Press Release
January 27, 2020

Transcript of interview with Sen. Cynthia Villar (Gulayan sa Paaralan bill, dairy industry, coronavirus, US immigration)

Q: On gulayan sa paaralan bill

Villar: We will go to plenary na. We will write the bill based on the hearing .

Q: In priciple, supportive sila?

Villar: They have no objection sa bill. Of course, may mga hinihiling sila, like the private schools, but we will see the opinion of DepEd. How can we require them to build gulayan sa paaralan if they don't want it to be a condition of their permits.

Q: On Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI)

Villar: No, I haven't seen them. I've been in the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food hindi ko nakikita ang BPI. Parang regulatory sila but they have no projects whatsoever. .. Sabi nila they will come to me daw. But I have been working without tem, I can afford not to work with them except that they are presenting their projects. I haven't seen any projects from them in my 7 years as chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food.

Q: On novel coronavirus, nag-lockdown na ang Wuhan. Merong 1,000 Filipinos daw ang nandoon. Sabi ng France ie-airlift nila ang mga tao nila doon. Do you suggest na ganoon din para sa mga Pinoy?

Villar: I think it's the decision of the Department of Labor and DFA what they will do but I guess, bago naman sila i-airlift, be sure na wala silang virus kasi baka sila naman ang magdala dito. Kasi sabi nila ang Wuhan province talagang contaminated na the whole province.

Q: But do you suggest na i-airlift or alisin ang mga Filipino sa Wuhan?

Villar: I don't know but we have to do what's best. Ang importante lang, hindi sila contaminated kung ie-airlift mo sila, dadalhin mo sa Pilipinas, I guess i-quarantine sila until we are sure na hindi sila contaminated.

Q: Paano iyong mga tourists?

Villar: No, I think we have suspended flights. Wala na coming from Wuhan to the Philippines.

Q: Iyong ibang destination na meron ding suspected cases?

Villar: Sa Wuhan grabe doon talagang doon nanggaling.

Q: You expressed misgivings against one official sa Philippine Carabao Center? Particularly one official na bumili ng vehicle?

Villar: Iyon ang gusto nila but I stopped them. Sabi ko, it cannot be. So they are following my suggestion. I am just mentioning it to the DA para turuan nila ang mga agency nila na hindi dapat ganoon.

Q: Lack of production of the dairy industry partly to blame for malnutrition?

Villar: Of course. Kasi ang dairy production natin is 1% of demand. 99% are imported. Ibig sabihin, kapag mahirap na bata, hindi na siya makakainom ng milk kasi mahal syempre and imported. Mahirap kang bata, makakabili ka ba ng imported? So iyon ang problema. So lahat ng mahirap na bata hindi nakakainom ng milk, kapag ganoon syempre ang development ng kanilang mental ability ay affected. Ang sinasabi ko, hindi lang DepEd and partly to blame but also iyong inability natin to provide good nutrition to our children.

Q: What agency are you naming kanina?

Villar: Iyong in-charge of dairy. Kasi diba typical, pinapainom ng milk ang mga bata para mag-improve ang kanilang mental ability. Kung maliit ang production ng dairy, hindi na iinom ang mga bata ng milk. More or less, affected din and development ng kanilang mental ability.

Q: Iyong sinasabi ninyo na bad performance ng DA, na naging cause sya kung bakit hindi naging competitive ang farmers?

Villar: Kung wala kang programs to benefit the farmers, hindi magi-improve ang lives ng farmers. Katulad ng research na walang application, how can that improve the live of farmers kung walang application ang research. Diba nagri-research tayo to improve the operations of our farms. Kung hindi tayo gagawa ng programa to test your research kung tama o hindi, wala din iyon that's useless.

Q: Bakit nagkukulang sa dairy production?

Villar: Siguro iyong orientation ng ating DA na hindi nila responsibility, they are just for regulatory or whatever but it is not their responsibility to answer for the non-production of agriculture. Kasi alam mo ang agriculture, it should grow with the population. 2 to 2.5 percent ang growth ng population, ang agriculture must grow the same way para maging self-sufficient tayo sa food. Parang common sense iyon, growth of population equals the growth of agriculture. Para iyong mabubuhay na bagong tao may pagkain. So if they are not growing in the same rate as the population is growing, then it will result in lack of self-sufficiency of food.

Q: Ano ang dapat gawin sa mga non-performing units

Villar: Iyan, nago-oversight tayo hoping that with our comments, they will improve. What can we do? We cannot remove them because they are part of civil service. So by hoping, by commenting on their performance, they will try to improve.

Q: Programs instead of establishment of departments?

Villar: Lahat naman iyon ang problema, when you create department, you create overhead ngayon ano ba ang mas mabuti, mag-create ka na lang ng programs to solve the problem or mag-create ka ng deepartment at gamitin sa overhead ang pera. So it's their decision. Ako I do not belive that we should create departments, I think we should create programs. Meron namang iba ang gusto nila departments so majority wins in this country.

Q: May politicians nagkakaproblema sa Us immigration..

Villar: Lahat naman. It's a common problem.

Q: Matagal ang questionan?

Villar: Not necessarily. If you have a diplomatic passport supposed to be walang masyadong questions sa iyo. Kaya lang merong mga excemption. Maski kami diplomatic passport, I don't know what's their gauge. I haven't experienced that but others have experienced that. Hindi lang naman iyon ang issue, I think iyong mga ipinasa sa US Congress na mga controversial na provision, maraming reason for that. I think they are going to do a hearing. Iyong Committee on Foreign Relations will do a hearing on this. Maybe you can get many things from there. Parang hinidi naman ako dapat mag-comment kasi agriculture ako and environment. ...

Q: On VFA

Villar: Sa tingin nila kasi maraming nagsasabi too harsh iyong abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement. Iyong iba naman sinasabi na iyong mga pinas nila sa US Congress ay interfering na sa ating local issues. So we will see.

Q: Some senators natatagalan sa US immigation...

Villar: Oo, meron talaga. I just heard a couple pero hindi naman lahat. ... kasi ngayon may system sila na if you have a diplomatic passport, you ask the consul to arrange with the government of US na sunduin ka para hindi ka matagalan. Before walang ganoon, ngayon they are asking iyong state department ng US nagse-send sila ng representative sa airport or sa port para salubungin ka para you don't have to go though the process

Q: iyong matagal na tanungan sa immigation, is that unusual?

Villar: Depende siguro sa person na nagpo-process. Kasi marami akong naririnig na senador na pinahirapan sila. Ako, I haven't experienced that pero meron.

Q: Ano daw dahilan?

Villar: Masyadong maraming tanong tapos dadalhin ka pa doon sa private room to be questioned. Merong ganoon. Depende sa taong nagpo-process ng entry mo, kung makulit iyon kinukulit ka. Iyon namang mababait hindi naman... Palagay ko ang immigration nila may ugaling ganoon. I experienced in Hawaii, mas madali iyong LA kaysa Hawaii. So depende sa tao

Q: May questions daw about politics...

Villar: Hindi, talagang makulit lang sila. Meron silang mga biases, siguro ganoon.

Q: Medyo racist sila?

Villar: Ewan ko kung racist iyon o makulit lang sila. I don't want to make conclusions kasi mahirap na. Merong mga mas mahigpit kaysa hindi.

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