Press Release
August 24, 2022

Transcript of the Press Conference of Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, Aug. 24, 2022

Press Conference Q&A

SP Zubiri: I'd like to give the floor to the head of the investigative team, to say a few words. Chief?

Col. Marantan: Good morning po. Ako po si Col. Marantan, I'm the chief of the National Capital Region CIDG, in behalf of my boss, Brigadier Gen. Ronald Oliver Lee, he is at the PRO 3 ngayon po, attending some equally important matters.

Sabi nga ni Senate President, we have to be aggressive also with these people, this is not the first time na may nangyaring ganito. In fact, to mention a few, even during the time, before the election, ganyan din ho ang ginamit, ginawa nila kay President BBM. And VP Inday Sara. We were able to arrest them, 30 of them. We were able to file cases against them also.

So hindi na ito bago, it becomes very lucrative already. So we have to forewarn you, with the statement of the Senate President, at this is the best time to alarm also possible victims kasi napakadaling gawin nito. So, with that statement, thank you.

Q: Sir, Binanggit ninyo na dalawang senador, kasamahan ninyo, na same modus din po 'yong nangyari, nagpakilala rin na local official at hinihingan din sila ng pera?

SP Zubiri: Yes, same modus. [Nag]panggap bilang gobernador, at humingi ng tulong para sa kanilang convention, at insistent talaga silang mabigyan ng pera. Grabeng pangungulit, 'yong text ko nga eh, napakarami, na-screenshot ko na nga lahat para di ma-erase, for purposes of evidence.

No'ng tatawagang mo sila, hindi nila sasagutin, at magtetextback sayo. Sasabihin nila, ano sila, nasa malayong lugar, mahina signal, nasa coastal area. Iyon ang sagot nila, nasa coastal area, and talagang nakakaduda. Eh hindi naman tayo bobo, matalino naman - kaibigan naman natin lahat ng pulitiko, we can verify this.

Pero paano kung hindi po makapangyarihan ang tatawagan nila? Paano kung isang businessman o isang inosenteng indibidwal, syempre, madadali sila sa ganitong klaseng modus operandi, matatakot din sila. Kaya napakahalaga na mag-ingat po tayo.

And you know, this happened already. 'Di ba 'yong sa credit card scam ni Sen. Gatchalian, nawalan po siya ng P1 million. The last Congress, I was able to assist Senate President Sotto, together with Sen. Tolentino - and you can ask the staff of these two gentlemen, together with the former sergeant-at-arms of the Senate - dahil nireport po namin ito sa NBI at nahuli po 'yong mamang nagpapanggap na governor of Guimaras. Kinausap ako ni Sen. Tolentino and of course, SP Sotto at that time, kung kilala ko po 'yong governor ng Guimaras dahil syempre, taga-Visayas, Mindanao po ako and, sabi ko, "Opo," and tinanong niya, "Totoo ba 'to, humingi ng pera sa akin para sa kanilang lakbay aral?"

So tinawagan ko po 'yong office ng governor at sabi nila: "Hindi po, hindi po totoo 'yan." As a matter of fact ang dami nang may complaint galing sa iba't ibang senador. One of which was Sen. Villar, dahil nilapitan using the name of that governor.

So halatang itong raket ay matagal nang nangyayari. It's happened in several Congresses, and so we are warning those who are planning to do this type of estafa, extortion, pambobola, usurpation of authority, na mag-ingat po kayo. Kasi mahahanap po't mahahanap kayo, at makukulong din po kayo. Makakasuhan [kayo]. This is not new, but we want to make sure that the pressure is on.

Pwede ko naman 'tong pabayaan na lang, I could've just deleted it, blocked the number, pero inisip ko, noong nalaman ko kay Sen. Nancy at sa ibang senador na sila din po ay, well, there was an attempt to also extort from them and to dupe them, ay sabi ko: "Dapat siguro, hulihin na natin 'to." Kaya kinausap ko agad si Chief PNP at sabi niya sa 'kin, "Hindi, hulihin natin Sen. Para at least turuan ng leksyon itong mga ito." That's why we did what we have to do. Pero sabi ko nga, kung humingi lang ng tulong sa akin 'yon, 'di ba, eh maliit lang naman ang halaga. Kung humingi lang sa akin ng tulong ang mga tao, may pangangailangan, na emergency, tutulungan natin. Huwag na sana silang [mag]panggap bilang ibang tao at manloko.

There's also a Power Point presentation by the CIDG, do you wish to see that? Okay lang sa inyo? Naghanda 'yong CIDG.

Q: Sir, before the video, can I ask Col. Marantan? Sir, sabi niyo, noong campaign, Bongbong and Mayor Sara 'yong ilan sa nabiktima, other politicians, can you mention some other politicians who were victimized, ano 'yong approach, and then ano 'yong profile po ng group/s na ito na nambibiktima? Thank you po.

Col. Marantan: Halos ganon din, 'yong sinabi ni Sen. Zubiri. They will - maganda 'yong approach nila, eh - they will pose as, like for example, "Ako ay Chief-of-Staff ni Ma'am Inday, nakita naming may mga projects ka." In fact, 'yong grupo na 'yon is divided into several fucntions: Merong researcher sila, may negosyador sila at mayroon silang one responsible in the acceptance of the money. That's why we got the bank accounts already, in fact nagbibigay sila ng Gcash number. From the Gcash number alone, we can get the name already, so careless din sila. So those kind of schemes, that's why they're called scammers.

Sometimes, it becomes effective sa ibang tao. In fact, 'yong mga nahuli naming previously, they were able to amass millions of pesos already. We were able to check their bank accounts, nakita namin, the bank transactions there, so hindi nakakapagtaka na makapanloko talaga sila. At very bold silang makipag-usap on phone, and they will control the conversation. Gaya ng sinabi ni Sen. Zubiri kanina, kung ikaw naman ang magtatanong, mahina signal, pero 'pag sila ang tumatawag, malakas ang signal. That's how they control the conversation.

Q: Isang grupo lang po sila? Isang grupo lang?

Col. Marantan: Maraming grupo. Kasi itong grupo na 'to, the CIDG personnel were able to arrest them at Zambales, 'yong nakuha naming kay President BBM, nakuha naming sa Caloocan. 'Yong kay VP Inday Sara, nakuha naming sa Rodriguez, Rizal. At magagaling sila, I think they're better than the IT [people], magaling sila sa social media.

Q: Pero organized?

