Hindi naman sa ineffective. Ang tingin namin, parang yung nangyari nung nakaraang administrasyon, na-carry over ngayon, masyadong maraming bida. Ang suspetsa nga namin nung araw, kasi the PCOO was created to accommodate three or four people who all wanted to be press secretaries.