SENATOR ALAN PETER CAYETANO:
(0:00:02) Lalong uminit yung summer nung nandito kayo. Okay. One cent for… Okay.
(0:00:29) So, klaruhin ko lang yung kay Senator Bato. Lahat ay gustong pumasok siya. Gusto ni Senator Bato pumasok. Ayaw niyang hindi pumasok. Gusto ng minority pumasok siya. Gusto ng majority pumasok siya. Anong problema? May threat sa kanya na walang assurance ang gobyerno na ma-proprotektahan yung kaniyang karapatan. So katulad ngayon po, pumasyal po kayo dito sa Taguig. Kahit anong tapang niyo po bilang media, kung credible yung threat na pag pumunta kayo dito, kukunin kayo [at] dadalhin kayo sa [the] Hague, pupunta ba kayo dito?
(0:01:12) Kung gusto niyo man pumunta, yung editor niyo mismo magsasabi, wag kayong pumunta kasi pwede naman kayong mag-interview sa ibang lugar. So it is not by desire of Senator Bato na wag siyang pumasok. So that’s the difference. So kung…
(0:01:29) May hindi pumupunta for another reason, inuna negosyo, tinatamad. Pero pagka may rason, may sakit o kaya on official business, in this case, may threat. So, nagkaroon ng isang paglilinaw ang DOJ noon, but with all due respect, lalong lumabo.
(0:01:47) Kasi ang sinabi ng DOJ noon ay may karapatan siya tumakbo sa korte at susundin yung korte. Pero in a nutshell, pinaraphrase ko lang. Pero ang sinabi din nila, may option din ang gobyerno na pag may warrant of arrest, arestuhin na lang siya tapos ipadala na siya doon. And then nag-announce yung ICC na meron silang tinatawag na secret warrant.
(0:02:09) Hindi po yun yung ating konstitusyon. Sa ating konstitusyon, huwes lang, judge lang ang pwede mag-issue ng warrant of arrest. Kaya kung may warrant of arrest galing sa abroad, dadaan pa dapat sa ating judge yun. Yun ang stand namin. Walang makapag-assure kay Senator Bato eh.
(0:02:25) So I talked to someone very close to him. Ang sabi, simple lang sir, ma-assure lang kami ng Philippine government na may day in court siya dito. Kahit arestuhin siya dito, dito sa Pilipinas. Pero yung sasabihin, pwede siyang kunin tapos ipadala na lang sa ibang bansa, ay maninindigan siya.
REPORTER:
(0:02:45) So the threat is the arrest, Senator?
SENATOR ALAN PETER CAYETANO:
(0:02:46) Yes, I mean, that’s from the start naman, ‘di ba? Kasi nilabas nila na may warrant tapos may ganun, ‘di ba? So, I’m not judging what’s right or wrong. I’m just giving you human nature. ‘Di ba? Human nature. Kahit ang secret service. Pag tingin nila may threat sa presidente, sa vice president, hindi nila papupuntahin doon, ‘di ba?
(0:03:07) So hindi po voluntary ang pag-aabsent ni Sen. Bato. Gustong gusto niya po pumasok sa session. Let me clarify one more thing. Sabi nung iba hindi siya nagta-trabaho. Magkaiba po yun. Kasi sa loob man o sa labas ng Senado, napaka-importante ng plenary, napaka-importante po mag-participate, napaka-importante po ng committee hearings. Kung magkakaroon ng impeachment, napaka-importante din na um-attend doon. But that’s not the totality of the work of the Senators.
(0:03:34) The research, the consultation, going around the country, that’s all part of the work. So katulad ngayon, break. But after this, tatakbo ako, group of businessmen naman, consultation naman about yung contingencies dito sa energy crisis. That’s part of my work.
(0:03:52) So kung may hearing kanina, I could have attended that or this. Kung may hearing mamaya, I can attend my consultation or that but that doesn’t mean we’re not working. Ganon din kay Senator Bato. Fully functional yung staff niya, yung mga memos sa kaniya, mga filing nila, magmo-monitor tuloy-tuloy. Again, do I want him to attend? Yes.
(0:04:14) I think he also wants to attend. Nami-miss na niya yung trabaho niya sa Senate mismo. Kaya lang kung ang kapalit naman doon, pagtungtong niya doon, bigla siyang arestuhin, bigla siyang isakay sa eroplano at ilipad sa [The] Hague, ilalaban niya yung karapatan niya.
