Transcript of Interview of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile

Q For so long, magkaibigan kayo ni Manny Villar. Ano ang nag-udyok sa inyo na parang all of a sudden, naging enemies kayong dalawa?

SP Actually hindi ko naging kaibigan si Manny Villar. Nagkakilala lang kami noong binanggit niya na gusto niyang maging Senate President at tinulungan ko siya. At magmula noon, kung mayroong problema, tinutulungan ko siya. Noong ako ang naging Senate President, I tend to help him, accommodate all his requests. There were incidents where I started to know him well. To the point that he was trying to influence me into trying to (temper down) the draft of the (ethics) case against him filed by Jamby Madrigal. I entertained the thought that this guy seems to differ from his appearance in public. I did not know about his problem at PSE, I knew about C-5. But when I learned about PSE, I started checking, and I learned a lot about him. I think it was my duty to bring it out into the public. Nothing personal about this, it's all about country.

Q Hindi ninyo ba nasabihan si Villar ng deretsahan?

SP Wala akong panahon sapagkat hindi ko siya tinawagan. Kahit na sasabihin ko sa kanya, sasabihin ko sa tao sapagkat kandidato siya eh. Kailangan malaman ng tao ito eh kung itatago ko, at gagawin niya yung ginagawa niya ngayon pag naging president siya, eh konsiyensiya ko yun. At saka ako ganyan, eh hindi naman ako kandidato para president, kandidato ako para senador, I know also that ina-underground ako. That is my reason for telling the people what this giant is. He cannot fight openly. He uses people, to him he is saying this from behind. Ako diretsahan kung makipaglaban. Harapin ko siya. Gusto niya magharapan kami.

Q Hanggang saan ninyo willing dalhin itong alegasyon ninyo? Handa ba kayong ipa-disqualify siya?

SP Hindi ako ang magdidisqualify sa kanya, ang taong bayan. Kaya ko sinasabi, para mahusgahan siya, ang taong ito. Ngayon kung magdidisqualify sa Comelec, let the people give the judgment. That's democracy, but I am giving him the chance to answer these charges before the people. He is open to judgment by the national jury of the Filipino people in this coming election.

JB May I add something to that? May I just continue my views on this matter? I have listed down 5 sins of Villar. First, abuse of power, by pressuring the PSE; no. 2, failure to declare his statement of assets and liabilities; no. 3, failure to pay the required taxes; no. 4, overspending in his campaign. If you compute, the legal allowable expenditure for each candidate, sobra-sobra na yung sa kanya; no. 5, lying. You know, under a circumstance, let us say he got his way to the president, this matter will already constitute a major scandal. This is enough for a president either to be called to resign, or to be impeached by the House of Representatives. The articles of impeachment to be forwarded to the Senate. Delicadeza should come in. In this campaign, candidates should come clean. If he cannot explain this scandal, you know we don't need for him to be disqualified. All I am saying, ang linaw-linaw na, di ba? With the scandal coming out today, obviously the problems and the moral decision from this election should be to consider withdrawing his candidacy for the highest office of the land. After all, even if he does not pursue he will still be a senator. Ang problema lang diyan, he will be open to investigations at the Blue Ribbon Committee. Kasi if he becomes president, with the use of his tremendous watchers, at least he will get immunity for six years. But we call on the candidates again to observe the level of delicadeza that is required in the highest office in the land. This is not just running for any local position, this is the presidency, which is at stake.

Q If you are re-elected, will you conduct a Senate investigation?

SP Yes, because this requires a new amendment to the Securities Act. I just discovered that there is a flaw in the operation of the Philippine Stock Exchange. If this is the guardian of the stock market of the country, we might have a Madoff in the making in this country. Many Madoffs.___ the Philippine Stock Exchange to protect the public.

Q There is nothing that Senator Villar can do to stop you?

SP What will he do to stop me? Kill me?

Q What if he wins?

SP If he will win, he is the president, I will not stop investigating presidents in this country. One more will make no difference.

