Transcript of interview with Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile

On Baseline Bill

That is their reaction. We will discuss that in the Bicameral as to which version should be used to become the law of the land.

Nothing is impossible. As a matter of arguing the position.

In the case of the bill that I filed, it is in accordance with the law of the sea, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. We are not saying that Kalayaan internally, from an internal law view point, Kalayaan is considered by the Philippines as its property and also Scarborough. But there are also other claimants and we have to deal with that problem both from the viewpoint of our internal law which is disputed by other countries and from the viewpoint of the international law which they will recognize our claim based on a regime of islands. Because there is a dispute regarding absolute entitlement over those islands. We do not have the battleships and squadrons to make our word steep.

The Senate version is the more realistic approach to the problem. We all agreed that we consider Kalayaan as ours. All Filipinos agree on that but it is a question of legal engineering. How do you approach the problem in relation to the claims of other countries?

On SEC

I think it is about time that the President and the Government start firing some people in order to wake them up to do their job. Hindi na pwede na lackadaisical ginagawa nila sistema e. Nakita na nila na may problema, why did they solve the problema. Sasaabihin nila we have to balance between regulation and capital formation. We encourage capital formation provided that the people operate within the law, not to injure their beneficiaries. Given yun, the moment the people will be injured, government must act to solve the problem. You see that guy Aquino yesterday, he is ignorant about his job.

Hindi ko na sasabihin yun. But as a matter of common sense, in the case of Bangko Sentral's Mr. Estemilla, as you see on television last night, he was arguing if they are really violating the law, but the question is do you really own a rural bank. Does the violation of these people negate the fact that you own a rural bank. He should answer the question. He should deny the ownership of the rural bank if indeed he is not. That is in conflict of his interest as a bureaucrat supervising the banking system and at the same time owning a bank. The trouble is nilalabo nila ang issue pag nasasangkot na sila, ssabihin nila, nagba-violate sila ng banking law. So what if you are violating the banking law? That is another thing. But the question is, Mr, Estemilla, do you really own a rural bank? The charge against him is that he owns a rural bank and that he is making life difficult for the other guy. For all I know, that gentleman who owns the Legacy is not a reliable person but he must answer the question.

Kung ako ang head ng Central Bank at sinabi nila na may nangingikil dun sa aking opisina, at least I will investigate it. Hindi ko lalabuin na they're violating the Central Bank laws. I will look whether there is really a leak in the pipe of my house.

On Possible charges to the SEC people

Bahala na ang DOJ to determine the criminal liability.

On World Bank

We started the hearing. Nasa kaniya yun e. The hearing is for the aid of legislation. If there is nothing to legislate, as far as the construction industry is concerned in relation to the funding done by the World Bank, then it's proper for the to give it up.