Press Release
January 30, 2019

Transcript of Interview of Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III

On the 2019 budget

Q: What will you propose to Senator Loren?

SP Sotto: I am proposing that considering that there are so many allegations concerning insertions, pork barrel and institutional amendments, I don't seem to see that magkakaroon talaga ng agreement ang pinag-uusapan dito. At kung mabigat talaga yung mga alegasyon na sinasabi, its better that we just withdraw. I will propose to Senator Loren that we withdraw the GAB version of the Senate and that we will have to stay with a reenacted budget for 2019, pagka ganoon. Palagay ko naman, with that burado lahat yung mga issues ng mga corruption, pork barrel, insertion at lahat na. Para mabura na lahat yan, reenacted budget na lang para matigil na yung problema.

Q: Pero di ba yan yung iniwasan ninyo last year?

SP Sotto: What do we prefer? A reenacted budget or a budget wherein there are so many allegations?

Q: But according to Senator Drilon he is against a reenacted budget.

SP Sotto: That is only my proposal to the chairman. At kung hindi magkakasundo, our hands are tied. Hindi magkakasundo, di ba? Eh di magreenacted budget tayo.

Q: Bakit hindi nagkakasundo? Di ba working together na naman ang House at Senate sa bicam?

SP Sotto: Yan ang nakakarating sa akin pero ang nirereport sa akin nagkakaroon ng hardball stance ang leadership ng House dito sa budget, pagkatapos ay hinahanapan pa ng kung ano-ano ang Senado, and then of course sa Senate mismo, may mga sinasabi na mga insertions. Itaob natin ang mesa. Zero-zero para wala ng problema. Asan yung mga pork barrel?

Q: Sinabi ni Senator Lacson na may senators na may P23-billion insertions (unclear)

SP Sotto: Hindi kailangang gawin yun sapagkat doon sa sinasabing amount na yan, marami doon institutional amendments. When we say institutional amendments, almost all members of the Senate, almost all members of the Senate, parang merong amendments. Whether it is institutional amendment or personal amendment, that's a different story, but majority of what I know are institutional amendments. Pero again, kung meron talagang mga alegasyon na ganyan, hindi ba mas mabuti pa bura na lang? Delete, in other words, reenacted budget tayo. It will have no bad effect on government, services will be delivered. We are not like the issue that they have in the United States, with a budget un-passed would have a shutdown government. We don't have that. As a matter of fact, I am glad you asked about the elections. In the 2018 budget, it was already incorporated, in the 2018 budget, the budget for the 2019 elections is already incorporated. Nandoon na lahat, preparations and everything. As a matter of fact, kung sasabihin nila, eh paano merong P6-billion na 2019 for Comelec for the election mismo, in 2018, the budget of Comelec was around P20-billion or more, I am not sure about the exact figure, but in the 2019 budget it's only P10-billion because the budget for the elections was already incorporated in the 2018 budget. Therefore, a reenacted budget will be in the favor of Comelec dahil mas malaki. Ang budget ng last year is bigger than the budget this year. P3.8-trillion last year, P3.7-trillion ngayon.

Q: Hindi nila nagamit sir yung P20-billion tapos additional P10-billion for 2019?

SP Sotto: Hindi pa. Yung additional billion? Hindi additional, let's not call it additional. That's their budget for 2019.

Q: Saan kukunin yung 2019?

SP Sotto: Doon sa 2018, reenacted eh.

Q: Paano yung salary increase sa government employees?

SP Sotto: It's all there. When you say a reenacted budget, it's like we passed the old budget. Ganun yun.

Q: Di ba may salary increase, sabi ng DBM they can't implement hangga't hindi napapasa yung 2019 budget?

SP Sotto: Eh kasi gustong hintayin yung 2019 budget but when we say we reenact the 2018 budget, it means that the 2019 budget is exactly the same as the 2018 budget. It will be accommodated, it will be there.

Q: Walang tatamaan?

SP Sotto: Walang tatamaan yun. Ang natatamaan dun yung mga insertions na alegasyon.

Q: Paano yung mga construction projects?