Col. Marantan: Yes, it's organized.

Q: By "organized", what, nagkopyahan lang sila when they saw na it's a lucrative thing, so other groups copied it? Or is there just one -

Col. Marantan: Maybe you are referring sa syndicate, controlling all of them? Uh, I think, no. Kasi I checked already doon sa ano, hindi naman magkakakilala.

Q: Pero sir, may access ba sila para alam nila sino 'yong pwede nilang biktimahin, sino 'yong may pera? Aside doon sa mga pulitiko, pero doon sa hindi pulitiko, ano 'yong lumilitaw? May access sila para alam nila sino 'yong pwedeng biktimahin?

Col. Marantan: I made mention that mayroon silang researcher. May researcher sila.

Q: Any information kung halos pareho, ito rin 'yong group behind doon sa scammers, sa mga tumatawag sa mga simpleng tao, mga nagpapanggap for credit card, as credit card staff, mga ganoon? Ganoon din ang profile nila? O totally different group ito na talagang dedicated sa mga known personalities po?

Col. Marantan: May mga criminal records na kasi itong mga ito. They've done nefarious activities previously. Kaya no question that they've become very aggressive now. Kasi 'pag nakalusot sa una, nakulong and then nakalabas, gagawa ulit. So namamaster na nila 'yong craft nila. The next time na tatawagan nila, they will become more perfect in their schemes.

Q: Criminal record, same kind of pretenses or -

Col. Marantan: Itong case at hand, 'yong criminal record nila has something to do with Republic Act 9165, that is illegal drugs.

Q: Sir, paano daw nakukuha 'yong mga number ng mga matataas na opisyal?

Col. Marantan: They have researchers. Well, sa mga political figures naman po, it becomes a public knowledge naman na 'yong contact numbers nila.

SP Zubiri: Alam na alam niyo itong mga Viber groups, 'di ba? Kapag in-add ka ng isang grupo, kung 200 'yong tao doon, kuha na nila 'yong number niyo agad. Kaya mahirap din ma-add, add, add ng iba't ibang grupo. Eh lalabas din 'yong telephone number niyo doon. Maraming ganyan, grupo-grupo na 'yan. Sa mga WhatsApp, Viber, so dyan nila siguro nakukuha.

Q: So, Sir, itong SIM Card Registration Bill na tingin niyo isa sa mga solusyon, kailan 'yong target na ma-aapprove sa Senate?

SP Zubiri: We just organized all the committees, kung kaya pong before the end of the year, tapusin namin yan. Si Sen. Grace has committed to pass this again immediately, para hopefully, by December, tapos na 'yan. Sabay na namin sa budget.

Q: Pending that, senator, parang mas mabilis at mas malaking tulong kung lahat ng tao dito ngayon mayroong national ID, na patuloy na problema. Can you address this concern, senator?

SP Zubiri: Actually, the National ID would be the best, kasi maraming pekeng government-issued IDs din. Nepepeke, nakukuha sa Recto 'yong driver's license, kung anong mga license. When you apply for a Gcash [account], iyan ang ibigay mo, na peke, hindi malalaman ng Gcash minsan na peke 'yon eh. But the National ID kasi may biometrics 'yon, hindi po basta-basta mape[pe]ke 'yon. So 'pag meron na po tayong National ID System, which is already a law, by the way, for the whole country, when you apply for a Gcash, a bank account, you apply for even a certain transaction with government, or with the private sector, gamitin mo 'yong National ID, 'yan talaga. Ang nandoon sa National ID talagang 'yong tao na 'yon. So mas madaling hulihin 'yon.

Q: Pero kaunti pa lang po ang may National ID, senator.

SP Zubiri: I know, so we push the implementation, we will push the full implementation of this. Hopefully by the end of the year matapos na po at mabigyan po ng National ID ang lahat ng ating mga kababayan. I believe the Senate will hold, mayroon tayong National ID [registration] dito sa Senate. Parang booth, so pwede kayong mag-avail, kayong mga kaibigan sa media...We were supposed to have it last week, but because of the lockdown, of the cases of COVID-19, hindi po natuloy. But by 2nd week of September, meron na tayo.

Q: Kay Col. Marantan, Sir, since well entrenched 'yong syndicate and very innovative, how will you address this to combat this crime, para maputol?

Col. Marantan: Nasabi ho kanina ni Senator na we are aggressive, we are more aggressive than they are. In fact, hindi ko alam kung tamang sabihin na we have also the gadgets to track them down, especially that they are using gadgets, too, that's why they have to be careful using those gadgets, too, because that can be an instrument for the law enforcers to go after them also. Well, I cannot expound on that explanation anymore, basta I tell you we have gadgets.

SP Zubiri: Gusto ko lang dagdagan, nagcommit din po ako kay Gen. Eli Cruz, he was also the head of the CIDG, now he's promoted to DIDM, siya na 'yong in charge sa lahat ng investigative groups ng PNP. I committed that we will add to the budget of the PNP, for giving them more tools na mahuli 'yong mga taong 'to. Specific tools for intelligence gathering para mahuli itong mga criminals na ito.

And of course, sa ating mga kababayan, we can add to what Col. Marantan said, that they are very aggressive, they're ready to apprehend these individuals. Sana po magsumbong po ang ating mga kababayan sa kanilang tanggapan 'pag meron ganitong klaseng pangyayari. But at the same time, they also have to verify, siguro, mag-ingat sila. 'Pag may tumawag, nagpanggap na pulitiko, sabihin natin, nagpanggap na sila'y konsehal ng isang bayan, pwede namang tawagan 'yong bayan. Nasa internet naman 'yong trunkline, pwedeng tanungin sila na ito bang konsehal na tumawag sa amin ay totoo, totoo bang tao ito, talagang meron silang pangangailangan sa ganitong mga occasions. You can verify and find out bago po kayo magbigay.

Ang galing ng modus operandi nila, ang gusto nila palagi, nahalata ko po 'yan, sa lahat ng messages po nila sa atin Col., it was all in Gcash, bakit, kasi kung Gcash, pwede po nilang kunin 'yong pera, maski nasaan po sa Pilipinas. Kung nasa Mindanao sila, agad-agad, makukuha nila 'yong pera. Ang gusto nila, ano pa, 'yong Gcash sa 7-11. Kasi may 7-11 sa buong bansa, eh. Napakahirap mag-monitor ng 7-11. They were insistent on 7-11. And our team was already telling them, "Gawin na lang nating pick-up," ayaw naman nila ng pick-up. Maya-maya, ang gusto ng team, Palawan [Express] or [M] Lhuillier - para may camera, may CCTV - magaling din, ayaw din nila doon. Okay na daw sa 7-11, kasi doon pwede nilang makuha without leaving a trace.

