TRANSCRIPT OF SEN. SERGE OSMEÑA after the APECO BUDGET HEARING

On the issues raised against APECO during the hearing

Q: Bakit po sa inyo lumapit?

Serge: Hindi ko alam. Lumapit sila sa akin, at sabi ko, okay, kelangan na madinig ang panig nga mga nag-o-object sa project na ito. Alam po ninyo, matagal na akong against sa mga freeport na iyan kasi iyan ang mga nagiging center for smuggling. At iyong ibang freeports natin, halimbawa iyong sa Zamboanga, I remember we questioned the budget in 2006. Ang ginastos na po ng gobyerno noon, P950 million, almost P1 billion in the 10 years since it was established, at iisa lang ang locator doon. Pero tinutuloy pa rin ang P150 million to P250 million a year na appropriations. Ako po, hindi po ako sangayon sa mga kalokohan na ganyan.

Dun sa Casiguran, nanggaling na po ako dun, almost 50 years ago. Napakalayo po. Kung gusto nilang maglagay ng economic zone sa Aurora, dapat sa Baler kasi mas malapit sa Marnila. Hindi ko po maintindihan kung bakit ssa Casiguran pa, the very last town of Aurora.

Ikalawa po, nakita ko, sinabi ng ating mga kasamahan dito, na walang naging consultation na nangyari before the passage of the law. Nagulat na lang sila na isang batas ang napasa at nagpagawa ng free trade zone at pagkatapos free port pa in the town of Casiguran. The mayor did not even know that there was going to be a freeport in his town. Dun po sa Local Government Code, one of the requirements in paragraph of part 3 says that there must be consultation with the local government units before any law is passed affecting that town.

Dun naman po sa IPRA law, dun sa Indigenuous People's Rights Act, there must be what they called free, prior and informed consent, hindi lang consultation, ang mga indigenuous people. Dito po, hindi nila alam. Nadinig naman po ninyo. At inamin naman ng APECO, oo nga, hindi nga natin nagawa iyon.Labag sa batas iyon.

I thought they needed to be heard. At ako po ay nagpapasalamat sa inyo for giving them time, sa pagpansin sa kanila. Napakalayo po ng Casiguran, it took them 8 to 10 hours by bus, 16 hours including all the bus stops. Hirap na hirap sila papunta dito sa Manila pero dun po kasi sa Casiguran wala pong nakikinig sa kanila, so they have to come all the way to the Philippine Senate.

Q: Will you oppose the budget of the APECO?

Serge: Yes, I will oppose it. And I will also oppose the budgets for Zamboanga and the other free ports that have no business being called freeports because there is no advantage to the Filipino people in their operation.

Q: Magkano po ang budget nila?

Serge: For 2011, P145 million yata. At walang COA iyan ha. In 2008 and in 2009, wala silang COA. Kaya ang ginagawa po nila ay ginagastos nila ang pera ng taumbahay ng walang audit. Aba, ano ba yan?

Q: Makakabangga niyo po dito si Senator Angara?

Serge: Yes. Not for the first time. (Laughter)

Q: Do you agree that Sen. Angara is lawyering for the APECO?

Serge: Lawyering for APECO? Senator Angara is the chief executive officer of APECO. He admitted that kanina. Ilan ang tao sa board ng APECO? There are 9 but only 5 have appointees. Bellaflor Angara is a member. Sonny Angara is a member. The chief executive officer position is blank because it is Ed Angara who is the chief executive officer. Hindi po puwede na mangyari ang ganun. You cannot hold two positions in government.

Q: Do you see any conflict of interest?

Serge: Yes, of course. There is conflict of interest here. And there's moral hazard here. He was the one who appropriates money for the budget. He was the one pushed the bill to become into law. His sister is the governor, his son is the congressman.

I can agree, you know. I mean, if they insist that it is really a good deal, fine. But hire professionals. Hindi puwede na sila ang magmamando doon.

Q: Don't you feel awkward na colleague ninyo ang makakabangga ninyo?

Serge: I feel awkward about it but unfortunately, if no one will speak one, someone has to represent the minorities of Aurora.

Q: Aside from opposing the budget, since may lumalabas na conflict of interest, ano pa ang pwede ninyong gawin?

Serge: Abangan na lang.

Q: Is filing a complaint before the ethics committee one of the options?

Serge: Give me time, I am not a lawyer. This just happened in the last 2 weeks. Give me time to study the legal implications and we will map out a plan of action after.

Q: So before all this, wala talagang CEO?

Serge: Kinantiyawan ko nga kanina eh. 'Ikaw yata abg CEO.' Ang sabi niya, "yeah, okay.' Nasa transcript iyan eh.

Q: So siya talaga ang CEO?

Serge: Siya ang nagmamando eh. You see, even if he is not the CEO, he acts like the CEO.

Q: Kung part siya ng APECO, nakaka-receive din siya ng perks?

Serge: Oo. Kahit anong gusto niyang gawin dun, ginagawa eh. Hindi nga kinokonsulta ang mga stakeholders dun eh.