SP Sotto: Nagawa na yun dati kung may budget na allowed. It will be in the hands of the Executive Department, and knowing the disgust of President Duterte to corruption, we can be assured that there will be no problem as far as the issue on the budget is concerned, from the Executive Department.

Q: Yung Palasyo nagsabi na sila a month ago na tapusin na? Paano ngayon yun sir?

SP Sotto: Eh hindi magkasundo. What can we do? Hindi magkasundo, katakot-takot ang bintang� This is my personal opinion, I am sick and tired of the allegations of insertions and pork barrel. Eh di bura. Alisin natin. You know from 2014 to the present, I have never touched any PDAF, from that time up to this year, so hindi ako natatakot na mag-reenact tayo.

Q: What would it take so that this won't happen?

SP Sotto: You will have to ask the chairman of the Committee on Finance, Senator Loren because she is the one who is having a headache already on the so-called insistence of some members of the House and also coming from the Senate.

Q: Ano yung iniinsist?

SP Sotto: Insistence on the budget, on the kind of budget that they want passed.

Q: Anong klaseng budget yung iniinsist nila?

SP Sotto: Yun na nga sinasabing maraming insertions daw, tapos nung sinabing may mga insertions sa House, ang sinabi nila may mga insertions ang Senado. Paano ang gagawin natin doon? Magkakasundo ba sila? Papayag ba sila na wala yun? O papaya ba sila na hindi naman pala yun totoo? Hindi eh. Nagkakagulo. Reenact tayo, walang problema. Kung baga sa Mahjjong, itaob natin ang mesa, tabla-tabla tayo.

Q: Hindi kayo napikon lang?

SP Sotto: Kasama na yun. When I said I'm sick and tired of these allegations, so para mawala lahat yan, bura.

Q: Sinabihan ninyo na yung mga kasamahan ninyo?

SP Sotto: I'll leave it up to the chairman of the Committee on Finance. It's my recommendation to her, she can coordinate with the Executive Department, she can talk to the members of the House of Representatives, bahala siya.

Q: Nagkausap kayo ni Senator Loren?

SP Sotto: Nagkausap kami and she said she will talk to the people who needed to be informed of my suggestion.

Q: Ano ang sumbong ni Senator Loren sa inyo?

SP Sotto: Maraming nagha-hardball.

Q: Meaning gusto nila House version instead of the Senate version?

SP Sotto: Vise-versa and vise-versa.

Q: So ayaw nila sa amendment na ginawa ninyo?

SP Sotto: Siguro, more or less yun ang isa sa mga headaches.

Q: So ang status ng budget ngayon is deadlock?

SP Sotto: Kaya nga. Ganun ang nangyayari. What do we do, we only have one week to go? The President wants it signed sana by February 6. Pagka-ganyan, I have a strong suspicion that the President himself will agree.

Q: With the reenacted budget?

SP Sotto: Oo. Nabubwisit na rin yun sa naririnig niya, alam nyo naman yan, as I said, he has a disgust on the issue of corruption. Pagka narinig niya yan, narinig niya, nagsuggest kami ng ganyan, baka pumayag yun.

Q: Sino na yung nakakausap ninyo for the reenactment?

SP Sotto: Wala pa si Senator Loren pa lang.

Q: Amenable siya doon?

SP Sotto: She is now seriously considering it. You better ask her.

Q: For now no bicam?

SP Sotto: Meron silang bicam yata 5PM.

Q: Tuloy pa yun?

SP Sotto: Tuloy siguro. Sasabihin ni Loren sa... If Loren agrees, she will talk to the members of the bicam namin and she will inform the bicam members of the House that the suggestion of the Senate President is to just quit, let's go for a reenacted budget.

Q: Tatawagan ninyo po si Presidente?

SP Sotto: Hindi na. I will let the chairman of the Committee on Finance do that if necessary.

Q: Alam na ng ibang senators?

SP Sotto: Wala pa, hindi pa nila alam. Even my partner Senator Lacson and my best friend, also Senator Honasan hindi pa alam.

Q: Sabi po ni Cong. Andaya I urge my Senate friends not to abandon the bicameral conference proceedings (unclear) positive outcome.

