Transcript of interview of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile
at the Davao Press Conference
Davao Press Conference part 1

Q: Sir, what is your new advocacy regarding the problem of economic crisis in our country?

SP: My slogan is 'Gusto ko, happy ka.' Because that synthesizes everything that the government represents, and when you want to make a society happy, you have to start somewhere. Where do you start? You see to it that the society is in order. Meaning there must be stability, law and order, and justice in the country. The people must be provided with ample food, ample jobs, ample education, ample health services. They must feel secure in their homes, in their workplace and in everything that they do. Their fruits of labor, they must be able to keep without feeling that they will be robbed by businessmen, by telephone companies, by the electric power producers, by the government itself that imposes unreasonable taxes. So I'll say, that the slogan some people laugh at. The slogan that we have taken. But to tell you the truth, that is the main basis of the government. Ano ba sinabi ni Jefferson sa atin? To hold this close is to be self evident, that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by the creator who's accepted inerrable rights that cannot be taken away from them. One, life; second, liberty; the third, pursuit of happiness. The pursuit of happiness covers everything that is spelled out as human need. You need to live, have to have a job, you need 'yung scale of ignorance, meaning education. You need to be healthy. You need to provide for your future. For your old age, you need to be secure. That is why I always say that I want you to be happy because that is the essence of government. Thank you.

Q: You have mentioned sir about 'Happy ka.' Now, paano magiging happy ang tao, perhaps in Manila they are happy, or in Cebu or in part of Visayas, but in parts of Mindanao, I don't think you made me believe that.

SP: That is why the government must devise a plan that provides an economic program and program of stability for Mindanao. Only the other day, I signed the enrolled bill creating the Mindanao Economic Development Authority, precisely to provide the agency to make the people of Mindanao happy because gusto ko, happy ka.

Q: Bakit kailangan ng suporta ng grupo ninyo?

Idadagdag ko lang kung bakit iboboto ninyo ang grupo na ito. Kung hindi dahil sa grupo na ito, walang banana plantations dito sa lugar ninyo. Wala yung DOLE Pineapples sa Mt. Matutum. Tanungin ninyo kay Tony Florendo kung sino ang nagdala ng banana industry sa Davao, ako. Tanungin ninyo sa kanya, I challenge anybody. Ask him. I released 3,000 hectares to him from the Davao Penal Colony when I was Secretary of Justice to start a banana plantation in Tagum. And why did they do that? Because I was the lawyer of United Fruit. During the time of President Diosdado Macapagal, I invited United Fruit to come to the Philippines to set up a banana plantation, while I was setting up the DOLE Pineapple in Mt. Matutum in South Cotabato. Before we even enter politics, meron na kaming contribution sa agrikultura ng Mindanao. Yan ang gagawin namin pag nanalo si Erap at naging Presidente, 100 times pa.

Q: After the failure of the Senate na ma-present ang report sa case ng c5. May chance ba sa taong bayan na malaman kung ano ang nangyari.

SP: Ano ba nangyari?

Q: Yan po tinatanong namin kung ano sabi sa result.

SP: Sasabihin ko sa inyo. Beginning from the recent events, ang nangyari ay ang pangkat ni Villar ay tumakbo, hindi sila humarap sa amin sapagkat hindi nila masira ang laman ng report. Yan po ang katotohanan. Binoycot nila. Ako po ay nalulungkot na sabihin sa inyo na ang leader ng pangkat na iyon ay kasalukuyang Senador, from Mindanao. Hindi si Ompong, hindi si Migz Zubiri, taga Mindanao. Ngayon, ano talaga ang nangyari, ano yung nilalaman ng report? Napatunayan na noong si Villar ay Congressman, Speaker of the House, gumawa siya ng kalsada, ginamit ang kwarta, pera ng bayan. Doon sa lugar ng bayan ng asawa niya, doon sa tinatawag ng Las Pinas-Paranaque Link Road. Okay lang sana yun. Pero ang hindi okay, ang magkabilaan doon sa kalsada niya ay lupa niya. Kumita siya ng malaking halaga. At hindi lamang yun, iyong lupa ng inyong Plaza na dinaanan ng kalsada na iyon, ang binayaran lang sa kanya ay P4,000/square meter pero kay Senator Villar ay P13,000 per square meter. Isa yan. Noong nandoon sa Kongreso siya, ang ginamit lang niyang kapangyarihan noon ay kapangyarihan ng Congressman at Speaker. Lumipat siya ngayon sa Senado, naging Chairman siya ng Finance Committee, naging Senate President, anong ginawa niya? Gumawa siya ulit ng another road. Yung tinatawag na DPWH C5 Extension Road at yung road na yun ay idinugtong niya sa dati niyang ginawa na kalsada na crossing Sucat naman, dahil mula doon sa bagong kalsada ay marami siyang lupa na dadaanan nung kalsada. Ngayon ang problema, kung wala lang ang lupa niya okay lang sana. Pero pinahabaan niya yung kalsada hanggang doon sa kanyang mga lupa, pero hindi niya sinabi sa Senado. Ang sabi sa Konstitusyon, kapag ginawa mo yun at may interes ka, sabihin mo sa mga kasama mo para malaman ng taong bayan na meron ka palang interes sa ginagawa mo. May conflict of interest diyan kapag nakagawa ng masama at may nangyari. Nung pinagawa niya yung kalsada na yun, yung second road, meron ng kalsada na pinaplano ang gobyerno na mas maiksi at mura. Ang gastos lang ng bayan ay P2.6 billion dahil double ang operated road ang gagawin na yun pero hindi na natuloy yun dahil nagpagawa nga ng bago si Manny Villar para idugtong dun sa dating kalsadang ginawa niya. Para yung mga naiwan na lupa niya na walang kalsadang maganda ay magkaroon ng kalsada, at lalago ang kanyang kayamanan. Lumago nga ang kayamanan niya at dahil diyan, napakarami ng pera niya ngayon, kumakandidato sa pagka-Presidente. Ang tanong ko sa sarili ko, kung ito ay ginamit lang niya ang puder niya bilang Speaker of the House, at Congressman? Ginamit lang niya yung puder niya bilang Senador, Senate President at Chairman of Finance Committee, at siya ay kumita ng P26 billion. Ano kayang gagawin nito pag naging presidente? Ang sagot diyan sa question na yan, nasa sa inyo. Yan ang nilalaman ng report.

Q: Senator, may relief po bang naiwan laban kay Villar ngayong election process is on the full stream?

SP: The government that will be installed in 2010 can recover the losses against him if the Solicitor General that will be appointed at that time will prevent him from doing it. Now they can also file an anti-graft case against him and if the prosecutor assigned to the case is bright enough to understand the evidence, I think it is easy to understand the evidence. If presented properly in a courtroom, then I'm sorry to say that there is danger that he will be going somewhere else instead of going to Malacanang.

Q: Let's say he wins the election, will immunity be applied?

SP: If he wins the election, the crime cannot be covered by an election. No. A crime is a crime. Once committed it becomes a violation of criminal law subject to the penalty approved by the law. If the prosecutor is honest enough, he will go to jail. Of course if he becomes President, that is a different matter because he will be immune from a suit while being President. It's not because he's Manuel Villar, but he is President of the Republic of the Philippines. If ever he loses, there's a possibility that he could be charged based on the content of the report, and I hope that at that point the senator who is defending him now will openly defend him before the people and inside the Senate. As he seems to be retiring from office as a Senator instead of being a defense lawyer for him, let us see who can get him out of the hole.