Maganda ang dagat dun sa Casiguran Bay. And sila po, during certain months of the year, during the amihan, sila po ay maganda ang huli nila. They have tuna that goes up to 50 kilos, that's more than 100 pounds. Yellow fin din. Tapos during certain seasons they have blue fin, iyan po ang mahal na tuna na binibili ng mga Hapon. Pero binabakuran na sila ngayon eh. Iyong 500 hectares has now become the freeport so they no longer have access sa dagat. So paano na sila ngayon? Bakit ginaganun?

Secondly, maglalagay daw sila ng industrial zone dun. Eh teka muna, kung madudumihan ang dagat, madudumihan ang marine life. And kapag narumihan ang marine life, that marine life will disappear because when the big ships come in, mawawala na ang mga isda dun.

Q: Iyong airport naumpisahan na ba?

Serge: Yes. Nag-umpisa na po sila. And infact, iyong isa sa mga kasama namin dito ay na-displace na dahil sa runway. Iyong bahay niya ka-level nung runway eh.

May ginagawa na ngayong adminstration building. Iyong mga lupa na tinanggal dito, tinatapon sa reservation. Itong 150 hectare reservation na ito, it has been declared by as a school reservation, kaya reservation ang tawag, it's under the DECS. Hindi naman in-occupy ng DECS ang buong 150 hectares so over the years, nagpatayo na ang mga tao ng bahay dun at palayan and lived there. Tama si Angara, under the agrarian reform law, that's exempt from the CARP. Pero may sulat, may order ang DECS na iyong mga lupain na hindi ginagamit sa loob ng property ay puwede ng maging covered ng CARP. So ito ang hinihingi nila ngayon. The previous secretary of the DepEd has already declared that those that are not being used as school grounds - malaki iyon, malawak - may natirang 110 hectares, can now be subjected to the agrarian reform law. Iyong mga taga-APECO, sabi nila, 'Sorry ha, relocation site ito.' Kaya nawala na ang palayan nila.

Kung familiar po kayo sa Casiguran, palayan iyan eh, farmlots iyan. It is the source of food for the people of Casiguran. Kapag ginawa ninyong industrial iyan, number 1, san ninyo itatapon iyong mga nawalan ng bahay dun? Anong magiging kabuhayan nila kung itatapon mo sila sa bundok? Sige bigyan mo sila ng 5 hectares, anong maitatanim mo sa bundok? Cassava?

Q: Can the Senate stop the completion of APECO or not?

Serge: Well, there is a law. But what we are asking is just the suspension of the project until more consultations are one and better planning are made.

Tingnan ninyo...may binayaran ng P2 million na downpayment daw for a 44 hectare lot. Ang per hectare only costs P5,000 per hectare. Pero binayaran nila si Jojo Ong, concessionaire nila sa logging, ng P120 million. Sabi ko medyo tabingi yata ang value system dito ha. Iyang si Jojo Ong ay member ng APECO board ha.

Q: May conflict of interest ang lahat?

Serge: Oo. He is the sole logger there, siya lang ang may IFMA dun.

(Note: He cited the case of Jojo Ong's Industrial Development Corporation, which was allowed to conduct logging in Aurora despite an existing ban.)

Ang nangyari dito, Secretary Atienza of DENR declared that none of Aurora could be subjected to commercial logging. But the provincial board, under the governor, Bella Angara, signed a Memorandum of Understanding, allowing commercial logging by the group of Jojo Ong. Bakit sila in-exempt? Bakit kelangan ng freeport eh magla-logging ka lang pala.

(Presented enlarged photocopy of MOU, showing the signatures of Aurora Gov. Bella Angara-Castillo, Rep. Sonny Angara and Sen. Edgardo Angara).

This is the MOU between Jojo Ong's IDC and the province of Aurora. Look who are the signatories. Joselito Ong, president of Industrial Development Corporation, Bellaflor Angara-Castillo, governor, Edgardo Angara, senator of the Philippines and Juan Edgardo Angara, congressman, lone district of Aurora.

Me, I think only one family owns Aurora. That's what we are trying to fight, the domination of one province by one family.

Q: What happens now? May third hearing pa?

Serge: No, no. This has been passed into law in my absence, they made it into a free port. The budget has been ongoing since 2008, 2009 and 2010. Now we are considering the 2011 budget. Pero walang COA iyan ha. Biruin mo, we don't know what they're money is being spent for.

Q: Chances na mapigil ang budget ng APECO?

Serge: That I cannot say. Iyan ang mahirap sabihin. You know the process of approving the budget here is a matter of give and take eh. Tulad ngayon, marami ngayon ang tumututol dun sa P21 billion conditional cash transfer. Eh alam ko naman may connection iyan eh, magkakaroon ng compromise diyan.

Q: Ganun din kaya ang mangyari sa APECO?

Serge: You said that, I did not say that... This is blackmail time for President Noynoy Aquino.