Q: Ganon 'yong mga text sa inyo, Sir? Pwede pong pa-sample, halimbawa, ano 'yong mga text messages sa inyo, paano kayo hingan?

SP Zubiri: Basahin ko, examples of the text messages: "Daghan kasi kami bayaran dito." Iyon lang 'yon, Bisaya-Tagalog, kaya nahuli ko agad, eh. "Daghan kasi kami bayaran dito. Need na po lalo na sa grocery, at sa binili, mga kakatayin para sa pagkain bukas." "Kadyot man lang 'yon, Sen. Migz," kasi sabi lp 'yong driver ko hindi marunong mag-Gcash sa 7-11, baka pwede hatid ko na lang, ihatid na lang namin, kasi mayroon na kaming coordination with the PNP. Sabi niya: "Madali man lang 'yon, Sen. Dili mag-konsumo daghan oras. Pasensya na po talaga, kailangan po naming inyong tabang." "Sa Gcash na lang, sa staff naming na si Dan," may binigay pa siyang pangalan. "Mag-confirm kami sayo, Sen. Migz 'pag pumasok na ang Gcash. Daghang salamat po, Sen. Migz." Humingi pa siya ng video message! Para sa convention! Ang galing, eh. Ang kulit niya: "Huwag niyo po kalimutan 'yong video message niyo, Sen." Ang galing.

Kaya iniinsist talaga namin na ano, na personal ideliver. Meron pa dito: "Good morning Senate President, Gov. Jec Jec Villa po ito ng Province of Siquijor. Have a nice, wonderful, blessed Sunday." Kasi from cellphone, ginawa na nilang Viber. Nakuha namin ito lahat, ang kulit.

Q: Sir, 50k lang talaga initial, o -

SP Zubiri: P60[,000] plus ang hinihingi...Eh siguro, para 'pag makalusot, eh 'di hihingi ulit sila. Hindi ba, ganoon lang naman 'yon, eh: Let's establish a connection, some time, 'pag nakalusot, hingi na lang ulit.

Q: SP, doon sa Zambales, doon winithdraw?

SP Zubiri: Ito po 'yong nakakatuwa dahil, alam niyo naman, pulitiko din ako, 'di ba. Eh sabi nila, meron daw silang PCL convention, SK Federation, at Provincial Federation, joint. Never nangyayari 'yon, eh, joint convention...May isang araw sila lang, magkasama? Eh nag-aaway-away pa minsan 'yong mga 'yon. Kaya hindi nangyayari 'yon. Kaya noong sinabi niya 'yon, sabi ko sa staff ko, parang duda na 'ko, hindi siguro 'to totoo.

Q: To Col. Marantan, Sir. Nafile na ba 'yong kaso? Ano 'yong cases na finile?

Col. Marantan: 'Yong case at-hand, nai-file 'yong kaso before the Prosecutor's Office. Na-inquest na sila sa Usurpation and Illegal Possession of Firearms.

Q: May na-convict na sa ganitong klase ng modus?

Col. Marantan: I have yet to make a research on that, kasi 'yong nai-file naming before, maghe-hearing na kami. In fact, we filed case, nakapagbail sila, nailabas 'yong warrant of arrest, we arrested them again. So, ano sila ngayon, I suppose, they are ready sa trial. So ready na din kami sa trial.

Q: Pero, sir, may assurance kayo na kahit hindi pulitiko, kahit ordinaryong tao, ganoon ka-aggressive ang gagawin niyong pag-aksyon sa lahat ng dudulog sa inyo?

Col. Marantan: Opo. Yes, ma'am.

Q: Makiki-coordinate ba kayo with the management of 7-11 dahil sila 'yong most utilized dito sa mga Gcash -

Col. Marantan: Yes, ma'am. We will do that.

SP Zubiri: Actually, nakipag-coordinate din po ako sa Globe, dahil 'yong Gcash ay Globe Telecomms 'yan. Nakausap po namin nong gabing 'yon si president of Globe...I had spoken to Ernest Cu about this, he also raised another issue that needs to be taken by Congress and the Senate. Ang gusto din niya po, na maparusahan 'yong mga nagpapahiram ng Gcash. Kasi meron daw tinatawag na part-Gcash, 'yong parang authentic 'yong Gcash nila, pero ginagamit ng mga sindikato ang Gcash nila. Para doon idedeposit 'yong pera, eh kapag nagkabulilyaso na, 'yon ang mahuhuli, hindi 'yong totong kriminal. Iyan ang ayaw niya, so he wants also to make it an illegal activity, lending Gcash to other individuals. Dapat 'yong may-ari ng Gcash account na 'yan ay siya lamang ang gagamit ng Gcash account. Ipo-prohibit po, it would be a prohibited act 'yong pagpapahiram ng Gcash account.

Q: Sir nagagamit na rin po kasi ang Gcash sa mga tindahan, nagpapadala, eh paano 'yon pagka bawal na?

SP Zubiri: Hindi, dapat 'yong tindahan mismo, ang may-ari ng tindahan, may-ari ng Gcash account. Hindi pwede 'yong kaibigan niya, gagamitin niya, lalagay doon...Basta pagmamay-ari ng Gcash at gumagamit ng Gcash account, hindi niya pwedeng ipahiram sa iba, bawal na 'yon.

Ang gusto po ng Globe, sila po nanghihingi nito. Pag-aaralan po muna natin nang mabuti dahil, katulad ng sinabi mo, may mga taong walang access to technology, access to internet, baka kailangan talaga nilang gumamit ng ibang Gcash account. Pero again, hiningi po ng Globe ito, dahil napakalakas daw ng ganitong klasing modus operandi, hindi sa pulitiko, [kundi] sa ordinaryong tao, 'yong panloloko. So ititigil na po natin ito. Kasi kung tama ang account, nagbigay talaga siya ng government-issued ID, Juan Dela Cruz, kanya talaga 'yong account na 'yon, pero ginamit ng sindikato ay si Juan Dela Cruz ang mahuhuli. Hindi niya alam, binibigay pala niya 'yong pera sa sindikato, fake din pala 'yong pangalan na ibinibigay ng contact, so hindi nila mahuhuli doon. Pero nailagay na doon 'yong pondo na galig sa extortion, or illegal activity, ibibigay sa another person of interest na fake naman ang pag-uusap nila, eh pinahiram niya 'yong Gcash number. Kaya, we'll make it part of the prohibited acts. So when you apply for a Gcash account, sasabihin sayo ng Gcash manager, ng account manager, hindi niyo pwedeng ipahiram itong account sa ibang tao, para maging sacred 'yong account number na 'yon.

