Press Release
January 20, 2016

Transcript of Ambush Interview with Senate President Franklin M. Drilon

Q: On Comelec's plan regarding the printing of ballots for 2016

SPFMD Hinihiling ko kay Chairman Bautista na ipagpaliban muna ang pag imprenta ng balota hanggang magkaroon ng desisyon ang Korte Suprema. Sang-ayon sa balita, gusto na niyang mag-imprenta sa February 1. Ngunit kung hindi pa tapos at sa palagay ko hindi pa nadesisyunan ng Korte Suprema yung mga disqualification cases, ang mangyayari niyan, uunahan niya ang Korte Suprema. Kung ang paglabas ng desisyon ng Korte Suprema ay hindi natin alam, kung yung printed ballot ay tama o hindi.

Kaya sa akin po, dapat respetuhin nito ang Korte Suprema. Hindi po ako naniniwala na kulang sa panahon ang imprenta dahil pwede namang dagdagan ang printing, you can add printers to print the ballot so that you can print on time. The possibility that the ballots may contain names of those disqualified will cause a lot of confusion. So I urge strongly- ako ay nakikiusap kay Chairman Bautista - na ipagpaliban ang pag imprenta ng balota.

Q: Hanggang kelan pwedeng ipagpaliban ang imprenta ng balota?

SPFMD: Sa palagay ko ang Korte Suprema naman alam nila ang responsibilidad nila. Sa akin namang tingin, ang Korte Suprema ay sa lalong madaling panahon ay talaga pong dedesisyunan na.

Q: On the case of FPJ, sa April na nadecide yung case.

SPFMD: That is different. So what kung April? Are you saying na since it was decided na April noon, you think it will be decided in April today? Hindi aabot yan. As I said, sa akin, alam ng Korte Suprema na madesisyunan ito sa lalong madaling panahon.

Q: Ano po ang ibig sabihin natin sa chaos and confusion na magaganap?

SPFMD: Kung may mga pangalan doon na sabi ng Korte Supreme ay disqualified, it may no longer reflect the true sentiment of the voters. I am not passing judgment on the qualification nor disqualification of Senator Poe, I am just saying that the more prudent thing to do is to wait for the final decision of the Supreme Court.

Q: Kakausapin niyo po si Chairman Bautista?

SPFMD: I am appealing to him.

Q: Mahirap po ba with him dealing with all this stuff, sa automation?

SPFMD: I do not know with the automation and all that stuff, hindi ko alam.

Q: So itong call niyo, hindi naman parang hinihintay ninyo na ma-disqualify si Senator Grace Poe?

SPFMD: Anung hinihintay? Don't put words in my mouth naman. No I am not passing judgment. I am just saying that the more prudent thing to do is wait for the Comelec to decide. That's the more prudent thing to do.

Q: May resolution po na pinapaikot po na expressing the sense of the Senate to override the veto ng Pangulo doon sa SSS pension hike bill. 11 signature na daw yun sir.

SPFMD: Political season is here. Talagang pulitikang pulitika iyan, wala nang iba kundi dahil sa pulitika. Dahilan na alam naman natin na yung una, yung pag-override ay manggagaling sa kapulungan kung saan nanggaling ang panukalang batas. In this particular case, the SSS bill came from the House. Any effort to override must come from the House. So dito po sa Senado, maghihintay lang kami sa aksyon ng House. Dito po ay kailangan din ang 16 na pirma, eh nakikita niyo naman na araw-araw ay hirap na hirap na kami umabot ng 15.

But again, yan po, that kind of a move is dictated by the politics of 2016, and I think is designed to isolate the President.

Q: May bearing po ba yung ganyang resolution? Kailangan din po ba iyan pagbotohan?

SPFMD: In fact, we cannot vote on that unless the House will override.

Q: So hindi iyan pwede i-adopt sa plenary until the House does?

SPFMD: Hindi. What is the effect of the resolution? The resolution has no legal effect because the override must come from the House first.

Q: The resolution is not even in the form of a House resolution.

SPFMD: It's not. As I said, there is no resolution overriding from the House. So how can we even take it up at the Senate? So talagang they want to isolate the President and it's dictated by the political season.

Q: So yung gathering of votes, was that a waste of time?

SPFMD: It has no legal effect, and therefore it is very clear na ito ay pamumulitika.

Q: So wala pong effect?

SPFMD: Walang effect.

Q: Pero pwede pong, it can be adopted ng Senate?

SPFMD: We will have to debate as to whether it is proper. We have to debate as to whether it is in order, because if it has to come from the House, then we will refer it to the Committee on Rules. For example, bills of local application, or tax measures, or the national budget, anything that is filed in the Senate on matters which originate from the House, nirerefer sa Committee on Rules. So pagna-file iyan we will refer it to the Committee on Rules.

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