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

Q: On Department of Public Works and Highways budget

SPPimentel: My office received information that the DPWH Regional or District offices have been conducting biddings of projects found in the 2017 General Appropriations Bill. Ako po ay nababahala dito, kasi ito po ay hindi pa po ito law, ito po ay bill at pinaguusapan pa po ngayon iyan.

What is now the legal basis for already bidding out projects anticipated to be part of a law, but not yet officially part of a law?

Q: Hindi po ba iyan practice na in the previous years?

SP: If given the chance, because now under interpellation ang DPWH budget, if given the chance and time permitting, I would like to raise this issue. And if that is the answer, that it has been the practice, I will ask for the legal basis of the practice. If we cannot find a legal basis, then we have to stop the practice.

Ganoon po iyon. If there is no legal basis, we are a government of laws, we follow the rule of law. Kung aminado pong walang legal basis, then we better stop it.

Q: Sir supposedly ginagawa yan kasi para mapabilis yung projects for 2017.

SP: Oo nga po. Of course we can give justifications or any excuse, but uulitin ko: If there is no legal basis, then we have to stop the practice, because change has come.

Q: So wala pong criminal liability yung mga previous administrations?

SP: Mag-research na lang po yung iba. But that is not my point, my point is not really to prosecute. Basta, to point out, if we all agree that there is no legal basis, we have to stop the practice.

Q: Ano po ba yung danger sa practice na iyan?

SP: We are just reinforcing our concept of 'rule of law'. How can you possibly bid a project right now, when there is still no law appropriating funds for that project? Because aminado naman tayo, there is no still law. There is a bill. A bill po iyan, a bill is not a law.

Q: Posible pa po na hindi maapprove yung projects.

SP: Possible. That's why do we have the right to assume that what has been submitted will be the final 'look' of the law? Kung ganoon, aren't they treating Congress the Congress' role in the budget making process -as a mere formality, na wala na palang magbabago diyan?

We are just strengthening the 'rule of law' concept, as well as reminding them that Congress has a role in the budgeting process.

Q: Ano po yung mga projects na iyan na binid-out?

SP: Hindi ko po memorized, basta mayroon po akong mga nakikita na may invitation to bid, na ang nakabanggit doon na source of funding is 'the 2017 GAA (General Appropriations Act).' Wala pa po iyan.

Q: Ano po ang dating sa inyo nung P500 million na stand-by fund?

SP: We are still discussing that. Titingnan natin kung ma-remedyohan. Anyway, bill pa po iyan. Tingnan mo, that is still a bill, so the bill can still be improved. The objection of lack of details as to where the P500 million lodged at the Central Office will be spent, can still be remedied through amendment of the bill.

Q: Dapat po i-itemize sir.

SP: Opo, yun po ang panawagan ng isang senador, to itemize, at kung yan po ay panigan ng chair at walang objection from the body, then it must be itemized.

Q: Sir ano po yung target, maapprove kaya this week yung budget sa third reading?

SP: Nag-adjust na po kami ng aming deadline, from last Friday, ang bago po naming target would be Wednesday. That would be November 23.

Q: Sir on Wednesday, open to the public po ba yung Senate hearing with Kerwin Espinosa in Camp Crame?

SP: Kung mag-extend kasi yung budget, maapektuhan po rin iyan. Kasi the budget session is a plenary session. May rule po tayo na as much as possible, committee hearings should not be held while plenary is ongoing.

Q: Kahit sa Camp Crame gaganapin?

SP: Kahit na. Is that a Senate committee, so maapektuhan ang lahat, kung mag-aadjust lahat.

Q: Sir yan na po kasi yung nabigay ni Senator Lacson na schedule.

SP: Syempre nabigay kasi yung schedule not knowing ito. Actually yung sinasabi ko sainyo na Wednesday, it can finish tomorrow Tuesday, or it can finish beyond Wednesday. So we don't know.

Ito po ang mapapansin niyo: We are not limiting the questions sa budget. We are not limiting, kung ano ang gusto niyyo itanong, itanong niyo for transparency.

Q: So pwede pong hindi matuloy yung hearing sa Wednesday?

SP: Opo, lalo na po kung overlap po tayo. Papakiusapan po natin ang mga committee chair na, "Avoid the committee hearings while we have the plenary sessions."

Q: Kelan po mafifinalize yung budget?

SP: Alam mo, kahit gamitin ko yung word na "finalize" kasi pagdating sa budget we don't know the length of the questions. We are allowing to senators to ask questions, walang time-limit. Kung ano po ang gusto nilang itanong, itanong po nila. And we will adjust.

Q: Hanggang hindi po natatapos yung budget, wala pong ibang agenda?

SP: Opo, because the session is plenary, plenary po ito. This is plenary sessions.

Q: Sir pabor po ba kayo sa Crame gawin yung hearing with Kerwin Espinosa?

SP: Kahit saan po, I don't mind kahit saan.

Q: On Marcos burial

SP: Ang personal opinion ko po, kasi I don't believe that Marcos is a hero. If I were the decision maker, I would not have allowed the burial in the Libingan ng mga Bayani. But since I am not the decision maker, I will respect the decision of the decision-maker. That is a sad development for me.

Q: Sir, minobilize ang AFP at PNP. Obviously public funds ang ginamit. Tapos private yung ceremony. What do you make of that?

SP: I don't think it is really private. Actually the plot used is public land, hindi naman yan private land. Let COA (Commission on Audit) review the transaction, if there are infractions of COA rules, then hintayin po natin.

Q: Sir ano po ang reaction niyo doon sa petition kanina sa Supreme Court for the exhumation of Marcos?

SP: That is pending before the courts. Pabayaan na po natin.

Q: May malawakan pong rally sa Friday. Going to join the rallies?

SP: Medyo priority ko muna ngayon yung budget. Kung masyado marami tayong inaatupag, baka ito tumagal ng mas matagal pa. Basta budget kami, and we hope to finish by Wednesday sana.

Q: Sir sa Marcos burial, may remedy pa po ba doon? May nagsasabi po kasi na un-Christian to exhume the body.

SP: That's just an opinion. Maraming remedies, legal and then political. I think this issue will still be with us for a long time.

Q: Yung political -kung magbago ang isip ng pangulo.

SP: Kung magbago ang isip ng pangulo. By 2022, there is a new president. Iba rin ang kanyang position, who can stop him? Wala rin.

Even if you go to the Supreme Court, sasabihin din ng Supreme Court, "The president believes that someone unqualified has been buried and must be removed. That is also not grave abuse of discretion." Paulit-ulit po ito, this issue will be with us for a long time.