So 'yon lamang po and I hope that hindi ito mangyari ulit. I have several colleagues, and you can ask the senators themselves, Sen. Tolentino, Senate President Sotto, Sen. Binay, marami pong senators na nagkaroon ng ganitong klaseng modus operandi ng mga, of course, itong indibidwal, itong mga kwestiyonableng indibidwal. Sana maitigil na po 'yan, hindi lamang sa mga pulitiko, kundi pati na rin sa pribadong sektor. At handa po ang ating Philippine National Police and other investigative agencies like the NBI na hulihin kayo, kaya huwag po na ninyong planuhin 'yong ganitong mga klaseng illegal activities.

So on other matters?

Q: When will BBM submit or furnish you a copy of the 2023 NEP?

SP Zubiri: I'll have to get that information, guys, from Sen. Angara, siya po 'yong chairman ng ating Committee on Finance. I know na-deliver na po itong NEP...Yeah, last Monday, it was already given to the House of Representatives. Alam niyo naman that the national budget emanates from the House of Representatives. Una sila, last touch tayo sa Senate.

So, they're looking at finishing the budget by end of September, dahil may break po tayo ng first week of October, and then ibibigay na po nila sa amin dito ang GAB, and then we will tackle it here when we get back on the first week of November. Mukhang hindi naman po tayo tatagal nitong deliberations na ito. Hindi tayo tatagal pa dahil hindi naman ganoon kalaki ang increase ng budget. It's actually very minimal, almost the same amount as last year's budget, we're looking at only a 4-percent increase. And bubusisiin lang natin ang iba't ibang programa ng gobyerno dito sa ating National Expenditure Program. But there won't be too many changes.

Q: But normally you have a copy, because you hold committee hearings na rin? Do you have the copy, Sir?

SP Zubiri: Ah, Monday na sa atin na? I stand corrected, it was given to us on Monday. So we have the copy of the whole NEP...I stand corrected.

Q: On another matter, Sir, two vaccine manufacturers, Pfizer and Moderna, are already rolling out their two COVID-19 vaccines that are responsive to variants.

SP Zubiri: Omicron vaccines.

Q: Yes, Omicron variants. Would you suggest to the government to procure those kinds of vaccines, considering that the surges in recent months are attributed to these variants?

SP Zubiri: Absolutely, absolutely. If there's funding in the national budget for 2023 for vaccine procurement, dapat i-upgrade na po nila 'yong bakuna na bibilhin nila. I believe ito ay magiging booster na. So it's our 2nd booster, for those who have not gotten a 2nd booster, and that could be a further booster for those who are immunocompromised and the elderly public in a later time.

I absolutely agree. And we'd ask, make that query during the budget hearings, that if the Department of Health has additional budget for payment of vaccines, gawin na po natin itong mga bagong, upgraded na bakuna galing sa Pfizer at Moderna that would target Omicron.

Q: Any pending order, sir, should be somehow modified to these new kinds of drugs?

SP Zubiri: Yes. Kung kaya po nila i-modify, i-modify na po nila. Kasi sayang naman kung hindi Omicron-specific din 'yong bakuna, diyan tayo natatamaan ngayon, eh. Seven senators just got it, so we had to call for a lockdown. Several staff, my staff here, si Dave, just got well. Negative ka na, ha.

Q: On another topic, sir, can you help us understand what happened during the Commission on Appointments (CA) yesterday, because, well, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano was supposed to be part of the majority bloc and then suddenly he became the CA minority leader. What will happen to Senator Risa Hontiveros? From what we understand, isa lang 'yong dapat na minority sa CA.

SP Zubiri: Actually, admittedly by Sen. Joel Villanueva nabanggit niya kasi 'yong pangalan ni Sen. Cayetano as part of the majority on the floor. But Sen. Cayetano is not part of the majority, he is an independent member of the Senate. Let us correct this once and for all: he did not vote for me. Under the Rules of the House and of the Senate, those who do not vote for you, are usually part of the minority. Same goes through to the House, same goes through for the Senate. Hindi po siya bumoto sa akin, dalawampu lang po kami, ang members ng majority. Technically, he's part of the minority but he declares himself as an independent member which has precedent in the past with senators like, Sen. Serge Osmena, and others. Sen. Joker Arroyo at one point also, and Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago also declared themselves as independent members of the Senate. So, technically under the rules, he is part of the minority. Apat lang sila hindi bumoto sa akin. And so, in the declaration of the members of the CA, that's why I corrected it. I spoke and put on record that he is actually an independent member of the Senate and should have been detailed in the letter as independent, not as a member of the majority.

The Commission on Appointments is an independent Constitutional Body. Hindi po 'yan Kongreso o Senado. 'Yan po ay independent Constitutional Body made out of the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Now, iba 'yong composition diyan ng minority. Yan din ang explanation ko kay Risa. Sabi ko, 'yong minority ng CA is different from the minority both of the House, and of the Senate. Ibang composition yan, so its not necessarily true that if you are member of the minority in the Senate, that you are automatically the minority leader of the CA. It is the members of the minority in the CA that will decide on who will lead the CA minority leader contingent. It just so happened that by tradition, it is a Senator. Ano 'yan eh, hatian. 'Yong majority leader ng CA is a congressman and the minority leader is a senator because the CA is led by a Senator, which is myself, the Senate President and the co-chair, the vice-chair, is a Congressman.

So, in this case, may dalawang gustong lumaban as minority leader sa CA from the Senate. Hindi namin madesis'yonan eh, nag-caucus kami dito. Hindi madesis'yonan. Ayaw mag give-way ni Alan, ayaw din mag give-way ni Risa. Alan said: "Let's just put it to a vote." Of this, I said: "We in the majority cannot vote for you guys, kasi we are not within the realm of our responsibility to choose who are the members of the minority. That's not how it is," 'Yong mga member ng minority ang pipili kung sino ang mag-le-lead sa kanila. It so happened that the two members of the minority in the House - Cong. Johnny Pimentel and Cong. GP Padiernos chose Alan Cayetano to lead the minority bloc in the CA.

