Transcript of Interview with Sen. Cynthia Villar (Hearing on ACEF)

Q: Bakit po napasama ang NGO ni Napoles sa issue na ito?

Villar: Kasi may P1.5 billion ang ACEF na naibigay sa NABCOR. Hindi ba iyong NABCOR may problema iyon kay Napoles. Hindi pa natin nakikita kung related kay napoles pero doon famous ang NABCOR for being related kay Napoles. So we have to look into that, ano ang nagyari sa P1.5 billion.

Q: Nabayaran po ba iyong loan na iyon?

Villar: It's a grant... Naibigay daw sa NABCOR it's for machineries to be given to mga farmer organization.

Q: Iyong P5.8 billion total, covering what period po iyon?

Villar: It's the whole. Kasi in-istop na nila iyan ng 2010. Napasa ang ACEF late 1990s, up to 2010... Mostly 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008...

Q: Iyong inenumerate ninyo kanina, may nakita ba kayong questionable? May binanggit kayo na mga individual loan?

Villar: Merong grant, merong loan. Ang loan is P5.8 billion. Ang grant is P2.5 billion. P8.3 billion ang bulk.

Q: May nakita kayong questionable, nakasuhan ba ang Quedancor?

Villar: Mga loans iyon, hindi namin inisa-isa. Kasi ang theory ko, sobrang laki ng loans. If it's for the benefit of small farmers and fishermen dapat maliliit. Kasi ang ACEF is due to expire December 2015. Ire-renew namin. We're looking at how do we renew it na maganda, based on hindi magandang nangyari in the past.

Q: May listahan ng loan?

Villar: May listahan ang DA, detalyado.

Q: Pero iyong individual loans, okay lang ba iyon?

Villar: Hindi namin kilala iyong mga pangalan. You can get the list and find out.

Q: Responsable ba iyon?

Villar: Walang nagbayad, eh, hindi responsable iyon. Can you imagine, 7 percent lang ang nagbayad? Sabi nung isa pinagbuti daw nila ang collection, naging 18 percent. Pero maski 18 percent...

Q: If you extend this, how do you make sure...

Villar: We are limiting the amount to P5 million. And we are giving grants, shared facilities program para sa mga cooperative and farmers organization.

Q: What safeguards will be put in place?

Villar: Legitimate farmers' organizations and cooperatives, may mga papeles naman iyan. Then maybe we'll transfer to Landbank kasi sila ang marunong mag-analyze kung sino ang reliable.

Q: You mentioned extensively iyong pag-educate sa farmers?

Villar: Tesda has P500 million budget for agricultural training, 45,000 students at P12,000 each. We will use that, except that I am asking the state universities and colleges to do their extension mandate to teach that. Because there are 454 campuses ang SUCs. Sila ang may network to teach. Ang mga farmers walang pamasahe, they earn only on the average P150 a day, paano mamamasahe para pumunta sa malayong eskwelahan. The school should go to them, not them going to school.

Q: Kukunin din ba sa ACEF?

Villar: May ACEF scholarship na P200 to P300 million a year for 2,400 students.

Q: The point is to help them increase productivity?

Villar: You raise more agriculturists to help the industry. Sa TESDA, you teach each and every farmer how to do better agriculture, P12,000 lang iyon, 45,000 students a year. Siguro naman after six years nakapagturo ka na sa 240,000 students. Families naman iyan, hindi naman individual.

Q: Bakit po umabot nang ganun kalaki yung sa loans? Walang limit before na P5M lang?

Villar: Wala. Iyon ang natutunan natin. Dapat iyong guidelines for giving out these loans and grants, dapat may guidelines iyon na mahigpit.

Q: Kung ieextend natin allowed pa rin ang individuals?

Villar: No, kapag grant it should be an organization of farmers or cooperatives. Hindi magbibigay ng shared facilities program sa individuals, favoritism iyon.

Q: Iyong 18 percent na nagbayad, as of kelan iyon?

Villar: June 15, 2015.

Q: Paano pa marerecover iyon?

Villar: Wala na iyon. 20 percent siguro marerecover mo.

Q: Pero kino-consider pa rin na iextend?

Villar: Kasi if you look at the profile ng binigyan nila, hindi iyon mahihirap. Kawawa naman ang mahihirap. Kung may pera naman... Nagkamali ng bigay, hindi binigay sa intended beneficiary. That's why we are going to give it to iyong mga maliliit na farmers organized into cooperatives or organizations. Bibigyan lang natin sila ng machinery so they can do their farming efficiently and maximum is P5 million, pwede ngang hindi pa P5 million. And it's machinery, it's not money.

Q: Wala kayong hahabulin?