Q Si Noynoy, nagpasalamat kay President Estrada at sa inyo dahil sa pagbubunyag dito sa scandal sa Vista Land, sa stocks. Anong masasabi ninyo na mapapaburan siya sa pagpapalabas ninyo ng expose?

SP Kahit sino ang mapaburan dito, I am doing it for the country, for the Filipino people. I do not want a financial manipulator to become a president of this country. That is my thought as a citizen of this country. I don't want a man like that, who uses his position to influence the bourse and bend them to his wishes. If he becomes a president, as you said, if he becomes president, what will happen to me? Well, I will cross the bridge when I get to it.

JB May I also add, ang hirap naman kasi kay Noynoy, he does not seem to have a moral courage to bring this out before the public. Hindi ba sabi niya siya yung tao na lalaban sa corruption, and yet he said in the newspapers that he already knew about this? Kulang lang siya ng ebidensiya. Why doesn't he do his homework? Why doesn't he ask his lawyers, instead of going through propaganda, look for the necessary evidence. Bakit si Senate President Enrile, nakuha, pareho silang senator? So that's the problem with Senator Aquino. He wants his battles to be fought for him, gusto lang niya to enjoy the benefits of the fallout. If he wants to be the leader of this country, he should have the moral courage to stand up and fight against corruption whenever he sees it. Natatakot siya na baka sabihin, namumulitika, bakit si Erap at si Senate President Enrile? Senate President Enrile is already enjoying a high rating in the surveys. He does not need to do this. This is for the benefit of the electorate. Yan ang problema ng ibang kandidato eh. Just because they have money, they are targeting the presidency. This is one of the most dangerous propositions facing the Filipino electorate in this election. That if you have money, o kaya yung kalaban mo eh tinitira ng iba, ay baka maging presidente ka.

SP You know, I am doing this for the people. For you, for all the others so that we will not have a president that will use the immense powers of the presidency to his advantage. I am afraid for this country, with a president like that and if I can stop him, so be it if I will go down, including my life. That's the way I am, when I started the fight, I really go out hammer and tongs against them.

Q I want to know about the recent SWS survey, bumaba ang rating ni President Estrada ng 2% and it happened after you exposed the controversy about Villar.

SP Well, I do not know whether the SWS survey result was influenced by my expose. I don't think so. I do not know when that survey was done before or after that expose. It was last week, and they could not have done that overnight.

Q I am sure it is a given that you will go back to the Senate. If Villar loses, he goes back to the Senate too, now since you will be seeing each other again in the Senate, will this case merit an investigation?

SP I myself will file the ethics case against him. Ethics case, because it is an ethical conduct case.

Q Over and above the ethics case on C-5?

SP I will see. I will develop the case in the Ethics Committee.

Q You will fight in the current Senate?

SP I will fight it when we open the session, in July. After all, if he is still a senator, he did it during his term as a senator. If he becomes president, so be it. I will continually raise the issue of C-5 and this case against him.

Q Mas marami pong mga botante yung masa, ang pagdating kasi sa kanila sir, ito pong expose ay dahil lang sa panahon ng election ngayon. Ano po yung masasabi mo sa mga botante, lalo na hindi nila naiintindihan yung isyu sa PSE against Villar?

SP Iba ang isyu sa mga masa, ito ay para sa negosyante, yung mga nag-iinvest. Yung masa, hindi naman sila nag-iinvest sa stock market. Hindi sila nasasaktan dito. Ang nasasaktan dito ay ang middle class.

Q Ang ibig sabihin ko po, sila ang pinakamalaking botante. Ano po ang mensahe ninyo para sa kanila sa election?

SP Ang sasabihin ko sa kanila, mag-ingat kayo sapagkat ngayon pa lang ay marunong na siyang bumaluktot ng mga reglamento natin, mga batas natin, eh ano kaya pag siya ang naging pangulo, babaluktutin niya ang mga batas, at kayo ay pahihirapan din, kasama sa hirap.