Wala na po kami magagawa diyan, that is not my responsibility that is not my watch. I have no say; I am just relaying to you what transpired yesterday.

Q: Sir, technically, how many seats should be allotted to the minority bloc, kasi it's still a numbers game, 'di ba?

SP Zubiri: I believe it's still one minority leader and two assistant minority leaders, right? In this case, there is only one minority member in the CA kasi hatian yan e. 'yong CA sa Senate - there are 24 Senators, there are 12 seats. The Supreme Court has already ruled: It is either political party distribution, 'yong equitable distribution to political parties, or sa Senado pili ka ng partner at sa inyong dalawa, mag desisyon kayo kung sino uupo sa CA. That is the hatian ng CA, yan 'yong bibigyan na allocations. That is of course, thoroughly discussed and has been decided upon by the Supreme Court.

Q: So, sa Senate, dalawa sila, isa lang dapat 'yong matitira?

SP Zubiri: Ang nangyari diyan nagpili sina Sen. Koko Pimentel and Sen. Risa Hontiveros, dalawa po sila. So, meron po silang isang Senate seat. They had to decide amongst themselves which amongst themselves will sit in the CA contingent. Sabi ni Sen. Koko, it is Sen. Risa Hontiveros that will represent him in the Commission of Appointments. Senator Cayetano, dalawa din po sila. Magkapatid. Senators Pia and Alan Cayetano. They decided that Sen. Alan Cayetano will sit as a member of the CA. That is why they are in the CA contingent. To clarify, I did not choose them, they chose themselves under the distribution allocation that is explained by the Supreme Court as it was valid and legal under the Constitution.

Q: Just to clarify lang, sir. Sen. Cayetano is not part of the Senate minority, representing the minority bloc in the CA.

SP Zubiri: No, Senator Cayetano is an independent member of the Senate in the CA but he considers himself part of the minority.

Q: As you mentioned, SP, he and Sen. Pia are part of the minority or hindi?

SP Zubiri: Technically, under the Rules, those who did not vote for me are part of the minority.

Q: Sir, would you advise Sen. Risa to, somehow, just accept --

SP Zubiri: That is not part of my powers to tell them what to do. Alam mo naman na consultative ako. We are Rules-based, naman. In fairness, we are Rules-based. We just follow the Rules. In this case, it was the minority elected Sen. Cayetano. Wala po kami pakialam doon. 'Yong members of the majority, wala po kami pakialam.

Q: Sir, kailan po kayo nag-usap ni Sen. Risa, you said, 'yong sinabihan niyo po siya na iba 'yong sa CA?

SP Zubiri: Yeah, here we were in a caucus yesterday at 11 before the plenary kasi 'yon nga, gusto niya maging minority leader. Sabi ko, gusto din ni Sen. Cayetano maging minority leader. So, tinawag ko po ang ating mga senador, nandito po kami lahat, and I had to explain to them that, ladies and gentlemen, this is a different organization, different body, it's a Constitutional Body. This body now will decide who will become - it is automatic that the Senate President will head the Commission on Appointments, that's under the Constitution. No question iyan. The heading of the majority leadership position, and the minority leadership position, that is the choice between the body to make. In this case, tradition dictates that the majority leader is a member of the House. The minority leader is a member of the Senate and therefor there is an election for the majority leader. There is a nomination for Congressman LRay Villafuerte to head the majority bloc of the CA. No one objected. So, then he was elected to the post of majority leader. When the question came up on minority leader, Cong. GP Padiernos nominated Alan Cayetano. At the same time, supported by the two members of the House. The other member of the House minority in the CA which is Cong. Johnny Pimentel. So, the score is 3-1. So tumayo na si Sen. Risa.

Let me correct, there was no vote done on the floor, by acclamation lang po ito, but she, of course, gave her apprehensions and manifestation dahil gusto nga niya maging minority leader. But, at the end, we did not anymore decide to call a nominal vote. Hindi na lang po siya nag-nominal vote, so si Senator Cayetano ang naging minority leader via acclamation. There was no vote, just like what I was talking about. Ang nangyari, obviously she saw that there was two other members of the minority voting for Sen. Cayetano and therefor she no longer had the vote and therefor it was by acclamation na lang. That is the business of the minority, we have nothing to do with that. Best that you interview na lang the two of them. Ako, I have nothing to do, I do not want to get involved with that problem.

Q: Do you think there is a link among ES Rodriguez, Sebastian, and Serafica regarding the sugar importation because after being drafted it was kept secret?

SP Zubiri: Actually, those are two different issues. I have an issue for him keeping it secret. Why are you going to keep secret such an important document? 6 million bags to be imported which will affect the prices of sugar locally for our farmers and at the same time, subject to all shenanigans such as hoarding, pole-vaulting, and the like which we've seen in SO number 3.

Dito sa tinanong mo about ES, I absolutely do not believe that he is part of this plan of coming out of that illegal order to import sugar. Why? Because he was the one who took it to the President and told the president about this particular plan. That they've signed the import order without the president's approval. Siya ang nagsumbong kay presidente. Kung kasama siya dito, bakit niya isusumbong kay President? Eh kausap ko si presidente eh. Right there in Malacañang, I showed him the pictures. Sabi ni Presidente: "I was told by ES that there was such a plan. I cancelled such a plan. I was very upset why he come up with such a plan without consulting the executive secretary and myself on the amounts of sugar, particularly 300,000 metric tons, without proper consultation on how much do we really need to import." In other words, sabi ni Presidente, "Kayo-kayo lang nag-decide ng 300,000 eh. Saan galing yang number na yan?" The President wanted to be clearer on the amounts, because allergic nga siya sa importation dahil nga sa gusto niyang alagaan ang kapakanan ng ating mga magsasaka.

So, I don't believe ES is part of them, as a matter of fact, siya nagli-lead ng raids. He was the one who asked us to help him and explain to him the sugar situation. Agad-agad nagpatawag ako ng stakeholders meeting, with the sugar alliance. Kasi ano po ako tumutulong ako sa grupong Tatak Kalamay. Itong Tatak Kalamay, this is an organization of all the farm workers, millers, miller workers, all the stakeholders involved in the sugar industry. They were the ones who reported to the president that we don't need this amount of sugar. As a matter of fact, meron pa nasa bodega. Sabi ni Presidente, bakit hindi pa nilalabas yan. Sabi ni ES, ipa-raid natin boss para makita ng taong bayan. So pina-raid and that's over about 150,000 MT.