Villar: They have to do it, iyong DA. Hindi kami, we are finding out guidelines na mas maganda to renew ACEF. We will see to it na walang irregularities ngayon.

Q: yong 18 percent...

Villar: We'll see. A year ago, 8 percent. Ngayon 18. Baka sakali.

Q: Do we have a deadline?

Villar: No. it's a loan. You have to follow the conditions of the loan.

Q: Some of them have died..

Villar: Write off na.

Q: Sa scholarships may nakita kayong kailangang baguhin sa proseso?

Villar: Ididiretso na ang pera sa SUCs. Tapos i-increase namin, kasi iyon palang scholarship ng DSWD ang ganda-ganda kaya iniwan na ang ACEF scholarship. Kailangan equal kami doon para maka-attract din kami ng magagaling na students. Ang scholarship nila 60,000 a year, kami 20,000 a year kaya iniwanan na kami ng mga estudyante, lumipat na.

Q: Ngayon ba hindi dinidiretso sa SUCs?

Villar: Sa DA. Ididiretso na namin sa SUCs ang pera.

Q: Are we ready for the ASEAN integration?

Villar: In some crops, yes. I would think sugar, banana, baby corn, poultry, but the rest I'm not sure.

Q: How soon do we get the P5 billion of ACEF?

Villar: Napahiram na yung P5.8 billion, nabigay nang grant iyong P2.5 billion, that's more than P8 billion. Iyong natitira ngayon another P8 billion. We will see if they can. And 10 percent of that should go to scholarship and the rest should go to shared facilities program for farmers' cooperatives and organizations. And maybe i-include din iyong pagtayo ng incubator for micro, small, and medium enterprises sa SUCs para turuang maging businessman, magtatayo ng business model, tuturuan nila.

Q: Update po sa NP? Nag-usap na po ba kayo?

Villar: Hindi pa.

Q: Anong mangyayari kapag sabay-sabay silang tumakbo na VP?

Villar: Free zone.

Q: Kapag free zone, meaning NP will not support?

Villar: Iyong amin, they will be free to choose among them lang.

Q: Hindi ba kinakausap ni Mar Roxas ang NP?

Villar: Kinakausap din pero nothing definite.

Q: Kailan ang huling pag-uusap nila?

Villar: Hindi ko alam, hindi naman ako ang kinakausap kasi hindi ako high-ranking sa NP.

Q: Sino po ang kinakausap, si Sen. Manny?

Villar: Iba-iba ang kinakausap niya.

Q: Tungkol sa vice presidency o possible coalition?

Villar: Siguro nag-iisip pa sila. Walang definite. Yung LP, may naisip na ba sila kung sino? Hindi naman nago-offer sila, float float lang.

Q: Ano po ang pinloat sa inyo?

Villar: Hindi ako pinloatan. Hindi ako kasi hindi ako kandidato. Iyong mga kandidato, siguro pinofloatan sila.

Q: Hindi nirereport sa inyo?

Villar: Wala namang definite.

Q: May commercial nap o ngayon si Mark Villar?

Villar: Yes.

Q: Is it a sign na tatakbo na siya sa Senate?

Villar: Hindi sure. We're just doing a commercial for him, in case, but nothing definite.

Q: Pero national po iyon, so more or less national ang tatakbuhin...

Villar: Wala namang masama na ipromote ko ang anak ko, ikaw naman.

Q: Magiinvite din ba ang NP ng presidential candidates tulad ng ginawa ng NPC?

Villar: Titingnan. I'm not sure. We are open. Ang dami pang indefinite.

Q: Ano po ang hinihintay?

Villar: Si Alan at si Bongbong.

Q: Sa anak nyo po, even with commercial hindi pa siya sure?

Villar: Because he has another term in Congress. We're just looking at it.

Q: Ang hinihintay nyo ba yung next survey?

Villar: Oo, lahat naghihintay doon not only us.

Q: Kapag maganda ang numbers niya?

Villar: Hindi rin sure kasi he has another term in Congress. Para masigurado lang kung well-known siya. Testing the waters.

Q: Iyong individual loan, hindi allowed dapat iyon?

Villar: Hindi naman, kasi nagkamali sila hindi nila nilagyan ng limit. Kasi if it was meant to help small farmer and fishermen, medium, small, and micro, dapat hindi ganun kalalaki. In the absence of guidelines... kaya nga iyon ang lesson sa atin. If we pass a law, we make guidelines.

Q: Failure ba ang ACEF on that point?

Villar: Yes, it's a failure.

Q: Iyong Quedancor, is that a grant or a loan?

Villar: It's a loan to Quedancor. Hindi sila nakapagbayad.

Q: Hindi sila pwedeng iforce?

Villar: Hindi ba may kaso. But it's a government corporation pero mismanaged yata.