SP Sotto: That's not what I hear. That is not what Senator Loren is reporting.

Q: Ano po ang nirereport?

SP Sotto: Kaya nga, nagha-hardball and then I am perplexed by the issue of pork both in the Senate and in the House and all these allegations, alisin natin.

Q: Kung may individual amendments, considered bang pork yun?

SP Sotto: Kung institutional amendment, hindi. For example, without naming names, merong cinut sa DOH na budget from the House, from the NEP pag-akyat sa amin. A senator placed back a chunk, a big chunk of the budget to the DOH dahil doon sa hospital upgrading nationwide. That is an institutional amendment, that is not an insertion.

Q: Pag congressman maglalagay sa district niya ng project?

SP Sotto: I'd rather speak for my House. I do not want to speak for the members of the House of Representatives.

Q: May mga senators na may individual amendments, considered ba na pork yun?

SP Sotto: Depende kung anong klase yung project, o depende kung anong klase yung amendments. Kung ang pinag-uusapan, flood control, drainage, at saka mga soft projects na tinatawag, danger yun, they can be considered as pork.

Q: Bakit po?

SP Sotto: Yung mga drainage at flood control, un-measurable. Hindi mo alam kung nadeliver o hindi.

Q: Ano yung mga example ng mga problematic projects na nakita ninyo sa House?

SP Sotto: You'd better ask Senator Legarda. I have no idea about the details and I don't look into the details.

Q: Iniipit ba kayo?

SP Sotto: Ang feeling ni Senator Legarda is masyadong nagha-hardball yung House.

Q: And you cannot counter the hardball?

SP Sotto: I'd rather not. I'd rather that they don't. I'd rather that they stick to their ground para reenacted budget na. Bura-bura na lahat ng mga alegasyon, tanggal lahat yung alegasyon.

Q: Kung pumayag sila sa gusto ninyong mangyari, reenacted pa rin po ang decision ninyo?

SP Sotto: It's still my suggestion.

Q: Reenacted pa rin?

SP Sotto: Oo, nandoon yung mga alegasyon eh. Alisin natin lahat yun. Papayag sila? Kung aalisin natin lahat yung mga sinasabing mga insertions, eh di kung papaya sila which I doubt, then I will withdraw my proposal.

Q: Yun lang, pag tinanggal nila yung insertions?

SP Sotto: Lahat ng sinasabi, ng pinagbibintang.

Q: Paano yung mga institutional? Kasama yun?

SP Sotto: Pinagbibintangan nila eh, pati institutional amendments pinagbibintangan nila na pork. Alisin na natin lahat para wala ng problema.

Q: Babalik sa original proposal?

SP Sotto: 2018 budget. It's the 2018 budget; it's like adopting the 2018 GAA as the GAA for 2019.

Q: Pag ganun, walang bagong project?

SP Sotto: Kaya ng Executive Department na... it has been done before, at least four times, if I remember, during the time of GMA.

Q: Pero hindi yun yung projects na nakalagay sa 2018?

SP Sotto: Kaya nilang ireallign yan. The Executive Department can find legal means to be able to that and deliver the more important projects. Pag hindi masyadong importante, eh di let's wait for the new Congress. Let's wait for the 18th Congress para sa 2020 budget ay hindi na ganyan.

Q: Di ba mas prone to corruption?

SP Sotto: As I said earlier, knowing the attitude of the President's disgust on corruption, it is a very slim chance na mapapayagan niya yung ganyan. Hindi mangyayari yun, everything that they will do they will have to ask the permission of the President.

Q: Hindi ba yan tantamount to yielding to the Executive Department yung power of the purse?

SP Sotto: No. We were the ones who passed the 2018 budget. Sa amin nanggaling yan.

Q: But getting the clearance of the President?

SP Sotto: That's the Executive Department, trabaho nila yun, hindi namin trabaho yun.

Q: Sponsorship today ng MACR?

SP Sotto: Hinihintay ko si ano, co-sponsor ako. Hinihintay ko si Dick. If Senator Gordon delivered his sponsorship speech, I am ready with my co-sponsorship speech. If he moves it to Monday, then I will wait for Monday.

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