So yung sinasabi ni Sebastian na 187,000 metric tons na kailangan per month, he said 85,000 metric tons for the bottlers' grade, for industrial users. Meron na doong 150,000 metric tons na bottlers' grade, for industrial users, and refined sugar. Bakit hindi inilalabas at ibigay na sa Coke yan para hindi na mag-ingay ang Coke? So yan, pinapalabas na nila ngayon. Nahuli na sila eh. It's the hand inside the cookie jar. So ngayon dahan-dahan na nilang ipinapalabas ang stocks na ito. There's still 30,000+ on the way, part of SO#3, part of the Subic shipment I believe, which was part of the balance of the 30,000.

So, we have sugar. They are already milling in Negros. Kaya itong tinatawag nilang shortage, this is just an artificial shortage. It was created by those who wanted to take advantage of the importation scheme. Kaya nga nagalit ako.

On my second point. Bakit ginawang sikreto? He admitted. The SRA administrator admitted. Look at the speed. Pati 'yong PS-DBM ganun din ang style nila. Kinabukasan labas kaagad ang BAC order. 'Yong ganitong klaseng napaka-importanteng desisyon at order ay dumaan sa tamang proseso. It was already put on record and established that the SRA administrator Serafica did not route this to the deputy administrators because the deputy administrators would sound the alarm bells. Sila mismo nagsabi sa akin in private, "Boss, kung kinausap lang kami, sasabihan namin siya there's enough sugar. You don't need to bring in 300,000 metric tons." So nakakapagtaka na in less than 3 days, barring the weekend...from the planning session in Malacañang, without the order to create a sugar order, to the third day, signed by everyone, without the knowledge of the staff of the SRA...I think it is highly irregular and very suspect of some sort of nefarious activity. Kaya sabi ko hindi tama yon.

Q: Based on what you heard yesterday, sino po ba ang dapat maging accountable? Ano 'yong liability?

SP Zubiri: Administrator Serafica should answer all these charges against him. Of course lumabas na ang stakeholders. The stakeholders have been interviewed now left and right, and they're complaining, they were made to believe that the president asked for this. 'Yon pala hindi totoo. They were told that the SRA asked for this, coming from the SRA Board. Again, I hope this is a lesson learned by these government officials na kailangan talaga ng proper consultation, with the stakeholders at may proper rules and procedures that have to be followed. Para sa ganun ay hindi masususpect o maku-kwesyon ang kanila mga motivations.

Q: Should the cost of sugar now go down?

SP Zubiri: Actually, in certain groceries and supermarkets like Robinsons, SM, S&R, Pure Gold, it is already P70 per kilo. Ang gusto po natin, palawakan yan at ibigay din sa maliliit na groceries. There's enough stock. I believe Victorias Milling Corporation is ready with several hundred thousand one-kilo bags that will be given to Kadiwa Centers, para sa ganon ay diretso na po sa mga consumers, lalo na sa ating mga maralitang Pilipino. Kadiwa Centers are brought to the public markets. So they can start buying at P70/kilo, for the bananacue vendors, the turon vendors, yung gumagawa po ng juice at ibinebenta po sa iba't ibang kanto ng ating atind siyudad, ay pwede na po silang bumili dito sa mga groceries at Kadiwa Centers. So it will go down. Eventually bababa 'yan. Sabi ng SRA it will go down to P70 per kilo.

Q: Wala kayo nakitang basis na ipatawag ulit si Vic Rodriguez?

SP Zubiri: No, actually he is willing to come back. Nag-usap po kami kahapon and present to the public 'yong report ng joint task-force nila sa ISAFP, Bureau of Customs, and PSG. Magkakasama sila sa pag-inspection at pagraid sa mga bodegang ito. They'll give us the exact amount of sugar that was found, the location, the background of the sugar stocks. They'll make the proper presentation to the Senators. Para naman makita na may ginawa po ang ating mahal na pangulo. Utos po ng ating Pangulo 'yan.

Q: The President has stopped this SO 4 but do you think it would not have reached that point had ES Rodriguez simply answered the question of former undersecretary Sebastian whether it is a go or not?

SP Zubiri: You have to remember that the executive secretary Rodriguez is a lawyer. He is not a farmer nor he is a member of the stakeholders. If you were in that position, wala ka alam sa situation, mas mabuting magtanong muna at magimbestiga kung kailangan talaga magimport ng ganitong karami. That's what he did. He could have said, 'Yes, push through with the importation,' but he did not answer because he went back to his principal, which is the President, at sabi ng Presidente, "no." Do we need to import that much? 'Yan ang sagot ng Presidente sa amin. Hindi ba natin to pwede ma-source locally? Nagulat na lang ang pangulo nung pagpunta namin dyan sa meeting, pinakita ko sa kanya 'yong hawak hawak kong dokumento, sa SRA na 127,000 MT of sugar are still in the bodegas, hindi pa nailalabas.

Sana kung sinabi lang nila na 10,000 MT ang naiwan, eh 'di ako din sasabihin ko mag-import na tayo. Pero 127,000 MT is a lot of sugar. That is good for two months for the industrial users. At least to tide us over to the milling season which already started now. The worst case scenario, magkakaroon pa rin ng importation pero hindi na ganun karami. Ang tinitignan ng industriya ay in between 100,000 to 150,000 MT, and ang suggestion po namin sa Pangulo para hindi na po magkaroon ng tongpats, ipaparata ng SRA ang sugar order and the importation order. But give the importation order to the end user. Let the end user find the importer to bring it in.

Ang nangyayari is SRA accredits the importer. 'Yong accreditation dyan alam mo naman.

Q: Will you pursue that?

SP Zubiri: Yeah, we will pursue that. Definitely we will pursue that angle because we want to get rid of this practice.

We will pursue it, why? Because nakakaduda din na tinanggal nila 'yong performance bond. Inadmit nila na they took out the performance bond. That performance bond was there to make sure that you deliver the sugar from point a to point b sa industrial user. 'Pag nadeliver na 'yan, ibabalik 'yong performance bond ni SRA sayo. Ngayon, wala silang performance bond. Blanket authority pa. The SRA Administrator was given the sole authority. Never been done before with the other sugar orders, that oly one person makes a decision to classify, from reserve sugar, which is held in the bodega, to B sugar, which is domestic use. So it's within his power to say, "I will allocate you this amount of B sugar, for domestic use." Isang tao lamang, which is usually vested to the Board. Kaya nga nakakapagduda. We need to put safeguards for the next sugar orders.

