Transcript of Interview of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile

On the RH Bill

Q Umuugong na po 'yung debate sa RH Bill sa House, kailan po magsisimula dito?

SP I do not know when they will report it out. Wala pang Committee Report yata.

Q Magiging priority po ba?

SP Tingnan natin. Any bill is a priority basta sinubmit dito sa Senado. Pero ako, my vote is against it. I don't impose my will on my colleagues.

Q On the call for civil disobedience?

SP As long as they don't go beyond the line, they can call civil disobedience. What is the content of the civil disobedience?

Q Not paying taxes.

SP If you do not pay your taxes, then mumultahan ka. Lalagyan ka ng surcharge o kaya idedemanda ka ng gobyerno, so if you want to do anything within the law, you have to face the music if you transcend the law.

Q Your reaction na ginagamit si Pacquiao as poster boy ng anti-RH?

SP If that is his belief, I respect him for that.

Q Magiging effective ba siya sir?

SP Ewan ko. Siguro. Kung magaling siyang sumuntok, eh di magiging effective din siya doon, di ba? Maraming humahanga sa kanya.

Q So yung ibang Congressmen mahihikayat niyang huwag iboto yung RH Bill?

SP Hindi ko alam. Hindi ko basa yung kanilang utak.

Q Kayo sir? Ano sa palagay ninyo?

SP Magiging effective siya dahil hindi lang dito sikat, sa buong mundo, sikat. Pati Presidente ng Amerika, gustong makipag-picture sa kanya. Sino ba sa atin dito gustong ka-picture ni Obama?

Q So sir pwedeng may mga pro-RH Bill na pwedeng mahikayat ni Pacquiao?

SP Sigurado yun. Kanina mayroong babae, sabi niya, idol kita, anong position mo sa RH Bill? Ako ay boboto kontra. Ay, sabing ganoon, bakit naman? Ika ko, mahirap yun sapagkat ako, ang paningin ko, kailangannatin na i-maintain ang ating social strength sapagkat kailangan nating ng mga pulis, mga sundalo, para ipagtanggol ang bansa natin. Kagaya ng mga ibang bansa ngayon, wala silang mga trabahante, kaya nag-iimport sila ng mga trabahante, hindi naman tayo mayaman na bansa. Sabi ko, pabayaan na lang natin yun. Who cares in 20 years or 30 years, sabi niya, patay na tayo nuon. Hindi ganoon ika ko, paningin ko, ang bayan ang pinag-uusapan natin dito. Mahirap yung ganoong kaisipan.

Q Sa palagay ninyo, hindi babaguhin ni Pacquiao ang stand niya?

SP Hindi na kailangan kung babaguhin ni Manny Pacquiao, pareho ang posisyon namin eh. Mas sikat siya sa akin, hindi ko na kailangan masama sa poster ni Manny. Siguro yung ibang pulitiko.

Q Viable pa ba for the Church and Pro-RH proponents to come up with a compromise?

SP I do not know the extent of the commitment of the RH Bill proponents, if they want to relent. I do not know what is the farthest that the Church can go to accommodate. It's a very difficult issue. Ako, very simple ang posisyon ko. My solution to the problem of the country is not population restriction, but to improve the investment climate in the country and increase the pie, and then increase the tax on the rich people so we can get money for the government to spend so that it can create jobs and return back and create income for the poor people. Yung per capita na measurement is not a correct measurement as far as I am concerned because you may have a big pie but you just divide it by the number of population, but that is not the real income of the poor people. So much of that national income goes to the very few who are at the very top of the economic totem pole.

Q Dito po sa tug-of-war, do you see a solution?

SP I hope that both sides will be very circumspect because we are dealing with the country. On the other hand, you have to consider that this issue is a very emotional issue. It does not only involve health, as the proponents think it is, it involves the basic value of a human being which is religion.

Q So divisive issue?

SP Very divisive.

Q Mas divisive pa sa Cha-Cha?

SP Kesa charter-change? Yes. Mahirap na issue ito. Nakikta mo na ngayon na tempers are growing, pati simbahan ay nagsasalita ng ganyan. Never in my life have I heard them like that. I will not think about the worst-case scenario.

On Malacañang putting pressure on legislators re ARMM Elections

SP Hindi naman ako kinakausap kaya hindi ko masagot yun kung may pressure. Kinausap nila, ang alam ko, yung kanilang kapartido.

Q Do you think the Liberals have enough influence in the Chamber?

SP I do not know.

Q Hinihintay natin yung report ni Senator Marcos?

SP Syempre. Wala tayong paguusapan dito pag walang report.