REPORTER:
So walang reason para i-dismantle yung office at hindi siya pa sweldohin na?
SENATOR ALAN PETER CAYETANO:
(0:04:34) Kung ganun, para mong sinabing i-threaten mo na rin yung 23 [Senators]. ‘Di ba? Yung… baliktad eh. Bakit ang tinitignan natin yung may threat? Bakit hindi mapanindigan ng gobyerno, Senator Bato, nasa Pilipinas ka, may korte dito, safe ka, pumasok ka, walang kikidnap sa’yo. Hindi siya ma-assure ng ganun eh.
(0:04:57) So again, I’m not judging, pero linawin lang natin yung sitwasyon. Kasi ang lumalabas na sitwasyon, para bang siya ang [may] ayaw pumasok at dapat siya disiplinahin. Hindi ganun ang sitwasyon. Gusto niyang pumasok, pero live yung threat sa kanya.
REPORTER:
(0:05:13) Sir, yung partial committee report sa Senado, yung sa Blue Ribbon regarding the flood control, as of now, Sen, wala pa po itong sapat na piroma?
SENATOR ALAN PETER CAYETANO:
(0:05:24) Well, two things. One, I’ve been around government long enough to understand na systemic yung corruption. Napakasakit [at] napaka-tragic yung flood control scandal. But may opportunity dito. Yung opportunity dito ay one…
(0:05:42) Ang opportunity dito is hindi lang one time big time but to go to the root of the problem ng corruption sa Pilipinas and really address it. Ang unang naging problema is we didn’t start with the truth.
(0:05:57) ‘Di ba, from the start, sinasabi natin, hindi lahat yan ghost. Pinalabas lahat ghost para mas maraming magalit. Ngayon, ina-admit nila, hindi maraming ghost. Pangalawa, from the start, sinasabing may mastermind, pero tinatagpi-tagpi. Ano nangyaring net effect? Everyone na magkalaban sa local, sa national, ang kanyang mastermind, yung kalaban niya.
(0:06:18) Rather than finding kung sino ang tunay na mastermind pangkabuuan. Okay. Having said that, I believe sincere lahat. Sincere ang Pangulo na isolve ‘to. Sincere ang Kongreso. Sincere si Senator Lacson, etc. But ito lang ang tanong ko eh. Why so much fuss about the partial when we have the opportunity to have the whole and bigger picture?
(0:06:42) Even sa piliian ng witnesses, in my experience, alam niyo naman naging chairman din ako ng Blue Ribbon nang matagal, you just allow the witnesses. Then, through cross-examination, through the questions, interpolations sa mga senador, makikita kung sinong sinungaling at hindi. Ang difference lang, noong 2007, noong kami, wala pa masyadong social media. So, nandyan ang lens ninyo bilang journalist. So, dinodouble, triple, quadruple, fina-fact-check nyo.
(0:07:11) Ngayon kasi, lahat may social media. So, for the same witness, may grupong maniniwala, hindi. But that shouldn’t stop the Senate from inviting witnesses. Kasi kung sasabihin natin, ang i-invite lang natin na witness ay credible, then number one, you’re already pre-judging. So, pag hindi pala na-invite yan, pag na-invite pala yan, credible. Secondly, you’re taking out the opportunity for the people to judge from themselves.
(0:07:41) ‘Di ba? So kung sasabihin mo, halimbawa, Mike Defensor, o sabihin mo, totoo ba sinasabi about the Marines o hindi, let the people judge. O ngayon, yung sa NBI, sino paniniwalaan natin? Yung NBI o siya? ‘Di ba? That’s the beauty of having 24 senators. We’re not all members of the Blue Ribbon, but anyone can attend and anyone can ask.
(0:08:00) So ang tingin ko, we’re making a mountain out of a bowl hill dun sa partial. Naapektuhan din kasi ng konting rivalry ni Sen. Lacson at Sen. Marcoleta. But the reality is, bakit tayo naka-focus sa partial?
(0:08:16) Hindi pa nga na-unvail lahat. In fact, marami sa amin kasi binasa, we don’t agree with the report. So, hindi sa ayaw namin pumirma. We have a lot of disagreements there. But why are we not talking? Ako, personally. Hindi pa tapos. Ini-imbestigahan mo, marami pang… hindi lang ito marami pang yugto. Maraming nabubuksan. So, for example, if you invited Zaldy Co, when he was still chairman ng appropriations, iba malamang sagot niya.
