Transcript of Ambush Interview with Senate President
Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III

On Bangladesh

SPKP: That has been insufficiently discussed sa report. Babasahin pa natin. Wala akong prinamis. Tutulong tayo sa pwede nating maitulong.

Q: Babasahin niyo po muna yung report?

SPKP: Yung report mismo. Then they will tell me ano ba yung insufficiently discussed doon or pursued doon.

On Cha-Cha not being accepted by 44 percent

SPKP: Ok lang yun. Kung 44 ayaw ng Cha-Cha, di bale may 37 so may 56 tayo na pwede natin i-swing. Tapos bababaan na lang yung 44. Anyway hindi pa naman fully-discussed, hindi pa nag-front page sa mga peryodiko, so as soon as yan na po ang issue of the day, marami na pong maco-convince dyan.

Q: Mainit na debate po ba yun? Kung con-ass or con-con?

SPKP: Open ako kung Con-Ass, kasi pareho namang recognized ng Constitution yan so walang mali. Actually ang tawag dyan, preferred mode, it is according to your taste, so there is no wrong answer.

Q: Yung voting sir?

SPKP: Separately kasi kung batas nga separately paano pa kaya yung Constitution. No law passes unless passed both separately much more the Constitution.

Q: Sir, paano nade-decide yung ganon?

SPKP: Kung mayroong clash in the interpretation, we have a problem pero if we agree on the interpretation, we will not have a problem.

Q: Pero dun sa mode?

SPKP: We have to convince the House na tama ang interpretation naming.

Q: Nakaka-influence ba yung ganung statement ng Pangulo?

SPKP: Well, of course. Presidente yon. Marami syang followers. Marami syang fans. I'm his partymate dito kaya nakikinig ako sa kanyang preferred mode.

Q: Dapat ba meron ng Cha-Cha in one, two, three years beyond that malabo na?

SPKP: Hindi naman masasabing Malabo na. Preference din po yon. Pwedeng sa 2019 midterm elections ay plebisito na. That means the amendments must be ready by 2019 whatever is the mode.

Q: Senate ang magco-convince sa House na Con-Con?

SPKP: Wala pa kaming position dito. Either Con-Ass or Con-Con. If it's Con-Ass, the interpretation of the Senate is ¾ votes of all the members of the Senate and the House voting separately.

Q: Do you see the need for greater awareness or greater education sa mga tao?

SPKP: Kapag parati ng pinag-uusapan yan, my prediction is mas magiging bukas ang isip ng ating mga kababayan to amend the Constitution.

Q: Baka po maubos ang oras ninyo...

SPKP: Parehong may pros and cons. Con-Con, expensive, time-consuming, open-ended. Sa Con-Ass they can be surgical, less expense kasi there's no additional compensation. But there are only 24 hours in one day, if we spend five hours talking about the Constitution, there is five hours less talking about laws.

Q: So, magiging devisive issue ba ang Cha-Cha?

SPKP: Yung mode, yun lang ang issue doon kung Con-Ass, whether voting separately or not. Sa Charter Change ang issue ay whether federalism or not.

Q: Kapag Con-Ass may doubt daw ang publiko...

SPKP: I do not share that sentiment. It's a legal way of amending the Constitution, it's a matter of taste or preference.