Ambush Interview of Senate President Franklin Drilon

On the 13th month pay

SPFMD: Yung present law, binuo yan nung 1995. Nung panahon na yun, ang sahod ng pangkaraniwang manggagawa sa pamahalaan ay P2,900 per month kaya sa isang taon, ang 13th month pay mga P30,000 kaya ang batas noon hanggang ngayon, kung ang bonus ay hindi lalampas ng P30,000, probado man o sa publiko, yan po ay exempted sa tax. Tumaas na ng tumaas ang sahod ng manggagawa, sa mga kawani ng pamahalaan at saka sa sector ng pribado ng beyond P30,000 kaya marapat-dapat lamang na i-adjust natin yung maximum ng 13th month pay na maging exempt sa income taxes. Kaya yung panukala ni Senator Ralph Recto at sinuportahan ng liderato ng Kamara at ng Senado ay hanggang sa P75 thousand in order to adjust the maximum amount that will be exempt from taxation.

How soon can the Senate pass this Bill?

SPFMD: We will have hearings on this but it is in the priority agenda of both Houses of Congress.

Mayroon po bang bagong tax measures na ipo-propose to compensate for the losses sa 13th month pay?

SPFMD: Alam mo, yung sinasabing losses is more theoretical. Yes, there may be loss of production but ito naman, whatever is the taxes that are not paid, gagastusin din yun sa Pasko so bumabalik sa ekonomiya yan at umiikot ang pera. That is how you generate economic activity, by providing the consumer with more purchasing power. In this instance, bibigyan mo ng karagdagang panggastos yung mga manggagawa sa panahon ng Pasko kaya bumabalik sa ekonomiya ang pera.

On Senator Sotto's suggestion that the PDAF case be handled by the Ethics Committee

SPFMD: Totoo yan, at sinisikap namin ni Senator Alan Cayetano at ni Senator Ralph Recto maghanap ng isang senador na pwede nating sabihing neutral, pero ang hirap, dahilan sa kahapon nga, sinabi ni Jinggoy na hinuhusgahan nyo na kami. Mahirap maghanap ng Chair ng Ethics Committee kaya ang aming session ay magtatapos ng March 15, sa susunod na tatlong linggo, sisikapin naming tapusin yung mga panukalang batas na nakabinbin. Halimbawa, yung sa Sandiganbayan Bill, yung graphic warning sa sigarilyo, yung tax exemption sa Christmas bonus, yung FOI, yung Marina Bill natapos na namin. Yun muna nag aming bibigyan ng priority at we have only three weeks to do this. I think ang una naming tungkulin sa taong bayan ay mapakita yung mga reporma sa pamamagitan ng mga panukalang batas na aming tinatalakay.

Yun pong tungkol sa PDAF, yung Ombudsman ay may sariling imbestigasyon at medyo malayo na ang inabot ng imbestigasyon sa Ombudsman kaya hindi naman sa walang nangyayari tungkol diyan at siguro makapagdedesisyon naman ang Ombudsman sa lalong madaling panahon which, on the other hand, hindi po namin matatapos kung mag-iimbestiga kami sa Ethics Committee. I doubt it very much if we can have any substantial work by the time we go on a break by March 15. We would rather first concentrate on the legislative agenda that we have agreed with the House of Representatives while we are still exerting every effort to form the Ethics Committee with senators who have no opinion on this point. My first preference is an independent body, the Ombudsman, is already investigating this.

Wala pong senator na nagvovolunteer to take on the job?

SPFMD: Si Senator Cayetano ang kumakausap sa bawat senador.

Dapat po ba ituloy yung hearing ng Blue Ribbon sa pork barrel?

SPFMD: That is a matter for Senator Guingona to decide. Sir, si Senator Jinggoy kahapon nag-mention na may other senator friends daw si Ruby Tuason. Ilalabas din iyong CCTV footage ng pagbisita ni Ruby Tuason sa ibang senators.

SPFMD: Well, we have directed the Sergeant-at-Arms to make available whatever CCTV footage there is. Wala kaming tinatago diyan. Kung ano ang available na CCTV, aming ilalabas.

Lahat ng pagbisita ni Ruby Tuason, sir?

SPFMD: Pagbisita ni Ruby Tuason, pagbisita ng media sa amin. Kung sino man ang bumisita, aming ilalabas. Wala kaming itatago. This is a public place but we have limitations. The Sergeant-at-Arms informed us that prior to 2011, VHS pa kaya nire-recycle. With that limitation of our facility, we will make the CCTV footage available to the public. Wala kaming tinatago.

Sir, in your view, what's the value of the footage except to show that Tuason was here?

SPFMD: I do not know but I do not want to pass judgment on that. It's up to Senator Estrada to draw conclusions but all that they are asking that will be made public, we will. You are witness to the past that we aren't preventing anyone from viewing these tapes except that there are limitations.

Sir, kahapon po parang kayo ang nag-referee sa dalawa. Paano niyo po sila napagusap?

SPFMD: Basta kinausap natin at sinabi natin na nailabas na ang sama ng loob kaya siguro ang expectation ng taong-bayan, maraming nakabinbin na panukalang batas na dapat tugunan at trabahuhin kaya pinakiusapan ko.

Any advice to Guingona?

SPFMD: I just appealed to both of them. They had a one-on-one talk afterwards. I don't know what happened there. Did Ruby Tuason approach your office, sir?

SPFMD: No. She did not approach my office. Hindi po iyan lumapit sa aking opisina .

Do you know her, sir?

SPFMD: I knew that she was social secretary during the time of Erap.

On the Cybercrime Law

Sir, iyong DOJ daw po magsu-submit ng proposal nila na another bill na wala doon iyong libel provision. Amenable po ba ang Senate?

SPFMD: Well, I do not know what kind of bill it would be because the Cybercrime Law has been sustained as constitutional except on those specific provisions. So, I do not know what they will submit. We'll wait for it if they want to submit a new measure but the Cybercrime Law as a whole was sustained as constitutional except on certain portions including the power of DOJ to take down notices.

Some senators are calling for the decriminalization of libel.

SP: Right now, from what I understand, the Supreme Court, this is a knowledge that I get from talking to people, I have not seen the document, it is my understanding that in libel cases, the judges will not impose prison terms. Walang kulong sa ngayon dahil sa alternative naman ay either imprisonment or fine. Again, subject to confirmation, it is my understanding that libel, as a crime, would not call for the imposition of a prison term.

But having said that, noon pong ako ay kalihim sa Kagawaran ng Katarungan, apat na taon akong nandiyan. Mukhang isa lang ang libel na na-file ko for four years. So, there are two sides of the coin. Some believed that it is necessary in order to safeguard the integrity, protect the country. Others believe that it is a part of freedom of expression. Let us leave it at that. The Cybercrime Law has been sustained in so far as the liability for libel of original authors are concerned which is what the Revised Penal Code used to do.