(0:08:46) Nung natanggal siya, iba sagot niya. Nung bumaliktad at sinasabi na admin at hindi siya, iba na naman story. Hindi ko alam pag nahuli at pumunta dito kung iba. So our effort should be get him there or get key witnesses like him to get him to the Senate and to the DOJ and to the Ombudsman. Until then, ‘di ba, it’s he said, she said. And ang problema…
(0:09:09) He said this ng January. But siya din, he said this noong October. But siya din, he said this last year ganito. So, paiba-iba eh. So, sa hearing mo lang matetest yung credibility. Pero yung sabihin mo lang na, ‘di ba, kahit ang sinungaling, hindi ibig sabihin lahat ng sabihin niya sinungaling. Kasinungalingan. O kahit na yung pari, pastor, hindi pag nilagay mo dyan, 100% na sasabihin ay totoo. That’s why you test them nga per statement.
(0:09:40) So I’m hoping we will finish the investigation. But if you ask me my opinion, the whole truth will come out next administration pa. The same thing sa Duterte administration, whether you’re pro or anti, kailan lumabas yung mas maraming katotohanan? During his administration or after? About Cory administration, whether mabango or hindi.
(0:10:00) Kailan lumabas yung katotohanan? O nung panahon na ni FVR at saka ni Erap, the reality is we’re a very political society. And whoever tells the story has the resources, the human resources, the financial resources, the storytelling techniques. So sometimes time will tell or the better timing, will tell you the whole of the story.
(0:10:32) So, katulad ngayon, lumalabas ngayon, pinupuntirya natin 2025 budget—na tama naman. Pero lumalabas maraming ghost na sa 24 at 23. Pero hindi pa lumalabas ng husto. Pero yun ang lumalabas.
REPORTER: (On Discaya project in Taguig)
(Inaudible)
SENATOR ALAN PETER CAYETANO:
(0:10:50) Well, all over the Philippines, we did our own investigation. Number one, walang ghost sa Taguig. Number two, it was all bidded, etc. Ang initial information namin is marami iba yung sa bidding pero hindi yun yung actual contractor so gamit ng lisensya so I leave it up to the DPWH for their own investigation and then dito wala kaming sinasanto but that’s the problem pagka open bidding.
(0:11:22) ‘Di ba? Pag open bidding, anyone can win. But that’s precisely why we invited you, we invited Sec Vince. Walang tinatago dito. And in fact, may mga iba, may kamalian sa paggawa. So how do we fix it?
REPORTER:
(0:11:35) So it’s all about both funds of DPWH… (Inaudible)
SENATOR ALAN PETER CAYETANO:
(0:11:43) Basta’t alam kong nasa GAA siya. But yung actual details, hindi ko alam. Actually, una ko nakita yan sa internet din. Tapos bigla ‘kong tinanong. Tapos yun. Tapos we sent people here to look at everything. Yung natapos, etc. Then we interviewed yung gumagawa. Hindi sila empleyado nun.
REPORTER:
(0:12:05) Did you know, sir, kung anong company?
SENATOR ALAN PETER CAYETANO:
(0:12:06) I don’t have the details kasi I just did the preliminary. But both DPWH and the local government should have all the facts and everything.
REPORTER:
(0:12:16) Pero ang people are asking, Sen, why leave the investigation to the DPWH when in fact sila yung nagpa-bidding, kasama yung mga display?
SENATOR ALAN PETER CAYETANO:
(0:12:22) It’s everywhere. I mean, sa Pasig City, kay Vico, meron din. Kay Mayor Magalong, meron din. So when I say leave it to the investigation, DOJ, Ombudsman, DPWH, and we have a new DPWH. So the people they’re investigating are new people, ‘di ba? So, uh…
(0:12:42) It’s self-serving for politicians to investigate themselves. But it’s katangahan for me not to even ask questions. So we ask preliminary questions, satisfy ourselves. If we find something deep, then we will ask for whatever kind of investigation. That’s why at the start of this, sinabi ko sa lahat, open, open books, transparent, tignan niyo lahat. And ang request ko lang, sabay-sabay gawin. Parang nga, hindi yung may tinitignan, may tinititigan.
REPORTER:
(0:13:12) Thank you.
SENATOR ALAN PETER CAYETANO:
(0:13:13) Thank you, everyone.