Q: Kumbinsido ka na the mere SRA administrator can do it all by himself, na walang mas malaking taong behind?

SP Zubiri: He's been doing it na, he did it with SO3. If you notice, I gave a privilege speech dun sa importation. I gave a privilege speech and a press release on SO 3 na at this time naghaharvest pa tayo ng asukal bakit pa natin kailangan magimport ng 200,000 MT. it was seconded by all farmers' organizations, nagfile sila ng TRO in RTC Negros Occidental. Two courts issued TROs. They bypassed the TRO. They proceeded with the importation. Matigas ang ulo. Kaya nga sabi ko notorious. With due respect. Notorious po ang leadership ng SRA at the time in pushing for importation.

You cannot blame us for pointing our fingers at SRA administrator Serafica when we already hailed our objections on SO 3. May dalawang RTC na nagbigay ng TRO and hindi na nila pinansin iyon at tinuloy na po nila ang importation. Kaya notorious na po ang administration ng SRA at that time for this type of activities. Kaya nung nangyari ulit yan, talagang sinabi naming na magresign na po sila. Kasi huling-huli na at it was classified as illegal by Malacañang.

Q: Pero what do you think of ES Rodriguez admission on ordering the drafting of the import plan?

SP Zubiri: The draft is different from the order signed. The draft kasi you have to show and you have to approve the draft before you can all sign. Eh ang lumabas order na eh. Ang sabi ni ES come up with a draft, come up with a plan, pero ang nilabas nila ay order na.

Q: Pero sir, pinakikita lang 'yon na may necessity to import. Nagkakatalo lang as to how much has to be imported?

SP Zubiri: Depending on who you talk to. Depending on what organization you talked to. Kahapon may grupo na nagsabi na hindi po natin kailangan magimport. Actually, if you ask me, dapat may SRP ang refined sugar. Mayroon talagang profiteers na naghohoard. Kasi 'yong raw sugar binibili nila sa farmers ng P40 per kilo. Guys, P40 per kilo tapos binebenta ng P110. Sino naman ang kumita ng P70 per kilo na yan? Nakakalula na yan. May kumikita ng sobrang laki.

When you bring your raw sugar to the refinery, you are a trader, the charges to refine is only between P10 and P15 per kilo. Ang kalalabasan niyan ay is within P50 to P55 per kilo of refined sugar from the farm gate. Sinasabi nga nila pwedeng P60 yan kasi 'yong kikitain ng supermarket ay P5. Kaya sinasabi nila na dapat P60 lang talaga. Pero bakit binebenta ng P110, na may asukal talaga?

Maybe the new SRA administrator, together with the new board, should really do the survey to ensure that it is continuously brought out to the public and flood the markets with the sugar para walang ganitong klase na tinatawag na artificial shortage. Kaya tumataas ng tumataas ang presyo ng asukal.

Ang kumikita dito ay ang mga unscrupulous individuals na naghohoard, nagpaprice manipulation, ang style nila, hinihintay pa nila na umangat hanggang P110 per kilo, ilabas nila ang refine sugar nila, make a large profit, and then copy-paste, do it again next year at the expense of the Filipino people.

Q: Expectation sa overpriced laptop hearing bukas?

SP Zubiri: Well again, it is our favorite agency, PS-DBM, I'm in favor of abolishing PS-DBM and other agencies that have sole control of government transactions that should be done by the government agencies themselves. Sabi ko nga, kung binigay yan sa DepEd, at least alam ng DepEd ang specifications na kailangan nila. Hindi po sila kukuha ng mabagal na computer, defective na computer, dahil kakatayin po sila ng mga teachers. E pinasa nila sa PS-DBM. Ngayon, sinong kakatayin ng mga teachers? You're passing the blame. It's a blame game. So let's abolish PS-DBM once and for all, let us also punish them for their previous shenanigans. This is one of them. We will request the Chairman on the Committee on Public Accountability, Blue Ribbon, Sen. Tolentino to come up with the proper charges and let us file it with the Ombudsman para matigil na po ito.

Q: Dun po sa importation, 300,000 MT, eventually, ang utos ni Presidente mag-import pa rin pero 150,000MT.

SP Zubiri: Yes, with mechanism. Ang recommendation namin, kung kailangan ni Coca-Cola ng 50,000MT, give the import order to Coca-Cola. Dun kasi nagkakaroon ng tongpats, sa importer, sino magbibigay sayo ng permit. Yan ang sinasabi nila na pwedeng mangyari. I'm not saying it is being done, I'm not saying they are doing it because we don't have proof at this point of time, hopefully in the next hearings we can have a clearer picture on that. But what I'm saying is, it is a possibility, that the importer can come to a particular person, ask for the import permit with a little bit of [patong]. To avoid that, ease of doing business. Wala na government na makikialam, derecho na. Less government transaction, less government na nakikialam. Just give Coca-Cola the import order, let Coca-Cola import the 50,000MT, diretso na sa bodega nila. Di tulad ngayon, so SO 2, we will bring in 200,000 MT or refined sugar for our industrial users eh hindi umabot. Nagulat rin yung Coca-Cola, sabi nila, andiyan pala yung asukal na hindi naideliver sa amin. Ibig sabihin may gumagawa ng kalokohan, palagpasin nila Coca-Cola, tapos ibebenta ang stock locally at a high price.

Q: Pero may criminal intent kaya 'yong ginawa nila 300,000MT o simple mistake ng computation?

SP Zubiri: Under the law, first of all, we are looking at certain violations of the law under the graft and corrupt practices act, anti-smuggling, anti-hoarding act, violations of the SIDA law. For example, 'yong pagshorten ng process, are there violation of graft and corrupt practices act. Apparent ly, under the rules and practice, this should be thoroughly vetted out with the staff and management, particularly to the deputy directors of the SRA, di nila ginawa. Ginawa po nilang sikreto. Tapos ginamit pa nila 'yong pangalan ng Presidente. That is a usurpation of authority. So, definitely, I see certain violations of law. I cannot comment any further kasi it is now the chairman of the Blue Ribbon Committee, chairman Tolentino, who is a very good lawyer, who will come out with particular violations of law.

Q: May violations po kahit hindi natuloy?

SP Zubiri: Yes kasi that was an official order. Di natuloy yung importation, pero lumabas yung order. Nilabas nila sa website. Duly signed and notarized by these individuals.

Q: Kayo po bas a Bukidnon, nafi-feel niyo rin ang adverse effect sa SRA, discretion about policies.

SP Zubiri: Kasi 'yong problema ng commodities, it is a balancing act. Napakahirap sa commodities like rice, sugar, corn, 'yong talagang kailangan ng mga kababayan natin lalo na sa pagkain, kailangan meron tayong balancing act, kung saan tinitignan natin 'yong kapakanan ng ating magsasaka at ang kapakanan ng consumer. Naghahanap po tayo ng paraan na localize muna ang bilhin o source ng ating supply ng pagkain at kung hindi kaya, pwede po tayong mag-import. Halimbawa, sa bigas, napakarami natin rice farmers sa Nueva Ecija, sa Zambales, sa Central Luzon, Pampanga, na pag-import tayo ng import, sila po talaga ay dehado at talagang kawawang kawawa. Gusto po natin na tulungan sila and at the same time, ilimit natin ang presyo ng bigas sa mercado. That is a careful balancing act. But I will always err on the side of the local production. Bakit?

Food security is not only pricing. Food Security is self-sufficiency. Ibig po sabihin, kung gusto po natin na may pagkain palagi, kailangan alagaan natin ang ating magsasaka. Kasi kung tumigil na sila sa pagsasaka at pag-aani ng produktong ito, kapag nagkagiyera ang iba't ibang bansa at wala na tayo makukunan ng pagkain, ng fuel, magkakagulo na dito sa ating bansa. That's why it is important that food security is also food self-sufficiency. 'Wag natin abandonahin ang ating mga magsasaka.

Q: Don't you see any proof na si Usec. Sebastian or maybe even Admin Serafica are just victims or fall guys?

SP Zubiri: I just met Usec. Sebastian so I do not know his character. Pero Administrator Serafica, time and time again, alam po ng staff namin yan, has been getting complaints in the industry that he's always favoring importation. Buong sugar sector. Alam po niya 'yon. Kaya nga tinago niya po. He said tinago niya ang paggawa ng SO 4. Why the secrecy? Kasi alam niya maraming aalma at magagalit na stakeholders. If there's criminal intent, I don't know. We will try to prove it. But definitely, tinago po niya ito sa stakeholders, na hindi po tama. Because siya po ang representative ng sugar industry sa gobyerno.

This has been a complaint of many stakeholders through a series of press releases, statements. Not only me. Remember a few months ago, Sen. Imee Marcos came out with a statement condemning the plan to import during the milling season. Again, pakana po yan ni Administrator Serafica. Notorious na po ito. You ask the industry. Medyo notorious na po itong SRA na ito, particularly Serafica on his plan to import rather than look at the needs of the farmers. Kaya nga sabi ni Sen. Cynthia, "Administrator Serafica, kung ginawa mo lang yung tungkulin mo sa batas na ginawa namin na SIDA law, hindi ito mangyayari dahil lalakas at lalakas ang ating mga magsasaka. E bakit paliit nang paliit ang budget ng SIDA?" Yung budget ng SIDA under the law is P2 billion a year, to help the farmers modernize, help them with their inputs, their training. Alam mo ngayon, Php600 million na lang. Pababa nang pababa. It used to be P2 billion naging P1 billion, naging P800 million, ngayon P600 million na lang. That is the failure of Serafica to implement the Sugar Industry Development Act. Why is it going down (budget)? Kasi sabi ng DBM, hindi ma-absorb ng SRA ang function nila under the law. In other words, hindi nila ginagawa ang katungkulan nila ayon sa batas kaya pababa ng pababa ang binibigay ng DBM sa kanila ng pondo para sa industriya.

Q: Likelihood that Serafica recommended to be charged?

SP Zubiri: I don't want to preempt the committee at this point in time, but as I said we're looking at malfeasance, misfeasance, violations of graft and corrupt practices act, and several laws we have passed in the last three years that deal with agri smuggling, hoarding, price manipulation. Of course, dereliction of duties. Obviously they did not do their homework, when they brought in the just newly minted and signed SO#3. They were not even able to trace where the sugar was. Eh nagulat pa siya kahapon na, "Oo nga, madaming asukal." Hindi niya alam kung saan 'yong pinaimport nila, which is the function of the SRA to inspect all the bodegas, to make sure that it is distributed to the proper industry stakeholders. Kaya malabo po ang mga explanation, I think they'll have to explain it later to the proper authorities, particularly to the Ombudsman.

Q: [Sen. Hontiveros] will not recognize the minority leadership of Cayetano, will this affect the CA operations?

SP Zubiri: No comment na ako dyan, kayo naman. It is not within my realm to comment on the affairs of the minority.

Q: Will it affect the proceedings?

SP Zubiri: I would like to let them sort out their differences on their own. I don't want to comment on the issue of the minority.

Q: Under the rules, meron pa bang pwedeng magawa?

SP Zubiri: Botohan 'yan eh. Sana nagobject siya. Plenary is the most important decision maker. Sana po nag-object si Ma'am Risa.

Q: Wala po bang magiging complication?

SP Zubiri: From the Senate? Wala naman kaming problema, it is a deliberative body. The function of the minority is to ask questions about particular appointments. Everyone is free to do so, whether you are a majority or a minority. We will allow you to propound questions, whether you are opposition or not, you have the right to do so. Pero walang problema, may majority nga na nagpapanggap na opposition.

I'm sure may isang majority na sisipot dyan na may concern sa isang department official and raise Sec. 20 and oppose a particular appointment. That's not necessarily part of the minority. So, it is an independent deliberative body, we will welcome all comments from majority and minority. At the end of the day magkakabotohan rin yan.

Q: Pero yung seat allotted to the minority in the CA, it's only limited to one seat?

SP Zubiri: It's a representative. For example if there were six members of the minority here, then they will have three seats. If there was no minority, then they'd have no seat. We will have no minority, if all 24 members voted for me. Let's say 23 members voted for me, there's only one in the minority, the minority leader, he only has half a seat. Maghahanap pa siya ng kapartner. Representation of the minority in the CA is always dependent on the number of minority members in the Senate. Kasi maghahatian yan, 2 is to 1. As far as I'm concerned I think they're all equal.

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